Tea Information:

Leaf Type:  Black

Where to Buy:  Nan Nuo Shan

Tea Description:

Yixing Hong Cha −also called Yangxian Hong Cha− is a famous black tea. The dry leaves are straight, tender and dark in color. Usually two leaves and a bud or one leaf and one bud are picked.

The infusion is characterized by an intense smell. Fresh Yixing Hong Cha is yellow-red in color, and brighter than other famous Chinese black teas like Qi Hong (Qimen) and Dian Hong (Yunnan). It feels a little bit sour on the root of one’s teeth, but mellow, smooth and refreshing at the same time. It has an indescribable smell, very natural, and a lingering finish.

Learn more about this tea here.

Taster’s Review:

Yes!  I love this tea!  This Yixing Hong Cha Black Tea from Nan Nuo Shan is absolutely exquisite!

Sweet with remarkable cacao notes and hints of caramel undertones.  Fruit notes that offer a sweet note with a hint of sour, like you might experience after you’ve taken a bite of a fresh plum.

It’s a full-bodied tea, strong yet mild.  It’s not aggressive.  It’s not bitter or overly astringent.  It’s smooth and rich.  I get an almost dry cacao note toward the end of the sip, almost like the flavor of a top quality cocoa powder but not quite as bitter as the cocoa powder would be.  This has all that wonderful flavor of chocolate but without a strong bitterness, almost like dark chocolate.

To brew this tea, I used my Kati tumbler and measured out a bamboo scoop of the tea into the basket.  I added 12 ounces of boiling water and let it steep for 3 minutes.

For those of you who are missing Dawn from Simple Leaf – I highly suggest trying this tea.  THIS is AMAZING!