This is such an incredibly good black tea. I used to drink cheap bags of finely ground black tea, so I was shocked to realize the potential black tea really has. This is indeed a golden tea, with a rich color and malty taste/feel.
I was able to get three steeps out of the tea, though for me, I had to drastically increase the steep time for each steep. 1st: 3 min. 2nd: 5 min. 3rd: 10 min. Maybe I'm not using enough leaves. And the first steep definitely tastes the best, giving you the full flavor profile.
by Ig: Faustian_Luminary
April 2019
When I first opened the bag I was baffled by the sheer level of pekoe/ fine orangey golden hairs lining the bag and tea.
This tea I found to magnificent. There is a fruitiness to it, like apricots and other stone fruits. A sort of maltiness as well. Very low bitterness and astringency that turn to juicy sweetness, with a syrupy mouthfeel.
After enjoying 3-4 infusions I will cold brew it over night for the next day, and the flavour profile persists for at least 2 cold infusions.
I also figured out that if you cold brew this tea in a 1:1 ratio with Da Hong Pao Superfine (from this website), and add a little bit of lemon, salt and sweetener, you something really special. The minerality of rock oolongs seems to work really superbly with this tea.
Awesome!
I have been a loose tea drinker for over ten years and this is my absolute favorite. This tea proves that when you have a nice high quality tea you will never need to worry about milk or sugar. Steep it for 2-3 minutes and it will produce a delicious full-bodied cup with satisfying (but not overpowering) malty and chocolatey notes. A great "first thing in the morning" tea. It might look weak because it is not very dark in color, but I believe it is as effect in waking me up as any cup of English breakfast tea. If you want it stronger, steep it longer. It only gets bitter if you steep it for more than 5 or 6 minutes (and even then it's still pretty good). It delivers a good second steep too, so that's worth bearing in mind if you are deterred by the cost. I would steep the first cup for 2-3 mins and the second for 3-4 mins.
