I used to be an employee at Teaopia – and towards the end of my time there, I fell in love with two particular teas they carried: the ‘Honey Sweet’ black tea and the ‘Red Dragon’, which was categorized as an oolong but tasted nearly identical to the Honey Sweet (but lighter.) Those were the first plain, unflavoured black teas I truly enjoyed. I’m not a fan of any of the usual – Assam, Darjeeling, Ceylon, English breakfast, etc. They’re all too malty for my tastes.
So ever since Teaopia was bought out by Teavana, I’ve been on the hunt for a black tea with a similar flavour profile. After reading the description for the Mi Xian I knew I had to try it and see if it matched my beloved Honey Sweet/Red Dragon teas!
Upon opening the bag I immediately fell in love with the aroma. The scent is absolutely beautiful! Smells like honey and something else I can’t quite place. On my first sip, I could tell right away that it was very similar to the HS/RD in that it is smooth with that honey-like flavour and no astringency – just how I like it! However this tea has a sort of cocoa note to it that the HS/RD teas did not have. I did a second steep at around 5 minutes. I was surprised how much flavour was still in it.
I think I’m still on the hunt for teas more similar to the Honey Sweet/Red Dragon, but the Mi Xian is the closest I’ve come to matching them, and is a delicious tea regardless!
