Black Beauty

Sipdown
I thoroughly enjoyed this tea and tried to get at least 1 resteep (western style) every time I drank it. I would definitely order this tea again!

Another sample from Nicole! I had this earlier today, and it was a good mid-day pick-me-up. It’s a very rich, dark, flavourful tea (I also steeped the whole 3.3g sample at once in my 10oz mug, so that might have contributed to the intensity). To me it tasted malty, earthy, spicy, a little fruity… quite complex and interesting. This one might be an eventual order. :)

I’ve been saving this brew for a cold morning and today is that day. I am huge fan of this company. I have never been disappointed. I opened the package to reveal long slender tendrils of black and gold. The leaf gave off an enticing malt and chocolate aroma. I placed a good amount in my warmed gaiwan and gave it a shake. The aroma that arose from my brewing vessel was delicious! I took in strong scents such as coco, dark wood, slight cherry, and almost a vanilla. I washed the leaves once and prepared for brewing. The liquor began as a tarnished gold and then it deepens to a bronzed crimson. The flavor was amazing! This brew gives a thick mouth-feel and is syrupy. The intial flavor is creamy chocolate that mixes well with a slight spice and caramel. The brew carries a burnt sugar aftertaste with a thick huigan. This tea gave me a decent qi that made the morning just a bit more beautiful. I can’t get over how amazing this tea tastes. The flavor lasts long after drinking, and it continues to give a thick coating on the mouth. I love this brew, and I know that I’ll be needing to keep it well stocked.

https://instagram.com/p/7xXuUeTGSF/?taken-by=haveteawilltravel

Thank you for including a sample of this one, Nicole! The large wirey leaves have hints of brown to them. The brew is a pale brown. The flavor is pretty unique, but not strong enough for me (I don’t think I’ve slept very well in the last few days and I’m TRYING to avoid caffeine at night). There is a bright fruit flavor that is unique to this one… almost citrusy even, but mostly stonefruits. But it could be the tangy quality found in those ancient wild tree teas. Also, a bready fragrance to the dry leaf and hints of that in the flavor. Otherwise it tastes half like keemun and half like one of those Zheng Shan Xiao Zhong teas. (All three have a slight smoky quality to them.) I wish I could describe this one more, but I don’t think I’m quite awake while tasting. I definitely didn’t get chocolate notes – maybe because 1 1/2 teaspoons isn’t enough to get the chocolate notes but I used the entire sample I had. The second steep tasted almost exactly the same even though steeped completely differently.
Steep #1 // 1 1/2 teaspoons // 8 minutes after boiling // 1- 1 1/2 minute steep
Steep #2 // few minutes after boiling // 3-4 min

I really wanted to like this tea, but the more I drink black/red teas the more I like my cocoa-y…

Unfortunately, this is just a black tea with no real notes to pick out. Smooth, for sure, but doesn’t stand out. I do like how it is pure and not dry nor bitter.

Also: After this person near me has asked 4x to come drink tea with me and then cancelling they told me they are not interested anymore… I really dislike how I put a lot of time and set aside teas for them, but they just don’t take it serious after stringing me around.

Oh ,wow, this one is wonderful. Reminds me of an Oriental Beauty I bought recently, but with slight bitterness — not bad bitterness, though. Apricots, honey, jam… Will definitely purchase again.

This was a sample in my last Mandala order! I can’t believe it took me this long to try it.

Method:
2tsp/10oz
Preboiling
Rinse: 5sec
First steep: 1min 30sec
Second steep: 1min 45sec
Third steep: 2min

Wow, this tea is intensely sweet! I usually add a smidge of sugar to my cup but the first steep was almost too sweet to drink. It has a very soft, smooth texture. It’s silky without a hint of astringency. The tea is gently floral, medium bodied, and has the taste of both honey and dark chocolate. There is also the suggestion of fruit but it isn’t fully developed yet. It really emerges in the second steep as a thick, jammy sort of flavor that’s like stone fruit and apricot. Cocoa and roast are the notes that follow. This tea is also earthy in a way that’s herbaceous—not like wood, or leaves, or mushrooms. It leaves a mineral note on my tongue after sipping. There are similarities between this tea and a high quality Keemun, but it lacks the characteristic smoky notes and is more honey/caramel than sweet potato. In my final steep cocoa, roast, and apricot are the dominant notes. There is a delicious syrupy caramel-honey finish that makes my tongue tingle like I’m sipping something carbonated. That completely caught me off guard. I’ve only experienced it maybe once, or twice with different teas. It has an indescribable “bubbliness” to it. Mineral and stone fruits remain in the aftertaste, though my tongue is still tingling. This tea was absolutely delightful! I’ll have to pick some up in my next order.

I am not sure whether to call this tea sweet and malty or malty and sweet. One note is slightly more powerful than the other, not sure which. It is not one of those malty teas where all you taste is overpowering malt. I like this tea. It is good.

I brewed this once in an 18oz teapot with 3 tsp leaf and boiling water for 1 min.

The older I get, the less I enjoy sugar. It’s even gotten to the point these days where I barely like chocolate. Any kind of sugar just leaves this sour, chemical taste in my mouth. Does anyone else experience this?

Black Beauty is like how I remember chocolate tasting. Wonderful and dark, without any off flavors. I tasted this tea in my mouth for almost an hour afterwards – and the whole time, it felt like eating chocolate.

I got a tea tray for Christmas! My first! And it’s beautiful! I put it on my wishlist, and my secret Santa (my grandma) got it for me! I was worried too, because when I looked at the site recently, it said it was sold out! My grandma’s got great taste! :D Of course the amazing Garret included a hand-written note and two tea samples, one of which was this beauty!

This tea is so fruity! It reminds me of TeaVivre’s nonpareil yunnan dian hong ancient wild tree. It’s also nicely malty with some honey notes. So good, and so pretty! Here are some pics of my session:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/97273956@N03/16087334526/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/97273956@N03/15927060809/