Tongmu Old Tree Black Tea (2017)

Tea type
Black Tea
Ingredients
Black Tea Leaves
Flavors
Cinnamon, Persimmon, Plum, Smoke, Whiskey, Almond, Blackberry, Blueberry, Bread, Brown Sugar, Butter, Candy, Cedar, Cherry, Cream, Honey, Malt, Mineral, Orange, Peanut, Raisins, Rose, Straw, Sweet Potatoes, Tobacco
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Loose Leaf
Caffeine
Not available
Certification
Not available
Edit tea info Last updated by eastkyteaguy
Average preparation
5 g 3 oz / 88 ml

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2 Tasting Notes View all

  • “(I think I have the 2020 harvest of this tea, but I’m not certain of the year.) I love a complex black tea. This one is both fruity and smoky without being overwhelming, reminds me of applewood...” Read full tasting note
  • “This was one of the last tea samples I finished in September. At the time, it was one I had been looking forward to for at least a month since I had so greatly enjoyed the other old tree black teas...” Read full tasting note
    83

From Old Ways Tea

This old tree black tea displays deep mineral taste, thick mouth feel, and a stronger than normal berry and flower fragrance. The leaves are about 5cm long.

About Old Ways Tea View company

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2 Tasting Notes

61 tasting notes

(I think I have the 2020 harvest of this tea, but I’m not certain of the year.)
I love a complex black tea. This one is both fruity and smoky without being overwhelming, reminds me of applewood smoke. Moderate body. Carries a variety of flavors that are all distinct but blend together really well, I’m struggling to describe it – it’s like the brushstrokes in a Turner painting, individually they’re fuzzy and muddled but together they form a clear picture. Towards the end the tea becomes pleasantly bitter in a way that makes me salivate. This one deserves paying attention to.

Flavors: Cinnamon, Persimmon, Plum, Smoke, Whiskey

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83
1048 tasting notes

This was one of the last tea samples I finished in September. At the time, it was one I had been looking forward to for at least a month since I had so greatly enjoyed the other old tree black teas I had tried from Old Ways Tea. Unfortunately, this one ended up being my least favorite of the bunch, but it was still a more or less very good tea.

I prepared this tea gongfu style. After a very quick rinse, I steeped 5 grams of loose tea leaves in 3 ounces of 194 F water for 5 seconds. This infusion was followed by 17 additional infusions. Steep times for these infusions were as follows: 7 seconds, 9 seconds, 12 seconds, 16 seconds, 20 seconds, 25 seconds, 30 seconds, 40 seconds, 50 seconds, 1 minute, 1 minute 15 seconds, 1 minute 30 seconds, 2 minutes, 3 minutes, 5 minutes, 7 minutes, and 10 minutes.

Prior to the rinse, the dry tea leaves emitted aromas of raisin, honey, cinnamon, and cedar. After the rinse, I noted new aromas of roasted almond, roasted peanut, and malt. The first infusion introduced aromas of straw and brown sugar. In the mouth, the tea liquor offered notes of honey, roasted almond, roasted peanut, straw, and brown sugar that were chased by hints of cream, raisin, and butter. Subsequent infusions introduced a strong mineral presence on the nose as well as scents of sweet potato, orange, and rose. Slightly stronger cream, butter, and raisin notes appeared in the mouth along with new impressions of minerals, candied orange, tart cherry, baked bread, blueberry, and rose. I also picked up barely perceptible impressions of cedar and cinnamon. Hints of blackberry and tobacco lingered in the mouth after each swallow. The final few infusions offered notes of minerals, malt, butter, rose, candied orange, and roasted almond that were backed by hints of cedar, brown sugar, cream, butter, and sweet potato.

This was a very complex and long-lived tea, yet it was also very dry and understated. Even for a Wuyi black tea, the mineral presence was particularly heavy both on the nose and in the mouth, and because of this quality, this tea was more notable for its sharp, crisp texture than the strength of its flavor components. Truthfully, people who love highly textured teas will probably appreciate this one more than someone like me who is more about powerful, memorable scents and flavors. I still greatly appreciated this tea, but I will go ahead and offer the opinion that this tea and others like it will likely not be for everyone.

Flavors: Almond, Blackberry, Blueberry, Bread, Brown Sugar, Butter, Candy, Cedar, Cherry, Cinnamon, Cream, Honey, Malt, Mineral, Orange, Peanut, Raisins, Rose, Straw, Sweet Potatoes, Tobacco

Preparation
5 g 3 OZ / 88 ML

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