Superfine Tan Yang Gong Fu Black Tea

Tea type
Black Tea
Ingredients
Not available
Flavors
Earthy, Orange, Sweet Potatoes, Almond, Bread, Butter, Caramel, Cedar, Cocoa, Coffee, Cream, Earth, Hazelnut, Honey, Malt, Marshmallow, Mineral, Molasses, Oats, Orange Zest, Peanut, Pine, Raisins, Smoke, Straw, Sugarcane, Tobacco, Vanilla, Sweet, Dark Chocolate, Dried Fruit, Overripe Cherries, Smooth, Yams, Black Currant, Blackberry, Chocolate, Nutty, Pastries, Cherry Wood, Dark Wood, Salt, Butterscotch, Hay, Potato, Astringent, Creamy, Apricot, Burnt Sugar, Meat, Savory, Smoked, Stonefruit, Thick, Grain, Hot Hay
Sold in
Loose Leaf
Caffeine
Not available
Certification
Fair Trade
Edit tea info Last updated by TeaVivre
Average preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 2 min, 0 sec 6 g 12 oz / 348 ml

From Our Community

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43 Want it Want it

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44 Own it Own it

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143 Tasting Notes View all

  • “The dashboard is down and I can’t read any new reviews :( So I will write my own. This tea has its work cut out for it. While brewing it I fixed a ham and turkey sandwich with farmers market...” Read full tasting note
    95
  • “I’m enjoying a cup of this one, delicious, light & sweet. It really is tasty with an interesting earthiness & yeastiness to it, like sweet potatoes sprinkled with malt powder, or something...” Read full tasting note
  • “Drinking a small pot of this today. Smooth, mellow with earthy sweet potatoes and a bit of caramel. The last time I drank this I got some citrus notes which I don’t get now; this is more lightly...” Read full tasting note
    85
  • “I feel so lucky that Angel at Teavivre still thinks of me for sending out samples. I’ve benefitted greatly from their free samples, and am happy to review their teas. This time the sample offering...” Read full tasting note
    91

From Teavivre

Origin: Tanyang Village (坦洋村) in Fu’an, Fujian, China

Ingredients: Tea buds with pure leaves

Taste: It presents slight aroma of sweet potato when brewed; tastes smooth and mellow with sweet aftertaste

Health Benefits: Black teas contain antioxidants, which help in the prevention of some cancers and help reduce the affects of aging that is caused by free radicals. They can also reduce the risk of strokes and heart attacks due to natural chemicals that reduce cholesterol.

About Teavivre View company

Company description not available.

143 Tasting Notes

1440 tasting notes

This is another lovely sample from caile – thanks!

Yet another great black tea. This one doesn’t have that natural sweetness, but it’s still quite tasty. I decided on this for my morning cup this morning and it did not disappoint. It comes off as fresh and clean tasting.

I would say I prefer the Bailin, because I do have that weakness for the honey-like sweetness, but I certainly wouldn’t say no to this being in my cupboard from time to time.

Preparation
185 °F / 85 °C 1 min, 30 sec
Stephanie

I’m getting the Bailin soon as a sample for review. SUPER excited!

caile

Yay! I also had chosen the bailin over this one, although both were good. Glad you enjoyed them!

Courtney

Thanks caile! This swap has been so informative haha. I now know TeaVivre teas will most likely be a staple in my cupboard.

Courtney

Stephanie the Bailin was wonderful! I ordered some a little over a week ago and now I’m even more impatient for it to arrive.

caile I like a lot of teavivre’s teas, and the only problem is picking favorites.

You’re so good at trying all the samples, Courtney! lol I’m so slow. :-P

Courtney

Haha I get overly excited with swaps and I always want to try all the new teas. :P

caile

Haha! Me too… (except I’m a slowpoke)! ;-)

Courtney

Haha. :P I’m excited to see some of your tasting notes – especially the Taiwanese Wild Mountain, I might even say that is my all-time favourite.

caile

Yes, I’m really forward to trying this one!!

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89
807 tasting notes

So after reading the review KS just did I had to go look to see if I had a sample of this from my last order with Teavivre and lo and behold I DID! Yay!
Full review on http://sororiteasisters.com/ on Feb 9th but here are my snippits:

Superfine Tan Yang Gong Fu Black Tea from Teavivre offers quite a different experience. It has a lot of the same flavor notes that one gets from a Fujian black tea such as sweet potato, malt, and cocoa but Superfine Tan Gong Fu is much lighter both in flavor and mouthfeel.

As I sipped on this tea I found myself so relaxed, and spaced out that I checked my blood sugar (I’m type 1 diabetic) just to be sure I was not running too high. High blood sugars often mimic a spaced out state of dizziness and being sleepy. My blood sugar was perfectly fine. Outside of aliens having zapped my brain I am pretty sure it was the tea. I have had tea highs before, generally with pu’erh but now and then I get it in other leaf types. This is one of those times.

Tabby

Ooh, I didn’t get to try this one. Want!

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676 tasting notes

Thank you Angel and Teavivre for this lovely tea sample!

I appreciate Teavivre’s generous samples! Don’t know what got into me the last few days, but I’ve been screwing up pots of tea and over-brewing the past few days.

You think I’d know better after all the tea I’ve had but Nooooo, even an experienced tea drinker can get arrogant!

Too much water to tea leaf ratio or an overdone steeping causes astringent tea that makes a person retch!
I owe those who harvest and process this tea an apology because I should have followed directions and remembered to take care.

So, I began again…humbled by my own tea rudeness, with 16 oz fresh filtered water boiled at 185 degrees…and steeped the leaves for 2 minutes. For the packet of tea provided, this was perfect.

The liquor was dark golden brown with the scent of brown sugar and clover honey.

My first sip was not too sweet and tasted like whole grain wheat bread warm from the oven.
I added cream (not milk) and the rich breadiness became croissant pastry. Flaky, sweet, buttery layers and a light honied aftertaste.

Having enough tea to brew again was important in my discovery of what this tea had to offer since I blew it with my earlier lack of effort and care. I’m so glad that I had a second chance at redemption!

The moral of the story for me is to pay attention and not take for granted what I think I know about tea. Never get lazy about brewing tea either, because I’ll be sorry if I do!

This is a tea worth tasting!

Fjellrev

Sounds wonderfully wholesome to me. :)

Bonnie

Wholesome and comforting like you’d want from a good morning or afternoon pick-me-up tea. An antidepressant in a cup of delicious TEA.

caile

Sounds wonderful! I’m looking forward to trying this when my sample from Angel arrives!

TeaVivre

Thanks for your valuable experience. And reminding me if we want to appreciate the real taste of tea, we’d better to put in some time and effort. Time, mood, water, tea sets, brewing, tasting and enjoying the whole process.

Indigobloom

Tea has a way of teaching you lessons when you least expect it! :)

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96
4169 tasting notes

I had been wanting to request more samples from Teavivre but I kind of felt guilty about it and I thought I’d drink up some of my other teas first anyway. BUT Angel from Teavivre sent me a message on Steepster saying she was sending me some samples anyway! Well, if they are offering, I will certainly not say no! So THANK YOU for the amazing generous sample package! I always love Teavivre’s teas, so this will be fantastic. Tan Yang’s are the next tea I HAD to try, thanks to the reviews I’ve seen here on Steepster. The descriptions of Tan Yangs sounded like they’d be my new favorite.

I wanted to follow Teavivre’s steep instructions: This means 185 degrees with FOUR teaspoons of tea for 8 ounces with 1-3 minute steeping times. So I used three teaspoons of these lovely mostly golden yellow wirey leaves (which is probably the most leaves I’ve ever used for any tea).

First steep // A minute thirty seconds. I let the water cool a while after boiling. Sadly, I have no way to tell what temp my water is. The flavor is divine, but it seems like the water was cooled too long for a black tea. But I will certainly follow Teavivre’s instructions at least for the first batch of leaves since they kindly sent me the samples. This is so good, but I wish I knew why this was called a Tan Yang. I’m going to take a guess that it’s because this tea is from Tanyang Village? It seems like a lighter Yunnan tea. I know Yunnans come from Yunnan. But this is a Fujian tea (and from the few teas I’ve had that I’ve known are from there, they seem like they have charcoal accents.) Anyway, the flavors here: a bit of smoke somehow (is that the Fujian?), sweet potato, honey, molasses… but on a lighter scale, probably because the steep temp is so low.

Second steep // Hotter & two minutes. This one had a deeper flavor, but still very similar to the first cup. I must have steeped it just the right way with the increase in time & temp to get it that way. I definitely suggest using three teaspoons for this one since I can see how it would be way too light tasting with only one teaspoon. Very good!

Third steep // Just boiled for 4 minutes. Cup number three had a slight flavor that reminded me of what I would call the Fujian flavor: something like charcoal. But it is just enough to be intriguing… not overpowering. The cup color is now a deep red rather than orange. More malty goodness!

I always thought that the few Fujian teas I’ve tried were so charcoal-like that they were my least favorites. But I’ve learned that not all Fujian teas are the same. I guess every tea IS my cup of tea! Oh no!

looseTman

“Sadly, I have no way to tell what temp my water is.”
Here’s an inexpensive fast-reading solution you may wish to consider: http://steepster.com/teas/teaware/36677-davidstea-thermometer-and-timer

Terri HarpLady

This is actually the next tea I’ll be drinking this morning!

tea-sipper

Oh thanks, looseTman, I didn’t know that existed. Also I appreciated you mentioning in yesterdays tasting note that 8 grams of tea is 3 teaspoons. :D

looseTman

You’re welcome. The DAVIDsTEA thermometer/timer is cost-effective and very handy for brewing western style.

A more convenient but more $$ method would be a variable-temperature kettle. Here’s one example: http://steepster.com/teas/teaware/39130-bonavita-1-liter-variable-temperature-digital-electric-gooseneck-kettle – very helpful for Gongfu brewing.

8 grams of tea is 3 teaspoons is correct for Bailin Gongfu. However, the same weight of a larger leaf tea might have a larger volume – more teaspoons. I just purchased one of these to eliminate the uncertainty and to insure brewing consistency.
http://steepster.com/teas/teaware/37731-my-weigh-durascale-d2-660-digital-scale.

Thanks for recommending ZTL EG Cream. We’re enjoying it.

tea-sipper

Wow, tea can be a science, I guess! I just have a mug. haha. Yes, I knew that meant 3 tsps of the Bailin Gongfu and other teas would be different. But it’s nice to have a ballpark guess now. Also, I realized because of this that I may have underleafed many of my Teavivre samples, so it’s my mission to steep those correctly pronto. (Like this tea needed 3-4 teaspoons and I previously would have thought that was too much.) I’m very happy you liked Zentealife’s EGC! They are one of my favorite tea places!

TeaLady441

I probably should get a scale someday too – I am probably underleafing and overleafing all the time. I tend to just use my “perfect” teaspoon, which I think is about 1.5 of a regular teaspoon, and is totally inconsistent with various tea densities. :P

looseTman

I purchased a scale because some tea suppliers specify grams instead of teaspoons and I have no experience estimating grams of tea. I’m also not a big fan of ambiguous terms scant, generous, heaping, 1-2 tsps., etc. With the cost of some of the better teas, I don’t want to waste tea with an incorrect guess that yields weak or overly leafed tea – obviously something to be avoided. However, I suspect some very experienced tea lovers are able to accurately estimate grams.

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91
761 tasting notes

Two mugs of this today. Two words…happy mouth! I can’t say if I like this better or the same as the Golden Monkey, but both are similar, only this one is lighter somehow. This is the type of black tea I find most comforting, straight. It is just warming and it wraps it’s golden leafy arms around you and says it is alright. Partially drunk straight, but I caved and added milk and sugar to the second half of the first cup and second cup.

Many thanks to Angel at Teavivre for the generous sample.

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92
4843 tasting notes

Backlog:

Awesome! Rich, delicious, smooth, chocolate-y, caramel-y … just pure, black tea goodness!

For me, this tea falls somewhere between a rich, malty Assam and a smooth, even-tempered Ceylon, with notes that are familiar to a top-notch Fujian Black tea.

Love this! Here’s my full-length review: http://sororiteasisters.com/2013/03/31/superfine-tan-yang-gong-fu-black-tea-from-teavivre-2/

Fjellrev

So apparently I need this. :)

ashmanra

Dang it! I was trying to keep y next order small. Oh well, it’s only money…

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95
318 tasting notes

Mmm, I tend to favor more subtle black teas, and this one fits the bill nicely.

Dry leaves: The leaves are small, black, and wirey with lots of gold/orange fur. They have a sweet citrus and sweet potato aroma.

Brewing: This tea definitely brews best (IMO) at a lower temperature than most blacks. The wet leaves have a rich aroma of chocolate and fall leaves. In early infusions lots of golden hairs piled up on my filter, almost clogging it.

Tasting: The flavor of the tea has a nice balance of sweet and salty characteristics. The early infusions are mild but brisk with notes of chocolate, sweet potato, peach, and charcoal. Surprisingly cool feeling for a black tea. Later infusions mellow out with fresh flavors of lemon juice, edame, clover leaf, and jaggery. The taste is sweet and slightly nutty throughout.

Thanks Teavivre for a great sample!

Preparation
180 °F / 82 °C 0 min, 15 sec

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92
1184 tasting notes

I used 2tsp for this session.
Sweet potatoe notes are the most prominent in this cup with slight caramel notes and a sneaky bit of citrus somewhere in the background. I am not sure if anyone else is getting citrus notes (I didn’t read the other notes first this time), or if it is just crazy me.

Resteep at 2minutes was a little less grainy, which was also delicious.

Preparation
185 °F / 85 °C 1 min, 0 sec
TeaVivre

It presents aroma of sweet potato when brewed,tastes smooth and mellow with sweet aftertaste.

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361 tasting notes

Backlog from yesterday.

Lately I’ve noticed that if a tea is described as having sweet potato notes, it is likely that I’m not going to love it. This tea is so highly reviewed I was hoping it would be the exception to the rule. Unfortunately, it’s not. I wouldn’t turn down a cup of this, but I also won’t be placing an order for it.

So far from my huge bag of samples from Teavivre, the Golden Monkey is the clear favorite.

Tealizzy

Lol on the sweet potato notes! Me too!

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100
790 tasting notes

This is so phenomenal. Stunningly smooth, rich, thick, yeasty… I get the feel of having cream in my tea without actually putting cream in my tea. Which is good, since I’ve been dabbling a little too much cream in my tea of late. :) After ifjuly mentioned it on my last review it makes sense that I love this so much – if tan yang and pan yang are really the same things, because I lust for Harney’s Panyang Golden Tips but can’t justify the price.

Ysaurella

ohhh it should be really exceptionally smooth so if you have the feeling to get cream in !

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