Superfine Tan Yang Gong Fu Black Tea

This is such a tasteful brew. I’ve been craving some gold buds lately, and this hit the spot. I opened the packed to reveal small fuzzy curls of ebony and gold. This dry leaf had a soft aroma of a bakery. I placed them inside my wamed gaiwan and gave them a sniff. The bakery scent deepened into a pastry aroma with sweet raisins. I brewed these treasures up gongfu to get the full flavor. The initial sip was deep and bold. The flavor was of a strong malt and redwood. I could hint at a sweetness of salted caramel. The flavor then broadened to a baked bread aftertaste. I really enjoyed this brew, and it was perfect for a rainy day like today.

https://instagram.com/p/3r1AC7zGV5/?taken-by=haveteawilltravel

Water: 8oz

Leaves: small golden rolled leaves

Steep: 1m,2m,3m

Aroma: regular black tea

Color: Amber

Taste: Finally I reached the last tea to review in my collection! This yea had a similar look to the golden tip black tea. I finally found the perfect tea brewing notes as well when using 8oz of water! Upon first sip i got a little bit of bitterness but it quickly went away as i continued drinking. A slightly dry tea finish with almost no tea particle escaping the tea ball. The clarity was great clean and clear! As for taste it was similar to the Keemun tea i had the other day. The longer steep revealed a darker tone w/ slightly deeper flavor.

This is very, very tasty. I brewed it strong and steeped relatively short, which seems to be how I prefer un-resealable samples. I also committed and made two cups at once in my GIANT mug. I am glad I did. I immediately tasted cocoa upon first sip, with bread and malt in the background. It is a hair sweet, but not very. As it cooled, the cocoa flavors took a step back and the bread was like HELLO I AM HERE. Still good. Still very good. I am glad I got to try this.

The taste is OK but nothing special.
I mean the color is special and the baked bread taste is nice but I guess I was expecting better by seeing all the good reviews …
This tea is really similar to “Yun Nan Dian Hong Black Tea”.
The tea leaves

On a side note, it’s pretty cool that Teavivre displays the Quality Safety Results of Analysis … let’s say that I’m a little concern with food from China with all the pollution … especially when a Black Tea is red :P

I’ve reviewed this tea before, but it’s been over a year so I am giving it another go. The fragrance of the leaves (both wet and dry) hasn’t mellowed with age. It’s still bold, baked, slightly smoky, hearty bread. The flavor has faded slightly, which is to be expected. The heavy Russian bread and manuka honey notes have given way to a slightly smoky sweet potato taste. The orange brew goes down smooth with a very slight astringency after the sip.

Teavivre’s website says that this is a low-caffeine tea, which is fairly unusual for a black tea but I believe it. I’m not supposed to have caffeine late in the day but I had a gong fu session with this tea last night and still slept ok. It does make my stomach hurt a teeny bit, which most black teas do to me, but if I eat first it is ok. I am having another gong fu session with it now. I started before eating (bad idea) but it complements my Chinese delivery nicely (American Chinese food, not the real stuff).

Thanks to Teavivre for the sample!

Thank you Angel at Teavivre for this sample. It took me a while to get around to this tea because I am always watching my caffeine at night and rarely have much time in the morning. This tea was worth the wait. I am glad I have another sample of this tea to try gongfu style. I brewed this western style this morning. There are strong notes of chocolate or cocoa in this tea, with a mild backing of malt. Notes of caramel seem present too. I would venture to say that this is backed by notes of baked bread. This is a really good black tea. I will definitely have to buy some the next time I put in an order with Teavivre.

I brewed this once in an 18oz teapot with 3 tsp leaf and 195 degree water for 2 min.

Wanted a Friday-worthy tea today to enjoy after yin yoga and a swim. Cooked up a pot of miso-mushroom-soba soup and got down with this tea while I waited for it to finish. Was not disappointed.

If the allure of its curly golden cuteness and wonderful chocolatey steam-breath doesn’t get you, the flavor will. This tea’s a charmer. Smooth, nice body and plenty of soft, nearly-sweet flavor. It has a good deal of depth even though it’s not a full-throttle black. The chocolate is more pronounced in the aroma but still present in the sip.

The caramel noted by fellow Steeps tasted more like a good quality butterscotch to me. There’s something else umami about it, couldn’t pin it down, and a faint hint of some fruit that I’ll try to figure out in future steeps. Will check for that sweet potato next time, too, didn’t catch that.

Another high quality tea from Teavivre, thank you for the surprise offer of samples to try!

A huuuuge thank you to Angel and Teavivre for yet another round of wonderful samples, which I received yesterday! I was super excited to try this tea, mostly because I have recollections of Angrboda speaking highly of tan yang, and perhaps even this tea specifically – which seems even more likely given that I apparently had this tea on my wish list as well :)

The tea is a fluffy mass of yummy, chocolatey-smelling golden tips. I opted to brew western-style, since that’s how I usually drink things (I don’t have enough time for gongfu sessions right now, though one day I hope to be able to test the waters with my Teavivre gaiwan!), and used about 4 tsp for a 16 oz. mug. The resulting brew is really tasty – malty/bready and chocolatey, but with a brightness (lightness?) that some other Chinese blacks don’t seem to have. The aftertaste is of malty hay, which is delicious in itself.

I feel like I really suck at describing this tea, so just know that it’s really quite incredibly delicious, and a must-try if you like Chinese blacks and chocolate notes.

Thank you so much to Angel at TeaVivre for the samples!

Dry: Fine, airy, short tea leaves with significant golden pekoe that carry the aroma of baked sweet potatoes and fragrant grass hay. Do you ever take a whiff of dry loose leaf and have the knowledge that you will enjoy it before your first sip? That happened this morning for sure. The pekoe is bright and lovely even against the stainless infuser backdrop.

Steeped: Brewed Western style that produces a deep red-brown clear liquor. The thin leaves unfurl and become milk-chocolate colored in the infuser. The scent is malty-sweet with a honey aroma that develops as you keep inhaling.

Taste: This tea is very tasty without being overpowering. Delicate notes of malt and sweet potatoes that are very smooth and light on the tongue. This is not a heavy or thick tea, but rather one that gently envelops the senses with a sweet presence. I saw that some people detected astringency, but steeped at 1 minute, there is absolutely nothing brisk or bitter about it. I think this would be an excellent choice to help someone new to fall in love with Chinese black teas.

Momentous occasion alert: this is my 900th Steepster note. AND I joined Steepster 2 years ago TODAY!

Aaaah!

This is the perfect tea to celebrate, since it’s one of my favourites. I slightly overleafed it and now it smells just like dark chocolate/cocoa powder. Mmmmm!