Nonpareil Yunnan Dian Hong Ancient Wild Tree Black Tea [duplicate]

Prepared in a ceramic gaiwan. I followed the steeping times from the website: 15 seconds, 25, 35, 50, 80, 130, 210 (I tacked on a 10-minute last steeping to completely tire off the leaf).

I’m jumping on the bandwagon on having been taken by surprised by this hongcha. All of my expectations were flung out the window when I first evaluated the aroma, and then the taste of the liquor.

To begin, the aroma doesn’t undergo metamorphosis when the leaf is hit with heat and water. Overall it smells incredibly savory, like tomato sauce with dried oregano, rosemary, and basil. I’ve had wet leaf of black Bi Luo Chun smell like tomato and herbs, but this one has a much more complex aroma, and it was easy for me to pick out multiple specific notes.

The liquor – which is the color of deep gold – is clear, clean, and medium-bodied. For roughly the beginning two-thirds of the session, this hongcha resembles Oriental Beauty. Again, WHAT. I thought I would taste malt, sweet potatoes, and spice. But it has that fruity flavor that I associate only with Oriental Beauty. Very sweet and flavorful, practically like juice. Which fruit(s) I exactly can’t pick out since I haven’t had that many OBs. Later, the last few infusions taste more honey-like.

The session lasted only a morning but it was enjoyable. Nonpareil Yunnan Dian Hong Ancient Wild Tree Black Tea matched the mood created by today’s weather: gray sky, continuous rain, bright autumnal foliage, warm air.

Thanks to Teavivre for providing this sample!
I used the whole sample for this brew.
This tea was delicious and so aromatic. The leaves are long and twisted.
Notes of honey and stone fruit were the most prominent for me. It is warming and leaves a sweet, lingering taste. Delicious
This will be on the order list next time I place one!

I just finished off this sample, and over the course of drinking it down I’ve fallen in love with it, it’s just such a delicious black, so many decadent grape notes, well-balanced subtle florals, and lots of rich malty chocolate, If I ever buy from teavivre again (which I can see myself doing, but just not for a while now, I’ve got a big list of things I want..), I’ll definitely pick some more of this up. Rating changed from 88 → 95

Yes, another Teavivre tasting! Thanks again, Angel!

This one piqued my interest the most. I’ve had one wild tree black before, a yunnan by Rishi. However, I found that one a little underwhelming. This tea, however, I could tell just from the dry leaf’s aroma that it was different. The leaves are long and pointed, a sort of dark brown. Most are unbroken and in beautiful shape. They smell sweet and heavily of stonefruit, especially apricots. It’s wonderful, almost like perfume.

The flavor lives up to the scent. It’s a fruity black without any fruit added, with a note of pungency that’s hard to describe. It’s almost like grapefruit? Something I encounter often in puerh that I’ve never been able to nail down. There’s also a very soft mouthfeel that I feel like I should mention. All around satifying black tea with a hint of exotic, unrefined flavor that I love.

Very unique flavor. There are distinct honey, floral, and fruit notes that I am more accustomed to finding in leafhopper oolong teas, but this tea is not as heavy on my stomach as those oolongs tend to be.

I can’t see myself drinking this tea on a regular basis – I tend to go through alternating phases of craving or being completely put off by honey notes – but it may show up in my cupboard from time to time.