Yunnan Rose Dragon Ball Black Tea

This is a very light brew – should I have done a rinse? Is that normally done with black tea (balls)? At least I know the second steep will likely be stronger. The tea ball barely unraveled in the first steep. The flavor, though light, is very lovely. I taste more rose here than I did in the Rose Dian Hong from Teavivre that I had earlier.

Another dragon ball sample from Kawaii433!

I’m steeping this one grandpa-style in a double-walled tumbler this afternoon. I started with about 160° water, as last time I felt the temperature was too high. I’m adding cooler water as I refill as well.

The cooler temperature has definitely done some good! This came out much milder and I love the soft apricot fruit leather notes I’m getting, along with pillowy baked bread and honey. I can barely taste the rose, or it just melds so well with the Dian Hong that I’m not detecting it. There is a nice sweet nectar-y note that I bet is coming from the rose as well.

Yum. I’m shocked to say I would consider ordering this one! A rose tea?! O.O

Goodness gracious, what is this world coming to…?

Sunday afternoon tea with my housemate while watching movies.

I brewed the entire dragon ball in a 500 mL teapot with water off-boiling. Initial tastes were smooth, malty, cocoa-y, minerally and nectar-sweet with very light bitterness. As the tea continued to steep, the flavor profile morphed to savory notes of orange-flesh squash, leather, malt and bright tobacco with a gritty astringency. The rose remained a pleasant and never over-bearing floral addition. Overall, a nice tea to brew in a large pot for a lazy Sunday.

This might’ve been the final tea of a swap with Kawaii433 this time last year. Thanks so much for your generosity and being a part of my day today <3 I miss your reviews, by the way!

Movie pairing: The Manchurian Candidate (2004)

An absolutely phenomenal rose tea: smooth, sweet, dark black tea with the heady aroma of an old English rose garden. Forget what I’d do for a Klondike bar, what would I do for a bag of Dragon Balls?

As others have noted, the rose aroma begins to really fade off as you re-brew. I enjoyed the base tea enough that it didn’t bother me one bit.

Personal Note: I brewed this with Gongfu times rather than “traditional” steep and got about 14 steeps per ball (in a 4 cup teapot) before I noticed significant tea weakening. This also stretched the rose scent out into the 5th or 6th steep.

This tea was a wonderful disappointment. Generally, I am not a big fan of teas with flowers/herbs added (ginseng, jasmine etc.)- the additions usually overpower whatever tea they are grafted on and the tea used for the base are frequently not the best quality. But I make exceptions for roses because, well, I love roses. And I wanted to reorder another Teavivre’s rose tea where the smell and taste of roses was bordering on obscene (and which pleased me greatly!) Instead I ordered these dragon balls because they were on sale – and also because I thought it was the same tea mix, just rolled up into balls.

When I opened the balls I was shocked since there was no overpowering rose aroma out of the package and each ball contained just a couple of rose flowers. Then I was shocked again by how balanced the tea these balls produce. The dianhong used for the base is pretty good and it hits you with a typical Yunnan sweet bitterness, which immediately softened and smoothed out by the rose petal smoothness. It results in an incredibly well-balanced, smooth drink. Its like dianhongs and roses were made for each other to represent a study in bringing together Yin and Yang.

Among less impressive observations: this delicate balance does not last for multiple steeps, the aroma is fairly generic for Yunnan teas and the taste is not especially complex. Anyway, it is a memorable and generally enjoyable tea.

Additional note:
Sipdown and this was pretty good as an overnight cold brew. :D The floral notes were more pronounced in the cold brew, still has some malty, honey sweet, yam notes, no bitterness. I prefer the gongfu cha taste profile better because of the strength of the brew, strong malty, yam, cocoa notes, subtle rose but it’s just so lovely watching the dragon balls and the pink rose petals in it unfold in my 1-liter mason jar. So pretty :D.

Another Friday, another sample from Teavivre to try. Things are looking up.

These “dragon ball” teas are pretty cool. This one was individually wrapped in clear cellophane and fastened with a little baggy tie. It was a tightly rolled ball of dark leaves and pinkish flowers about the size of a gumball. The unbrewed knob had a pronounced tea smell with a slightly rose/flowery accent.

I followed the instructions on the silver sample package and brewed the ball for five minutes at 195 degrees. The package actually said 194 degrees but 195 was the closest my One Touch Tea Maker could get. What’s one degree between friends anyway?

The steeped liquor had a bright gold color. The odor was very much like its unbrewed incarnation: tea with a rosy accent.

The taste was completely consistent with its smell, before and after brewing. The tea flavor was full-bodied and robust, yet it was remarkably smooth. A rose bud undertone melded into the taste perfectly. This was a relief for me as I am often overwhelmed by flowery-tasting teas. There also was the presence of a sweet attribute to round out the extremely harmonious blend. I did not detect any astringency and the aftertaste was quite light and pleasant. If the 195-degree liquid temperature hadn’t been capable of producing blisters on my gullet, I would have chugged my cup down even faster than I did.

This is another outstanding tea from Teavivre that I can easily recommend. It worked extremely well for me with my breakfast but I’m sure it would also be a fantastic lunch or mid-day selection as well.

Samples provided for review. Thank you, Angel! This review is based on the second session.

Brewed with a gongfu session, in a 120ml porcelain gaiwan. The dragon ball weighed 9.7g. I used 190 degree and then 200 degree water since my kettle does have a 195 setting. I gave the ball a rinse and a quick rest to open up. Steeping times are pulled from the website: 25 seconds, 20, 10, 15, 20, 30, 40, 80 (etc.)

The dry leaf aroma has notes of rose and typical Dian Hong (malt and chocolate). After I let the ball sit in the pre-heated gaiwan for a bit, I smell freshly baked brownies – incredibly fresh. Makes me want to make brownies. The wet leaf, in order from strongest to weakest, smells of rose, malt, and brownies. As the session when on, an allspice note took over.

The liquor, a clear golden orange, has a full body and smooth texture. The flavor doesn’t evolve; it’s constant. Comparing this to the loose rose-scented Dian Hong that Teavivre also carries, the dragon ball is much more balanced. The rose doesn’t overwhelm the typical Dian Hong notes, which are, again, malt and chocolate, plus a hint of allspice and black pepper. It’s as if the rose is naturally steeped from the leaf rather than an addition. Speaking more the Dian Hong’s overall quality, it’s a very nice quality. Very few broken leaves or buds. It’s delicious, clean, and comforting. Additionally, whole rose buds and petals are pressed into the ball. WHOLE. I like that touch.

I’m not very big on rose when it comes to the tea and flower combination. It’s OK. I do, however, adore Dian Hong. Since I’ve sampled both the dragon ball and the loose leaf, I can say that I prefer the dragon ball. I felt like the rose-scented loose leaf comes off as overpowering. If you prefer a flower “flavored” tea in which the flower isn’t too strong, this is something to try.

However, as someone who watches caffeine intake, I don’t like the idea of dragon balls much because there are so many grams crammed into one piece. Both of these dragon balls provided weighed nearly 10 grams – double my typical maximum. Another thing to consider. At least with the loose leaf I can control leaf amount more easily.

Additional notes: Note to self, never put this lovely tea in a disposable tea bag again, only in a tea basket… the tea barely unraveled and I know there is a TON of tea here. So I wasn’t giving this tea a fair chance. But I know it’s lovely anyway. I’m not sure if it’s because it didn’t unravel or if it’s a different harvest, but I was noticing a huge syrupy sweet quality in the 2016 harvest which wasn’t present here as much. Maybe that quality would have appeared in a third cup that I mistakenly didn’t make. I don’t like wasting my tea.

Also, Teavivre is having an amazing black tea sample sale right now. (And larger amounts of black tea are 15% off.) Some teas are 75% off, but you can only buy one of each sample (meaning two sample packages of each black tea). It’s a great sale if you want to try most of their black teas!

Forefront flavour of tea is a bit flat. I am detecting notes of candy licorice sweetness.