China Congou Ning Hong Jing Hao (ZK94)

I have brewed this in the Yixing with water that was just below boiling. I think this tea craves the hotter water because it’s not as good as the first time I had it. The first time it blew me away! I would compare it to a Keemun Hao-Ya A. It was that good. This time it was just ok. That is my fault for experimenting. I would still highly recommend this tea. Also the aroma of the dried leaves is beautiful….

Cup #10 in my tour of Upton’s China blacks. I have about two more to go, and I am sure I could find several more there to try. This one is what I would consider a mid range for price at a little over $3 per ounce.

This one is interesting. I think this is the first tea I have noticed to have a bite at the beginning, but a completely smooth finish. The needles are very fine and dark, like a Keemun. There is the slightest bit of smoke in the finish, but I am still trying to sort out the front notes….to my sissy sweet loving palate, it is kind of bitter, but it goes away. While this is not a tea I would purchase for anything other than sampling, it definitely has made a difference, because I never would have thought this combo of beginning and end existed. I have such a long way to go……

I like this keemun style tea and have been drinking it for about 4 years now. It’s not widely available from anyone other than Upton here in the US or it wasn’t there about 2 years ago when Upton ran out of this tea for a few months. Some lots will have more smoky flavor notes than other lots. I actually prefer less of those flavor notes. Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t heavily smoky but has some of the mild notes of it. It does have a complex flavor I actually use this to make hot tea and then whatever is left in the pot is the sweetened slightly to make iced tea and it’s great that way also.

I’m a fan of rich, Keemun-style China black teas in the morning. Not being able to afford a daily pot of Hao Ya “A” prompted me to seek out similar teas at a more reasonable price. I was underwhelmed by Upton’s Hao Ya “B”, so I kept sampling and this tea, China Congou Ning Hong Jing Hao (item ZK94) was the winner to my palate. Though this is not an inexpensive tea, I think it shares many qualities with many of the more expensive Keemuns, even though it is not exactly like a Keemun. I’ve been drinking this one almost daily for the better part of a decade, and I never let myself run out. Though I continue to sample other Keemuns and high end China Congous, this one still remains my favorite.

This is one of the finest China teas I have tasted. It has no distinctive quality – rather it combines the very best elements of other China teas, particularly the Keemun varieties. Very smooth on the palate, rich but mellow, not bitter at all (I brewed for about 4 mins), earthy & a touch smoky, a slight hint of fruitiness & floral flavour but hardly any at all. Very well balanced.