Vietnam Wild 'Fin Ho' Black Tea

Something that I don’t mention very often is how much I love all of these Vietnamese wild teas (I am a big fan of most Vietnamese teas in general). I find many of them to have a sheng-like funkiness that integrates well with the aromas and flavors they display. Going through one of my tea cabinets yesterday forced me to realize that I had several interesting Vietnamese black and green teas that I should probably get around to trying. I then randomly chose this one and started a session with it. I found it to be an exceptional black tea with a wonderful texture in the mouth.

I prepared this tea gongfu style. Naturally enough, I used 6 grams of loose leaf material in a 4 ounce gaiwan. Following the rinse, I conducted a series of 15 infusions. Steep times were as follows: 5 seconds, 7 seconds, 10 seconds, 15 seconds, 20 seconds, 25 seconds, 30 seconds, 40 seconds, 50 seconds, 1 minute, 1 minute 15 seconds, 1 minute 30 seconds, 2 minutes, 3 minutes, and 5 minutes.

Prior to the rinse, the dry tea leaves emitted intriguing aromas of wood, spices, dark chocolate, leather, brown toast, and honey. The rinse brought out the expected malt scent, though I also caught traces of smoke, raisins, molasses, roasted nuts, and citrus. There was a touch of funk there too. The first infusion further brought out touches of pungent, sheng-like funk, as well as a slight scent of prunes. In the mouth, the smooth tea liquor offered notes of smoke, malt, spice, dark chocolate, molasses, leather, brown toast, honey, wood, and roasted nuts underscored by a slightly briny, vegetal funk. Subsequent infusions saw the liquor thicken and the spice and roasted nut notes separate. I began to detect distinct impressions of roasted chestnut, hazelnut, black walnut, black pepper, anise, clove, and nutmeg. The raisins, prunes, and citrus-I was reminded somewhat of a combination of lemon zest and bitter orange peel- finally turned up on the palate. I also began to get touches of caramel, minerals, black cherry, camphor, tree bark, vanilla bean, and stewed vegetables. The later infusions offered a wash of minerals with woody, malty, leathery, nutty, and spicy undertones. The touches of wild funk and camphor also remained for the most part.

This was a really nice and surprisingly complex black tea. Though it did not come off as particularly refined, it was intensely aromatic and flavorful with a number of delightful quirks, a slight edge, and a powerful caffeine wallop. Fans of wild teas should be delighted by this one, but I could also see it pleasing those looking to take the plunge into the world of Vietnamese blacks.

Thick and smooth, this tea opens with dark malt and a mellow sweetness that grows continually into the aftertaste, bringing to mind molasses and dark honey paired with dried plum. The mouthfeel is stimulating and juicy, with just the slightest touch of bitterness. Quite enjoyable.