Yunnan "Black Gold Bi Luo Chun" Black Tea * Spring 2018

Tea type
Black Tea
Ingredients
Black Tea Leaves
Flavors
Almond, Bread, Butter, Chocolate, Cinnamon, Cream, Earth, Geranium, Grass, Green Beans, Honey, Malt, Marshmallow, Mineral, Molasses, Orange Zest, Peanut, Pine, Raisins, Smoke, Sugarcane, Walnut, Brown Sugar, Floral, Toasty, Tobacco, Cocoa, Sweet Potatoes, Toast
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Bulk, Loose Leaf
Caffeine
Not available
Certification
Not available
Edit tea info Last updated by eastkyteaguy
Average preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 3 min, 0 sec 4 g 4 oz / 119 ml

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3 Tasting Notes View all

  • “Since I have just finished posting a review of Yunnan Sourcing’s spring 2018 Pure Bud Bi Luo Chun and I am not completely exhausted, I figured I may as well go ahead and post this review as a...” Read full tasting note
    68
  • “Hits all the right notes for a daily driver black tea (for me.) Malty, light scent of fresh tobacco, a rich, floral (in that way autumn leaves are floral, y’know?), and bright background. Complex...” Read full tasting note
    80
  • “Now this is my kind of black tea – malty, robust, and naturally sweet. The dry leaf has an intense brown sugar aroma, notes of toast and sweet potato, and a hint of tobacco. Wet leaf had an even...” Read full tasting note
    92

From Yunnan Sourcing

Spring 2018 harvested tea leaves from Ning’er county of Simao. This has been picked as 1 leaf to 1 bud sets and processed carefully rolling the tea into pellets. Like most Yunnan black teas the tea benefits from short-term aging and develops a malty sweet taste and lovely fragrance with a hint of chocolate and flowers.

First Flush Spring 2018 harvest

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3 Tasting Notes

68
1048 tasting notes

Since I have just finished posting a review of Yunnan Sourcing’s spring 2018 Pure Bud Bi Luo Chun and I am not completely exhausted, I figured I may as well go ahead and post this review as a companion piece to that one. I finished what I had of this tea immediately after I finished that aforementioned Pure Bud Bi Luo Chun Yunnan Black Tea. The two were very similar, and quite frankly, I found them both to have the same glaring flaws. Of the two, though, this one struck me as being the better tea overall.

I prepared this tea gongfu style. After a quick rinse, I steeped 6 grams of rolled leaf and bud sets in 4 ounces of 194 F water for 5 seconds. This infusion was chased by 16 additional infusions. Steep times for these infusions were as follows: 7 seconds, 9 seconds, 12 seconds, 16 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, 5 minutes, and 7 minutes.

Prior to the rinse, the dried tea leaves and buds emitted aromas of malt, cinnamon, baked bread, molasses, pine, chocolate, and sugarcane. After the rinse, I detected new aromas of smoke, roasted peanut, and roasted almond. The first infusion introduced aromas of roasted walnut as well as a subtle honey scent. In the mouth, the tea liquor presented notes of malt, baked bread, roasted almond, roasted peanut, and geranium that were balanced by hints of marshmallow, cream, chocolate, honey, roasted walnut, and sugarcane. The subsequent infusions coaxed out aromas of marshmallow, grass, geranium, earth, geranium, and orange zest as well as stronger scents of chocolate, malt, and baked bread. Pine, molasses, cinnamon, and smoke notes came out in the mouth alongside stronger and more immediately detectable impressions of marshmallow, cream, chocolate, and roasted walnut. Notes of minerals, earth, orange zest, grass, cooked green beans, butter, and raisin also emerged. As the tea faded, the liquor emphasized notes of minerals, malt, raisin, pine, butter, baked bread, and earth that were balanced by hints of roasted almond, sugarcane, orange zest, roasted walnut, marshmallow, cream, roasted peanut, and honey.

This was a smooth Yunnan bi luo chun black tea that offered up exactly what you would expect of a tea of this type and nothing more. Compared to the Pure Bud Bi Luo Chun black tea that I tried before it, this one was not as complex, but it expressed itself a little more clearly in the mouth and produced a tea liquor that was slightly thicker and fuller. Both teas were still a little lacking in terms of clarity, weight, depth, and definition, but of the two, this one was slightly better. As I said with the other tea, I would not advise someone to avoid this offering, but there are better examples of this style out there.

Flavors: Almond, Bread, Butter, Chocolate, Cinnamon, Cream, Earth, Geranium, Grass, Green Beans, Honey, Malt, Marshmallow, Mineral, Molasses, Orange Zest, Peanut, Pine, Raisins, Smoke, Sugarcane, Walnut

Preparation
6 g 4 OZ / 118 ML

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80
21 tasting notes

Hits all the right notes for a daily driver black tea (for me.) Malty, light scent of fresh tobacco, a rich, floral (in that way autumn leaves are floral, y’know?), and bright background. Complex on its own but plays a wonderful second fiddle to a pastry or snack. Wonderfully toasty at heavier ratios, though that dies off in the later steeps. Quite sweet with brown/raw sugar flavor, not the sweetest I’ve had but significant. Toes the line of too sweet for me (I prefer roastier/toastier -sweet to sugar-sweet).

Flavors: Brown Sugar, Floral, Malt, Toasty, Tobacco

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92
676 tasting notes

Now this is my kind of black tea – malty, robust, and naturally sweet. The dry leaf has an intense brown sugar aroma, notes of toast and sweet potato, and a hint of tobacco. Wet leaf had an even sweeter aroma evoking molasses and balsamic vinegar. The first steep was rich and full-bodied with notes of malt, brown sugar, and cocoa. The brown sugar sweetness became more prominent in the second steep and was accompanied by a touch of earthiness. By the third steep, the tea mellowed a bit and took on a pleasant dark chocolate and malt profile. I western steeped this for 3 minutes followed by two additional infusions of 5 and 7 minutes.

I’ve written about my preference of 2nd flush greens and am beginning to wonder if I have a similar affinity for black tea. My favorite black teas by far have been flavor-forward low cost teas from Fujian and Yunnan. Taiwanese blacks and the “Imperial” grade versions OTOH just don’t do much for me. They are a little too delicate for my taste. This one is an outstanding tea that feels like a steal at $5 and some change for a 50g bag.

Flavors: Brown Sugar, Cocoa, Malt, Sweet Potatoes, Toast

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 3 min, 0 sec 1 g 4 OZ / 120 ML
Girl Meets Gaiwan

Sounds fantastic—this is the flavor profile I prefer, too, and I’ve been wondering the same about “imperial” grade. In my limited experience, they also fade out too fast (or lose complexity quickly).

Sqt

This and the Black Gold (not bi luo chun) are my breakfast dianhong choices. I’ve also been known to blend some bud heavy black teas with some of this or the Black Gold to achieve a balance more to my liking.

I do prefer the more delicate black teas as well when I am in the mood but this always hits the spot.

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