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Amy oh

309 Followers / 339 Following

SUN MOON LAKE BLACK TEA from FONG MONG TEA

Amy oh drank SUN MOON LAKE BLACK TEA by FONG MONG TEA

My samples arrived today from Fong Mong and of course I was excited and had to try one immediately. :)

I used about 3g of tea in a 10 oz. mug, steeped Western style, my tea liquor is dark orange.

This tea has a nice flavor profile, to me it seems malty with some cocoa and flowery notes and a quality that reminds me a bit of red wine. As the cup cools I am getting a lot of tannins which is definitely not something I look for in a tea because it makes my stomach feel queasy.

At the moment I am not quite sure what to make of it but I think I will try a shorter steep in the morning and perhaps that will improve things for me.

I am very grateful for the sample!

2012-06-12 18:28:48 -0400

205 °F / 96 °C

4 min 15 sec

I Like This

22 likes

9 comments

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Comments

Dorothy 2012-06-12 18:44:31 -0400

How would you say this compares to other SML you’ve had?

Amy oh 2012-06-12 18:58:53 -0400

I believe the only other Taiwan black tea I’ve had was from Asha Tea House and they called it a Ruby Black.

Dorothy 2012-06-12 19:30:53 -0400

Oh, I thought you had tasted some. I suppose it’s hard for me to remember with so many ppl on Steepster XD

Scott B 2012-06-13 00:05:00 -0400

I got this one today too-can’t wait to try it.

Amy oh 2012-06-13 09:37:31 -0400

Us tea folks are so easily excitable. ;-)

ashmanra 2012-06-13 12:38:49 -0400

Sun Moon Lake, Ruby Black, and Ruby 18 are all the same tea. Rather than a blend of teas, it is a hybrid tea bush of an assamica varietal and a Taiwanese varietal. Fong Mong put a link to “The Splendid Table” feature that was on NPR over a year ago about it. Sandy introduced me to Ruby 18, and it is still a favorite. I think it was one of the first teas I drank without additions, and the first black tea that I could resteep and really be satisfied with!

Amy oh 2012-06-13 12:43:14 -0400

@ashmanra, thanks for the info. It does seem like there is something very assam-y about this tea. To that end, I may try it with some soymilk too. :)

ashmanra 2012-06-13 13:07:37 -0400

I can send you some of my Ruby 18 to compare! I think I still have your address. Black Ruby that Paul M Tracy sent me was the same thing, but far richer with a dark, deep raisin-y flavor. Alas, it is no longer available!

Amy oh 2012-06-13 13:21:35 -0400

Sure and I can send you the one I got from Asha, if you’d like. :)

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My profile pic is of a pink dahlia at Golden Gate Park.

Hobbies include: tea, making art, animals, vegan things, buddhism, nature, creativity, books, writing, cooking, meditation, yoga.

I am a fan of many different teas but my favorites are blacks and oolongs, also like darjeeling and pu-erh. I’n always learning and expanding my horizons!

Dislikes include: bergamot, jasmine, highly tannic or bitter teas, overly judgmental and bitter people. :)

Live in San Francisco, I’m a SINK (single income, no kids) and love the urban life, but traveling out to the middle of nowhere is always fun too.

I tend to not drink things I know I will hate so a lot of my tea ratings are on the higher side. Here’s my rating system, sorta

95-100 I love this tea and would like to keep it around

94-90 An excellent tea which I may or may not repurchase

89-80 Pretty good, above average

79-70 Acceptable

69-60 Mundane – Will probably drink it if I have it

59-50 Ick

49 and below Nasty