I haven’t had great luck gong fu so far since I’ve tended to over or under leaf it. The results were a malty floral session bordering on bitter and brassy on the occasions I got this tea wrong. Backing up on the leaf helps, but then it’s more floral pushing back the sweeter honey notes in later sessions. I did it western at 2 min, 3 min, 4 min, and 5 min this morning and brought in more chocolate and sweet potato in the flavor, chrysanthemum in the background, caramel in steep three, and honey in the last two steeps for comfort on this hot day.
I am really happy with it today, so I am going to rate it in the 90s. It’s a little trickier than some of the other black teas I have to brew gong fu, and the metallic brass note is what makes this one a hit or miss, though usually, it’s a hit. Light western seems to be the way to go with it. I think this is a stepping stone tea for newbies going into black tea, and a solid staple for people looking for a good Yunnan gold tea. A part of me prefers this one a little bit to What-Cha’s snail version for this one’s complexity, but the snail version is a more forgiving when I’ve brewed it in my experiences. I’m curious to see if anyone has had a different experience with those teas.
Flavors: Caramel, Chocolate, Chrysanthemum, Dandelion, Honey, Malt, Metallic, Sweet, Sweet Potatoes