I bought this earlier in the year and I’ve tried it a few times. However, I should have noticed the ‘gongfu’ in the name and realized that was where the magic would be. I don’t steep teas with the gongfu method, I use the western method. I’m sure this one would taste much different using gongfu. All of those wonderful reviews from others sure set the expectations high! The leaves here are very large and twisted with hints of gold. The dried leaves have the scent of lovely dried hay. The flavor is neither a light yunnan or a dark yunnan. It’s somewhere in the middle. The flavors are tough to describe, mostly bittersweet chocolate with hints of wine. I guess I like a honey Yunnan or a deep dark chocolate Yunnan. This one is in between both of those flavor profiles, so isn’t as special to me as other teas (again, probably because I’m not using the gongfu method of steeping.) I have plenty of other black teas I love from Teavivre though.
Steep #1 // 2 teaspoons for a full mug// 10 minutes after boiling // 2 1/2 minute steep
Steep #2 // couple minutes after boiling // 4 minute steep
Harvest: 2015
Flavors: Chocolate, Red Wine
