Feng Huang Hong Cha

Steeped this 12 times, all while chilling out and listening to Drone Zone from somafm.com

A very enjoyable tea and quite a unique experience that I’ve savoured over the months.
Next time I brew this it will probably be a “sipdown”.
_{See previous tasting notes for more of my thoughts on this tea}

100ml purion teapot, 2 tsp, 12 steeps (30s, +15s resteeps)

Tried this again with 2 teaspoons in my gaiwan (I prefer it a bit stronger), starting at 3mins. Resteeps were 3:30, 4, 4:30, 5, 6, 7, and 8 (so 8 steeps total). On the last steep, my husband had just come home from work and tried it out. He was pretty surprised it was the 8th steep and still flavourful (although at this point I can taste the water more than anything).

I have to say that this one has really grown on me, and the resteeps have a nice spectrum of flavour. Like Jin Die, I think it’s a must to resteep this all you can. I’m looking forward to trying this with the same settings next time, and to write down the notes of all 8 steeps. Today I was just trying to enjoy it, not worrying about writing down the tasting notes. ;)

_{edit: Forgot to mention that this is a black tea, which is why the extra steeps impressed me.}

I’ve been trying out a few different steeping methods to get the best possible flavour out of this. Normally I don’t bother so much with a tea, but this one seemed a little too ordinary at first. With a bit too much water or leaf, the unique flavours are too subtle. I found that with about one teaspoon and only about 100ml (the volume of my gaiwan) of water yielded the best results. On the note about using a gaiwan, I didn’t have any problems with small particles getting in my drinking cup, even though it consists of big broken leaves (no strainer required).

With those settings, it reminded me a lot more of the other guangdong tea I have (Mi Lan Xiang Feng Xi, oolong). The once subtle notes have strengthened a bit, and its beautiful core flavour (terroir flavour?) is more apparent.

It whispers gently to my senses and commands my full attention to appreciate it. Not to say it’s my favourite, and it certainly hasn’t awed me. The best aspect of this tea is its core flavour, which is very different from other black teas and probably due to the location that it’s grown in.

I’ve still only made a small dent into the 50g tea pouch, but I’m looking forward to getting to know it better. It’ll probably be another one where I’m not sure of my true feelings about it until I’ve got just a few grams left.

Wow, this is my fourth tasting note for this tea. I usually just make one if it gets the point across or if I don’t change the steep parameters much. Anyway, today I am using my gaiwan to quick steep this tea.

Drinking the first cup was a treat, I tasted something tangy, malty, earthy, kinda sweet and with familiar black tea flavour.

Second cup continued to get stronger, with a new flavour sneaking in which I couldn’t quite describe. It gave me a nice resonating sensation throughout my body. (Sometimes I feel like great tea rings me like a bell!)

Not much change with the third steep, except the flavour is stronger to the point where it gets pretty bold.

The fourth steep is my favourite. Along with the familiar flavours there is an emphasis on cherry, with a bit more tangy/zesty going on, and an amazing sort of menthol sensation with the aftertaste. At this point I took a break to brew more water, and that sensation stuck around quite a while. Very pleasant.

With such a good experience from the last cup, the fifth while good… couldn’t really top it. The main quality I liked about this one was the reduction in the boldness of the tea. Three and four were a bit “in your face”, kinda boldness and this one is more friendly.

Flavour in the sixth cup shifted a bit, again I can’t really describe it well enough but it was a different feeling. Still tastes enough like a good cup of tea.

Finishing up with the seventh and eighth cups, I can finally taste the original water. (Usually this is my indication of where to stop.) But the brew still has a nice light, zesty, tea flavour going on.

I’ve had this tea in my cupboard for a while now, and today gave me a lot to reflect on. I think this tea comes out too weak or delicate if you use too much water, and today’s session with the gaiwan was my most pleasant. My favourite thing about this tea is the sensation it gives me, along with the combination of interesting flavours. It does a good job of keeping me captivated. Overall, a charming black tea with sweetness that does not overpower the wonderful earthy flavour.

100ml gaiwan, 2 tsps, 8 steeps (45s + 15s resteeps)