Panyang Congou

I am hoping I like this tea because I bought a 4 oz. tin without trying a sample first. :)

The leaves of this tea look very dark and slender in the tin. I am surprised at the lightness of the color but I am fairly certain I used enough leaf here.

I steeped this for 5 minutes with boiling water per the instructions on the tin. I color and heft it reminds me of a second flush darjeeling. This tea has malty and cocoa aromas, the bf says he is reminded of almonds. The liquor is a bit flowery, mellow, exceptionally smooth and sweet honey-like notes that just seem to melt away in my mouth. There is virtually no bitterness or astringency. This is very reminiscent of a golden monkey with some sweeter, fruity type notes. Harney says baked apples, but I am thinking more like a caramel apple (without all the sticky, sickeningly sweet parts)

Overall a very enjoyable tea. I think for the morning time I generally prefer something with a bit more heft, but this is a more gentle way to wake up, which is nice for a Sunday. I would happily drink this an afternoon tea.

I would also like to gong fu this tea sometime in the future, might get even better results.

Okay, so I failed Sample Week on the very last day, but only because the sample I had done turned out to be one I had tried before, and I never got around to doing another one. But if it hadn’t been one I’d tried before, I would have made it, so I still say I almost succeeded.

Anyway, Sample Week over, I can now get back to some of my other larger samples, such as the ones I received recently from the lovely QuiltGuppy. Including OH JOY a Panyang. Or Tanyang. Or Tan Yang. Or Pan Yang. Or whatever you prefer. Same difference.

I’ve been out of my favourite Tan Yang Te Ji (♥) for a while now, so this sample was a really well treasured one. Unfortunately, though, I will have to say that the TeaSpring one is still my absolute favourite.

This one seems slightly thinner, slightly less powerful than the Te Ji of TeaSpring. It’s almost but not quite the same. And what I’m really looking for in a Tan Yang is pretty much the exact flavour profile of the Te Ji.

That said, it is still an awesome tea. By default, really. All Tan Yangs are awesome, and all Fujian blacks are wonderful. It’s amazingly sweet naturally, a mildly fruity sort of sweetness rather than the more grainy sweetness that we see in for example Keemuns. I’m not getting the hint of pseudo-smoke out of this one, unfortunately. That’s also part of what makes the aforementioned Te Ji so perfect for me. Instead there is something quite floral about it, which I believe is very close to the same thing.

“Wait a minute, how can pseudo-smoke notes and floral notes be the same?” I hear you ask.

“Opposite sides of the same coin,” says I. I believe it’s the same ‘bit’ of the flavour profile that creates that pseudo-smoky or floral note in the flavour. If it’s vague and delicate it comes across as floral, but if it is allowed to develop more and grow stronger, it turns into something more prickly and aggressive. Like the smoke note. Most often, though, we end up somewhere in between where some people will find it floral, some will find it lightly smoky and some will be unable to decide what they think it’s most like. This characteristic, I think, is more common in black teas than most people realise.

So yeah, this is leaning more towards the floral end of the spectrum whereas I tend to prefer the other end.

It’s a good tea. Sweet, floral, medium strength. Worth oodles of points in my book, but not as good as the Tan Yang Te Ji.

Not at first impression anyway. (And to be honest, one brewing isn’t really representative basis for comparison. I retain the right to change my mind, fat lot of good it will do me as this one isn’t available to me without using kindly Steepsterites as middle-men anyway)

Another delicious black tea from the Northern Fujian Province. The dry leaf has dark colored leaves with some golden tips and a nice aroma a bit like raisins. The drink is a little honeyed, a little fruity, and smooth, with medium body. It is easy going with zero bitterness and low astringency. 2 1/2 grams was perfect for an 8 oz cup. I would order this again-it is something I could drink every day, and I suspect it would be great cold as well.

This tea is from the TTB. I am not totally certain it is Harney & Sons. The tea came in a small attractive black tin with a picture and an elegant description: “A simple Chinese black tea that has been made over 200 years. The brew is a nice easy-going tea that is round in the mouth. It is a favorite at our Tasting Room where its simple charms are appreciated.” These words do not come up via a Google search, although the first two sentence do come up as a description of tea sold at the Cincinnatian Hotel for afternoon tea.

This small black tin resembles a miniature Harney & Sons tin and has the same type of black tape so I’m going to assume that it is likely to be a Harney & Sons tea with different and creative packaging.
I took it from the TTB because there was so little. It was a very skimpy teaspoon.
With tea, I am like Julia Child with cooking wines and liquers. I tend to add more than the “recipe” calls for. I taste the dry leaf; I fool around a lot. The dry leaves here were about 3/4 of what I would use for one serving. Keeping that in mind, I used less water and did not make a full cup.

The results are pretty decent. It seems to be a very smooth, medium-bodied “basic black” with a pleasant aroma. Perhaps its biggest virtue is that it is not offensive in any way, but it also lacks some of those distinctive properties that make me fall in love with certain blends. I wish I had some more of this to muse upon.

A sample of this came to me via the ever lovely Quilt Guppy. H&S says this is tea with heft.
That is exactly my take on it. I found it rich, full, and somewhat nutty. There was also a hint of dried hay. I normally would not find hay appetizing, but in this case, contemplating as I always end up with a cup of black tea, my mind yields to relaxing thoughts of the country, hay meadows on a late summers day. Thanks QG, you always make it interesting.

Another sample from the TTB. :)

Not much for scent but it’s a good follow up to something that’s bitter or spicy – it seems. I really am liking this tea. It’s not bolder-than-bold but more of a medium strength type tea but pretty darn flavorful and pleasing. I can totally understand the honey notes others have mentioned…but it’s not overly sweet even with the notes. It seems to help my hunger level…thank the TEA GODS! LOL

I have a horrible case of the munchies this morning and this seems to be helping. If I ever see this in my travels I am going to purchase! I really like this cuppa!

Panyang Congou has lofty, nutty scents, with faint additions of honeyed sweetness. With a beautiful raw sienna color, the liquor is soft, with nonabrasive flavors of baked apples and spring hay.

From the Fujian province, Panyang Congou is a close relative of Panyang Golden Needle and Golden Monkey, but slightly older and made in a more traditional style, with the least amount of tips.

Congou is a corruption of the Chinese words Gong Fu, or Kung Fu, which mean “High Mastery”. A tea trade classification for Chinese black teas with this particular twisted shape, the word refers to the masterful skill required to produce the teas by hand. Today, the teas are made almost entirely by machine. The leaves are expertly rolled into a tight twist before slowly oxidizing to take on the fruity but unsweetened flavor of baked apples.

I’m getting tons of honey flavors. It has a great body to it, but it’s not like an Assam – it’s not blustery, it’s more of a refined taste. I sipped it plain, but am enjoying it with a little half and half and organic sugar. My husband said “I think this is my favorite unflavored black we’ve had!” I thought I was an Assam person, but perhaps I need to explore more fine Chinese black teas!!

Good basic China black. I see my basic black collection expanding, lately. Could it be this is where my loyalties lie? Don’t get me wrong, I love the flavored stuff. However, a good China black really makes me go weak in the knees.

This one is fairly bold as far as my tastes go, and completely satisfying. Slightly smokey, slight cocoa notes, but not as sweet as Adagio’s Fujian Baroque. This one has a slight bit more bite to it.

I am definitely liking Harney’s packaging (mine is a 4 oz tin). Very classy, and it does not add to the cost of the tea. Prices are still comparable to similar quality teas if not better. Overall, a great company in my experience.

Here is my official tasting note: OM NOM NOM.

Proper notes later, when I don’t have a huge stack of homework to do. x_x

Not a bad tea, but it didn’t leap out at me. I am not in love with it, but I don’t hate it either. It was sweet enough to enjoy without adding sugar, and there are very light cocoa notes and definite honey notes. Drinking it side by side with Brigitte’s Blend, it just lacked shine. It wouldn’t be a bad tea to keep around to serve with food because it is neutral enough that it won’t steal the spotlight, but it won’t be a memorable part of the meal.

1 1/2 tsp in 8 oz

I picked up a tin of this one in my latest Harney order because I’ve been enjoying the Fujian blacks from Teavivre that I’ve tried lately, and it is only $2 per ounce, so why not?

It is a very nice, smooth tea with a slightly earthy quality. Doesn’t need milk or sugar. It’s kind of like a cross between a Keemun and a Yunnan. It’s not that exciting, but at $2 per ounce, it could certainly be a cupboard staple for when I need to make a quick mug of something to run out the door with.

Having a couple of basic teas like this are great so that I can save my favorites for times when I can really sit and savor every sip.

This tea has dark color and a very soft aroma. The taste is very smooth, almost sweet, with just the slightest hint of smoke. Each sip starts off slightly toasty but finishes slightly sweet. I taste something that reminds me of caramel. It is not a brisk taste, not very dry at all. There is a very interesting aftertaste, almost a blooming sweetness when the air hits your tongue. It reminds me of the tastes and aromas of autumn. This is a very interesting tea with enough complexity to occupy your palate on its own without milk or sugar. I find this tea to be very thought provoking; each sip almost forces me to stop and pay very close attention to the flavor’s every nuance. With an understated yet full body and wide range of tastes layered quite smoothly together, this tea is a quiet storm of taste sensations.

Steep Information:
Amount: 1.t tsp
Additives: none
Water: 1 zarafina cup
Tool: Zarafina black-loose-mild
Served: Hot

Tasting Notes:
Dry Leaf Smell: chocolaty, nutty
Steeped Tea Smell: sweet
Flavor: sweet, mild black tea
Body: Light
Aftertaste: not much, a little astringent
Liquor: light translucent brown

Steepster Traveling Teabox Tea

I think that I should have set the Zarafina to Medium.

The leaves were a pretty mix of back and gold.

It was a pretty smooth and sweet (no additives) tea, but unremarkable (if compared to other quality teas, including other Harney and Sons).

Post-Steep Additives: none

Resteep: Zarafina Black-loose-strong
Again i should have done medium! When will I learn?
It was a bit bitter, but a smooth, strong black tea with honey notes still.

images: http://amazonv.blogspot.com/2010/03/harney-and-sons-loose-leaf-black-tea_24.html

I normally like Harney & Sons’ offerings, but this is a very ordinary and uninteresting tea.
Meh.

This is a great, everyday tea.

This subtle, comforting tea is actually my 2nd favorite from Harney. It’s easy to drink cup after cup without thinking too much about it, as it’s not bitter or overly strong, but if you stop and think as you taste, the nose and flavors, though subtle, really come out. There is a bit of sweetness, some florals, really nice flavors.