Bailin Gongfu Black Tea

Brewed according to the instructions on the package…

Probably like most people, I don’t read the brewing instruction manual on my tea packets, and in the ordinary way of things, I brew 5g of everything with 100-200ml water, adjusting the amount until I find equilibrium.

But since I’m currently well-stocked with 200g of Bailin Gongfu – my favourite black tea – I thought I’d give the instructions a try.

The instructions on the ziplock bag the tea comes in are 2 tablespoons of tea leaves, to 17oz water. By UK measurements, that’s 30g of tea and a gnat’s under 500ml water.

OK, I compromised, and used 1 tablespoon – 15g – and 250ml water.

It was delicious. Malty, delicious, wonderful, floral and just … the best tea I’ve ever had. Like Bailin Gongfu Plus. Super Bailin Gongfu. The Breaking Bad of Bailin Gongfu.

‘course, I then spotted the instructions on the website, which are subtly different to the ones on the package. On the website, it recommends for western-style brewing: “2 tablespoons/6 grams”. So I’m guessing the tablespoons thing is a typo for 2 teaspoons, unless Chinese or US tablespoons are very, very different from mine.

But I have to admit that if I were rich as Croesus, I’d drink it like this all the time.

Drinking this this morning so I could review it on the Teavivre site. This tea has grown on me a little. It is still too malty for my taste. If you love very malty tea with very slight bitterness, then it is definitely for you. The bitter taste might not be there if I brewed this gongfu style. I shall eventually have to do this.

I brewed this once in an 18oz teapot with 4 tsp leaf and 190 degree water for 3 min.

My Teavivre order finally arrived on Friday! That same day, I got an email from Mary at Teavivre checking to make sure that everything arrived in good condition, which was really nice. Good customer service for sure!

I was excited to try this tea as it’s so highly regarded here on steepster. The leaves are small, dark, and twisted and smell malty, yeasty, and somewhat like cocoa. They yield a very bold sienna brew. The sip is dominated by a very strong sourdough bread note, much like I get from Verdant’s Laoshan Black. The taste is grainy up front, morphing into sourdough with subtle hints of honey and cocoa. The finish, though, was quite tannic to me, which was a slight minus in my book.

I am acting a little like an idiot in Steepster chat this morning, because I have to keep myself from making every other thing I type how good this tea is….er, was. It’s gone now and I must get more.

Teavivre is quickly becoming one of my favorite companies. Really there is nothing I don’t love about them. Their staff is great, and very much in touch with the tea community. The products are superb and I even love their packaging.

I took a leap of faith and ordered 100g of four different black teas from there. Today as I have my first cup, I am feeling pretty smug and proud of myself. I also pulled out a bunch of teas from my cupboard that I am going to get rid of because really, when I can be drinking THIS, why drink THAT?

Mmm, the dry leaf smells like straight up chocolate. I’ve never smelled a tea that resembles chocolate so incredibly closely. Brewed the liquor is unfortunately not as chocolatey, but lovely nonetheless. A little yam, a bit of sweetness and some wheat or baked bread. The bread notes really stay on your tongue. It’s really delicious, and making me crave my favorite Canadian Black Bread. I think I’m going to have to go make some so I can enjoy it with the rest of this delicious tea.
Teavivre recommends brewing at only 194/90º, but I used boiling water it it turned out perfectly.

I’m not sure if I had great expectations for this tea, but I was definitely looking forward to trying it. As soon as I poured the hot water in my mug, the aroma of sweet potatoes filled the air. The taste even surprised me more. There was more honey than I expected. And though it was slightly malty there was that hint of earthiness in the back of your throat when you swallow. I don’t know what to think of the earthiness to be honest. Besides that this tea is a winner!
It’s not a horrible earthy taste…I don’t know what to think just yet. But glad I tried it!

Am I imagining this, or is Teavivre Bailin Gongfu Black Tea related in some way to Golden Monkey? Upon opening my sample packet and catching a whiff, I thought immediately of Golden Monkey. The dried leaves do not have as many golden tips, and the tea seems to be less powdery, but the scent is definitely close.

The liquor brews up dark amber and also tastes similar to Golden Monkey. It’s a bit less sweet, and does not remind me so much of unsweetened caramel, but there is definitely overlap. To me, this Bailin Gongfu evokes memories of the dark crust of a light bread. So no rye, but a darker cooked wheat flavor.

The second infusion was just as good as the first. I usually do not reinfuse black teas, but it works with Golden Monkey, so I figured that I’d try it with this tea as well—especially given its name!

This tea is a winner. I drank it au naturel and am already craving another glass! On my wishlist…

Apologies to Angel and Mary from Teavivre for reviewing the samples I requested so late. I’ve had a congested nose for more than a week and it’s finally begun to clear up.

I chose this one to start with. Gongfu method with 4 ounce gaiwan. Steeping intervals were 15, 15, 30, 45, 60. In the dry leaf aroma, I detected raw almonds, chocolate, and raisins. And in the wet leaf aroma, a burst of malt and bitter chocolate. The liquor is a beautiful honey-gold, which looks lovely with sun rays passing through the glass. Medium-bodied, smooth, just a little thick. It has flavor notes of chocolate, malt and freshly baked raisin muffins/bread.

This one feels darker and heavier than other Chinese black teas I’ve had, providing comfort, coziness, and soothing internal enrichment despite the temperature being over 80 degrees F right now. Ideally it would be drunk during a winter storm, when the landscape is snowridden or with dark gray sky above (in contrast to Jin Jun Mei or Laoshan black, e.g., which are both good for cold days in general).

I’m jumping on the MzPriss and TheTeaFairy bandwagon this morning with this tea. This is one of my free samples from TeaVivre that I hadn’t tried yet and I figured now’s as good a time as any! This is my first time trying a Fujian black tea. The leaves look very different than the other blacks I’ve been having lately – they’re very thin and extremely dark with a few scattered golden tips. The smell is quite unusual, it’s quite musty and earthy with dark bread and malt notes. I decided to be brave and steep it for 3 minutes! :P

Wow, the brewed aroma is very different from the dry! It smells like a completely different tea. Very sweet honey or caramel over baked bread with raisins, mmm… This would definitely be a breakfast tea for me, as the overall taste is quite bold and strong. It has a grain-like malty quality about it without quite tasting like bread. I seem to get a little tiny bit of smokey savoriness at the beginning of the sip. I was surprised to not taste the caramel or honey sweetness that a lot of others mentioned… Then I added a touch of sugar to the second half of my cup and a lovely dark honey or molasses flavor came out. I wouldn’t necessarily call it caramel because I don’t get any butter. This tea leaves an aftertaste on my tongue that reminds me of strong coffee!

Overall, quite good and a nice bold tea to take for breakfast. Would definitely stand up to some milk, although that’s not something I generally add to tea. Thanks again to Angel at TeaVivre!