Gong Fu

Ummm, Wow. I think I have a new tea amongst the favorites. This one is kind of reminiscent of Premium Steap’s Emperor’s Red and Angelina’s Imperial Red (Da Hong Pao Black) except less roasty and more cocoa. This one almost tastes like it is flavored (which kind of seems like an insult to this tea, but how else to describe it?), the chocolate notes are that present. One might even call them overtones on this one. I have not gotten to a resteep, but that will be the true test. Fortunately, this one is lower in price than the teas mentioned above which helps, even if a resteep is not as good. I am also not beyond adding a little more tea if necessary for the resteep on this one if it needs it.

tl;dr LOOOOOOOve it! :D

24 oz teapot, 4 tsp tea, freshly boiled water, 4 minutes. Lightly sweetened.

Oh my roasty, chocolatey, earthy, touch of fruity/winey on the end of the sip, completely delicious friend, welcome to my cupboard! I completely agree with LiberTEAS that this brings to mind Dawn from the Simple Leaf, only a Chinese instead of Indian, perfect sans additions version! Wow, wow, wow! I’m completely head over heels in LOVE!

It’s really nice when you get to the place when you can read where a certain tea hails from, read the tasting notes from people who you share the taste of, and can order 8oz of a tea without tasting it and KNOW that you are going to love it. I have Steepster and my beloved Steepsterites to thank for this :) THANK YOU!

Thanks so much to Charles for sending me a sample of this!

This is definitely a keeper – delicious smooth mellow tea with hints of chocolate (but no, it is not flavored). I am getting something buttery here which some people are picking up as caramel. A little bit winey at the finish. A really great tea to start my morning off with, it is definitely worth the accolades it has gotten here on Steepster… :)

Today is my birthday, and my present to myself was to brew an entire carafe of this for breakfast.

This wonderful tea has filled the place in my heart and my cupboard that was previously occupied by Upton’s currently unavailable Panyang Bohea Supreme. That insanely cocoa-y tea had become a minor obsession, as I compulsively checked the New Arrivals section of Upton’s site almost daily, knowing full well that, barring a miracle, it would not be restocked until late fall. If ever.

Zhi’s Gong Fu Black is, so help me, the identical twin of Panyang Bohea Supreme: rich, naturally cocoa-y to the max, little to no astringency. To me this is the pinnacle of what Chinese black teas, particularly Fujians, can be. And because it is readily available, I am able to stop my frantic stock-checking, relax and enjoy a pot of it whenever I like.

As I take stock of the many blessings in my life, I must include this remarkable tea among them. Thank you for restoring my mental health, Gong Fu Black! And a million thank-yous, Zhi Tea, for offering it!

This tea is remarkably smooth and rich… and honestly, one thing comes to mind as I sip it … DAWN FROM THE SIMPLE LEAF! I don’t know how similar they are, really, because it’s been a while since I’ve had some Dawn… maybe one of these days I’ll do a side by side comparison.

It’s very good though. Wonderfully complex. Savory chocolate-y notes. I can even taste a hint of caramel. Lovely. Truly lovely.

This was a most welcome surprise, courtesy of The Divine Miss JacquelineM (hope you like Bette Midler:)

This was phenomenally good; essence of dark, dark chocolate in the first steep, and even though it dissipated in the second, it was deep and winey and rich. Excellent!

Many, many thanks to SimplyJenW for this nice surprise tea! Youngest and I decided to try it with our lunch today, which I’ll momentarily be followed by Rich Tea Biscuits with Nutella and MORE TEA! Whee!

Youngest said to put as her review, “Total win!”

Mine…this smells wonderful. It has lovely chocolate notes with honey sweetness over the top. The taste is smooth and sweet, there is no hint of bitterness, medium body, and everything a Chinese black tea should be. YUM! I took mine sans additions, youngest with milk and sugar.

Thank you, Jen!

My first purchase from Zhi. I brewed up a pot with two spoonfuls and steeped for 4 minutes. I liked it but I think I should add more leaves and brew it for 5 minutes. I think it’s too soon to rate. My 2nd infusion is brewing now…. Ok, I should’nt be so shy with the tea leaves. Stay tuned for brew2… ps, the pot was a 4 cup Celestial Seasons Sleeytime pot. One note on the first infusion: The nose, it smelled like Christmas, PINE.

The tea is very good, leaving a lasting impression on the palate. Very similar to Bai Lin Gong Fu from Teavivre, only less chocolate notes. Nevertheless they are very comparable. If given a choice I would probably decide on Bai lin, but luckily I do not have to choose. The tea is excellent for daily drinking, particularly in the morning, very energizing, and good for many steeps.

This tea is perfect. I was looking for cocoa notes in reviews and managed to scrounge up a few reviews elsewhere that made me try this one. Oh, I am so happy. I kept envisioning a big ol’ Hershey’s bar on the first steep. Second steep, not so much. On the second steep it was beautifully tanned and smooth cowhide leather and tobacco leaves. I am super duper impressed with this tea shop. I love this so much that I want to buy a pound of it and then hoard it, measuring it out on as a reward to myself. I have to fight that hoard urge, probably not the best for tea.

Chinese gong fu teas are known for being finely-crafted and have always been a personal favorite. My expectations for Zhi’s version of this tea, ‘Gong Fu Black’, were heightened after reading some strong reviews on steepster. Time to rip open a sample and test!

The dry leaf has a dusty-woodsy scent with a hint of cocoa. The cocoa-hint disappears in the wet leaf, but reappears in the liquor scent. The creamy-cocoa aroma arising from the liquor is quite inviting. Sipping this tea is just as the liquor scent predicts; a creamy black brew with strong cocoa hints. It’s rich, yet very smooth. After swallowing, the cocoa-notes sit politely in the back of the mouth leaving a satisfying overall sip. Enjoyable! If I can find any fault with this tea is that I sense a very miniscule amount of bitterness at the end of the sip. Most drinkers probably won’t even notice, and despite being present, it doesn’t detract from the overall experience. But, that’s me nitpicking at an otherwise fine tea.

While Zhi’s Gong Fu Black is not the best gong fu tea I’ve ever tasted, it’s very good gong fu nonetheless.