Superfine Tan Yang Gong Fu Black Tea

I am thrilled to get to try this tea because all the Gong Fu teas I’ve had from Teavivre have been fantastic. Just having this sample reminds me of all the black teas I need to reorder.

The leaves are indeed very fine. Practically none of them are broken, and they are all very narrow and pointed at the end. Each of them seem to be a different shade of chocolate brown and gold. It reminds me of a little bird’s nest as it sits in my infuser while I wait for the water to heat.

As they steep, the tea smells deliciously toasted and warm. It’s a very comforting scent. I’m somewhat reminded of cocoa and whole wheat bread. The flavor is even better. I’m getting notes of sweet potato, cocoa, caramel, and malt. I’m catching myself trying my best to drink it even though it’s too hot — it’s like I can’t stop myself.

This is the most perfect tea I could have on a wet, cool day here. It’s definitely going to be in my next Teavivre order.

I wanted a black tea and have been drinking a lot of Golden Monkey lately, but I wanted something different so I opened my new(-ish) tin of Tan Yang Gong Fu. It was dusty like hay when you shake it out and had a slightly warm hay smell to it. It also stuck together a bit like leaves of hay do. It looked a lot like the Golden Monkey with the curly golden leaf mixed in with darker ones. “Looking good,” I thought to the tea, although the dustiness had surprised me. The liquor is dark red brown and clear and smells faintly malty. Although I used a lot of leaf, the aroma of the tea is still delicate but the flavour is quite direct. There is a hint of malt there, something of molasses and some cherry notes too. It is really smooth and there is greater depth than the Golden Monkey. It’s like the taste and aftertaste sink into your tongue and carry the experience all the way with them. I can actually feel this tea relaxing me, which is surely a good sign. There is a lot going on here and I think I need to drink more just to explore it further. Yes, that’s it. Better add this one to the buying list because I’m sure I shall want to explore it further when the current tin is done.

I do love chinese black teas, like no other tea can provide that chocolate-yness quality while being oh so smooth. And this sample which Hallieod so generously surprised me with is a very very good chinese tea indeed. Though, for no fault of its own, comparisons are odious, it is suffering from comparison with yesterday´s sample, another chinese black tea (and yes, this is a total embarassment of riches of teas to try), the Laoshan Black I fell totally in love with.

2 tsp in 12 oz

Okay, I definitely have to pick some of this up in my next order. It’s fabulous. Just like I said before, a sweetness characteristic of Dian Hongs from the many golden tips. Super smooth and rich.

SIPDOWN!!

Another one done from my box of many samples (from many people). I will get to them all – hopefully soon-ish.

I like this one :) Sweet potato up front, and dusty cocoa in the after taste.

Sample compliments of Dex – Thank You!!

—huh, I had this not too long ago – a sample from another steepster member, and got a totally different taste profile this time around. But it looks like I enjoyed it both times around.

Tea provided by Teavivre for review

Just received Teavivre’s samples yesterday, and this is the first one I picked out to try. Good black teas always have a special place in my heart, so I was eager to taste this. I’ve also been wondering for a long time “what IS tan yang black tea like?”.

My initial steep tasted; fuzzy, sweetness/caramel, earthy.

Second to fourth steeps started to really build up a strong earthy flavour, that had a nice roasted, woodsy, syrupy, and slightly floral background.

Fifth through tenth steeps maintained that strong flavour, only weakening slightly with each steep. The last cup was still very flavourful considering it was the tenth.

Overall it met my expectations. Teavivre’s steep guidelines were spot-on, I enjoyed the flavour brought out in the shorter initial steeps. What I liked about this tea, is that held onto a strong flavour throughout my steeps. That being said, I’m not impressed with the level of “charm” Tan Yang brings, and I’ve tasted similar teas with different names (this is a really minor point, not meant to be taken as negative).
Compared to the other black teas Teavivre sells, this is probably my second favourite (first would be their Yunnan Dian Hong Golden Tip). If you enjoy resteeping your black tea a lot, this is a very good option to choose.

Steep parameter (as suggested on their website)

100ml gaiwan, 5g sample, 10 steeps: rinse(10s),5s,5s,10s,20s,30s,35s,35s,60s,2m30s,3m30s

Had this yesterday. I thought it was interesting how it was a little like a cross between the Golden Fleece/Honey Orchid Black-type premium teas I’ve tried and stuff like Bailin Gongfu, Wild Mountain Black (I call them “the sweet potato teas”, like a sweet tuber sauced with molasses). There was definite sweet potato, that all-the-edges-smoothed-out, sweet-starchy quality I associate with Chinese black tea, but it was also lighter than stuff like Bailin Gongfu, with some subtle floral notes behind the sweet potato.

I’m thinking that I used water that was too hot—at the forefront of the sip there’s a slightly astringent, bold fruitiness. It mellows out until I’m left with a sweet, smooth, malty caramel coating on my tongue. There’s a light floral undertone beneath the sweet that’s quite nice. I’ll lower my brew temp next time to see if I can lessen the acidity. (:

EDIT: Second steep was MUCH better, with the flavors described above, a bit sweeter, and no astringency/bitterness. This would make a wonderful evening tea!

Subtle yet still powerful, this is how the tea should taste. faint spice with a honey coating, really coats your tongue.

Not the best, but good enough that I am happy for once. :)

The dry leaf smells sweet, rich and like an apple – ? When I say apple, I mean the tart skin and a little bit of the fruit itself. Strange…. I haven’t gotten that sort of scent from this particular kind of tea, but it still smells tasty. Once the tea has steeped, I do detect more of an earthy, starchy and almost musky quality.

Sipping… I was expecting something a little bit more milky and sweet. It is sweet, but also almost smoky. It’s dark, syrupy and earthy. I taste raisins, prunes, hay, sweet potato and leather. This is quite an interesting tea! It has such an intriguing depth that makes you want to keep sipping. Even though this tea has some notes that I wouldn’t typically enjoy, it makes my tastebuds curious and I love it when a tea has the ability to do that. I’m not sure if I would add this to my future order, but I do offer my thanks to Teavivre for this sample.