Low mid altitude Ceylon "Royal Black Tea" from Elephant Chateau, 2020 harvest

single-estate tea grown in the
Sabaragamuwa region of Sri Lanka

2 tea spoons
380 mL water
90 C

Steep 1: 5.5 minutes
Steep 2: 15 minutes

Very large distinctive leaves.
Liquor turns coppery red within seconds
Light honeyed and tobacco aroma
Distinctive buttery mouthfeel
Gentle notes of honey and tobacco
Slightly malty. Slightly flowery
Lingering astringency
Experience dominated by very smooth mouthfeel
Reminiscent of Lipton, but much higher quality. Likely very good for ice tea

Have also tried Gongfu brewing with 8 grams per 100 mL: early steeps are strong with dried fruit, honey and some floweriness reminiscent of Yunnan black. Honey notes carry throughout brew. There is less smoothness until later steeps as expected for larger base leaves taking time to unfurl and release starchiness. This is in contrast with the company’s high mountain brew, which is more filled with buds, and therefore more flowery and Less smooth. To experience full smoothness and flavor, western style brewing with less leaves and more water ( 1 gram / 100 mL) for 4 plus minutes is advisable.

from company:

Our tea pluckers' leaf size selection & manual rolling/drying process

plays a key part in accentuating the smoothness (buttery-ness) featured

in this fine liquor.

Note, leaves are cigar rolled instead of ball rolled. Cigar rolling is known to improve smoothness, esp as the finishing step. This is a common practice for Keemun black teas of the highest quality.

Comments

Glenburn king single estate first flush 2019 from vahdam

Leaves are small and bud like. There are many broken leaves as well and leaves with holes indicating insect bite. This could explain some of the Muscatel. 1.8 teaspoon 350 mL water 90 C water Steep 1: 4 min Steep 2: 8 min Steep 3: indefinite time Light, flowery, herbal Some muscatel in nose Muscatel, herb, flowery hops, light wood notes in taste Lingering herbal, fresh hop and cooling mint I am told mint is often a sign of Assamica tea but these are supposed to be chinary.

Longfengxia High Mountain Spring Oolong Tea, Day 5, Lot 948, 2020 taiwan tea craft

From vendor: PICKING DATE May 2020 OXYDATION LEVEL Low BAKING LEVEL None TERROIR Shanlinxi ADMINISTRATIVE REGION Nantou County PICKING STYLE Hand Picked CULTIVAR(S) USED Qing Xin GARDEN ELEVATION 1750 m Review: Dry lead is intensely flowery with prominent yellow stems Brewed 5 to 7 grams/100 mL boiling water in kobiwako. Lower leaf is okay due to intensity of flavor but higher leaf has stronger sweetness in later steeps. For 5 g: Rinse / 55 s / 45 s / 55 s / 1:10 / 1:30 /2:30 Brewed leaves have strong pastry and tropical fruit Steeps 1-2: Taste of green mango, citrus, and baked pineapple pastry. Clean minerality and medium to thick mouthfeel. There is strong perfume of oily flowers, mainly rose and some lavender. At higher leaf to water (7 g per 100 mL) there is some slight green astringency. Steep 3-5: fruit notes are much more mild but still present and long lasting. Much more buttery. There is slight green brandy like astringency. At higher leaf to water ratio, frui...

2020 Competition Grade Jin Jun Mei Black Tea from Yunnan Sourcing

From vendor: Late March Harvest Tong Mu Guan Village (Fujian) Review: Strong yeast and honey suckle aroma from dry leaf. Lots of orange yellow powder from the small, tight buds. A small holed filter is necessary. Brew parameter: 4 g / 100 mL 90 C in porcelain Rinse / 10s / 10s / 15s / 35s / 1 min / 2 min / 5 min Strong honey and milk chocolate notes. Smooth and thick with stone fruit (peach) aromas and sweet yam flavors. Some vegetal notes develop in later steepings. Early steepings are quick and strong but drops off after 3rd steeping. Strangely, a pu-erh like wet pile funk is faintly present. This is not particularly pleasant. Western brewing is also acceptable at 1 g /100 mL for 3:30. However, the chocolate notes are much more mild when brewed in this way.

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