This is a review of a mini redhead I got as a freebie from White2Tea. I have to say that more than 7g of tea in this coin is a bit too much for me, as I usually do solo sessions.
At first I was baffled by the tea, beacause I remembered reading in the description it was made dianhong style. However, the smell and taste is quite far from dianhong – rather it has the characteristics of shaihong, a sundried black tea. And of course it makes sense it is sun dried if it’s going to be pressed in cakes.
It doesn’t have a strong smell, but it’s interesting. It smells like a mix of pinewood, molasses and white pepper. In the empty cup it smells like beeswax, not unlike a young sheng would. The taste is savoury, spicy and bitter. In the finish is becomes a bit more sour and astringent with a hint of sweetness lingering. I found it to be quite defined and evolving taste. There are notes of wood, cranberries, honey and white pepper. The aftertaste is even more spicy and sour. It is very long and expansive.
The best aspect of this tea is the mouthfeel though. It is super thick, coating and soft. I also feel the tea is quite caffeine heavy, it really makes me alert.
This tea sits somewhere between white and black tea with some pu-erh characteristics as well. Even if you don’t like dianhong, I would suggest you try this one.
Flavors: Astringent, Bitter, Cranberry, Honey, Molasses, Pepper, Pine, Sour, Spicy, Thick, Wood
