This is the second time I have written this note due to technical difficulties. :(
I got the Ying De Hong Cha as part of the red tea sampler from Jing Tea Shop.
The dry leaves are very earthy and chocolatey smelling. This was steeped in my infuser mug for around 90 seconds, which yielded a lovely dark red clear infusion.
There’s a lot of nice things going on with this tea. I was sipping on it plain, and it has malty and chocolatey notes but with a surprising amount of depth. The finish is very smooth and sweet with a touch of fruity element, perhaps cherry or plum. I could see having this as an after dinner tea, perhaps with some cookies. It also is making a terrific afternoon tea for me though!
I tried adding some soymilk and this really brought out the creaminess, so that it almost feels like I’m drinking a caramel & chocolate latte. In contrast to the Ceylon I had this morning, this is really rich and soothing.
I got a second steep out of it, which was lighter. This steep had more caramel and fruit notes with less chocolate and malt but it was still delicious!
Definitely a keeper in my opinion and I’d buy the full size with no problem!
Ummmm!
Going right straight to my shopping list. Miss you drink some amazing sounding teas!
This really WAS delicious!
You had me at chocolatey and plum.