I was inspired by the videos from Scott so yesterday I drank Man Tang Hong Number 2 for the first time and today I’m revisiting the Man Tang Hong Gong Ting. I bought the 2011 sampler with both a few months ago so they’ve had plenty of time to rest. The dry leaf of this one smells like dark chocolate and both it and the tea soup are more pungent than Number 2. That said, Gong Ting is actually rounder tasting and sweeter with a sharp cinnamon taste that quickly fades to more of a feel that goes well with the general thickness of this tea. This tea is definitely smoother than Number 2 with a plummy tartness that emerges in the aftertaste that really rounds out this tea. This tea also leaves a sugar sweetness on my lips like the 2013 Golden Needle White Lotus but this actually has character to it. Number 2 really is a drier tea with more spice flavor and less sweetness. Both definitely share a lot of character and are really nice teas. This one is more of a daily drinker for me due to the more rounded character.
Flavors: Dark Chocolate, Plum, Smooth, Spices, Sweet
