Wild Black Yunnan

I really liked this one too. It’s got a nice malty and earthiness but very little earthiness to it. It’s so good. I added some sugar so a bit sweet, but good.

I’m not sure why I didn’t really like this tea the first time I tried it – I guess I wasn’t in a “tea mood”. At any rate, I resolved not to throw away perfectly “good tea” and to finish up the 24g sampler pack I got from David’s Tea.

I’m glad I did. The second time I tried it (a week later), I was surprised how much I liked the tea. It had a rich, earthy (but clean) flavour that felt good on my tongue. I savoured that after-dinner cup of tea and it left me with a satisfied feeling for quite a while. I just had it again today with the same level of enjoyment.

It’s a little pricey, but I think it’s definitely worth it. I look forward to trying other Yunnan teas from other suppliers in the future. In the meantime, I’m going to replace my current supply of this tea with a bigger bag from David’s Tea sometime soon.

Picked this up on a whim as a reward tea without having tried it. It sounded intriguing, and I’m glad I gave it a shot. It’s mild and pleasant, and has a wholly unique taste to any other black teas I’ve had. It’s got a nice savoury flavour, with sweet hints and undertones of earth and dirt (not in a gross way). I like it!

I ordered 100g of this along with Nepal Black and Kenyan Tindaret also from Davids Tea. I brewed in a 32oz cast iron pot at 93c for just over 5 minutes. First impression was the gorgeous golden/honey color of this tea after steeping. Aroma and flavor are delicious – subtle notes of forest/vegetation and a really satisfying sweet/malty body. Finish is really smooth. The main event is the natural sweetness of this tea (I don’t use milk/sweeteners). Not a hit of bitterness present, I will probably try a longer steep next time. I plan to keep this around.

This is very… “earthy”. And peppery. And wee bit metallic. I don’t really have much to say, I feel like I’m having a completely different tea from the other reviews. No sweetness that’s for sure. It’s not unpleasant, but I’ve had other black teas I like a lot more, so I doubt I’d restock this.

Is the slightly metallic taste an interpretation of astringency?

Finishing off this sample from Anlina. This is a very nice yunnan black, lots of aroma and flavour. I’m getting malt, crusty brown bread, something spicy, and that honey sweetness that I associate with Chinese black teas. As it cools I’m getting a bit of acidity or fruitiness. I think I might buy more of this, next time David’s has a sale. :)

My thought on first sipping this was, “wow, one of those teas!” Translation: rich, malty, chocolatey, not bracing, but full and satisfying. It almost has coffee overtones as it cools. Take note though: one steep and you’re through. The second go-around on this had nothing to recommend it. I’m finding that David’s flavored teas do nothing for me, but certain carefully selected straight blacks are pretty darn good.

Day #5 of the advent calendar FINALLY gives me a black tea. Yay. And a straight one, at that. This is pretty good – not my favourite straight black tea that DavidsTea makes (possibly due to the slight malty flavour I’m getting out of this), but I definitely will enjoy this cup this morning.

Mmm tasty. Broth-like, malty, just a hint of astringency and pleasantly mouth-filling.

I’m not a super huge fan of this tea, but it’s OK. It smells really honey-malty, which I do love. :)

I steeped with heaping teaspoons of tea for a short amount of time. I might do one more steep before I switch over to non-caffeinated.

(The only reason I chose this one is because it doesn’t really call for milk, IMO… and I’m out of milk. Outside clothes vs plain tea? Plain tea wins. :) )