Wild Style Black Tea - Premium (2016)

I think I have alluded to my enjoyment of this tea in a couple of previous reviews, so I have decided to go ahead and get a review of it up on Steepster. Also, this was yet another of the black tea samples that I finished way back in May. It’s crazy to think that my backlog still stretches that far back. Anyway, as I am pretty sure I have said before, this was a fantastic Wuyi black tea.

I prepared this tea gongfu style. After a very quick rinse, I steeped 5 grams of loose tea leaves in 3 ounces of 194 F water for 5 seconds. This infusion was followed by 16 additional infusions. Steep times for these infusions were as follows: 7 seconds, 9 seconds, 12 seconds, 16 seconds, 20 seconds, 25 seconds, 30 seconds, 40 seconds, 50 seconds, 1 minute, 1 minute 15 seconds, 1 minute 30 seconds, 2 minutes, 3 minutes, 5 minutes, and 7 minutes.

Prior to the rinse, the dry tea leaves emitted aromas of peach, lychee, orange zest, malt, and baked bread that were underscored by hints of chocolate. After the rinse, I detected a stronger chocolate aroma, a guava scent, and an interesting floral aroma that vaguely reminded me of jasmine. The first infusion introduced a stronger, but still somewhat vague floral aroma (jasmine and maybe orange blossom this time) and additional citrus character reminiscent of tangerine. In the mouth, I picked up on sweet, fruity, and floral flavors immediately. Notes of guava, pear, peach, tangerine, and lychee swirled around the palate with some subtle orange zest, orange blossom, and jasmine in the background before subtler, smoother notes of baked bread and malt broke through on the swallow. I noticed something of a pine note in the aftertaste that I had not picked up on earlier. Subsequent infusions saw the nose turn extremely citrusy and perfume-like. The already powerful fruit notes were amplified as were the previously more subtle malt notes. Chocolate emerged on the palate along with notes of minerals, cream, sweet potato, butter, and brown sugar. The final infusions emphasized lingering impressions of minerals, malt, and butter that were complimented by a slight woodiness and vague hints of pear, citrus, and stone fruits.

This was one of the more powerful and robustly flavorful black teas I have tried this year. It also had a tremendously lively presence on the nose and in the mouth. A very fun, vibrant, energizing black tea, I would recommend this to anyone with an interest in Wuyi black teas or those looking for a black tea with less astringency.