This tea is not only delicious, the golden sheen of its leaves makes it stunningly beautiful.
The old tea trees from which these leaves are picked are naturally grown without the use of pesticides on the slopes of Xishuang Banna in southern Yunnan. While this region is most famous for its puer, the leaves from these trees can also be used to make black tea, or, on rare occasions, white.
The leaves of this tea are rolled into tight spirals of contrasting black and gold, the gold being the fuzz of youth, which still covers much of this tea. The fine hairs, or hao that comprise this fuzz ad a rich, wild-grass fullness and depth to the flavor and texture of the tea. These fine hairs also give the brew some apparent cloudiness, which, upon inspection, can be seen to be individual hairs dancing in the brew. To fully enjoy this aspect, many would not use a tea filter for this sort of tea.
Dry, this tea has a sweet, rich, earthy aroma, reminiscent of fields of wild-grass. Wet, its leaves carry a roasted, slightly tart aroma, reminiscent of chocolate, walnuts, and tobacco. It produces a vibrant, rich, honey-crimson brew, with a flavor reminiscent of a wood-furnished library in an elegant manor, replete with ponderous, leather-bound tomes of mystic lore. Its flavor is full, sweet and tart, with roasted elements and notes of dried cherries, chocolate, wood, and sweetgrass.
This tea goes down silky smooth, and leaves the mouth watering, with a sweet and slightly tart aftertaste. Its qi is warming, and well balanced between relaxing and stimulating in its effects.
Lasts about a dozen brews.
Price is per 50 grams/1.76 ounces