User avatar
Dec 2nd, '10, 20:06
Vendor Member
Posts: 1990
Joined: Apr 4th, '06, 15:07
Location: NYC
Contact: TIM

Re: What Black(Red) Tea Are You Drinking Right Now?

by TIM » Dec 2nd, '10, 20:06

shah82 wrote:No, it wasn't stale...

I really enjoy Houde's more outrageous taiwan black teas. I also enjoy good n18 leaf teas. However, most taiwan and japanese teas are too easygoing for me. I really tend to prefer things like assam if it's something I've not had before because they are so in your face.
Interesting... Shah82
I did not know Houde sells Tawianese black tea? Which one if I may ask?

Dec 2nd, '10, 23:56
Posts: 1274
Joined: May 9th, '09, 15:59

Re: What Black(Red) Tea Are You Drinking Right Now?

by shah82 » Dec 2nd, '10, 23:56

They sell a Taiwanese Assam with a sandalwood aroma attack. It's nice, but *very* expensive for what it is. Indian Assams at that price are better.

They sell your typical high end Yunnan.

They sell this Hao Xian Taiwanese black, which is a fully fermented leaf from high end oolong bush's summer flush. 2008 was really malty, like a pale ale. 2009 is more SF Darjeeling. Don't know what this year is like. However, do expect it be fairly wild in taste. Intensely sweet, offensive to some palettes. Still my favorite black tea.

They've added another super-flavorful fall harvest. It is fairly sour, especially if you pile on the leaf. It's also super-malty to the point of beer. Extremely flavorful with many spicy accents, and the sourness is crisp and generates sweet aftertastes. The leaves are very robust for black tea, so I've thought about buying some to age. Aged sweetness with this sour should be fantastic, really.

Dec 3rd, '10, 11:51
Posts: 364
Joined: Dec 29th, '09, 12:49
Location: Nor Cal

Re: What Black(Red) Tea Are You Drinking Right Now?

by NOESIS » Dec 3rd, '10, 11:51

Assam Mangalam Estate on this dreary morning. A very stout brew.

User avatar
Dec 6th, '10, 05:09
Posts: 4536
Joined: Apr 1st, '09, 00:48
Location: Bangkok

Re: What Black(Red) Tea Are You Drinking Right Now?

by Tead Off » Dec 6th, '10, 05:09

Arya Pearl 2nd flush. 2 leaves and a bud rolled into balls. Deep fragrance and an almost powdery mouthfeel. Fresh and slightly drying on the palette. Florals and sugar in the mouth.
Arya Pearl.jpg
Arya Pearl.jpg (57.87 KiB) Viewed 4371 times
Arya Pearl wet.jpg
Arya Pearl wet.jpg (77.63 KiB) Viewed 4371 times

User avatar
Dec 7th, '10, 07:37
Posts: 113
Joined: Dec 1st, '10, 21:03
Location: West Des Moines, Iowa, USA
Been thanked: 3 times
Contact: nrstooge

Re: What Black(Red) Tea Are You Drinking Right Now?

by nrstooge » Dec 7th, '10, 07:37

First thing this am was black dragon pearls.. with a bit of german rock sugar. In my "work" 6 dragon traveler... darjeling with german rock sugar and taking a bit of cream for it too. That should get me through my 10.5 hr day ahead (I hope).

Dec 7th, '10, 17:16
Posts: 23
Joined: Apr 11th, '10, 04:27

Re: What Black(Red) Tea Are You Drinking Right Now?

by Owlie » Dec 7th, '10, 17:16

A mug of SpecialTeas' Golden Monkey, second steep, with some sugar.

User avatar
Dec 8th, '10, 17:47
Posts: 644
Joined: Aug 25th, '09, 19:16
Location: Michigan

Re: What Black(Red) Tea Are You Drinking Right Now?

by nickE » Dec 8th, '10, 17:47

Sun Moon Lake black from EoT.

EDIT: Here's a picture of the leaves; these might be the nicest I've seen in a black tea.
Image

Dec 8th, '10, 21:12
Posts: 83
Joined: May 22nd, '10, 16:21
Contact: Cael

Re: What Black(Red) Tea Are You Drinking Right Now?

by Cael » Dec 8th, '10, 21:12

I'm actually drinking a tea that I've never had before. It's called Vithanakanda and the vendor said that it was from Sri Lanka. It's really good, malty and rich. The first time I had this it was a bit rancid, but I got a nice fresh batch.

Dec 9th, '10, 01:53
Posts: 364
Joined: Dec 29th, '09, 12:49
Location: Nor Cal

Re: What Black(Red) Tea Are You Drinking Right Now?

by NOESIS » Dec 9th, '10, 01:53

Imperial Mojian Golden Bud from YS. Very smooth, very mellow.....very boring. I find these types of Chinese all-bud red teas are way too one dimensional to drink regularly, but are alright for a change of pace.

Dec 10th, '10, 19:37
Posts: 1274
Joined: May 9th, '09, 15:59

Re: What Black(Red) Tea Are You Drinking Right Now?

by shah82 » Dec 10th, '10, 19:37

Leave them alone for a year. I enjoy the golden buds I got from Imen Shan much more now than I did when I got them.

Dec 10th, '10, 21:14
Posts: 364
Joined: Dec 29th, '09, 12:49
Location: Nor Cal

Re: What Black(Red) Tea Are You Drinking Right Now?

by NOESIS » Dec 10th, '10, 21:14

shah82 wrote:Leave them alone for a year. I enjoy the golden buds I got from Imen Shan much more now than I did when I got them.
Yanno, I purchased 1/2 lb of Feng Qing factory "Golden Strand" from Hou De a few years back and aged some of it. I'll agree, it gained more flavor nuances with the aging (other than pure maltose sugar), but compared to a top-shelf Darjeeling or Assam estate tea, still rather lacking in depth/complexity. This is probably just my bias in favor of Indian black teas in general. As much as I enjoy many Chinese oolongs, puerhs, and greens, I find most red teas rather flat for my taste buds (with the exception of authentic Qimen and the few Taiwanese black teas that I've tried).

Dec 10th, '10, 23:44
Posts: 1274
Joined: May 9th, '09, 15:59

Re: What Black(Red) Tea Are You Drinking Right Now?

by shah82 » Dec 10th, '10, 23:44

/me hugs.

What's your favorite Assam?

I avoid the gold tips only, that's a really waste of tannins, right there!

So far, favorite assam of all time is the Khajorigan estate from '08 that I got from Uptons. Jutlibari is pretty good, fairly strong aftertastes.

Malt is king.

Dec 11th, '10, 14:16
Posts: 364
Joined: Dec 29th, '09, 12:49
Location: Nor Cal

Re: What Black(Red) Tea Are You Drinking Right Now?

by NOESIS » Dec 11th, '10, 14:16

shah82 wrote:/me hugs.

What's your favorite Assam?

I avoid the gold tips only, that's a really waste of tannins, right there!

So far, favorite assam of all time is the Khajorigan estate from '08 that I got from Uptons. Jutlibari is pretty good, fairly strong aftertastes.

Malt is king.
Yep, gotta love a malty black tea in the morning.

Well, I usually go through Upton's or Camellia Sinensis for assams. I thought that the Jutlibari was the best assam of '09. In the past, I've had excellent summer flush teas from Numalighur, Rungagora and Halmari. My go-to is probably Mangalam. Not usually the best, but very consistent from year to year.

User avatar
Dec 12th, '10, 04:18
Posts: 4536
Joined: Apr 1st, '09, 00:48
Location: Bangkok

Re: What Black(Red) Tea Are You Drinking Right Now?

by Tead Off » Dec 12th, '10, 04:18

Dongcheon Black Tea. Is it really a black tea or is it a Balhyocha from Korea. This is a Korean tea which is not green. :D It is produced by Mr. Ha's farm in Jirisan and is a bit different than other Balhyocha that I have tasted so there may be a case for this really being a black tea. This is the only black tea I saw for sale in Korea. My tasting notes: Dark, wiry twisted leaves with a licorice aroma in the dry leaf. Using very hot water in a gaiwan, aroma is sweet, baked fruit. Smooth mouthfeel, subtle spices, delicious finish. Dark amber color. Maybe 5 brews. Lovely tea.
Mr. Ha's Black.jpg
Mr. Ha's Black.jpg (52.74 KiB) Viewed 4219 times

User avatar
Dec 13th, '10, 14:08
Posts: 48
Joined: Dec 11th, '10, 08:01

Re: What Black(Red) Tea Are You Drinking Right Now?

by yshuto » Dec 13th, '10, 14:08

All Darjeeling

First Flush
Castleton SFTGFOP 1
Bloomfield SFTGFOP 1
Margaret's Hope SFTGFOP 1

Second Flush
Namring Upper SFTGFOP 1
Abootia FTGFOP 1
Happy Valley FTGFOP 1
Puttabong FTGFOP 1
Gielle FTGFOP 1

+ Post Reply