Tea Review: Honey Frangrance Black (Bardo Tea)

Honey Fragrance Black
Bardo Tea
Type: Black
Origin: Taiwan, New Taipei, Sanxia District
Product Description:

When stacking up Taiwanese black tea against its Chinese competition, people often think of the Ruby 18 variety as the point of comparison.  This was a cultivar (short for cultivated variety) which was introduced to Taiwanese tea farmers in 1999 by the TTES (Taiwanese Tea Research and Extension Station).  While it has been much celebrated, teas made with this cultivar often feel like they are missing what makes Chinese black tea so special, mainly all that junk in the trunk. Ruby 18 is all treble and no bass.  

That's why we were so excited to come across this lovely Taiwanese black tea crafted using a cultivar traditionally for making oolong, whose leaves also had the fortune of being bitten by the tea jassid.  

The result is an immensely complex cup of tea, with plenty of bass and honey.  Notes of sweet potato peel, butterscotch and cocoa powder.  One teapot in and we were ready to sing the praises of Taiwanese black tea all over again.

Temperature: 208° F
Amount: 3 grams
Steeping Time: 3 minutes

The dry leaves have a sweet floral and honey-like aroma.

The dark red liquor has a sweet aroma with lightly nutty and floral notes.  The taste is sweet, nutty, and floral with a refreshing light and almost fruity finish. 

This oolong was flavorful and nuanced throughout multiple infusions with a heady aroma I could almost sink into.  It's versatile and brews well with western and gongfu preparation methods.

This tea was purchased on my behalf at the 2023 Northwest Tea Festival.