Tea Review: Red Dawn (Encore Chocolates & Teas)

Red Dawn 

Encore Chocolates & Teas and TeaSource
Type: Black
Origin: China, Fujian Province, Anxi County, Luo Yan Village
Product Description:

This black tea has a full and vibrant mouthfeel with savory, earthy flavors that will stay with you from dawn till dusk.  Red Dawn is made by Mr. Lin Rui Fu in Luo Yan village, Anxi county, Fujian province.

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

The dry leaf aroma has notes of dried fruits, wood, whole grains, and citrus.

The bright orange infusion has an aroma of apricot, dark bread, nuts, and caramel.  The taste is sweet and savory, with a smooth mouthfeel and notes of nuts, stone fruit (I noted apricot), and a hint of caramel.  

The first infusion was almost tart, immediately giving way to sweet and savory notes with no notable astringency. While the first infusion was the most flavorful, the development in flavor and aroma with subsequent infusions was very enjoyable.  

This tea was purchased by me.

Tea Review: Rou Gui (TeaSource)

Rou Gui

TeaSource
Type: Oolong
Origin: China
Product Description:

These amazing, large, hand-made leaves have a slight caramel/toasty aroma and deliver a cup that is very complex and evolves as it steeps.

Temperature: 195° F
Amount: 3 grams
Steeping Time: 3 minutes

The dry leaves have an aroma of seared wood, nuts, nut shells, sweet oats, and a hint of cinnamon.

The copper-orange infusion has a pungent roasty aroma with notes of caramelized fruit, sweet spice (cinnamon and more), and something that reminded me of papaya or guava.  The taste is rich, roasty, and almost savory with notes of chestnuts and something herbaceous and a chestnut and fruit finish.  

This is a delicious oolong, which should come as no surprise since I've never met a Rou Gui I didn't like.  A 3-minute initial steep worked well for the purposes of this western-style tasting session with longer subsequent steepings bringing out more flavor.  Meanwhile, a 30 second initial steeping works very well for gongfucha preparation, followed by increased time with each new steep.  On a more personal tasting note, something in the flavor reminded me of the baked persimmons that were served as dessert at a restaurant in Kyoto, a happy memory.  

This tea was purchased by me.

Tea Review: Green Mango (TeaSource)

Green Mango

TeaSource
Type: Flavored Green
Origin: Not Provided
Product Description: 

Sweet, smooth, and summery. Wonderful as a hot tea and incredible iced.  

Temperature: 175° F
Amount: 3 grams
Steeping Time: 3 minutes

The dry leaves are a blend of green tea, calendula, and natural flavor.

The golden green infusion is sweet and lightly tart in flavor and aroma with distinct mango notes throughout.

This blend is refreshing, delivering on the promise of its name, and mellowing slightly by the third infusion.  I also prepared this blend as a cold brew, steeping it overnight in the refrigerator, with great results.  

This tea was provided as a free sample without guarantee of a review.

Tea Review: Golden Dragon (TeaSource)

Golden Dragon
TeaSource
Type: Black

Origin: China, Guangxi Province

Product Description: 

These long, golden, downy tips produce a cup that is tremendously aromatic, very rich, complex, and thick with notes of spicy licorice and dark fruit.  

This black tea was produced in the mountains of Guangxi Province at an elevation of 3000-4000' in May, 2018 from the baihao cultivar. 

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

The dry leaves have an aroma of oats, berries, and dates.

The copper orange liquor has an aroma of fruit, berries, and dark fruit cake.  The taste has fruit, nut, and bread-like notes with low astringency.

Something I always look forward to with a tippy black tea is the fruity and berry like notes and this absolutely delivers.  The aroma reminded me of fruit cake in the best way and left me with a craving for the wintertime Scandinavian baked treats.  While brewing for 3 minutes produced excellent results, this tea could easily be brewed longer.  This was full-flavored after three steepings and still going strong while developing only mild astringency.

At the time of this review, Golden Dragon is no longer available.  Be sure to check with TeaSource for new harvests!

This tea was purchased by me.

Tea Review: Ceylon Burning Sun (TeaSource)

Ceylon Burning Sun

TeaSource
Type: Black
Origin: Sri Lanka, Lumbini Tea Garden
Product Description: 

Awarded 1st place in the North American Tea Championship in the "Breakfast Blend" category!

This tea is a perfect blend of strength and complexity - which is pretty rare. The Lumbini Estate has blended many broken, golden tips into this tea, giving it a thick/weighty mouth feel. It has dark, fruit notes, clarity, brightness as you sip, and a lingering finish with just a hint of briskness. 

The Lumbini Tea Garden is a family-owned tea garden in the Southern Ruhuna District of Ceylon. They make prize-winning teas recognized around the world. TeaSource has been buying directly from Lumbini for more than 12 years. 

Temperature: 208° F
Amount: 3 grams
Steeping Time: 2-3 minutes

The dry leaves have an aroma of oats and dark brown bread.

The dark red liquor has an aroma and taste of baked fruit with moderate astringency and a dry fruity finish. 

The second infusion was particularly bold mellowing slightly with the fruit notes moving forward again by the third infusion.  As a good breakfast blend should, this holds up nicely with milk, though the first infusion is also enjoyable without.

This tea was provided as a free sample without guarantee of a review.

Tea Review: Earl Grey White Tip (TeaSource)

Earl Grey White Tip

TeaSource
Type: Flavored Black, Flavored White
Origin: Not Provided
Product Description: 

The best Earl Grey we’ve ever tasted. Extremely aromatic and flavorful, this black tea is more powerful than most Earl Greys with a hint of floral citrus in both the aroma and cup.

 

In recent years, Jean Luc Picard made Earl Grey tea famous in Star Trek: The Next Generation, but the various origin legends of Earl Grey date back to the 1830's. Supposedly, this tea was a gift to a British lord from Chinese mandarins—except that bergamot didn't exist in China at the time. Bergamot is a citrus fruit native to Mediterranean countries, with a wonderful aroma but bitter taste.

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

The dry leaves are a blend of black tea, white tea, and natural flavors.

The copper red infusion has a heady aroma and bold taste of citrus and lavender with a long finish.  

This blend really comes through on its promise in flavor and aroma, producing three full-bodied infusions without needing to make any adjustments to the steeping time.  This is definitely one to look for if you favor Earl Grey.

This tea was provided as a free sample without guarantee of a review.