With
today's new found prosperity, China's tea lovers has also discovered a
new tea fad -- Black Tea! However, today's black tea produced from China
is a far cry from the black tea commonly enjoyed by the west for over a
century. Today's Chinese black tea lovers look for a beautifully shaped
leaf, western black tea drinkers often look for a good color cup as
more important than leaf shape. Western black tea drinkers often enjoy
it with milk and sugar or paired with pastries while the new Chinese
black tea admirers wants the tea to stand on its own without interfering
the experience with other flavors.
The
new black tea is expected to produce multiple infusions as oppose to
the standard English practice of boiling water for 5 minutes once. Two
very different approaches that makes sense due to the intended usage of
two very different cultures. When I finally decided to adjust my
long-held stubborn western attitude and starting cupping this
outstanding black tea from Ying De of China's Guangdong province the way
the Chinese are doing it now, I was pleasantly surprised by the orange
golden color cup and the light fruity and floral notes. I was able to
get multiple infusion using water that is just below boiling water for
quick 30 second steepings.
When
I was a young tea merchant, with the prominence of the likes of Yunnan
and Keemun black teas, the famous Ying De Hong Cha has been all but
forgotten until recent years. This outstanding example of Ying De's
finest is beautiful to look at with immense amounts of golden tips and
nicely shaped curls, when infused correctly it is a most pleasing
experience that only blacks teas of this kind can produce.
PREPARATION:
Suggested
brewing at just below boiling water (or lower) for short steeping,
absolutely fabulous all on its own but we encourage you to find your own
"fit".