Yesterday I drank the 2013 (I think) Feng Qing black tea balls that came along with the cake of A&P in the white2tea club a few months ago. I really did enjoy this one – likely the best black tea that I’ve gotten as part of the white2tea club. The leaf, dry and after a rinse or two to help open up the ball, smelled mostly of malt with a bit of a woodiness maybe.
The flavor started off mostly malty with a bit of fruity or floral hidden in the finish. Within around four steeps, the finish changed to a chocolatey note. My favorite part of this tea was how beautifully the chocolate and malt notes interlaced with each other. Neither really took the tea by storm, and they were in excellent synergy for five or six steeps. This tea was a very smooth drinker – no off tastes at all – easily chuggable, but also nuanced enough to be interesting if one decides to pay greater attention to it.
I think this is one of the nicer black teas I’ve enjoyed in my time drinking tea. I think I’ll have to pick up a few other examples of black tea with a bit of age on it to see if they compare to this one in smoothness and balance.
Rating: 82/100
