Written by the guest tea enthusiast and instagrammer: fluffies.and.tea
Fluffies.and.tea is a tea and cat lover based in Prague. Its motto is that “A teapot can represent at the same time the comforts of solitude and the pleasures of company.”
I started to drink more red teas only recently, about 3 or 4 years ago. Before that, I was focused more on white teas, oolongs and of course pu-erhs (even though my whole tea adventure, my Dao Cha started with Japanese green teas, and they still have a very special place in my heart). Last fall and winter were practically mainly about pu-erhs and red teas. Both can nicely warm up the whole body and make you feel cosy.
One of my recent discoveries was Da Jin Ya (金芽Golden Buds) from Yunnan, made from Camellia taliensis (large leaf tea, wild tea), harvested in fall 2018. Camellia taliensis grows primarily in Yunnan (but also in northern Thailand and Myanmar), and is mainly used for pu-erh production.
This tea is rare and extraordinary, made exclusively from hand-plucked buds. It has a woody scent with fruity notes. The liquor has this amazing amber colour, it's thick and malty. It has notes of dry apricots, muscovado sugar and some spicy touch. It's a very enjoyable tea with a long-lasting aftertaste.
I never use boiling water for any of the teas I drink and for this I used 85°C, and I usually steep it for a short time as well. And since this tea is entirely made of buds, I'd suggest not to use water hotter than 85°C (even though it's a black tea).
Tea Profile:
Type: Black tea
Origin: Yunnan
Harvest time: Fall 2018
Leave colour: Golden
Liquor colour: Deep amber
Tea aroma: Woody and fruity
Tea taste: Deep and complex with fruity and sweet notes, with a long-lasting sweet aftertaste
Steeping/brewing: For gongfu style I used 85°C hot water and short steeps (starting from 10 second and adding additional time from the 3rdbrewing), for Western-style I would not suggest it, as it might just come out bitter.
Shelf life: The fresher the better (but allow red teas to rest after harvesting at least 6 months)