I rarely got a chance to drink tea with its master. Madam Qin offered me this Wuyi black tea, and afterwards, I found out that it was her who made it.
I brought our own Turkish black tea for Madam Qin to try. She tried it and said it was very similar to Wuyi black tea but forgot to add ‘that I made’. Actually, she was right. These two teas were similar in appearance and taste. Madam Qin’s tea was smoother and more floral while our black tea is fruitier and nuttier. But obviously, I’m happy that our tea was compared to this fantastic Chinese black tea.
Madam Qin travelled to Fujian in October last year and made this tea. It was a rainy day the oxidation took place indoors for a few hours. Madam Qin kept checking the leaves regularly until she was convinced that they were oxidized. Later, she dried them and made this tea. Our black tea is from September, so they are both Autumn teas with a similar picking standard.
I tried other black teas from Fujian. For instance, this one. Compared to Madam Qin’s tea, it was dull and simple. So, this tea taught me three things:
1- Not every tea with a big name is excellent.
2- Knowing the master of the tea you drink makes it unique.
3- Our Turkish black tea rockS!
Tea Profile:
Type: Dark
Origin: Anhua, Hunan
Harvest time: 2004
Leaf colour: Tones of dark brown
Liquor colour: Amber/orange
Tea Aroma: Fruity
Tea taste: Smooth, slightly sweet with fruity notes (dried dates)
Steeping/brewing:
1. Place 5 g of this tea in a porcelain gaiwan or teapot and add about 100 ml water at around 100°C.
2. Rinse after 20 sec.
3. Steep for 10 seconds for the second time and increase the consecutive steeping time by 10. You can re-steep this tea multiple times.