2007 Organic Natural Wuhe Honey Black Tea

Class: Black
Origin: Rueisuei, Hualien, Taiwan
Year: Summer 2007
Vendor: Aura Teas (Product page)
Price: $15.90 (60g) / $3.20 (8g)

This is another free sample I received from Aura Teas, one of four (two of which I have already reviewed, here and here.) I should preface this review by saying that I don't drink much black tea at all, and honestly I'm not a huge fan (yes, I do like darjeeling, but I don't *really* consider it a black tea), so my comments should be taken with a grain of salt.

Now that that's out of the way, on to the review. The dry tea looks similar to yancha, actually: dark, long leaves, and loosely twisted. Has a faint fruity aroma, not unlike a Darjeeling or a bai hao oolong. I brewed this in a 100mL gaiwan, with 3.6g of leaf, boiling water, and 60s, 120s, 150s infusions.

The liquor was a reddish color, with a woodsy smell and a honey flavor. One minute was pretty light, so I stepped up the subsequent infusion times. Has an interesting grainy texture, and a touch of fruit. The wet leaves were outstanding for a black tea— full, whole leaves.

On a more general level, it shares many characteristics with bai hao, another tea I am not in love with. So, to be honest, I didn't really like it. But, if you like black teas and/or bai hao (aka Oriental Beauty) oolong, I'd say there's a good chance you would.