This past week has been a rough one! A coworker gave me a cold that morphed into a difficult-to-be-rid-of case of bronchitis. I'm just now finishing my prescriptions and the cough remains, but I can at least taste things! Which brings me to this post ... the lovely folks at Tea Horse were kind enough to send a few samples of tea my way. Now that my senses are no longer dulled and foggy, I was super excited to brew up some of the Keemun Mao Feng they included in the package.
Now, I have a love/hate relationship with Keemun Mao Feng. For a while it always struck me as Lapsang Souchong's weaker buddy ... only mildly smoky with not much else to write home about. That was before I started brewing Chinese teas in gaiwans with more attentive practices. Today was my first time brewing Keemun Mao Feng with my little red lotus gaiwan, and it turned out wonderfully!!
The tea brews up a lovely amber-orange cup and has a mildly smoky aroma. With the first sip you're hit with the smoky aroma, and then the flavors turns into a tangy malty note ... somewhat like cocoa with a snap of tart cranberry. The aftertaste is smooth and lingers on the palette with a note similar to a whisper of pine.
It is smooth and full bodied, but brewing with a gaiwan lends it a lightness that I've not experienced with other Keemun black teas. It isn't heavy on the stomach or rough to drink en masse. I'm on my third gaiwan-full as I write this and it is still satisfying and refreshing. The leaves are unfurling from their tightly twisted shape beautifully in my gaiwan and are a lovely dark chocolate color.
This might be my new breakfast tea of choice when cooler weather rolls around!
This might be my new breakfast tea of choice when cooler weather rolls around!
They also sent me samples of their Dragonwell and Winter Spice! Can't wait to review them!
that's a shame about you getting sick, hopefully you're feeling better soon!
ReplyDeletelittle henry lee
I hope you start feeling better soon. Bronchitis is no joke, I had it once and it was absolutely awful :(
ReplyDeleteLovely description! P.S. I covet your teaware. P.P.S. Feel better!
ReplyDelete