Teavivre, Nonpareil Yunnan Dian Hong Ancient Wild Tree Black Tea

Teavivre Description:
Bing made of the leaves from wild Yunnan Large Leaf tea trees, this Nonpareil Yunnan Dianhong Ancient Wild Tree Black Tea carries a full, wild taste with strong fruity fragrance. Have a cup of this wild black tea, and enjoy the mellow liquid.

Sample provided by Teavivre

My Review:
I'm starting off February with a black tea from the Yunnan Provence in China. I love Dian Hong. This one is labeled Nonpareil, meaning without equal. So without further ado, let's open the package.

Oops. I'm already off on a rabbit trail. Sorry. When Teavivre first hit the scene their samples came in big packets with everything listed about the tea, from picking date and location to a best by date. Some people commented this seemed wasteful so Teavivre shrank the package and the label. Now, I find the label nearly impossible to read. Even under bright lights with my bifocals I have trouble. Their full size orders are far more accessible.

Opening the tiny packet I get a pleasing mixture of malt and honey drizzled fruit. Yeah, I know, yum right? The leaf is dark twists with some lighter streaks of tan.

I used my press with water heated to 194 F. The steep was 3 1/2 minutes. The recommended is 3-5.

The liquor is a light orange caramel. The cup aroma is malty to me today. I have prepared this once before. The first time I noted the cup scent as similar to the dry aroma but more baked.

The wet leaf has expanded into a large pile of leathery leaves. They are cinnamon brown over an olive green with touches of red and brown.

The sip is really smooth. There is no hint of bitterness. Now again this cup is different from the first time I had it. The previous session I went the full five minutes on the steep. This time was 3 1/2.

The long steep resulted in what I noted as a spiciness, kind of peppery without the burn. I interpreted the fruit flavor as grape. Maybe it was really plum and I don’t know any better. This was slightly yam flavored but the fruit taste is stronger. There is even the faintest touches of earth and leather. For as light as this seemed on the first sip, there is so much depth here, when you slow down and taste.

Now the shorter steep of today resulted in a pleasingly malty cup with unmistakable notes of peach. Their is no spicy bite. It is slightly yam in flavor. There is a slight dryness. The aftertaste is hard to describe but kind of green and vegetal.

Both sessions resulted in a really good cup of tea. It is hard to decide which is better. The longer steep may win out simply because there seemed to be slightly more depth. Honestly, is was great either way.

The first session I resteeped the leaves for a second cup. Here is the note I scribbled down;  I got to say the cup aroma was so fine. As the cup was sitting to cool I was smelling grape. It sort of drifted between grape, wine, and Darjeeling aromas. I know the taste was light but honestly I got distracted fixing stuff on the computer and ended up drinking this pretty quick and not paying attention. I know I liked it or it wouldn’t have disappeared so fast.

I did not make a second cup with today's leaf.

Not going to lie, this is a little on the pricey side at $18.90/50g but it is an amazingly complex Yunnan Dian Hong.

You can find Teavivre, Nonpareil Yunnan Dian Hong Ancient Wild Tree Black Tea here.