Saturday, August 11, 2012

Vicony Teas Company, Bohea Tea Da Chi Gan

Da Chi Gan means "Big Red Sweetess" in Chinese. The Bohea Da Chi Gan is made of tender tealeaves, harvested from the Guadun, Tongmu Guan, the core producing area of Bohea Lapsang. Somewhat different to the orthodox Lapsang Souchong, the Bohea Da Chi Gan wasn't dried using smoldering pine fire so it is sweet and full-bodied with charming aroma but not so smoky. Once you try it, you will get to know why so many famous people in history fell in love with Bohea teas.

This tea is of Wuyi Fujian origin and is listed on Vicony’s website as Art.No: BOH05 My sample was provided by Vicony Teas Company for review.

The leaf as you can tell from the picture is of nice length. It is dark, and twisted. It has the very familiar look of many of the good Chinese black teas I have tried lately. When I sniff the dry leaf it has a hint of chocolate.

After my review I found the brewing instructions online. The company recommends 2 grams of leaf (1 tsp), boiling water, and only a 15 second steep. Up to 10 steeps are possible.

Since I didn’t look up the instructions beforehand I winged it. I used 1 scoop of leaf, 12oz of water brought to a light boil, with a 3m steep in my press.

The wet leaf expanded nicely with the scent of chocolate and malt. The brew is deep golden in the press but looks caramel in my white mug.

The sip is chocolate, malt, and wheat. As the cup cools I detect the lightest hint of smokiness in the cup. My 3 minute steep did not hurt this cup at all. There is no bitterness. No bite. No heavy tannin. It is just good.

This more than reminds me of Teavivre’s Bailin Gongfu black tea. In fact I wish I had some of my Bailin sample left for a side by side comparison. They literally taste the same to me but originate from different locations. That they taste so much alike is a good thing as Bailin Gongfu is one of the highest rated teas on Steepster. This is really an exceptional black tea.

I steeped three cups with the leaf and each was as tasty as the first. I am pretty sure it would have gone a fourth cup. Maybe I could get even more cups following the directions but I am more than happy with the results.

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