Red Blossom Tea Company Loose Leaf Black Tea 'Gold Thread'

Tea Information:
Tea: Gold Thread
Type: Black Tea
Packaging: Loose Leaf
Company: Red Blossom Tea Company
Purchase: Here
Description: Relative to other Chinese black teas, Gold Thread is a newcomer. It was developed in the late 1930s in response to increasing worldwide demand for black teas.

And whereas most Chinese black teas are based on established cultivars, Gold Thread is crafted from the Da Ye leaf buds, an ancient tea cultivar indigenous to the southwestern Chinese province of Yunnan and one traditionally only used to produce Pu-erh teas.

In Chinese, we call Gold Thread “Jing Ya Dian Hong”. “Jing Ya” means “golden leaf bud”, referring to the hand gathered, inch long unopened buds used in its craftsmanship, and “Dian Hong” refers to tea’s provenance and full oxidation: Dian is the historic name for Yunnan, and red is what the Chinese call black teas.

Harvested Spring 2010 from Feng Qing area in western Yunnan, our Gold Thread is the highest grade amongst Dian Hong teas from Yunnan. Each leaf bud is carefully hand picked, sun withered, rolled to bruise the leaf, and then allowed to slowly oxidize before roasting.

The result is breathtakingly aromatic and complex tea. The golden red infusion yields a malty sweetness with notes of orange, candied yams, maple syrup and brown sugar.

Steep Information:
Prepared at Wicked Grounds. I ordered this with a serving of porn cake. This was our desert stop after dinner. The staff was pleasant and helpful, the store was comfortable. There was a very large selection of tea. You are served a pot of tea with a cup, it's a few cups worth in the pot. You can pull the leaves from the pot or let them steep. I very much enjoyed the store and hope that I can go back. The atmosphere is very laid back, the furniture is random, assorted but comfortable. This is not a prim and proper place but more a nice local hodge podge where the time and effort go into the coffee, tea and baked goods rather than fancy furniture. There was a stack of games you could play available.

Please note the cafe is 18+ only as it is a kinky cafe.

Tasting Notes:
Steeped Tea Smell: Honey, hints of black
Flavor:
AmazonV: Sweet, light black tea, slightly floral
MilitiaJim: vegetal for a black
Body: Medium
Aftertaste: Sweet, wood
Liquor: Translucent dark orange

Rating: 3/4 leaves

Leaf system:
1=Bleh! not again if it were free
2=Acceptable, if it were free or there were limited other tea options
3=I might purchase this tea from time to time, or select it while out
4=A staple in our cupboard from now on, I will purchase and keep purchasing