Reviewer: Difflugia
✓ 170 teas reviewed
✓ 57 of Black Tea
✓ 89 of Pure Tea (Camellia sinensis)
✓ 5 of Wei-Chuan
✓ 28 from China
Review of Organic Black Tea
March 28th, 2017
| Aroma | Flavor | Value | Total |
| 10 of 10 | 4 of 5 | 5 of 5 | 85 of 100 |
| Outstanding | Good | Outstanding |
This tea is in large sachets that contain 3g of tea each instead of the usual 2g. The package gives no indication where the tea is sourced other than that it's a product of China. The package is a resealable, heavy mylar pouch, but the sachets inside have no individual wrapping. The dry leaves are surprisingly large for a sachet and the aroma is earthy and slightly smoky, like many Chinese black teas. Once adding water, though, the aroma is unlike any other black tea I've had. It smells slightly oaky, but the main scent is a creamy sweetness with highlights of maybe caramel or butterscotch.
The flavor is slightly weaker than I was expecting (particularly with the extra-large sachets), but delicious with the butterscotch notes carrying through to the flavor. The tea is barely astringent and completely lacking bitterness, giving the tea a mellow smoothness. I'm impressed with the tea's unique flavor, but it still tastes a little thin. Next time, I'll try brewing the leaves a little longer than four minutes.
As the tea cools, the sweet flavor becomes much more complex, with a bit of traditional maltiness coming through. There's also a hint of sourness that matches well with the malt. The finish is too short and is almost fleeting, but the flavor is still really nice.
I wish Wei-Chuan offered more information about where this tea comes from. The flavor is unique to me, not reminding me of any other Chinese teas that I've had. I would like to know if there are perhaps higher quality teas with a similar flavor profile.
At $6.99 for 40 sachets, the price is competitive with premium grocery store brands. Unfortunately, I couldn't find this tea available online (I got it at an Asian grocery store), but it's worth buying if you can find it.
UPDATE:
Since I wrote the initial review, I've tried longer steeping times. I've steeped it as long as ten minutes without the tea developing any bitterness or too much astringency. The flavor just intensifies and so far, the stronger I make this tea, the more I like it. It's become one of my favorite black teas.
