Hao Ya A
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Commercial Description
The city of Keemun was a highlight of Mike's trip to China a few years ago. He was there for the start of the Hao Ya A season. This is the most intense Keemun loaded with light chocolate and toasty flavors.
Ratings & Reviews
Page 1 of 1 page with 2 reviews
98 Aroma: 9/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 5/5Alex Zorach (1453 reviews) on Apr. 22nd, 2016
I have had a lot of Keemun, but never before sampled Hao Ya A. The overall experience of drinking this tea was somewhat different from what I expected. It's similar, but recognizably different from the Hao Ya B, and I'm not convinced that I like it better. I like both, and this one is not that much more expensive (still reasonable for such a top-quality tea) that I wouldn't necessarily think of this one as a luxury splurge, so much as another option.
Dry leaf not as aromatic as hao ya B. Smell is subtle, strongly suggests sweetness. It is vaguely nutty and chocolatey, with a hint of malt. It reminds me a little of hazelnut creme, marzipan, or nutella.
When pouring water over the leaves, it also isn't that aromatic. Only when I remove the infuser (I used a basket infuser as I usually do) from the cup, and thus stirred the cup, did the aroma start to come out...and then it started smelling more like a keemun, faintly smoky, deeply fruity.
Sipping though, I'm immediately struck by the strength and thickness of the cup. It's quite tannic, with a powerful astringency that starts right as the tea meets my tongue, and continues steadily through the sip till the end. This makes me want to sip it slowly, and as I do, the aroma develops. The aroma is much more malty as I drink it, than it was when just smelling the dry leaf or brewed cup. Definitely the maltiest keemun I've had, it reminds me of Yunnan teas and even a bit of Assam. The flavor is very rich too, not very bitter. The finish leaves a beautiful honey-like sweetness, complete with floral notes. It leaves a sensation in my mouth almost like I just licked a spoonful of honey. There are also vegetal notes in the finish.
This tea also tastes good as it cools, which is good because I found its potency kept me from drinking it quickly enough to finish it while still hot.
Resteeps very well, perhaps slightly better than the Hao Ya A.
I recommend both this and the Hao Ya B from Harney, they're both exceptional and I think very fairly priced.
90 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 4/5Ryan Burress (1 reviews) on Oct. 12th, 2011
This tea has a nice, dark color and a crisp, smoky aroma. The flavor is not bitter, not too dry and not very smoky at all, as I thought it would be from the aroma and my experience with other Keemun teas. It is even less smoky than its nearly as delicious sibling, Hao Ya “B”. It has a very clean, crisp, fresh taste, very complex and sophisticated. This tea has a depth of character unlike any other tea I have tasted. This really is an excellent tea. It does not need cream or sugar to be fully appreciated, but I found that if you do use cream and sugar, both work better with this tea than either alone, but be cautious; you only need a very small amount of both to augment rather than overwhelm this tea’s natural flavor, which just keeps getting better and better with every sip. Even the aftertaste is itself a unique and flavorful experience. I must admit, this tea has greatly improved my heretofore under-informed opinion of Keemun teas and may indeed have supplanted others as my tea of choice. I am delightfully surprised by how delicious this tea is and I’m already looking forward to my next cup and to sharing this tea with others!
Page 1 of 1 page with 2 reviews
More Black Tea from China from Harney and Sons
Keemun Mao Feng
| Style: | Keemun Mao Feng |
| Region: | Qimen, Anhui, China |
| Caffeine: | Caffeinated |
| Leaf: | Loose |
1 Rating
