Wishlist Wednesday - Beautiful Black

Craving some new black teas... here's some that are on my list at the moment!

Keemun Mao Feng from Larsen and Thompson. As you may recall I really enjoyed the Keemun that I got from SanTion and I'm keen to try some other Keemuns as well. I like the Larsen and Thompson brand, I've had some really lovely single-estate Darjeeling and Assam from them in the past.

Likewise I would like to try another Golden Yunnan... This one from Rishi Tea sounds delicious, and Rishi Tea is renowned for their high quality, so I'm sure it would taste as wonderful as it sounds!

 

Earl Grey Grand Classic from Lupicia... This has been recommended to me by a couple of friends, and I had a sniff of it last time I was in at Lupicia's shop at the QV. It smells amazing, both like and unlike 'traditional' Earl Grey. Can't wait to get my hands on some!

 

And, just because I've never tried it, I'd like to sample some Irish Breakfast, perhaps Taylor's of Harrogate's. Sometimes what you really need is a terrifically bracing cup with milk... I'm sure this would hit the spot!

Which black teas are you craving right now? Would love to hear your picks!

Keemun

Whoa. This morning I have had my first pot of Keemun, a Chinese black tea that I've been wanting to try for a while. This one came from SanTion House of Tea - one of a number of samples that I purchased from them recently - and I just had to blog about it straight away, no photos, no nothing (though you can see a photo of it on the company's website here). This is listed as an 'A-grade' tea, unfortunately there was no B-grade for me to compare it with, but that's ok.

As soon as I opened the little packet I was struck by the strong bitter-chocolate scent from the dry leaves, with a touch of something sweeter as well, like a dark honey. I brewed about 2.5 grams (half the sample) for 3.5 minutes in about 300ml of water (might go a little longer and with a little less water next time) to produce a stunning copper-coloured infusion with a fragrance of cocoa - like cocoa being made with milk on the stove, not chocolate per se - and the smoothest mouth-feel I've ever had from a black tea. Like, no astringency at all. It was like drinking velvet. A nibble of plain buttered light rye toast went well alongside.

I have made a second infusion of the leaves and it produced a reasonable cup, though not quite as good as the first. I am torn between saving the rest of the little sample for another day, or totally caffeinating myself by using it up now (I've also had a small pot of iced sencha this morning)... oh the temptation. This kind of experience is dangerous, I find... Like right now I really should be doing laundry... but instead all I want to do is sit around sipping tea all day and compose - well, not necessarily poetry - but something, blog posts, probably - the modern equivalent of the ancient Chinese tea sages, about whom I've been reading a lot lately...

Maybe I'll just go and sniff at the leaves for a bit and contemplate restraint. Heh.