Tea Adventure: Royal Yunnan from Tea Licious

Here is the latest “Tea Gang” adventure with:


Royal Yunnan from Tea Licious[More company info]This is a Straight Tea [About straight teas vs flavored teas.]

This time it’s a classic tea from the Yunnan Province of China. A black tea, something that is relatively new from that region. This little teapot insisted on doing the steeping honors, since I am the founder and head of this gang of teapots, cups, etc. (all dedicated to tea adventures).

This traditional black tea is picked in early Spring when tea plants are budding with the new year's growth. These buds when oxidized turn gold instead of black, and the tea has a rich flavor that is good both black or with a little milk (and some sweetener if you wish. This one from Tea Licious lives up to that reputation. The dry leaves emitted an aroma that reminded my humans of the rich fruitiness of dates and yet had a floral quality.

I steeped twice in boiling water for 4 minutes. The first one had a slightly astringent yet smoky/caramelly flavor that tickled my spout and made my humans “Ooh!” and “Aah!” A bit of milk and sweetener took away that hint of astringency and smoothed the flavor but did not smother it. My humans thought the flavor had a bit of Earl Greyness to it in a floral way. The second steeping was lighter but still flavorful. A third steeping is a definite possibility, making this tea a real bargain!

When posing for the photo above, I didn’t realize that Little Red Teapot was lurking behind my cozy. He had wanted to steep this tea and was probably waiting his chance to usurp me in the role of steeper. I’m going to have to give him a good talking to.

Meanwhile, try some of this wonderful tea. I’m thinking the folks in the Salt Lake City, Utah, area lost something special when the Tea Licious store closed, but you humans everywhere can still enjoy these teas by ordering from her online.

Disclaimer: This tea was provided by the company named. However, any opinions concerning this tea and the company are always strictly objective.

© 2012 A.C. Cargill photos and text – All rights reserved. No copying, posting on other sites, or other uses allowed without written permission of the copyright holder.