Several posts ago I shared information about Fuliang Black Tea.

The dry leaves…

Were beautiful to look at (only a fellow tea devotee would understand that statement)! They were slender, tightly twisted and a deep, dark chocolate brown.  The leaves were also fairly even – roughly the same size.

Brewing…

This was a straightforward brewing process. The water temperature was 190 degrees and with 2- 3 grams of tea with 6 ounces of water – I let it steep for three minutes. PERFECT!

In my cup…

The brewed liquor was a deep, rich claret color and quite clear. The soft aromatic qualities of the wet leaves was bright and intoxicating, with hints of raisin and dried fruit – apples perhaps. As a die- hard lover of black teas, especially Chinese black teas, I REALLY enjoyed this tea. The cup was jam packed, rich, full bodied, and quite raisin-y (is that a word? if so how should it be spelled?) with sweet flavors suggestive of the raisins.  It was bright, clean, and refreshed the palate with a focused pure, flavor.

Describing tea is — to me, at least — is the toughest part of writing about them. The flavor of the tea is an interaction between the liquid and the taster, and all sorts of other factors influence that interaction. What makes me think of raisins, you may say prunes or dark cherries. It’s tough – and of course everyone’s plate is different, but for me all I can say is Fuliang Black was elegant, slightly sweet and had a smooth finish that lingered. By the way…that lingering quality is what the Chinese refer to as a “returning flavor”. It was a sturdy black tea – one that had incredible structure.  I loved it! This a resounding 5+++++++!

Rating Scale

All teas will be rated on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 for dislike and 5 as love:

1. Dislike (I didn’t like the tea and would not repurchase)
2. Passable (I didn’t dislike the tea, but I didn’t think it was very good)
3. Average (I didn’t find it good or bad and would drink it again)
4. Good (I liked it but it and may repurchase)
5. Love (I enjoyed it lot and would repurchase)

Next… Gaiwain