I don’t know why, but the last few weeks I didn’t really feel like writing down all my experiences with the teas I drank. I have been drinking around 2 teas each day, but didn’t really want to do anything else besides enjoying the leaves. However, I also want to keep publishing on the website so I decided to taste a sample I’ve had for quite a while. Terre de Ciel sent me a couple of samples a while ago and the final one is a black/red tea: ‘La Petite Favorite’.
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La Petite Favorite
The leaves I’m brewing today are from the 2019 Spring harvest from old trees in the Jingmai area. The description on the website says that the leaves are lightly fermented in the British ‘orthodox’ manner. This results in having health benefits of both green and black tea. I don’t really pay attention to claims like this one, but it’s nice to know. A thing that is important is that this tea was grown without the use of chemicals.
Really long twisted leaves with a dark brown colour. I also see some golden tints. There is a light maltiness in the aroma and also a deep and warming sweetness. It’s a bit fruity, but not as fresh.
The main elements that are noticeable in the aroma of the wet leaves are floral notes and some sweet lychee. So, it has changed a lot from the dry leaves. After infusing, I see really big brown leaves.
Tea Tasting
- Water 99°C
- 5g for a 170ml zisha teapot
- 1 rinse
- 6 infusions
Infusion 1 (15 sec): the initial taste is a rather intense maltiness with some light hints of something sweet. Worth noting is that the liquor looks clear and oily.
Infusion 2 (15 sec): maltiness is still there, but it’s different. The sweetness has moved to the front and it’s warmer as well. It’s difficult to pin down because it’s not something I recognise. The most important thing is that it’s good. The aftertaste has a bit of that maltiness as well.
Infusion 3 (20 sec): the maltiness is stronger again, but I’m also picking up some light berries. It’s the red kind of berries that have a bite to them. The aftertaste is malty with a bite.
Infusion 4 (20 sec): more of the maltiness on the forefront, but it’s not as sharp anymore. There is also a light fruitiness coming through. It’s similar to red berries, but not entirely the same. This is also noticeable during the aftertaste.
Infusion 5 (25 sec): I’m only getting a maltiness as nothing else is going on. It’s good, but it’s nothing special.
Infusion 6 (30 sec): maltiness is still there, but there are some fruity notes present as well. However, these are barely noticeable.
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Conclusion
Everything can be said in one sentence: this is a good tea. It’s good, but definitely nothing special. It was a bit sweet in the beginning, but the main flavour profile was malty. Nothing much was going on during the session, except for malty notes and occasionally some sweet and fruity hints. For me, this is a good in-between tea, but not something I would drink if I want to celebrate something special.
If you want to try this tea, you can buy it over here.
