1980's Premium Traditional Iron Buddha

Gongfu!

Had some awesome tea with my good friend Teajay last night over Google hangouts, and I used it as an excuse to break out into this tea sample – which I’ve been saving for a “rainy day” so to speak. The sample was actually originally a gift from my mom several years ago but I knew it was a really nice/expensive sample so I always wanted the “right” occasion to brew it…

This was an absolutely beautiful tea, with so much nuance and depth starting all the way from the dry leaf aroma, which smelled flagrantly of golden raisins and brown sugar. It steeps up so sweet right off the bat, with a wide array of notes such as stewed fruits and plums, raisin/prune, brown sugar, molasses, buckwheat, brandy, and quince all with the backbone of that lovely charcoal roast. So complex, and delicious – handedly the nicest tea that I’ve had all week & just when I thought the session was done the leaves would keep giving!

Thirteen glorious steeps.

Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/CAh5lclgJ_z/

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xZIpoOh-6E

This tea has hands down been the best tea I’ve ever had. The flavors are deep and lasting, and I will do my best to detail them here.

An approx. 75mL yixing pot was filled about halfway with leaf. Tea was brewed with 100C water, and rinsed once pouring off immediately.

The dry leaf has a dark appearance, and is hand-rolled into beautiful “dragonfly heads.” The aroma of the leaves is lightly smoky, but smells predominantly of plums and dark fruits. From the first infusion, the liquor is a dark reddish brown, and has a wonderful aroma similar to the dry leaves. The taste is strong, smooth, plummy, and the flavor just coats the mouth. There’s a slight sweetness that give the tea a great weight and texture in the mouth. After drinking, the dry cup has an unbelievable aroma. As I go through more infusions, the flavor continues to feature plum and dark fruit, but an amazing chocolate note emerges and balances well with the plum. This tea gives wonderful flavor through 8+ infusions, and even as the flavors lighten, they develop and continue to be a delight to taste.

If you ever have a chance to try this tea, please do. It’s exquisite!