Honey Fairyland TeašÆ
Ok, itās true. The name evokes a certain delightful image. I havenāt tried yellow tea [1] before and I saw this at my local tea house (Tea Trader) and decided to purchase some.
This is their description of this Chinese Honeyfairyland Yellow 1st Grade:
āWith captivating floral top notes mingled with a smooth honeyed body, the surprising fruity notes are reminiscent of ripe melon and end with a subtle creamy, buttery finish.
The name āyellowā tea refers to the unique smothering processing the leaves undergo and the lovely, bright golden infusion they produce.ā
My Notes:
Brewed at 90 degrees C
Dry leaves - scent of hay, long rolled leaves, firm
Liquor - smells very sweet - like ripe fruit, colour of copper
Flavour - 1st infusion (3 mins): slightly sweet, mineral with a hint of astringency; 2nd infusion (45 seconds) - milder, smoother, less astringency, mildly sweet aftertaste that lingered for some time
Wet Leaves - very copper-coloured, single leaf
Overall thoughts: Being my first yellow tea I donāt have anything to compare it to. I will try it again some other day and brew it for less time - perhaps I over-steeped it this time. I didnāt really enjoy it. I will wait to try brewing this yellow tea again, or perhaps do a comparative taste test with another yellow tea - but Iām not sure I would reach for this otherwise. Iām still learning - and everyone has their different preferences. So, for those who love yellow teas, or this tea, thatās ok. I just wanted to share my experience. I do love the colour of the brewed leaves though!
To be honest, I went and brewed some Taiwan Wild Black Shan Cha [3] (also from Tea Trader) which is my currently preferred tea, to cleanse my palate. I encourage everyone to try different teas, to find their own āhappiness in a cupā.
Have a wonderful tea day!š«
[1] Mr. Maxey (2019) Whatās in a Colour - Yellow Tea. Posted online March 20, 2019.
[2] https://mrmaxeystea.com/product/honeyfairyland-yellow/
[3] https://mrmaxeystea.com/product/taiwan-wild-black-shan-cha/
