What is your favorite black tea and why??

Being a tea merchant, I have the great fortune of having a multitude of teas to choose from. I have to say that I drink Darjeelings more that anything else — and “first flush” Darjeelings are my favorites. I still have some 2009 first flush “Castleton Moonlight” and 2010 Singbulli FF stashed away, and they are what I drink when I deserve a special treat.

Rose black tea is my favorite black tea..
Black tea is popular tea and healthy delicious drink. I like to drink for its health benefits. It can help lower the risk of stroke because of high levels of flavonoids.

While I enjoy the malty Yunnan teas I have gotten from Yunnan Sourcing and Teavivre they are often too malty for my tastes. I’ve gotten a couple of good ones from Simpson and Vail. A tea they sell from Nepal is one of my favorites. I will need to restock sometime soon as I think I finished it off.

Is Oriental Beauty considered a black tea? In which case it would be that.

Buffff, I don’t know… Maybe massala chai or dian hong, it’s difficult to chose only one.

My favorite black teas are the “original” Earl Grey and Lychee Black. For Earl Grey, I love it since I start traveling to the US and UK. Lychee Black was my first love – since I was small. I was attracted by its deep lychee flavor and I like to have it in the morning!
Jinjunmei is my new flavor though!

Whispering Pines has some amazing black teas. I think Golden Orchid being one of my favourites. I really enjoy Lapsang Souchong as well but haven’t found a really amazing one with this year’s harvests.

First flush Darjeelings. The estate changes from year to year. 2011, Castleton and Margaret’s Hope. 2012 Namring DJ1. 2013 None. 2014 Arya. 2015? Still undecided. Why do I like the tea. The complexity in taste of a really good FF Darjeeling. Some may say the taste is too light but I beg to differ. So for those that think the taste is too light, I’d invite you to me home and have you taste a good mug of Darjeeling with full body and complexity in taste. Just not as brisk and bold as a SF Darjeeling. For a cryptic description on taste, I could quote from Mariage. “Liquor : Pearlescent amber, the cup offers a downy texture and the flowery-sweet signature of butterfly pea. The palate is filled with a supple aromatic fruitiness recalling white mango, gracefully held together by the elegant magic of rare and ephemeral moon flower.” What???

For FF Darjeeling though, it can be from the same year, same flush, same estate, same grade, but completely different in taste depending on the retailer. It can also differ depending on the picking. For 2012 the FF Namring DJ1 was superb. The 2012 FF Namring DJ2 was ok but not nearly as good as the DJ1.

Lapsang Souchong is my favourite when I want a strong sweet tea, but a good Dian Hong tea from Yunnan is my choice when I’m in the mood for a more aromatic and light black tea.