Jinjunmei Fujian Black AAA Heavy Roast

My first jinjunmei! Thank you, Dexter! :D

I’ve had three steeps so far, and I think I’m going to have to stop because my tummy is super upset with me. I may have had mac and cheese at lunch, and I maybe shouldn’t be eating dairy…

Dry leaf smells delicious and malty and grainy, almost like toasted grains.

Steeped, it smells almost fruity with the toasted grains. Maybe a little sour? Not sure, something might be off with me today because the other tea struck me as sour as well.

30s: Very strong, malty, grainy, a bit toasted. Fruits in the background. I’m not sure if I like this, it’s so in-your-face, and not in a delightful wake-me-up way, either.

1min: Still quite strong, malty, grainy. This is better for sure, as it’s mellowed out. Still not my favourite.

1min 30s: Ahh, this is more like it. Grainy toasty tea with some stone fruits peeking through. Still not my favourite, but totally drinkable. It feels almost creamy as well, but that doesn’t bring the other flavours together – the creaminess is distinct from the grains and fruits. It’s not what I was expecting.

Thanks for sharing, Dex, but I don’t think this particular one is for me! (At least it’s not dirt tea… :D )

Another from dexter as some know, jin jun mei’s are hit or miss for me. this one? it’s weird. there’s like a fruity taste running through a more malty sort of tea taste… i think this one is more miss for me but mostly because it’s a really strange taste for me today lol thanks dex!

I’m not sure this is the correct listing or not. I’m drinking this:
http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Fujian-tea-High-quality-Jin-jun-mei-10-bags-of-Free-shipping-Black-tea/2012108253.html
It’s fabulous. Icky packaging – amazing tea.
http://instagram.com/p/xk4_rMuE7i/?modal=true

Last one from the Lewis and Clark TTB and of the Jin Jun Mei’s Cameron B included for me.

Prepared in a test tube steeper. Steeping times: 30, 15, 30, 60, 120.

The dry aroma consists of only chocolate. Meanwhile, the wet aroma changes as the leaves after being steeped the first time – cool: malt —> fudge —> grains. Thereafter, the aroma smells of just chocolate.

The liquor is golden brown, honey-like in color; and there are so many fuzzies that it looks cloudy from a foot away. Fuzzies in every infusion, holy cow! Full-bodied. Thin texture.

I think I overestimated, hence botched, the first infusion. It is incredibly malty and a little bitter. But it’s definitely roasty, reminding me of roasted nuts and toasted rice. This teaches me that not all Jin Jun Mei should be prepared the same way. (Others I’ve had to steep longer in the first infusion because the leaf needs time to wake up.) The latter infusions are considerably less malty, allowing the cocoa notes to stand out. The roasted quality is muted, too, but eventually returns in the last infusion.

This is an interesting Jin Jun Mei. Even with my mistake I still think it’s enjoyable.

The adorable CameronB sent me this along with a couple of other Jin Jun Meis and I thank her very much. I really like this one. In fact, it might be my favorite JJM thus far. Maybe it’s the heavy roast, but this is really deep and complex.

It has an almost burned sugar caramel flavor but is also deeply fruity. Like dried fruit, maybe prunes? But the good taste of prunes. It’s deep and dark but has an interesting floral thing wafting through it. Either floral or cilantro. It’s early and I’m recovering from Wild Child sheng, so don’t mind me.

I like this very much and I like CameronB very much too and not just for sending me this.

Another tea from Han Xiang this morning! I find that it has kind of become a habit for me to try a new-to-me black tea (assuming I have one) for my first cup of the day. And that’s the case today! This is the second of three different jin jun mei teas that I ordered samples of, and the leaves are so teeny compared to the first one! They’re almost like miniature versions of the same leaves. They’re quite thin and slightly twisty, and about half golden and half dark. Dry scent is mildly sweet with a hint of herbaceousness that I often find in Fujian black teas.

Brewed, this tea smells very rich with dark fruit notes and a definite scent of molasses, along with that herby smell. Yum, this tea is dark and rich with a very strong flavor. It has a very potent herbaceous note that I find similar to dill? But not quite exactly there. This note always frustrates me, as I can never identify it! :P Otherwise, this tea has a strong fruity presence, in a dark, syrupy dried fruit kind of way. Specifically, I would identify it as a mixture of raisin, prune, and dried dark cherry. Alongside this fruitiness is a lovely rich molasses flavor that goes perfectly with the dark fruits. I catch the slightest suggestion of floral in the aftertaste, which does nothing to deter me.

So I’m wondering if that herby dill-like note is the result of the roasting? I don’t think I’ve ever noticed whether other Fujian black teas I’ve tried were roasted or not, so I guess I should keep that in mind from now on!