Limited Edition/Discontinued
Golden Peony is made from the oolong cultivar Jin Mudan (Golden Peony). Originally from the Wuyi Mountains in Fujian province, this cultivar was first produced approximately 40 years ago, and has recently been transplanted and grown in Hunan, processed as a black tea. Jin Mudan is a hybrid cultivar of Huang Jin Gui and Tie Guan Yin, which are both originally rolled, green oolongs from Anxi. Despite that, Jin Mudan is a strip-style oolong from Wuyi.
Despite the “Peony” in the name, the tea is not at all related to the white tea Bai Mudan. The “Peony” is a reference to the strong floral aroma the tea inherited from its parent-cultivars. The “Gold” in the name is not a reference to golden tips (like in Assam Tippy Golden); rather, it is taken from its parent-cultivar, Huang Jin Gui (Golden Osmanthus), used to reference its golden brew. Golden Peony is considered a Ming Qian tea, which means a tea picked before the Qing Ming, or Tomb Sweeping Festival in China. It is a very small window of picking, reserved for high quality teas such as Longjing (Dragonwell), and Jin Jun Mei (Golden Eyebrow).
Tasting Notes: Surprisingly light and floral, with notes of apricot. This black tea has a lot of complexity. The taste is reminiscent of its oolong heritage.