Shan Black Tea

Backlog:

This is the 2014 harvest. Similar to the previous Black Tea from Shan Valley that I’ve tried, this has a very fine CTC chop. It resembles a finely ground coffee. But it’s been my experience with these Shan Valley teas that the small chop shouldn’t dissuade you from trying the tea because they are quite splendid!

This smells earthy, with notes of leather and fruit and even the slightest hint of flower.

It brews dark – almost like a cup of black coffee. It’s a rich, robust, vigorous cup of tea – this will definitely get your engine charging! It takes well to milk and honey if you like to add those to your black tea.

Flavorful! Deep, rich flavor. Notes of earth and leather, although these two notes are more subtle than the fragrance would lead you to believe. A malty note that would rival the maltiest assam! Deep molasses-y/caramel-y flavor that is indulgent.

This year’s harvest seems to have less cacao notes as well as fewer roasted flavors, but that’s more than made up for with the malt, delicious molasses and caramel notes.

As I continue to sip, fruit notes begin to develop and I picked up on currant, grape and plum. I’m also tasting a baked bread sort of flavor that’s lovely.

Here’s my full-length review: http://sororiteasisters.com/2014/10/04/shan-black-tea-2014-from-shan-valley/

Happy Firework Day everyone, I am currently fidgeting with my rather finicky tripod in hopes that it will be in prime working order for the fireworks I will be watching tonight. I hope all my fellow celebrators of the Fourth of July (or Firework Day as I have called it since I was a wee thing) have excellent firework displays (I am so sorry people on the East Coast getting swamped by Hurricane Arthur, bad timing that one) and I hope everyone else is having a lovely summer evening (or winter if you are from the most southern of hemispheres.)

Today is the last of Shan Valley’s 2014 Collection, Shan Black Tea-CTC, a first flush black tea whose processing is a local tradition in Shan Valley, Myanmar. Similar to yesterday’s Kyaukme Black Tea, this one is also a CTC (or Crush Tear Curl) but is more uneven, reputedly giving it more of a balanced flavor. The aroma of the little leaves is a blend of sweetness and richness. There are notes of roasted peanuts, molasses, malt, and a touch of fruity at the end. It was a faint fruitiness, but it smelled like a blend of plums and cherries.

The aroma of the now much soggier tea is much fruitier, the plum and cherry notes are at the forefront with a finish of rich molasses and roasted peanuts. The liquid is a nice strong blend of molasses and malt with a finish of roasted peanuts. It seems the aroma of the fruit stayed with the wet leaves.

Tasting time! The taste of this black tea is initially brisk, with notes of malt and oak wood. This fades to mildly sweet with notes of honey and roasted peanuts. The finish is a touch of molasses with a honey aftertaste. It is not a particularly complex tea, but it is a solid black tea.

For photos (fireworks) and blog: http://ramblingbutterflythoughts.blogspot.com/2014/07/shan-valley-shan-black-tea-ctc-tea.html