Black Dragon

This is quite a dark roast for a Chinese oolong – more like what I’d expect from a Formosa oolong. The leaves have an oddly oily-looking appearance although the tea doesn’t have any additives.

Flavour-wise it’s a bit disappointing, it could be that I just need to steep it longer but this cup comes across as rather flavourless at least compared to other dark oolongs that I’ve tried. It’s lightly toasty but it doesn’t make an effort to be much of anything else. I’ll fiddle around with this tea before I rate it, I think.

Tasted at the San Francisco Tea Festival. A very nice Fujian black tea.

SSTTB #2…I’m having deja vu with this one…it tastes exactly like the Big Red Robe I had recently from Teavivre. Is this a Big Red Robe? It has to be. It is the same level of toasty-ness and body and everything, though the leaves were a bit longer than the Teavivre ones I had (also from the box). This tea was comforting today, as the toasty warmth seemed to keep the rainy bone chilling away. Either that, or me being under a blanket with my laptop watching youtube videos. Maybe all of the above.

That said, it is a little plain tasting, though I did get a whiff of chocolate from the dry leaf that was promising, but that is not very present in the steeped leaf. It;s an ok tea, but I feel like there is something missing. I keep thinking I am drinking a houjicha green, and not an oolong. I think, ultimately, I prefer more mineral or stone fruit dark oolong teas, or leaf hoppers, than this roasted one.

It’s a good tea, but not my fave. As I have Silk Road in town, I have the option to repurchase more in the future if I change my mind on it.