Black Tea

Tea of the Week – Yunnan Jig

Black Tea

Name:  Yunnan Jig

Type:  Black

Region:  Yunnan region of China

Bought At:  Adagio.com

Price:  $3 for a 10-cup sample

First Impressions:  Sweet Smelling, Large Leaves

Review:

My second attempt at new black teas was Yunnan Jig.  After the pleasant surprise of enjoying last week’s English Breakfast so much, maybe my expectations were just too high.  Yunnan Jig had a little bit sweeter smell than some black teas, but other than that nothing really jumped out at me.  It wasn’t too bitter, although it did have the slight hint that accompanies some black teas.  There just didn’t seem to be anything going for it.   I was also disappointed that there was no sweetness that I was expecting given its aroma.  While I didn’t mind drinking it, it wasn’t something that I was really enjoying either.  Definitely a mellow black tea, I found it a little lacking.

My Rating:  2 / 5

Tea of the Week – English Breakfast

Black Tea

Name: English Breakfast

Type: Black

Region: Anhui region of China

Bought At: Adagio.com

Price: $3 for a 10-cup sample

First Thoughts: Strong, Dark

Review:

While I normally enjoy lighter teas – green being my favorite, I decided to try some black teas this month and my first pick was adagio’s “English Breakfast.”  From first brew you can tell it is a strong black tea.  It had a very strong aroma – not sweet at all, but still pleasant.  It tasted a lot like what you would expect.  It isn’t sweet like the green teas I have tried, but it also didn’t have quite as much “bite” as some other black teas.  I found that I enjoyed it best as a pick me up in the morning.  I also really enjoyed it in the afternoon with just a little bit of milk and sugar.  The milk and sugar really ease out the last hint of bitterness and make for a really smooth cup.  It actually reminded me quite a bit of coffee, and might make for a good “transition tea” for anybody trying to switch.  One note: be careful when you brew it, even a little extra time can make it very bitter very fast.

My Rating: 3.5 / 5