Golden Peony Black

The "gold" in this tea's name is part of the cultivar's name, and does not refer to gold tips, as in the case of a Black tea such as Gold Monkey. "MuDan" is familiar to us from the white tea sub-group, and the flavor of this Black more than makes up for whatever might be wanting in the dry leaf's appearance. A whiff of the dry leaves gives a hint of the floral notes that follow, and they bloom in a most wonderful fashion, suggestive of honeysuckle. To get the fullest sense of the amazing floral aroma and finish, if you have a gaiwan/covered bowl, try brewing this with 6 to 7 grams with a very short steep of less a minute for the first brew. Continue a bit longer for each subsequent brew, and you'll agree this is an Oolong lover's Black tea. This tea is good for several infusions; increase the brewing time until the flavor begins to fade. This tea was made before Qing Ming (April 5th) and at the time of this writing, there remain only 100 kgs., a very small yield tea.