I’ve been drinking the same Tippy Yunnan red tea for years now. It’s tasty, with a nice full flavor and smoky notes balanced by flowery notes, and it comes in at a price I’m willing to pay. But it’s not organic, and now that I’m breastfeeding a baby, I’m trying really hard to limit my exposure to ick. To that end, I ordered samples of each of Upton Tea Imports‘s organic teas. Today’s sample is ZY68, China Yunnan Ning Rong Organic, $28.60 / 500 grams and $8.80 / 125 grams. I brewed it with 2 heaping teaspoons of tea for my “four cup” (two mug) pot, and brewed it for three and a half minutes.
I take my tea with milk, but for the purpose of this review, I sampled it first without milk. The tea is smooth and flavorful, with good strong mid-notes and smooth tannins. The mouthfeel is almost satiny, with a slight tannin creep over the tongue. The flowery notes are subtle but present, and a very slight smokiness tickles the sinuses.
With milk, the tannin is lost, but the smokiness is much enhanced. The lingering impression is of sweetness without sugar and a lovely, well-balanced profile. It’s not as hearty as my standard tea, but it is very good.