Tasting: Mengku Wild Arbor Assamica Black Tea
I’ve recently become quite a fan of teas from Mengku, located in the Lincang prefecture of China. So far this year I’ve had a few ripe and raw puerh teas from various parts of Mengku and so far, not a single one has disappointed. So, you can imagine my excitement when it came time to taste this tasty treat, also because I love black teas! This tea is made from the large leaf tea plant varietal, Camellia Sinensis Assamica. The bigger size of the leaf is quite apparent just from the look of the long wiry leaves.
The dry leaf started off with a surprising kind of tart aroma, with mellow floral notes of wildflower, and an odd note that reminded me of rubber??? Thankfully this rubber smell disappeared on the wet leaf. The wet leaf opened up with a sweet honey like aroma with the previously noted tartness in the background. A deep scent of wildflower and undertones of red stone fruits.
Upon the first infusion, the stone fruit changed into a lovely and unexpected orange flavor, similar to an orange essence as opposed to the actually fruit or rind. The slightly bitter mouthfeel is perfectly balanced with a nice note of vanilla on the finish. The orange and vanilla come together like a dream and create a lovely flavor close to a creamsicle but not quite. The wildflower aroma really came out of the second infusion and blended well with the orange and vanilla creating what I could only imagine a perfect orange blossom would smell and taste like. Upon further infusions the slightly bitterness was gone completely.
Infusions 3-5 proved to be less exciting and complex as the first two. The vanilla transitioned into more of a sweet honey flavor as the orange essence slow faded, leaving what I can only describe as a classic generic black tea flavor. While the last few infusions did not live up to their predecessors, the first two were heavenly, warm and complex. Whether or not this tea will join the permanent collection is still unknown but it’s very up for discussion. 3 out 0f 5 stars! Had the tea not transitioned into a blander flavor after the first couple infusions it no doubt would have gotten a 4 star rating, but it none the less is very much worth a try!
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