Name: Bai Lin Gong Fu
Brand: Canton Tea Company
Type: Black tea, Chinese
Form: Loose leaf
Cost: £6.50 (UK company) for 40 grams, quantity discounts available
Review: What a lovely tea this is! And no, I won’t apologize for loving a simple China black tea. (A commenter on my recent interview with Jamie at Tea on Tap expressed surprise that I listed a China black tea as one of my all time favorites.)
This is a soft, delicate tea from Fujian province, made entirely from light golden/brown buds. When I touched them, I marveled at their softness: They felt like short strands of soft yarn under my fingertips.
In some ways, this is one of the easiest reviews I have ever had to write. In their sales copy, The Canton Tea Company describes this tea as tasting of caramel, and it does: The dry buds possess a sweet, very slightly spicy nose of sweet, milky caramel. The tea infuses to a pretty shade of dark caramel. The tea itself tastes, you guessed it, of smooth, rich caramel, with nary a bit of astringency.
I can’t get any more descriptive than that!
(In case you were wondering, this simple sweet smoothness is not at all flabby or cloying. . .the tea has structure, but its structure is just very, very simple.)
If you like a strong, complex cup, this is probably not the tea for you. On the other hand, if you enjoy clean, pure tasting, refined brews, do give this one a try. I think you will enjoy it.
Tips: The charm of this tea is in its smoothness and simplicity. I advise drinking it on its own, without food. Try it first thing in the morning: A gentle beginning to a new day.
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Lainie:
Cinnabar at Gongfu Girl Web site also reviewed this tea and enjoyed it. Here’s a link to her review:
http://www.gongfugirl.com/2009/07/tea-review-canton-tea-co-bai-ling-gong-fu/
This sounds like quite the tea.
.-= Steven Knoerr´s last blog ..VIDEO: "Wrong Fu Cha" makes a cup of tea, Chaozhou style =-.
I’m the one who expressed surprise about Lainie’s love for the Chinese blacks. Here I am again, haunting her with it. But I don’t think it’s a bad thing. I assume it would surprise a lot of Chinese people who don’t understand why Westerners favor the extreme ends of the spectrum like white and black teas. But it only says the Chinese do black tea well, and that’s a compliment to them. They just do all tea well.
Steven,
I am actually not sure if you would like it…it isn’t a “big” tea nor is it complex. I’d be interested in hearing what you think.
Jason,
Yes, the Chinese seem to do very well in making their teas. No mater what processing method!
Your descriptions are just lovely.
Thank you, Valerie!
.-= Lainie Petersen´s last blog ..Canton Tea Company’s Bai Lin Gong Fu (review) =-.