"Pine Needle" Song Zhen Dian Hong Black Tea

I had the pleasure of enjoying a gong fu tea ceremony with this tea and my family who isn't as used to Chinese teas. Everyone absolutely loved it! We all noticed how delicate the tea is. Not only are the tea leaves themselves so beautiful and delicate, but the taste as well. First, we all noticed a strong cacao aroma that lingered throughout the first couple brews. Also, my family noticed how this tea is a lot more like a white tea in its qualities. However, as the numbers of brews progressed, and the tea needles began to open up, the tea started resembling more of a usual Chinese black tea - malty, pleasantly tart on the palate, a tad sour. It's a special tea and I would recommend it to anyone!

I love this stuff. I make it in a Gaiwan and it's the perfect 3:00 tea at my clinic. I would describe it as a juicy black tea.

This tea tastes sweet and sour. I definitely tastes like a sour cherry. Very good tea.

You definitely get the chocolate and cherry in the smell when you first open the bag. I make mine mostly western style during the week just because I don't have time to do it otherwise. You really don't get too much of a cherry taste that way, however you do get a chocolatey taste for sure. However when you do make it using the ceremonial approach you do get a hit of cherry with it. It's subtle but it is there.

I have drank tea from a tea bag for years and do enjoy it, however all the teas that I have gotten from Path of Cha are a whole other ball game. So much more complex and there is absolutely something for everyone here. It's great to have a choice of flavors when it comes to tea versus just the same old same old. And their customer service is fantastic so I would absolutely recommend this to anyone who likes tea and is interested in being brave and trying something a little different.

I am writing this review while tasting this very interesting black tea, Pine Needle. I wouldn't say I am new to drinking tea; however, I would drink it sporadically as I didn't much care for it unless I could add honey or milk. About five years ago I started drinking loose leaf tea, and found the variety of teas available to be both amazing in taste but also overwhelming to the mind. Such a difference from the "bagged tea" found so often in our stores and drinking it with an added "sweetener" to cover up the bitterness of the tea, and often the look of displeasure that is quite apparent upon my face when drinking it. I say all this because I want you to understand that when reviewing this tea and any future teas, I am definitely an amateur and you should take my reviews as such. Side note, I drink my tea from an unseasoned Yixing teapot.

The first impression I have of the tea is the smell. It's not strong, but it's heavy. Very dark smelling, like chocolate mixed with maple syrup. A very enjoyable aroma, making me wish the smell was stronger. It immediately gives me the sense I will find this tea agreeable. The taste is similar to the smell. It's viscous, definitely "fills" the mouth with a heavy feeling, but the tea goes down smooth. The first steeping, heavier on the chocolate, light on the sour with a sappy caramel taste that lingers. The role is reversed after each steeping and the caramel taste gets stronger. The flavor of the tea lingers on the throat, pleasingly so.