Gastronomous

Comes from one of the finest estates of the Assam region of India. Famous for its fruity yet malty flavor with a tannic red-wine aftertaste. (FTGFOP-1)(Special)

This fabulous tea is one of the finest examples of a Chinese black tea available on the market. Incidentally, it is also considered to be one of the luckiest teas in all of Asia. Throughout China, stories of this luck-inducing Congou style tea–a general term for whole leaf black Chinese teas–are so numerous that if they were compiled, they would read like an encyclopedia of good fortune. It all begins with a tea producer named Mr. Huyincai. In 1851, while making a routine inspection of his tea plants, Mr. Huyincai noticed a small section that seemed to be producing leaves of exceptional quality. Mr. Huyincai regarded this exceptional crop as a gift from Mother Nature and decided that it should be processed in a new and unique way. He plucked the leaf and decided to allow it to ferment before firing it, a process that turned the leaf black. While this technique is not unique, Mr. Huyincai also developed a complicated production procedure that resulted in a tea so special he decided to name it 9 Bend Black Dragon. Unfortunately, we can’t tell you much about his complicated production procedure since the details of it are judiciously guarded by a handful of people in Fuan City to this day. What we can tell you is that the name is both derived from the lucky 9 Bend River that flowed through his birth place of Wuyishan (9 is a lucky number in China), and the symbol of the black dragon, long considered lucky in China. 9 Bend Black Dragon–which goes by the production name of Panyong Needle –is only produced in the district of Panyong in Fuan City. Production totals these days are around 50 tons annually and the tea is still regarded by traders as one of Fujian’s finest exports. Professional tasters praise this tea for its exceptionally fresh, sweetish infusion, and bright golden cup. It is a well-structured tea with a mossy finish and delightful oaky notes. 9 Bend is an excellent after-dinner tea.