We’re going to be honest – our 2018 Sabertooth Dianhong is possibly the best to date. While we enjoyed the smooth, chocolate flavour of previous years, this year’s version unquestionably has them beat.

This tea demonstrates an unparalleled smooth, sweet and malty character, all in a balanced package that satisfies in a way that other black teas just can’t.

The material for this tea comes from ancient trees in Fengqing, which are machine roasted/baked at a medium-sized facility. Our opinion is that traditional roasting methods are typically preferable to shaihong/sun baked Dianhong, as it allows for greater control and consistency and has been employed since black tea processing began in Yunnan in the 1930s.

We recommend brewing this tea gongfu style to maximize enjoyment and extract the most flavour, however, it will also hold up well with western style brewing and even works well as a cold brew using new or partially spent (3-4 brews in) leaves.

As Dianhong and black teas become more popular within China, we have noticed an increasing number of farmers and producers offering Dianhong (Yunnan black tea, made from material usually used for puer) this year. And naturally, that also means there have been more “gushu” and “wild” Dianhongs popping up too. Our experience sampling has only led us to appreciate this tea all the more.

For those seeking an exceptionally unique black tea made from “wild” tree material (loaded term), we highly recommend checking out our Dark Forest “Wild” Dianhong.

$0.56/gram