Zheng Shan Xiao Zhong 2022

The renowned village of Tongmuguan can add another success to its long list of exploits: this black tea is sweet, soft, and smooth. Rather than the fiery focus of the smoked version, the unsmoked Zheng Shan Xiao Zhong emphasizes the aromatics of the leaves themselves, and these ones offer the long lasting??and almost smoky??sweetness of mesquite honey, enlivened by the barest hint of hazelnut and a touch of orange on the sides of the tongue. It may be the best black tea to accompany a simple butter shortbread, or a long morning unmarred by bitterness.