Tea Review: Joseph Wesley

Joseph Wesley Tea

04 Dian Hong Congfu

AKA Yunnan Black

Haley, Kirsten, both

Cool! We're doing another tea review.
Yeah! I love when we get to check out a new tea before the others.
I think Kaya and Lanie are working on a review too.
Melody has been busy plotting upcoming posts. What kind or tea are we looking at today?

This one is from Joseph Wesley Tea. I love the tin.

And the label design and colors. This one is Dian Hong Congfu or Black Tea 04. Let's open it.
Oooo! Neat!

There is a card inside.
It tells you all about the tea. That's great!

The tea is sealed in here.

Oh! Look at the lovely leaves!

Beautiful. What are the steeping instructions?

Love that the instructions are so clear on the tin. We'll need two teaspoons of tea and set the timer for 3 minutes.

Okay, into the pot it goes...now the water...look at the tea dance. 
The leaves are unfolding nicely.

(timer beeping)
Look at the gorgeous red color of this tea.

It smells warm and inviting.
Wow! You're right.

So first taste without anything at all.

Wonderful! It has a malt flavor to it and a tiny bit of fruit or sweetness.
Mmmmm. Do we have to add stuff to it?

Sure. Who know, it could be even better with honey or milk and sugar.
Okay. This has the raw honey from Taste?

Yes. How is it?
Very nice.

You're right. The flavors shift a little bit. Still malty, but more sweet.
Now for milk (2%) and sugar in the raw. I like this. All the flavors mix nicely.

Yeah, takes the full flavor and makes it more velvety.

There is no wrong way to take this tea. Perfect plain, with honey, or with milk and sugar.
Um...
What?
Well, I don't think this would be good with too much sweetener or artificial sweetener.
True. Hey, did you see in the instructions that we can re-steep these leaves?
That's awesome! Let's make some more take Melody some.
Good idea! Set the timer!

Xyra Notes

• The Joseph Wesley 04 is a full-bodied, well-rounded, black tea.  Each sip made me breathe deeply, smile, and relax.
• The blend has just enough sweetness on its own that one need not add honey or sugar if you do not usually add a lot of sugar to your tea or are running out the door and forget.
• I re-steeped several times and opted for a tiny bit of honey with each. In my humble opinion, the flavor did not diminish greatly over time.

If you're in the Midwest and Northeast of the US today is a perfect day for a hot cup of tea like this one. So put the kettle on and enjoy!

Best wishes,


Review Note: Tea Time with Melody Q is not affiliated with Joseph Wesley Tea. We were introduced to the company at the Coffee and Tea Festival Philly. The 04 was purchased at that time. The above review is unsolicited and all opinions are our own. All links provided throughout the review are for educational and informative purposes; no purchase is required.

#JosephWesleyTea