Purple Beauty is an Amazing Pairing with Red Meats

My Overall Impression (Score of 88.5 %)

Yunnan Sourcing has been a favorite of mine for the last few years (thanks Georgia for the suggestion).  They just seem to have great tea, that is really affordable, shows great depth and wonderful flavors.  I’m not sure if you feel the same but when I review a tea company’s website, I get giddy at the options and have to hold back purchasing more than I need.  For whatever reason, this one caught my attention.

Maybe it was the ‘purple beauty’ tag.  Maybe it was the price point.  Maybe I just kept clicking and purchased too much.  In any case, I’m excited and happy that I purchased this one.  This brew was not what I was expecting but it’s so good.

Winter is here big time in Michigan.  The house is dark and cold early morning.  Visualize this…getting out of bed and not finding a chair to cover myself with a warm blanket and kind of awaken is a great thought.  Therefore, when it’s tea time on these mornings, I like a little ‘POP’ to get going.

 Jingmai Black Simao does not ‘POP’.  It grabs you, shakes you up and gets you awake from the big tannins and wonderful flavors.  These are the mornings, where I find some leftover BBQ from the smoker the night before and pair it up with this brew.  Just wonderful flavors and a great price point.

What do I think this Tea’s Personality is?

• “This is Monday morning jolt of back to work ‘strong brew’ (say it with a Russian Accent) that will get you up and ready for the day (especially in the winter months).”

The Price

The price on 1/25/25 is $9.50 for 50 grams.

Broken down:

• 50 gm / 3 gm for steeping = 16 brews
• 16 brews from package = app. 59 cents per cup
• If brewed twice the cost is 30 cents/cup

There are days that I want a great cup of tea that I can enjoy and not break the bank.  This falls into this category.  Beautiful steep for the price point.

Aromas

• Opening the package, you are met with aromas of dark, oxidized malt that reminds me of rich toast (like brioche), toasted rye malt for brewing, and burnt ends off the smoker.
• It also shows layers of damp leaves, toasted rosemary, black pepper and volcanic lava rock from a gas grill that’s been used several times (sorry but that aroma is ingrained in my head forever).
• Once brewed, it shows delicious notes of toasted malt and rich sourdough bread.
• This is followed by hints of lemon zest, Worcestershire/soy sauce and molasses

Flavors

• This is a big tea on the palate showing rich toasted malt (similar to Oolong). I love the palate hits of oxidized sherry, caramel, and caramelized grill herbs.
• This combined with underlying notes of vanilla, leather, fresh maple syrup.
• This is complex umami bomb that combines the rich tannins with good acidity and drying sensation.
• Great body and structure from this brew.

Scores

• Aromas (4.3/5)
• Flavors (8.8/10)
• Overall impression (4.6/5)
  • Total score = 88.5 percent (17.7/20)

Foods to Pair and Why

• Since this is a strong brew, I’m inclined to pair with bolder options. For example, I went to the Amish Market and purchased Buffalo Chuck roast.  Braise this down, pull the meat and combine it with tagliatelle pasta for an amazing dinner.
• Can anyone ever get tired and not enjoy burnt ends? I normally purchase pork bellies and trim the ends off to square the belly.  These ends get cut up and used for burnt ends.  With a fresh tortilla and great salsa, life is pretty good.
• Years ago in Kansas City, I had a griller Rib-Eye steak. That alone is wonderful but they made a paste/rub of brown sugar, dash of Worcestershire, black pepper and blue cheese and used it as a compound butter.  Sigh is the only emotion needed when you have this.
• The other day I was craving my once-a-week vegetable feast. I cut up some red onions from the garden, mini colored peppers and drizzled them with good olive oil and a coasting of Kinders Roasted Vegetable Rub to marinate an hour.  These went on a 275 F smoker for about 1.5 hours flipped once (used a smoker grill bag).  Amazing combo of flavors that would match this brew (even the smoky, crispy ends of the onions and peppers).