Old Tree Honey Jinjunmei Black Tea

From the same producer as our First-Pick Duyun Maojian, this Honey Jinjunmei offers another side of Duyun’s remarkable tea-growing environment.

Duyun, in southern Guizhou, is best known for Duyun Maojian green tea, one of China’s Ten Famous Teas. Its high mountains, frequent mist, abundant rainfall, limited direct sunlight, and extensive forest cover create ideal conditions for slow-growing tea with natural sweetness, fragrance, and a clean finish. This tea takes those same qualities from the environment in black tea form.

Old-Tree Material, Delicate but Full

Despite being made from delicate tea buds, this Jinjunmei is surprisingly resilient and complex. The leaves come from an old tea tree, with a more established root system and years of growth in the local environment.

Old-tree material can bring more depth, body, sweetness, and texture. Combined with Duyun’s high-mountain environment and traditional black-tea processing, the result is a black tea that feels full without being heavy.

The aroma is immediately inviting—sweet, nutty, and lightly roasty, like honeyed nuts, with a subtle woodiness underneath. In the cup, you'll find layers of cacao nibs, honey, pronounced nuttiness, buttery pastry, and a delicate apricot finish.

Meanwhile, the tea has a silky, thick body that glides effortlessly down the throat. Unlike many black teas that can be thin, drying, or astringent, this one has virtually no astringency and is one of the smoothest black teas we carry. That combination of full body and delicate texture makes the tea feel remarkably refined. 

This is a sweet and smooth black tea with plenty of substance—but somehow remains soft, delicate, and incredibly easy to drink.

Brewing instructions

Although this tea can handle hotter water without becoming bitter, a slightly lower temperature brings out its best qualities—especially its delicate complexity and buttery texture.

Gongfu Brewing

• 4g / 100ml gaiwan

• Spring water

• 195°F / 91°C

• First 3–4 infusions: 30–35 seconds

• Later infusions: Add 5 seconds each round

• Yield: Approximately 6–8 infusions

A refined, silky Jinjunmei that combines the depth of old-tree material with the clean mountain character of Duyun.