I’ve always had my eye on White2tea’s 2020 Foxdown black tea, but I was waiting for the next season of teas. However, it was announced the cakes were in low stock, so I panicked purchased a cake blind along with some other goodies. At this time of writing, there are only Foxdown minis left.
2020 Foxdown is a Yunnan, bud heavy, sun dried black tea, promised to be malty daily drinker.
Leaf and Steeping Method
What a gorgeous golden bud cake with a malty dark scent.
For gongfu style, I used 1 gram of leaf per 15ml of vessel size, steeped in boiling water. After a rinse, the leaves have a fruity woodsy scent.
Tasting of White2tea’s 2020 Foxdown Black Tea
First and Second Infusion: The initial steeps of 2020 Foxdown black tea are sweet cream, dark walnut wood, and brisk with rock sugar sweet finish adding salivation. Immediately, this tea has a milky texture too.
Third, Fourth, and Fifth Infusion: Foxdown is darker and stronger now. It holds up that sweet cream initial sip but then doubles down on a malty woody, and finally finishing with a lightly astringent briskness. Some sips have a bit of bitter black cherry pits and brown sugar sweetness. As this tea steeps, it gets a bit more bitter and astringent, tickling the back of my throat to want to dry cough, but still very drinkable, sweet, and creamy.
Sixth Infusion: I did a final 20 minutes infusion and the tea came out brown sugar and malt, with some throat drying.
Lazy / Grandpa Style: Foxdown starts off very milky tasting at first, before slipping into malt and brown sugar. It strangely tastes fairly close as prepared gongfu style with the same flavor and progress as the tea steeps and gets refilled.
Thermos Style: I put 7g in a 14oz/420ml thermos and left the leaves in for over an hour as I sipped through. Despite the long infusion, 2020 Foxdown black is smooth, malty, wheaty, dark cocoa, and brown sugar. It got a touch of dry throat tickle but not much more than that. Still fairly similar to the other brewing styles.
Comments
White2tea’s 2020 Foxdown is a classy black tea with lovely thick creamy, malty and sweet flavor with some briskness. This tea packs a lot of flavor and makes for a strong daily drinker or to spoil those who regularly drink breakfast black teas.
I found all steeping styles came out fairly close in flavor profile with a few slight differences – gongfu style is a bit fruity – but overall they are all quite malty in profile. Personally, I’ve been reaching for Foxdown quite a bit and preferring it Lazy or Thermos style. I almost regret getting the cake as I rather have the minis for easier brewing.
If you are looking for something less daily drinker and more fancy, I would check out White2tea’s 2020 Sentinel black tea instead.
