Fancy Tea Review: Light Roast Wild Tree Purple Variety Black Tea of Dehong

A Purple Profile

• Grown in the Dehong Prefecture of Yunnan, China — wild tree (“ye sheng” 野生) material at altitude (about 1,600-2,200 m) using large-leaf varietal.

• Purple-leaf (or purple-bud) varietal: anthocyanin-rich leaves that show unusual colour and flavour characteristics compared to standard Camellia sinensis large-leaf plants.

• Processed as a lightly-roasted black tea: fully oxidized (black) but roast and processing left relatively gentle so as to retain wild-tree character, fruit/flower aromatics and smoother mouthfeel. According to Yunnan Sourcing, which is where I ordered this from: “Processing and roasting uses less time and less heat.”

Wild, Purple, Tree: Expectations

• Because it’s wild tree (“ye sheng”), there should be more structural complexity, a stronger “cha qi” or tea-energy effect (more warming body, longer finish) than plantation trees.

• Because of the purple varietal element, I expect fruity or citrusy aromatics, less typical heavy malt or cocoa black-tea flavours, and possibly some floral or “purp” dimension.

• GusDrinksTea on Reddit describes it: “Beautiful copper color (lighter or darker depending on the steep). Luscious, viscous mouthfeel. Sweet. Light astringency. Stone fruit and something, idk, tropical like dragonfruit and passion fruit. Reminds me somewhat of fruitier oolongs for sure.”

My tasting session

• Dry leaf: The leaf looked darker than I expected for a “light roast”—deep purplish-black rather than a bright copper. The scent carries a soft hint of citrus and something floral.

• Steeped tea scent: Much more pronounced citrus (or what I call citrus) emerged on infusion. That aligns with my expectation for “purple” teas.

• Flavour: Mild tannins are present, a subtle baseline. The citrus note persists in taste, slightly muted at first, but it grows with each sip. The overall feel: very smooth, different from a typical black tea — closer to a purple oolong in personality (and I say that as someone who loves the 99 % oxidized purple oolong from TeaLyra, which has a strong “purp” flavour). This Dehong tea carries the same spirit, but more subtle, with a slight grassy vibe.

• Brewing: I used ~98 °C water (I don’t worry about too-hot for black teas, same with darker oolongs and pu-erhs). Steeped for four minutes. The tea easily stands multiple infusions: I add a sprinkling more leaves to my wee sieve for each follow-up cup.

Final thoughts

This wild tree purple black from Dehong straddles the structure of a black tea, the ethereal fruit/flower aroma of a purple varietal, and the wild-tree energy of a high-altitude Yunnan leaf. It’s smooth and accessible. Not the best purp I've come across, but I'm still in love.

Have you tried any wild-tree purple varietals before? Which is your favourite?