Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Arbor Teas
Tea Description:
Our organic Huang Shan Hair Tip Green Tea (also known as Huang Shan Mao Feng) is grown in the mountainous regions of China’s Anhui province, in the vicinity of the picturesque Yellow Mountain (Huang Shan). This tea is one of the top ten most legendary teas in all of China. Mao Feng teas are usually plucked when the buds are swollen from rain but still young and tender. The medium-green leaf sets yield a pale, straw-colored infusion with light body and a smooth, somewhat sweet and lightly vegetal flavor reminding of fresh garden zucchini.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I like to taste the tea – drink about half the cup – before I start my reviews, so that I can get a good idea of what I want to say about it. I also like to drink about half the cup before I start writing the review because, I like to wait before I read the description of the tea from the vendor so that I can formulate my own opinion about the tea without the influence of the purveyor’s description.
So, when I did get around to reading the above description, I have to say YES! That’s what I’m tasting. Especially when I got around to the zucchini comparison. This tastes very much like zucchini: mild tasting, and with a hint of butter, as if the zucchini has been either lightly sauteed in butter or perhaps steamed and then lightly buttered. There are also notes of hay and some very faint fruit tones to the cup, somewhat apple-esque.
When I took my first couple of sips, I could have sworn I was sipping on a yellow tea … because it has some similarities in taste to my beloved yellow teas too, although I must say that this is definitely more green tea tasting than yellow tea. But, it was quite nice to discover some yellow-ish taste to this!
Overall, I’m really loving this tea… certainly a good one. But, as I’ve gotten to know Arbor Teas over the past couple of years, it’s become somewhat expected! They have some of the best teas available anywhere online! I highly recommend them!
Organic Shui Xian Oolong Tea from Arbor Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Arbor Teas
Tea Description:
Our organic Shui Xian Oolong hails from the Wuyi mountains in China’s Fujian province. This exquisite oolong is produced using the top three to four leaves on the branch. After wilting and bruising the leaves, they are hand-rolled into their final shape. When brewed, these dark green-brown leaves create an amber infusion with an exquisite floral fragrance that complements the tea’s sweetness (in fact, Shui Xian translates directly into “narcissus”). The taste is smooth and lightly sweet, with a subtle dryness reminding of pear skin, followed by a lightly baked aftertaste. As with most oolongs of this type it is moderately oxidized, ranging from 40% to 60%. Like other fine oolong teas, our Shui Xian Oolong may be infused a number of times, with each infusion revealing a new nuance of this tea’s complex flavor.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Arbor Teas is one of my favorite companies. I realize that may not seem very special to you if you’ve read many of my articles as I do have quite a few “favorites.” It’s true, I do have a number of favorite teas … and each are my favorite for a different reason. Arbor Teas is one of my favorites because they are dedicated to protecting the environment while promoting fair and ethical business practices within the tea trade. Their teas are organic, fair trade, and packaged in 100% compostable packaging to help minimize their carbon footprint. I really respect that about this company.
Furthermore … their teas are remarkably good! And when it comes right down to it, that’s what really matters. If you had a company that was environmentally sound and dedicated to fair practices, that would certainly be a couple of steps in the right direction, but, it wouldn’t mean much if the tea wasn’t of high quality and excellent taste.
Well, Arbor Teas brings it all to you. Great tasting, high quality, organic teas that are fairly traded and are packaged in compostable packaging. Arbor Teas is a whole package kind of company!
This Shui Xian is a perfect example of what I’m talking about. This tastes really awesome! The overall flavor is sort of woodsy, with lovely fruit notes and a delectable honey-esque tone. In fact, had I not prepared this cup myself … if someone else had brought it to me, I would have sworn that they added honey to the cup. It is so deliciously sweet, and the honey notes meld so deliciously with the toasted nut top note.
The tea is remarkably smooth. There is no bitterness and very little astringency. Just excellent taste!