I steeped a tablespoon of leaf in about a cup of 175-degree water for three minutes. (The directions said to use a tablespoon per pot but didn’t say what pot size to use, so I just stuck it in my mug because I was like, it’s probably not going to turn out too strong anyway. And I was right!)
The dry leaf smells a bit vegetal, a bit astringent. Some of the leaves are more intact than others but on the whole they’re long and thin, dark green, and some even slightly fuzzy. They seem to be the growing tips of the plant (a leaf and a bud).
The tea is still almost perfectly clear after it’s finished steeping; it just has the faintest off-white, almost peachy tinge to it. It’s even clearer in color than many white teas I’ve seen!
First sip: it’s light, almost floral, and has vegetal flavors only on the back of the tongue. None of the flavors are very “forward” in the mouth except maybe the light floralness that comes at the front of the sip. It’s not too astringent, but it has a little brightness to it and even offers a comforting, energizing aftertaste. It’s definitely not too overpowering; however, the high-quality leaves should stand up to multiple steepings.
I’ve had to use my sneaky detective skills to find out more about this tea because the info isn’t up on the company’s website right now. Huang Shan Mao Feng is apparently a type of green tea, judging by the processing techniques (no oxidation time, et cetera) but the flavor really reminds me more of a white tea or even maybe a super-mild sheng (raw pu-erh) tea.
Altogether it’s a light, gentle cup that I’d recommend for relaxed, pensive afternoons where you’re not necessarily looking for something super dark or highly caffeinated.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Driftwood Tea
Description
This tea doesn’t appear to be on the site now but click below for teas that are.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Organic Gui Fei Oolong (Honey Tea) from Driftwood Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Driftwood Tea
Tea Description:
Gui Fei Honey Tea is created through a remarkable combination of plant and nature. Farmers allow the edges of these leaves to be nibbled by leaf hoppers which causes the leaf to producing an enzyme that results in a finished tea that has developed a naturally sweet, beautiful rich, almost honey like quality.
A beautifully rich, multi-faceted tea which is definitely deserved of the time spent to enjoy it over multiple infusions.
Learn more about this Oolong tea here.
Taster’s Review:
As I was steeping this Organic Gui Fei Oolong (Honey Tea) from Driftwood Tea in my gaiwan, I noticed the charcoal-y notes immediately. My mouth watered at the thought of that unique, smoky char taste! I didn’t really realize that this was a characteristic I’d ever really look forward to in an Oolong tea (or any other tea for that matter), but, there it is … I guess my palate has come to accept and even enjoy the notes of a charcoal-esque tea … and even light smoky notes! This from the woman who at one time threw away a full canister of Lapsang Souchong because I couldn’t handle that smoky aroma any longer!
Note: this was long before I discovered Steepster and found people who would have gladly taken that Lapsang Souchong off my hands … and also long before I’ve come to terms with Lapsang Souchong and actually enjoy the stuff now!
This Gui Fei is absolutely lovely! The flavor is far less “charcoal-y” than the aroma while brewing would lead me to believe … and it has only the slightest, faintest hint of a smoky quality to the cup. What I taste is a lovely honey-esque note that reminds me of a rich, raw honey. I taste a floral quality to the honey that is difficult to place … orchid, perhaps?
The tasting notes on the Driftwood Tea website suggest a chocolate-y tone which I do taste … and it’s coming as a big surprise to me because … I don’t recall ever really experiencing cacao tones from a pure Oolong like this. I taste the nutty quality as well which is sweet and I find that this nutty flavor is accentuated when I inhale the aroma of the tea deeply before I take a sip. The nutty flavors really come to life!
This is a tea that is definitely worth the effort to resteep several times too. I find that the honey-esque notes enhance in later steepings … In my second cup (the combination of infusions three and four), I noticed that the texture was a little thicker, reminding me of a thinned honey … and this really enhanced the experience as well. The roasted notes from the aforementioned charcoal-ish tones really bring out the sweet nutty taste in this cup.
A really excellent Oolong – definitely one to add to your Must Try list! If you’re a fan of Oolong like I am … you’ve got to try this one!
Doke Organic Silver Needle Second Flush White Tea from Driftwood Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: Driftwood Teas
Tea Description:
Doke Organic Silver Needle is one of the finest examples of a white tea I have ever tasted. It’s easy to see the care that has gone into the hand harvesting of each one of these buds and personally I think this is easily more than equal to even the very best examples of silver needles being produced in China’s Fujian Province at the moment.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I find myself in total agreement with Azzrian’s assessment of this tea: “Doke Organic Silver Needle Second Flush from Driftwood Tea offers a crisp, clean, and juicy sweet cup.” It certainly does!
This is one of the finest Silver Needle teas that I’ve ever encountered – and I’ve consumed quite a bit of Silver Needle Tea!
The dry leaf is beautiful: long, silvery spears covered in soft downy fuzz, and the liquid they produce is softly fragrant with notes of fruit and perhaps a hint of hay, reminding me of the smell of the air after a field of hay has been harvested.
The flavor is delicate – no big surprise there. But what does surprise me is how abundant the flavor of apricot is in this cup. It is as though the flavor just bursts onto the palate. The background notes are of hay, hints of a grassy vegetation, and vague floral tones. There is a slightly dry astringency to the cup – slight! Those of you who tend to be “astringency-shy” … I don’t think you’d be put off here. This is more “juicy” than it is astringent.
It is a very enjoyable Silver Needle – as I said, one of the very best I’ve tried. I’d highly recommend this one.
Pre Rain Huang Shan Mao Feng Green Tea from Driftwood Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Driftwood Tea
Tea Description:
Our Huang Shan Mao Feng comes from the first picking in early spring, when the finest teas are selected, and is a beautiful example of one of China’s ‘Ten Famous Teas.’ A real Champagne tea and one every Chinese and green tea lover should really experience fresh.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Ah … lovely! This Pre Rain Huang Shan Mao Feng Green Tea from Driftwood Tea is really a wonderful tea to experience.
The leaves are long and fluffy, and their shape and fluffy/bulky kind of quality reminds me a bit of a Silver Needle tea, but the color is a darker green color than the typical Silver Needle tea. They also do not feel as soft to the touch as a typical Silver Needle tea. But that’s OK, of course, because this is NOT a Silver Needle tea … it’s a Mao Feng.
And this is truly a lovely example of a Mao Feng. It is light and delicate, with notes of a fresh “grassy” kind of taste … but this grassy/vegetative taste is not a strong note. It is light, and there is an overture of sweetness that is almost nut-like, and this sweetness keeps the grassy tone from tasting ‘bitter’ or off. It’s a very pleasing, delicate balance between sweet and vegetative.
There is also a very enjoyable floral note that is almost indistinguishable with the first few sips, but as I continue to sip, this delightful floral note develops.
Mao Feng is a classic Chinese green tea, and as the above description states, it’s one of the famous ten teas. What makes Mao Feng teas so special to me is their simplicity. But even though I tend to call Mao Feng teas a “simple” green, there is complexity to them too. They have lovely layers of flavor, very soothing, and very pleasing to the palate. Sweet, nutty notes together with a brothy, vegetative grassy tone that is delicate yet lush, and the floral note that builds as one continues to sip.
A truly lovely tea, this Huang Shan Mao Feng Green Tea from Driftwood Tea! If you are a green tea lover, this is one for you to add to your must try list!
Organic Oolong 17 from Driftwood Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Driftwood Tea
Tea Description:
Organic Oolong 17 is considered to be Thailand’s finest tea. Oolong 17 was developed from imported Taiwanese stock and, given Mae Salong’s similar altitude and climate, is highly comparable to the quality and taste of high mountain teas grown in Taiwan.
Key Flavours: Oriental flora, edges of soft cream and a delicate tropical fruit aftertaste.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Organic Oolong 17 from Driftwood Tea brings us an oolong that is for the faint of heart. That’s right, IS, rather than isn’t. This is a very delicate, soft, gentle, oolong that does not pack a powerful punch. It is lilting, and lovely. This is the perfect oolong for those that typically do not like oolong’s rougher edge.
There is a slight resemblance to a Dong Ding, but more like Dong Ding’s well-mannered female cousin. She is younger, more playful, and less intense, yet has enough of that robust nature that you know your drinking a tea of quality. Yet on the other side you get her floral breath that beckons you to come out and play with her in the sunniness of her color, and she makes everything feel cozy and smooth with her creaminess.
I detect a hay like essence, but the lingering after taste is that of the bouquet’s companion of baby’s breath. A light mineral note also plays a key role. As for fruity, perhaps, but not as much as I had expected from the key flavors listed by Driftwood Tea. Perhaps a light touch of starfruit juice, maybe a tiny splash of not yet ripe pineapple, but only very slight.
I feel this would be an excellent beginners oolong, or an oolong to try if you have not yet found an oolong you enjoy fully and want something a bit lighter than those you have tried before.
I can see why this is considered Thailand’s finest tea though, with it’s polite mannerism I can easily see this being a tea sipped in many households.
