MrsPremise’s Oolong-A-Thon. . . . .

As I delved into my tea cabinet recently, I realized I had been stockpiling oolong teas.  Where did they all come from?!  

Since the season is finally starting to turn, and oolong teas always make me think of spring, it seemed like a good time to try them all.  

So I had an Oolong-A-Thon and brewed ten samples from my stores.  The numbers below aren’t a “best-of” ranking, but they roughly move from most delicate in flavor to the most potent in flavor.  . . . .

 

  1. Alishan High Mountain from Cameron Taiwan Premium Loose Leaf – The dry leaf smells sweet and nutty, and this sweet-oat flavor is echoed in the first steep with additional notes of green melon.  The second steep is nuttier still more oat than fruit, though a bit of the green flavor lingers on the aftertaste.  (See a review from my fellow Sororitea Sister). 
  2. Alishan High Mountain Eco First Pluck from Terrior Tea Merchant – The dry leaf smells like sweet grass and sour fruit.  The first steep is not sour at all, but very green and buttery, with more interesting notes like citrus or bok choy coming out on later steepings. 
  3. Ding Dong Oolong from Eco-Cha – Prior to brewing, this tea smells dry and earthy, like hay or dried grass.  Brewed, the first steep is roasty and savory, with just a hint of starchy sweetness in the aftertaste.  The second steep has nutty, brown rice flavors, but still remains light and drinkable.  (See a review from my fellow Sororitea Sister).
  4. Ding Ding Oolong from Cloud Nine (Spring 2015) – The first steep features fruit notes like plum, grape, and currant.  There are almost red wine or acai berry flavors.  This potent fruit flavor drops off in the second steep, with more green notes and fewer berries, more like green grapes and white wine, though the brew never got too bitter or dark even with longer steep times.  
  5. Ping Lin Pouchong from Cameron Taiwan Premium Loose Leaf  – These long dark tea leaves smelled like caramel or burnt sugar when dry, but their first steep was surprisingly green and floral.  The brew turned out to be slightly buttery, with almost-seaweed notes.  The second steep wasn’t distinctly different, with similar savory tones and a smooth, buttery aftertaste.
  6. Jin Xuan Milk Oolong from Teavivre – The first steep of this tea ended up tasting like sour grapes and bright florals, with a hint of roasted nuts and a supremely smooth mouthfeel.  The second steep increased the almost-honey flavor and feeling of the tea, and brought forward some either, grassier notes to the brew, and maintained the milky smooth texture.  
  7. Tie Kwan Yin Oolong from Tea Ave – The first steep was surprisingly roasty, with notes like warm toast or freshly baked bread.  There were no green or floral flavors, but the starchiness was well-balanced with an herbaceous earthiness.  The second steep brought out a stronger roast, and slightly bitter, dry hay notes, though the flavors were still balanced and very drinkable.  
  8. Shui Xian Oolong from Origins Tea – The tightly rolled dark leaves, smelled like hay and earth slightly bitter, though the first steep had a pop of tart currant, quickly buried under strong, roasted almond flavors.  This tea had a dry mouthfeel, very nutty and savory, with even a hint of smoke, like an oolong for lapsang-lovers.  The second steep brought out even more sweet, starchy, marzipan flavors.  
  9. Alishan Charcoal Fire Heavy Roast from T-Oolong Tea (Spring 2012) – Despite the name the first steep of this tea did have some bright notes like a greener alishan oolong but with a distinct, roasted, malty depth.  There are some charcoal notes: mineral and toasted.  Both steeps brew up dark in color, the second steep maintains the toasted rice and malt flavors as the first steep, but develops a smoother mouthfeel.  (See a review from my fellow Sororitea Sister). 
  10. Gingseng Oolong from Enjoying Tea – I tried this tea last, because it was the only flavored oolong in this grouping.  Anything with added flavor was bound to be more potent than just the leaves alone.  This tea smells sweet in the dry leaf, and brews sweet and sour with a very strong passionfruit flavor: green and slightly tropical.  The second steep is earthier, less sweet and more like wet foliage, still some lingering passionfruit notes, especially on the aftertaste.  

And there you have it– the results of my Oolong-A-Thon!  

Like black or green teas, there are many variations and flavors to be had from trying a variety of oolong teas.  From my point of view, there wasn’t a bad tea in the bunch, and each had its own flavors to suit the changing weather or my variable tea cravings.  

There is certainly an oolong out there that will fit your tastes as well.  Happy oolong brewing!

Silver Needle White Tea (Bai Hao Yinzhen) from Enjoying Tea

silverneedle

Tea Information:

Leaf Type:  White

Where to Buy:  Enjoying Tea

Tea Description:

This white tea with a white downy appearance comes from the province of Zhejiang. The Silver Needle, highest quality white tea, is picked during the spring before the buds open to preserve its tenderness. Exquisite and delicate, Silver Needle has a fresh, sweet fragrance and produces a pale yellow brew. Brewing with a Yixing teapot can best show the aroma of Silver Needle. This tea has high concentrations of polyphenols (antioxidants that help fight against cancer-causing radicals and heart disease)

Learn more about this tea here.

Taster’s Review:

This is a LOVELY Silver Needle White Tea – also known as Bai Hao Yinzhen – from Enjoying Tea.  It is so deliciously sweet and beautifully delicate.

The aroma is sweet and reminiscent of hay.  I’ve compared the fragrance of other Silver Needle teas that I’ve tried to the scent of the air that would surround a field of hay after a cutting, and that is true of this Bai Hao Yinzhen as well.  It smells fresh.

The flavor is also fresh tasting.  Sweet, mellow vegetative tones.  It is certainly delicate, and I have heard that some people tend to avoid white teas because of their delicate quality.  I would say don’t let this detract you!  It took me a while to allow my palate to adapt to the lighter characteristics of a white tea … but once my palate became accustomed to the softer flavor, it was so rewarding!  I love white tea!

This Silver Needle from Enjoying Tea is an absolute delight!

Indian Mocha Chai from Enjoying Tea

Tea Information:

Leaf Type:  Black

Where to Buy:  Enjoying Tea

Product Description: 

This Sri Lankan Chai is made from Indian spices and high-grown Ceylon tea with natural cherry and chocolate flavors. The combination of ingredients gives this tea the depth and character of those served in Chai stands prevalent in India and Sri Lanka. This tea has a superb body with mellow Indian spice notes and overtones of mocha. When brewed this chai is coppery and bright in color and is wonderful served with milk. Please note: Turn your bag of Chai upside down a few times. The powdered spices can settle at the bottom of the bag during transit.

Taster’s Review:

This is one of the more unusual chai blends that I’ve encountered.  When I first tasted it, even before reading the product description (above), I immediately tasted the chocolate, but there was something else there too.  Something I couldn’t put my finger on immediately, and then it came to me:  Cherry!  I don’t think I’ve ever had a chocolate cherry chai blend before.

The chocolate and cherry flavors really give this a unique and delicious flavor.  It isn’t a overly sweet, cloying chocolate-covered-cherry kind of flavor, but more of a savory, dark cocoa powder with slight bitter undertones and a sweet-tart cherry accompaniment.

The spices are mild here.  I can taste the cinnamon the strongest, but other spices are difficult to distinguish.  The black tea base is a delicious black tea; it isn’t particularly strong and it doesn’t really stand out amongst the other flavors, but it does offer a rich backdrop for the other flavors.

If I were to summarize the flavor of the overall cup in one word, that word would be “mellow.”  Not in a bad way, though, because it’s a very pleasant cup.  I am finding this to be more about the chocolate and cherry flavors, though, than the chai spices.  Again, not a bad thing – just different.  As I’ve said before, sometimes different is good.  And in this case, that is very true.

I find this to be delicious served straight.  If you wish to accentuate the warmth of spices, add a drizzle of honey.  If you want a sweet, creamy treat, try adding some milk and make this a latte.  It makes a fantastic latte!   Very yummy.

Dragon Well Green Tea (Lung Ching) from Enjoying Tea

Tea Information:

Leaf Type:  Green

Where to Buy:  Enjoying Tea

Product Description:

This extraordinary green tea comes from the city of Hangzhou in Zhejiang province. The flat leaves are harvested in early spring when the leaves are full of aroma and have a silvery shine. Dragon Well is prepared using traditional methods from the most tender tea leaves. These leaves produce a soothing and refreshing champagne colored liquid full of freshness. Semi-sweet in taste and orchid-like in smell, Lung Ching is one of the most famous green tea in China.

Taster’s Review:

This is a very pleasant tea to sip after a long, hard day!  I can feel it invigorate my senses and energize me, while restoring a sense of calm to my spirit.  All that from a cup of tea!

But my experiences with Dragon Well teas have not always been so positive.  There was a time when I thought I didn’t like Dragon Well.  But over time, I have grown quite fond of them.  I don’t know if this change has something to do with my palate developing a taste for the vegetative green teas or if it has something to do with the fact that my brewing techniques have improved tremendously over the years, but I’m inclined to believe that it’s a combination of these two factors.

Yes, Dragon Well is quite grassy in taste – heck, the dry leaf even looks like carefully dried blades of cut grass! – but there is so much more to this cup than just a grassy character.  It has so many layers of flavors that are just waiting to be discovered.  This tea is sweet and slightly floral with a nutty quality lingering in the background.

It is delicious to sip – neat and clean – as a hot beverage and quite thirst-quenching when served over ice.  When it is chilled I like it with a little bit of honey added to help pump up the flavor a little bit.

This Dragon Well is another example of why I really like Enjoying Tea.  They have such a wide selection of teas, there is something for everyone, as well as a vast array of tea accessories.  I highly recommend their sampler sets – they’re awesome!

Jasmine Oolong Tea from Enjoying Tea

Tea Information:

Leaf Type:  Oolong

Where to Buy:  Enjoying Tea

Product Description:

Jasmine Oolong is a favorite beverage for all seasons. It produces a pale yellowish brew with a rich and distinctive flavor expertly infused with the sweet, delicate fragrance of fresh summer jasmine. The tea has a very light and subtle jasmine flavor.

Taster’s Review:

I love this Jasmine Oolong!  It is wonderful!

The Oolong tea is light in flavor with a smooth, silky mouthfeel.  Just slightly vegetative but with very little buttery taste that is often associated with the greener Oolong varieties.  It has a hint of fruity taste as well, just barely there, lingering in the background.

There is a light astringency to it that seems to wash over the mouthfeel just enough so that it doesn’t impart a slick feeling in the finish.  The aftertaste is lightly floral.

The jasmine is so beautifully delicate in this cup.  It doesn’t overwhelm the palate and it isn’t too sweet or too sharp… a pleasant balance of characteristics to this jasmine, and I like that it doesn’t interfere with the complexity of the Oolong.

I steeped this in a gaiwan – steeping just 45 seconds for the first steep, and increasing the time by 15 seconds for each subsequent infusion.  I managed eight very flavorful infusions this way.  The sumptuous flavor is so comforting and delightful!

This is a tea I’d recommend to those who wish to explore jasmine but find some of the green jasmine teas to be a bit too sharp or overwhelming.  This jasmine may just be the perfect jasmine for you!