Bao Zhong from The Persimmon Tree

by Azzrian
Bao Zhong from The Persimmon Tree
Bao Zhong from The Persimmon Tree

Tea Information:

Leaf Type: Pouchong, Oolong

Where to Buy: The Persimmon Tree 

Tea Description: 

The Bao Zhong tea’s hand-picked, long, twisted pouchong tea leaves are slightly oxidized, brewing a fresh, jade-colored infusion with delicate notes of lilac and pear.

 

 

IngredientsOrganic Oolong Loose-Leaf Tea, Bao Zhong Tea, Pouchong Tea
CharacteristicsRefreshing, Organic, Unblended

 

Learn more about this tea here.

Taster’s Review:

I love a good pouchong and Bao Zhong from The Persimmon Tree fits this craving I am having! Its even better because it is organic!

The Persimmon Tree is dedicated to providing fair trade, organic, loose leaf teas. See more information about that here.

When I was young we had white lilac bushes growing between my home and my neighbor’s home. They were so beautiful and oh so fragrant. This tea takes me back to those years.

The floral after taste is lovely, light, and lingering. It makes me feel as though I have a vase full of flowers right next to me. The pear note is really quite light and I am not sure that I detect it as well as I could but it does have a very naturally sweet note with the littlest bit of a tang from the pear note.

What I love is that there is nothing like a good pouchong. It has such a wonderfully distinct flavor and aroma. Its something between coconut, vanilla, and floral scent that just captivates me, pulls me in, and won’t let me go, leaving me craving it for days after days until finally it allows my mind to release it long enough so that I can go back to other teas and rediscover this again, at a later time, each time fully being enraptured just as I was the last time I sipped it. Every time I have this pouchong its like a totally new experience all over again.

Azzrian

This post was posted in Oolong

Bao Zhong from Rishi Tea

by liberteas

Tea Information:

Leaf Type:  Oolong

Where to Buy:  Rishi Tea

Tea Description:

Bao Zhong is a very lightly oxidized oolong with a clear green, delicate infusion and fresh floral notes of lilac and lily.

Learn more about this tea here.

Taster’s Review:

I love the aroma of this tea.  It smells so beautiful – like a field full of flowers in bloom, with hints of greenery in the background… it’s one of those intoxicating fragrances – it keeps me picking up the cup and holding it to my nose just so that I can smell it.

The flavor is also floral, but not quite as strong as I expected it to be based upon the aroma.  The vegetative notes seem to soften the impact of the flowery tones, and brings some balance to the taste.  Overall, I find the flavor to be soft, creamy, lightly vegetal and sweet with lovely floral notes dancing on the tongue.

I really like this – it’s different than what I would have expected from a greener Oolong – typically when I come across a green Oolong, thoughts of either a Tie Guan Yin or an Ali Shan quickly come to mind, but this tea is softer.  The floral tones are not quite as sharp, neither are the vegetal notes.  Everything is softer, even the creamy notes, which I’d describe as neither buttery or milky… just smooth and silky.

A very nice change of pace kind of Oolong for those times when you want something a little familiar but still quite different from what you’re used to.

liberteas

Anne (aka the Mad Tea Artist) has celebrated her 29th birthday for many years now. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her hubby and her youngest daughter. Her oldest daughter is married and has bestowed Anne with the proud title of "Gramma" and her grandson is about the cutest boy you ever did see. Anne started her journey with tea as a casual drinker and became more serious about her tea drinking when she realized that she couldn't drink coffee. Shortly thereafter, she started becoming obsessed with the beverage and she started creating small-batch, artisan blends of tea that she sold online as LiberTEAS. After a few years, she realized she wasn't cut out to be the sole proprietor of a business so she closed LiberTEAS and started reviewing teas online. She met Jennifer through another blog that they both reviewed for and they decided to start their own review blog. This review blog! Throughout her journey as a tea reviewer, she discovered 52Teas and became enamored with the idea of creating a new tea every week. When the founder of 52Teas decided he wanted to move on, he offered the business to Anne but knowing that she wasn't cut out to be a sole proprietor, she instead offered the company to her oldest daughter who employs her as the Mad Tea Artist for 52Teas!

This post was posted in Oolong

Flowery Pineapple Oolong from Butiki Teas

by liberteas

Tea Information:

Leaf Type:  Oolong

Where to Buy:  Butiki Teas

Tea Description:

This light delicate tea pairs our premium Wen Shan Bao Zhong with a light pineapple flavor. The buttery and orchid notes of the oolong as well as its light body marry well with the pineapple flavor for a well-balanced soft tea. Without sugar this oolong has a wonderful light natural flavor but add a little brown crystal sugar for a stronger yet still natural pineapple flavor.

Learn more about this tea here.

Taster’s Review:

I found this tea very difficult to brew.  You see, the dry leaf of this tea smelled so AMAZING that I didn’t want to put it into my teapot to start the brewing process!  The pineapple aroma was so deliciously tropical, and I could smell the floral tones from the Wen Shan Bao Zhong, and these two notes together were so beautifully fragrant that it was positively mesmerizing.

Finally, I managed to break the enchantment that this aromatic tea held over me and allowed the tea to brew.  Normally, I brew Oolong teas in my gaiwan, but with flavored Oolong teas I usually make an exception and steep it in my Breville One-Touch instead, which is what I did.  175°F for 3 1/2 minutes.

The aroma of the brewed tea is almost as incredible as that of the dry leaf.  The scent has softened somewhat, but I still smell this unbelievable fragrance of floral notes from the Oolong and juicy pineapple.  This scent should be bottled!

The flavor is just as delicious as the fragrance.  The overall cup presents itself in a very soft, supple way – it is very luxurious to sip.  The flavor is sweet and juicy and pineapple-y, with delightful floral notes that weave their way in and out throughout the sip.  The texture is smooth and silky.  As the tea cools, I notice that the flavors become almost creamy, like a pineapple smoothie in tea form.  It’s very refreshing and rejuvenating.

One of the nicest pineapple flavored teas I’ve tasted in quite some time!

liberteas

Anne (aka the Mad Tea Artist) has celebrated her 29th birthday for many years now. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her hubby and her youngest daughter. Her oldest daughter is married and has bestowed Anne with the proud title of "Gramma" and her grandson is about the cutest boy you ever did see. Anne started her journey with tea as a casual drinker and became more serious about her tea drinking when she realized that she couldn't drink coffee. Shortly thereafter, she started becoming obsessed with the beverage and she started creating small-batch, artisan blends of tea that she sold online as LiberTEAS. After a few years, she realized she wasn't cut out to be the sole proprietor of a business so she closed LiberTEAS and started reviewing teas online. She met Jennifer through another blog that they both reviewed for and they decided to start their own review blog. This review blog! Throughout her journey as a tea reviewer, she discovered 52Teas and became enamored with the idea of creating a new tea every week. When the founder of 52Teas decided he wanted to move on, he offered the business to Anne but knowing that she wasn't cut out to be a sole proprietor, she instead offered the company to her oldest daughter who employs her as the Mad Tea Artist for 52Teas!

This post was posted in Oolong

Coconut Oolong from Rishi Tea

by liberteas

Tea Information:

Leaf Type:  Oolong

Where to Buy:  Rishi Tea

Product Description:

Creamy, smooth coconut perfectly blended with Bao Zhong oolong.

Taster’s Review:

This is so nice.  I’ve tried several coconut Oolong/coconut Pouchong, but this just may be my favorite of those that I’ve tasted.  The reason is that the Oolong flavor here dominates, with a lovely coconut tone that rests in the background and lingers in the aftertaste.  While the coconut is an obvious presence in this cup, it does not overpower the sweet notes of the Bao Zhong Oolong tea.

The Oolong has a beautiful smooth flavor.  While I wouldn’t consider it an overtly rich Oolong, it does have hints of buttery undertones.  This isn’t the typical buttery Oolong where it feels like it’s left a thick coat of buttery essence in your mouth.  Don’t get me wrong, I like those Oolongs too (yum, butter!) but, I like the refreshing lightness of this Bao Zhong.  It has a hint of astringency at the tail that is not so much drying as it is lightly cleansing, keeping the palate clear to enjoy the coconut flavors.

This is a delicious Oolong!  I love it!

liberteas

Anne (aka the Mad Tea Artist) has celebrated her 29th birthday for many years now. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her hubby and her youngest daughter. Her oldest daughter is married and has bestowed Anne with the proud title of "Gramma" and her grandson is about the cutest boy you ever did see. Anne started her journey with tea as a casual drinker and became more serious about her tea drinking when she realized that she couldn't drink coffee. Shortly thereafter, she started becoming obsessed with the beverage and she started creating small-batch, artisan blends of tea that she sold online as LiberTEAS. After a few years, she realized she wasn't cut out to be the sole proprietor of a business so she closed LiberTEAS and started reviewing teas online. She met Jennifer through another blog that they both reviewed for and they decided to start their own review blog. This review blog! Throughout her journey as a tea reviewer, she discovered 52Teas and became enamored with the idea of creating a new tea every week. When the founder of 52Teas decided he wanted to move on, he offered the business to Anne but knowing that she wasn't cut out to be a sole proprietor, she instead offered the company to her oldest daughter who employs her as the Mad Tea Artist for 52Teas!

This post was posted in Oolong