Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Eco-Cha
Tea Description:
This is a newly developed farm in Taiwan’s prime tea growing region. The tea plants are just coming of age at 5 years of growth out of virgin forest soil in an environment that is ideal for High Mountain Oolong cultivation.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I was so excited to try more teas from Eco Cha – I have absolutely LOVED all the teas that I’ve tried from them thus far. This is a really top-notch company! The teas that they offer are some of the finest that I’ve tried. And this Da Yu Ling High Mountain Oolong Tea from Eco Cha is no exception … this is absolutely lovely!
The aroma of the dry leaf is somewhat herbaceous with strong floral tones. The brewed tea has a fragrance that is more delicate, with hints of herb-y vegetation and whispers of flower.
The flavor is positively sublime! I prepared this in my gaiwan, using short steeps. For the first infusion, rather than steeping for 45 seconds, I stopped at 30 seconds just to see how it would be. Then I combined the first and second infusion in one cup (infusion #2 was steeped for 45 seconds), and this cup is fantastic.
I would have expected a very light or delicate flavor, and while it is not what I’d call a strong tasting cup, I would still call it a full-flavored cup. It’s sweet and very creamy. The floral notes dance on the palate. It has a light vegetative note. This cup was so delicious that it disappeared before I knew it!
The second cup (infusions 3 and 4) had a stronger vegetative taste to it, as well as a sharper floral flavor. It wasn’t as creamy as the first. Well … it’s creamy … but, it’s a different creamy. The first cup was a light, fluffy sort of creaminess that I’d call a sweet cream note, whereas this creaminess is more like butter that has been drizzled over freshly steamed veggies.
With most Oolong teas, my favorite cup is the second, but, so far, my first cup was my favorite. I really liked the balance of flavors in that first cup. This cup is still quite tasty, but, I’m missing some of that delectable sweet cream creaminess that was in the first cup.
The third cup (infusions 5 and 6) is a smoother cup than the second, with some of the creaminess still intact and the vegetative and floral tones softening somewhat to create a more seamless taste. The flavors that were very distinct and “individual” in the first two cups are now melding together to present a unified taste for the palate.
This is a very enjoyable Oolong – I highly recommend it to all those who love Oolong!
Red Jade Tea from Eco Cha
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Eco-Cha
Tea Description:
The maker of this tea is employed by the Yu Chi Township Tea Research Extension Station and his factory produced the winner of the 2011 Black Tea Competition in this area. He is a leading figure in his field and his knowledge and expertise of black tea cultivation in Taiwan is virtually unsurpassed.
Learn more about this tea here.
Subscribe to Steepster Select here.
Taster’s Review:
I was really excited when I found teas from Eco Cha in January’s Steepster Select Box. Eco Cha is one of my favorite “new” companies. I’ve tried a few teas from them, and I’ve enjoyed each one, and I’m loving this Red Jade Tea too!
The aroma of the tea has a warm spiced scent to it – not really spicy, but more like a touch of spice. The flavor is full and there is a fair amount of astringency to this. I taste the notes of cinnamon and clove that are mentioned in the description of this tea, but I didn’t start noticing the mint until I got to mid-cup. Then I noticed the “tingly” sensation of mint, and I could feel the cooling sensation of the mint when I would inhale air over my palate in the aftertaste. It doesn’t taste distinctly of mint … but it has mint-like qualities.
I also taste a sort of “grain” like flavor: like malt. Not like the malty note you might taste from an Assam tea, but, more like the flavor of a hot cereal. That kind of malt. It’s a comforting kind of flavor, just like a steaming hot bowl of hot cereal would be. There is also a wine-like quality that I taste – reminiscent of black currant. Sweet and slightly fruity.
I recommend steeping this for just 2 1/2 minutes in boiling water, because a longer steep time could result in a slightly bitter tasting cup. I brewed mine at 3 minutes, and I started to notice just a hint of bitterness, nothing I found off-putting, but it made me wish I had infused the leaves for 2 1/2 minutes rather than three.
Another enjoyable tea from Eco Cha, and yet another tea that makes me glad that I subscribe to Steepster Select!
Shan Lin Xi High Mountain Oolong Tea from Eco Cha
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Eco-Cha
Tea Description:
This tea garden was planted just 8 years ago, which is younger than most in the Shan Lin Xi area. This skilled farmer’s tea is in high demand and quickly sells out on a seasonal basis. This winter’s yield was record-low. This day’s harvest produced a mere 175 pounds of tea.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
The aroma of this Shan Lin Xi High Mountain Oolong Tea from Eco Cha is interesting – I can’t recall smelling another tea quite like it. Oh, it has some similarities to some other green Oolong teas, but, there is a delicate hint of pine resin to the scent that I don’t think I’ve found in other Oolong teas. The overall fragrance is soft, with fresh notes of grass and flower and whispers of fruit, and then there is that subtle note of pine. Interesting!
The brewed tea is much more vegetative to me than the dry leaf was, it is the scent of mild steamed veggies with a nutty tone.
I brewed this the way I would typically prepare an Oolong … in my gaiwan! My first cup (infusions 1 and 2 following a quick rinse) is a sweet and savory tasting tea, with floral tones and a slight woodsy taste. The floral tones are very soft and pleasantly sweet here. The texture is light and refreshing, it doesn’t have that buttery or creamy texture that so many other green Oolong teas tend to have. This is much lighter and cleaner. There is a mild astringency at the finish.
The second cup had a stronger flavor than the first (as is often the case with Oolong tea). This cup is slightly more astringent than the first cup and the flavor is more floral than the first. I notice a slight resinous flavor here which makes it seem like a perfect Oolong for this time of year! The texture remains light despite the stronger flavors.
I think with this Oolong, my third cup is my favorite. Here is where I notice more of the fruity notes coming forward. I taste a crisp, green apple sort of flavor, and I notice more sweetness as well. The floral notes have tapered, and there is still some astringency here, but, it is subdued compared to the second cup.
Overall, a lovely Oolong. It’s a bit different than some of the green, high mountain type Oolong teas that I’ve tasted before, and I like it when I find something different like this. It still surprises me that with as many teas that I’ve tasted over the years … I can still find teas like this one that challenge what I’ve come to know about teas.
Jin Xuan Oolong Tea from Eco Cha
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Eco-Cha
Tea Description:
This batch of tea was made by an artisan who won first prize in this year’s Nantou County Jin Xuan Oolong Tea Competition of 2,400 entries, and Nantou is home to the best oolong tea makers in the world. The tea he produces is, in a word, exemplary.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
In my “career” as a tea reviewer, I’ve tasted quite a few “milk Oolong” teas. But this Jin Xuan Oolong Tea from Eco Cha has to be one of the finest I’ve tried yet.
What leads me to that declaration is this very first cup that I’ve brewed. Typically the first cup of a Milk Oolong (infusions 1 and 2) is a soft and creamy cup, but, it isn’t quite as thick or lush as the subsequent infusions. It tends to be lighter in texture and more delicate in flavor than the subsequent infusions – and granted, I haven’t yet gotten to my second cup of this tea yet so I don’t know how different that cup will be from this one.
However, this cup is very flavorful! More flavorful than a typical Milk Oolong. This first cup tastes like it would be the second cup of another Milk Oolong. This is an outstanding Jin Xuan!
The second cup was just a little bit creamier and richer than the first, but the two cups were very similar, perhaps more similar than is typically my experience with a Milk Oolong. Usually, the first cup is much lighter, and the second cup is quite creamy, but with this tea from Eco Cha, I am noticing more of that milky consistency in both cups (the first four infusions).
With the third cup (infusions 5 and 6), the flavors began to taper. I noticed a little more astringency with this cup, and it wasn’t quite as creamy as the first two cups. With this cup, I notice more definition of the fruit notes, and I can taste a hint of citrus. Still a very flavorful cup, the honeyed notes seemed to emerge more with this cup and I liked the way these honey-like tones complemented the bright citrus notes.
An excellent Jin Xuan Oolong Tea. Definitely one of the finest Milk Oolong teas I’ve tasted.
Shan Lin Xi High Mountain Black Tea from Eco-Cha
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Eco-Cha
Tea Description:
This farm is owned and operated by a prominent tea artisan with several decades of experience in tea cultivation. He has been awarded champion of the most prestigious Oolong Tea competition in the world which is held at the Lu Gu Farmers’ Association. Nevertheless, his humble character allows us to sit and chat with him in his modest first generation tea factory on a regular basis. The tea garden is cultivated without any chemical weed killers or fertilizers, and only minimal use of water soluble pesticides early in the growing season.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
The dry leaf of this Shan Lin Xi High Mountain Black Tea from Eco-Cha looks a lot like an Oolong. The name even sounds like an Oolong … that is until you get to the “black tea” part.
The brewed tea is lighter in color than the average black tea. But nothing about this tea screams average to me – and that’s definitely a good thing! The liquid is golden and has a slightly earthy and woodsy aroma. I also smell notes of fruit and flower.
The flavor is incredible! It is so deliciously sweet. I am quick to identify vanilla notes – sweet and creamy. As the tea cools slightly, I am able to notice a minty tone to the tea. This minty flavor is especially noticeable when I slurp the tea, aerating it. I even notice the cooling effect of the mint-like flavor too, it kind of took me by surprise because there is no mint in this tea … only tea leaves!
The woodsy notes that are present in the fragrance start to present themselves in the flavor as well, but they are a bit more distant in the flavor than they are in the scent.
There are hints of flower in the distance, and these emerge more as the tea continues to cool. There is a warmth to this tea as well, like a warm spice note. The tasting notes on the Eco-Cha website suggest cinnamon, and I’m not sure that I’m actually tasting a distinct cinnamon note, but, there is definitely a warm spice note.
In one sip, I taste a slightly earthy note, the cool, crisp tones of mint, a sweet, creamy note that is very vanilla-esque, the warmth of spice and hints of flower and fruit and wood. I find that it is best served hot, but do yourself a favor and let it cool for just a few moments after you’ve poured it from your teapot. The cooling time gives the flavors time to set up, and it’s worth the wait! This is good chilled too, but, I think that some of the complexity is lost as the tea gets cold, and the complexity here is so amazing that you really want to experience it!
Take this one for a second infusion too … it’s still really flavorful! The flavors are not quite as focused as they were in the first infusion, but I still tasted all the flavors I did with the first pot of tea. Amazing!
It’s a beautiful tea, and definitely one worth exploring!