Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Green Terrace Teas
Tea Description:
Our founder’s favorite tea – this is a rare and unique cultivar available only in Taiwan. Grown at elevations of over 2,000 meters, our spring harvest is both exquisite and complex in character. Non-astringent and mildly sweet, this black tea has floral and fruity undertones with notes of plum and honey. Its aroma of sweet, ripe fruit is strong and noticeable instantly after the leaves come in contact with hot water. If you’ve never had a quality black tea before, this variety is a must try. Best brewed with multiple, short infusions.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Oh my goodness, this is so amazingly good.
Once upon a time, I was introduced to one of the most amazing black teas I had ever tasted. It was called Dawn by Simple Leaf. Since that time, Simple Leaf has closed. Sadness! But since that time, I have found a few teas that stack up to that amazing black tea. This is one such tea. This tea … is just as good – if not better, than I remember Dawn tasting!
It’s SWEET, rich and chocolate-y. Background notes of sweet stone fruit. A honey-caramel sweetness to this as well as the sweet fruit and flower notes that fill out the background. As I continue to sip, I notice more of the fruit and floral notes emerging, and the chocolate-y notes seem to back off just a bit to allow the other flavors to be discovered. I notice some of the “berry-esque” notes that I would taste if I were eating a high quality dark chocolate.
This is well-rounded and even though it coats the palate with delicious flavors, it isn’t a heavy tea. My palate doesn’t feel overwhelmed after I’ve had a sip. The aftertaste is lightly sweet.
I used boiling water to infuse this tea, using about 1 1/2 teaspoons of leaf for 12 ounces of water, and steeped the tea for 3 minutes. This produced a remarkably satisfying cup. Smooth, rich, and invigorating.
A truly wonderful tea! I’ve enjoyed all the teas that I’ve tried from Green Terrace Teas thus far – but this … this is my favorite. This is one that everyone should try, especially if you find yourself missing Dawn or if you never had the opportunity to try Dawn! Put this on your shopping list right now!
Li Shan High Mountain Oolong from Green Terrace Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Green Terrace Teas
Tea Description:
Li Shan, or “Pear Mountain”, is named after the abundant pear orchards that originally occupied the region. In addition to its rich soil, Li Shan’s high altitude maintains a cool and moist climate that is ideal for creating superior quality tea. Our spring harvest was grown at an elevation of about 2,000 meters, or over 6,500 ft! Tea from Li Shan has a very high demand due to its limited supply and superior quality. Floral and fruity in character, this tea also has a very clean, soft mouth feel and evokes exotic flavors such as mango and tropical fruit. Can be steeped multiple times without losing flavor.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Yes! I love Li Shan Oolong Tea! And this Li Shan from Green Terrace Teas is OUTSTANDING!
Since this is a Li Shan, I grabbed my Yi Xing Mug and I combined the first five infusions (I steeped the tea in my gaiwan) following a 15 second rinse into the first mug full of deliciousness.
I measured out one of my bamboo scoops full of the tightly wound, deep forest green pellets and placed them in the bottom of my “easy” gaiwan – so called because it has a “straining” lid, a spout, and little “stump” handles to make it easy to handle when there’s hot liquid inside.
I poured in the hot water (I usually go with 180°F for Oolong teas, and I saw no reason to not go with that temperature today), and after 15 seconds, I strained the liquid (this was the rinse). Then I steeped the first infusion for 45 seconds and added 15 seconds onto each subsequent infusion.
And mmm! When you have a Li Shan, you can expect a creamy texture and a sweet, floral taste. But there are always little nuances that make one Li Shan Oolong offered by one tea purveyor different than another Li Shan Oolong. I’m not sure exactly why that is, but, as the description above suggests, this has a fruity note to it that’s almost like tropical fruit. And I’m getting those tropical fruit notes.
The flavor is sweet and smooth. It’s not screaming out “mango” to me, but it has that luscious sweetness of a mango with notes that are reminiscent of the tropical fruit. I can taste subtle vanilla tones and this adds a pleasing creaminess to the cup and it softens the floral tones.
I like that the vegetal notes here are really quite subdued. It doesn’t have a really strong “green” taste to it, but in the distance, I pick up on those gentle vegetative flavors.
And like many Oolong teas, this one offers quite a few infusions. I got ten infusions out of this tea (five infusions in my first cup and five in the second). The second cup was not quite as creamy as the first, and I noticed more of the floral notes and subtle vegetal notes emerging in the second cup. But this cup wasn’t sharp or bitter the way that floral and/or vegetal notes can sometimes be. It still tasted wonderfully smooth.
It’s still sweet and fruit-like with notes of tropical fruit. Again, I’m not tasting anything distinctly mango but it has notes that sometimes evoke thoughts of sweet mango, and in this second cup, I am also tasting gentle tangy fruit notes too. Nothing that makes me ready to pucker, but, it does add an interesting contrast to the sweeter notes in the cup.
A REALLY good Li Shan! I have tried a few teas from Green Terrace thus far and I’ve been a fan of what I’ve tasted from them. This is a company that I can stand behind and recommend to my readers with confidence.
Jasmine Pearls Mo Li Hua Green Tea from Yezi Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Yezi Tea
Tea Description:
This exquisite organic green tea is harvested in the city of Fuzhou in the famed Fujian province of China. Mo Li Hua is sold as a mix of carefully oxidized green-tea leaves and fragrant jasmine flowers.
Jasmine is the municipal flower of Fuzhou—and for good reason. The citizens of Fuzhou know that there are fewer sensations more rejuvenating than the fragrance of jasmine flowers wafting through their windows on evenings ideal for quiet contemplation. Now you, too, can enjoy this carefully handcrafted loose-leaf green tea. Be sure to note how, as soon as the Mo Li Hua leaves come into contact with water, they expand into exquisite floral patterns, further accentuating the goodness of the brew.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I love jasmine pearls! And these Jasmine Pearls Mo Li Hua Green Tea from Yezi Tea are some of the finest I’ve tried. The aroma is captivating, and the flavor … amazing. And drinking jasmine teas is always a treat for me … not just because I love jasmine, but it also means that I get to get out my Yixing mug. It’s Jasmine time!
The leaves have been carefully wound into small pellets, and these “pearls” slowly unfurl to release their flavor. It’s fun to watch them do their elegant dance in the hot water, so if you have a glass gaiwan … you should use it to brew this tea!
This is a lovely jasmine tea. The jasmine is not nearly as strong in flavor as the fragrance suggests. It is a highly aromatic tea: both the dry leaf and the brewed tea emit an outstanding bouquet. But the flavor of the jasmine is soft and smooth … not at all perfume-y. It is beautifully exotic and feminine without tasting like a bar of soap from one of those luxury bath stores in the mall.
The green tea is sweet and it has a delicate taste that is a perfect complement to the subtle taste of the jasmine flower. There is no sharpness and very little astringency here. It’s just a pleasure to sip, from start to finish.
Yet another amazing tea from Yezi Tea … I’m really impressed with this company thus far!
Pear Mountain (Li Shan) Oolong Tea from Boutique Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Boutique Teas
Tea Description:
Grown on the highest mountain ranges in Taiwan, Pear Mountain oolong is a lightly oxidized rolled oolong. It brews a light liquid with floral notes and a sweet butter cream finish.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This Pear Mountain (Li Shan) Oolong Tea from Boutique Teas is really delightful!
The aroma of the dry leaf is soft and floral with hints of vegetation. I found the brewed tea to be more fragrant than the dry leaf, the floral notes are very distinct now, although I wouldn’t call them overwhelming or even “strong” … but they do make themselves very obvious to the nose.
As with most Oolongs, I took this one through several infusions, brewing the tea in my gaiwan and combining two infusions in one cup. My first cup (the combination of infusions one and two) is very light in body and taste. The floral notes are sharp but subtle. The finish is soft and smooth. This first cup is a very delicate tasting cup, but, don’t let that scare you off! If you take this tea through its paces, you’ll be rewarded with the next few infusions, I promise you!
My second cup (infusions three and four) offered a stronger flavor than the first, with more pronounced floral notes, and even a hint of fruit in the background. This cup is not as soft but just as sweet as the first cup … perhaps sweeter because the flavors are more defined now. The astringency here is very light … lighter than the first cup.
My third cup (infusions five and six) was almost as equally as strong as the second cup, but the flavors seemed to meld together better with this cup. The floral notes were not quite as sharp and distinguished, and the sweet fruit notes in the background came forward a little more. I tasted a thin, flowery, honey-like sweetness that was quite enjoyable in this cup.
I liked this Oolong quite a bit … I liked the way the dimensions of flavor revealed themselves slowly, in their own time, so that each layer of flavor could be recognized and enjoyed. Another great tea from Boutique Teas!