Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Teavivre
Tea Description:
This Organic Dragon Well Long Jing tea origins in organic tea base of Tianmu Mountain in Lin’an, Hangzhou. The organic tea base of Tianmu Mountain, has passed the organic certification of European, USA and Japan, is a significant base of planting organic dragon well and green tea. This dragon well long jing tea persists a high level in picking and producing while meeting the standard of organic certification. The tea should be picked as one bud and two leaves or three leaves in order to reach the standard. Tea workers also have excellent skills, which help keep the natural features of fresh tea leaves. Combined with the advantages of organic tea and high grade tea, this dragon well long jing tea is suitable for tea lovers of organic tea as well as dragon well green tea.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Oh how I love Teavivre! Why? Because they never fail to impress me with their high quality teas. This Organic Superfine Dragon Well Long Jing Green Tea is absolutely stunning!
It tastes so deliciously sweet, smooth, and there isn’t even the slightest hint of bitterness. It is sweet from start to finish. It is vaguely reminiscent of tender, freshly roasted chestnuts. The buttery smooth, sweet flavor of chestnut! YUM! There are also notes of savory vegetation in there too … not really grassy, or even like steamed veggies … but just that subtle touch of “green” to it. This is the way a Dragon Well should taste!
I love the freshness of this Dragon Well and this is typical of all the teas that Teavivre offers – their teas are just so very fresh and delicious. (Except for their pu-erhs which are aged and delicious.) I also love that this particular selection is an organic offering. Without having compared a conventionally grown Dragon Well versus an organically grown Dragon Well, I can’t say that there is a difference in taste between the two. But, I know that I feel better knowing that this tea is organic.
This tea is delicious served hot, but, it’s also quite nice when chilled – which is how I’m drinking it now. I had brewed a teapot of the tea this afternoon, and drank one cup of it hot, and then refrigerated the rest of it, and am able to enjoy a frosty glass of tasty iced tea. While I do prefer MOST teas served hot versus iced … since the warm weather is upon us now, it’s nice to be able to enjoy this one iced. It’s very refreshing!
Burnside Extra Long Wirey Oolong from Red Leaf Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Red Leaf Tea
Tea Description:
In the Nilgiri District of Central India, the Blue Mountains are the home of the Burnside Estate Tea Farm. Every January, after the first frost of the year coats the young buds, this estate harvests the pekoe leaves and creates several varieties of tea from them, including this outstanding extra long wirey oolong. By combining mountain elevations, which encourages the trees to draw nutrients from the soil, an early harvest, which encourages lightness and clarity in the brew, and then by twisting the oolong tea leaves into stretched out “wires,” Burnside has created a loose leaf tea that can boast incredible body and intensity, while keeping astringency to a minimum. Sweeter than any other oolong, this Burnside Estate leaf will provide you with some of the strongest expressions of pure tea flavor that you will ever find!
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I’ve been reviewing so many flavored Matcha from Red Leaf Tea in the last few months that you might have forgotten that they also sell tea other than Matcha, too!
This Oolong is different from other Oolong teas that I’ve tried. The dry leaves are just as the name implies: long and wiry. They are dark in color, indicating to me that this is a darker Oolong, and generally with darker Oolong teas I tend to expect more of a fruitier taste than a flowery one, and that is true here. This does have a fruity character, but, where it’s different is the way the fruit notes present themselves.
Ordinarily, when I say fruit, I refer to a sweet tasting flavor that tastes similar to some sort of fruit. (I know, duh! right?) But, here, I taste sort of a sweet-and-sour taste that reminds me a bit of a slightly under-ripe plum, with hints of a peachy-apricot-y flavor in the background. There is a vivid contrast between the sweet and sour.
I taste faint notes of floral tones to this as well, and while these floral notes seem to intensify as I continue to sip, they never seem to become a strong flavor of this tea. There are woodsy notes to this as well as a faint earthiness. These flavors also seem to come out a little more in subsequent infusions, but never really become a strong flavor of this tea.
I like the complexity of this. In one sip, I’ll notice a hint of honey-like flavor, in the next, my palate seems to linger over the sour notes. It’s really quite beautiful: light, crisp and tasty!
Organic Superfine Dragon Well Long Jing from Teavivre
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Teavivre
Tea Description:
This Organic Dragon Well Long Jing tea origins in organic tea base of Tianmu Mountain in Lin’an, Hangzhou. The organic tea base of Tianmu Mountain, has passed the organic certification of European, USA and Japan, is a significant base of planting organic dragon well and green tea. This dragon well long jing tea persists a high level in picking and producing while meeting the standard of organic certification. The tea should be picked as one bud and two leaves or three leaves in order to reach the standard. Tea workers also have excellent skills, which help keep the natural features of fresh tea leaves. Combined with the advantages of organic tea and high grade tea, this dragon well long jing tea is suitable for tea lovers of organic tea as well as dragon well green tea.
Learn more about this green tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I like Dragon Well tea (I didn’t always, but that’s another story), so it doesn’t surprise me that I’m enjoying this Organic Superfine Long Jing from Teavivre. I knew I’d like it. And I do.
But, what I didn’t expect is how much I’d like it. This is one of the very best – if not the best – Dragon Well teas I’ve encountered. It tastes so crisp and clean. It tastes sweet and slightly vegetative, with buttery undertones. Vaguely reminiscent of steamed fresh veggies – sweet, mild tasting veggies. Like fresh lima beans with just a touch of melted butter. Delicious and mouthwatering!
What I really like about this tea, though, is not the vegetable taste but the taste of freshly roasted chestnuts! Because of this sweet, nutty flavor, it tastes very much like autumn to me, and is making me look forward to a time when it will be cool enough to start a fire in the fireplace and roast some chestnuts! YUM!
Drinking this Long Jing offers a great sense of calm and satisfaction, but at the same time, I can feel it rejuvenate me. I feel invigorated as I drink it – but not so invigorated that I am bouncing off the walls. It leaves me feeling refreshed and relaxed.
Another exceptional tea from a company that seems to offer nothing but exceptional teas – Teavivre!
Shanlinxi Long Feng Xia Oolong Tea from T-Oolong Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: T-Oolong Tea
Tea Description:
Our Long Feng Xia Oolong tea is handpicked and handcrafted. The tea is produced from Qingxin Oolong varietal grown in Long Feng Xia district located in the mountain areas of Shanlinxi, frequently covered with fog or clouds. The ideal tea growing environment of the high mountain plantations makes the tea high quality. The brewed Long Feng Xia Oolong has a strong floral and sweet aroma and taste, a long-lasting flavor and a strong sweet aftertaste. It is very smooth and delectable.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This is the first tea that I’ve tried from this company, and it’s absolutely delightful!
I steeped this in my gaiwan, starting with a quick 10 second rinse, and then infusing for 1 minute for the first infusion, and adding 15 seconds to each subsequent infusion. I combined the first two infusions for my first cup, then the third and fourth infusion combined made up my second cup, and finally, the combination of infusions five and six made my third and final cup.
With my first cup: the flavor is intense! A lovely sweetness that reminds me of honeysuckle. The floral notes start off very strong and begin to mellow toward the end of the sip. There is a mild fruit-tone to this tea as well, starting off with a peach-like flavor that tapers into a citrus-y tone which complements the light, tangy astringency at the tail. The mouthfeel is very creamy and smooth, and the aftertaste is sweet.
My second cup delivered a stronger floral taste, tasting almost like orchid and honeysuckle. The fruit notes that I noticed in my first cup seem to be overwhelmed by the floral notes. The mouthfeel seems a little less creamy, but it is still thick and silky.
My third cup was milder than the second with softer floral notes; and more of a unified flavor than the first with the floral notes and re-emerging fruit tones becoming more of a seamless flavor. The astringency is lighter, as is the mouthfeel.
I am so pleased with this tea, and it has piqued my interest in this company. I can’t wait to try some of their other offerings … and be sure to stay tuned for more reviews!