Royal Phoenix Oolong Tea from The Tao of Tea

RoyalPhoenixTea Information:

Leaf Type:  Oolong

Where to Buy:  The Tao of Tea

Tea Description:

The Phoenix Mountains (Fenghuang Shan) in Guangdong, China are home to famous varietals in oolong teas. In our last visit to this area, we studied at least seven different varietals. Notable and popular amongst them is the Mi Lan (Honey Orchid) varietal. Our name for it is Royal Phoenix. 

Learn more about this tea here.

Taster’s Review:

I spent my evening enjoying this Royal Phoenix Oolong Tea from The Tao of Tea.  It’s splendid, and what a wonderful tea with which to just sit back and relax.  Beautifully fragrant and so flavorful.

I enjoyed four fabulous cups of this tea (I combine two infusions in each cup, resulting in eight infusions total).  I think my third cup was my favorite, because it was in this cup that the flavors became very seamless and it was a harmonious experience in flavor.

royalphoenixcuppedMy first cup offered me a soft, honeyed flavor with notes of sweet fruit with just a hint of sour, reminding me very much of a fresh plum.  There were notes of wood and a sort of rustic, earthy note, as well as hints of fragrant flower.  The first cup was the softest of the four cups I enjoyed, but, it was still very flavorful.

The second cup was more honey-ish than the first, with the sweeter notes of the fruit starting to emerge over the tart notes.  The flavors were still very focused in this cup, and it wasn’t until the third cup where the flavors seemed to mellow a little bit and meld into one another and become very smooth and beautifully mellifluous.

The fourth cup, the flavors continue to soften and meld.  However, I noticed that the honey notes were subdued and that is what made the biggest difference for me between cups three and four and why cup three was my favorite, and why I decided to stop at four cups.  The honey notes are just so luscious!

A really enjoyable Oolong.

Superfine Taiwan Qing Xiang Dong Ding Oolong Tea from Teavivre

QingXiangDongDingTea Information:

Leaf Type:  Oolong

Where to Buy:  Teavivre

Tea Description:

In Taiwan Oolong Tea, Dong Ding Oolong Tea is an excellent kind highly praised by the world. Dong Ding is originally planted on Dongding Mountain, which is a branch of Phoenix Mountain, in Lugu Village, Nantou County, Taiwan. The tea is planted in the area at the altitude of 1000 meters. So this is also a High Mountain tea, which is known as its obvious floral fragrance. This Dong Ding Qing Xiang Oolong Tea is made of the tea leaves from Qing Xin Oolong tea tree. This tea has thick and soft leaf, refreshing tea liquid, with strong osmanthus scent. Meanwhile it has strong sweet aftertaste, which makes High Mountain tea more excellent than low altitude tea.

Learn more about this tea here.

Taster’s Review:

This Superfine Taiwan Qing Xiang Dong Ding Oolong Tea from Teavivre is absolutely lovely!  It’s so sweet and lush, with a creamy mouthfeel and an intriguing flavor that has exotic floral notes as well as hints of fruit. I’m enjoying the complexity and the soft texture.

I brewed this Oolong in my gaiwan.  First I did a quick “rinse” or awakening of the tea leaves, by steeping them in hot water for 15 seconds and then straining off and discarding the liquid.  Then I steeped the first infusion for 1 minute (I meant to infuse it for 45 seconds, but I got distracted and missed the 45 second mark, so it steeped for a full 60 seconds), and the second infusion for 1 minute 15 seconds.  I poured both of these infusions into the same cup.  Subsequent infusions were prepared the same way.

The first cup was lighter in texture than those that followed, but, it still possessed a pleasantly creamy mouthfeel.  It is so silky and smooth.  I taste notes of peach, hints of vegetation (just a slight “grassiness” in the background), and a overtone of floral notes.  There is a faint astringency that is most noticeable at the very end of the sip.  I start to notice a slightly dry sensation.

The second cup was my favorite, and this seems to be typical of my Oolong experiences.  It seems that I always love the second cup best.  It felt soft and smooth to the palate, and it had a flavor that was both floral and fruity.  The vegetative notes have emerged slightly and they added an interesting contrast to the sweet fruit and floral tones.

In subsequent infusions, the flavors became more of a harmonious taste.  The flavor remained sweet, and I started to notice an almost “honey-esque” note in the third and forth cups.

I enjoyed my afternoon spent with this Dong Ding from Teavivre.  An excellent choice for the Oolong enthusiast!

It’s a Whole New Giveaway!

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED!  PLEASE VISIT AGAIN SOON TO CATCH OUR NEXT GIVEAWAY!

After a brief break during our Season of Giveaways here on the SororiTEA Sisters blog, we’re back with an all new giveaway!  Our sponsor this week is Boutique Teas!  I’ve had the opportunity to try a couple of their teas so far:  check out my reviews for their Phoenix Oolong and their Big Red Robe Oolong!

boutiqueTeasThis week, we’ll have not just one, not two, but THREE winners of a sample tin size of their amazing Phoenix Oolong Tea!  And these are no ordinary “samples!”  These tins hold enough tea to make 15 – 20 cups of tea. That’s a lot of Oolong goodness!

So if I’ve whetted your appetite for some delicious Phoenix Oolong and you want to win some of this amazing tea … here’s all you have to do to enter:

1.  Post a comment to this blog.  Your blog comment should include a way that we can contact you in case you’re the lucky winner!  The best way to do this is to either join Steepster or Tea Trade so that we can contact you via Private Message at either one of these, or let me know your user name and which site on which I can contact you.

Want to earn additional entries?  Here’s how!

2.  Become a fan of Boutique Teas on Facebook.  Be sure to come back here and let us know that you’ve done this, we do check, but all fans are not automatically entered into this contest … so please let us know!

3.  Follow Boutique Teas on Twitter. Again, be sure to come back here and let us know that you’ve done so!

4.  Tweet about this contest!  It’s as simple as it sounds!  Be sure to include #SororiTeaSister in your tweet so that we see it, and come back here and let us know that you’ve tweeted about the contest.

5.  Share about this contest on your Facebook page.  Again … easy peasy!  Be sure to come back here and provide a link to your post on Facebook so that we can verify the entry when it comes time to tally up the entries and pick a winner.

Now … let’s get down to the nitty gritty … or … the fine print as some would say.  You can enter now through February 10, 2013.  On February 11, I will tally the entries and select three winners randomly via Random.org.  This contest is open to US and Canadian residents.  Your prize will be shipped within 10 days of receipt of your shipping information … so be sure to get back to us promptly if you’re notified as a winner!  If you have been selected as a winner and I do not hear back from you three days after I’ve attempted to notify you, I will need to consider your entry invalid and select a new winner … so like I said, be sure to contact me right away when I contact you.  This ensures a smooth process.

That’s it … GOOD LUCK!

Mi Lan Xiang Phoenix Mountain Dancong from Verdant Tea

Tea Information:

Leaf Type:  Oolong

Where to Buy:  Verdant Tea

Tea Description:

Mi Lan Xiang, literally “Honey Orchid Fragrance” is a real understatement for this tea.  The aroma is absolutely heady and enveloping, like walking into a temple burning sandalwood incense with lotus flowers strewn about, and a faint whiff of pine sap and honeydew melon.

Learn more about this tea here.

Taster’s Review:

I don’t know why I am sitting here in utter amazement.  You’d think that by now, I’d come to expect an exceptional tea from Verdant, and really, I do expect just that, so I guess what I’m trying to say is that such an expectation would render me not so surprised when the tea is indeed exceptional.

But here I sit, astonished and really, quite bowled over at how good this tea is.

The aroma of the dry leaf should have tipped me off.  It smells incredible, and is quite like it’s described in the above “Tea Description.”  I smell notes of burning incense, flowers and melon.  I also smell something not mentioned in the aforementioned tea description:  freshly baked goods.  My mouth began watering as I stood there, in a daze by the smell of such a delectable fragrance.

I steeped this the way I would normally steep a quality Oolong tea – in my gaiwan, using short steeps following a quick rinse, combining the results of two infusions in one cup and savoring the mixture.

The first cup offered notes of spice and wood.  In my first couple of sips, I did not taste a “lotus” like flavor, but as I continued to sip, the lotus flavor developed.  I found this first cup to be more savory with hints of a honey-esque sweetness underneath, rather than the other way around.  Many times, with Oolong tea it tends to be quite sweet with notes of savory to contrast the sweetness, here it’s the other way around with more savory tones and the occasional sweet note to contrast the savory qualities.  The sip finishes dry with a mineral-y kind of taste, and the aftertaste starts out clean, with more of a melon-like sweetness developing in the aftertaste as I continue to sip.

The second cup is smoother, with more fruit tones.  Citrus-y, with a tangy astringency at the tail.  The description on the website suggests a grapefruit-like taste and I’d agree with that assessment.  I am experiencing less mineral at the finish this time, and the finish is less dry … in fact, I’d describe it as almost juicy.  The sweetness is less like honey this time, with the sweetness focused more on the fruit notes.  I am finding the woody tones developing, and the floral notes becoming softer in this cup.

With my third and final cup, I noticed the flavors becoming a bit softer and smoother, and yet … somehow richer.  The fruit notes are well-pronounced now, and the spice tones have become more significant.  The floral notes are not completely gone, but I find that I notice them primarily at the finish and in the aftertaste, and not so much during the sip, which seems to have become mostly about the fruit notes, a hint of wood and earth, and a lovely set of spices.

A lovely, complex cup.  Definitely a tea I’d recommend to all who enjoy a good cup of Oolong.  It is worth the effort to infuse it multiple times, as each cup produced becomes an adventure.

Premium Dragon Phoenix Pearls Green Jasmine Tea from Mandala Tea

Tea Information:

Leaf Type:  Green

Where to Buy:  Mandala Tea

Tea Description:

This beautiful green tea is a handmade masterpiece. Premium grade green tea leaves are scented with natural jasmine flowers that create a soothing aromatic experience while enjoying this tea. The leaves are shaped like pearls which are each formed by hand. It is a joy to watch the leaves unfurl as they steep. This is an extremely unique tea that produces a satisfying cup. It is a thoughtful gift and an interesting experience to share with guests.

Learn more about this tea here.

Taster’s Review:

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it many times to come … in fact, I’ll say it right now:  I love Jasmine Pearls!  And I’m really loving these Dragon Phoenix Pearls from Mandala Tea.  They are absolutely sublime!

Dry, the pearls offer the sweet, exotic fragrance of the jasmine flower together with a hint of a lush, leafy scent.  The brewed tea is enchantingly aromatic without becoming overwhelming.  Instead, it is quite soothing, lulling this sipper into a sense of calm that relaxes my stress and tension from the day.

The flavor is soft and beautiful.  The jasmine is perfectly subtle; it is not perfume-y tasting nor does it taste artificial.  Such a light, lovely taste that mingles with the buttery smooth flavor of the green tea.  The green tea does not taste grassy or even really vegetative, instead, it is smooth and rich, tasting fresh without having a strong vegetal quality to it.

These flavors come together so perfectly!  Thank you Mandala Tea for this truly wonderful tea experience!