Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Beautiful Taiwan Tea Company
Tea Description:
This tea embodies the qualities of top-quality black tea and fine oolong tea. Also known as “Ruby Red”, this is another high quality tea from Mrs. Lee’s farm above Sun-Moon Lake. Extremely rare to find this tea in this quality! Whole leaves, hand-picked and processed by Farmer Lee himself and his lovely wife. This varietal is unique to Taiwan. This crop is sweet smelling, delicate and smooth!
A combination of the best characteristics from the robust, rich Assam tea together with the best characteristics of a fine Taiwanese Oolong.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I wish to thank Beautiful Taiwan Tea Company for a sample of this tea. Truth be told I enjoy trying any tea with the word Jade in it, partially because I have a best friend called Jade but also because it is my middle name. I’ve had a few Jade black tea’s from Taiwan before so I know roughly what to expect, but that still does not stop me being excited to try it. Also this tea is from above Sun-Moon Lake which is awesome!
The loose leaves are mostly whole and look twisted and crisp to the touch. Dark brown in colour. I must note there are also some sticks present amid the leaves. They have a wooden, dry scent with a touch of sweet smoke.
Steeping Parameters: 5g of leaf – Boiling Water – 320ml Vessel – Time 4 minutes
Once steeped the resulting tea liquid is golden, red/brown (similar to a scotch) and bares a thick sweet wood scent with mild dryness.
Flavour is not as strong as the scent but the first few sips reveal a wooden character that dances on my tongue and becomes sweet through the after taste. The sweetness is honeyed, not overly strong but beautiful and pure; it just trickles elegantly down my throat, coating my mouth with sweetness.
A few sips more have an increase of dryness with a touch of leather and smoke. On the whole the strength is still medium and though there are some strong sounding flavours they are not thick nor too much ie. A nice balance of combinational notes.
At this point I’m halfway down the cup and I am still finding the sweetness very pleasant, it has not lessened in any way; though the dryness is more apparent.
Now with a few mouthfuls left there is an added sour quality to a thickening strength but throughout it has been a wonderful steep.
Final thoughts: I believe this is one of the best Jade Taiwan tea’s that I have had the pleasure of trying. It was flavourful, a nice strength and even as it cools it had wonderful characteristics. The leaves after steep are still whole and show what wonderful quality this tea truly is, it says top quality in the listing and after trying I truly believe it. Very wonderful and a tea that I thoroughly recommend.
Happy Steeping Everyone!
Hong Yu (Red Jade) Taiwanese Black Tea from Zi Chun Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Zi Chun Tea
Product Description:
Hong Yu is fast becoming an internationally recognized, premium class, organic black tea. It is grown & harvested in limited quantities in the beautiful Sun Moon lake area of Central Taiwan, where the Taiwan Tea Research & Extension Station, in collaboration with local farmers, have developed one of the most truly unique and finest quality black teas in the world. The tea plant is a cross between an Assam & a local wild tea strain.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This is AWESOME!
I enjoy most of the teas that I try. There are a rare few that I really don’t like, but for the most part, I enjoy the teas I drink, and I express that in my reviews. I guess that’s one thing that I love about teas the most … I am able to find something to appreciate about almost every tea I taste.
But every once in a while, I come across a rare tea … that tea that is so exceptional in flavor that it makes me want to get up and dance and sing praises to the tea gods for making such a wonderful tea. A tea that is so good that it makes me forget anything in my life that may not be going my way and it somehow makes everything else melt away except for me and my cup of tea.
This is one of those teas.
My first couple of sips – while it was piping hot – I couldn’t really taste much. But, after allowing it to cool just a couple of minutes, the flavor exploded! Now I taste rich, incredible flavors! All at once, I can taste hints of malt, cocoa and caramel, while a sweet plum flavor lingers in the distance.
The cup is incredibly smooth and rich, and free of any of the bitterness that is normally associated with an Assam. There is some astringency to it, but it is a very gentle, cleansing astringency. The finish is sweet.
This tea does not need anything added to it. I suppose it would be alright if you chose to add milk or honey or something, but please do try it straight first. If, after allowing it to cool those first couple of minutes, and after taking a sip, the tea doesn’t taste as amazing as I’m describing, then, by all means, add something to it. But, I really don’t think you’ll want to after that initial sip.
