Sun Moon Lake Black Tea RUBY Competition Grade from Cameron Taiwan Premium Loose Leaf Teas

I know I shouldn’t judge a tea by its name but I couldn’t help it with this one – I mean look at this – Sun Moon Lake Black Tea RUBY Competition Grade from Cameron Taiwan Premium Loose Leaf Teas.

A couple of years ago LiberTeas reviewed several teas from Cameron and I was a bit envious of her tea experiences but recently I started by day with Sun Moon Lake Black Tea RUBY Competition Grade from Cameron Taiwan Premium Loose Leaf Teas and let me tell you it was a GOOD start to the day!

After infusing these large and winding leaves the tea liquor leftover in the cup was a darker medium brown. The aroma was a combination of a sweeter cinnamon and cacao. Fascinating! The aroma wasn’t overly strong so when I took my first sip I was blown away at just how flavorful the taste was!

Sun Moon Lake Black Tea RUBY Competition Grade from Cameron Taiwan Premium Loose Leaf Teas tasted naturally cinnamon-y with natural notes of cacao. There were also woodsy flavors that popped thru, too! On the end sip there was a cigar-like flavor to it almost. There were so many layers to this tea. So many flavor-morphs to this tea. Sun Moon Lake Black Tea RUBY Competition Grade from Cameron Taiwan Premium Loose Leaf Teas is one of those teas to take your time with and to ponder and appreciate.

I have to say this was unlike any tea that I have ever tasted and that is a GOOD THING. I absolutely LOVE teas that stand out and that are memorable. With all the tea we drink here at SororiTEA Sisters it’s WONDERFUL to find one that stands out and shows their individualism from the others! WOW!


Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type: Black Tea
Where to Buy: Cameron Taiwan Premium Loose Leaf Teas

logo-1Description

Type: Black Tea

Cultivar: Ruby (TTES No. 18), cross between Taiwanese wild grown tea tree and Burmese assamica

Also known as: Red Jade / Hong Yu / Ruby 18

Fermentation level: Fully oxidised

Taste: Natural flavour of cinnamon with a slight hint of mint.

When to drink: Throughout the day

Terroir: Sun Moon Lake is located at altitude of 700m, surrounded with mountains and lakes with remarkable environment and typical climate for growing black teas. Heavy moist and stable yearly average temperature make the tea trees grow thick and rich tea leaves which produce carmine and perfectly clear liquor.

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

Honey Scent Red from Terroir Tea Merchant

Have you ever encountered a tea that literally shook you and changed your thoughts on what teas you should be drinking? I will admit it. I drink mostly flavored teas knowing full well that I should expand my horizons and enjoy more straight teas to grow my tea knowledge and palate. But I just have such a fondness for those fun crazy flavored teas that I don’t take the time to enjoy straight teas.

Well that is until now. Terroir Tea Merchant recently sent the Sisters an amazing care package with a fabulous sampling of their offerings.  I decided that I needed to try one of these teas before I passed along the rest. So I decided to grab this one.

Honey Scent Red is striking from the moment you set your eyes on the leaves. The leaves are gorgeous with a lovely malty and slightly spicy aroma.  I prepped my water, brewed the tea according to the recommended parameters, and sat down to enjoy.  I braced myself for a rich malty astringent flavor. That isn’t what this tea gave me at all.

Warm soothing apple notes followed by a sweet honey flavor that ended with an almost baked bread feel. This tea is simply divine. There are  so many warm flavors going on without any strong malty or astringent characteristics.  Sip after sip, this tea just keeps delivering on this sweet apple bread flavor. I’m excited to spend more time with this tea and see what other flavors I can draw out in future infusions.

A perfect tea to welcome in the cooler weather we are starting to experience here in the Midwest. Really wonderful tea that I just can’t get enough of and one that has me on a kick for more Terroir Tea Merchant offerings.


Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Terroir Tea Merchant

logoDescription

Although not fully oxidized this tea is considered a black tea and in Taiwan and China, a black tea is known as hong cha or “red tea”. This refers to the colour of the liquor once the leaves are infused. The deep, rich caramel liquor with its reddish hue is much more fitting as a red tea.

Just like the dry and wet leaf aromas, honey dominates the flavour with notes of raisins, spice and a malty finish. As it cools, the natural sweetness shines through and this tea can be enjoyed iced with no need to add sugar.

Served warm or iced Honey Scent Red is a beautiful accompaniment to any meal. Try a cup for breakfast with baked scones with jam and cream, or on its own in the afternoon whilst you contemplate the tea’s journey from the bush to your cup.
For another high altitude, bug-bitten tea from Central Taiwan, you’ll also enjoy our Shan Lin Xi Concubine

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

Red Jade Black Tea from Beautiful Taiwan Tea Company

RedJade_grandeTea 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!

Jin Xuan Black Tea from Gabriel Global Trade Co., LTD.

JinXuanBlackTea Information:

Leaf Type:  Black Tea

Where to Buy: Gabriel Global Trade Co., LTD.

Tea Description:

Jin Xuan black tea, made from Jin Xuan tea, has a special honey and fruit smell taste. The aroma of tea soup is particularly evident. The flavor is different than the general black tea. It’s suitable for the early adopters who prefer the fragrance.

Learn more about this tea here.

Taster’s Review:

Jin Xuan Black Tea from Gabriel Global Trade Co., LTD. is a black tea that is not only terrifically tasty – it’s pretty darned special in other ways too!  Let me explain.  Eric from Gabriel Global told me that this specific tea – their Jin Xuan Black Tea – is a new breed of tea.  It’s been grown in between 600 and 800 meters altitude.  It has a similar taste as Oriental Beauty but at just below 1/3 of its price.  It tastes different that a traditional black tea.  I agree with his comment of it tasting different than your average black tea, however, I also think it’s far superior in not only taste but aroma when it comes to comparing it to Oriental Beauty, too.

Upon opening the bag I was overjoyed at the amazing aroma of this dry loose leaf tea.  It was naturally scented – dancing with the combination of sweet honey and fruit – maybe plum – and it was truly amazing!  The  very long and winding dry loose leaves were a sight to see, too!  They were mostly black or grey in color with an occasional light brown or khaki-colored spec morphed in.  The first time I tried a cup of this Jin Xuan Black Tea I had a hard time fitting it in my over-size infuser that went directly into my cup but I hardly saw that as a downfall – it just made this tea more interesting!  Once I added the water on to the tea leaves the aroma was still impressive but it changed a bit incorporating a fairly strong bakey or crusty type of aroma mixed in with the honey and fruit notes I mentioned prior to infusion.  The taste of this tea is out of this world.  I don’t say this often but I give this tea 100 out of 100.  Yes!  It’s True!  This tea is on my short list of absolute favorites in the tea world!  It’s incredible in every way!  I’m going to try and save this tea for special occasions or a bad day when I need a smile – but I will tell you right now – it’s going to be hard because THIS tea – Jin Xuan Black Tea – is one that I could easily drink every day – never getting sick of it while still appreciating it for it’s wonderful quality, taste, and aroma!

 

Red Jade Black Tea from Oollo Tea

oollo-teas-25Tea Information:

Leaf Type:  Black

Where to Buy: Oollo Tea

Tea Description:

A perfect marriage between Burma Ashamu and Taiwanese wild tea. The long twisted whole leaves give distinct smooth raisin, date and cinnamon infusions with traces of peppermint.

Origin
Varietal: Taiwan No. 18
Curator: Yoshi Lo
Location: Yuchi, Nantou, Taiwan
Elevation: 800m

Learn more about this tea here.

Taster’s Review:

Red Jade Black Tea from Oollo Tea has already been reviewed by Anne here at Sororitea Sisters but some teas are worth reviewing more than once.  This is one of those teas and I agree with Anne thoughts as to how AWESOME this tea is.  The following are my additional thoughts on this tea.

As for the aroma it’s one I truly adore in a black tea.  It’s toasty and date or raisin like.  The aroma matches the first sip of the cuppa, too.  I can certainly pick up on the raisin notes and paired with the dark, rich, carmelly notes it’s unlike anything I have ever tasted.  The end sip of the pipping-hot tea is a mish-mash of heavy, dark black tea flavors and a sugary syrupy type taste all in one.  Keep in mind there are NO flavors added to this tea!  This flavor is all from the leaf!  It’s all natural!

As I continue to sip the post-infused liquor cools with the room temperature – unassisted – and I notice the end sip morphs into something of a minty aftertaste that is very refreshing and welcomed.

No this isn’t ‘tea voodoo’ – folks – it’s just a mighty-fine tea that has levels and levels of complexity and for that I will appreciate it until the end of time.  This is a marvelously-fantastic Red Jade Black Tea that should be celebrated at every turn!