As some of my regular readers are aware, I have been promoting my own Kickstarter campaign over the last few weeks before time ran out. I didn’t reach my goal, but I haven’t given up. I’ll be back within a couple of weeks with a new Kickstarter campaign.
In the meantime, please check out this campaign by the Beautiful Taiwan Tea Company! I have reviewed several of this company’s teas, and I know them to offer superior quality Oolong, Black and Green teas. Here are links to some of their teas that I’ve reviewed in the past:
- ShanLinXi Highest Mountain Oolong Tea
- Asian Beauty Oolong Tea
- Formosa Assam Black Tea
- Twisted Green Tea
These teas were amazing, and I have no doubt that the tea that I receive as an incentive for my pledge for their campaign will be equally as wonderful if not more so.
I’m really hoping that they’ll succeed with their goal because: a) I’ll get some great tea; and b) I really like this company. I like that they’re dedicated to sourcing amazing teas and what has also impressed me about this company is that they’re really great people. They are dedicated not only to great tea but also to providing excellent customer service. They’re a win-win company!
Please consider pledging to Beautiful Taiwan Tea Company! They only have nine days left to go on their campaign and they still need about $2500 to reach their goal!
Da Yu Ling High Mountain Oolong Tea from Eco-Cha
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong Tea
Where to Buy: Eco-Cha
Tea Description:
Flavor – Fruity, fragrant herbal tones. Full, balanced, fresh floral/green/fruity flavor. Lingering, aromatic finish. This Da Yu Ling Oolong ranks definitively within the category of Taiwan’s finest High Mountain Oolong.
Garden: This farm is in Taiwan’s prime tea growing region. In this region, the location of the farm is indicated by the kilometer marking on the cross-central highway. This farm is around the 100k marker, which indicates some of the most pristine tea real estate on the island.
The highest elevation tea growing regions are where the epitome of this type of tea is produced.The ideal climate conditions offered by this elevation range combined with the methods of tea cultivation that have been developed are considered to be the main factors that have gained this category of tea its fame.
The place names of Li Shan and Da Yu Ling are unsurpassed for prime Taiwan High Mountain Oolong, and we feel privileged to be able to share this tea, which has become recognised as some of the best in the world.
This most exclusive High Mountain Oolong produced in Taiwan is renowned for its fragrant aroma and lingering aftertaste. Its unique character is comprised of a freshness and complexity of fragrance and a substantial flavor have captivated tea lovers around the globe.
The subtleties of aroma are derived from newly grown leaves of the Green Heart Oolong (清心烏龍) cultivar grown at an elevation that provides optimal climate conditions for this plant. The slower growth at high elevation provides substance to the tender new growth which in turn gives premium Taiwan High Mountain tea its claim to fame. It is in a class of its own due its smooth, clean – yet complex flavor followed by a heady lingering aftertaste.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I’m not surprised that Eco-Cha’s Da Ya Ling High Mountain Oolong is currently sold out – but that doesn’t mean that I’m NOT going to blog about it!
The aroma is wonderfully refreshing. The color is a pale yellow-brown once infused. Everything about this tea screams “hydration”. It’s juicy but NOT in a fruity way – in a hydrating way – as if you were in a desert and craving pure liquid in its true form. This tea seems to fit that bill. It’s smooth, clean, pure. It has a subtle lingering aftertaste that makes you want more! Evenotho it’s not really juicy in a fruity way – that doesn’t mean that this doesn’t have it’s fruitier notes and hints – it does! I can’t quite put my finger on WHAT TYPE of fruit tho. Maybe it’s something citrus – but not overly-so. It’s also a ‘greener’ oolong, too, which I am really enjoying! This is great for multiple infusions, as well. This tea is completely delicious – and – not to rub it in…it’s SOLD OUT…but perhaps Eco-Cha will be getting a similar crop and do one for the next season. Us tea lovers can only pray!
The People’s Tea from Tippy’s Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black & Oolong Teas
Where to Buy: Tippy’s Tea
Tea Description:
Tippy’s own interpretation of the Russian caravan tea. Strikes a delicious balance between the oolong and black teas. Infuse multiple times for a full tasting experience.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I’ve had a couple of Russian Caravan teas, I think that this one might be the best that I’ve tried! I think it’s because the Oolong in this blend really comes through in a very pleasant way. It imparts an almost creamy texture to the cup which is a nice contrast to the smoky notes of the Lapsang Souchong.
To brew this, I lowered the temperature. When I come across a blend like this that blends two different types of tea (like green and black teas, or in this case, oolong and black teas), I generally yield to the tea that requires the lower temperature. I’d rather have a slightly weaker flavor from the black tea than the bitterness that would result from a scorched tea leaf.
So I went with 190°F. I measured a bamboo scoop of tea into the basket of my Kati and poured in the hot water and let it steep for 3 minutes. After I had started the process, I thought to myself: “Maybe I should have done a quick rinse on the leaves!” But by the time that I had come to that realization, more than a minute had passed and it was a little passed the time to do a rinse. Maybe next time!
But as it is, it’s not too smoky. I don’t know if the rinse would improve the flavor or not, because I’m enjoying it as it is.
It’s smoky, but as I said before, there’s a really nice contrast between the smoky element and the soft, buttery/creamy element of the Oolong. It’s quite pleasant. Smooth yet smoky. Forward notes of caramel. Middle notes of fruit and flower mingling with the smoke. Hints of molasses and earth in the distance. It’s a beautifully complex tea!
In the past, I would shy away from Russian Caravan teas because of the smokiness of them – I’ve never been a big fan of something heavily smoked and when I would smell a Russian Caravan, even though they’re not nearly as smoky as say a straight-up Lapsang Souchong, there is still a strong element of smoke to the aroma and in my earliest days as a tea enthusiast I found that smoky note to be very off-putting. Now I’ve come to embrace it and enjoy it, but Russian Caravan teas are still not my favorite blends. The few that I have tried seemed to focus heavily on their black teas and not so much on the Oolong aspect, I like that this tea – The People’s Tea from Tippy’s Tea – brought some balance to the two tea types so that the luscious texture and creamy flavor of the Oolong could be enjoyed with the smoky notes of the Lapsang Souchong and the fruity elements of the Keemun.
It’s a very well thought out blend! Bravo, Tippy’s Tea!
Li Shan Black Tea from Green Terrace Teas
Tea Type:
Black Tea
Where To Buy:
Green Terrace Teas
Product 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.
Tasters Review:
YUM! I would agree that this tea is rare and unique and that first and foremost is why I give this two thumbs up! From first sniff of the tea liquid – post-infusion, of course – I could smell something sweet – much like honey or mead – and a berry of some sort – fruit – almost like currants or wild berries…maybe even elderberries! The color of the tea in the cup is that of a weaker or more see-thru lighter brown. Just because it’s lighter in color does NOT mean it lacks in flavor! The flavor of this Li Shan Black Tea is truly scrumptious! Floral and Fruity – YES – but zoning in more on the plum, berry, and honey flavors. It’s sweet and floral but makes your mouth water. This is tremendously good hot or cold! It’s good for multiple infusions starting off with the shorter infusions and moving up the scale to longer infusions. This is a MUST TRY indeed!
Taiwan GABA Oolong Tea from Fong Mong Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Fong Mong Tea
Tea Description:
GABA tea is an all-natural source of GABA. It was discovered more than 20 years ago by Japanese researchers looking for a natural method to preserve food. They discovered that tea which is oxidized in a nitrogen-rich atmosphere has a higher concentration of GABA elements than any other types of tea.
GABA tea production involves exposing fresh tea leaves to nitrogen instead of oxygen. The fresh tea is placed in stainless steel vacuum drums and the oxygen is removed and replaced with nitrogen. The tea leaves are exposed to this nitrogen-rich atmosphere for about 8 hours. The temperature must be kept above 40 degrees Celsius for the duration of the processing. This procedure produces the highest concentrations of natural GABA.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Of the different Oolong types that are out there, I think that the one I’ve had the least amount of experience with are GABA Oolong teas. To my recollection, I’ve had fewer than a handful of GABA teas.
But since it is an Oolong and not a “flavored” one, I’m going to brew it the same way I’d brew other Oolong teas: in my gaiwan! I “eyeballed” an amount of tea leaf that looked to be about a bamboo scoop. I didn’t use the bamboo scoop because this leaf is so large and bulky and stemmy that it wouldn’t measure properly anyway. So, I just eyeballed it.
The reason this tea is kind of “stemmy,” according to Fong Mong Tea:
The twigs contain the most enzyme. For the healthy purpose, we kept the most twigs for our tea consumers.
I heated the water to 180°F. I did a preliminary rinse of the leaves (15 second steep, then I strained the liquid and discarded it) and then I steeped the first infusion for 45 seconds and added 15 seconds to each subsequent infusion. My first cup is comprised of the combination of infusions 1 and 2, the second cup is infusions 3 and 4, and … you get the drift.
This does taste different from the Oolong teas I’m typically drinking, but there are some familiar flavors here too. It is sweet and nutty with delicate notes of spice. It has a lighter flavor than a lot of Oolong teas – this doesn’t have that heavy “creamy” taste and texture that so many Oolong teas have. There is some creaminess to this, but it’s much lighter. I like the texture – it’s refreshing.
So it started me wondering, what is GABA Oolong, anyway? I found this information on the listing for this tea in Fong Mong Tea’s ebay store:
GABA is an amino acid that is produced by the human body. GABA stands for Gamma-aminobutyric acid. Its main function is to inhibit the firing of neurons in the brain. Because of this inhibitory function, GABA sends messages to the brain, spinal cord, heart, lungs, and kidneys to slow down.
The second cup was a bit darker in color than the first and the flavor was also stronger. It has a strong nutty flavor to it, and a roasty-toasty quality. I’m picking up on subtle peach notes now. The spice notes are more pronounced in this cup, I can taste mild notes of cinnamon and it’s quite nice! Very autumnal tasting, this tea.
My third (and final) cup had a smoother taste, where the flavors – nutty, toasty, peach and spice – seemed to come together in a seamless flavor. It’s quite pleasant and relaxing to sip.
A really lovely cup of Oolong. Different, yes. But different can be good and it is definitely good in the case of this GABA Oolong from Fong Mong Tea.