Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong (Purple)
Where to Buy: What-Cha Tea
Tea Description:
A unique oolong unlike any other we have tasted before, made from the purple varietal tea plant which gives the tea a unique plum taste and purple tint. A rare and unusual tea which is not to be missed.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Wow! What a delightful purple Oolong!
I steeped this the way I would usually steep an Oolong tea, using my gaiwan. I “eyeballed” a measurement of leaves. These leaves are so long and wiry that it would be difficult to measure them using my bamboo scoop. So I poured out an amount that looked like it would be a bamboo scoop into the palm of my hand and then I put it into the bowl of my gaiwan. Then I heated water to 180°F. I poured in just enough of the heated water to cover the leaves and I let this sit for 15 seconds – to awaken the leaves – and then I strained off the liquid and discarded it. Then I steeped the leaves for 45 seconds for the first infusion and added 15 seconds to each subsequent infusion. I combine two infusions in my teacup – so my first cup is infusions 1 and 2, and the second cup is infusions 3 and 4 … and so on!
The brewed tea takes on a purple-ish color and has a sweet, floral aroma with notes of fruit. There is a strong flavor to this tea: tasting primarily of stone fruit and flower. Just as the above description suggests, there is a strong and distinct plum note. It is sweet with notes of tart.
The texture is lighter than a typical Oolong. It doesn’t have that buttery mouthfeel like you might experience from a greener Oolong. This doesn’t taste or feel “creamy.” It tastes strongly of fruit. The fruit notes bring a lot of sweetness to the cup and there is a slight “sugary” sweetness to the cup as well. There is a moderate astringency to this tea – I can feel the insides of my cheeks pucker a bit at the finish. But don’t let that dissuade you, because I find that the sensation enhances the fruit notes.
The plum notes were even more focused in the second cup. Still sweet with notes of sugar cane. The astringency is about the same in this cup as it was in the first.
The third cup turned out to be a bit different than the first and second cups. This cup is not as astringent as the first cup – this is much smoother from start to finish. The plum notes are softening somewhat now. Still lots of fruit flavor, I’m noticing the flavors starting to become unified. This is slightly less sweet and a little lighter. I’m picking up on a slight creamy note now and an ever so slight vegetative note. Neither of these new flavors are very strong – they’re off in the distance. Floral notes are slightly more noticeable this time too.
This is a really delightfully different Oolong – one I’d recommend to those who are looking for something just a little off the beaten path!
Azores Shade-Grown Orange Pekoe ‘Ponta Branca’ Black Tea from What-Cha Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: What-Cha Tea
Tea Description:
Azores Shade-Grown Orange Pekoe is a unique tea with an equally complex taste; a light and smooth start with a brisk full finish.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
When I first opened the pouch of this tea, I noticed the aroma. It is a strong scent and is reminiscent of leather. A very masculine scent.
To brew this tea, I put a scoop of the leaves into my small (warmed) teapot and added 12 ounces of boiling water to the teapot and allowed the tea to steep for 3 minutes and then strained the liquid into my favorite tea mug. The color is dark and the fragrance is softer than that of the dry leaf, smelling vaguely of leather, perhaps, but more like sweet fruit – almost like a sweet, sugary date.
My first sip I took as I was looking at the description above that says “a light and smooth start with a brisk full finish.” Yeah, I agree with that. It starts out light with a delicate citrus note but smoother, not quite as astringent as citrus fruit but with the sweetness of an a sweet orange. It is a bright yet smooth note. As the sip progresses, I pick up on more of a sweeter, denser type of fruit. Like a combination of a ripe plum and a ripe peach – all the sweetness of those two fruits but none of the tartness. As I near the finish, I pick up on some of the sweet caramel-y undertones.
This has a bracing flavor that is very rich and rewarding. It’s a bold tasting tea, maybe not quite as invigorating as I would want my first cup of tea for the day to be, but this would be an excellent choice for late morning or mid-day. A great “tea-time” type of tea: perhaps with some scones or shortbread? It has that rich, freshly baked type of flavor that I like: somewhat bready and very satisfying. It would probably take the additions of milk and honey well, but, I rather like it straight up. The flavor is sweet and smooth and additions may just overwhelm the tea. Try this one before you add anything to it.
Another winning tea from What-Cha! I think that’s all they sell there, because I’ve tried a lot of teas from them and haven’t come across anything disappointing yet!
Yunnan Fengqing Golden Buds Black Tea from What Cha
Tea Type:
Black Tea
Where To Buy:
What-Cha
Product Description:
– Honey aroma
– Very smooth with no bitterness or astringency
– Sweet taste with malt and butterscotch hints
Tasters Review:
At first glance – the Yunnan Fengqing Golden Buds Black Tea from What-Cha is long and twisty…one of my favorite kinds of black tea leave appearances. Dry this tea has notes of cocoa, apricot, and a near ‘brown sugared’ type sweet potato that are all very subtle but present to the nose.
Once infused – you’ll see a golden amber-hued liquor in your cup. Delightful!
A few notes to expect from this tea include dark cocoa with an earthy yet sweet raisin – but let’s not forget the woodsy factor – as well as the hint of apricot and butterscotch. The strength is ‘just right’ not weak but not overly bold. It’s well balanced with no astringency and a medium flavor that all contributes to the ‘party in your mouth’ type of tea.
This is another great black tea that offers multiple infusions which I really appreciate anytime of day! A very smooth texture – with levels of flavors – and a nice sweet malt taste on the end sip that lingers on to the after taste.
If you haven’t checked out the tea offerings from this company yet please do yourself a favor and a FLAVOR and put them on your ‘To Discover List”. They are really wonderful! They have a great selection!
Kenya Silver Needle White Tea from What-Cha Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: What-Cha Tea
Tea Description:
Our Kenyan Silver Needles hits the usual notes usually associated with good quality Silver Needles while having its own unique characteristics not usually found in other Silver Needles. Kenyan Silver Needles is on the fuller side of the Silver Needle scale and features lovely soft tannins, making it perfect for those who find the more traditional Silver Needles too subtle and overly delicate. Our Kenyan Silver Needles represents a chance to try one of the great Chinese teas grown in the unique terroir of Kenya.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Most Silver Needle teas tend to be on the delicate side and this Silver Needle would be considered “delicate” if it were being compared to a green or black tea, but it’s much stronger in flavor than many other Silver Needle teas I’ve had.
But I brewed it the same way I’d brew a Silver Needle: I used my gaiwan and heated the water to 170°F. After a 15 second rinse, I steeped the first infusion for 2 minutes. I added 15 seconds onto each subsequent infusion. And one thing you’ll find with white teas – they’re ready to keep on steeping! You’ll easily get five or six infusions out of this tea – perhaps more!
The first infusion was sweet and hay-like. I also got some lovely melon notes as well as a crisp, floral note. And even though the approach of a white tea tends to be subtle, I find so many wonderful layers of flavor. I think that’s why I enjoy them so much. True, they’re not the type of tea that will get in your face with the flavor. Instead, it offers its love sweetly and gently.
The second infusion was even sweeter than the first. A little less like hay and a little more like a sweet, juicy melon! Lovely! I am noticing very little to no astringency with this cup. I did notice a wee bit of astringency with the first infusion … not much, but some. Now, not so much.
The third infusion was very much like the second – sweet, melon-like, very little astringency and very few vegetal/hay-like tones. Later infusions slowly started to become less fruit-like and I started picking up on more of the hay-like flavors again as well as hints of an airy floral quality. Imagine the “taste” of the air when you’re walking through a field of flowers. Something like that. Really beautiful and wonderful to experience as those tastes washed over the palate. I started to notice a loss in flavor by the fifth infusion. It still had a lot of flavor but not as quite as much as the four that preceded it.
This is a fantastic Silver Needle. If you’re one who tends to avoid Silver Needle White teas because you find them to be too soft in flavor … don’t give up on Silver Needle teas completely – just widen your search to include this Kenyan Silver Needle! I think you’ll find it much more flavorful!
Assam 2nd Flush 2014 Silver Needle White Tea from What-Cha Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: What-Cha Tea
Tea Description:
A great tasting Silver Needle with a delicate sweet taste and no detectable astringency.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This Assam 2nd Flush Silver Needle White Tea is quite unlike any other Silver Needle White tea I’ve tried to date. So to brew it, I decided to follow the purveyor’s suggested parameters and heat the water to 175°F (OK, the parameters suggest 176°F, but my Breville heats water at 5 degree intervals, and I figured 1° wasn’t going to make or break the tea.) I measured two pinches of tea into the bowl of my gaiwan and steeped the tea for 1 1/2 minutes for the first infusion, adding 15 seconds onto each subsequent infusion.
Note: The steep time and the measurements that I used were my own, not the purveyor’s suggested parameters. I only used their temperature suggestions. What-Cha suggested 2 minutes steep time and 1 teaspoon per cup. But because I was using my gaiwan, I went with slightly more tea and slightly less time.
As I said, this tea is quite unlike any other Silver Needle Tea that I’ve experienced until now. Yes, there are some similarities to the Silver Needle teas I’ve had in the past. First of all, the leaves look very much like a silver needle, except that these are probably a little darker green than the silvery pale green that I’m used to seeing with a Silver Needle.
And there is a distinct hay-like aroma and flavor to this Assam Silver Needle, and that’s something that I typically experience with other Silver Needle teas. But the hay-like aroma here, especially in the dry leaf, is intense! It smells like the air of the countryside after a field of hay has been cut. Like within the hour of the hay cutting! It’s a strong scent. The fragrance softens when the tea is brewed, but there are still some strong hay-like notes to the cup.
And to the flavor! The hay notes are strong in the taste as well. It’s sweet and delicate – like a Silver Needle – but those sweet and hay-like flavors are stronger than in a typical Silver Needle.
If compared to a Silver Needle tea, this Assam Silver Needle would not be considered a delicate tea. But if compared to an Assam Black, then yes, this is definitely delicate in comparison.
Interestingly enough, I think that it’s appropriate to compare this Assam white tea to an Assam black because there are some similarities to the “more familiar” black tea from the Assam region. For example, I can taste notes of malt to this. I didn’t expect to. Sure, it’s an Assam tea, but, it’s a white tea … and I figured this Silver Needle would be far too delicate to detect the malty flavors. But no! There is a lovely malty sweetness to this cup.
It’s a smooth, calming drink. As the above description suggests, there is no astringency to this. It starts out sweet. The texture is silky. The aftertaste offers a delicate sweetness. I also pick up on a subtle citrus note in the aftertaste.
In later infusions, I began to notice the hay-like flavors begin to soften somewhat, not really waning, but instead, melding with the other flavors and allowing those other notes to come into focus. I started to pick up on gentle fruit notes and a lovely floral note.
A really delightful, deliciously different Silver Needle! This is another MUST TRY from What-Cha Tea. They are becoming THE source for some very unusual marvels of the tea world!