493 Tasting Notes
Teaful sent me a package Taste of Taiwan Chapter 1 of samples for review. Very tasteful box with 4 little black boxes inside .
This is the first tea I’ve tried.
4.5g in 85ml glazed pot 205F short steeps
Dry leaf smells of plums, cherries and nutmeg and maybe some other spices.
Tastes like honey with some berry jam hint and citrus. It seems perfect for the summer, not heavy malty but fruity sweet and lemony which was quite refreshing.
Went thru many steeps and it was quite good with longer steeps as well.
Thank you so much Teaful for the chance to try it. It was very enjoyable
Preparation
i got this sample back in August but tried it only yesterday. that happens when you got too much tea and samples EVERYWHERE. Im in a process of organizing them.
Read some reviews about light taste and decided to go a bit heavier than my usual 1g/15ml
So i measured 6g/75ml porcelain shibo
Also i decided to use off boil which usually works with young sheng better in my opinion. it reduces bitterness and especially astringency im not fond of. Bitter i dont care much, bring it on.
I brew this tea in shibo probably up to steep 6 ( didnt count actually) but noticed it was a little pale and losing some flavor.
At this point i transferred to jianshui pot that doesnt lose heat as quickly as porcelain. I’d say the tea went thru 15 steeps at least. by the time i was done i was very teadrunk. it put me to sleep. zzzzzz
Preparation
This is a very generous sample from teafriend .
8g 90ml Yixing teapot 212F
Rinse and short steeps
The brew is dark, thick and rich. Flavors are unusual, savory, some spice.
I really enjoyed it. It also had a strong qi that sent me into nice nap. It was pretty refreshing.
Thank you so much teafriend for sharing. I wish I could get more of it, but it’s not available on Red Blossom website
Preparation
This tea is amazing. I got super generous sample from teafriend. Very unusual notes I don’t find often in aged Sheng. It is savory and sweet. Fennel, allspice, cinnamon comes to mind. Really good with longer steeps I pushed to a minute and longer. Very dark and syrupy consistency.
Preparation
this tea was recommended me by James fr Teadb. its not a first try, ive had it before. yesterday it was quite powerful, i dont remember experiencing such strong qi from this tea. it was very nice, sweet, menthol cool, with quick powerful huigan. But… i think it had so much effect on me that i acted like 3yrs old and hurt my friend’s feelings. Im sorry. it must be a weather too. i have to blame it on something. it wasnt me, its them
Preparation
i received a box of 4 samples for review.
Gui fei is bug bitten kind of oolong.
quoting from Totem tea website:
“Leaf-bitten teas deserve to be in a category of their own. There are several stories about how Gui Fei’s preparation method came to pass, and it appears that the most reliable story is that in 1999 there was an earthquake in central Taiwan and the tea farmers of Fenghuang village were forced to evacuate. Upon returning the farmers noticed that the tea plants had been overrun with cicadas that had nibbled on the leaves and stems. They processed the least damaged leaves and found that an almost magical transformation had occurred. Tea tasted completely different with an intense sweetness.
Shortly after the cicadas had bitten the leaves the plant created more sugars to heal itself. In addition, the leaves began to oxidize while still living on the bush, as opposed to the post-harvest human-assisted oxidation that commonly happens by tossing and rolling the leaves."
Dry leaf smelled so good of roasted nuts.5g 100ml glazed pot 200F
no rinse/30/15/10/15/20 sec etc
This tea is fruity sweet and citrusy too with touch of roasted nuts. Complex, changing with every steep. so delicious and refreshing during heat wave we experiencing now.
I dont recommend to have long steeps as it becomes somewhat bitter and astrigent but short steeps take care of this problem.
https://instagram.com/p/BGFWtbzhwlC/
Preparation
This is a sample for review.
i received box of samples from Totem Tea. I really like they included samples two of each. its very thoughtful in case I want to try different parameters.
Im quoting from their website. "Taiwan is world renowned for its oolong tea but little is known of its phenomenal Black tea which is often referred to as Sun Moon Lake Black tea due to the location of its growth and production. This black tea is as unique and special as the oolong produced on the special island.
Ruby #18 is relatively new tea cultivar developed in 1999 at the TRES (Taiwan Tea Research and Extension Station) by crossing Assamica with a wild Qing Xin. In the production process the tea is brought to full oxidation, where it develops a rich and sweet brew that has some mi xiang (honey taste) qualities."
The leaf is gorgeous, full, not broken, long and spidery kind
I used my own parameters. and since i have another packet i will try Totem tea parameters next time.
5g 100ml glazed teapot 200F
i dont rinse Taiwanese teas anymore, i find the rinse is so flavorful and hate to throw it
10/10/15/20sec etc
The aroma is intoxicating. the brew is dark reddish amber color.
It is honey sweet with plum notes, raw nuts and unmistakable minty cool freshness, lasting long after ive finished the session. That makes this tea welcoming in a heat of summer.
Thank you so much Totem Tea for the chance to try it, it was very enjoyable morning session
https://instagram.com/p/BGFWtbzhwlC/
Preparation
Another session from a cake I bought
Compression of the cake isn’t tight, easy separates with needle or even by hand.
It tastes pretty much the same as first time: minty cool and fruity with notes of tobacco. This time I’ve noticed very powerful qi. It built up around steep 5 and was very long lasting.
https://instagram.com/p/BF6aHL0BwkL/
https://instagram.com/p/BF6db3LBwsM/
5g in 65ml Yixing pot
As I pushed steeps later on it didn’t get bitter or unpleasant , only thicker mouthfeel
Preparation
backlog
i got a sample with recent purchase. im always on look out for not overly expensive sheng with some age.
I wasnt disappointed. it was very nice fruity camphor sheng. florals were present but kinda on the background. Because of Guangdong dry storage the tea mellowed and smoothed. the color is orange. Former tobacco notes i always pick up with mengku sheng really mellowed out and were barely noticeable just because i knew they were there. later steeps picked up some more astringency/bitterness but nothing unpleasant.
Im expecting some in a mail soon ;)
5g 65ml yixing 212F rinse and short steeps
Preparation
I remembered i had this tea i bought last year. the leaves looked fresh and very aromatic.
took 3g for 8oz, 195F for just under 3 min
resteep @5min wasnt bad but i havent finished the 2nd cup
The cup was lovely. Sweet and flavorful, very aromatic. I did enjoy it a lot. Happy Earth Tea mentioned that this year Arya Ruby first flush was ruined by hailstorm. i thought it was a good idea to finish the pouch but after learning this sad news ive changed my mind.
im back to hoarding it
https://instagram.com/p/BEdo1Xhhwh8/
