Asha Tea House

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Recent Tasting Notes

94

Impressive! This is definitely the star of the three teas I received from Asha. I ordered a half ounce sample of it, while that was still an option, and put about half of it into my gaiwan this morning (approx. 7 grams). I’ve been using the standard method I like for brewing oolongs gongfu style: boiling or near boiling water, one immediate rinse, then three seconds for the 1st and 2nd infusions, and increase the steep time by an additional three seconds with each following infusion. I just finished my first thirty second infusion, so I’ve steeped this tea about ten times now. It has not let up one bit.

So the first couple infusions were very light, and I didn’t expect much from them. The tea really started to get going on the third and fourth infusion. Here’s what I’ve noted on it’s characteristics:

(of fragrance and flavor)
Base-note: Exactly like Thai sticky sweet rice.
Mid-notes: coconut milk and orchids.
Top-notes: hints of vanilla bean and sliced almond, and sometimes hint of sweet corn

Aftertaste: Above notes persist and unfold over minutes to surprising additional fruit notes, like occasional flashes of light peach, sweet apple and honeydew melon. Also tingles in a pleasant way.

Mouth-feel: Very light, almost vaporous, and yet somehow still creamy.

It all makes me wish I had some fresh sliced mango to eat for breakfast alongside this tea! I’m really amazed by the kinship between this tea and the sweet rice in coconut milk that is served with mango as a Thai dessert. It’s so delicious. Quite fantastic in many ways! I’ll definitely be ordering more of it.

Preparation
Boiling 0 min, 15 sec
Charles Thomas Draper

I have to order this….

Geoffrey

Yea. It’s pretty great, Charles! Their Yunnan Golden Buds and King’s Tea roasted oolong are worth trying too. Asha offers free shipping last I checked. Enjoy!

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90

This morning I’m trying the sample of Yunnan Golden Buds tea that Asha Tea generously included with my order. Brewing it gongfu style in my gaiwan, and have had three infusions so far. I consider the Yunnan golden needle teas, along with Laoshan black, to be the height of black tea for me. This sample from Asha is quite good! Perfectly smooth, as I would expect from a budset black tea. Mouth-feel is light and soft. Really a pleasure to drink.

But what makes this Golden Buds different and interesting for me is that it is a much more savory experience in fragrance and flavor than the other golden needle teas I’ve tried. I think Asha’s short flavor description is completely on the mark. This tea has a fragrance and flavor very reminiscent of good cooked mushrooms. Its taste expands through salty and peppery territory in a rather pleasant way. The fact that I’m a big fan of mushrooms probably helps me appreciate this tea a lot.

The savoriness of this tea surprised me a little bit, because I’m used to golden needle teas that have a much sweeter profile. This one is an interesting departure from that. It’s a very pleasant and worthwhile Yunnan golden needle tea, but not the best one I’ve tried. I would probably most often go for a sweeter one over this if a choice was necessary, but that’s just because I’m in the mood for sweeter teas more frequently.

Preparation
Boiling 0 min, 15 sec

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75

OK. So I’m just finishing off the last of this tea in my cupboard. I’ve been using it to season and yang my young Huangni seal script teapot, which I’m dedicating to Feng Huang Dan Cong oolongs. ( http://www.hegathers.com/_images/ruci-close.jpgthe one in the middle ). I threw all the remaining leaf from the ounce I ordered into the teapot (7+ grams perhaps) and have brewed up about seven or eight infusions. I feel like the tea is spent now, so I’m presently doing a final long steep for one last infusion to yang the teapot before I clean it.

I have to admit that this tea was better this time than the previous session I had with it; the bitterness on the tail end I mentioned the last time I drank it was not present. Perhaps the preparation technique I used for the last brewing session was off in some way (Dan Cong oolong is said to be finicky in that way); or maybe my still young yixing teapot took off some of the sharp edges. In any case, it was a reasonably pleasant drinking session. This tea still doesn’t reach the sweetness that I want from a Mi Lan Dan Cong, nor does it have the complexity that I want from Dan Cong teas in general, but it’s okay. In any case, I think it has been redeemed enough from the bitter impression of the last session to warrant a rating jump. I’ve put it midway between my initial rating and the second one. This Mi Lan Dan Cong has given me a good sense of perspective for forming a clear sense of what I want and don’t want from this kind of tea.

My search for fine Phoenix Mountain oolong continues. . . .

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 0 min, 30 sec

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75

Revisited this Mi Lan Dan Cong from Asha. I have to admit that I’m less fond of it after a second brewing session, and with the perspective provided by recently trying another Mi Lan Dan Cong of better quality. My disappointment is primarily from the promise this tea extends when it first touches the tongue, but doesn’t deliver on. I feel like it’s going to go in a good direction initially, but it just turns south and leaves me with a little bitterness in the aftertaste. Had to revise my rating on this one… Not as good as I wanted it to be.

I’ve been much happier with Asha’s Alishan oolong and Golden Buds, which are really solid and delicious offerings. Hopefully they can source a better Dan Cong in the future to stand with the other fine teas they have.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 0 min, 15 sec

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75

So I was curious about Asha’s teas after reading some of the high praise its Pure Heart Alishan Oolong has received here recently. When I found out they were doing a Fall promotion and free shipping, I went to have a look at the offerings. I was definitely curious to try a sample of the Alishan, and also saw that they had this honey scent Phoenix Mountain oolong. The samples were pretty minimal in terms of cost, so I decided it couldn’t hurt to try out some of Asha’s teas.

I made a half ounce order of the Alishan and a one ounce order of their Phoenix Mountain. Order placed on Wednesday and received today (Saturday). Pretty nice for service! And my order included an extra ten gram sample of thier Yunnan Golden Buds tea, which looks and smells quite good. On the service side, my only issue with Asha is that I think their website is not user-friendly and could stand to be improved quite a bit.

So right now, I’m drinking the Phoenix Mountain oolong gongfu style, and am brewing up infusion five or six in my gaiwan at the moment. For this kind of tea, I have the reference point of the sample I recently tried from Goldfish Tea. I was quite impressed with that one, and wanted to gain more perspective on it by trying other Phoenix Mountain oolongs. Overall, I think Asha’s is good, but that I found the one from Goldfish more enjoyable.

Comparing the two, I would say that Asha’s has a richer body, with a mouth-feel that is somewhat syrupy. The fragrance and flavor of this one are stronger, but not necessarily better. There’s definitely a familiarity between the two, as they are basically the same kind of tea; but I somehow feel that this one is lacking a number of the refinements that I experienced in the sample from Goldfish. The one from Goldfish definitely tasted sweeter, and had a softness to it that I found exceedingly pleasant. Asha’s tastes a little blunt by comparison, and doesn’t rise to the high sweet notes that I so much enjoyed in the Goldfish sample. The aftertaste here isn’t as interesting either.

That said, I do like this tea and think that it’s certainly worth drinking. I’ll finish this one before I try ordering yet another Phoenix Mountain oolong to round out my perspective. Though for the time being it’s making me miss and more deeply appreciate the first Phoenix Mountain oolong that I tried. If after a third attempt from a different vendor, the offering from Goldfish Tea still wins out, I may have to revise my rating of that one up.

To be fair, this Phoenix Mountain oolong from Asha Tea is half the price of the one from Goldfish, so I have to imagine a qualitative difference does exist between the two. For the price, Asha’s is good, but it’s not the best I’ve tried.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 0 min, 15 sec

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86

All gone =( I’ll have to consider buying more, since I really enjoyed this.

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86

This is my first Tie Kuan Yin that has been more traditional (as in, more roasted). I had to try this sample that David gave me first because it smelled just like caramel _ And I don’t even like caramel! The taste is quite different from the smell, but I’m still amazed at how nice and smooth this tea is. Truly excellent.

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89

WOW I must have ordered the last of this because now it’s gone on their website :O This is excellent – I’ve been meaning to buy more 4 seasons since I sampled some from Tea from Taiwan. 4 Seasons is very rich yet has a smooth flavor. It’s not delicate like Ali Shan, and along with the price makes it a great daily tea. Super glad I bought this in time!

Preparation
1 min, 30 sec

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100

I’m by no means a tea expert, and even I can taste and smell the freshness and quality of this tea. This tea makes me smile from the moment I brew it to many hours later with the taste it leaves in your mouth. Good for multiple infusions, each of which has its own unique character. Full of flavor and nuance but never overwhelming.

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93

This is my first Alishan oolong. It was a real treat. My favorite thing to do is to smell the wet leaf in the gaiwan before I taste it. The smell was like sweet corn that was just husked. Loved it!

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100

Wow..very nice. The dry leaf smelled sweet and malty to me. The taste did not change there. There was a depth of earthy sweetness to finish it off. This is probably the best Yunnan I have had so far. The dry leaf said it all before I even took a sip.

The second steep was even better….:)
This was also one of the 4 samples that they included.

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 1 min, 45 sec

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