Cameron

Sipdown (349)

This tea is old. VERY OLD. Since it is one of the first teas I was sent from Sororitea Sisters back in 2016. It got lost in my stash and while I probably should have written a Sororitea Sisters review for it, I don’t think it would be very fair since the age of this. Plus, I’m gong fu brewing it and I genuinely don’t know what I’m doing.

I weighed out 4 grams for my 100 ml gaiwan and soaked the tea briefly and then started steeping. My first step was for about 30 seconds in 200F water. Like so many of my other sessions, the tea is overwhelmingly metallic. Metallic and not much else. So I did something a bit wasteful and dumped the leaves. I then started over with the remaining 1.68 grams in my gaiwan.

Similar to my original attempt, I rinsed the leaves and then did an initial steep of approximately 30 seconds. This cup misses that overwhelming metallic flavour but unfortunately nothing took its place. It’s a very bland very slightly tea-flavoured water.

The second steep was steeped for a minute and 30 seconds. There is a bit more of the honeyed fruit tea flavour in this cup than in the last but it is still flat. With that said, my third steep was steeped for 3 minutes. This is just more of the same. Honeyed fruit. Subtle but there and nice enough but overall boring. At least it’s not metallic.

This is, unsurprisingly, another Taiwanese black that I really enjoyed. It was sour, sweet, hay and hot, toasted stonefruit. I think I may have steeped a bit too long, though that usually hasn’t negatively impacted other Taiwanese blacks that I’ve had. This one was a little on the bitter side when hot. As it cooled it became this awesomely chocolately delight. I would love to have some of this on hand someday. Thanks for sharing, Ost!

Backlog:

My 4700 tasting note is of another exceptional tea from Cameron Tea.

An absolutely delightful tea. Sweet, smooth, no astringency, no bitterness. Sweet, molasses-y goodness. Gentle spice notes. Hints of caramel. Earthy notes. Chocolate and leather.

Oh so pleasant. Here’s my full-length review: http://sororiteasisters.com/2014/10/31/taiwan-sun-moon-lake-formosa-black-tea-premium-grade-from-cameron-tea/

This was better than I expected! Still feel a little weary from last night’s tastings xD
So this tea was a pleasant surprise. It’s not too strong with any note. It’s a little bready, a little cocoa-y, and a little chocolate-y. It really did make for a pleasant cup (:
Thank you LiberTEAS for the sample! (:

Backlog:

I have tried both the premium grade and the competition grade of this tea. This particular tasting note is for the Competition grade.

Lovely cinnamon spice notes. Just beneath the cinnamon flavor I notice notes of cacao. A note of difference between the two grades. This competition grade has a stronger essence of cinnamon while the premium grade has a stronger cacao note.

Other than that, they are both very similar. With its’ cinnamon-y dimension, it is quite a lovely, autumnal tea. Smooth, rich, flavorful, sweet. Everything you want from a Sun Moon Lake type tea – it’s quite lovely. I highly recommend trying both grades to see which you like best. I think that for winter, I would probably prefer the premium grade, but for the autumnal months, I quite like the cinnamon-y notes of the competition grade.

Here’s my full-length review: http://sororiteasisters.com/2014/09/16/taiwan-sun-moon-lake-ruby-black-tea-competition-grade-from-cameron-tea/

Backlog:

The difference between the Premium Grade and Competition Grade of the AliShan High Mountain is that the competition grade is lightly roasted. That roasting makes a difference in the flavor. But I enjoyed both of them.

This tea doesn’t have the toasted nutty flavor of the competition grade, but I think that this one was a bit more creamy and floral. I like the way the flowery notes meld with the natural vegetal notes of the tea.

This is a very special AliShan (then again, I find that most AliShan teas are special – they’re my favorite Oolong for a reason!) but as I said in my full-length review of this tea – http://sororiteasisters.com/2014/08/14/taiwan-alishan-high-mountain-oolong-tea-premium-grade-from-cameron-tea/ – this tea is simply magnificent.

i managed 10 infusions from the same measurement of leaves. I combined the first 5 infusions in one mug (my special YiXing Mug for Ali Shan Oolong) and the second five infusions were combined for the second mug. Both mugfuls were fantastic. I love the sweet, creamy floral notes. Vanilla-like notes. Faint vegetal tones. A beautiful tea.

Backlog:

I’ve mentioned before that I love Cameron Tea, haven’t I? The teas are stunning.

I’ve had the opportunity to try both the Premium grade and the competition grade of each of the teas that Cameron offers and I enjoyed discovering the subtle differences between the two grades. I’ve also enjoyed immensely just indulging in these teas. So good!

On the SororiTea Sisters blog, when I reviewed this tea, I mentioned how Cameron defines Premium versus Competition. You can read more about it here: http://sororiteasisters.com/2014/07/26/taiwan-sun-moon-lake-assam-black-tea-premium-grade-from-cameron-tea/

This tea is lighter in body than what I’ve come to know as an Assam. It’s not quite as rich, malty and invigorating, but it still is very flavorful and quite wonderful in its own way. And it’s not nearly as astringent as many Assam teas can be. This, in contrast is sweet and soft and silky to drink.

Molasses, honey and cacao. Delightful! Earthy notes of leather and wood. Smooth and satisfying. A really beautiful tea.

Backlog:

I’ve had the opportunity to try quite a few different teas from Cameron – both the black tea varieties and the Oolong varieties – and it would be difficult to tell you which I prefer. They’ve all been quite lovely.

The beautiful leaves are whole and have been rolled lengthwise to create a lovely, wiry shape when dry. They slowly unfurl to release their flavor. It’s warm and robust and sweet with notes of cacao. Caramel and molasses. Subtle tones of leather and earth. There is a very pleasing texture that is thick and buttery and smooth, but it doesn’t taste buttery like an Oolong or green tea would. It just feels it.

Here’s my full-length review: http://sororiteasisters.com/2014/07/05/taiwan-sun-moon-lake-formosa-black-tea-competition-grade-from-cameron-tea/

Backlog:

I was a little confused by this tea at first (before tasting it) because I’m used to seeing Oriental Beauty Oolong, but Oriental Beauty Black Tea? Different.

But amazing!

A very impressive tea. You can read my full-length review here: http://sororiteasisters.com/2014/05/28/taiwan-beipu-oriental-beauty-black-tea-premium-grade-from-cameron-tea/

It has similarities to an Oriental Beauty Oolong: it’s buttery, smooth, with a soft mouthfeel. But the flavor is well-rounded and fuller, like a black tea. Sweet, honey-esque, notes of molasses, stone fruit, and mere hints (whispers!) of floral notes.

A really lovely tea!

Backlog:

Have I mentioned lately how much I love Cameron Tea? They have only a select few teas, but the teas that they do have are AMAZING.

This Ruby Black is a delightfully aromatic tea with notes of leather and spice.

And it tastes amazing: Caramel, cacao, malt … earthy, gentle spice notes. The aftertaste has a mild minty note.

A very rich and satisfying tea. This would be a good “first cuppa” type tea because it has a strong flavor that I look for in my first cup of the day. I really like this one, please read my full-length review to check out my gushing praise of it: http://sororiteasisters.com/2014/05/17/taiwan-sun-moon-lake-ruby-black-tea-premium-grade-from-cameron-tea/

Backlog:

I love, LOVE, love Cameron Tea. This company has some exceptional Taiwanese teas.

I can’t remember ever having a “Sun Moon Lake Assam” before, I’ve had Sun Moon Lake, and I’ve had Assam … but I don’t think I’ve had an Assam tea from Sun Moon Lake before. I was a little confused by it because Assam generally means Indian tea … so I guess this is called an Assam because it’s from the Assamica variety of the Camellia Sinensis?

Despite my confusion, this is a LOVELY tea. It’s not quite as “Assam-ish” as I might have expected, since when I think of Assam, I think bold, rich, malty, and sometimes bitter. This tastes more like the Sun Moon Lake than an Assam. Sweet, lighter in body than a typical Assam, but with notes that remind me of Assam. This is a pleasant harmony of both teas: malty notes, honeyed caramel, cacao, earth and leather.

A warm and cozy kind of tea for the mornings when you don’t have to kick it into gear right away, you have time to lounge around in your bunny slippers and fluffy robe and enjoy a lovely cuppa.

Here’s my full-length review: http://sororiteasisters.com/2014/05/10/taiwan-sun-moon-lake-assam-black-tea-competition-grade-from-cameron-tea/

Excellent quality tea with MEGA leaf size! Oh, and this is the premium grade version of Taiwan Alishan High mountain (there is also a competition grade available that is slightly roasted).

This oolong is silky buttery with moderate floral notes (buttercup) nicely balanced with a honey sweetness. Very fresh, crisp and clear tasting with no grassy notes, as well as not dry or bitter. A great oolong to treat yourself with!

Full review (pics of the mega leaf!) at my blog, The Oolong Owl http://oolongowl.com/premium-grade-taiwan-alishan-high-mountain-oolong-cameron-tea-oolong-owl-tea-review/

Backlog:

Yay! Alishan! I love Alishan Oolong! There are few teas that make me happier than AliShan Oolongs.

Sweet, floral scent with hints of fruit. A sweet, creamy, luscious flavor. I infused this five times and combined all five infusions in my Yi Xing mug that is designated for AliShan Oolong teas. The flavor is sweet and honey-esque with roasted nut tones in the background. Crisp floral notes, fruity, buttery.

A really awesome AliShan! Here’s my full-length review: http://sororiteasisters.com/2014/05/03/taiwan-alishan-high-mountain-oolong-tea-competition-grade-from-cameron-tea/

I usually try flavored tea, so this is a bit different for me when it’s just the natural flavor of the tea. I was making some in my timolino this AM, and I almost couldn’t put the leaves in the brew basket because the leaves were so long! So this brew may not be ideal, but it’s a very rich, layered tea. It’s not at all bitter and it’s a nice full, satisfying tea. Perfect for this blustery, windy day.