Far Leaves Tea

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Recent Tasting Notes

87

A great floral oolong!

Preparation
0 min, 45 sec

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80
drank Wenshan Baozhong by Far Leaves Tea
41 tasting notes

First tea of the day, and one of my favorite “go-to” oolongs to drink casually in a cup. Today, I switched things up a little bit and properly weighed out 4.5g of tea for my 100ml gaiwan in order to test a hypothesis: I’ve been doing it wrong.

See, I’ve always found this tea to be a little on the “lighter” side, with soft, floral notes and elements of stonefruit and honey. But, as previously mentioned, I normally throw caution to the wind and just “wing it” with a sprinkling of leaves in my cup that I refill as the water gets low. This time, I used stricter brewing parameters in order to see if I could get a richer, more buttery flavor.

Results? A moderate success. The first infusion was a little “thicker” and sweeter, with a green edge that I particularly like in this tea. I did notice the second infusion was much “richer” than usual, but I seemed to have missed a little of that delicate floral touch that I love about this tea. After letting the third and fourth infusions sit for a little longer with boiling water, I noticed a more astringent edge to it developing that I usually pick up after the fourth or fifth infusion.

In the end, I was able to coax those flavors out of the leaf, but I’m not sure if it was my favorite method of brewing this tea. The aroma is so strong and wonderful, I really missed it brewing in my cup. If I’m looking for buttery and sweet, I think I’ll stick with my Si Ji Chun oolong (KILLER bang for the buck).

Side note: this tea is well over a year old and purchased “on clearance.” The new batch was noticeably more flavorful in shop.

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 0 min, 30 sec

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100
drank Earl Grey by Far Leaves Tea
1 tasting notes

A beautiful, fruity earl grey that never gets even a hint of bitterness, no matter how hot your water or how long you steep. My favorite!

Preparation
Boiling 5 min, 0 sec

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87
drank Purple Bamboo by Far Leaves Tea
41 tasting notes

What an awesome and interesting green!

I’m not too familiar with Chinese greens aside from the bagged and the basic (bi lo chun, dragonwell, gunpowder), but this tea was so curious I had to log it. I got a small sample from Far Leaves the last time I stopped in for some oolongs, and finally got around to giving it a try this afternoon. I think it may have just changed my whole outlook on chinese greens!

As the description suggests, this tea starts off surprisingly “kelpy” and vegetal; but with a surprising buttery sweetness that caught be completely off guard. The first few sips were so smooth and soft on the tongue, I thought someone had sprinkled some karigane in my cup!

After the first few buttery infusions, the tea slowly shifts into a darker-colored (yet light and grassy tasting) brew that tastes more like the Chinese greens that I’m used to. It’s a curious little tea — I just might have to give it a try again!

Preparation
155 °F / 68 °C 1 min, 30 sec

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90
drank Dong Ding by Far Leaves Tea
41 tasting notes

Made my first trip out to the Far Leaves Tea store the other day, and I immediately fell in love with the simple surroundings and all the delicious teas that I tried. After enjoying an awesome pot of Bi Lo Chun at my table, I asked to sample some Taiwanese oolongs in hopes of getting a better idea of what I like in an oolong. The owner, Donna, asked me if I’d like to try one of her all-time favorites that she had just hand-selected and flown over from Taiwan. How could I refuse? After two sips, I was completely sold on the Dong Ding — she packed me an (overflowing) tin, and I’ve been enjoying it ever since.

I don’t possess the palate (nor the adjective set!) to accurately describe the intricacies of 7+ tiny cups of tea, but what I can tell you from my various cups over the last two days is that this particular Dong Ding has an INCREDIBLE floral aroma that I simply cannot get out of my head. Every sip and sniff of this tea just explodes with the sweet scent of blossoming Gardenias, while the flavor slowly transitions from sweet and soft; to astringent and “full.” It takes about three infusions for the leaves to fully open up, but it’s fun watching and tasting the tea as it deepens in color and flavor over the next ~4 infusions.

I’ve been using the directed amount of rolled leaf in a “normal-sized” gaiwan (about 1tsp/~70ml of slightly cooled water), but I haven’t been very precise with my timings or temperatures — I’m still new to gaiwans and gong-fu, so I’m taking it a cup at a time. I do have to admit that I have been enjoying a break from all the fuss I normally make preparing greens.. :)

I’m off to bed now, but I have a feeling I’ll be thinking about this tea until my next cup.

Preparation
190 °F / 87 °C 0 min, 30 sec

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61

4.5g with 115ml water in a seasoned squat shi piao ZiNi yixing teapot. Single rinse went a little longer than intended – 20 seconds.

Not many “big leaves” left in this little tin since I’ve gotten to the bottom. These seem to be graded for size and what I’m reviewing here are mostly broken pieces of the leaves (no bits as small as a BOP grade, but only a few the size of OP or longer). Originally the tin was populated with leaves about on par with average WuYi oolong leaf length… Having had puerh with leaves nearly as long as my hand’s width or longer it’s hard to consider this “big leaf” but it is certainly longer than most loose shou puerh and longer than the standard loose leaf puerh offered by this company. Dry fragrance kind of dusty-earthy like old unswept wood floor with some water damage. Wet aroma much sweeter and woodier. I sort of laughed when I read the note the company claims of citrus, but it actually is there in a dried orange peal kind of aroma. Color is deep amber-brown with good clarity.

Body is comparable to sugarwater. Pretty full and tacky but not heavy enough for me to consider chewy or really rich when comparing to other dark teas. Smooth with a bit of a blood orange crispness. Juicy mouthfeel. I agree on the citrus quality, but it is citrus oil not citrus juice. Really, if there is a fruit in the taste it is grape but that is under the base flavor of dried vines and wet wood. The woody notes here are like standing dead wood – an old tree or vines that have finally bitten the dust after many years and are left standing in a woodland. There is a clay slurry effect in swallowing, like the body thickens as it goes down to the back of the mouth. As it cools more sweet and vegetal qualities come out… I’m picking up a bit of green apple peel snappy faint acidity and astringency in the fourth infusion. Sort of a copper metal sweetness throughout but most obvious in aftertaste. Afteraroma and nose remain true to the flavor but carries a faint bit of wet ash, producing a light rubbertree sap note in the nose.

Drinking exclusively the larger leaves carry pretty much the same flavors and aromas I’ve written here, but body is reduced. I’m surprised I’m getting the same number of infusions (11) out of the broken leaves as the more intact ones before the flavor starts going.

Calming and soothing tea. Not too exciting, but unoffensive. Pretty darn approachable for an inexpensive loose puerh, but it isn’t hard to find better ones for slightly cheaper. Good for drinking after a meal.

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 0 min, 30 sec

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