Hau Ying Chen

Tea Swap Session/Sipdown

I lied, this is my last tea note for the evening. I noted on the wrapper that it was “very sweet, honeydew/pineapple, & a touch of spring/blossoming trees” (whatever that means). This was the first tea which was had today, so my notes are a dull as my mind may be during the early hours. xD

That’s all folks. Goodnight. (zzZZzz)

Tea Swap Sample/Sipdown

While listening to music/reading early this morning, I had decided that adding a cuppa tea would bring a bit of life to the party.

I have to admit that I hadn’t expected to enjoy this as much as I had. I noticed that it was dark-ish green/brown, so I knew that it was most likely charcoal roasted….I’ve learned that these types of teas (for myself) aren’t always satisfying. There have been a few in the day which have met my needs, but there have been plenty more that have brought me great dissatisfaction. This tea, on the other hand, was enjoyable.

Notes (overall): Light charcoal notes, nutty, smooth, mild-to-dark orange liquor, mouth-drying, & slightly sweet.

2016 crop

The first through third steep were perfect. This tea ranks within the top 15 oolong I have ever had which means I loved it.

Absolutely wonderful and out of the 7 to 9 Chen teas I’ve had, this one is not unique or special by name… but it happens to be the best thus far!

Drank this during the morning hours of work for a few days. A nice texture to the liquid, almost like a broth. A little tannic with some redeeming burnt honey like taste similar to brown sugar. This tea does take a little to open up, but it can take a good 3 steeps without loosing any interesting qualities. I probably get around 5 steeps everytime I brew this tea up. Probably one of the better highly/fully oxidized teas I’ve had this. year. I look forward to trying more of Chen’s tea as I have over 30 now : )

This tea is big, and burly, and it does not mess around. It penetrated deep into my gut, and left a flavor behind that lasted for minutes. The dry leaf had a very distinct aroma of cocoa and coffee; the flavor changed intriguingly throughout the session as notes of cocoa, wood, nuts, sweetness, and grain came to the forefront, subsumed, and recombined into many varying combinations. The tea was incredibly thick, both in the mouthfeel and all the way down, leading to a feeling of fullness I haven’t really experienced from a tea before. Jethro Tull would liken it unto a brick, methinks.

I actually took two mid-session breaks with this tea, because I was satiated, and wished no more. Not because I wasn’t enjoying it thoroughly, but it reached a point if I drank too quickly where by body was thoroughly suffused with tea. This tea was definitely a stout, to use a beer analogy, as it was thick, rich, and not a chugging candidate, but very complex and satisfying to my palate. I think it stood up well to any aged oolong I’ve experienced. While not quite matching the initial taste grandeur of BTTC’s 1998 SLX, it was better in pretty much every other category, excepting price. In particular, the flavor post-swallow would burst forth, like a phoenix, and delight the senses with a final hurrah during the middle steeps. All in all, a wonderful experience shared with some wonderful folks via a series of tubes.