1746 Tasting Notes
Andrew, you are too kind. This tea is pretty interesting. You did a good job with the roast: nice warm and toasty like the cooked whole grain bread of the same adjective and mildly vegetal. The texture is creamy and I got the roasted peanut butter taste after two minutes. The smell is also nutty. I’ll have more to add, but that’s the sum of it for now.
Backlog: I had a hard time with this tea. It distinctly tasted like licorice western which was really odd to me. I am not a licorice fan. Then I see the notes Alistair came up with, and he describes it being like anise. I totally get the anise. I will say this is a unique green tea making me glad to try this terroir. I might like it better Gong Fu, but I need to try it. Until then, it was personally not my cup of tea.
I need to drink this tea again. I don’t know if what I tasted was a result of sickness, but all I got was a malty black tea with a drying citrus edge. This was Western, so I need to do it Gong Fu next time. And next time be less congested. I will play around with it Gong Fu and Western with what I have left.
I know that I’ve written a note on this before. Anyway Backlog.
I pretty much got the same thing that Amanda did in a less vivid form. This was a complex tea that yielded mutliple steeps with a distinct floral profile of gardenia and plumeria, followed by a growingly savory and buttery body. It had very thick vegetals under the butters with a lemon and pineapple aftertaste. The first sip was the sweetest, crispist, and lightest.
I was actually surprised that this one was almost my favorite of the bunch. It is very similar to the Shan Lin Xi, but Shan Lin Xi did not have the same balance of the same notes. Shan Lin Xi had a bit more fruits veggies and light florals, whereas the florals here were thicker. They were equally buttery to me, and the butters of the Shan Lin Xi sometimes overwhelmed me. This had enough florals to balance it out.
Also, sip down, and I can barely taste it. Grrr.
Rasseru Number 8
I finished it last night. Oh so floral, and oh so creamy. And oh so long lasting. The profile reminded me of a Baozhong, but there was a little bit of an almond thing that makes me think of a Dan Cong. I’d guess it’s a Wu Dong due to the leaves size. I was actually surprised at how green it tasted. Like a floral grassy green.
Number 7
I had a little bit of a hard time with this tea. Definitely complex, but it was a little too astringent for me. I did the entire bag in flash steeps beginning this morning. I got a nice combo of a citrusy dried grapefruit with char, roast, burnt wood, and minerals. Yet the minerals were so strong that I felt like I was licking shea salt covered rocks. This salty profile dominated the tea and rendering me hesitant to finish.
Some of these are fussy, thats really true. Interesting you get salt, I never got that from this one at all
even more interesting as this one I thought you love, and it turns out maybe its your least favourite of the bunch
I did not like the way I brewed it more than me disliking it. It was just too strong in that session. I probably would have loved it if I used less leaves.
I’m also sick, and the texture was making me cough a little.
Number 6 and I’m diggin’ the hell out of the roast. It’s taste is near a Red Jade Black or a Moon Lake Assam. It’s like a barely lighter Taiwan Assam overall. Even though I know that this is an oolong.
It does have a little bit of a potato chip aroma going around the dry leaf, but there is a little bit of a plum note sweetening the liqour’s amber body. I still get a nice roast in the taste.
And this tea paired quite well with salty pickle and dill potato chips, and lord does the combo feel great on my throat.
ive never tried Taiwan assam. will have to put that on my list
One of the top teas from Butiki on steepster was a Taiwan Assam. I think. Unless it was a Vietnam. Crap. I do know that What-Cha has some solid ones.
Also, Swann’s Way from LP has one as a base.
ive got the Vietnamese red buffalo waiting for me to try. I know that one comes very recommended
Number 5
I am pretty damn sure this is an OB. Maybe a Darjeeling or some sort of Nepali/Indian/perhaps Himalayan tea, but I’m still leaning OB.
I did not get a lot of taste other than peach in the first steep. Then I did not treat this tea as neatly as normal after the first three steeps and overbrewed it after being nocked out for sickness. I drank it when I woke up, and got a nice cool muscatel cup with a little bit of roastiness in the aftertaste. Otherwise peach like fruity and dry like a red wine.
Number 4
Uh-oh-a Taiwaneese jade oolong!
My love!
Well, all near 5 grams are being drank and the aroma is awesome. It reminds me of rice pudding with cinnamon. I very rarely get the cinnamon note. This makes me happy.
First steep was sweet, floral and creamy with a little bit of an edge. Second so far has more honey sweetness in its creamy texture and taste. Three is more fruity, a little bit asian pear like.
I know I said that I probably wouldn’t guess on all of these, but this one screams to me as some kind of Li Shan. It does remind me of Da Yu Ling, but Li Shan or perhaps Ali Shan is what I recognize overall. More to come.
Another steep and more of the same thing. The smell reminds me of Nag Champa somehow. Weird connection I know. Could just be another thing that my brain is playing with.
Two more cups in, and I just get grassy florals with a slight honeyed end. A part of me wanted more, but I was still pretty happy.
Aha! Did you notice anything different with the leaf?
Do you mean different from a usual Jade oolong? I did notice that it was a little bit stemmy with very light amounts of roast on the surface.
haha! i’ll say no more until Andrew & you are finished tasting them
Good. He’ll probably notice something I didn’t lol.
ah yeah thats another thing I never know about the US, do you get next-day shipping on most things? or is that really expensive? anwhere in the UK next day is pretty normal (not guaranteed though)
Not necessarily. Things ship pretty quickly to Ohio from both my University and my home. Andrew will get his package by Tuesday because of Labor Day is a Federal Holiday. As for companies like Whispering Pines, it can take a while to get to my house-sometimes six days with a four day average, whereas orders get to my dorm 3 days or the next day. Next day shipping can be expensive if it is a large package-something like $14-20 dollars for next day shipping.
