166 Tasting Notes
Thanks to Teas from Taiwan for the sample of Shan Ling Xi Oolong. I brewed this gong fu style for 7 steepings and started with 50 seconds at 195 for the 1st. There is some astringency which is more pronounced in the first steeping and very slight in subsequent steepings-not in a bad way. I am able to find the smooth buttery quality and floral notes as described in the product description, but not the smokiness. Overall,a nice smooth oolong with no off flavors or bitterness. These days, I always seem to lean to blacks, so given the phase I’m in, I’m not sure any oolong is going to wow me, but I appreciate the chance to try it.
Preparation
I love chocolate, especially in the form of a dark chocolate piece of candy, but I haven’t been that impressed with the few chocolate teas I’ve tried. Since Teajo offers well priced generous samples, I included this one in my order. I’m glad I did. The sample is enough for 10-12 cups, allowing me to experiment. I prepared this in several ways, and it was great in each case. I had it straight and then with sweetener. Then I made it double strength, added sweetener and a splash of 1/2 and 1/2 and used my frother to make a warm latte. Not quite as satisfying as a piece of chocolate, but really quite good. I haven’t been disappointed by Teajo so far-the quality and service have been excellent. I would like to see them offer a few more unflavored Indian black teas as well-they have only one at this time, and it is good, but I love to try new black teas and have not had much experience with Indian teas.
Preparation
This is a really nice Chai. The first time, I made it with a teaspoon of tea and steeped it for 3 min in water at the boil. The black tea base that they use for their tea is nice and never bitter. The spices are not overdone. It is well balanced and on the milder side, but flavorful. Next, I made it double strength, and not having any milk, I added a splash of 1/2 and 1/2. I really like it this way. I appreciate that I could get a great cup of Chai without going to the trouble of preparing it on the stove in the traditional way. Teajo now offers samples for sale which give you about 10-12 cups per sample. I ordered 6 different tea samples from them and have been happy with all of them. I like the generous sample size because I can experiment a little and try it more than once before deciding whether to buy more.
Preparation
I’ve been saving my sample of this award-winning organic Bai Mu Dan for the right evening. As I pour this pale gold tea, it’s delightful fragrance has me in anticipation. I almost think I catch a faint whiff of brown sugar. The taste is smooth, creamy and natural.Yummy, this is truly reminiscent of fresh cantaloupe from summertime. The second steep is equally flavorful. A wonderful blend that with a little sweetener is perfect for a dessert tea, but hubby likes it straight too.
Preparation
I appreciate the samples sent by Tea from Taiwan. They arrived pretty quickly. Our postman required a signature, which also happened the first few times we received tea from Teavivre, but not any longer. Anyway, I prepared this Gongfu style, rinsing first, then steeping the whole 7 gm sample in my Gaiwan for 25s,35s,45s, 90s, 120s x 2. It has a pleasing gentle scent and is the color of honey. My husband, who drinks tea unsweetened and enjoys oolongs a lot,thought it was very nice from the start. I sweeten my tea and needed the longer steep times to fully appreciate this tea. I found the warm honey notes to be very pleasing and also picked up on a bit of a toasty flavor in later steepings. We stopped at 6 or 7 infusions, though I think it may have been possible to get more because there was plenty of flavor in the last cup. The Tea from Taiwan website gives detailed instructions about brewing oolongs Gongfu style-I did not see this information until after we had made the tea, but fortunately, we had been pretty close to their recommendations
Preparation
I’ve prepared this several times and it makes a great dessert treat when lightly sweetened. I lean toward blacks and oolongs primarily, but this is very nicely done. Delicate notes of cream/vanilla with a mild green tea base and of course, more than a hint of pistachio to make it interesting.I got this when it was on sale and am glad I did. Very nice selection.
Delicious Earl Grey. I preferred it at just under the recommended 3 min. steeping time. At 2 min. and 50 seconds, I avoided any bitterness but got plenty of flavor. I gather that people have strong opinions about Earl Greys-some like the Bergamot to being very strong and others like it more subtle. To me this one is just right, but that’s just me. At this point, this one is a favorite, but I haven’t tested that many. Just as with trying to find the perfect pumpkin spice, I also see myself trying many more Earl Grey teas, just out of curiosity.