Blend Review:
Time for another new blend! How about a green tea and an anxi oolong? Why the hell not?
Time to taste a mix of Organic Celadon Pearl green tea and Money Picked Tieguanyin anxi oolong Tea, both from Red Blossom Tea Company in San Francisco. I had no reason or purpose to mix these two, just curiosity and the desire for something different today.
I used pretty much the same amount of each, maybe a tad more green. About 1 tablespoon of Tieguanyin and 1 heaping tablespoon of Celadon. Water was pulled off the burner at the first sign of bubbles, and I kept the steeping time down to 45 seconds, the recommended time for the green tea, the shorter recommended time of the two.
Thinking about it before I try it, the earthy, nutty, slightly smoky taste with a clean and clear feel and finish of the Celadon Pearl green should mix well with the roasted nut, rich, more fruity taste of the Tieguanyin anxi oolong.
Let’s find out:
Color is a nice orange/yellowish, almost but not quite clear. Slightly darker than a regular green tea. Looks a lot like a darkish India Pale Ale, for those beer folks out there.
Aroma is wonderful. The Celadon green tea really has a chance to shine in this mix, the Tieguanyin oolong perks up to the aroma very nicely. There is a certain sweetness in there from the Tieguanyin that REALLY enhances the experience. It’s like a green tea with big, huge extra flavor but without the bitterness of the extra steeping time.
On first sip I notice a nice, crisp, clean, super dry mouthfeel. This is definitely an enhanced green tea, not the other way around. The taste has all the qualities of a very good green tea, with extra sweetness and a very nice extra flavor: The roasted nut flavor of the Tieguanyin takes the nutty, earthy flavor of the Celadon and gives it a nice boost.
Overall, these two teas are very interesting together. I think they mix really well, especially for someone that likes the taste and feel of a good green tea, but also likes tea with a little more kick while trying to avoid any bitter qualities.
Good stuff! This will make a GREAT late fall, early winter sipping-while-reading tea!
