338 Tasting Notes
This review got out of hand, I had to split it into a thread as well….
I get a lovely aroma from the steeped leaves, a chestnut & perfume. Some sweetness & fruit but everything is melded together in the roast. I dont get the pungent fresh green perfume I really like about ‘modern’ TGY from the liquor, which is a surprise, but the steeped leaves are lush.
I was expecting a mix of both green & brown flavour from the cup, but it leans towards the brown. But, this is a very nicely roasted oolong if you like that style. It is smooth & soft but more spritely than the aged oolongs I have been drinking tonight, there is a bit more separation in the flavour & aroma, with some additional char bite (youth?) compared to the 1986 Lishan, which is no bad thing if you like that kind of tea.
So this ended up creating more questions about oxidised (edit* fermented?) but non-roasty Anxi tea, which was what I ended up wanting from this session… (I dont go for roasty teas)
Flavors: Bark, Char, Chestnut, Fruity
Another from the 2015 aged Oolong group buy.
I thought this tea was nice – much preferred it to the other, more roasted examples.
There was a pleasant meshing of flavour & aroma which made it really hard for me to pinpoint what they were (I have a pretty hard time with this anyway, with any tea) but I got dried bark, woods, nuts, some perfume, some fruit – plum I think. The roast was subtle (never re-roasted) which I liked.
What most stood out was the very soft & velvety nature of the feels in the mouth, as the flavours were quite more subtle than what I’m used to in an Oolong, and it wasnt oily or buttery, it was airy but not smokey. – Apparently I got a more creamy nose when I drank it last time. Ive got a cold and been stuffing sudafed up my nose and its affected it.
Thanks LiquidProust for organising and everyone at steepster for being awesome & making it happen by joining in!
Flavors: Bark, Cream, Nuts, Plum, Wood
I thought I would carry on my habit lately of drinking some greens – so i’m trying this gift from Haveteawilltravel in the oolong group buy. Thanks!
OK. Lots of broken twigs! grandpa-style minefield – unless you like twigs going up your nose :D I followed others recommendations of just under 80c. I did also hear you can hit it with boiling and get a really wonderful chocolate hit but as this was a sampler I didnt want to mess it up.
Taste-wise, its nice savoury – nuts, chocolate with just a hint of fruity aroma. At one point it reminded me of food, and I couldn’t work out what it was. Then I realised toasted rice, and so probably something related from the leaf or toasting method in Genmaicha had made me think of toasted rice in this.
Before this sencha & genmaicha were my only japanese teas ive tried. I enjoyed this, albeit being maybe a tad not to my tastes. Its certainly piqued my interest to try some more japanese greens at some point.
And thanks to LiquidProust for doing his organising of these group buys.
Flavors: Chocolate, Fruity, Nuts, Toasted Rice
Preparation
As a mostly-black-and-oolong drinker, I like hojicha a lot, as long as I get a good one that doesn’t taste like an ash tray. I get one of the middle-range cost ones from Yunomi, and it’s like roasted almonds.
I did have a bad experience with hojicha from O-cha, so I’m careful where I buy it now. Pretty much only Yunomi.
I’ve had young Cheap Da Hong Pao that tasted like I was drinking water mixed with ash, this was a pleasant walk in the park compared :)
Heh, yeah. What I have is made from roasted sencha leaves. I’m not generally a fan of Japanese green teas, but this one has made it into my regular rotation. I can drink it late at night — so far it’s the only tea that I don’t really get any caffeine buzz from.
Even Bai Mu Dan or Yin Zhen white teas? Thats what I drink if I dont want so much of a buzz (or roobois but we are talking tea tea arent we)
Ah, yeah, I don’t really like white teas, so no, not those. Or at least I have’t had any that I like so far. I do like rooibos sometimes.
But yeah, mainly I’ve been just drinking tea leaves lately, haven’t had a lot of rooibos. Maybe none at all for the past several months.
even yin zhen/ silver needle?
I think that stuff is heaven in a cup
Really? I’ve got some samples I should really try. I probably haven’t really tried any good quality white teas yet, but I have some on hand. Teas with no oxidation usually make me feel kind of nauseous, but I’ll definitely try what I have.
If you can try a yinzhen/silver needle which is fresh, green with fluffy white hairs I would. Theres a sweetness & taste that sometimes goes into the realms of exquisite (for me anyway)
I think I’ve got one from The Finest Brew — it’s probably the most promising. How long do you steep and at what temperature?
I like ~3g in a 10/12oz cup western style. and 75-80c for about 3 minutes
This is the first green tea I have had for a year and a half.
As Janchi says in the review before she’s a fussy one! The first time I ended up with an bitter mess. – That cant be right, can it? I was being a bit careless (water was left over from another tea but had cooled a bit, not sure the size of the pinch of leaves). So the next time round I used less leaf and made sure the water was 70c, and was greeted by a lovely cup.
Peas, nutty, greens, sweetness & a hint of something perfume. Much much better! I’m having again and there is a slight lemon citrus in there, its all very pleasant.
Only ever-so-slightly dry, astringent, and a slight bitterness when at the bottom of the cup, the last sip or so (grandpa style).
I liked it even though this isnt the sort of tea I usually drink
Flavors: Astringent, Bitter, Dry Grass, Drying, Green, Lemon, Nutty, Peas
Preparation
I was using a second cup for my leaves and in a sleepy haze steeped it. It was Ba Xian & a Sheng.
Some nuttiness & cream & some menthol to lift it, with some bitterness.
I dont think it would qualify for a master blend unfortunately. But I ended up enjoying it by pure surprise :D
Flavors: Astringent, Bitter, Cream, Menthol, Nutty
Preparation
Im reviewing this again as this time drinking it im getting totally different flavour & aroma than before, and after re-reading my review I wanted to add a few things -
I’m getting a lovely almost Ya Shi velvet perfume, with a soft sweetness. Grandpa style Ive had my nose in the cup just inhaling the aroma. I really cant describe what it is but its so nice I had to mention it as I didnt notice it before and I dont know why.
It just has something really special and lovely about it, a bit fruity, not citrus but deeper. A bit nutty, ever so slightly roasty, savoury but sweet, thick with a nice aftertaste, a slight acidity. Its not like im being punched in the face by the leaf, I think I needed to drink it quite a few different times to totally appreciate it, as this isnt a type of tea I have tried before a few months ago, and is soft and subtle so its a bit humble in how it comes across. I didnt pick up on how perfumed it was before.
Defo not a tea for all occasions, but at this moment in time it was perfect. Its really ‘leafy’ tasting. Purple leafy too. nom
Flavors: Fruity, Perfume
