Nonpareil Anxi Qing Xiang TieGuanYin Oolong Tea

Making a placeholder for this so I can fill it in later, just reminding myself I am in fact trying this today. Sorry guys.

Tea provided by Teavivre for review

First steep exceeded my expectations. It’s very floral of course, but not in an obnoxious way. And there is an almost menthol like refreshing sensation with each sip.

Second through fourth steeps were very consistent in flavour. But on my fifth steep I started tasting some nectarine (fruit) notes along with spices.

Sixth through seventh steeps were still very flavourful with a nice touch of sweetness.

I have not gone out of my way to try many tie guan yin teas, but this one really impressed me. I’m not even sure what else I would expect from this tea. Just an amazing experience all around. :)

100 ml gaiwan, sample size, 7 steeps and rinse

I have no words that haven’t already been said about this tea. It’s just…. Wow.

My husband (an oolong fan), and I received a sample of this premium Oolong (October 2012 harvest). My husband asked me to order more, telling me it was the best Oolong he has ever had. It has the floral aroma and taste you would expect from a high quality Tie Guan Yin. It has a clean, refreshing finish. Very nice.

Thanks to Angel from Teavivre for this sample.

The leaves (both dry and when initially wet) surprised me with their extremely bright green color, which inevitably led to a highly “green” liquor—very floral and herbaceous taste with pale-green liquor coloration, a crisp mouthfeel, and a general lack of persistent, full aroma. I’ll chalk this one up as another modern “green tea” tieguanyin and move on. The flavors were of the general tieguanyin spectrum, although were more subdued than those of other similar spring tieguanyin*, so I won’t go into much detail there. Instead, I’ll focus on the aromatic and textural qualities that set this one apart (for better or worse).

I generally prefer the autumn harvests of tieguanyin for their more pervasive aromatics and depth, especially with this kind of lightly- or un-roasted tieguanyin. I found the fragrance of this one to be quite lacking, as I alluded to above, which seemed to bring out the highest overall intensity after the wash and then fade quickly throughout the session. The scent on the gaiwan lid was fleeting after each steep, while my tasting cup had little to no lengxiang (lit. cold fragrance; the scent leftover after the liquor has been drained). However, I found there to be dimensions of the wet leaves’ fragrance that were unique, such as a deeply vegetal, “green wood” quality that was somewhere in the earthy spectrum of scents.

I found the mouthfeel and general “form” of the liquor to be quite enjoyable. I noticed almost no astringency whatsoever, and a long smoothness for each sip. Although the textural dimensions remained on the light side during the opening and development of a sip, the finish was sticky and somewhat thick, with a faint cooling sensation in the throat. With more leaf in the gaiwan*, a small tartness in the throat is detectable, although the information Teavivre provides for this tea indicates that it shouldn’t have this quality because of the lack of tuo suan during processing. Again, it didn’t seem to be there with lower quantities of leaf (as in half the sample pack per 100 mL of water), but it wasn’t a negative quality to me regardless.

*Using a bit more than half the bag will result in more intense/full flavors, at the expense of some smoothness, in my experiences. Both produce sessions that are good in their own right, depending on what qualities you desire. Teavivre seems to recommend the entire bag for gaiwan brewing, but for my preferences the cramping of the leaves at that concentration produces a sub-optimum infusion.

This is what I like to find in a Tie Guan Yin. Beautiful floral notes of gardenias and jasmine. This one carries a bit more vegetal notes when I taste the tea than I was expecting. But still, a good tea through and through.

Is it annyoing if I say I agree with ALL the good comments. haha. It is a great tea. I bought about 5 Ooolongs this month and this was my favorite. 100% for me.

Write me if you have any questions. SO GOOD.

Also tried this iced. Mmmmmm. Didnt need long to open up and bring out the flavor. 30-60 seconds was plenty

The sample came vacuumed sealed, and it was very fresh. Highly aromatic with an orchid aroma. My newbie taste buds can tell it is complex with notes I’m sure I obviously missed but it’s pleasantly sweet, heavy flavor and unlike other Tie Guan Yin I’ve tried, it does not have as much of the tart, sour finish that tugs at your cheeks but more a peaceful, light sweetness that lingers a long time. It’s floral, but not too vegetal, lots of melon notes and changed quite often and had depth and flavor throughout all 7 steeps.

The price is $15.90/1.75 oz. I have one more sample that I look forward to and if I enjoyed it like I did this time, I’ll probably keep it in my cupboard.

Gaiwan: 7g, 212℉, 100ml,7 steeps: rinse, 30s,40s, 50s, 60s, 80s, 100s,140s.

(A repeat review: TeaVivre already put it in the database. I input Nonpareil “Handmade” Anxi Qiang Xiang TieGuanYin Oolong Tea but probably the same tea.)

It’s been a while since I’ve had a TGY. Having grown accustomed to Taiwanese tea lately, I found the taste of this tea to be distinctively different from other green oolongs. This is a very flower packed tea, orchid to be precise, with a heady floral aroma. There’s little to no fruitiness or mineral notes. The flavor is like the essence of orchid with buttery tones and a hint of vanilla. I recommend short steeps because the flavor can quickly become overbearing if steeped too long.

While I enjoyed this tea, it’s not one I’d go out of my way for again. The flavor doesn’t change much from steep to steep and it’s floral aspect, though powerful, is one-dimensional. I prefer the more complex and subtle flowery notes of Wenshan Bao Zhong.