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“Sipdown! I think this came to me via Indigobloom – thanks!! I sadly was confused by the “TGFOP” and assumed this was a black when brewing – oops. Presumably it is actually an oolong. Thankfully, it...” Read full tasting note
“This is the kind of tea that I want to write a fake review about… but I cannot. This leaf is quite beautiful and once you give it a nice few hot bats you can see the leaf pull away as it is rolled...” Read full tasting note
“What an interesting tea! Sweet and a bit roasty with some clay notes underneath. It reminds me of a Dragonwell in some ways, but more robust and less honeylike. I must try it gaiwan style next....” Read full tasting note
“What an unusual green tea. The little leaves are rolled so tight in straight little sticks that look almost black when dry but turn green when infused. Those little leaves still did not unroll...” Read full tasting note
This is a rare Ceylon tea sourced from an exclusive tea plantation spread across rolling hills in the Central Province of Sri Lanka. The tender leaves are picked at an altitude of 600m above mean sea level. This is an artisan tea produced only using purple tea bushes (TRI 2043) by the only purely artisanal tea producer in a country that is primarily conventional tea producer. Skillfully handcrafted in small batches, this cultivar creates a light brew with an exceptional flavor.
This whole and lofty leaf needs plentiful handwork and craftsmanship with years of experience to make. The leaves are rolled very fine making it nearly impossible to unroll even after infusing. By handcrafting with such care and undergoing little to no oxidization, this tea is allowed to retain all of its complex oils and qualities, making it a very healthy addition from the island nation. This unique green tea is delicious to drink as it is beautiful to look at.
Received in its freshest form at The Finest Brew Colombo office; the leaves are once again thoroughly examined as part of rigorous quality control before packing with great care. It is then couriered to our warehouse in South San Francisco to make its way to you as quickly as possible.
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Sipdown! I think this came to me via Indigobloom – thanks!!
I sadly was confused by the “TGFOP” and assumed this was a black when brewing – oops. Presumably it is actually an oolong. Thankfully, it was really tasty (creamy, oolongy) – not to mention quite pretty as it was brewing (and in the infuser after!)
This is the kind of tea that I want to write a fake review about… but I cannot.
This leaf is quite beautiful and once you give it a nice few hot bats you can see the leaf pull away as it is rolled together. I really like the look and color, but the flavor isn’t anything unique. This was to be expected though, however I was hoping it would have something unique to offer such as dianhong balls do versus loose dianhong (this can vary though).
I am thankful to of tried this for sure, but I can’t say it is better than other greens that I have had… for grading it is hard because there is work done in regards to the preparation of making this tea, but shouldn’t a teas score come from the flavor and not the appearance of work put into it?
One of the things I’ve learned from the Sommelier course I’m doing is that the grading system describes literally ONLY the appearance of the tea; it has absolutely nothing to do with how a tea tastes. In theory, a broken grade CTC could taste far superior to an Orthodox SFTGFOP. I am marginally surprised to see the Black grading system applied to a green tea though; that’s not super common.
What an interesting tea! Sweet and a bit roasty with some clay notes underneath.
It reminds me of a Dragonwell in some ways, but more robust and less honeylike.
I must try it gaiwan style next.
The leaves are unique as well. Two of them at a time, twisted into a long spindly looking thing.
What an unusual green tea. The little leaves are rolled so tight in straight little sticks that look almost black when dry but turn green when infused. Those little leaves still did not unroll even after the first infusion and only barely on the 2nd!!!
I was really wondering what this tea would be like. As much as I love green teas, I’ve been becoming a little bored always with the similar profile of chestnut, smooth & sweet. First infusion was for 2 min , 185F, about 4 oz water, 2 g . It was pretty light. I’m not really good at describing notes or flavours but it seemed to taste a bit like hay with chestnut notes that sometimes would be light and other times strong. It was a bit astringent as well.
2nd brew : 3 min, 185F, 4 oz. This was a slightly stronger brew. Still hay like. Chestnut notes a bit more pronounced and definitely more astringent. At the bottom of the cup, a bit bitter.
I really don’t know how to rate this tea because I’m not sure how I feel about it right now. I don’t love it but did enjoy this tea. It’s so different! It was certainly fun to try it.
I find it rather light though. Tasty… but light!! glad you enjoyed it :D