High Mountain Second Flush Oolong Tea

Adventaggedon Day 4 – Tea 3/6

Gongfu!!

This was such a pleasant surprise this morning – and I was actually up early enough today to steep it Gongfu before leaving to work which made it even better. I’ve been so busy in between advents and work that I’ve not had a proper Gongfu session since Monday…

It is a little weird IMO to brew an Indian tea Gongfu, but it still worked out in the end! The taste was delicious and filled with warm and cozy cinnamon, nutmeg, roasted peanut notes that supported the most dominant flavour in each infusion – which was a rich fresh baked brown bread note. Not a lot of longevity here with resteeps; I capped out at around three infusions. However, each of those steeps was sublime and the simple act of starting my morning with some Gongfu action made my whole day.

I think this is my favourite tea I’ve ever had from Vahdam!

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAusMOjdVDA&ab_channel=Marinelli-Topic

Advent Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/CIZC-u1gDbW/

FYI, I don’t know why this link seems to post broken but if you copy and paste it into your browser it seems to work fine.

Vahdam Advent Calendar – Day 4

So the tin just says “High Mountain Oolong Tea” and so does the picture but I kept the name the same as the website listing… (shrugs)

I decided to steep this up in a teapot because I’ve been neglecting my pots lately in favor of the more convenient mug. Well no more, I have too many cute teapots to ignore them! :P

This reminds me a bit of a lighter Fujian black tea, with its lovely soft bread and caraway notes. There are also soft autumn leaves with hay, honey, and a touch of dried fruit, along with some toasty nuttiness. I get a light floral lift at the end of the sip as well. Overall, it’s very light and airy yet cozy.

It’s definitely perfect for sipping away at in the afternoon. Great choice for a teapot!

https://www.instagram.com/p/CIYztdDgvTf/

(today’s advent teas: https://www.instagram.com/p/CIYX874AFsO/)

This one is from Meowster! Thanks so much! This sounded lovely — a High Mountain Darj. Sometimes I just crave some Darj, and a High Mountain Dark sounds even better. It has a very fruity, bright flavor, a note almost like an assam but with plenty of muscatel. A deep red color. It’s a darker Darj… while some usually have a light flavor, this one is like a mid-level black tea. It gets a bit brisk even with one teaspoon and a low steep temp (note to self). I’m not describing it well enough, but let’s just say it’s delicious. And it’s certainly a Darj I’d prefer to steep up.
Steep #1 // 1 heaping teaspoon for a full mug // 25 minutes after boiling // 2 minute steep
Steep #2 // 13 minutes after boiling // 2-3 minute steep