171 Tasting Notes
(Backlogging)
Based on two experiences: my wife’s and my own
Experience buying from Tea Forte: Positive. Website is very colorful and easy to navigate. Sent free samples after responding to an invitation on Steepster. Package came in reasonable amount of time. Other than sending my address, no e-mail or phone contact.
Age of leaf: Unknown. Steeped within weeks of receiving.
Packaging: Creative: each tea came in a silver and somewhat transparent plastic bag with five smaller “Single Steeps” packs attached to a colorful paper backing describing each tea. The tiny tea foil packs themselves are the most colorful and most professional-looking tea packages I have ever seen—with a picture of the fruit that the tea replicates prominently displayed on it.
Dry leaf: smelled just like I remember Amaretto tasting!
Brewing guidelines: (package states 12 oz. I used closer to 16 oz.) I used a metal basket strainer inside a ceramic 16 oz. Cup. Two steepings: 1st: boiling, 3mins. 2nd: boiling, 5 mins. (hours later). Small amount of Stevia added.
Aroma: smelled pretty much like the dry leaf, but not as strong.
Color of liquor: dark brown.
Wet leaf: << I can’t remember >> : (
Flavor: Like amaretto! A bit too strong, and possibly too tart.
Value: Free sample, but their price on their website is more than I would be willing to pay if I purchased it.
Overall: I have always liked the taste of amaretto, and it is fun to smell it and taste it in the tea, but that flavor overpowers everything else in the cup. Then again, it may not be designed to taste like a tea.
(Backlogging)
Based on two experiences: my wife’s and my own
Experience buying from Tea Forte: Positive. Website is very colorful and easy to navigate. Sent free samples after responding to an invitation on Steepster. Package came in reasonable amount of time. Other than sending my address, no e-mail or phone contact.
Age of leaf: Unknown. Steeped within weeks of receiving.
Packaging: Creative: each tea came in a silver and somewhat transparent plastic bag with five smaller “Single Steeps” packs attached to a colorful paper backing describing each tea. The tiny tea foil packs themselves are the most colorful and most professional-looking tea packages I have ever seen—with a picture of the fruit that the tea replicates prominently displayed on it.
Dry leaf: sweet smelling, reminiscent of lime and mint.
Brewing guidelines: (package states 12 oz. I used closer to 16 oz.) I used a metal basket strainer inside a ceramic 16 oz. Cup. Two steepings: 1st: boiling, 3mins. 2nd: boiling, 5 mins. (the next day). Small amount of Stevia added.
Aroma: similar to dry leaf, but not as strong.
Color of liquor: brownish looking green.
Wet leaf: << I can’t remember >> : (
Flavor: Good. I did taste like a Mojito.
Value: Free sample, but their price on their website is more than I would be willing to pay if I purchased it.
Overall: We both enjoyed it. Like all the rest, it had some flavor on the second steeping, but not much. This was one of the most enjoyable of the five Single Steeps for us.
Experience buying from DeRen Tea http://steepster.com/places/2836-deren-tea-online-portola-california?visit=1354
Age of leaf: Advertised as spring 2011. Received samples late September. Brewed up the day after I received it in mail.
Packaging: Samples: silver translucent bags with simple label.
Dry leaf: smells carmel-ly. It looks as shown on website, like a standard Yunnan black tea: a mixture of light and dark brown curly leaves and buds.
Brewing guidelines: two 8-oz cups of water used, leaves loose in glass Bodum pot. Stevia added.
………1st: Temp – a few minutes off the boil, Steeping time – 2.5 minutes (Great, strong flavor)
………2nd: Boiling, 3.5 minutes (Still strong flavor)
………3rd: Boiling, 6 minutes (the next day) (Still good flavor)
Aroma: Pleasant: sweet and rich.
Color of liquor: Dark amber.
Wet leaf: A number of medium and small chopped pieces, but also quite a few nice buds and whole leaves; a consistent brown color throughout.
Flavor: Similar to one other Yunnan black I have had before, but possibly more flavorful. It has what I believe to be the characteristic Yunnan flavor, which I don’t know how to describe, other than it has what I believe is known as ‘a full body’ and a carmel-ly taste. It still had good flavor even on the third steeping; that is impressive.
Value: normally about $4/oz. I am not too familiar with the standard price of quality Chinese black teas, but I think this is fairly reasonable for the quality.
Overall: I do like this tea. I drank the first two steepings in the early evening—-which I normally don’t do—-and yet I don’t remember feeling jittery (as I commonly do when I drink more two cups or more of any red/black tea. Hmmmm That’s a bonus in my book!). I think I may be hooked on Yunnan blacks!
Preparation
This is my third review in a series of six samples of Wuyi Oolongs from China Cha Dao
Updated 10/12/12 after doing the third and forth steepings
Experience buying from China Cha Dao: I responded to an offer on Steepster for free samples. Received exactly what was stated in the offer: fresh tea and very generous sample sizes. On their website on eBay they have a good variety of tea for reasonable prices.
Age of leaf: Stated as harvested in 2011. Received in mid-summer, brewed in very early fall 2011.
Packaging: small, clear bags with small label printed with the full name of the tea.
Dry leaf: slight roasted aroma, otherwise the same at the other Wuyi oolongs: long, slender, dark brown leaves. There were very few small broken pieces.
Brewing guidelines: four 8-oz cups of water used, leaves loose in glass Bodum pot. Stevia added. (I tried to keep the following guidelines as consistent as I could throughout the series)
…………….1st : 190, 2’
…………….2nd: 198, 3’ (Over a week later, tea sitting, sealed, in fridge)
…………….3rd 195, 5’ (Same day as 2nd steeping)
…………….4th: 200, 7’ (Two days after 2nd and 3rd steepings)
Aroma: mildly roasted, with possibly a hint of caramel.
Color of liquor: pretty much the same as the other Wuyi oolongs: medium brown—like a lightly roasted coffee.
Wet leaf: aroma is slightly different than the others, milder, and slightly more pleasant. Half of the leaves were on top, half on the bottom of the pot during the first steeping. All were on the bottom for all of the remaining steepings. Most of the leaves/buds are whole, many are large, and they are a dark green color, where some have roasted edges on them, and there are a few brown leaves.
Flavor: sweet and mild, with a slightly roasted flavor.
Value: Free 10-gram sample (Thank you Jerry Ma @ China Cha Dao tea on Ebay!). His regular tea is very reasonably priced, I judge ($7/125grams).
Overall I consider myself a newbie when it comes to oolongs. Based off of the first two steepings I didn’t see anything really notable about this tea other than the fact that there are very few broken pieces in the leaf—-leaves and buds are almost all whole—-and that it was a little sweeter tasting than the other two Wuyi oolongs I have tried. But the third steeping changed everything. I honestly don’t know what happened, but something did, and it tastes different, carmal-ly, like a Yunnan black. It’s good! It’s sweet, good, amazing. Since the flavor was so good on the third steeping, I decided to do a forth. Amazing, there is still good flavor in my cup! It’s good, mellowed from what it was on the 1st and 2nd steepings. Even the color is now mellowed to a clear rosy hue. I already composted the leaves, but I bet this could have easily stood up to at least a one more steeping! This is a tea I would definitely brew up and drink.
Based on two experiences: my wife’s and my own
Experience buying from Tea Forte: Good. Website is very colorful and easy to navigate. Sent free samples after responding to an invitation on Steepster. Package came in reasonable amount of time. Other than sending my address, no e-mail or phone contact.
Age of leaf: Unknown. Steeped within a month or so of receiving.
Packaging: Creative: each tea came in a silver and somewhat transparent plastic bag with five smaller “Single Steeps” packs attached to a colorful paper backing describing each tea. The tiny tea foil packs themselves were the most colorful and most professional-looking tea packages I have ever seen—with a picture of the fruit that the tea replicates prominently displayed on it.
Dry leaf: Great scent: sweet and fruity, possibly with a piney smell?
Brewing guidelines: (package states 12 oz. I used closer to 16 oz.) I used a metal basket strainer inside a ceramic 16 oz. Cup. Two steepings: 1st: boiling, 3mins. 2nd: boiling, 5 mins. (the next day). Small amount of Stevia added.
Aroma: This was hard for me to pin down; it was pleasant, though.
Color of liquor: a light, rosy, orange.
Wet leaf: sweet and pleasant.
Flavor: A sweet lime flavor, mixed in with some flavor I could not place, possibly mint. I liked it.
Value: Free sample, but their price on their website is more than I would be willing to pay if I purchased it.
Overall: The whole experience was enjoyable from when I opened the package and smelled the dried tea to the finishing flavor in the cup. Something fun to curl up with on a dark, cold night. If the price was right, I would consider buying it.
This is my second review in a series of six samples from China Cha Dao
Experience buying from China Cha Dao: I responded to an offer on Steepster for free samples. Received exactly what was stated in the offer: fresh tea and very generous sample sizes. On their website on eBay they have a good variety of tea for reasonable prices.
Age of leaf: Stated as harvested in 2011. Received in mid-summer, brewed in very early fall 2011.
Packaging: small, clear bags with small label printed with the full name of the tea.
Dry leaf: similar roasted aroma to the Da Hong Pao I sampled previously, but not quite as strong; long, slender, dark brown leaves.
Brewing guidelines: four 8-oz cups of water used, leaves loose in glass Bodum pot. Stevia added. (I tried to keep the following guidelines as consistent as I could throughout the series)
…………….1st : 195, 2’
…………….2nd: 195, 3’
…………….3rd: 190, 5’ (mild flavor, so no forth attempted)
Aroma: very mild, fresh and pleasant fragrance.
Color of liquor: light amber color.
Wet leaf: aroma is intense, almost harsh, but they also have a tiny hint of caramel? Leaves are dark green with a few small brown leaves here and there. Otherwise same appearance as the Da Hong Pao: lots of large leaves with a fair amount of smallish pieces that look chopped and a few stems. For this oolong, most of the leaves were on the bottom at the end of the first steeping, and all were on the bottom for the remaining steepings.
Flavor: tastes like most oolongs I have had, with a roasted flavor—-like coffee—-but much milder than the Da Hong Pao. A little more pleasant once it cooled a bit. On the second steeping, not as harsh, and not as coffee-like. I’m not certain, but it seems I am picking up a very faint hint of something fruity in the after-taste.
Value: Free 10-gram sample (Thank you Jerry Ma @ China Cha Dao tea on Ebay!). His regular tea is very reasonably priced, I judge ($7/125grams).
Overall (I consider myself a newbie when it comes to oolongs) This on was not as interesting as the Da Hong Pao, but it was still an enjoyable oolong. I tried it chilled, mixed with some chilled passion fruit flavored black tea: the combination was quite interesting! This tea is not something I would buy and brew up, but I don’t mind drinking it.
This is my first review in a series of six samples from China Cha Dao
Experience buying from China Cha Dao: I responded to an offer on Steepster for free samples. Received exactly what was stated in the offer: fresh tea and very generous sample sizes. On their website on eBay they have a good variety of tea for reasonable prices.
Age of leaf: Stated as 2011. Received in mid-summer, brewed in late summer 2011.
Packaging: small, clear bags with small label printed with the full name of the tea.
Dry leaf: long, slender, dark brown leaves. Slight scent, something burnt, like paper, gunpowder, or something (reminds me of the smell from my cap gun when I was a kid; wild!). I am guessing this is due to the roasting it goes through?
Brewing guidelines: loose in glass Bodum pot. Stevia added. (I wanted to start with shorter steeping times than the other reviewers to get a wider perspective—-range of flavor—-for this tea.)
…………….1st: 195, 2’
…………….2nd: 200, 3’
…………….3rd: 212, 5’
…………….4th: 195, 6’
Aroma: rich, almost like coffee.
Color of liquor: medium brown, like a lightly roasted coffee.
Wet leaf: slightly different smell than the dry leaf, more pleasant, perhaps sweeter? Lots of large, very dark leaves, a fair amount of smallish pieces (chopped?), and a few stems. Some of the leaves are so dark they look almost burnt (due to the roasting?). Leaves on the top of the water with some hanging vertically during the 1st steeping, some hanging vertically, and some on bottom, during the 2nd, and all sitting on the bottom during the 3rd and 4th steepings.
Flavor: (I struggled with how to describe the flavor, and I finally settled on this description) The taste is similar to the smell of the leaves, with a rich, roasted, robust flavor (the three R’s?!) reminding me of coffee. The third steeping tasted somewhat burnt (which I did not taste in the first or second steeping), but that was possibly because I used water that was too hot for it; I chalk that up as a learning experience: don’t steep this oolong in boiling water! Tasting it at room temperature, it tastes almost chocolaty. It held flavor all the way though to the fourth steeping (even at boiling!).
Value: Free 10-gram sample (Thank you Jerry Ma @ China Cha Dao tea on Ebay!). His regular tea is very reasonably priced, I judge ($7/125grams).
Overall: I am a newbie when it comes to oolongs (I’ve only had about three to four), so I invite you to read my review from that point of view. This may be the most challenging review I have written to date, trying to pin down the flavors and aromas.
I like this tea! It gives me somewhat of a sense that I am drinking coffee, as seule771 has mentioned in her review (I like coffee, but my wife does not, and she does not like this tea either). There is something else about it that I like which is hard for me to put my finger on; I think it’s that it tastes fresh. There is nothing stale or off-putting about the flavor in this tea at all. Although it is rich and robust, it is nonetheless somewhat mild tasting, and still enjoyable (I don’t know if you can have rich, robust and mild in the same cup, but that’s the best way I can describe it for now!). There certainly seem to be subtle flavors stealthily swimming around in my cup that I am missing (as a few of the other reviews has eluded to), and that’s all the more reason for me to drink a tea like this: to discover the wonders hidden in this cuppa!
Experience buying from Tea Trekker http://steepster.com/places/2820-tea-trekker-online-northampton-massachusetts
Age of Leaf: Harvested spring 2010. Received spring 2011, brewed up summer/fall 2011.
Brewing Guidelines: I have brewed it four times so far: three times on its own, and once with another green tea (Specialteas Yunnan Silver Tips). I tried brewing it at both my standard green tea temperatures (170, 175, 180) and at my standard white tea temperatures (160, 165, 170). Each time was a full pot (six 8-ounce cups) in my glass Bodum with metal infuser/plunger. Stevia added.
Appearance and Aroma of Dry Leaf: Very large and fluffy (two TBS for each serving). In some ways it looks more like a mid-grade Bai Mu Dan white tea with its large multi-colored leaves—a mixture of whitish, light green, and dark green looking leaves. Smells somewhat like a black/red tea, thus it does not have that vegetal and sometimes sweet smell typical of a Chinese green tea.
Appearance and Aroma of Tea Liquor: amber colored, with a somewhat smoky aroma.
Appearance and Aroma of Wet leaf: The largest leaves of any green tea I have seen, yet. Even the buds are huge. A sight to see!
Blends well with: Specialteas Yunnan Silver Tips.
Flavor: The flavor profile is unusual for a green tea; in some ways it tastes similar to a black tea, especially on the later steepings. It is mildly smoky, and somewhat sweet, not astringent.
Value: Good. Sale price: $10 / 4 ounces. Normally: $14 / 4 ounces.
Overall: Since it undergoes light withering—warm air-dried—I am not sure it has the theanine content in a typical green tea (which is a big reason why I drink green tea).
I have had brewed up this tea at least four times so far (as of this writing). The first time I was a little disappointed in the flavor as I was expecting something like a more standard green tea flavor profile (using my standard green tea temperatures). The second time I recognized the similarities of the flavor to that of a black tea and opened myself up to the possibilities of a more complex flavor profile (again using my standard green tea temperatures). Now I have brewed it at least four times and I am really starting to like it (although, ironically, my wife is now decidedly against drinking it). Recently, I brewed it using my standard white tea temperatures, and it seemed to brew up a good tasting cup.
I have never experienced this kind of swing in how I experience a certain tea. Previously, I have been brewing it up and enjoying it on occasion. Now I that see this tea in a more favorable light I have been brewing it up more often. This change in how I experience a particular tea over time gives me hope that other teas I do not currently like may gift me with some hidden treasure at some later date!
Strange, I just now realized I already wrote a review of this tea! Oh well, I will list my newest one first, and keep the original below for comparison purposes (why not?).
Experience buying from Seven Cups http://steepster.com/places/2824-seven-cups-online-tucson-arizona
BEGIN NEW review
I bought a 25 gram sample of this tea in April of 2011 and I just finished the last of it today (6/21/2012). I drank this off-and-on through out the year using my standard times and temperatures for oolongs, steeping it in various ceramic teapots; stevia was always added.
I have been getting at least four good steepings out of it (starting at near boiling at 45" and adding 30" and hotter water for each additional steeping). Now having had a number of them, I consider this a good quality Tie Guan Yin in terms of leaf, aroma, color and flavor. I have grown to appreciate them (I didn’t at first), and now I am beginning to explore the Taiwan High Mountain Oolongs (THMO) with the hopes that I will be able to tell the difference between the two (right now I can’t, having had many TGYs, and only two sessions of a THMO). Finishing this one off makes room for more new ones!
Since I have now had many TGYs, I am giving this a rating. (Although, now that I look at the name, it doesn’t sound like a TGY. Oh, well).
END NEW review
BEGIN old review
Note: This is my first of this type of ‘green’ oolong.
Age of leaf: Harvested spring 2011. Brewed in late summer of that year.
Dry leaf: Small dark green semi-balled oolong. Looks and smells fresh.
Brewing guidelines: Glass Bodum pot; leaves freely floating. Four
8-ounce cups of water used. Stevia added to compliment flavor.
Steepings:
…….1st: 195, 1’
……………..2nd: 200, 1’45” - a little less water (about 3.5 cups)
……………..3rd: 202, 2’15” - a little less water (about 3.5 cups)
Aroma: Very strong osmanthus scent, which became milder in each steeping.
Color of liquor: Light golden color to begin with, then became lighter with each steeping.
Wet leaf: has a fresh green look to it, and it smells quite a bit different than the taste or aroma of the tea liquor—more like a green tea overlaid with a strong fragrance. A few stems, one or two leaves that are brown on the edges, but mostly whole, large, fresh looking leaves. Interestingly enough, some leaves have slightly serrated edges, and some do not, and some have more of a wrinkled look than others.
Flavor: Starts off with a strong flowery flavor, then it becomes less flowery, and more like the taste of a Dan Cong Oolong I have had before in later steepings.
Value: $3 for 25-gram sample. (Currently sold out)
Overall: The first steeping was too flowery for my tastes (but my wife really liked the aroma), as it reminds me somewhat of jasmine tea (which I did not like the one time I tried it). The second steeping was lighter in color, and both the osmanthus taste and aroma were muted; I enjoyed the flavor more, as it was not as flowery. On the third steeping there was very little flavor and no aroma. I think I will go with shorter steeping times next time in the hopes of getting at least three good steepings out of it (start at 30 seconds). It was a fun oolong to steep.
END old review
