557 Tasting Notes
This is my first milk oolong and I am excited. I brewed this at a hotter temperature. I didn’t let it come to a full rolling boil, but I did let it boil.
The first steep has a really, really light color. Almost clear with a hint of green. I’m a little worried because this is how the other oolong looked yesterday. Maybe I didn’t get the water hot enough? It is still a first steep. Maybe I didn’t let the leaves “rinse” enough by that little 5-15 second swish I gave the leaves. I won’t know until I dive in and taste it. I smell a very light scent. The taste is very interesting. It isn’t tasting like much-but then I’m not sure what unflavored tea is supposed to taste like since I normally drink flavored tea. But the mouth feel is amazing. I feel like I am drinking warm milk even if it isn’t that strong yet. I’m going to finish this cup and then steep it again. Until I come back, I’ll watch my friends play Skyrim while enjoying this cup.
10:49 PM: I managed to get three more steeps out of the leaves. But I noticed that the cooler the water got, the less flavor and the less milky it got. I have a feeling I didn’t get the water hot enough for even the first cup. I just read Azziran’s note to me about brewing oolongs like a black tea more than a green tea. I will have to try this with even hotter water in order to even start to experience more of the milk oolong’s flavor. I have a feeling this might become one of my favorite type of teas once I learn how to brew it right.
So, the last steeps I had of this I actually shared. My friends said it was ok, but I had the fifth steep and it still tasted similar to the second steep. I think the leaves were exhausted by the fifth steep or that the brewing method I was using didn’t use the tea to my full advantage. This is why I have more samples, I’ll figure out how to brew it yet.
I decided to make a cup of tea today and this oolong won over my other oolong that I got from the fantastic people at Teavivre. I brewed the water and took it off the heat as soon as I heard the slightest noise come from the kettle, exactly as if I was going to be brewing my green tea.
I put one sample packet into my french press and did about a 15 second rinse on the leaves. Then I steeped my first cup for two minutes. The liquid came out a very light tint of yellow. I wasn’t expecting it to be that light in color. It had a very light sweet scent. At first it didn’t taste like much, but it did have some sort of flavor.
The second steep was three minutes. The color was slightly darker and the taste was slightly stronger. Strong enough that I could taste fruit in the tea. What? Fruit in a non-fruity tea? This is amazing! Sweet and fruity. If I knew that, I would have saved this tea for the afternoon because it is really light. I’m not sure how I like it yet, but I have three samples left and I am more than willing to try it again.
I probably still have a good two steeps left in these leaves, but I’m going to save them for later. The leaves don’t have that much liquid left in them and I have the plunger down on my french press, so they should keep until the afternoon.
From what I read, this is similar how you treat an oolong when you make it in a gaiwan. But how else can you steep the tea? Is it possible to just throw it in a mug and steep it without it coming out really bitter? If it is then it would be a nice tea to drink throughout the day in classes.
Oolongs unlike green tea generally take a full on boil 212 ish or so. You may want to try that.
A full on boil? I’ve been reading cooler water. Hmm, I will have to try that after dinner.
Yeah 200 to 212 I mean I always go with whatever the site I bought from says but in general yes :) That was my mistake too as I at first (when I started with loose leaf and oolongs) were more of a green tea which it does COME from green tea I guess but you make it more like black tea. Yeah confusing I know.
In honor of today being the last day the Chinese Club is selling bubble tea to raise money for Relay for Life, I bought two. One to drink now and one to have for later. I have ice in them today and they are still super yummy! I think I might have to ask what type of black tea base they are using because it makes really good bubble tea.
My Teavivre samples came in! I am so excited. I managed to pick this one to try first because it is a different black than I have been having.
For having such a short steep time, the tea came out surprisingly dark. It has this nice toasty aroma to it that is making my mouth water. I am slightly sleep deprived right now and head deep in literature, so I might get a little flowery with my description later on. Or I might not, but I figured I would give warning just in case.
I think I might have gotten the water a little too hot for the first steep. It tasted earthy and black. A pleasant taste, but kinda flat. It could be because it is a new tea to me and I’m just not picking everything up right now.
The second steep was better. I brewed it a few seconds longer and I started to get a hint of caramel. The water was cooler at this point. I’m thankful that Teavivre sent such a large sample of this tea because now I can play with it and get my brewing method down for me.
I’m too full of tea right now to try for a third steep. I think the tea might be able to take it though. It is good, but I’m going to wait to rate it until I get a few more cups of it under my belt. I’m going to use a little bit cooler water next time. I wish I had a variable temperature water kettle, but I’ll stay with my stove top kettle for now.
Edit to Add: the last of my cup was cold by the time I drank it. Cold enough to make me think that this would be a really good lightly sweetened iced tea. Like a two serving bottle of tea with a teaspoon of honey dissolved in it kind of lightly sweetened. That would make an even better iced tea than our normal iced tea.
Preparation
Mmmm, this is the best bubble tea batch that our Chinese Club girls have done all week. The bubbles taste carmelly and the tea is nice and strong. I am so glad I got a cup today.
I love this tea. I am going to have to make sure I have a stash of this type of tea on hand whenever I move out of my house. It is becoming my go-to evening tea, which is sad because I will only have one more rosette left after this one. But I will enjoy every drop. Only doing two steeps (because that is how I get the most flavor out of this bundle) at a longer steep time for each.
I do have to say that I love the second steep so much better than the first steep. The chocolate-like darkness is more pronounced. I have been having really bad chocolate cravings recently, so that may be why I have been thinking about this tea a lot.
Preparation
Another day and another cup of bubble tea. The price is right and I found myself wanting another when I woke up this morning. So, I got another after lunch. It is less sweet this time and I find the boba really satisfying. I was also explaining it to a group of girls and I think I might have enabled at least four of them into trying it. If I see them tomorrow, I will have to ask if they did or not.
I envy your bubble tea! We have to drive 40 minutes round trip to get any – make it at home but have not mastered it perfectly yet.
I am so enjoying this week because of it. I hope to get some more tomorrow if I eat smarter. I am watching my calories and I decided to have a carrot bread and french toast during the course of the day. So, I have to wait to get more bubble tea tomorrow.
We have the stuff to make it here at home and my daughter does okay at it – she is trying to perfect the process though. At this point however going OUT to get one is still the best :) Once she learns to make it well here I want her to try making me a matcha bubble tea (I had one at a bubble tea shop that was to die for!) I would of course make the matcha and she the rest of it :)
Ooh! A matcha bubble tea sounds good. We have one little stand at the mall that makes bubble tea, but I never had actual black tea bubble tea. It is just as good if not better. I’m already fantasizing about learning to make the boba myself like your daughter is doing.
Elaina (my tea friend) also gave me some more of these when she gave me my new tea mug. This time they taste a little more peachy and they still smell wonderful. I am pretty sure it is the same company and I am glad that they are tasty. I think I might have accidentally brewed it longer than five minutes, but in this case I believe that may be a good thing. Nice for studying with.
