Little Red Cup Tea Co.

Last night I found myself between a rock and a hard place. The medication I take to help reduce the possibility of return of breast cancer has started causing side effects that are unacceptable, and it suddenly struck me last night that every scenario the doctor outlined for me ended with a surgery – albeit very minor. One scenario they hadn’t considered – me stopping the drug – MIGHT not end with surgery but I feel good about the possibility because I am extreme low risk for recurrence and am three years out from starting the drug.

But my head hurt from trying to decide what would be the best path and I started feeling a little overwhelmed. All I could think of was the package of tea that K S sent me a couple of months ago. I had a little of this oolong left and settled down on the living room carpet with a tray for a nice long gong fu session that lasted for two liters from my kettle! Yes, at bedtime. Yes, I had to get up twice in the night. LOL!

The leaves expanded mightily throughout steeping and yielded a medium yellow liquor with a light and airy flavor. Very comforting and just what I wanted last night. I believe I did four steeps and then got fresh leaves and did four more, though it may have been five.
This is a very green oolong, no roastiness, but the occasional attention-getting wang if it leave it a little longer, just enough to get your attention. I let it steep long a couple of times because I was in the mood for that sort of note.

So….I thought I was getting better and expected to be 100% today, and instead find myself back to where I was day before yesterday, just not coughing as much. My throat is raw and sore and feels best when I am drinking tea so I prepared another gong fu session for hubby and myself tonight.

As I went through the envelope so generously sent by K S I read off the name of each tea, trying to pick. I was a little wheezy and my voice is a lot deeper than usual. When I got to this one I said, “Jade Oolong from Little Red Cup? Aren’t you pretty! Yes, I believe I will have you tonight.” And I totally sounded like a perve. A weird tea perve, but a perve nevertheless. Seriously, I creeped mySELF out.

So in an embarrassed silence I prepared the tea with a single moderate wash of the leaves and then about five steeps. My tastes are the most occluded tonight that they have been all this while, but the impression I got was fresh, green, sweet veggies, not roasty, rather light. It definitely blooms when it cools a wee bit. We made over a liter of tea from one teaspoon of leaves and I really want more, so I am off to the kitchen to get more water and more leaf.

Hubby liked it. I asked his opinion since he hasn’t been sick and he said it was very good oolong and he would call it vegetal. He’s come a long way, baby!

Thank you, K S!

Wow. This is a green?! I just assumed white, based on the name, appearance and taste. I’d love to see how they processed this one.
Reminds me of silver needle. Light, bright, and just slightly malty, and floral. The same crispness I saw in the Assam is there as well.
Thank you for the sample Little Red Cup Tea Company!! Colour me impressed.

Backlog:

A really LOVELY tea from Little Red Cup … I’ve tried a few of their teas, and some I liked better than others, I think that this one might be my favorite of the ones that I’ve tried.

Soft and silky, like a fine consomme. It seems to float over the palate.

A gentle green tea flavor, delicate, vegetative and floral.

Here’s my full-length review: http://steepster.com/teas/little-red-cup-tea-company/40092-white-monkey

Thank you Martin @ Little Red Cup Tea Co. for sending me these samples to review.

Even though oolong is my favorite tea by far, I went through a period recently when I just wasn’t in the mood for it. I remember drinking half of this sample, finding it very enjoyable, then putting up the other half for later when I was able to better appreciate it. That time has finally come, I’ve been craving a good cup of oolong this week.

I had my hands full today, I began a two-day chocolate making project for my blog, so unfortunately I only managed a few sips while it was still warm. It starts off very floral, but as the tea cools to room temperature the sweet notes become more prominent. I could drink a lot of this tea, it has that creamy texture to it that I love and have found in some of my favorite teas.

Buttery, green, and a bit floral. Quite refreshing. Even though I’ve recently realised I prefer darker, roasted oolongs, this is still pretty good and can hold up for many short steeps.

Thanks for the sample, Little Red Cup!