Sea Dyke Brand

I discovered this at a Chinese mall and i was pretty excited to try this tea. Flavor wasn’t very exciting. It was just a generic roasted oolong. The flavors were a bit flat. Roasted coffee with a little bit of char and cigar. This is a nice tea to enjoy when i don’t want to drink my high end stuff.

Its an OK tea. Nice for cold weathers. Dry leaf is charred wood. 1st and 2nd steeps are mostly charred wood and nutty with a hint of speculaas. 3rd and 4th steeps are more on the floral and side but still with a hint of speculaas. Most steeps are astringent and clear. I usually drink this when I don’t want to drink my high end teas.

Simple, unoffensive, oolong tea with roasted notes.

Kind of boring, honestly. But for that price, it is very cheap.

So, note to self: bring this tea to work and don’t forgot bringing a cup as well.

I went a bit crazy, bought another teas, this one and First Flush Darjeeling Phugari (more of the latter later, but it’s delicious)

But what have I done, 125 grams of new oolong and 50 grams of new black. And I still have lots of teas to drink. But recently I feel am not interested in the blends of Bird and Blend, but the subscription envelope always makes me smile.

But this oolong. I have wished for darker oolongs, but their stock was low. Bad timing I guess. They have offered me this one adn I thought it won’t be bad.

It’s not. But it’s far from great. I prepared 5 grams western today and well, it was roasty a bit, but somehow it was mediocre and I have been expecting more complex flavour profile. They suggested it’s good as cold brew, so I will give it a try as well.
It’s not bad, it has got expected flavour, but nothing more.

Sorry for little hiatus from me here. I am studying for that last exam… moreover, my June spreadsheet is just… not actual at all and I don’t remember what I have drank 11 days ago, so I will toss that sheet out (keeping in current state)… but it is hard time for me. Looking for a job, studying, melting in between as there were really high temperatures, but trying to drink a tea a day at least. Tiredof everyone and everything. I need a break. Being somewhere out of the society maybe.

Typical Puerh from tea bag. Boring, very earthy. Stinks.

Luckily I did short steeping, so it wasn’t that bad. But overall it was pretty nothing. Just bland tea. Was it even puerh?

It is PROBABLY this one. Based on paper bag, it doesn’t told me much but brand and type.

It was kind of meh. Hay, bit roasty, easydrinking tea. No complexivity, not much of flavour profile. It was just okay, brewed tea.

Another generic-brand tea that I’m surpised I have to add. Then again it seems that Sea Dyke et al. have a way of producing all kinds of different packaging that may or may not contain the same tea. Looking at existing entries and their reviews, I feel that this might be a different (lower!) quality than the others. The article number seems to be a good differentiator; this one is AT202.

I have taken the name Tikuanyin ad litteram from the packaging, realizing that Tie Guan Yin is a more oft-occuring spelling.

That’s about all the interesting things to be said for this tea.

It is a roasted tieguanyin by the way. I still have to get a proper reference for what they should taste like, but it cannot be this. I’ve had one before (not reviewed) which I hoped was a production fluke, but this appears to be its long-lost brother.

The dry leaf aroma is dull, slightly chemical and somehow reminding me of the stock room of IKEA, where incidentally they also sell highly processed plant particles. The wet-leaf aroma properly warns of the burnt flavours to come. Only somewhere in the proverbial top left corner there’s a promising caramel fragrance, but that is a promise of other teas to come, not this one, as the flavour is all dull and toasty.

I have tried learning to love its predecessor but when I had some decent pouchong in-between I was reminded of just everything that it was not. So now that I take another stab in the dark and end up with the same basic thing, I can only express my disappointment when rating. Sorry!

At the moment I cannot even see myself keeping both teas in the cupboard for too long. On the other hand I can see myself having another blind stab at a Sea Dyke product. If the flavour were even slightly different, like the tease present in the smell, it would be worth knowing where to find a cheap everyday household oolong. But given the present contrast with the quality product, I’m not even sure if such a thing even exists.

An excellent choice for when all you have nearby for tea is a Hong Kong grocery store.
Under $1 for 10g, which is very good considering it gives me between 6 to 10 gong fu brews.

Not worth custom ordering, in my opinion, but do give it a spin if you want some drinkable Oolong from your local Chinese store.

A sweet, smoky flavor with a smooth creamy finish and pleasant light nutty aftertaste.
Forgiving and flexible, from flash brews under 10 sec to 3 minute brews.

A bargain indeed. There are several variations around the same basis under the brand name Seadyke, held by the Taetea company. Each one has a different nulber. This one is AT206, I tried AT202 and AT304. They taste almost the same with very little differences. They are very decent roasted oolong for the price, and I appreciate them better than much more expensive teas that I had tasted. This one offers more roundness among the three receipes.The more of this tea you put in your little pot, the more fragrances you can get from it, so I recommand short sessions almost gongfucha style with large amounts 7 to 8 g at least for 100ml.

an AWESOME tea!

when i smell the leaves dry they have a black tea/chocolate smell.

when i smell the leaves wet, they have a strong Chocolate smell.

when i smell the brewed tea, it smells like chocolate.

when i taste the brewed tea, i taste Chocolate, coffee and some toastyness

i rate this 100 because of the coffee/chocolate smell/taste

i am very grateful to Amanda ‘SoggyEnderman’ Wilson for this amazing tea

I grabbed this today, because 125g for less than $2 was worth taking a chance on, and I was kind of charmed and amused by the brand name.

This is okay. Nothing spectacular. It’s a pretty simple oolong without a lot of nuance. Roasty, woody, earthy notes that are a wee bit smoky on the finish, but that don’t really develop much. Still, perfectly drinkable and you can’t really beat that price.

The dry leaf is dark and crinkled. Not quite rolled into balls, but not really twisted either. Somewhere in between. It smells like the steeped cup tastes.

If you’re looking for a complex oolong this is not it. But for something simple to sip and not pay much attention to, you can’t really beat the value for your money.

This tea is a gem, not because it’s the best tea out there, but because it is amazingly priced and can be found at many Asian grocery stores. It’s a nice little foray into the world of Wuyi oolong for those who may not be able to afford much Wuyi otherwise, and at usually 2-5 bucks for a 4 oz box or tin of it, you have plenty of room to experiment with brewing styles without having to fret that you’ll run out or break the bank.

This is a really comforting tea. It is nicely roasted and mild tasting even when brewed with a large amount of leaf. I used 6g/100ml and flash infusions. The brew is a deep orange-red. The flavor resembles black tea somewhat, but there is a hint of sweetness and a very subtle note of pickle brine, and as the tea cools it definitely has a more bitter aftertaste, like that of coffee.

FYI, I recommend buying the boxed version of this. It comes in a sealed foil pouch whereas the tin only has a plastic cap inside and isn’t very airtight. It goes stale easily and absorbs the smells of Asian market that way. The second infusion of this tea is all roasted and char tasting. There was a subtle hint of floral in the leaves before brewed, but that isn’t coming through so much in the taste. As the tea weakens through infusions it is starting to remind me of Houjicha, albeit darker and bolder in flavor.

I don’t have a lot to say about this tea as far as describing the notes, but I can say this is the cheapest and most easy to find Wuyi oolong out there for beginning tea enthusiasts or anyone who wants to indulge in some heavy roast flavored Wuyi without spending a lot. I usually rate teas only on taste but the value really plays into why this tea is great. If I was going to rate this on taste alone, I’d probably give it around a 75, a solid enjoyable tea for me but nothing to write home about, but because I really want others to know about this great opportunity to try Wuyi oolong affordably, I will rate this much higher, and no I have no affiliation with the company. Haha! XD

EDIT: After eating some lunch and coming back to this tea the dill pickle note I had mentioned before is a lot more prominent. I seem to notice this type of flavor from time to time with heavily roasted oolongs.

Revisiting this tea today. I can’t believe it’s been 3 yrs since I tried it.
Amazing transformation. It tastes of cherries, spices and some medicinal notes.
Made in porcelain gaiwan 4g/50ml and 212F
Qi potent and very enjoyable overall. I hope I’ll still find more of it in my local supermarket

Asian supermarket find.
I bought it more than a year ago. Several times made western. Boring. wanted to toss until today i found from Mark T. Wendell website its “grown in the northern Wu Yi mountains of China’s Fujian province, this oolong is a unique find. Its leaves are robust and twisted with a high aroma, typical for this special grade of tea. Min-Pei is light in character with a natural orchid-like flavor and produces a clear, bright amber cup color when brewed.”
Today i made it my usual Gongfu method
6g 100ml gaiwan 200F
rinse/pause/10/10/15/20sec etc
this tea is very good. Very sweet lingering long aftertaste. Roasty and sweet.
So glad i gave it a shot.

http://instagram.com/p/swANW4hwkr/

Curious, I purchased this tea at a heath-food store: I read something, somewhere regarding the health benefits of Oolong tea—I have since forgotten what those benefits are. I’d also read something, somewhere, saying Oolong is the tea served at Chinese restaurants, so, I figured I’d try it. This is an earthy tea which will probably take me some getting used to.

I accidentally slept fourteen hours today, clearly my body needed it but I was not amused by this. In order to make up for lost time I decided to log a bunch of teas in my notebook, thirteen teas later and I feel accomplished. I am, however, going to review an older tea in my book and one that is a real ‘comfort tea’ for me. I oddly bought it last Christmas at my local favorite Asian Market so I could include it in my annual Tea Advent Calender I give to a few of my friends…and then promptly forgot about it until about a month ago. A grievous sin, I know, but I finally got around to drinking it and giving it the respect it deserves.

This poor ignored tea is none other than Shui Hsien Oolong by Sea Dyke brand. Shui Hsien is an Oolong tea from the famed Wuyi Mountain in Fujian, China, the name translates to Water Sprite or Narcissus, which I find rather beautiful. It is considered a dark Oolong and is usually oxidized 40-60% and is given a good firing (I do love me a roasted Oolong!) The aroma is sweet, rich, and malty…talk about yummy! There are notes of smoke and rich roast, it reminds me of sweet pipe tobacco and gives me a whiff of childhood nostalgia. There are also notes of pine resin and dried fruit.

Once I give it a good brewing the leaves take on an even richer, roasted aroma and is vaguely like coffee. There are still notes of resin and smoke, it does seem to lose its sweetness though. Ah, wait, I found the sweetness, it all transferred to the liquid! The rich, amber, liquid has the aroma of dried dates and roast. The roasted aroma melds really well with the sweetness.

The first steeping is very rich, almost a little too intense but very pleasant. The taste is sweet and a little musky, similar to the way a humidor smells, but not headache inducing like some teas I have found that have this same ‘humidor taste’ are. I suppose it would be a terrible comfort tea if it gave me a headache. It is also smoky and a touch metallic. Very smooth and rich.

The second steeping is where the party is at, yo. It is much sweeter than the first steeping and takes on a more roasted taste rather than smoky. It takes on a nuttiness that blends well with the roasted taste, and also has a chestnut taste. There is a metallic aftertaste that I notice in some Oolongs and I usually really enjoy. As the tea cools it becomes honey sweet and loses any of the tobacco taste. I really like this tea, to me it evokes my childhood and autumn and I have found that if I am feeling unwell it really picks me up. I truly feel bad for ignoring it for so long. I do not know if this tea can be purchased online unless you do it wholesale, but you might find it locally if you are lucky.

Blog and photos: http://ramblingbutterflythoughts.blogspot.com/2013/10/sea-dyke-shui-hsien-oolong-tea-review.html

The tea has a beautiful light amber color. The aroma is a mixture of hay mixed with a smoked seaweed smell, also a little bit of a pinto bean smell…hehe. The flavor is light and smokey with an after thought of seaweed. I also think of a late summer/early autumn evening in a meadow and the smell of fires in the distance.

The dry leaves are a mix of colours ranging from olive to light to charcol brown and smell of fruit, bread and a sweet lily.
I brewed this tea at 40, 50, 60 70and 80s. The steeped tea ranged in colour from light straw to light peachy orange.

Through out two brewing sessions captured scents and flavours of fruit ranging from plum, peach, marmelade, dried apricot, banana and lemon , grain notes ranging from sweet corn, toast and sugar cookies, spice, cinnamon and faint nutmeg, cream, vanilla, and light floral notes ranging from a sweet lily to honeysuckle. The tea also had light sweet vegetal notes and a light astringency in the front of the mouth.

Many of the leaves of this tea were broken, however the pieces were fairly large and the tea was not bitter. It maintained a creamy mouthfeel followed by a light astringency in the front of the mouth through all the steeps.

Overall the tea was pleasant with a lot of complexity in flavour. The flavour was not excessively sweet or intense. However I think I enjoyed the TKY in this series more because I enjoyed the spiciness in it more.