Tealyra (formerly Tealux)

I’m still making progress toward cleaning out my hoard of oolongs. I was able to finish the last of the Tieguanyin Deep Roasted Wednesday, and have been working on this one ever since. This was another Tealyra oolong that I first sampled in a gongfu session last month and didn’t get around to reviewing prior to the end of the month. I’m rectifying that now.

I prepared this tea gongfu style. My rinse ended up being several seconds longer than I planned because it was kind of late and I zoned out. Fortunately, this little misstep did not significantly impact the remainder of the session. Following the rinse, I steeped 6 grams of loose tea leaves in 4 ounces of 195 F water for 10 seconds. This infusion was followed by 10 additional infusions with an increase of 2 seconds per infusion. Steep times ranged from 10-30 seconds.

Prior to the rinse, I noticed that the long, twisted leaves produced a mild aroma that was simultaneously vegetal and floral. Following my unintentionally long rinse, I noticed that the floral aroma was more pronounced. To me, it was very reminiscent of lilac, magnolia, and violet. The first infusion saw creamy and buttery qualities merge with the floral scents on the nose. In the mouth, I picked up delicate, surprisingly well-integrated notes of magnolia, lilac, violet, lily, orchid, sweetgrass, cream, and butter. The next 4 infusions saw a slight breadiness emerge on the nose and in the mouth. It was most pronounced on the finish where it was joined by slightly stronger vegetal notes and minerality. The final series of infusions saw the floral aromas and flavors fade a little quicker than I would have liked, while mineral, bread, cream, butter, and sweetgrass remained. I should note, however, that the floral aromas and flavors did not completely disappear during these infusions-I could still just barely detect them under everything else.

Okay, let me just state for the record that I highly doubt this tea would compete favorably over a lengthy session with many of the premier competition grade Baozhongs offered by some other vendors. I do think, however, that this is a very solid, approachable, and consistent Baozhong for the money. If you are a fan of greener oolongs, I could see this making a good daily drinker.

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Full Review:
http://sororiteasisters.com/2016/03/19/cherry-fantasy-tea/

Jade oolong is a type of Taiwanese oolong that is noted for its light, floral aroma and taste. Of all the Taiwanese oolongs, jade oolong is not so much one of the rarer types, as it is one of the less popular types. Most drinkers of Taiwanese oolongs have historically gravitated toward the more heavily roasted varieties, but judging from the number of lighter, sweeter Taiwanese oolongs that are currently on the market, that trend is starting to change. For me, that is a good thing. I greatly enjoy Taiwanese oolongs and welcome an increase in the amount of Taiwanese tea on the market.

For the purpose of this review, I brewed this tea gongfu style. Following a quick rinse, I prepared an initial infusion of 6 grams of loose tea leaves in 4 ounces of 195 F water. This infusion lasted 20 seconds. It was followed by eight additional infusions lasting 22, 24, 26, 28, 30, 32, 34, and 36 seconds. Note that I did not exactly follow the traditional Taiwanese gongfu method. I was specifically trying to make sure that the first infusion was bursting with flavor and that the subsequent infusions introduced subtle variations as the tea faded. To be precise, I was trying to really focus the aromas and flavors while simultaneously testing this tea’s boundaries.

The initial infusions produced a lovely and almost indescribable aroma. To me, it resembled a mixture of honey and flowers-osmanthus, chrysanthemum, lillies, orchid, and magnolia perhaps? In the mouth, the first infusions produced delicate and superbly integrated notes of lily, magnolia, chrysanthemum, osmanthus, orchid, cream, honey, custard, sticky rice, and steamed buns with traces of sweetgrass in the background. The middle infusions were mellower, bringing out more pronounced cream, honey, and sweetgrass aromas and flavors. The later infusions emphasized heavy cream, honey, and sweetgrass aromas and flavors with faint floral underpinnings and a hint of light minerality.

In the end, I really liked this oolong. The vendor describes it as a good beginner’s oolong because the flavors are not overpowering, but I am not really sure that is fair. I can see this tea being a good introduction to Taiwanese oolongs, but I can also see it being a good everyday oolong for those who are more familiar with teas of this type. It has enough depth and complexity to really shine on its own, it holds up well over the course of a relatively lengthy session (something greener oolongs, even those of high quality, do not always do), and it displays a unique combination of aromas and flavors. Try as I might, I really could not find much fault with this tea. I recommend it highly.

This delicate Chinese green tea comes to us from the south of Anhui Province. Normally, Lu Mu Dan leaves are strung together and sold in a form that resembles a green peony flower, but this version is sold unbound like other standard Chinese green teas. Since Lu Mu Dan is not one of the more popular types of Chinese green tea, seeing one made available in such a nontraditional format is automatically eye-catching.

To prepare this tea for consumption, I steeped 1 teaspoon of loose tea leaves in 8 ounces of 175 F water for 2 minutes. I followed this with a second infusion lasting 2.5 minutes. I also tried slightly longer infusions (3 minutes, followed by 3.5 minutes) and the results were similarly pleasant. For the purposes of this review, I will only comment on the first preparation described above, but I will say that the longer infusions produced a slightly more focused and slightly more vegetal flavor.

The first infusion produced a light ecru cup with slight aromas of minerals, flowers, honey, and roasted vegetables. In the mouth, I picked up delicate notes of honey, nectar, flowers, and oddly enough, sorghum molasses underscored by notes of char, roasted Brussels sprouts, hay, and minerals. The second infusion produced a similarly light cup with a somewhat more honeyed nose. I noted slightly stronger notes of honey and nectar chased by slightly stronger notes of char, Brussels sprouts, hay, and minerals.

Overall, this is a solid enough green tea that should appeal to fans of lighter teas. Although I tend to prefer stronger, more vegetal green teas, this is unique. Do not be put off by the combination of flavors I noted, as this is the first tea that has given me some difficulty with identifying individual flavor components in a long time. Just know that no matter how strange it may seem, it kind of works, at least for me. I would say try it if you are looking to start experiencing some of the lesser known Chinese green teas or looking for a light green tea that shares some similarities with white teas.

Continuing with my recent oolong obsession, I decided to give this tea a shot. I was intrigued by the idea of a Tieguanyin with stems and wanted to see if the inclusion of intact stems added anything to the flavor of the tea. Well, the stems did indeed add a little something to the flavor.

I chose to brew this tea gongfu style. In order to maintain a consistent brewing method, I brewed this tea using Verdant’s suggestions on their gongfu outline. The only thing I changed was the water temperature. I followed Tealyra’s suggestion with regard to that. I steeped approximately 6-7 grams of loose tea leaves (and stems in this case) in 4 ounces of 195 F water. The initial infusion following a quick rinse was 10 seconds. I followed this with 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24, and 26 second infusions for a total of 9 infusions.

The early infusions provided a buttery, creamy aroma underscored by floral (orchid, violet, saffron, gardenia, jasmine) and woody characters. Notes of butter, cream, vanilla, sticky rice, custard, wood, jasmine, violet, orchid, saffron, gardenia, and fresh baked bread filled the mouth. Traces of minerals, hay, and grass were evident on the finish. Later infusions emphasized wood, cream, butter, custard, sticky rice, bread, and vanilla notes, though the floral aroma never fully disappeared. I also noted that the mineral and vegetal flavors became slightly stronger. The last 2-3 infusions emphasized cream, custard, butter, hay, grass, wood, and mineral aromas and flavors.

This is an interesting Tieguanyin, but it is not quite as robust as I would prefer. The inclusion of stems produces a somewhat woodier tea, which is kind of unique, but this is still very much in the style of a contemporary green TGY. That means curious drinkers should expect lots of cream and flowers. I like the aromas and flavors here, but this type of tea is nothing new to me, and I find the layering of flavors to be a bit rudimentary for my taste. What I mean by that is that I get a rush of flowers up front, then lots of creamy, bready, buttery notes, and finally a little vegetal and mineral character. If the floral character lingered a little longer and the floral notes separated a little more, I would have no qualms giving this tea an exceptionally high score. As is, this is still very nice and very approachable for a contemporary TGY. Just don’t expect something really different if you are familiar with this type of tea.

Best jasmine tea I have tasted.

This tea is so fresh and sweet. Notes of chestnut and green beans. Very buttery and smooth. I love it!

Pure fragrant lychee with its distinctive floral sweetness together with pure black tea. This is delicious!

A friend sent a sample of this in a recent package. I didn’t have high hopes because green teas, straight or flavored, aren’t really my jam. I wanted something fruity, refreshing and light to enjoy with my lunch today, so I decided to give this a whirl.

I didn’t know what the ingredients were and I didn’t bother googling before preparing the tea, but I must say I’m very pleasantly surprised. It sort of reminds me of Honeycrisp Apple in that the base is a blend of green tea and hibiscus. It’s really delicious over ice with a tiny bit of stevia to soften the tartness. There’s a fair bit of raspberry flavor which is nice, given the short steep time.

I don’t have a lot of green teas in my collection. I believe Honeycrisp Apple and Toasted Walnut are the only two I have in large quantities, but I could see myself enjoying a lot of this Raspberry Punch over the summer. I may have to place an order soon.

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

One of my new Spring 2016 teas from Tealyra. I thought when I bought some spring teas I would probably buy from Yunnan Sourcing ; but I needed some herbal teas and couldn’t resist a few of the new spring teas!

This doesn’t have a pleasant smell from the bag. I can’t explain exactly what it smelled like dry but it’s not exactly a pleasant smell.

Brewed up, it’s entirely different. Sweet with hay and cucumber notes. A fruity floral aroma and a bit of apricot in the flavour too. Delicious!

For the past week, I’ve been drinking green, oolong, or white teas, straight and blended in order to be consistent with the yin-yang work I’ve been doing through acupuncture.

It’s all a bit of a learning curve as I am mostly unfamiliar with which teas and foods and ingredients are warming and which ones are cooling. But I am learning.

It’s all a bit like shopping in my tea stash as my preferences throughout this year have been black and black blends, so those are the ones closer to the top in my collection. This current focus gives me an opportunity to reshuffle and haul things out that have been neglected.

Green with black blends have always been a bit strange to me, not here, not there. Why would a blender even do this? That had been from my predominantly black tea drinking view.

Now that I am mostly drinking green, I find that the addition of the black to the green adds body while the green adds a bit of lightness. I like it.

I steeped quickly with water for a green. To me, the first note is cherry—-boom, cherry. There’s a bit of papaya, but vaguely in the background, and the slightest bit of tartness from the rose hips.

A very pleasant cup. Very spring-like. Perfect to drink while gazing at the trees in bloom outside the window.

Tea from a friend. I really just wanted to try this before passing it on to another friend i know will appreciate it more. This isn’t overly roasted….obviously it has that similar hojicha taste to it, but it’s light and doesn’t have that heavy feeling that a lot of hojichas do for me. there’s a bit of sweetness to this as well, though i don’t get that familiar “green” taste coming through. not too shabby!

I seem to be drinking an increasing number of herbals lately. Funny that so many camomile-base teas taste pretty much the same. You know what I’m talking about: that sleepytime story, give or take an herb or two.

This one is not of that ilk. Camomile, though it is not available in the drop down menu to enter it here on Steepster, is just one of the herbs on the side while linden is the main flavour coming through with a bit of a jolt from the liquorice. A nicely balanced blend, more like an herbal chai mix than a sleepytime, though it is quite soothing.

I will likely keep this one on hand. The rating reflects getting the job done, not just the flavour blend.

Mmm, I just remembered that Tealux is now called Tealyra, so I am reposting under Tealyra even though it is essentially the same thing. Also, strangely I’ve noticed that Guangzhou on Steepster is predominantly spelled with a Q as the first letter. When I was working there, it most definitely was transliterated into English with G as the first letter, so I am going with that spelling.

I had been feeling a bit better and stronger, but things are dipping again. Yesterday, I attended a qi gong class, which should fill me with vibrancy and something positive, but no. Instead, I woke up feeling exhausted and weak. Chronic illness sucks.

I did have a fantastic breakfast though. Leftover Horiatiki salad from Greek Town and some grilled squid I picked up in Korean town. Bizarre but good. I love living in a city where it’s all available in a day’s outing.

Followed breakfast up with this lovely lovely tea.

Perhaps this is a new batch of limited edition Milk Oolong compared to that of previous reviews. The label doesn’t indicate limited edition, but there don’t seem to be other options.

My first steeping was milky cream with the barest hint of vegetal. The second steep, which I left a wee bit too long, is coming through with a very pleasant oolong green, but not too green, flavour with a bit of creamy backup. No sense of mineral or imitation flavours. I look forward what the next steeps bring.

Third steeping, still buttery with a strong enough light oolong backup. Most likely will pleasantly survive a fourth and maybe fifth steeping.

Yep, the fourth and fifth steepings were quite lovely and flavourful, so I could have kept going if I hadn’t gotten bored.

My Japanese friends said Japanese white tea doesn’t exist. I am so glad they were wrong!

I did three pour overs. The resulting liquid is incredibly smooth, delicate and elegant.

The flavor is sort of sencha-like, full, but really delicate. I love how pale the wet leaf gets after I poured.

Sipping this down. Getting malt, hay, a little bit of melon and corn, and sweet potato. Pretty good, but glad this is almost gone.

It’s been a while since I visited this. Brewed it up Gong Fu, 190 F, Lord know’s how many grams, and began with 15 sec, and another 15 sec. I get the same thing that I did last time with a little more of a rosy floral quality. I otherwise taste a clean, creamy, and herbaceous white tea. I do get the hay, melon, and cucumber qualities as well.

Considering that I’m not plowing through other white teas in comparison, and only have a few myself, I’m enjoying this more. Again, thank you Andrew!

LP sent me some to try. I’ve heard good things about terroir of white, but it did not impress me as much as I thought it would. A white tea brewed lightly by two minutes western yielded a refreshing and crisp cup with all the notes you’d expect out of a white: hay, honeydew in the later steeps, some sweetness, light creamyness, and a Darjeeling herby characteristic. It’s good, but I’ve had better whites. I might change my mind if I revisit the sample, but I might more or less taste the same thing. I have no idea how much it costed, so I would not be a credible source on recommending this tea.

LP is exposing me again.

Okay. First steep. 15 seconds.

And it is complex as it changes a little bit when it cools down. At first, I thought it was kinda grassy or seaweed like. But it’s not quite grassy. More like a greener Darjeeling. And heavy like one, but light enough to remind you it’s a white tea. Hay is definitely there.

Steep two has an immediate sweet smell that reminds me of soap or a sugar scrub. But not salty in the least, but odd. The taste is more or less the same like earlier. Kind of astringent. After it cooled, it again got smoother.

Steep three at a few minutes-which I didn’t count-I taste honeydew.

Well, this was interesting. I’m also curious as to what a White Sencha might taste like now. I think this is a really good and complex white tea, but it’s not one that I see myself drinking often. This could go for a few more cups, but I don’t want any more for now. Maybe my palette is immature and likes sweet things like Dianhongs, Milk Oolongs, Earl Greys, and Lishans.

Cold Brew!

A little bit more mellow than I would have liked, but the fresh and floral lychee notes are coming through nicely and I can’t complain about how smooth and refreshing that black tea base is. I sipped on this last night while watching some of the Bob’s Burger’s Halloween specials and it was a fun time!

Cold Brew!

This was very subtle as I only used three of the pearls for my large 28 oz infusion. It’s definitely more than a little bit challenging to gauge the appropriate amount of tea leaf for cold brewing when dealing with pearl teas – I’m much more comfortable eyeballing everything else. It was a really pleasant and highly refreshing cold brew though despite the lightness of the flavours. Malty, round and clean black tea with a subtle kiss of sweet and floral lychee.

One pearl to a 12 oz perfect mug.

Even with a single pearl, this produces a rich and full bodied cuppa with deeply flavourful malty cocoa and baked bread notes from the black tea with fresh floral and juicy lychee flavours. The two seem like they should be too great a contrast, but instead it’s a dynamic and exciting cuppa with realllyyyy good flavour!

So, I am getting dangerously close to hitting 10,000 tasting notes which begs the question…

What tea do I have for tasting note 10,000!? That is a high pressure tasting note.

Anyway, I’ve been reading a lot of comics lately – not that I don’t read a bunch already, but given that I’m starting a podcast with my friend Marika that specifically focuses around various nerdy/geeky subculture, fandoms and (of course) tea, it’s been more insentive than normal to get my comic on!

It’s also Free Comic Book Summer so I’ve had a lot of short, free and easily accessible comics to keep reading through – including the one that I read when I was drinking this tea. I do, often, kind of have a thought process for what tea to drink with what comic/anime, but this was an exception to that rule in that I didn’t really know why but I felt drawn to this tea specifically for the comic even though it didn’t seem to have relevance/match the tone.

Regardless of whatever force compelled me to steep this up, I adored the tea. I remember loving this tea very intensely years ago and my “90” rating reflects that, but it had been a VERY long time since I’d last had it so I didn’t know if I would feel the same way. I do. Very much. It’s just like drinking smooth, sweet and subtly floral lychee juice mixed with malty and cocoa tasting black tea. I swear the pearls are much bigger than they used to be so it may have changed over the years in formulation – but still rocks as a tea!

Photo: https://www.instagram.com/p/CD2EGGqgPc7/