Teehaus Shila

I’ve had one first flush Darjeeling white from Ketlee which was freaking fantastic and I’ve always wanted more of that tea. Thanks to Martin, I’m able to try a second flush from a different estate.

Oh heck yeah! I’ve recently given up booze – any amount, any kind – since it’s not complementing this stage in life. That makes me sad because I love red wine and Fernet Branca bitters (what a weirdo) and the occasional beer. Here, I get a tea that’s almost like a cross between white wine and a mild pale ale without any yeasty flavor or, obviously, carbonation. It’s complex and engaging but it doesn’t need to be analyzed. There’s just so much going on – all parts in harmony, mind you – that I’m having fun picking out notes. Pine sap and spices, mineral, clear fruity aftertaste, clean. Two excellent steeps, then top off the brewing jar with water and into the fridge overnight to extract everything.

This is such a great tea and a reminder that I need to get a Darjeeling white when I start serious buying again.

Thank you, Martin!

Awhhhh look at all those trichomes. Golden fuzz all over the packaging. The dry leaf is tightly twisted and curling. It seems to be in between green and black. It resembles more of a white tea than it does an oolong honestly. Even the wet leaf has some farm yard notes that remind me of some white teas.
A bit floral. Fresh greens both vegetal and the greens one finds as they venture out into the spring forest. A bit earthy Soft and filling mouth feel. The earthy notes come out even more in the second infusion. Dried grasses on top of a pile of wet grass. This is an interesting oolong. More white then oolong I’d say.
On a side note, my sister and I are doing a therapist session tomorrow. I’m trying my best not to be nervous about it and hoping for the best. I try to keep my notes free of personal stuff but sometimes it’s a relief to do so.

I see this is listed as both a white tea and oolong tea (in German) on Teehaus Shila’s website, but if I were to taste this blind, I’d guess it’s a Yunnan green. Looking at other websites, this type of tea originates in Guangxi.

Why is it like a Yunnan tea, more specifically young sheng puerh? Large leaf (at least the ones that aren’t broken) and a honeylike sweet, rich aroma and taste. It’s also grassy and mineral like young sheng can be and possesses a very muted wet smoke tone. And the apricot fruitiness. It lacks astringency but not bitterness; Martin says bitter cucumber — yup. Round taste, in a way. It is temperamental and seems to do best with water 175F and below. Surprisingly good in a bowl.

I do think this would make a very good cold brew, so I’ll use the last few grams for that.

Thanks for sharing, Martin!

A sipdown! (M: 6 Y: 60)

Just marking a sipdown.

I will copy a description from the vendor:
“The Rangdoo plantation was established by the British in 1870. Within a very short time, the plantation became so popular that the teas from the Rangdoo plantation were only given the nickname “It’s the only Okay Tea” at auctions. So the Rangdoo plantation was renamed Okayti.”

And my note? “It’s the only Okay Tea”.

Yes, pretty classic Darjeeling with floral notes, light woody notes and some muscatel. I have received it as a free sample when I have been shopping in Shila’s Tearoom in Hamburg in the middle of this year.
Fine, but nothing to have/try again. Maybe if I trired it back in summer, the note would be different. I guess it will be one of the first sipdowns in 2024.

This tea is a mystery for me. Some sites list it as a green tea. Some as a white tea. A shop where I bought it in person, says it is an oolong.

I bought it thinking it is a white tea. Even owner himself says it is something between green and white tea, slightly smoky tea. But if prepared right, it is a delicacy.

Not that sure… I tried it a few times western and I got some highly mineral cups with smoky notes indeed. Quite rough — not by smoke, and it was like licking stones.
I decided to brew it gongfu today to try different steeping method and maybe it is a bit better. I have used boiling water, which seems like an error; first steeps being highly mineral, salty, astringent, but smoke wasn’t there.
Following steeps with colder water as I had quite long intermezzos between steeps, were slightly better, but still the minerality was high. Loads of hay, a bit of florals is there and some cucumber is there. A bit of bitter cucumber.

Maybe I need to find a proper steeping paramters or just swap it out.

Actually, I didn’t wanted to buy any tea during my stay in Germany last, a bit pro-longed weekend. But you know; sometimes you just can’t resist. And I found out that white teas are perfect for hot days and I almost have none.

So, when I was just a few metro stations from this place, which I actually wanted to visit last year too, I just went in.

Sourced directly from India, owner/shop assistant was chatty and helpful and I bought two teas and got one for free.

Wel, I have to say I wasn’t paying much attention to this tea, which it certainly deserves. Because it has got nice fruity notes, among with sweet vanilla wafers, which resembles me 2020 Winter Darjeeling White tea by Ketlee I got from derk and reviewed back in February. Maybe it is very same plantation?
Flavor continues with muscat notes, white wine and lemon zest, which is… werid as I said I wasn’t paying too much attention.

Also, steeped with almost boiling water was, surprisingly, not a bad experience and leaves very nice, large tea leaves in the strainer. They claim that it can be steeped twice, but maybe next time… with the rating.

Had never heard that one could buy Oolongs from Darjeeling. Why not?

The taste isn’t bad, but it’s not the best Oolong I’ve had. I would definitely recommend it. You can never have too many Oolongs, right?