Tula Teas

Yet another one from the inventory archive. I had no idea I still had this, and it had been on mothballs for at least half a year. This was a Keemun from the 2011 Spring Harvest, but I had never opened the sample. Results? This was one of the maltiest Keemuns I’ve ever tasted. Sure, the requisite sweetness was there, but it brewed amber and pounded the tongue with burliness. I guess that’s what happens when you forge-…er, I mean, “age” a Keemun.

Thank you LiberTEAS for this terrific sample!

Most of these tightly wound pellets are 40-60% larger than several of my most recent oolong tastings. This is very nice, because you still have plenty of unfurling action on your other infusions.

The overall cup is smooth, little astringency and gives you quite a rush of warm energy. It proves to be the perfect cup of choice for this early evening.

I will certainly be trying this one at multiple steepings, and am interested in finding if the sweeter notes emerge at a slightly lower water temperature.

Edit:

Ok, this go around I lowered the water temp by 10 degrees and found the sweeter and slightly milder side of this tea. You can still taste the toastiness, but now the cup evolves into a tad more complex.

This is a very pleasing Charcoal roasted tea, not overwhelmingly charcoal-ish, the charcoal seems to stand out mostly in the aftertaste. The sip has a warm, toasted note to it, which brings out the nutty undertones of the tea. The cup is both savory and sweet, with thirst-quenching fruit notes, a slight vegetative taste, and a light herbaceous tone that is very refreshing.

Very nice.

This tea has really grown on me. I love the nice yellow color – it cheers me every time! The sip is buttery, a bit floral and mostly like mild green veggies. There is definitely a clean, bright finish to the tea which actually leaves my mouth watering. I look forward to trying other types of Zealong tea in the future! Yum!

I am very excited to try this tea. I’d heard a lot about Zealong teas — today I’m finally getting to try one!

The first infusion is a bright yellow, probably the brightest oolong I’ve had. The scent is a bit grassy, creamy — almost like a milk oolong. It’s quite smooth with surprisingly little flavor. I’m tasting a very slight fruity and tart note. A nice, mellow first steep.

Second infusion – The color is still just as yellow and bright. It smells a little bit more astringent this time and a bit more floral. I’m definitely getting many more floral notes in this cup. Also, there is a little bit of a green apple skin flavor — just slightly bitter. Reminds me of a clean, spring bouquet.

Third infusion – Bright yellow? Check! Scent is a bit more creamy and the floral notes are still there. This steep mirrors the second. A little bit floral, a little bit fruity and a little bit bitter.

I’d like to do more infusions, but I should be concentrating on homework instead! Overall, it’s a nice oolong .. but I’m not over the moon about it.

P.S. This marks my 200th tasting note! Hooray! I’ll have a yummy cup of tea this evening to celebrate!

A lovely Oolong. It is roasted, which seems to bring out the nutty character of the tea. It has a charred kind of flavor to it too, like charcoal and the roasty-toasty taste that goes along with that. Woodsy. Hints of flower come in to play too. Also a hint of spice that develops as I continue to sip. Really nice.

I thought that I would get a much richer, more flavorful cup according to other tasting notes. I can’t taste ANY of the flavors that Tula Teas mentions. It seems like a basic oolong with nothing that makes me run back to buy more. Not bad, just basic and a bit plain.

I’m already on my fourth infusion of this tea, and I’m loving every sip of it. It’s excellent.

Another day, another interesting oolong to try. This Taiwanese oolong is purported to be incredibly flavoured, with evolutions of flavour at every steeping. I start off by rinsing, then steeping this tea first for two minutes in boiled, but not boiling water. This first infusion smells sweet, slightly tart, and, in general, fruity. I often find that the leaves, after steeping, have a different aroma than the liquor itself. In this case, the smell of the leaves is far more buttery and creamy, in contrast to the liquor’s fruity notes. This infusion is super smooth, tastes very clean and fresh, and is reminiscent of apples.

Infusion number two, steeped for another two minutes, leaves the leaves smelling more vegetal than before. The flavour of the tea has evolved. Still fruity, there are now spicier notes of cinnamon, as well as floral tones that I had not noticed before.

Steeping this tea for a third time, letting it infuse for two and a half minutes. Still containing notes of cinnamon, the mild fruitiness is quite delectable. Four Seasons is a great name for this tea, as it evolves and changes like the seasons of the year, with every infusion. I highly recommend this tea for lovers of oolong, and I would give it a 91/100 on my personal enjoyment scale.

I am quite sad this is the last of this tea that I have with me, and thus the last I shall be able to drink for several months until after I return to the United States.

I am loving this oolong a lot. Time to try making it differently…large amount of leaves in a large teapot (actually a large measuring cup, since I do not have teapots with me on this trip; more is the pity).

I did a bit of background research on this tea, revealing that it was indeed grown in New Zealand and that this is one of three different varieties being produced there at the moment (the others are Zealong Dark and Zealong Aromatic). Unlike the other two, this Zealong Pure features “sweet, fresh-tasting leaves” that are “unroasted, bringing out the pure, natural flavour of the tea” (zealong.com). Their website suggests 1 tsp of leaves per cup of water, infused for a minute (at least at first).

Opening the package, I take in the aroma of the dry leaves. Sweet, very clean-smelling. They are rolled into balls, reminiscent of a ti kawn yin oolong. I prepare the water, freshly boiled, but not still boiling. The first minute of infusion goes by. The steeped liquor smells fresh and slightly floral. The leaves have a very vegetal aroma and still smell quite sweet. Sipping this first cup is a joy. From the smell of the liquor, I expected a much weaker brew than what now dances around on my tongue. While not strong, this oolong does have a full body – floral, fresh, and with just a touch of that natural sweetness.

Eagerly, I go ahead and steep the leaves again, for the suggested one minute. The leaves now have taken on a fuller aroma, more “juicy,” but in a floral sense. The smell of the brewed tea is still subdued, but after the first cup, I know this subdued aroma could hold great flavour. I can tell that the flavour has gone, somewhat, from the leaves, in comparison to the first steeping. It is, however, still there with the sweetness becoming a bit more prominent and equal with the other flavours.

The third steep is for two minutes (as per the suggestions from zealong.com). The longer steep-time has brought the flavours and aromas back in line with the first steeping. Full bodied, perhaps even a bit stronger flavour-wise than the first infusion. Ah, it is still delicious, regardless. I go ahead and put this tea through several more steepings. The zealong.com website makes the claim that it will last six to eight infusions. I am satisfied, and gladly would rate this tea a 92/100 on my personal enjoyment scale.

I hate the word mouthfeel. Hate it. Because it feels so pretentious to me. Per the Random House dictionary, it was developed in the 1980′s, which tells me it was likely developed by a Yuppie. Possibly in response to an overpriced wine. As I was child in the 80′s, I have a yuppie aversion almost as strong as my shoulder-pad aversion, my hyper-color shirt aversion, and my aversion to electric pink.

Even after all that, I still use this term. Because it’s such a good descriptor. One of my favorite things about the green rolled oolongs are the ways the liquor can feel like liquid silk rolling around on your tongue.

All that being said – the mouthfeel of this tea was amazing. One of the most silky and creamy textured teas I’ve had. I was however a little disappointed with the rest of the tea. The aroma was fairly mild, and the flavor was a little too delicate for me. But, oh, I would drink this a lot just for the mouthfeel. So nice.

In the packet, I’m not picking up much of a scent.
195/3 min
This is a nice midday oolong. It’s not very strong or intense in any way. It’s floral and somewhat delicate. As it cools, it’s very slightly sweet, but just a hint.

The dry tea scent is creamy and fresh. The dark green oolong is rolled into balls.

195/3 min. The scent of this tea is now floral. It is a light golden color. The flavor is divine! It’s floral and rich. I don’t detect the creaminess that I could smell when it was dry, but it has a very clean, natural taste. As the tea cools, the floral notes are much more pronounced. The oolong is really good, too. It’s not roasted, but just adds a calm base to the tea, grounding it. All in all, a great drinking experience.

This is an extraordinary tisane. Unlike so many tisanes, it is not thin in texture or taste. It has an incredible complexity… so many unique flavors in one cup. It is sweet and nutty and vegetative. There are also berry-like notes. No bitterness at all.

Really really good. So much better than I ever imagined it to be.

The Yellow Color is brilliant in this and the aroma is slightly vegetal but there is a hint of buttery but earthy goodness to it too. The taste is very clean and satisfying. This is darn good!

This Tisane absolutely SHOCKED me! The aroma is AMAZING! Unlike anything tisane/tea-wise I have EVER smelled! The only thing I can compare it to it buttered and Cooked Kale! It’s so bready and Kale-like WOW! The taste is quite nice, too! I was expecting herbal-esque but it tastes like toast and cooked kale with a toasted green tea finish and the aftertaste is nutty with a hint of fruit. Remarkable! I really like this! Other than minty herbals…this may be my favorite herbal!

This is a nice charcoal oolong! It’s a sweeter oolong with a hefty charcoal-type flavor. There’s a great contrast between the two flavor differences.

A nice toasty and woodsy oolong with a hint of charcoal-type taste!