Thank you so much for the samples, Aprtea.com! This is intriguing… it’s a cube of oolong which I have never seen before. Look at that picture! Oolong shaped into a cube, kind of like pu-erh but even most pu-erh isn’t shaped into a small cube and then wrapped in paper (and then foil for the sample). The closest thing would be a pu-erh tuocha. The leaves in the cube are shades of the usual oolong green and even bits of red. I was also intrigued with this being called ‘orchid’ because my preferred oolongs are the floral type. I used half the cube for a full mug. The first steep is delicious. Very smooth and sweet and full. No astringency at all. I wouldn’t say it is the most floral tasting tea I’ve tried, it’s more buttery and sweet. The second steep was probably over steeped by me a tad bit but only made the flavor a bit more astringent, not overly so. The third steep was even fuller with the buttery sweetness. I wouldn’t say I ever really noticed orchid or any other type of flower, but this is certainly an oolong I wouldn’t mind drinking. I think maybe I should have used less than half the cube and maybe didn’t steep at temperatures this high to tastes more to my liking. I also think I could have steeped these leaves much more than three times. But a cube of oolong is certainly a novelty!
Steep #1 // half of a the cube for a full mug// rinse // 18 minutes after boiling // 2 minute steep
Steep #2 // 10 minutes after boiling // 2 minute steep
Steep #3 // 15 minutes after boiling // 2 minute steep
This is You :-D
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Bio
Hi! I love tea and trying new ones – it adds a bit of variety to my day! Books, music, TV & movies are my thing… and tea, of course.
Some of my favorite tea shops (still operating):
birdandblendtea.com
teavivre.com
52teas.com
svtea.com
whisperingpinestea.com
justea.com
harney.com
Dammann Freres
fusionteas.com
shop.Javateaco.com
Lupicia
Octaviatea.com
Davidstea.com
eco-cha.com
what-cha.com
singleoriginteas.com
teasenz.com
tealyra.com
Mandalatea.com
verdanttea.com
Favorite tea shops (RIP):
butikiteas.com
steapshoppe.com
steepcityteas.com
aquartertotea.com
dellaterrateas.com
zentealife.com
angrytearoom.com
theteamerchant.net
joysteaspoon.com
tealiciousllc.com
Rivertea
Specialteas
My icon photo is Richard Mayhew from the graphic novel ‘Neverwhere’ by Neil Gaiman, Mike Carey & Glenn Fabry.
Most of the teas listed in my cupboard are actually sample sizes. I don’t really have 2,000 ounces of tea around here! Many of my teas have only one teaspoon left… maybe two. But I like keeping them in my cupboard list for reference to what I could be sipping. Usually, I write tasting notes once for each tea. I’m still drinking them, just not writing tasting notes each time!
I’m always in search of: Hattialli, Qu Hao black, Jin Jun Mei, teas using marshmallow root.
My dislikes: hibiscus, ginger (unless in chai), turmeric, bee pollen, charcoal type flavors
My ratings:
95-100 – Super awesome deliciousness favorites – cupboard essential
80-95 – Also pretty delicious
65-80 – Pretty good
50-65 – Okay
1-50 – Probably won’t want to sip it again
I’m planning on being a Steepsterer as long as there IS a Steepster, so if you’re not hearing from me, that means something happened to my health… if you know what I mean. (Or as evidenced by the great computer hiatus of 2019, something happened to my computer… I have a dumb phone so can’t access internet on that. As of 12/20/21 my wifi might start getting unreliable.)
Happy sipping!
Location
USA
