Thank you Stacy at Butiki for this sample tea!
I didn’t have any tea this morning because I slept in. Luxury!
It’s something I don’t do very often though.
Old
Everyone thinks that one day when they retire, they’ll sleep in every day but it just doesn’t happen that way.
I’ve often wondered how I worked 8 hours a day, managed kids and bills and raking leaves on my own for the 10 years I was a single parent (I worked another 20 years besides that).
I got in a grove for 40 years like a slot car and off I went.
Last night one of my granddaughters said, “When I get to be an old lady, I’m going to have a blast and do all kinds of things with my grand-kids, drink tea like grandma and write music.” That did my heart good. She said that many of her friends say they hate old people.
I’m trying to show how them (and their friends) that getting older can be wonderful.
Most of the people reading these tea reviews (like you) are young. You’re parents or grandparents might be getting older. (Heck, everyone will be old one day.) I’ll tell you this…I’m free to be myself now, more than at any time in my life. Old isn’t bad, it’s a challenge at times and an adjustment. (My peeps landed on the moon, protested for Civil Rights and Woman’s Rights, invented and built the Computer Industry, the Beetles, Rolling Stones, Richard Gere (63) all from oldies. Talk to an oldster sometime. You’d be surprised at what they know.) It’s fantastic in many ways!
Tea Review:
I chose this Butiki sample and was stunned at how wonderful the aroma of the wet leaves were. Savory, roasty and a little floral in a way that matches the best quality Oolongs I’ve tried. Stunning scent…hard for me to pull myself away from the dark moss green leaves.
Taking my first sip I wasn’t disappointed. The roasted flavor was smooth and rich, honey with a little potato mouth-feel thickness.
I remembered that this was the tea made sweet by leaf hoppers chewing on the tea tree leaves forcing the tree to work harder producing new leaves with more sugar in them. (The sweetness was lovely!)
Stacy has noted an apple, raw almond and lightly burned toast flavor…which I thought about for awhile. I could imagine a fragrant yellow apple, home grown…sweet and cold chopped and mixed with a little grilled white pork and sprinkled with some almonds. The meat would have to have some roasty bits from the bottom of the pan.
I get carried away….
Boy this is good tea! An Oolong that doesn’t get astringent, has just enough roasty, floral, fruity flavor too! This is not your average Oolong. It’s substantial!
This Fui Fei Oolong would be a great choice for Fall and Winter.
ooooooh, tastes like ice wine? I’m all over that! /adds to shopping list
It was crazy! It was initially that typically woody oolong flavour, but then there’s a huge rush of delicious sweetness that yeah, was bang on the mark for ice wine for me. It may need a long infusion to be like this, I’m not sure!
Wow, I can’t believe that survived 8 minutes. How accurate would you say our description of the tea is based on the 8 minute steeping? Hmmm, maybe I should try a long steeping to see what it tastes like.
I was shocked, to be honest! It would have gone into the cup at 180F, and stayed there for about 8.5 minutes. Not sure what the temp was when I removed it, but it was fabulous! I think the honey notes were intensified by such a long infusion, and there was definitely no astringency. I’m terrible at picking up specific flavours, so I’m not sure about almonds/apples. It was very, very good though!
I’ll have to try the tea with the recommended infusion time and compare :)
makes me think this might be good cold brewed :P
Possibly! I don’t have a ton of it so may not try that since it’s so good this way.
apparently you need more teas that let you make them and be distracted cough
I am innocent!
Very interesting. I’m going to try this at a long infusion.