I subscribed to the Eco-Cha Tea Club for more than a year and generally enjoyed their offerings. (I eventually quit due to the cost and my ever-expanding tea stash.) I’m glad to be able to try this roasted bug-bitten oolong from Daylon. I steeped 6 g in a 120 ml teapot at 195F for 25, 20, 25, 30, 30, 30, 45, 60, 90, 120, and 240 seconds.
Dry, the tea smells of honey, nuts, and flowers. The first steep is indeed like a lightly roasted high mountain oolong, with honey, mild roast, violets, orchids, other florals, nuts, and grass. I get the weird impression of floral Honey Nut Cheerios! The second steep offers a slightly bitter, sappy note that I’ve found in bug-bitten teas, though Daylon is right that I wouldn’t have necessarily concluded this tea was bug bitten if not for the label. By the third steep, it begins to take on the characteristics of a roasted oolong, with strong honey, nuts, Graham crackers, and grass and a few remaining floral notes. The next few steeps emphasize honey, roast, and wood, and have a tang that could be called lemony. Like many similar oolongs, the end of the session is all about the roast.
I steeped the remainder of my sample Western style in a 355 ml mug at 195F for 2:30, 4, 6, and 8 minutes. The first steep has notes of honey, caramel, nuts, Graham crackers, violets, sap, and roast. The second steep adds roasted pecans and more caramel. The next couple steeps have those lovely floral and nutty/grain notes, but the roast gradually takes over. My strainer was also full of leaves by the end of the session, suggesting that I might have used more leaf than I initially thought.
This is a rich, comforting oolong with all of the expected Gui Fei notes and an extra dash of florality. However, I should have finished it when the weather was a bit colder. Am I the only person who prefers winter to summer?
Flavors: Caramel, Floral, Graham Cracker, Grain, Grass, Honey, Lemon, Nuts, Orchid, Pecan, Roasted, Sap, Violet, Wood
Nope, you aren’t only one. I prefer colder days than summer ones. My tea-drinking pace decreased because of hot days. And moreover concentration is worse in warm days.
I don’t relish the heat either. Too many Summers on a delivery truck…
I used to enjoy summers when I lived in Scotland lol. In moderate climates with 4 seasons, I tend to prefer spring and autumn.
I don’t mind the winter either as long as it stays cold once it does get below freezing. The unstable nature of winters in Southern Ontario annoys me, but I’m moving back to Europe this year so it’s a worry of the past for me :D
Martin, I agree, I tend to drink less tea in summer, and because I don’t have air conditioning, my concentration suffers as well.
Mrmopar, yeah, summers on a delivery truck don’t sound pleasant. I feel bad for all the drivers, construction workers, and everyone else who has to work outside all day in the heat.
Togo, I don’t mind the temperature fluctuations in the winter, but the 33-degree summer heatwaves are terrible. I hope wherever you go in Europe will be cooler. At least it might have better tea options. :)
Being from a cold city myself, I prefer warmer weather but it does negatively affect my tea consumption as well. Cold brewing always helps me get my tea fix in during summer.
Yes, hot tea isn’t very appealing on a hot day. I hope to do more cold brewing this summer.