Wuyishan Black

My steepster select teas came a few days ago, & how could I not start with this one? I am a fan of Wuyi teas, & this one is no exception. It has a deep earthy kind of taste, & a fruity richness. My only regret is that I only get 2 servings. I drank one this evening, re-steeping twice. I may try one more steep, just to see if I can get anything else out of it.

This tea came in the Steepster select box for December. Definitely has flavors that are reminiscent of a wuyi oolong which is understandable given the origin of the leaf. Very earthy with a hint of smoke, slightly winey and fruity. It’s a bit on the light side for a black tea and doesn’t need any additions. I detect a floral aroma in the tea liquor.

Overall enjoyable but not something I would stock on a permanent basis.

Steepster Select!

This tea was pretty unique! Smokey apple wood, smooth and cherry with a little astringency at the end. It seems like the perfect tea to sip on, while I watch my husband grill steaks. I’d drink this with a rare steak – the pairing would be lovely!

Ugg, reminds me how my husband eats his steaks blue now. I blame the cruiseship for spoiling him rotten.

Back to the tea, I found this tea to be highlight of the box as it was a unique black tea experience!

Full review of the Steepster Select Dec 2013 box on my blog, The Oolong Owl http://oolongowl.com/steepster-select-january-2014-teas-oolong-owl-tea-review/

Hmm, I dunno about this tea. It is smokey, tart, and a little bitter. I’m not getting much sweetness from it so it seems unbalanced somehow. I can appreciate its uniqueness, but it is definitely not something I would purchase.

With my first sip I realized that this tea is like nothing else I have ever tried. It has an earthy flavor to it, that reminds me of good quality pu-erh, yet still manages to be quite different. Once I moved past that I immediately noticed the deep smoke notes. They aren’t nearly as strong as Lapsang Souchong and instead remind me more of Keemun. I’ve moved away from drinking smoke teas lately, I just don’t enjoy them as much as I once did, but this one stands out from the others that I have tried. Behind the smoke flavor of this black tea lurks a tartness, almost reminiscent of sour cherries. It isn’t immediately noticeable, but every once-in-awhile the flavor peaks through followed up by a hint of caramel-like sweetness.

You can read the rest of the review over on my blog:
http://www.notstarvingyet.com/index/2014/1/28/tuesday-tea-wuyishan-black-steepster-select.html

Mehhhh I was not a fan of this. I am not in favor of smokey teas unfortunately. There were hints of tart from the cherry and a taste that reminded me of burnt sugar maybe that was the smokiness combining with the caramel untertones. So therefore I cannot rate this tear out of my dislike in this taste.

Steeped this at lower than the suggested parameters because I’m stuck with just a stovetop kettle at my parent’s place and the meat thermometer said this was at 180 when I tested it at the beginning of the steep.

This is altogether way too smokey for my tastes. I can’t pick up much beyond that. I’ll likely not try a second steep because of it so I will have the second pouch available for trading when I get home. I did not bring it with me. Glad I did not serve this to my mother as I’m pretty sure she would hate it. I wish I could pick up the sour cherry and caramel notes as they sound delicious.

Love this. Love the fruity smell and strong oolong finish.

Sorry, I’m biased :)

I’m not into this at all. I should have read the tasting notes for this first, because I brewed this being relatively certain that I would like it. I don’t like smokey and I don’t like sour in my black teas, and those are the strongest flavors in this. Second cup I am dumping in a row. :-( If someone wants my other sample of this, message me!

This brewed up twice as dark as I remember it last time. Odd, because I didn’t change anything.

This cup is almost nutty, with a bit of a sweet undertone (the caramel I noted last time again). There is a smokiness to it that I don’t remember from last time, but I’m enjoying the mix of that with the strong cherry notes.