Oriental Beauty (Bai Hao Oolong)

Received this as a sample in a recent order and was not expecting to fall in love. Made this in my gaiwan and got three delicious steeps out of it; easily could’ve gotten a few more had it not been dinner time (not exactly the beverage of choice for pairing with deep dish pizza!). Can’t say I noticed any difference between each cup, but that isn’t to say it’s a bad thing because it most definitely isn’t, not with its consistent notes of lemongrass and honey.

Definitely one I would keep in mind to order later as I need more to spend some quality time with. Could totally see this one being elevated to staple status.

Sipdown (110)!

Since Tea Ave. is running a free shipping promo right now I took advantage of that to place an order for the one blend I really wanted more of after initially sampling/reviewing some of their blends. This was an added sample from that order which has already arrived after only four days passing! I think that may actually be a new record for the fastest time I’ve received a tea order!

While Tea Ave. does let you specify what you’d like to sample I left that field of the order form blank and so they chose for me. Two of three samples were new to me, and one a repeat – though as I’ve been pretty impressed with all of their teas I’ve tried I’m far from disappointed about that. This sample came in sachet form, though not all three did. It’s the first time I’ve tried one of their blends in a sachet; I always have mixed feelings about teabags/sachets because I LOVE the convenience but think that most sachets don’t generally offer enough room for leaf expansion – which is definitely a bigger issue with oolong. Though in this case the sachet is very large, and that turned out to not be an issue at all.

I did two infusions of this tea, both turned out to taste very similar so I wont do a flavour summary for each like I tend to do when I steep the same tea several times. I thought the liquor was very light and gentle with an incredibly smooth and silky mouthfeel that made for really easy, calm sipping. The dominant note – though in this case dominant just means “most present” because nothing about this blend was harsh, was honey and it was the right level of sweet but natural and not cloying. Supporting notes were fresh picked Spring flowers, hay, and a soft, roasty note that reminded me of just barely toasted bread. I’d describe the overall combination as ‘ambrosia’.

I do think this was a little watery, and had it not tasted quite as diluted I’d be all over this blend – but it was incredibly pleasant for what it is as well, and a really nice balance between a greener, more vegetal oolong and a heavily roasted, mineral tasting more oxidized one.

I’m happy to have tried it!

Whew! It seems like forever since I posted a review. Time to get back in the saddle and the Oriental Beauty from Tea Ave seems like a good place to start. Tea Ave specializes in Taiwanese oolongs and this may be the best of their offerings. The leaf aroma is of fresh grass and the flavor over several steeps follows a perfect arc (I started at :30 and added :15 for each subsequent steep). The first smells rich and slightly sweet; the flavor is a bit watery but has a long finish and hits those glands at the back of the tongue. The second steep smells and tastes notably more honey-like, but with a slightly shorter finish. The third steep has a rich and soft mouth feel with more honey flavor up front and less in back. The flavor arc heads down after that, getting progressively drier on the tongue and less sweet. Tea Ave’s hype says that you can get up to ten steeps, but I found it pretty tapped out after six. Still, six steeps of lovely, sweet, lightly roasted oolong is nothing to sneeze at. I got this as a sample and I’ll definitely be ordering more.

This Oriental Beauty has a great fruity based flavor! Early steepings I got raisins and later infusions I got pear. Also present is a thick body, toasty bread, bit of spice and lots of honey notes. With the aroma cup, it smells like cinnamon buns!

Interestingly, steep this tea with boiling water and you get a dark cherry notes instead of raisins and pears, however with the hotter water temperature you get a fairly dry mouth feel.

Full review on Oolong Owl http://oolongowl.com/oriental-beauty-from-tea-ave-tea-review/ Did I burn myself with the aroma cup? Read on a see!

This tea is lovely. I’ve had Oriental Beauty in the past and didn’t like it but this had a deep honey sweetness along with a honey floral aroma (almost like honeysuckle). There was a bit of roast flavour to the tea which added to the overall taste. Did 3 infusions on this tea and took a picture of my gaiwan set with the tea but couldn’t figure out how to get it from my PC onto instagram on the computer. It was turning into an hour long (or 2) job!!! I’ve finally given up. Too much trouble.

Thank you, Tea Ave, for the sample!

Prepared with the gongfu method, using a ceramic gaiwan. Steeping times: 30, 45, 60, 75, 90, 120.

I appreciated the aromas more than anything else. The dry aroma smells fruity, very jam-like. These fruit notes are magnified after the first steeping. It was like a giant fruit salad, with an odd combination of grapes, strawberries, apricots and kiwi. Consistently rich aroma. After every infusion, I spent a couple minutes just smelling the leaf from the bowl before drinking the liquor. So delicious! I had somewhat a hard time prying my nose away. The aroma from the aroma cup was next to nothing at first, but the more and the longer I steeped the leaf, the stronger the liquor aroma became: light and honey-light, ending with cinnamon.

The liquor is clear, full-bodied, and flavorful. The first infusion is mildly fruity with a hint of honey. It tastes of high mountain air – buoyant and stimulating. Honey makes an appearance in the second infusion.

Up until the third infusion, the color of the liquor was pale yellow. SUDDENLY – it darkens to amber, a deep honey gold. The honey note becomes a lot richer as well, and the texture much thicker. A little tingly on the tongue. This is the high point of the session.

Afterward, at the fourth infusion, the honey taste lightens, but it taste even richer, as if it upgraded to the best organic honey one could get a hold of. Also at the this point, the liquor aroma smells like the first few days in which the all of the flowers begin to bloom in springtime.

The flavors continue to lighten in the final infusions. Done at this point. Sure feels more like spring now!

Now here’s a company with some serious style. Their preview samples are quite lavish. I didn’t sign up for one, but KiwiDelight was generous enough to send me her second set. It includes three tea samples, a cup & tray set, and a tote bag. I am completely enamored of this cup & tray set. The aroma cup and sipping cup are clean white porcelain. The tray is sturdy and perfectly sized for the two cups (or just the sipping cup and my little glass gong fu teapot). The letter that came with the set identifies the tray as being made of oak. However, the website offers what looks like the same set for sale and says that the tray is made of bamboo. Strange. Either way, I like it.

I inaugurated this lovely set with the Oriental Beauty. This is the first time I’ve used an aroma cup and it really makes a notable difference. It amplifies the fragrance of the tea, but also seems to reveal scents that don’t come through just from smelling the brew directly. I may have accidentally spilled tea on my laptop while trying to use the aroma cup. My laptop may now be damaged and it may cost $174 minimum to repair… this is suddenly a very expensive hobby, folks. The keyboard was all messed up when I first turned the computer on after drying it, but now it seems to be working fine so I am torn about whether to send it in for repairs if there’s no obvious debilitating damage. TBD.

The tea itself is a solid Oriental Beauty. The flavor is all honey and whole wheat toast. It’s very nice, but doesn’t really change over the course of about ten steeps. I have enough of the sample left for another cup. I think I’ll try it Western-style next time.

Thanks to KiwiDelight for sending me this set and Tea Ave for sending it to her!

A sample of this was sent to me by Teaave, along with an amazing tasting set. By far the most impressive sample set I have ever received. Also, they included a note that said that reviews are appreciated but not expected. That just made me want to review the tea even more.

Oriental Beauty is my favorite oolong, so this was the first sample that I chose. It was a tough work day and I needed some gong fu time, so that is the brewing method. This is my first time using an aroma cup, but I am a believer now. I tried smelling the brewed tea with it and just in the teacup, and there was a marked difference.

The aroma is all honey and nectar, with faint notes of….honeysuckle maybe? I wouldn’t say it smells floral but there is something sweet and intoxicating about it.

Initially I used part of the sample but the first steep suggested I should have used it all, so I did. The mouthfeel is soft and there isn’t the tiniest bit of astringency. There is a great honey aftertaste that has left me sort of smacking my lips.

Overall, a really lovely oolong that has great character. I am hoping to get really tea drunk on it too!

The dry leaf of this tea is absolutely gorgeous….so many colors! The first time I tried it, I didn’t use enough leaf. The flavors weren’t what I expected and I thought it might have to do with the amount of leaf, and it turns out I was right. I used 6g this time, and it was way better!

The flavors in this tea are honey, hay, dried red fruit like cherry, and it’s also a bit boozy. The texture includes a nice honey silky-ness. It also turns a beautiful red color after a couple of infusions. I don’t think it’s really one I’d crave, but I can tell it’s good quality, and those who like this flavor combo would definitely enjoy it. Just remember to use enough leaf! ;)

It was my 2nd test from the Tea house Tea Ave. and second success.

It is a beautiful oriental beauty picked between 400 and 800 meters. The oxidation level is at 6 on a scale of 10 .

A fragrant honey smell typical of these "bitten"Oolongs is emerging from the dry leaf.

I steeped this bai hao 3 minutes at 100 ° C for the first test. The leaves impeccably unfolds .

The beautiful liquor smells delicious fruits and honey.

The taste is from a typical oriental beauty , the body is quite light and fruity very pronounced . Honey is there but in the background and leaves the leading role to dried fruit, stone fruit. The “sweet” aspect is present in a good quantity ,but very balanced.

This is not the best OB I tasted so far but it is definitely very good and it made me starting the day nicely.

Pics are visible here : https://thevangeliste.wordpress.com/2015/02/15/oriental-beauty-tea-ave/