Ceylon Oolong

Samurai TTB #40

I was so intrigued by this one, as it wasn’t completely clear from the packaging whether it was a black tea, an oolong, or a green tea. I brewed it like an oolong, according to the instructions on the bag. However, I’m thinking I maybe should have treated it like a green tea, as it came out quite bitter. Other than the overwhelming bitterness, it had a very leafy flavor, but like dead leaves, not fresh green ones. I was only able to finish half a mug of this, as it became quite astringent as it cooled and was drying out my tongue with every sip. Definitely my least favorite tea I’ve tried from the teabox!

Small sample saved from the tea box. I sat down to answer some emails as it was steeping and totally oversteeped it. Man, I really abuse my teas. It tastes pretty green with a bit of bitterness that is likely my fault, but not too much bitterness, thankfully. I definitely don’t like it as much as I’ve enjoyed some of Teakruthi’s other teas. It’s just not as fresh and clear as it could be.

Thanks again for the samples, teakruthi!  The leaves here don’t look like a traditionally rolled, pebble type of oolong.  There are some longer pieces.  The description is confusing, as it mentions being green, not an oolong, and I think some might end up being disappointed if they’re looking for a typical oolong flavor, as this definitely tastes like green tea to me.  It tastes very similar to the Mythical Green tea, with that smoky, mildly spicy profile.  But now that I’m actually realizing that this is a green tea, before the second steep, I was treating it like an oolong and brewed it with close-to-boiling water, rather than waiting a while to prevent bitterness.  So now I’m very surprised this didn’t become bitter at all, since it tastes green and I brewed it like an oolong.  It tasted like a normally cooled-then-brewed green tea.  So what makes it an oolong over a green tea? I’m not sure.  But this isn’t the flavor I’m really looking for in an oolong either way.   I’d choose the Mythical Green over this one.  However, the descriptions say both teas aren’t even grown in the same area, so I could be very wrong about the similarities and I could not be steeping either tea correctly.  So it’s always worth brewing them yourself and giving them a try!
Steep #1 // 1 1/2 teaspoons for a full mug // 28 minutes after boiling // 2 minute steep
Steep #2 // 3-4 minutes after boiling  // 2 minute steep

I was really excited to try an oolong from a region that’s not known for producing them. My tastes run to greener oolongs from China and Taiwan, and it’s nice to get some variety. Thanks to Teakruthi for the sample. I steeped around 5 grams of this tea in a 355 ml mug at 185F for 3, 4, and 6 minutes.

The first steep has notes of decayed autumn leaves, grass, metal, and flowers. I’m not sure if it’s due to the processing, but this tea seems unfinished, kind of like I’d imagine raw tea leaves (or any steeped plant) would taste. If anything, this tastes like a grassy green tea. The next two steeps are much the same.

While this oolong is definitely green, it has none of the flavours or nuances I look for in these teas. Based on this sample, I don’t think Sri Lanka is ready for prime time as an oolong producer, though it’s great that they’re exploring different tea types. Maybe like Nepal a few years ago, Sri Lanka needs some time to refine their oolong-making technique, or maybe this tea just isn’t for me.

Gongfu Sipdown (703)!

Decided to finish this tea off Gongfu to see if I could draw out some different flavour notes and improve my overall impression/experience with this tea. I’m very thankful to teakruthi for the sample and giving me a chance to try this tea (and the others they sent) but I’m also sad to report that I had an even more negative experience drinking this tea Gongfu than I did with my first tasting.

I experimented with a couple different things throughout the session – such as steep times and water temperature. However, a consistent seemed to be that when drinking this one Gongfu I kept drawing out a very, very bitter taste from the leaves. Not really much else sadly, aside from a bit of a mulchy/grassy note. I’m thankful for the fact I was also eating Prickly Pear at the same time because the mellow sweetness of the fruit was really helpful in tempering a lot of the sharp bitterness of the tea – but once I finished off the fruit it was mostly downhill from there.

Largely, I’ve found a lot of success with my samples from Tea Kruthi – but not this one. You can’t love everything (it’s just not realistic) so no hard feelings; but I am a little glad to have finished this particular tea off now…

Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/B2nKabrgmgI/

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jMwOnjk0ux0