Wenshan Bao Zhong Reserve

As I’m having a sleepless night, might as well drink something spectacular.

Using my newly green oolong seasoned yixing pot.

This tea…oh my, this tea.

It’s beautiful. Long twisted strands of jade tentacles. From the most luxuriant tea plantations, one of the greenest oolong there is.

The ultimate refinement. A gleaming Rolls Royce.

Creamy and buttery mouthfeel, French pastries with lingering lilacs in bloom. The taste creates an imprint in my mouth that stays forever. Angel breath…

Needless to say, this is a staple. Been restocking on this for a good two years now, I don’t plan on stopping.

This gets the Fairy stamp of approval!

Thank you TeaFairy for sending me a sample of your favorite tea!

I tried to review this during the ‘Steepster Storm’ the other day…to no avail. Not letting me in by hook or crook!

There was one exciting day where I brought this tea to Happy Lucky’s for a side-by-side comparison with the Bao Zhong that they sell and serve there. Andy, Joe, Eric, Maggie, Sam and a few regular patrons were on hand. Aroma sets were used to extract full value from the leaves and the tasting was blind. A set on the left and one on the right with only Joe knowing which tea was which.

The Tea’s:

Left Light and slightly savory. There was a hint of sweetness. Quite smooth but no dryness or acidity. Light body overall. Hazy floral taste and aroma.

Right Pronounced floral aroma, rubbery…crocus, jujube. Sweet with a depth up front that rolls back slowly on the tongue. Sweet water, lingering floral. Interesting…makes me want to discover more.

Of the two, I chose the second as my favorite because it’s so interesting and has depth that makes me want to spend more time with the tea. I could spend time just on the aroma…or go on to any part of the tasting and freeze the moment for more reflection. Tea should be that life changing and lead to contemplation. When it happens in a crowd of people, that’s unusual.

Second tea was (tea on the right)… DRUMROLL…TeaFairy’s Bao Zhong (show’s what good taste we both have a-hum!)! Pat on the back for the great reveal! (So glad it worked out that way!)

I’m not that only one that loved her tea!

As things were winding down after the side-by-side tasting,a teashop regular and sweet young lady who loves old people like me…was keeping me from going home. She said that someone who works at the teahouse had something to tell me.
What could it be I wondered? So mysterious!
I waited…and pretty soon one of the tea servers approached and announced that he was officially seeing my young friend and that they both wanted my blessing.

How sweet! My blessing indeed! How old fashioned and delightful!

Tea and blessings! I couldn’t be happier!

Life goes on at the teahouse. People are falling in love and I’m the grandmother basking in the glow of their joy how blessed am I!

Message on a personal note…
I’ve been sick and apologize for the lack of reviews to anyone who has wondered. I mention this not for sympathy but because almost everyone knows somebody with an autoimmune disease or disorder such as mine. It’s only been a matter of months since there has been proof that fibromyalgia is a physiological and not a psychological disease. I’m only one of thousands that has had doctors belittle them as “needing counseling for anxiety” instead of realizing that the pain suffered was real.
If you know people like me with migraines, fibromyalgia, arthritis etc. they are not able feel good all the time. The disease throws you all over the place and you go along for the ride. It’s not emotional but effects the emotions. It’s physical…so understand and support them. http://c.washingtontimes.com/neighborhood/steps-authentic-happiness-positive-psychology/2013/dec/29/fibromyalgia-solved-pathology-not-mind/
Preaching done!

I’ve got a bit of catching up to do from this afternoon as i’m finally getting a few moments. I’m doing my best to sipdown as many teas as i can in order to get back on track with my mid year goal for July (100).

The TeaFairy sent this my way and it is delicious! and it’s a green oolong. But it’s refreshing and sweet and juicy and honestly? I’ll probably buy more later on when my cupboard is under control for those times when i really want a lighter tea. I’ve discovered that i often don’t like flavoured greens, but the occasionally straight green or straight oolong is what i want from time to time.

Thank you so much for sharing TeaFairy! The last little bit of this is of course off to Terri :)

This is a really nice floral green oolong. It’s twisted, not rolled, and the dry leaf smells quite sweet and a little bit floral. The scent during the first infusion was amazing! Sweet and floral, and not just generic floral but really specifically lilac. It tastes fresh, sweet, floral, and very smooth. I think I’m on the 4th or 5th steeping western-style (I’ve lost track) and it’s definitely losing its flavour but it’s still pretty nice.

This sample came from the ever-wonderful Virginia! The leaves are quite twisty and a lovely green. They smell creamy and quite floral as well and brew up a light yellow color. First and foremost from this tea, I get a wonderfully creamy mouthfeel. Added to that are bright florals. I’m not great with differentiating florals, but I’m thinking lilac with hints of orchid. There’s also an unexpected pastry note underneath that is reminiscent of flaky pie crust. As the tea cools, the floral notes build. This oolong is quite lovely, but as far as Tealux oolongs go, my heart still belongs to the Gui Hua Osmanthus oolong.

Thank you, TheTeaFairy for sharing a little of your favourite oolong with me. This came before you found out I’m not into floral teas. I’ve avoided this for long enough, I have new tea coming in and although it’s not a lot of new tea, it’s enough tea that I feel guilty for still dragging around some samples.

So knowing full well this is not my cuppa I steeped the entire sample into my pot. Very pale coloured tea, so much so that I wondered if I understeeped. floral on the nose, both dry leaf and more so after brewed. I actually like the aftertaste better than the sip!

TheTeaFairy says “light flowery notes”. If one is not into floral he/she will pick up on the slightest flowery note anyway. It’s not bad and it’s not jasmine thus is shall drink it just fine but am not rushing to bring any more into my cupboard.

Thanks again, tea fairy. More for you, I guess!

Omgomgomgomgomgomgomg MY TEALUX ORDER IS HERE! I ordered the day before yesterday, that was QUICK! Bonus: boyfriend was at work when mailman came, so no explaining! Yay!

I chose this one first because the bag had some color detail that the others didn’t (honestly). Then I saw the name and I was like “Ooooh, re-serve!” and I knew I made the right choice.

The dry leaf nose is floral, fresh and intoxicating. The liquor is a clear, sandy colour. I want to say beige but beige is boring and what I’m looking at is not that at all. The infusion smells of fresh country air, lilac, and pollen. I am transported to my childhood. With my grandmother, in the garden of their small town country home, hanging the clothes on the clothesline on a sunny summer afternoon. Not a care in the world, no stress, no perception of time. Blissful.

I sip this precious time-machine elixir and a wonderfully sweet, floral taste fills my mouth. It makes me think of my mother’s antique silver, of expensive shoes I would never be able to afford.

It tastes wealthy, costly, fresh. It’s sugar, it’s blossoming trees, it’s fresh air. This tea has transported me and it reinforces my love for tea.

This was in the amazing swap box that I received from TheTeaFairy awhile ago. She wrote on the package “My second favorite oolong ever”. It’s no secret that we have different tastes in oolong. She enjoys the lighter more floral ones, I’m into the darker roasted ones.
I’ve been doing better with lighter oolongs lately, so was trying another one and hoping that trend would continue. Ummmm no not really. This one is too floral – the other two I’ve had recently were more green, less floral. I’m sure this is a nice quality green oolong, but it’s just not to my tastes.
Thanks for the sample TheTeaFairy.