Canton Tea Co

Sipdown #5 of the day! I LOVE THIS ONE! I’m missing this already!
This is certainly in my Top 50 teas of all time!

I love the tomato-E, Artichoke-E Bread-E type aroma and taste to it. Makes me want Brichetta

I know I have LOTS of tasting notes – even more than usual today – but please visit my profile and scroll down if you are interested in FREE samples (no obligation) or larger swaps!

Brilliant in EVERY WAY! Check out my previous notes! LOVE this one!

Finished up the last of this in my stash earlier this week and I’m sad to see it go! It’s truly a great and memorable tea! Check out my other tasting notes!

4th infusion – over infused – nearly 20 minutes – just for kicks…VERY sweet! Smooth…still very flavorful but much lighter in color. YUM! The sweetness of the 4th infusion really surprised me! D-Lish!

3rd Infusion – still flavorful – but much more smooth and the smoothness lingers.

I really REALLY like this tea! I have reviewed it several times before both on Steepster and a few other sites!

Take a look at a lengthier review HERE
http://sororiteasisters.com/2010/07/30/bai-lin-gong-fu-tea-from-canton-tea-company/

Today – I had a cup hot! Which was the first infusion. The 2nd infusion was cold…BOTH wonderful! I am going to try additional infusions on this right now…stay tuned…

I also upped my rating! This is a VERY memorable Tea!

Bai Lin Gong Fu black tea won the top prize of Three Star Gold. Only 91 products out of over 6,000 entries achieved three stars!!!!

I received a nice sample size of this today and must say it is much different that I remember it! I know I liked it before but WOW! This time around it is even better!

Right out of the package the aroma smacks you in the face!!! I like a loud tea! BUT…the smell was much different that I remember and unlike anything I have ever smelled! GET READY FOR THIS!!!!! The smell of this reminds me of Ravioli! A bready/Tomato type smell and I just LOVE it!!! Truly unique!

The taste is also much different…and I like that! It’s a little cakey but creamy!!! It’s a full and fairly bold RED – or Black tea taste – at the beginning and leads you into a lovely mellow aftertaste. The aftertaste encourages you to sip more!

I really like this!

This is a nice crisp taste with a caramel likeness to it. It’s mellow aftertaste is perfect for my palate! This is YUMMY Cold as well! I had 1 hot cup and 1 cold cups-worth. Enjoyed them both.

The hairy-fuzzy leaves left a little pollen-y residue to the touch but still a very neat leaf!

Cheers!

Very smooth tea. The smell is sweet and reminds me of cinnamon toast crunch mixed with honey. The taste is very clean,green and enjoyable. It’s a laid back cup for me, which is exactly what I am looking for at 5pm. However, I would have liked to have a bit more flavor, it isn’t strong, but it could be stronger,imo.

Backlogging…

I took about 10 “balls” or “pearls” and infused for about 6 minutes…I had an emergency and ended up drinking it iced instead. The COLD version of this – that I’m drinking right now – is LOVELY! It’s gently scented and flavored with the Jasmine and it’s ‘just right’ for my liking. It’s NOT Bitter…it’s sweeter instead. NICE.

1 cup hot the other iced…both nice…very pure!!!! :)
See my previous review!

Yeah…it helps when you have the correct water temp! Oops! LOL

So…2nd infusion…
MUCH better!

I wouldn’t say it was the best Pouchong I have ever had but it is good and flavorful. A sweet nutty grassy type taste.

I love Pouchong. When I saw this one was a GREAT TASTE GOLD Winner in 2009 I had to try it!

After I received it I took a look at the ratings on steepster and I am a little afraid…altho there are only 3 logs – one is a really low rating, one isn’t rated but commented, and the other is an 80. So…could it be one of those teas that are all across the board!? Not sure.

Here are my findings…

I know the term “Agony of the Leaves” is to describe the unwinding and unfurling of the tea leaves but I have always found it to be somewhat of a downer…I mean really…think about it…it sounds PAINFUL. Most of the time I say the leaves dance because it’s more positive and it sounds happier! Well, these leaves are somewhere inbetween. It seems like they want to dance but they are struggling…perhaps a sign of good multiple infusions!? Maybe…time will tell.

This isn’t much for aroma. It isn’t much for color…very pale. Heck it’s not really that strong in taste and I went 5 minutes. It’s a really tasty taste – what I CAN taste of it…but it’s VERY mellow. It IS very clean…I will say that.

I’m going do a 2nd Infusion before I rate…

WOW!

This is FUN!!!!

It’s a Buttery Vegetable type smell BUT the taste is buttery THEN fruity and almost nutty. It has a sweet and buttery aftertaste. This is VERY smooth.

As it cools a little I can taste the ever so slight bit of natural-salt-like hint…it seems to fit in quite nicely tho! This is a FUN Oolong!

Sadly, I am drinking the last of this. Or making the last of it as I prepare to leave and step into the wild coastal winter. I used all the rest of the leaves that I had and steeped them in a big pot so that I could fill a travel mug, a travel thermos, and a mug for drinking before I leave.
It has been a good time, Alishan. I am truly sorry to see you go.

When I opened the package on this tea, I noticed that the smell was wonderful. It was light and sweet in harmony with a flowery oolong smell.
The tightly rolled leaves ranged in colour from mid-green to dark greenish brown. I steeped two cups of this tea first, and as it steeped, this tea smelled just as sweet, if not sweeter, than when the leaves were yet dry. In my small teapot, they began to quickly open and expand. The aroma became a bit deeper as it steeped longer, and after a few minutes, I poured the first cup.
The liquor was a lot lighter green than most oolongs I have had recently, which surprised me. Also, there was something now unique about the aroma. It smelled a bit like green tea mochi ice cream to me. The taste of the first cup was full, not very heavy, and definitely still carried those sweet tones with it. There was a playful deliciousness to this tea that made it somehow fun to drink and very enjoyable.
The second pot was just as delicious as the first, and the flavours began to mellow out the longer I drank this tea.
I would rate this tea an 80/100 on my personal enjoyment scale.

I’m giving this one another try. I want to like it and I kind of do like it when it is hot. As it cools, not so much. When hot, the tea is very fresh and vibrant. There is a huge buttery flavor that surprisingly goes well with the floral aspects of this tea. The scent is not very strong and luckily doesn’t seem to linger after the cup is finished. There is a certain grassy note to the taste as well, but not overly so.
So I’m trying to drink this before it cools too much. I wish I could base my rating entirely on my enjoyment of this as a very hot tea, but since I have trouble seeing past the lack of enjoyment when just warm the rating will mainly stay in the lower realms. If I find it easier to drink while cooling or if the second infusion is better than the first, I may bump the ratings again. As it is, I am bumping the ratings a bit because it is nice hot.
I wish I enjoyed green oolongs more since I enjoy the dark ones, but I guess it just isn’t meant to be.

Okay, I have to admit I’m a bit worried about this one. I love oolongs (dark ones) and I love green tea….but the last and only green oolong I had was vile. So vile and stinky in fact that I could seriously smell it for days (after I had gotten rid of it all!!) The scent was seriously stuck in my sinuses and it was horrible. I’ve read somewhat encouraging reviews about this one…so here we go…

The dry leaves are nice, long, and various shades of green. They are quite beautiful much like Dawn….but even better because green is my favorite color. The scent is not overpowering, but smells very green almost like seaweed. Thankfully, the aroma did not intensify while steeping so I think I can do this.

The scent has turned very floral and almost reminds me of roses. The tea itself is very smooth and almost buttery – but not as buttery as a Sencha. Wow, unless this starts to turn on me as it cools I think I like this. I will be updating later and perhaps adjusting the rating up or down as I see fit.

Okay, this turned on me. Big time. Not as bad as my previous experience but I just don’t like green oolongs. BIG ratings drop as I couldn’t even finish my cup.

My husband accused me of huffing this tea. I don’t know I’d go that far, but oh my goodness, the olfactory treat when I opened the package! This tea smells amazing. Hints of apricots smothered in cream in a sea of oolong-y goodness. I couldn’t wait to get it steeping.

The flavor of this tea is a little more delicate than the scent would suggest. It has a bright, clean taste. The product description said it would be floral – I didn’t getting flowers, but rather almost a spicy afterglow that lingered on my tongue, post swallow. It also has a very silky, smooth texture to the liquid, making it a joy to sip.

And this tea doesn’t disappoint in the visual aspect either. It’s a lovely pale light green. During my first steeping, it was a joy to watch the leaves dance around in the water, unfurling and transforming the water into something special.

Like almost all oolongs, this tea is good for multiple infusions. Perfect for sitting at your desk at work, or relaxing on a lazy afternoon. I also, in deference to the season, tried something which may horrify some purists – I tried this iced. It’s very cooling, and tasty but doesn’t take the ice as well as other oolongs. But all in all – this is a pretty darn good oolong.

Also reviewed at http://www.itsallabouttheleaf.com/649/tea-review-canton-tea-co-ali-shan-oolong-tea/

Sadly the last bit of this that I had left…I will truly miss it and its wonderful floral notes.

Even more delicious in the second steeping of the same leaves.

Just as good as last night, but by now the leaves have lost most their floweriness, leaving just a slight fruity taste and the smooth oolong flavour.