88

Spring 2020 Harvest supposedly.

For breakfast I had a slice of toast, with butter and pineapple coconut jam. Now, I only bring this up because if I didn’t know better I would think that some of that butter and jam slipped into my cup while I wasn’t looking!

This oolong is relatively buttery, floral, extremely tropical (tangy pineapple, coconut), with a pleasant jam-like sweetness. Like my pineapple coconut jam, which contains a hint of rum, this also has a faint, subtle “bitter-sugar,” flowery undercurrent that adds depth to this first steep. It reminds me of sarsaparilla (vanilla, licorice, green note, etc.) or just straight up bitter vanilla. This vanilla quality softens to a silky fineness in my third steep; the tropical, butter, and floral notes are well balanced here. It’s my favourite cup so far.

This oolong is almost perfect for me, although I do prefer more butter, and less tangy flowers. Still, it tastes like Hawaii in a cup – or maybe it’s fairer to say it’s Taiwan in a cup (there’s a lot of subtropical and tropical goodness in Taiwan too)!

Steep Count: 5 @1 minute each, western style.

Next time I will try it gongfu or grandpa style. My gaiwan hasn’t seen use in years but this tea makes me think it’s time!

Flavors: Butter, Coconut, Floral, Jam, Melon, Pineapple, Sarsaparilla, Tropical, Vanilla

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 1 min, 0 sec 1 tsp 12 OZ / 354 ML
Leafhopper

Nice! When their Shibi oolong is good, it’s really good!

Crowkettle

I think this is my first time trying a Shibi oolong in general; is it normally so tropical? Oolong harvests are fickle but this sample guarantees I’ll keep TTC and this tea in particular on my radar. :)

Leafhopper

Some Shibi harvests are really tropical, while others are just nice and floral. There’s no rhyme or reason as to which is which. I’ve found TTC’s other Shan Lin Xi oolongs to be decent but not as good as the Shibi.

teaqueen

That flavor profile sounds absolutely delicious! I bet this one would be delicious as an iced tea too.

LuckyMe

@CrowKettle Shibi is my favorite TTC high mountain tea. And yes it generally has a floral-tropical flavor. I would recommend gongfu brewing it as the western steeping might intensify certain flavors.

Crowkettle

Thanks for the advice, LuckyMe! I can see why this is a favourite. Besides this, I didn’t order green oolong samples from TTC this time around. From what you and Leafhopper wrote, it looks like I went with the right one though! :)

@teaqueen, that’s an interesting idea too. If there isn’t enough left over for that I’ll just have to order more…

Crowkettle

That Longfengxia High Mountain Winter Oolong Tea looks amazing too..I may need to order again. For the oolong.

tea-sipper

Pineapple coconut jam what what what?

Leafhopper

Yep, that Shibi oolong is really good. :) I’d definitely pick up some samples of TTC’s green oolongs, though I think the Shibi is the best one. I’ve also heard good things about their Yuchi black tea, though the Assam I had from them a while ago was just okay.

Crowkettle

@tea-sipper, this is my painfully sweet spread, which I bought at a T&T Supermarket (a YVR/Canadian thing). I don’t see this particular brand from the Philippines available online anywhere, but there are probably others:

https://www.facebook.com/CorinthianDistributors/photos/pineapple-coco-rhum-ice-cream-sundaes-yes-please-this-recipe-serves-4ingredients/665665004276669/

Crowkettle

@Leafhopper the main bulk of my TTC was Assam and random High Mountain black teas. So far they are decent, but do not grab my attention as much as the Shibi!

Leafhopper

That’s good to know. I was thinking about buying some more black teas from them when we Canadians can finally get things from Taiwan again (whenever that is). What’s a good vendor for Taiwanese black tea?

Sil

@leafhopper – you can order from TTC; a few of us made some orders and received them last week

Leafhopper

Sil, is TTC letting you use the $60 free shipping, or is it still DHL only?

Sil

it was 60$ free shipping but they sent it via dhl, no additional fees for any of us when it came

Crowkettle

Yep, I second Sil. No extra costs! Shipping experience with TTC was good.

Leafhopper

Wow! I now regret not taking advantage of the sale. This is good information for the future. Were you charged customs fees?

Crowkettle

Nope! No custom fees :)

Leafhopper

That’s encouraging. :)

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Comments

Leafhopper

Nice! When their Shibi oolong is good, it’s really good!

Crowkettle

I think this is my first time trying a Shibi oolong in general; is it normally so tropical? Oolong harvests are fickle but this sample guarantees I’ll keep TTC and this tea in particular on my radar. :)

Leafhopper

Some Shibi harvests are really tropical, while others are just nice and floral. There’s no rhyme or reason as to which is which. I’ve found TTC’s other Shan Lin Xi oolongs to be decent but not as good as the Shibi.

teaqueen

That flavor profile sounds absolutely delicious! I bet this one would be delicious as an iced tea too.

LuckyMe

@CrowKettle Shibi is my favorite TTC high mountain tea. And yes it generally has a floral-tropical flavor. I would recommend gongfu brewing it as the western steeping might intensify certain flavors.

Crowkettle

Thanks for the advice, LuckyMe! I can see why this is a favourite. Besides this, I didn’t order green oolong samples from TTC this time around. From what you and Leafhopper wrote, it looks like I went with the right one though! :)

@teaqueen, that’s an interesting idea too. If there isn’t enough left over for that I’ll just have to order more…

Crowkettle

That Longfengxia High Mountain Winter Oolong Tea looks amazing too..I may need to order again. For the oolong.

tea-sipper

Pineapple coconut jam what what what?

Leafhopper

Yep, that Shibi oolong is really good. :) I’d definitely pick up some samples of TTC’s green oolongs, though I think the Shibi is the best one. I’ve also heard good things about their Yuchi black tea, though the Assam I had from them a while ago was just okay.

Crowkettle

@tea-sipper, this is my painfully sweet spread, which I bought at a T&T Supermarket (a YVR/Canadian thing). I don’t see this particular brand from the Philippines available online anywhere, but there are probably others:

https://www.facebook.com/CorinthianDistributors/photos/pineapple-coco-rhum-ice-cream-sundaes-yes-please-this-recipe-serves-4ingredients/665665004276669/

Crowkettle

@Leafhopper the main bulk of my TTC was Assam and random High Mountain black teas. So far they are decent, but do not grab my attention as much as the Shibi!

Leafhopper

That’s good to know. I was thinking about buying some more black teas from them when we Canadians can finally get things from Taiwan again (whenever that is). What’s a good vendor for Taiwanese black tea?

Sil

@leafhopper – you can order from TTC; a few of us made some orders and received them last week

Leafhopper

Sil, is TTC letting you use the $60 free shipping, or is it still DHL only?

Sil

it was 60$ free shipping but they sent it via dhl, no additional fees for any of us when it came

Crowkettle

Yep, I second Sil. No extra costs! Shipping experience with TTC was good.

Leafhopper

Wow! I now regret not taking advantage of the sale. This is good information for the future. Were you charged customs fees?

Crowkettle

Nope! No custom fees :)

Leafhopper

That’s encouraging. :)

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Profile

Bio

I started my Steepster loose leaf adventure back in 2012. I can’t say I’m completely new anymore, but I still view oolong as a magical, extraterrestrial creature that unfurls in water.

My favourites are teas like Milk Oolong, Silver Needle,and Japanese Sencha/Gyokuro, or fruity and floral flavoured ones. However, I generally enjoy ALL the teas, including a good old cup of Earl Grey or Breakfast blend.

FAVOURITE INGREDIENTS/NOTES:

DESSERT FLAVOURS
Vanilla, Maple, Caramel, Butterscotch, Cream, Toffee, Nougat, Marzipan, Butter

FRUIT & BERRIES
Citrus Fruits, Passionfruit, Banana, Pineapple, Melons, Blackberry, Raspberry, Currants, Elderberry, Persimmon, Rhubarb..

SPICES
Ginger, Turmeric, Clove-forward chai, Cardamom

AROMATIC & HERBACEOUS NOTES
Sandalwood, Frankincense, Juniper, Eucalyptus, Mints

FLORALS
Lavender, Jasmine, Rose, Lilac, Violet, etc.

VEGGIE/GRAIN NOTES
Spinach, Grass, Hay, Cucumber, Rice, Sweet Potato

Less Preferred Flavours/Ingredients:
Stevia, Apple, Cocoa Nib, Almond, Licorice, Cinnamon-forward blends, Chinese Sencha

Subjective Rating System:
I don’t give a lot of low ratings out, since a) I tend to grab tea I know will appeal to me, and b) I don’t have a lot of strong dislikes.

90-100: Favourites. The Desert Island Teas.
80-89: Loved teas. Possibly staple-worthy.
70-79: Good teas, but I’m less likely to repurchase. Minor quibbles.
60-69: Ok teas. Likely a few preference and/or quality issues.
50-59: Cup of meh. Will do in a pinch.
11-49: Varying levels of undrinkable tea.
1-10: Nightmare tea from the chaos realms. This tea is the embodiment of the primordial swamp, an unholy abomination. It’s very gross and I’m almost positive it doesn’t exist.

Location

BC, Canada

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