111 Tasting Notes

92

I love the month of May, and today was such a beautiful day. Warm and sunny, and a good day to get a haircut. :)) There are lots of family Birthdays in May too.

My cousin and his twin niece and nephew celebrate on the 5th. We took in four kitties last year born on the 10th (Blackie didn’t make it :(( ). My Mom’s sister’s is the 11th, my special Beagle, Cookie was born on the 12th-she was born on Mother’s Day! My Dad’s is the 13th, his sister’s is the 14th. Then there’s [EH-HEM], Yours Truly, on the 15th. :)) A dear friend of mine is one day younger than me -the 16th. My Grandma’s was the 17th, & I miss her sweet, loving soul. I’m sure there’s a few others as well.

So yes, I love the month of May. Cookie was a black/white Beagle & Cocker mix; although, I didn’t notice much Spaniel in her. Everyone wanted me to call her Oreo, but I refused to think of a brand name every time I called her name. She was such a loving girl, and really special to me! She LOVED WALKS….WE loved walks, and we spent many happy hours together! :)) She always slept in my room with me like Lotis does now. He’s snoring at my feet right now.

It’s always so fun to celebrate my Birthday with Dad, as it was with Cookie. I wanted to remember her today by wearing my black Pittsburgh Steelers hat, a white T-shirt, and drinking a special tea. On with the review my friends.

When I opened the bad I noticed a stunning dark brown and furry (tippy) beige leaf- very tippy, the colors are intertwined. The aroma….SNIFFFF!! MMMMMMM….MMMMMMMOMG!! That was my first reaction. The dry leaves smelled like a malted milk shake! Seriously….I was sniffing, until at some point I realized I had to stop and drink the tea. :))

I steeped per instructions using 2.5 -3 teaspoons of leaf. When the leaves hit my warmed glass press, the aroma intensified. Definitely malt milkshake aromas. The cup was a medium brown hue. In the cup, I smelled lighter choco-maltiness, with a light brown sugar sweetness (not dark). The wet tea leaves smelled chocolatey, toasty, with a medium (more mild) roasted marshmallow aroma. The cup flavors were malty , with a nice light (yet full mouth feel) chocolate goodness. My tongue and palate were satisfied without being heavy. I really didn’t detect the sweetness I noticed from the wet tea leaves and cup aroma.

After dinner, I added about 2 tsp leaves to the previous leaves and steeped for 5 minutes. The wet tea leaves smelled similar, but with more of a dark brown sugar sweetness. The cup itself was also slightly darker, more malty, with similar sweetness. Then I fell asleep and woke up to a cold cup of tea. :-// Well, it was still really good and malty, with slightly more chocolate flavor. I’m convinced you cannot oversteep this tea, as it was still smooth, mild-yet full flavored, and not bitter at all! :))

I’m glad I cupped this delicious, Pre-Chingming Golden Pekoe on this beautiful day and evening. A perfect tea to remember Cookie, my sweet dog, and all my family and friends-who I love, and celebrate. ’Here’s to us all’, and to the beautiful and special month of May! :))

Cupped & Reviewed: Saturday, May 12, 2012.

Preparation
Boiling 4 min, 15 sec
ScottTeaMan

I hate when I fall asleep, waking to a cold cup of tea! :// It was still quite good though, and I wouldn’t cold brew it, but I’ll let my fellow Steepies comment on that one. HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY TO ALL THE GOOD MOTHERS! :))

TeaBrat

Cheers! raises tea cup!

Bonnie

I’m the 23’rd! 64 this year! Happy birthday to youuuuu! My dad would have been 92 the 9th, my niece eas 30 the 8th. Gotta love MAYYYY! HEYYYY! The other nice thing is being LEFT HANDED AND TEA!

ScottTeaMan

Thanks! Hey, Im not 40++ just yet :)), but raising a cup to me on my Birthday, or any day is nice, and makes me smile. Well, one more cup of tea before I hit the hay.

By the way-I can celebrate early, can’t I ?!

Missy

@ScottTeaMan Lol and here I was trying to make sure I remember the date so I can comment on your birthday! I’m just going to say Happy Birthday right now then!

ScottTeaMan

Thanks Yoos. :))

Azzrian

Happy birthday to all of you! My bday is this month as well – May is a great month! :)
Sorry to hear about your beloved Blackie.
This tea sounds amazing and I have yet to try Upton! this goes on the list! :)

ScottTeaMan

Azz, when is your special day?

ScottTeaMan

Damn! I shoulda bought some cookies! :))

ScottTeaMan

Hey wait! I had Chinese for dinner…and two….almond cookies. HA! Mission accomplished. :))

K S

My late grandmother’s was the 12th, as is one of my brothers. My dad’s is the 22nd. Mine (56) is the 21st. Happy Birthday to us all! The tea sounds awesome by the way.

ScottTeaMan

Yes-May is awesome, we are awesome, and this tea is awesome! :))

SimplyJenW

Happy Early Birthday, Scott!

Cheryl

Early happy birthday Scott, and Bonnie, Azzrian, and K S too! Cheers!

gmathis

What a month of celebrations…enjoy them all!

ashmanra

Happy birthday, happy May!

ScottTeaMan

Early Thank You’s to everone! I’m off for tea tasting now, but probably will not post til tomorrow.

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86

It’s rather late tonight, but I really wanted to log this tea. The leaf is truly beautiful-flat, sort of like a miniature pea pod. The leaf looks closer to an olive green, with white tips surrounding the leaf edge. There is also a light sweetness to the dry leaf.

I used close to 1 1/2 tsp for my 8 oz cup. The steeping leaf initially smelled lightly of corn. The leaves were floating on top of the water, with a few being daring and taking a verticle dive for deeper waters. The wet leaves smelled of fresh cut grass. Not like right there next to me, but like when I’m taking a walk or a bike ride, and the fresh air carries the aroma to me from a distance.

The cup is a light yellow, with a faint aroma. The flavor is very light, with similar green flavor. I feel like I need to use more leaf, so I will add more leaf to the already steeped leaves! I’m not giving up on this one, and I figure by the time I get this right the tea may be nearly gone. :-// Stay tuned…….

Cupped & Reviewed: Friday, May 11, 2012.

I decided to do a second tasting adding 1.5-2 tsps. of fresh tea to the previous steeped leaves. A slightly deeper corn aroma (although still on the mellow side), was evident as the leaves steeped. A 3.5-4 minute steep at around 180 degrees was used. A slightly deeper, grass in the air aroma from the wet leaves teased my nose. The cup was a slightly darker yellow color, and a sweeter, mellow corn aroma was present in the cup. The flavor on my palate was clean, fresh, and bright. There is quite a bit more of a nice, smooth green tea flavor, and no bitterness-despite the longer steep.

Pre-Chingming teas are harvested in early Spring, on or before April 5th, so the leaves are tender, and the aromas and flavors are more gentle on the nose and palate. That’s just the way it is. Overall, this tea is very beautiful, and the aromas and flavors are very enjoyable, gentle, smooth, and sometimes elusive.

I’m sure there are better teas if you want a tea with more flavor, and consider that more important. For me, this tea is worth it once a year. It is a very pleasing tea, with unique qualities not found in most Chinese green teas.

Cupped & Reviewed: Saturday, May 12, 2012.

Preparation
180 °F / 82 °C 3 min, 0 sec
Bonnie

A very sensory review! Great images boardering on smell-a-vision!

ScottTeaMan

Hopefully, more experimentation will yield more flavor.

ScottTeaMan

Updated review, if you wish to read it. :))

TeaBrat

I had no idea what pre-chingming even meant – sounds like this one was tasty though. :)

ScottTeaMan

Yes it was-very calming and soothing, I think you’ll like it. You did get my tea. right?!? :))

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88

I’m glad I bought some samples before this one sold out. The leaf alone is beautiful-the dry leaves being green and black, with white furry tipped leaves too. They smelled lightly fruity and creamy.

I decided to dump the 5 gram sample in my glass press as noted below. The cup color reminded me more of an oolong, and the aroma was fruity, milky, and creamy. As my cup cooled, I inhaled the wet leaves. WOW! They smelled very lightly smokey, but there is more of a deep toasty note-like roasted marshmallows….perhaps…but not that intense. Also noted was a fruity, cantaloupe note somewhere in the mix. The colors of the wet leaves intesified, with brighter green, white, and black leaves (with black stems). The cup can only be described as smooth, creamy, and delicious! It also had a milky texture to it, and a sweet, lightly fruity quality.

My second cup was steeped for one minute, at around 190 degrees. The wet leaf aroma was similarly noted, but seemed more toasty and fruity. The cup was slightly darker, and was slightly more fruity and creamy-so smooth. :))

I tried a third cup with boiling water for 3 minutes. A dissipating, toasty aroma still greeted my nose from my glass press. The cup was darker still, but lacking in aroma and flavor. I did notice light green tea flavors with little else. All three cups were smooth and without bitterness.

Today I drank another sample vowing two steeps. I used half the sample and steeped at 180 for three minutes. The wet leaves were very lightly smokey, but with a deeper toasty aroma I noted the night before. The fruity, melon note was secondary, but deeper as well. As I was looking at the bright colors of the wet leaves, it reminded me how when I look at a beautiful woman, she is beautiful! Her hair shimmering in the sunlight. When the same beautiful woman is wet-say in a pool, or on the beach, her beauty (hair and body) only intensifies, as the water reacts to the sunlight, reflecting her beauty even more! So does the light intensify the beauty of the wet tea leaves. :))

The cup is a deeper oolong color, with deeper creamy sweetness in the cup. Flavors follow in toe-so fruity creamy, milky smooth, and delectable. My last cup (190-200 for 3 minutes), was the best of the five. I added the rest of the dry leaves to the wet ones. The only thing I can add is that the sweetnees coming from the cup was so sugary sweet, and the fruit notes were strongest as well.

Golden Jade is a great tea. Not a WOWZAA, in your face, aromatic, palate pounding delight. This tea is still quite delicious! Like the beautiful lady coming out of the water on a bright, sunlit day—she may be a WOWZAA; but, once you get to know her, her real beauty lies in her many layers-diversity, sweetness and subtlety.

Cupped: Thursday & Friday, May 10-11, 2012.

Reviewed: Friday, May 11, 2012.

Preparation
180 °F / 82 °C 1 min, 30 sec
TeaBrat

very poetic review. :)

ScottTeaMan

Sometimes I just get inspired. Maybe those Glenburn Estate photos I looked at earlier took me there. :))

Bonnie

Yes we should all go to Glenburn all of us…take the whole Estate in a Steepster Raid. Wow how about a Steepster Cruise…Holland America does tea service on every ship since they have Indonesian Staff. (Been on their ships) Anyway…would be cool to have a tea cruise (I’m sounding like an old lady but I love cruises!)

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89

I know I haven’t been reviewing as many teas lately, but I’ve been trying to drink teas in my stash & finish swap samples. This green tea was received just a few days ago & is from the 2011 season.

It is still very fresh. The dry leaf aroma is somewhat vegetal, and it smells really creamy! So inticing and delicious smelling. I used about 2 tsp for my 8-9 oz cup, in my glass press. The steeping liqour smelled like spinach, and reminded me somewhat of a sencha. The surface of the steeping liquid had a white foam on top, giving it a brothy charactristic of a sencha. Again a creamy aroma greeted my nose. The wet tea leaves smelled great-vegetal, with a mild smokey character. They are also tender, if that makes any sense?

In the cup, the medium yellow liqour had that vegetal spinachy aroma, again with a creamy sweetness, and I didn’t notice any smokey aroma in the cup. The flavor was very full with a really creamy sweet, mildly vegetal goodness on my palate. Guess what? Are you ready?…….Now, are you ready?? OK….OK…There is no astringency (ie bitterness) that is associated with most senchas-not as prepared below! BRB…….Ok, where was I? Oh yeah-there is no cupped bitterness or smokiness that I noticed in the wet leaf aroma. I really liked this great cup of tea.

Sometimes, I resteep the leaves (which I did here), but added another tsp of tea for the second cup. Steeped at 180 for 4 minutes. Still a good cup…vegetal….but the tea lost most of the creamy sweetness of the first cup. Still minimal astringency….I’d say it had a moderate “pucker” factor, but not overly astringent-and not bitter!

The next night, I had two more cups. The first one steeped at around 185 for3 minutes. This cup was much the same-mild smoke in the wet leaves, vegetal (spinachy) and creamy. In short, it was quite delicious. :)) I must not have used quite as much leaf though, because I wasn’t getting the brothy character from the first cup the night before. I steeped a second cup around 180 for 3 minutes adding another tsp to the wet leaves. Again it was very similar-vegetal & delicious, less creamy, and less “pucker” due to the reduced steep time. This second cup was better for that reason.

I’ve been trying to drink more green teas-especially at night. This tea is so good-and at a good price! :)) It is nearly (or may be) sold out. :// I hope Upton’s is able to restock it, because at the rate I’m drinking it, my Gu Zhang will not last long at all! :// As a matter of fact, I’m going to go have a couple more cups right now! Peace fellow Steepies. :))

Cupped: Thursday & Friday, May 3-4, 2012.

Reviewed: Sunday, May 6, 2012.

Preparation
185 °F / 85 °C 2 min, 45 sec
Dylan Oxford

antici……………………… pation?

ScottTeaMan

Fini. :))

Bonnie

This sounds like a green that is a good choice for people who DON’T want the acid and are weary of finicky green tea.

ScottTeaMan

Here’s another link for Gu Zhang…….looks like a completely diff tea though:

http://www.chineseteaart.com/gu-zhang-mao-jian-new-added-green-tea-p-84.html

Couldn’t find the quantity for this tea.

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89

Arrgh!! I just lost my complete review before posting! What the He** happened?! Many thanks to JenW for this delicious sample. :))

Well it was 5 years ago today [May Day], that I fell and broke my right shoulder blade. What a horrible few weeks that was! I always tried to stay positive during my recovery though. So, today I needed a special tea to make this day more special, and this tea did the trick. :))

I couldn’t detect much dry leaf aroma, but the steeping leaves immediately reminded me of a Keemun. The wet leaves were long & slender with a good amount of tippy white leaves. The cup aroma was mildly smokey, and a molasses like sweetness filled the air. The cup itself was dark brown in color, and again, smelled mildly smokey and of sweet molasses.

This Hunan tea was very flavorful, with a thick, chunky mouth feel on my palate. The mildly smokey, molasses sweetness coated my tongue, and is so smooth-with no bitterness at all! :)) I was also experiencing light berry like nuances on my tongue, which I can only describe as black raspberry. These flavors stayed on my palate for several minutes after the cup was gone.

What a great, comforting tea to start the month of May. I want to buy this tea again somewhere-even if Harney & Sons doesn’t restock it. It is really delicious, relaxing, and comforting. Thanks again Jen for this tea, and for making today a better day! :))

Cupped and Reviewed: Tuesday, May 1, 2012.

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 3 min, 30 sec
Scott B

I’ve taken to writing my reviews in a word processing document as back up in case the site acts up when I am trying to post.

ScottTeaMan

Good idea Scott! Hey-what a coincidence. I’m loaded with tons of good ideas too! :))

Indigobloom

ouch!! glad you’re all better now :)

ashmanra

I kind of shivered trying to imagine what kind of fall it would take to break a shoulder blade. Ouch. Glad that is behind you and you can celebrate!

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82

I couldn’t wait to try this tea. :)) It is an organic Sri Lankan green with ginger-LOVE IT!!, & organic honey-LOVE IT!! I feel the price was decent for 25 teabags so I snatched some.

The teabag is neat-it is tagged without a staple, so when you pull on the tag the string emerges from inside the teabag. I let the kettle temp get away from me a little, so I steeped my tea a little shorter than usual. I smelled the ginger more than the honey in the wet teabag, but the honey more than the ginger in the cup. The aromas in the cup were rather light, which was just fine. The green tea and the honey, had slightly more presence than the ginger, which was lightly aromatic.

The flavors are not….WOW!!…KNOCK YOUR SOCKS OFF DELICIOUS!!, but more of a mellow flavor. The green tea was smooth, the honey added a little soothing sweetness, and the ginger a little tang on the edge of my palate. While mellow, you know you’re drinking green tea, with the honey and the ginger showing up nicely, but not showing off. While being mild, the honey and ginger stayed a short while on my palate after swallowing the tea.

I’d surely drink this tea anytime-it has a juicy quality, and was warm and soothing for my throat. See, I can drink a tea bagged tea, and enjoy it! Je ne suis pas un snob du thé! :))

Cupped & Reviewed: Saturday, April 28, 2012.

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 2 min, 30 sec

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85

Thanks so much TeaNSympathy for this delicious Chai! I’m glad I sampled this one. :)) I sampled this first on April 7th-two cups at 3.5 and 5 or 6 minutes, and again today, (with similar results), so I’ll focus on today’s cuppings.

I really like Chai tea, so I thought this one was pretty good. I could definitely smell the cardamon, clove, ginger, and the cinnamon was there to a lesser extent. The caramel aroma came through nicely. At times, I thought I could smell the vanilla-yes….no…I wasn’t sure. The other aromas seemed to overpower the vanilla.

The wet leaf aroma and the aroma in the cup is very nice. All the flavors mentioned are noticeable and well represented. The caramel flavor was soothing, and delicious. :)) The 3.5 minute steep seemed perfect. I really couldn’t smell the vanilla in the cup or taste it. Again, the other flavors masked the vanilla. My second cup at 5 or 6 minutes was very flavorful and not bitter. I thought the vanilla would come through with a longer steep time , but I couldnt smell or taste it.

Truthfully, I didn’t miss the vanilla. Too many dessert blends use vanilla, and usually it is overdone or artificial tasting anyway. Not noticing the vanilla made this chai better! The caramel was a nice addition though. I wouldn’t buy this chai myself, but it is a really good chai that I am glad I got the chance to sample. Thanks again TNS! :))

Cupped: Saturday, April 7, & Monday, April 23, 2012.

Reviewed: Monday, April 23, 2012.

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 3 min, 30 sec

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95

WOOF!! WOOF!! Hello…….My name is Lotis. Six years ago today, I was adopted & brought home…….NO FOOLIN’! I was rescued & kept in a cage for long hours until I found this nice home (or it found me)! I didn’t trust such a strange place, and I even bit Scott a few times-I didn’t trust him either. I was so confused & scared, but he never hit me. :))

Woof!! Woof!! He let me bark, and played ball with me. I played with my squeaky ball, and I played with & ate icy cubes! We still like to do these things, and more! Sometimes we go for walkies, and I still like to chase outside kitties! Lately, I haven’t done that…….sometimes my leg hurts. :// I really like to eat my food with Scott, and sometimes he mixes treats with it. When I go potty outside he gives me even MORE TREATS! :))

Woof!! Woof!! After I eat, I lay under Scott’s feet and sometimes I get sleepy, and catch myself snoring. He pets me alot. I like when he rubs my head, puppy ears, my moustache, and sometimes I let him rub my belly! He always says I’m sssoooo soft, and a good puppy, good buddy, and a good boy. He tells me I have pretty eyes.

Woof!! Woof!! Sometimes, when he drinks tea, I lay by him. Sometimes he drinks tea for a llooong time. He must have had some good tea today, because “good” is a word I understand, and he kept saying it over and over. Sometimes, I look at him & think, “ARE YOU TALKING TO ME??” [Head tilt]

Woof!! Woof!! So, now I am very happy, and I know I make him happy too! We really are good buddies. I even have a soft, warm puppy bed next to Scott’s. I really like sleeping on it, but I haven’t been too often lately. I’m trying to tell him I need a new puppy bed!

Woof!! Woof!! So, we’ll keep doing what we do-eating, playing & chasing kitties (as much as I can), walking, sleeping, snoring, AND I like riding in the car, and so much more! Scott will keep drinking his good tea. I’ll do my best to be a good boy, and we will ALWAYS be good buddies! :)) WOOF!! WOOF!! :)) [wags tail] WOOF!! WOOF!!

Sunday, April 1, 2012.

What the ??…….I’ll have keep an eye on Lotis! I never knew he was so good with computers! :)) I agree with everything Lotis said. Now for a more in depth tea review.

I just heart Darjeeling teas, and this one is no exception. From the bag the aroma didn’t wow me, but while the tea was steeping that changed greatly. I was smelling artichoke characteristics in the steeping cup. In the wet leaves this is more apparent. The leaves are the greenest I’ve ever seen for a first flush Darjeeling, with only a sparse amount of brown leaves. I thought I also noticed a light nuttiness in the wet leaves.

The cup was a light orange color with a sweet aroma emanating from the cup. Darjeelings can sometimes be tough for me to describe. This one was fresh, with mint-like qualities, and fruity like a beautiful Spring day. There is something about this Goomtee though, and I wanted to pin it down-be more descriptive.

As I swirled this tea over my palate it really seemed to sparkle, and POP! Like a sparkling beverage (soda or cider). Sparkling, not like carbonation, but in relation to the way it reacted to my palate. The artichoke aspects were present, but there was (IS) more. Fresh minty qualities came through. Fruity…….but what fruit? The best or closest fruit I can come up with to accurately describe this is LIME, or lime zest. I’ve heard it described in FF Darjeelings before, but I’ve never came close to tasting it until now. :))

This Goomtee is very flavorful. On the palate there is good presence, without being heavy or overly astringent on the tongue. After swallowing, there is only mild astringency in my mouth! What I taste and remember most is sparkling, minty limes, like tropical heaven.

I could drink this 24/7, but I will pace myself and savor every sip-every moment! Like Lotis, this tea is a wonderful gift in my life! :))

Cupped & Reviewed: Sunday, April 1, 2012.

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 3 min, 0 sec
Indigobloom

LOL love it!! send a Woof back to the pup for me! he sounds adorable :)
Thanks for the chuckle, this really made me laugh. and giggle!!

Indigobloom

(and of course, I meant smile and giggle. haha)

Bonnie

Beautiful! Tea and your buddie! Thanks Scott!

ScottTeaMan

Thank you Indigo! Updated review.

ScottTeaMan

Thank you Bonnie. :))

Bonnie

I’m not the only artichoke taster after all! Good and luscious review. I could almost smell and taste this tea!

Ninavampi

I loved your doggy bit! My Sencha wagged herbtail when I told her about it!

Kittenna

What a lucky puppy :) Cute story and excellent review!

ScottTeaMan

Bonnie-yes, I did get artichokes, but some artichokes are pickled, and it didn’t taste like that. I really like that the astringency wasn’t heavy on my palate.

Nina-Hope Sencha has fully recovered. :)) Every time I see a Bulldog now, I think of Sencha. :)) I have actually seen a couple commercials with Bulldogs in them recently.

Krystaleyn-Thank you! I’m lucky too.

Bonnie

Oh not pickled artichokes! No…I never mean that when I taste it in tea because I used to buy them by the bagfull in Castroville close to Monterrey CA …fields and fields of artichokes growing in the coastal soil along with brussel sprouts! Yum!

ScottTeaMan

I’m gonna try to steep this tea Gongfu tonight with very short steeps. If anything interesting happens, I’ll update.

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87

Thank you so much to Anna for this delicious sample!

I have never sampled an Alishan Jinxuan before so I wasn’t sure what to expect; although, I knew it is a greener Oolong, and you can definitely see that. I wasn’t getting much aroma out of the bag, so I warmed my glass press and warm, creamy, toasty elements greeted me. The wet leaves were creamy, roasty, toasty goodness. The cup is a lighter yellow with similar, but milder notes in the cup.

The flavor is so smooth and creamy (buttery), with decent roasty, toasty notes enticing my palate. Very smooth-I am wondering if juicy is apprpriate here, even though there isn’t fruity flavors coming forth. On the back of my tongue, I did notice a definite herbaceous quality to this tea, that is secondary to the other qualities.

My second cup was more aromatic from the wet leaves (more creamy, roasty, toasty, & now vegetal) to the cup itself. The cup was more medium yellow, with a sweeter, more pronounced aroma. What a soothing & calming cup, with a balanced and most flavorful creamy texture. Roasty, toasty, and buttery, with vegetal notes marching forward. Yes, definitely herbaceous in nature, but not bitter. The most enjoyable of the three cups for me because of the balance between the toasty and vegetal notes. Steeped for 1.5 minutes around 195 degrees.

My last cup was still full and enjoyable, but the toasty, creamy qualities were fading fast while the greener, vegetal notes stole the show. While smooth, these characters seemed a little boastful, and I wasn’t quite ready for the turn of events! I was pleasantly surprised, but longed for the former flavors. I used boiling water for a 5 minute steep.

The next night I used the rest of my sample, which was more leaf than the previous night. I was hoping to, and managed to get four quality steeps. My steep times and temps were as follows: 1.5 min at 180, 1 min at 180. 1.5 min at 195, & 5 min with boiling water. To avoid getting repetitive, I’ll say that the qualities and desciptions were similar, but more pronounced, aromatic, and flavorful from leaf to cup to stomach! The 3rd cup is worth noting, because the roasty toasty, creamy notes hung on a little longer, before completely abating to the vegetal qualities of the last cup. I did seem to notice lighter fruity flavors on my palate (peaches, possibly peaches), in the 2nd & 3rd cups. Juicy is quite appropriate here for sure. :))

Overall, a very delicious Oolong I would like to taste alot more. I did enjoy the vegetal qualities in the latter cups as well. Thank you Alishan Jin Xuan, for a delicious tea experience, and a special Thank You to Anna! :))

Cupped: Tuesday-Thursday, March 27-29, 2012.

Reviewed: Friday, March 30, 2012.

Preparation
180 °F / 82 °C 1 min, 15 sec
Bonnie

Reading this I feel like Scooby Doo looking through the window of the butcher shop and salivating. Ahrrrrr (sadly)

TeaBrat

Great review!

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88

Thank you SimplyJenW for this tasty tea.

I figured this tea would be fragrant, but WOW-it was even more fragrant than I thought it would be! Amazing aroma of roses. I really like Congou teas, and I think this tea was perfect for the rose flavoring.

The cup color was brownish red, and I could smell the cup from several feet away. When I tasted this tea my first thought was, “Delicious!”, and I could swear I’ve had this tea before. Years ago from another vendor, yet, I couldn’t remember actually having it. I’ve had a few different Congou teas over the years, and I could definitely taste it here. I have some of Upton’s Congou Select, which is naturally sweet, lightly smokey, and has fruity overtones. I’m pretty sure they don’t use that Congou as this tea base, because this tea is not smokey, but I was definitely getting fruity notes here. I think part of that is from the Congou tea, and perhaps more is from the fermentation of the rose petals.

This tea is smooth, naturally sweet, and very aromatic. The base tea is strong enough to be noticed, and the rose petals and aromas make for a very calming cup of tea. IMHO, the rose aromas are not overpowering or cloying in their sweetness. They are strong but not overdone. The Congou and the roses compliment each other nicely! Even after a second cup steeped at 5 minutes, the cup is well balanced, smooth and sweet. The Congou was deeper in flavor and not bitter at all.

A really great Springtime tea-sweet and delicious! Nothing says Spring like roses, especially when they’re in my cup! :))

Cupped: Wednesday, March 21, 2012.

Reviewed: Thursday, March 22, 2012.

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 3 min, 45 sec
TheTeaFairy

Big roses fan also, very nice review! never heard of Congou tea before, sounds very exotic!

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