1749 Tasting Notes
I wondered if this one is what an Oriental Beauty tastes like. It was interesting, but pretty close to a Darjeeling. It tasted like super dry raisins and apricots to me. It’s a good tea, but not my preference.
Flavors: Apricot, Drying, Raisins
Preparation
Au jasmin. Sweet, creamy, and pure jasmine. There is a banana sweetness, and a hidden white peppercorn spiciness. Even dry leaf, it has a lovely perfume that is so natural.
I used the full seven gram sample in eight ounces. First was purely jasmine perfume, again, au jasmin. Second thirty seconds was sweeter, more of the banana. Third, simple jasmine again.
I love this one. It was a nice reminder of simplicity after all the oolongs that I’ve been trying. Heartwarming, and grounding. My mom would have loved it. Wish I kept some for her. Lovely. Just lovely.
Flavors: Jasmine, Perfume, Smooth, Sweet
Preparation
I think that I might like medium roast oolongs. This one reminded me a lot of the Rou Gui Oolong-the smell had the roasted nuts character with a weird floral, vegetal background. The same is said after my first 15 second rinse, or brew, about six ounces of water at 190. It was vegetal to me, but very nutty and has a buttery yet dry sweetness like toffee. Light but so flavorful and lingering.
Steep two after about 30, then upped 45 seconds wasn’t as sweet as the first one, but had the same vegetal nut type character to me. It was a little bit saltier, but still buttery.
Number three, after a minute and seven seconds, it’s primarily floral. Still has the roasted nut character, but fainter. Much fainter yet very pleasant.
Number four..trying to gage how long I should steep it. Maybe two minutes. Quick sip after a minute and a half, and a light floral sweetness. Another sip after two minutes, and it taste like a roasted Tie Guan Yin. At two minutes and a whopping thirty seconds, it taste like water that was soaked with coconut skin without the meat-the the hairy shavings of the shell itself.
So, it’s official. I like medium roasted oolongs. I still love green oolongs, it’s just that in terms of flavor, it’s a random gamble as to whether they will have the full profile or just taste like flower water. When they do have the full profile, they are my utmost favorite. But as for the medium roasts, the ones that I had, they always have something to offer in terms of taste.They are my preference now, equal to a good green Tie Guan Yin, my #1. Thank you Liquid Proust for aiding me on my journey. Oolongs are now the type that I drink the most and would drink the most. There are still a few greens and blacks that will never get old on me, but oolongs are now teas that I can drink almost anytime.
Back to the tea itself, this one is really what I needed this morning. Very warm, comforting, and smoothly energizing. I wonder what a Shui Xian taste like now…
Flavors: Dried Fruit, Floral, Nuts, Roasted, Sweet, Toffee, Vegetal
Preparation
Another one I got out of curiosity and the description online. Caramel, coffee, and cocoa were the notes that sold me.
Something told me that this was a tea specifically designed for Gongfu. I’ve had it western for comparison later on, but the roasted nutty vegetal character this has hides the natural sweeter notes like honey, caramel, coffee, and cocoa. This is one that you honestly have to master steeping in order to fully enjoy. Gongfu means “skilled art” after all. Also, the water should be between 190-to just under boiling to enjoy.
#1. Rinse that is really a 15 second steep. Creamy, nutty….caramel?
#2. 45 seconds. Nutty, caramel, smooth, light…and even a little bit like coffee. Dig it!
#3. 60 seconds. Not nearly as strong as the first or second steep, but still complex. Maybe toffee, but not quite. Somehow, it reminds me of a Dian Hong.
#4. 80 seconds….over steep at around 2 1/2 minutes. Very forgiving. More floral, but still reminiscent of coffee. Awesome while listening to Linkin Park under thunder.
#5. 6 minutes after incremental checks. Mostly nutty, and kinda like toffee.
Overall, I was surprised and impressed. Much sweeter than I was actually expecting. It was almost exactly what I was looking for when I was painting. I can’t help but wonder now what the regular osmanthus one tastes like…
Anyway, the Gongfu session is easily a 90 for me, but western a 70. Subjective, I know, but one that I really like. Not quite sure who I would recommend this to.
Flavors: Caramel, Coffee, Floral, Nuts, Salt, Smooth, Toffee, Vegetal
Preparation
Backlog, and the next few I do for a while are going to be backlogs.
So, I liked this one, and it made me realize that I’m kind picky when it comes to Wu Yi dark oolongs. I maybe should have rinsed this one to get more flavors, but what I got is a slightly fruitier rock oolong.
Water at 195 degrees F.
#1. 30 second first infusion.
What I get- woodsy, smooth, a little nutty, roasted, and bits of cocoa. It’s so close to being a black tea to me. It’s also like a less astringent version of the Irie Wu Yi Oolong.
#2. 20 seconds. Cherry, but still woodsy. Not bad. Not Great.
#3. 45 seconds. Still cherry, some wood-which is skewed because I had chocolate. Way better.
#4. 1 minute. Much better. More cherry, with a hint of cocoa-very smooth and better lighter. It’s like cooked cherry really. The wood is not as strong and it’s sweeter. Really, this is more like cherry wood vs. Irie’s bamboo like oolong overall.
#5. Stored some in the same Teavana container (glass one) overnight in the fridge, and it was a refreshing iced version of steep four that was surprisingly sweeter.
Consensus-I really have to be in the mood for a dark oolong to really like it. The woodsy notes are welcomed, but get overwhelming at times. I have to be especially choosy when I get them from now on.
Flavors: Cherry, Cherry Wood, Cocoa, Dried Fruit, Nuts, Smooth
Preparation
Waaazz up, Peaches….that’s what this tea makes me want to say. I could tell that the sample was an older one since it was from Butiki, a company that I really wanted to try but closed before I could. Well, Liquid Proust, you’re continuing it’s memory. Thank you!
This is perhaps one of the fruitiest dark teas that I’ve had without flavoring. It almost reminds me of a Darjeeling (which is a hit or miss tea for me). Smells exactly like stoned fruit. Steep one after 20 seconds in 3 ounces of water, very peachy that includes the woodsy seed at the center. Steep two for 45 seconds ( too light for me after 30) for 3 ounces it is very nectar like, with citrus and honey. My only criticism of this tea so far is the dry mouth effect it has like other dark teas. It’s very sour…
So taste, it’s really a 90 for me, but the tart dehydrating effect makes me not want more. Impulse tells me to brew more to get the most out of this memory, but my throat wheezes “Get me some freakin’ water.”
Flavors: Citrusy, Drying, Fruity, Honey, Peach, Sour, Stonefruit, Sweet
Preparation
This is Smoothness itself. I’ve never had any other tea that is this gorgeous and this silky. I admit that I’m still getting over the smell, but as I rinsed it three times, it transitioned into something closer to a mushroomy odor. I steeped it for 20 seconds and the rest Gongfu, the second 25, the third 30. The color is a very deep brown, with shades of orange, purple, and red glossing the liquid. The taste is exactly as described on here, there are notes of cocoa, some molasses, leather, mushroom, and bitterness. The bitterness overpowers the natural sweet notes in it, but as I re-steeped it, it got sweeter. Next time, I’m going to steep it more to see if it gets any sweeter.
I am so glad that I got this, though I admit the cake is bigger than I thought. Originally, I thought that I was going to have to budget more with my teas running out of gift income, but I found more that I totally forgot about. I still need to budget better, and have certainly bought too much tea, but this is a choice that I’m really glad I made. As a preemptive hangover strike for my twenty first, I think that I’ll be happily recovering with this embodiment of velvet.
As for my usual tidbit about general audience, this is for an experienced drinker, and one that should be used to introduce someone to Pu-Erh and Gongfu style of steeping. A newbie would have a hard time getting over the smell despite the taste being far different, which is also why Garret HIGHLY recommends rinsing for 5-10 seconds 2-3 times. It might be easier for a palette that’s not used to it with sugar, specifically rock sugar or maybe honey. I personally might start adding rock or raw sugar on occasion to really bring out the sweeter notes like cocoa, but I still can totally drink it on it’s own. Also, this is a tea that you should devote an entire day to because of the sheer amount of resteeps that you can get. It will serve your tea needs all day, which is another reason why I purchased this as a specific budget savor when I thought I had less of a disposable income (still technically do, but you know, tea addict).
Flavors: Cocoa, Dark Bittersweet, Leather, Molasses, Mushrooms, Smooth
Preparation
Thank you again, Liquid Proust!
Well, this one was a really pleasant surprise. I knew it was going to be a darker oolong like a Wu Yi Rock, but this one was considerably sweeter than the others I’ve had. It was like a dried plum or a dried cherry with a honey like sweetness, accented by a few woodsy notes. I brewed this the first time 30 seconds with boiling, second 45-then upped to a minute, similar, but more cherry and wood. Third at two minutes, still boiling, lighter but lingering sweet. Final at four minutes and water at 190 degree F, light woodsy and dried fruit.
I liked that it has the characteristic woodsy bamboo notes frequent in this type of Oolong, but I liked it even more with dominant fruity sweetness. I wonder if you got the same reaction to this one, LP. I’d recommend it, and it probably would be one that I would drink often, just not all the time. I think I might have rated it lower if I wasn’t in the mood for it, but I was craving something sweet and toasty.
Flavors: Bamboo, Cherry, Cherry Wood, Dried Fruit, Plum, Sweet, Toasty
Preparation
I usually don’t like chai, but I was pretty impressed with this one. It’s closer to an Indian style, so the ginger is more prominent than the cinnamon and cloves though all ingredients are easily tasted. This was a gift from my friend , and thank heavens it was a sachet I liked. This will help me be ready for school indefinitely.
Any way, I did this western soaking it to 3 minutes and fifteen seconds. I’m not entirely sure what the black tea body is, but is incredibly smooth and did not have the dry mouth effect that an Assam does. Probably a Ceylon, but could be something else. Like I said above, the ginger is a little more prominent which is in a nice combo with the other spices. They by no means detract from the black tea base but rather compliment it like they are supposed to. Most of the chai’s I’ve had taste like Christmas, Thanksgiving, or Fireballs in the most artificial way that you can think of. This one is truly more natural and rejuvenating, but relaxing.
I actually took a few sips of the tea pure and I can honestly drink it that way, but I added cream and sugar to see how it would taste. It was pretty good and very balanced, so I handed it off to my little brother because he likes his teas that way. Glad I have it.
Flavors: Cardamom, Cinnamon, Clove, Ginger, Smooth, Sweet