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I bought a couple of the cute sherapop-sized yixing clay pots from Enjoying Tea. I have not quite graduated to the “brew a gulp” or “brew a sip” culture, so 11 ounces is definitely okay with me!

Along with the pots, the company included an array of samples, including this Anxi Benshan Oolong, in adorable little tins which look to hold about an ounce. Very generous provision of tea to those who purchase the already wildly inexpensive pots.

So the tea. It’s toasty, definitely more oxidized than the green spectrum oolongs I’ve been trying of late. This variety is also less creamy and sweet than milk oolong and its close neighbors. The flavor is much closer to that of my old concept of oolong, derived from middling filter bags years ago. However, I feel that the quality is better. It seems like that same mid-range level of oxidation, but perhaps because it involves leaves rather than dust it tastes much better and does not seem to be making me feel queasy. I wonder whether my body just dislikes half measures. I say this because I also dislike light-roasted coffee, which sometimes induces a gag reflex in me.

Back to tea. My preference appears to be with the greener oolongs, although I did enjoy a near-black oolong the other day, and I recently learned that darjeeling, which I like a lot, is really oolong disguised as black tea! (Thanks to boychik for confirming what I suspected all along: that darjeeling was only posing as a black tea…)

I have already consumed the second infusion of this Anxi Benshan Oolong, which was about the same as the first. I think that this tea is perfectly fine, not compelling enough for me to seek out a larger supply, but I’ll certainly empty this tin.

third infusion: this ended up being the best of them all. The liquor was fairly bright gold but still with a tiny tinge of green.

Flavors: Toast

Preparation
175 °F / 79 °C 3 min, 0 sec 3 g 10 OZ / 295 ML
Kirkoneill1988

what does “anxi” mean?

apt

Kirk: it’s a region in China known for Tieguanyin style oolongs

sherapop

Thanks for that information, apt! It does seem TGYish to me. ;-)

apt

I believe the Benshan cultivar is more of a fast growth cultivar than TGY, which is a premium slow growth cultivar. Benshan is sold as TGY because it has a similar flavor.

Kirkoneill1988

Interesting :D

Cheri

Sounds like a nice oolong. I’m more into the green oolongs too, but I like the oxidized and roasted ones as well. I’m an equal opportunity oolonger.

Kirkoneill1988

i love roasted. never tried oxidised

sherapop

Kirkoneill 1988, they are all oxidized to some extent—some more than others. I believe that the range is 10 to 90 percent with those at the lower end of the spectrum closer to (unoxidized) green tea, and those at the higher end of the spectrum closer to (fully oxidized) black tea. Darjeeling is apparently 90% oxidized, which is why it is not strictly speaking a black tea.

Kirkoneill1988

interesting :)

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Kirkoneill1988

what does “anxi” mean?

apt

Kirk: it’s a region in China known for Tieguanyin style oolongs

sherapop

Thanks for that information, apt! It does seem TGYish to me. ;-)

apt

I believe the Benshan cultivar is more of a fast growth cultivar than TGY, which is a premium slow growth cultivar. Benshan is sold as TGY because it has a similar flavor.

Kirkoneill1988

Interesting :D

Cheri

Sounds like a nice oolong. I’m more into the green oolongs too, but I like the oxidized and roasted ones as well. I’m an equal opportunity oolonger.

Kirkoneill1988

i love roasted. never tried oxidised

sherapop

Kirkoneill 1988, they are all oxidized to some extent—some more than others. I believe that the range is 10 to 90 percent with those at the lower end of the spectrum closer to (unoxidized) green tea, and those at the higher end of the spectrum closer to (fully oxidized) black tea. Darjeeling is apparently 90% oxidized, which is why it is not strictly speaking a black tea.

Kirkoneill1988

interesting :)

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I have fallen off the “tea log boat”, as I am now in New Zealand and was really flailing about for a while, having depleted all of my Chinese and Japanese green tea supply! Fortunately, my first order of 2015 has now arrived! I should begin writing very soon about tea at my new blog, sherapop’s tea leaves. Please stop by and contribute your ideas—all viewpoints are welcome!

A long-time tea and perfume lover, I have recently begun to explore the intersections between the two at my blog: http://salondeparfum-sherapop.blogspot.com//

The scent of tea can be just as appealing as—sometimes more than—its taste! Tea also offers boundless visual beauty in its various forms and states of preparation.

A few words about my ratings. In assessing both teas and perfumes, my evaluation is “all things considered.” Teas do not differ very much in price (relative to perfumes or any luxury items), so I do not usually consider the price when rating a tea.

What I do consider is how the particular tea compares to teas of its own type. So I might give a high rating to a fine herbal infusion even though I would never say that it is my favorite TEA. But if it’s good for what it is, then it deserves a high rating. There is no point in wishing that a chamomile blend was an Assam or a sencha tea!

Any rating below 50 means that I find the liquid less desirable to drink than plain water. I may or may not finish the cup, depending upon how thirsty I am and whether there is another hot beverage or (in summertime) a source of fresh water available.

From 50 to 60 indicates that, while potable, the tea is not one which I would buy or repurchase, if I already made the mistake (I have learned) of purchasing it.

From 60 to 70 means that the tea is drinkable but I have criticisms of some sort, and I probably would not purchase or repurchase the tea as I can think of obvious alternatives which would be better.

From 70 to 80 is a solid brew which I would purchase again.

From 80 to 90 is good stuff, and I probably need to have some ready at hand in my humble abode.

From 90 to 100 is a tea (or infusion) which I have come to depend on and look forward to imbibing again and again—if possible!

If you are interested in perfume, you might like my 2400+ perfume reviews, most of which have been archived at sherapop’s sillage (essentially my perfumelog):

http://sherapop.blogspot.com/

Finally, please note that after a great deal of debate with myself, I have decided to use the cupboard here at Steepster as a “museum” of sorts—to commemorate all of the various teas which I have purchased and truly enjoyed since December 2013.

I do not currently possess all of the teas listed in this cupboard, but am using the function as a way of recording how many times I drank every tea which I did own at some point and wish not to forget. Teas found both in my “cupboard” and on my “wishlist” are those which I did own and intend to restock. Teas best forgotten have been removed from the cupboard once depleted (in some cases tossed…).

I have also decided (beginning in 2015) to use the tasting note function to maintain a chronological record of the teas I’ve consumed since December 15, 2013. Most new reviews will now be posted directly at my blog, sherapop’s tea leaves.

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