Bao Zhong

I am so happy to have this tea again! I only had a sample back in the day when I reviewed it the first time. I have more knowledge about teas now and I ADORE this tea! I love a great pouchong!
Full review on sororiteasisters.com on the 17th!

Ick, I’ve been sick for almost a week, and I’m mostly better and back to normal functioning. However, I’m still kind of snotty. Past week I’ve been snuggling with bottles of orange juice and tissues watching kdramas. Now finally, tea drinking time now that I can taste tea!

Mmmm, a good baozhong is always a nice drink! Love the floral and creamy notes! Now back to snuggling my tea cup watching City Hunter.

Bao Zhongs are my favorite types of oolongs. I got hooked on them when I received a sampler from The Tea Smith as a gift, and it was one of the included types. Of course their teas are almost impossible to get stateside, so I’ve been trying many other Bao Zhongs (or Pouchong, as it’s also called). I think they’re my favorite type of teas hands down, so of course I had to try one from Persimmon Tree! I’ve been really pleased with their blends I’ve tried so far, but I haven’t dipped in to the unflavored offerings yet.

Well, it’s everything I expected it to be: softly floral and fruity, with grassy vegetal notes and a very full body for a light oolong. There are notes of lilac, and it almost reminds me of mimosa, one of my favorite summer smells. It’s springtime walks, summer heat, and dewy grass. It’s also great iced, and cold brewed it has almost a citrusy kick. Possibly my favorite from TPT that I’ve tried so far!

The picture looks lighter and greener than this did in my spoon. Maybe I should add more light. OK, so my first unflavored bao zhong. I never know how I am going to respond to an oolong. There is no pattern to my likes and dislikes that I can figure out. This one I really liked. Sweet, floral (but not in your face floral) like lilac or light rose, and unexpected melon notes. It becomes more creamy as it cools . Something I didn’t note on my blog, as I just caught it while typing this – there is a darker earthy flavor that pop up as it cools even further, it is like a hint of roasted flavor. This is a really nice cup of yum.

Loose
Appearance: grey green large pouchang curls
Aroma when Dry: dry, subtly smoky floral notes
After water is first poured: sweet beans, floral notes
At end of first steep: clear
Tea liquor:
At end of steep: clear
Staple? no
Preferred time of day: any
Taste:
At first?: buttery sweet lima bean bean and cauliflower notes, vegital
As it cools?: notes get creamier, smoother, open up, tea gets juicy
Additives used (milk, honey, sugar etc)? No
Lingers? Yes, creamy, almost milky vegetal notes, bean,corn notes

Second Steep(5min):
At first: buttery, light mineral notes, vegital, brothy
As it cools: notes open up again

Oolong teas are so addicting! The complex flavors are so intoxicating and this tea falls right into that deliciously flavored oolong journey that these teas are so well known for. The floral notes are definitely there from start to finish but along the way is a deep rich sweetness that is difficult to describe, but yummy all the same. I was able to get three good steeps out of this one, with the third being about 1/3 weaker than the first two. A fourth steep seemed too weak for my tastes. Another great tea from Persimmon Tree.

I’ve had this tea for a while, and I think something was off with my set up, because every tea I tried had a weird soapy flavor that it no longer has. A friend stopped for the night at my place last night in the midst of his move to Boston and I offered tea. I took a chance on this instead of Yunnan White Jasmine (though I knew that would be a winner) because I wanted to show my guests an awesome unflavored tea, and I was hoping this would do.
Long story short, it was by far the best steeping I’ve gotten out of this tea, enough that I now feel comfortable giving it a relatively high rating.
For my future reference, I filled my travel gaiwan about a third full with leaves, heated water to 195 degrees and just kept brewing from the same kettle as it cooled. I started with a 5 seconds steep that was more of a rinse, and the flavor was barely there, just a hint of sweet florals. I had to coax my friend’s moving buddy to have a second cup, but after the second steep he kept holding out his cup for more! I also used the aroma cup set and it greatly enhanced the experience!
I increased my steeps by 5 seconds each time for a total of five steeps, the last of which was severly degraded, both in flavor and scent.
The second steep was much more nectar sweet and full of high florals and very strongly floral in the nose.
The third steep was even sweeter smelling, but the flavor was a little greener, with a little more body and a switch to a more stately rock sugar sweetness.
The fourth steep was when you could tell it was going down hill. The aroma cup was still full of sweet spring air, but the flavor was much flatter and a tad greener.
The last steep was a weaker version of the fourth steep in flavor and smell.
Overall, this is the best tea I’ve gotten for the amount I paid (50% off sale!) and I’m glad to have it in my cupboard!

Currently yours truly is bundled up in the most amazingly fuzzy robe ever, it feels like the way I always imagined clouds to feel as a child, and it has a hood! Today my mom and I hit the thrift store for a little wardrobe overhauling (most my clothes back in KC are just worn to death!) and I needed more winter themed clothes. The cloud robe of happiness, along with a beautiful abalone shell (which might be a new tea dish, trying it out) was part of my haul today. Tomorrow we have high hopes to go on a hike before the polar vortex comes along and sweeps us up into winter’s loving embrace, at least I will be warmly-whimsically dressed.

Today we are taking a sip with The Persimmon Tree Tea Company’s Bao Zhong, (also goes by the name Pouchong) a very lightly oxidized, curly leaf, oolong. This tea runs the risk of sneaking into green tea territory because depending on the specific Bao Zhong, it can be oxidized anywhere from 8-12% which really is not a lot. I admit to only having a little experience with this type of oolong (having only had three different ones) so I am happy to experiment more with it. The aroma is gently floral, like you expect from a ‘greener’ oolong, but much more delicate. There are notes of lily, lilac, and honeysuckle, it reminds me of spring rather than a heady orchid filled conservatory.

The brewed leaves are immensely floral, so much honeysuckle and lilac, I feel like I am standing in the best garden ever, since those are two of my favorite flowers. It borders on the heady, but those are such light smelling flowers that it is not overwhelming. The liquid is also floral, lots of honeysuckle nectar sweetness with a hint of creaminess, it is delightfully delicate and sweet.

Ah, ok, that tea is exactly what I needed! It is light and sweet with a very clean floral quality, it tastes like honeysuckle nectar, sun warmed and creamy. I often lament that honeysuckles do not produce enough nectar on those days I when I collect the tiny drops of nectar from a handful of flowers, this tea can give you the effect without all the work. There is a hint of greenness at the end of the sip and the aftertaste has a lingering floral quality.

The aroma of the second steep is really quite heady, honeysuckle and lilac is present but there is also now a strong orchid presence that is pretty intense. The mouthfeel is delightfully smooth to the point of creaminess, the taste is also pretty creamy, with a slight chestnut nuttiness to it. Of course there are floral notes, heady orchid and sweet honeysuckle which start strong and stay around till the finish.

Man, the aroma is still so intensely floral so heady that it is almost a little too much for me, clearly I am too weak for such a powerful orchid, lilac, lily, and honeysuckle powerhouse. The taste, surprisingly, is mellowing out, it is buttery and a bit green with a tiny hint of mineral at the finish. It is rather clean and refreshing with a dryness at the end. This is a tea I could see myself craving, but not necessarily wanting as an everyday tea. Those days when winter is harsh and I want spring flowers, or I am in the garden and want to reflect my environment in my cup, or even like today when I am wanting a clean, floral tasting tea to soothe me, those are the days I will want this tea.

For reviews and photos: http://ramblingbutterflythoughts.blogspot.com/2014/11/the-persimmon-tree-tea-company-bao.html

Next tea from The Persimmon Tree Tea! :D
I have always loved oolongs, and this one sounded really good on their website, so I decided to give it a shot!
At first I thought this was just going to be a normal roasty oolong. The steeping and dry leaf aroma just smelled roasty, and that’s pretty much all.
But the flavor surprised me a bit.
It wasn’t just roasty, it also tasted like flowers and grass.
That probably doesn’t sound appealing when I put it that way-haha!
But the flower and grass make it a much lighter oolong than if it were just strong and roasty. Since I’ve been straying from roasty oolongs lately, and veering towards floral oolongs, I appreciate this tea more.
I like that it doesn’t just taste roasted. The flowers and grass tastes make it much more full and light. Not bad!
Glad I got to try this one. Thanks to the Persimmon Tree Tea! :D

You know those teas you try and, although you can’t quite put your finger on what makes it so pleasant, you look down and there’s only dregs in your cup? This is one. My first pouchong. It is thick and velvety and juicy with maybe a little hay-toast-and-honey vibe. My thanks to k s for the treat.