I have a feeling this is going to be a lengthy post but with good reason, I promise! You see – in THIS post – I will be telling you all about Bittermelon Stuffed with Roasted Tie Guan Yin Oolong from Yunnan Sourcing!
Have you ever wondered what would happen if you took bittermelon, took out the insides, left the thick rind, and then stuffed it with Tie Guan Yin and roasted it? That’s what I thought. Regardless of your answer – you can now do that by trying this tea.
For those of you NOT familiar with Bittermelon…it’s also called bitter gourd, bitter squash, or balsam-pear. It is a tropical and subtropical vine of the family Cucurbitaceae, widely grown in Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean for its edible fruit. Its many varieties differ substantially in the shape and bitterness of the fruit. Bitter melon originated in India and was introduced into China in the 14th century. It grows in a variety of shapes and sizes. The ones you may see in the product description photo are more horn-like. The samples I received were more like coins…much like if you were to cut cucumbers or carrots into rounds or disks…just to give you a visual.
Upon opening the package I noticed a little bit of the oolong stuffed inside the bittermelon fall out but most of it stayed inside quite well. Dry – this smelled like Sushi to me. I don’t mean it smelled like fish…it smelled more like the rice you would eat while eating Sushi…almost like a veggie sushi…you know, without the fish.
After infusing Bittermelon Stuffed with Roasted Tie Guan Yin Oolong from Yunnan Sourcing I noticed the oolong puff up and out. So much so that what once looked like a flat checker (or a little smaller in circumference) now looks like the insides are spilling out over top of the bittermelon. It’s almost Alien-Like.
The taste of this tea experience is certainly something to remember from start to finish. Once infusion is complete and I let it cool for a moment or two I took a sip…a sip that i will not soon forget! Ahhhhh! So delicious! So satisfying! It’s on the more mellow side but for all the right reasons! It tastes like Mouse Melon or if you aren’t familiar with Mouse Melon it’s a cross between a cucumber with a touch of lemon. I could also taste the gentle roasted oolong notes that were purely delightful in every way! There were VERY subtle hints of sweet woodsy and gentle citrus notes, as well!
This was more than just a tea – it was an experience! A conversation piece. Something to bust out only when you have the time to appreciate it and share with others. This will certainly make one or more of my FAVORITES lists in the VERY near future! YUM! I’ll say it again…YUM!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Yunnan Sourcing
Description
Ever wondered what would happen if you took bittermelon, took out the insides and left the thick rind and then stuffed it with Tie Guan Yin and roasted it? Well now you can try this lovely tea.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Imperial Jinggu Yue Gang Bai White Tea from Yunnan Sourcing
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: Yunnan Sourcing
Tea Description:
This is a special tea made from Jinggu Yang Ta Village Large Leaf varietal tea (Camellia Taliensis). The tea is picked in the late autumn, wilted slightly and then dried with warm wind tunneled through the tea until it is dry.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Jinggu Imperial Yue Guang Bai White Tea from Yunnan Sourcing is one of those teas shrouded in mystery. Moonlight white teas are not well understood in the west. Sometimes mistaken for puerh in the way that it is processed, often air dried the same way as maocha. The name frequently describing Yue Guang Bai, Moonlight White tea alludes to the air dry process. The common lore goes that this tea is only air dried at night, under a full moon. Knowing all this, my only question is: “Am I drinking werewolf tea?”
Regardless of what mythical creature this tea really is trying to be, I am really enjoying it thoroughly. The leaves look like a mix of Bai Mu Dan and Bai Hao Yin Zhen. There are smooth, fuzzy silver noodles of buds, as well as larger, flat leaves with a black backside and a silvery down covering a light golden top leaf. The smell of this dry leaf is like roaming through a wild prairie field; I smell stronger notes of hay, as well as light wildflower hints. I typically use 5 grams when I go gongfu, but 5 grams of this leaf filled up almost all of my 150ml glass gaiwan. This is some big fluffy leaf!
You can extract different flavor profiles from the leaf just by changing the temperature. I started with cool water, about 65C, the result was a sweet and floral brew. The light colored liquor had notes of melon, lilies and wildflowers. Which was nice, but I wanted to punch up the flavor a bit, so I began steeping at 90C, which produced wildly different results. What I got was a much darker brew, a rich amber. Tasting the brew I discovered a strong bread malt note as well as hay. The floral was still there, but much more subdued. It was much different than the cool water method I had used. It was like I was drinking a different tea!
I can highly recommend this white tea for anyone who loves white already, or someone who wants to start treading water of the white tea train. It’s a solid tea worth trying!
