Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Fong Mong Tea
Tea Description:
The hand-plucked leaves of Alishan Jin Xuan Oolong Tea are grown in the famous Ali Mountains (Alishan) in Taiwan. At the elevation of 1000 meters above, the mountainsides are covered with fog or clouds which are ideal for growing Oolong. Withbetter drought tolerance, also higher yield, the price is usually lower than Alishan Oolong.
Jin-Xuan is a special variety of Camellia Sinensis (tea plant) developed through research at the Taiwan Tea Agricultural Research center. This special variety is known for producing an Oolong with a special fragrance and a very light creaminess. Alishan Jin Xuan Oolong brings one of the great locations for growing Oolong tea together with one of the special Oolong varieties.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I reviewed this tea previously but it’s a new year and along with a new year comes a new harvest. And an AliShan Oolong is worth at least two reviews (maybe more when the new harvests arrive, right?)
And Fong Mong Tea has some really spectacular Oolong teas from Taiwan, including this amazing AliShan Jin Xuan! It’s beautifully sweet and creamy, with notes of flower and hints of vegetation. So many fantastic layers of flavor!
As I do with all AliShan Oolong teas, I use my gaiwan and fill my YiXing Mug with the first five infusions (following a 15 second rinse). I use 180°F water to steep each infusion. The first infusion is steeped for 45 seconds, and I add 15 seconds to each subsequent infusion.
The first cup (which is the combination of the first five infusions) is so smooth and creamy. The floral notes and vegetative notes are softened by this sweet, creamy taste that reminds me of fresh cream. It tastes indulgent and luxurious.
But even though it is a creamy and sweet tea, there is complexity to it. Layers of flavor. The creaminess is not overly heavy so that I can explore the floral notes which are reminiscent of orchid. There is a honey-like sweetness just beneath the floral tones. The next layer I notice is a mild vegetal flavor. It’s very soothing and has a silky smooth mouthfeel.
The second cup (the combination of infusions 6 – 10) was even nicer than the first! It is still quite creamy – which was surprising, as I had expected some of those creamy notes to wane considerably with this cup – and the tea is delectably sweet. The vegetal notes are less discernible now, and I taste more floral notes and even a hint or two of sweet fruit. Melon! NICE!
The honey notes are still there. The creamy notes are not quite as strong, but they are sweeter and more like vanilla! So while the creamy notes are not quite as velvety and thick, the vanilla notes more than make up for it!
An absolutely LOVELY AliShan! If you haven’t tried Fong Mong Tea – you really should! You’re missing out!
2014 Organic Arya Ruby Darjeeling First Flush from Happy Earth Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black (Darjeeling)
Where to Buy: Happy Earth Tea
Tea Description:
This Arya Ruby is finely crafted with its signature fragrance deep and rich in complexity that will cheer a Darjeeling enthusiast.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Sweet! That’s the first thing that I thought when I took my first sip of this tea: this is beautifully sweet!
The dry leaf is appealing to me with the varying shades of green, brown and silver. These leaves produce a coppery colored cup with a pleasant fruity note that evokes thoughts of grape. I could also pick up on some floral tones in there.
My first sip, I was really blown away with how sweet it tasted. I could taste notes of raisin (not always something I notice in a first flush Darjeeling) and peach. I’m tasting some of that sugary sweetness that I would taste with a dried fruit with hints of a grape-y like flavor. The peach is much more apparent to me, with mere hints of grape-like flavor, but I’m definitely tasting the sugary sweetness which leads me to think “raisin” rather than “grape.”
I taste floral notes that have been softened by the sweetness of this tea. As I near the bottom of the cup, the floral notes begin to emerge stronger than at the start.
But what really surprised me is that lovely hint of chocolate that I started to notice at about mid-cup. There were these really rich, decadent, smooth flavors developing: somewhat caramel-y with notes of chocolate! Love! There’s a delightful smoothness to this cup with very little astringency.
Yet another amazing Darjeeling from Happy Earth Tea. If you’re a fan of Darjeeling, you really can’t go wrong with the teas that Happy Earth Tea offers. It’s a great company that is socially and environmentally responsible, and I really appreciate that.
2014 Shan First Flush Green Tea from Shan Valley
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Shan Valley
Tea Description:
This tea is considered to be the freshest and most sought after tea. Shan First Flush Reserve tea is the first harvest in the year and only occurs once a year, usually in early April.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Oh, this tea is AWESOME! I have really enjoyed the first flush teas that Shan Valley has offered this year. They’ve been really lovely, and this tea is certainly no exception to that statement. This is really a delightful green tea.
Earlier this year, I had the opportunity to try last year’s First Flush Green Tea from Shan Valley, so I wasn’t sure how this year’s first flush would differ from last year’s. The dry leaf looks very much the same, dark in color (it almost looks like a black tea or a dark Oolong), but the color liquid these dark leaves produce is a pale greenish-amber color. The aroma of the liquor is fresh and vegetal.
Right off the bat, I can tell you that I find the flavor of this tea to be more forward than last year’s first flush. That is to say, I’m tasting a stronger flavor to the tea. It still has it’s delicate nuances, but I taste more of the sweet, vibrant flavors than I remember tasting in last year’s first flush green.
It is lush and vegetative, reminding me of mild steamed vegetables. And yes, I’m picking up on that bright citrus-y note that I tasted with last year’s tea. I’m also getting a slight creaminess from this cup which I don’t recall experiencing from last year’s tea. Imagine a creamed spinach but with maybe half of the “cream” eliminated from the dish and replaced with a squeeze of fresh lemon. I get some cream, I get some lemon-ish notes and I’m getting that really fresh, exhilarating “green” taste. It’s a really invigorating and refreshing tea!
While I generally prefer most teas hot – and this tea is no exception to that – I really enjoyed this one chilled too. After I finished my cup of this tea, I decided to resteep the leaves and take a sip, and I found that while the creamy tones were lighter in the second resteep, the flavors were still abundant in that second cup of tea. Then I decided to go ahead and chill the rest of the pot, and I brewed a little more to make a half gallon pitcher full of green tea goodness, courtesy of the Shan Valley. And it was so cool and absolutely lovely to drink on these hot summer days we’ve been experiencing.
Shan Valley has some amazing teas to offer – I highly recommend them to any tea lover! This tea company offers a new and exciting tea journey!
2014 Giddapahar Spring Bliss First Flush (SFTGFOP1) from Darjeeling Tea Lovers
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Darjeeling Tea Lovers
Tea Description:
Giddapahar Spring Bliss as the name suggests is one of the most ‘Blissful’ First Flush tea we have. A very yummy tea which is ideal for all day.
This is a tea that actually meets the First Flush mantra of ‘LIGHT & BRIGHT’. It is a full bouquet of fruity peach like notes and if you really care to understand what PURE CHINA BLACK TEA tastes like, this is the ideal tea. We assure you that it will be difficult to stop with just one cup.
A BLISSFUL, DELIGHTFUL, ENERGETIC tea from the house of GIDDAPAHAR TEA. A must have for every tea connoisseur.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Oh wow … what a lovely first flush Darjeeling!
The above description is pretty effective at describing this tea: light, bright, aromatic with notes of peach that don’t just tickle the nose but also the palate with peachy flavor!
The dry leaf looks very much like a Darjeeling: the leaves vary in color from green to brown. I like that these are long and wiry leaves rather than chopped and torn. Once brewed and completely unfurled, you can see that these are whole leaves. I like that.
When it comes to Darjeeling tea, I usually use a slightly lower than boiling temperature, because Darjeeling tea usually is not oxidized for quite as long as other black teas. I go with 195°F and steep the leaves for 2 1/2 minutes. This produced a light amber colored liquor that is delightfully fragrant.
And delicious!
As I mentioned before, I can taste the peach. I am loving that. I don’t typically taste peach-like notes in a Darjeeling tea. This is sweet and fruity with lovely floral notes that are dancing in the background.
Darjeeling teas tend to be lighter in texture and this is no exception, but this doesn’t have the same dry astringency toward the tail that other Darjeeling teas tend to have. This has a silkier texture than I’m used to with Darjeeling teas, and I am enjoying how easy and smooth it is to drink.
I know I’ve said it before, but if you are a fan of Darjeeling Teas … you really should give Darjeeling Tea Lovers a try. I have been so impressed with everything that I’ve tried from them. Their teas are top notch. An apt name for this company, because it would seem to me, based on everything that I’ve tried from them, that this is a company that has dedicated itself to acquiring the very finest teas for lovers of Darjeeling tea!
Green Dan Cong Oolong from Grand Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Grand Tea
Tea Description:
2014 Spring Limited Edition: Green Dan Cong
Green Dan Cong is unusual light oxidized (approx.8%) and incredibly floral. The taste of it reminds of high grade green tea which is refreshing, pure and sweet.
Because Green Dan Cong is so delicate and fresh, the best way to preserve the flowery aroma would be keep it air tight in the refrigerator.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Mmm! SO GOOD!
This Green Dan Cong Oolong from Grand Tea is the best Dan Cong Oolong that I can remember ever tasting. It’s so light and flavorful. As the description above suggests, the very light oxidation gives this tea a “high grade green tea” taste but it has a creamy, soft texture that you’d expect from a greener Oolong.
So sweet! The aroma is very floral and the taste has a strong flowery essence but I like that the sharper floral notes are somewhat softened by the aforementioned creamy notes. It has that light freshness of a green tea, vegetal without bitterness. It’s not really “grassy” but more like mild steamed veggies with a drizzle of butter.
This tea reminds me of spring, when everything starts to come to life again. The grass is growing, the leaves on the trees are budding and you can smell that freshness in the air. Flowers are beginning to bloom after a cold winter. The aromatic air of spring is what I smell when I smell the tea and that’s what I taste when I take a sip.
Later infusions were a little less creamy and softly flavored, I found that as I continued to infuse the leaves, more of the floral notes emerged – these are lovely! – and I could taste soft notes of fruit and the vegetal notes coming forward slightly. This never really becomes a strongly “vegetative” tasting Oolong. This is more ‘floral’ than anything, so for those of you who love a delightfully flowery Oolong – you’ve got to try this one!
The dry leaf reminds me of a green tea more than it does an Oolong because when it comes to “green” Oolongs, I have come to expect a tightly wound pellet. These leaves look a little more like a Chinese Sencha leaf, but the leaves are deeper and darker in color. They have a strong floral fragrance with notes of grass.
I brewed this tea in my gaiwan. First I steeped the leaves for about 15 seconds to “rinse” them. Then I strained the liquid and discarded it. Then I steeped for 45 seconds for the first infusion and added 15 seconds to each subsequent infusion. This tea holds up through multiple infusions quite well, and I got eight very flavorful infusions from one measurement of leaves.
A truly pleasurable experience, this Green Dan Cong. If you love Oolong tea – this one should be on your must try list, if for no other reason than that it’s quite unique from any other Oolong that I’ve tried. Every tea lover should be trying this tea!