Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Canton Tea Co.
Tea Description:
Dan Cong is the champagne of oolong tea: ripe with intense fruit and sweetness. The first time people taste this tea they are astonished by the arresting honey and floral notes – all completely natural. The tender leaves are thoroughly fermented and baked to produce a rich liquor bursting with peach, lychee, honey and orchid flavours. Grown on a plantation on the lower slopes of Wu Dong Mountain, Chao Zhou, this high-grade Chinese tea can be enjoyed through multiple infusion.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Canton Tea Co. is another company that I have always wanted to try but never did. I don’t have an answer of why I never ordered from them or swapped with a fellow Steepster friend, but I just seemed to stay in the realm of flavored teas. I lived a sheltered tea existence. . . until recently when I started devouring straight teas.
This tea delivered everything single flavor that is mentioned in the description. This particular oolong is sweet and full of flavor. Honey like with floral notes all the way. Hints here and there of a baked taste that just makes you want more. I can’t describe this tea to the level it should be. I’m actually in awe of how much I love this tea.
I was able to get several more infusions out of this tea even to the point of getting more of the peach notes that are described in the description. Just so delicate so light. The right amount of floral and the right amount of sweet. I have a crush on this tea.
I prepped this up using water heated from my One Touch Breville and I swear I was brewing up tea every 2 minutes. My tea cup seemed to be perpetually empty. I know. #First World Problems here.
This tea is a most for me when I start ordering teas again. I’m on a slight hiatus with the upcoming nuptials in all. (AH! I’m getting married in November!) But as soon as we get back from the honeymoon, Canton Tea I’m coming for you!
Bai Lin Gong Fu Black Tea from Canton Tea Co.
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Canton Tea Co.
Tea Description:
Other names: Golden Needle Congou, Bai Lin Jin Zhen Congou, Ju Hong
One of the earliest Chinese black teas ever to be produced, this Bai Lin Gong Fu is made from young wild white tea buds, twisted into tight elegant gold-streaked curls. The liquor is reddish-brown and has a full-bodied, robust flavour with distinct notes of caramel. This is a wonderful example of whole leaf black tea. It it is a glorious breakfast tea and very reasonably priced for a tea of this calibre. An everyday affordable luxury.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I don’t usually steep black teas in my gaiwan, mostly because the porcelain gaiwan gets very hot, very quickly and I don’t want to burn my fingertips when I try to pour the tea from my gaiwan. However, for this particular tea, I decided to make an exception. I brought the water to a slightly lower temperature (195°F instead of boiling) and infused for one minute for the first infusion, adding 30 seconds to each subsequent infusion. What I have now in the cup sitting in front of me is the combination of the first two infusions.
At first, I wondered if one minute would be long enough, but, as it turns out, the tea tastes incredible after steeping for just one minute, so I am glad I decided not to steep it longer. The flavor is rich and robust and has the most delightful caramel-y undertone to it. Earthy and a little biscuit-y, this tea is very full-flavored and has a nice, rounded taste to it. Very enjoyable, indeed!
After sipping on this for a little while, I start to notice some spice notes emerging. Not strong or what I’d consider spicy, really, but hints of pepper sit off in the background, providing some interest for the palate. Subsequent infusions provided a smoother taste and texture. I noticed some fruit-like tastes in the background by infusions three and four. Still earthy and bold in flavor, the flavors are becoming more unified now.
A truly glorious black tea – bold and invigorating enough to start the day, as well as make a very welcome pick-me-up towards mid-afternoon. This is lovely!
2010 Xing Hai Raw Beeng Cha from Canton Tea Co.
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Pu-erh
Where to Buy: Canton Tea Co.
Tea Description:
Another classic puerh from Xing Hai, made from authentic leaves, grade 5 –7, harvested from the large, mature tea bushes of Meng Hai.
A good quality raw puerh, it will keep improving for 10 years or more. For best aging results, store in a well-aired location with a constant temperature. The Xing Hai Beeng Cha is a young puerh and shows the classic characteristics of mild flowery notes with a traditional bittersweet finish. It will develop more woody notes as it matures.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I know I’ve mentioned this before, but the more I am sampling different Pu-erh teas, the more I’m realizing that I really do like them. I still suffer a bit from a couple of bad experiences concerning Pu-erh, but, really, the number of good experiences I’ve had outweigh the number of bad at this point.
This is a really nice raw pu-erh, quite sweet with pleasing floral notes. I don’t think I’ve had a pu-erh where I really noticed such well-pronounced floral tones before. Usually, I taste earthiness, and yes, I taste that here too, but, I don’t think I’ve had a pu-erh where the focus is more on the notes of flower over the notes of earth.
The sweetness is very molasses-like … in fact, had I not prepared this cup myself, I would have thought that whomever did prepare it for me added a dollop of molasses to the cup.
Overall, the cup is very smooth – no bitterness, no astringency – and it has a very mellow character. A very enjoyable cup of tea, I find it to be an especially enjoyable tea to enjoy in the early evening while watching the sunset.
Giddapahar China Delight First Flush Darjeeling from Canton Tea Co.
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black (Darjeeling)
Where to Buy: Canton Tea Co.
Product Description:
The Giddapahar Tea Estate is a small, family-owned Darjeeling tea estate and is also known as ‘Eagles Cliff’. The slopes are shrouded in mist most of the time, giving the Chinese tea bushes just the conditions they need to produce wonderfully fragrant leaves. Once they have been skilfully processed according to age-old methods, the Giddapahar China Delight Darjeeling is one of the very best teas available of this grade with wonderfully sweet, mildly nutty, complex characteristics.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This is such an interesting Darjeeling. Usually, one of the first things that becomes apparent to me when I sip a Darjeeling is the grape-y, wine-like flavor to it … the muscatel. But here, I noticed first a warm, toasty nut flavor. It tastes sweet, like almonds.
That is not to say that the muscatel is not there … it is. But, it is presented differently. Instead of a straight-forward muscat grape flavor, I notice this almond with mere hints of the muscat. Toward the finish, I notice a slight black currant flavor peeking its way through.
It is a light tasting tea, as is usually the case with a Darjeeling, and this lightness allows for the lovely complexity of the tea to shine through. It begins sweet and crisp, with the aforementioned almond taste, by mid-sip, I notice hints of musty wood … again, mere whispers of flavor, and the fruit-like tones begin to reveal themselves as the sip nears the finish.
There is a fair amount of astringency that arrives toward the end of the sip … but, even as astringency is generally expected with a Darjeeling, I am noticing that the astringency here is a bit softer than in other Darjeeling teas. It finishes sweet with a lingering nutty tone in the aftertaste.
A deliciously intriguing Darjeeling, one deserving of the time to contemplate it’s many layers of flavor.
Superior Earl Grey Tea from Canton Tea Co.
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black (Darjeeling)
Where to Buy: Canton Tea Co.
Product Description:
A truly superior Earl Grey that takes this traditional favourite to a completely different level. Unusually it is made with a blend of Darjeelings from the world renowned Goomtee and Glenburn Estates and then infused with natural oil of Bergamot (the oil extracted from the rind of the Bergamot orange). A light scattering of orange blossom petals adds to the visual appeal. It has a lively fresh taste, with the soft base flavours of the Darjeelings balancing the bright citrus notes.
This tea needs to be tasted to fully appreciate just how good an Earl Grey can be. Naturally it bears no resemblance to the mass-produced Earl Greys – but being made with such extraordinarily good black teas as a base, it may just be the best Earl Grey you’ve ever tasted.
Taster’s Review:
I do adore Earl Grey tea, as most of you probably know by now. And this is a decent Earl Grey offering, although I don’t know that I would go so far as to say it is the best I’ve ever tasted. It’s certainly pleasant though.
The Darjeeling base offers an interesting set of flavors on its own. The fruity notes of the Darjeeling together with the bright citrus tones of Bergamot create an interesting taste. It is a lighter base than most Earl Grey teas, but it makes for a delightful afternoon tea.
The Bergamot is not quite as strong with this Earl Grey as in others I’ve tasted, but, it works here because it allows for the subtle nuances of the Darjeeling to be appreciated. I am finding the Bergamot to be just a little on the tart side. While it is usually quite tangy, this is veering toward the sour side of things. Not a bad thing – just different.
Overall a nice Earl Grey, and it would make a good choice for those who sometimes find the Bergamot in other Earl Grey teas to be a bit overbearing. You may find this lighter touch to be just right for you. A little sweetening is fine with this Earl Grey, but I wouldn’t recommend milk with this one – it would overwhelm it.