Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Pu Erh
Where to Buy: Cloudwalker Teas
Product Description:
Sweet, smooth and sparkling. As with all of our teas at Cloudwalker, three year old Dian Hong is a high level pu erh tea. It combines an aquamarine floral taste with fine up-lifting chi characteristics. Dian Hong is a loose leaf pu erh tea processed similar to that of a black tea. It is already deep and rich with full and complex flavors. It is at once enlivening and cooling. A full, floral and rich tea. This tea is an excellent introduction to pu erh, or to entertain guests who have not yet experienced the earthy nature of these fine Chinese teas.
Taster’s Review:
This Pu-erh is so unlike other pu-erh teas that I’ve tried!
I’ve said it before: I’m not a big fan of Pu-erh. I am, however, acquiring a taste for it. And I’ll say this – if this were the first Pu-erh tea that I tried, I don’t think I would have disliked it for so many years! This is good!
The dry leaf lacks the strong earthy aroma that many other Pu-erh teas possess. It does have a slight earthy quality to the scent, but, not nearly as strong as other Pu-erh teas I’ve experienced. Likewise, the brewed liquor – while slightly more earthy than the dry leaf – is still not nearly as earthy as other Pu-erh teas.
This Pu-erh reminds me more of a black tea than of a Pu-erh, but without the bitterness that sometimes accompanies black tea. This is very smooth and rich in taste, and brews up very dark (most Pu-erh teas brew up darker than the average black tea). There is an earthy note to the taste, but again, like the aroma – it isn’t as earthy as a typical Pu-erh.
The flavor is sweet with notes of flower and even hints of dark cocoa in the background. There is a deep sweetness in the background that reminds me of burnt sugar. There is a damp woodsy note to it as well.
Overall, this is one of the most pleasant Pu-erh experiences I’ve ever had (if not THE most pleasant). I really like this one, and it is one that I could easily enjoy on a daily basis – unlike a typical Pu-erh which is something I drink only on occasion.
Like I said at the start – this is a Pu-erh that is like no other that I’ve tried!
Wild (Yie Sheng) Pu Erh Tea from Cloudwalker Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Pu-Erh
Where to Buy: Cloudwalker Teas
Product Description:
This 15 year old sheng pu erh tea is hand-picked from tea trees growing in the wild of Yunnan province in China. If you are looking for a pu erh with a slightly wild flavour, this one is smooth, with a touch of roughness around the edges suggesting its ancestry. Much of the competition suggests the best pu erh tea comes from wild tea trees. What they don’t do is say that their pu erh teas are actually wild! This is the genuine article. A pu erh tea cultivated from wild tea trees in Yunnan province and aged in Taiwan.
Taster’s Review:
It surprises me how much I’m enjoying this Pu-Erh.
The flavor is remarkably smooth, but as the above product description suggests, it is a little rough around the edges. It has a very autumnal feel to it, it is rugged and somewhat masculine, but with a sweet undertone that lingers into the finish.
The aroma of this tea is quite earthy and I found it somewhat disconcerting before I took a sip. What I noticed is that if I inhale deeply before taking a sip, a strong, earthy essence arrives onto the palate. Since it is the earthy quality that I like least about Pu-Erh (I don’t actually dislike earthy flavors when they are delicate, but when they are quite strong, I find them somewhat off-putting), I do not inhale deeply for taking a sip of this tea. The earthy quality then becomes a mere trace of what it is when I do inhale deeply.
There is no bitterness to this Pu-Erh and I’m finding it exceptionally sweet that reminds me of burnt sugar caramel, and it lends itself well to the rustic appeal of this tea.
I can really feel myself “warming up” to Pu-Erh – in more than one sense! As this year comes to a close and the dawn of a new decade approaches, I am happy that I have finally shed much of my fear about Pu-Erh!
Elixir of Immortality from Cloudwalker Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Cloudwalker Teas
Company Description:
This truly is a beautiful tea… The ‘Elixir of Immortality’ or Bu Lao Dan is very special. This tea is produced on Wu Yi Mountain according to the traditional formula of an ancient Taoist sect. These Taoist renunciates believed that this tea would help to prolong their lives and aid in their practice of austerities. The processing of this tea is overseen by a Taoist master and takes between two to three years to complete. Basically it involves exposing the leaves to the sun and moonshine in certain places, for set periods of time, and then storing the leaves in large earthenware containers. This process of exposing and “resting” the leaves is repeated many times over the period of years, and the results are nothing short of remarkable. Those who have been to Wu Yi know that this is a very special place – the long time stronghold of Taoist and Buddhist sects. The experience of drinking this tea is something akin to drinking in the wisdom of this sacred Mountain. Much like the the nine peaks of Wu Yi, this tea is strong, enduring, and suffused with a subtle yet forceful power (subtle for some – not so subtle for others).
Taster’s Review:
Wow! This tea brews up exceptionally dark. Surprisingly dark for an Oolong tea – heck, it is even dark for a black tea! It looks more like a Shu Pu-erh, rather than an Oolong. In addition, the aroma of the brewed liquor has an earthy quality to it that reminds me of Pu-erh.
This is a very interesting tea. I am tasting characteristics in this cup that remind me of an Oolong, a black tea, and a Pu-erh all in one. I can taste a slightly earthy quality to it that gives it a Pu-erh kind of taste. I can taste a light buttery flavor that makes way to a very smooth, silky mouthfeel – very Oolong-ish! Then I taste a malty, almost smoky, baked kind of flavor to it too – that is very much like a black Assam (with maybe just a leaf or two of Lapsang Souchong!)
This is truly one of the most rewarding teas I’ve encountered in a long time. I love the complexity. It is so very different from any single tea that I’ve ever tried, and yet at the same time, it is very much like many different teas that I’ve tried!
On the Cloudwalker Teas website, this is listed as a “Cliff Tea“. Here is some additional information about the Cliff Teas that are available from Cloudwalker Teas:
Cloudwalker Teas is pleased to be able to offer this selection of cliff teas by one of the most well known and regarded tea masters of Asia. Unfortunately we can’t tell you who he is. The master in question is a private man and says that he does not want to attract any more attention to himself, but simply hopes that more people outside his circle of students may be able to experience what constitutes a truly fine rock tea. A labour of love for this tea master, each year he personally travels to Wu Yi Mountain national park in China to oversee the harvesting, processing and packaging of these legendary teas. He works closely with a group of local producers at Wu Yi mountain, who hand roast the leaves. Hand roasted cliff teas are very rare, and Cloudwalker is very pleased to be the first western tea company to be able to offer teas of such high quality. This introductory selection of his rock teas is offered on a trial basis and under certain conditions, one being that they only be sold in small quantities to ensure that these rare and exquisite teas may be shared by as many people as possible. In drinking them one comes to realize very quickly why this love affair exists between this master and these teas, a love that all who taste them will certainly share.
This tea is a MUST TRY for all tea enthusiasts!
Dian Hong Tea from Cloudwalker Teas
Tea Type: Pu-erh
Where To Buy: Cloudwalker Teas
Product Description:
Sweet, smooth and sparkling. As with all of our teas at Cloudwalker, three year old Dian Hong is a high level pu erh tea. It combines an aquamarine floral taste with fine up-lifting chi characteristics. Dian Hong is a loose leaf pu erh tea processed similar to that of a black tea. It is already deep and rich with full and complex flavors. It is at once enlivening and cooling. A full, floral and rich tea. This tea is an excellent introduction to pu erh, or to entertain guests who have not yet experienced the earthy nature of these fine Chinese teas.
Tasters Review:
Many of the Pu-erhs I have had from Cloudwalker Teas are making me change my mind about Pu-erhs overall!
Dian Hong is semi-woodsy and semi-malty! There is an ever-so-slight sweetness to it but it’s still fairly masculine.
I agree with the product description that if you are new to Pu-erh or have had not-so-impressive Pu-erh experiences in the past to give this one a try!
Oriental Beauty from Cloudwalker Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Cloudwalker Teas
Company Description:
Oriental Beauty is a particularly special tea variety from Taiwan being offered at Cloudwalker. At a certain time of year, bees will nibble slightly at the tea leaves and this will cause the leaf to transform slightly into the classic oriental beauty. This tea is only from Taiwan and only from specific central Taiwanese counties. As this tea bursts forth from tea-spout to pitcher, one is immediately struck by it’s luminescence and viscosity. It is a nectarian, mouth-watering, mouth-tingling experience. It is smooth and acts quickly to engulf the palate. This oriental beauty contains superior honey qualities and an added buoyant ‘hui gan’ or returning sweetness on the throat. Ambrosial. This tea comes by its name honourably, and to purchase it you can be sure you will more completely understand its name.
The American Tea Masters Association held Tea Extravaganza 2009 at the Drake Hotel in San Diego, CA and named this one of the top 5 teas (of 14 top shelf teas) on the menu! New stock has just arrived!
Taster’s Review:
Formosa Oolong teas and I go way back – in fact, the very first Oolong I ever tasted was a Formosa and I fell completely in love with it. Since then, I’ve been introduced to many different Oolongs, and some that I might even enjoy a little more than Formosa Oolongs – but, Formosa will always hold a very special and dear place in my heart.
For that reason I was very excited to try Oriental Beauty Formosa Oolong from Cloudwalker Teas. And Cloudwalker Teas did not let me down! This is truly a delightful Oolong experience.
The aroma of the dry leaves is sweet and honey-esque. This aroma translates to the brewed liquor, it’s a little softer, but, nonetheless very inviting.
The flavor is sublime! It is smooth and rich and sweet. Pleasantly sweet – like golden honey! The mouthfeel also reminds me a bit of honey – not sticky like honey, but there is a very pleasing thickness to it that reminds me of honey.
There is absolutely no bitterness to this tea. It is absolutely divine! It has only the slightest astringency to it. THIS is the flavor that I fell in love with all those years ago!
While Formosa Oolong teas do make very enjoyable iced teas – for the fullest flavor and enjoyment of this tea, you should first try it hot… I am not saying NOT to drink it iced, because I love it iced; however, I love it even more hot. It is my opinion that the best way to experience all the subtle nuances of an Oolong is hot and unsweetened, and then, once you’ve experienced them, go ahead and experiment and try it iced. This one is also quite nice with a bit of fruit – either as an addition to the tea itself or a tray of fresh fruit would be quite good as well.
This one is an absolute must try for Oolong enthusiasts. It is truly a lovely Oolong tea.