Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Teavivre
Tea Description:
When mentioned Anxi County, people will spontaneously think of Anxi Tie Guan Yin, “Iron Goddess”. It is well-known both inland and abroad. This Tie Guan Yin is close to forest green in color, has a pure aroma. Meanwhile the liquid of this Oolong tea is transparent and bright, which truly is a feast to the eyes. In taste, this Tie Guan Yin has sweet flavor, long-last fragrance and comfortable sweet aftertaste.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Teavivre is one of those companies that continually impress me with the finest quality teas. This Anxi Superfine Tie Guan Yin “Iron Goddess” Oolong Tea from Teavivre is a perfect example of what I mean.
This tea smells amazing. The dry leaf has a floral and vegetative aroma, and once brewed, the liquid becomes less vegetal and more floral. It’s really very fragrant, and it’s a joy to inhale the fragrance deeply before sipping.
I brewed this tea the same way I would normally approach an Oolong. Using my gaiwan, I first did a quick “awakening” of the tea leaves, allowing them to steep in the hot water for 15 seconds, and then draining off the liquid. Then I steeped the first infusion for 45 seconds, and with each infusion that followed, I added an additional 15 seconds. I combine the first and second infusions to make my first cup, and the third and fourth infusions to make the second cup … and so on.
The first cup is light and crisp. My experience with Tie Guan Yin is to expect a buttery quality, but usually the first cup is lighter in texture and flavor than the subsequent cups. The flavor is sweet and floral, with delicate notes of honey. It’s a nice way to start off with this lovely tea!
Usually, my second cup is my favorite, and that is true with this tea experience as well. The flavor and texture is creamier, but it isn’t a heavy, buttery taste. More like a light touch of butter – imagine steamed, mild tasting green veggies that have been lightly buttered. That is much of what I taste right now … together with a lovely floral tone that is somewhere between honeysuckle and orchid, leaning more toward the orchid than the honeysuckle. Notes of honey-esque sweetness please the taste buds.
The third cup becomes a more unified flavor, where there is less sharpness between the contrasting flavors. The creaminess is more subdued, and the floral tones are lighter, but the cup is still very rewarding. It’s definitely worth the effort to keep on steeping with this tea!
Overall, I found this tea to be a bit more mellow than some of the sharper Tie Guan Yin teas that I’ve tasted. It’s a more refined taste, and I really enjoyed it. As I type this, I see that this tea is currently out of stock … I hope that Teavivre restocks it soon, because it is definitely one you should put on the “gotta try it” list!
2006 Guan Zi Zai Sheng Puerh Meng Ku Bing Dao Ancient Tree Tea from Life In Teacup
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Pu-erh
Where to Buy: Life in Teacup
Tea Description:
Production Year – 2006/Production Season: Spring/Production Region: Yunnan, Lincang, Mengku
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Wow! What a name, huh? With a name like that, this had better taste good. I want it to be worthy of so many keystrokes.
And I’m happy to say that it is – at least, in my opinion! This is remarkably sweet and incredibly smooth, with a pleasantly broth-like mouthfeel, and without some of the stronger earthy notes that I often expect from a Pu-erh. Sure, this has an earthiness to it, but, it doesn’t taste like dirt. It is more of a vegetative earthiness, but without tasting grassy. It has a nice warmth to it, as if it had been gently spiced with subtle notes of pepper.
Very often on Steepster, I read tasting notes from tea drinkers who describe the Pu-erh that they’re drinking to have a brine-y or fish-y taste to it, and I’m happy to say that I don’t taste that here either. The aforementioned earthy tones have a slight “saltiness” to them without tasting like brine.
Mostly what I taste here is sweetness. It is a sweetness that I find difficult to describe. It isn’t a caramel-y or honey-esque sweetness, it tastes like rock candy (aka rock sugar).
Overall, I find this tea to be quite mellow and enjoyable – a very pleasing Pu-erh. This is a Pu-erh I’d recommend to someone who has tried Pu-erh in the past and decided they didn’t like it because it tasted too earthy or fishy. This Pu-erh is deliciously different!