Have you ever tried to use a dehydrator to dry herbs?
It gives you a good sense of all the work it takes to make a good tea. Too hot, too cold. Too long, too short. And so on.
A unique tea like this one, which one can tell just by looking at the leaves, requires concentration and years of hard work.
Let’s not forget either that Master Zhang uses the highest and above standards for sustainability when it comes to his tea and other plants. One sip of this tea transports you to the mineral rich mountains of Anxi, China. Straightforward mineral flavors. It’s like licking a wet rock.
Tasting the purest granite surrounded by spicy dark woody notes. They mention florals along with the woody notes but honestly all I can taste are the mineral and woody notes.
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Verdant Tea
Description
This unusual tea is based on Master Zhang’s ongoing research into early Anxi oolong teas with a half-rolled / half strip-style shape, and a very meticulous turning and fluffing process that goes further than most modern tea would. In this experimental offering, he applies this research to the Tieguanyin varietal and provides enough roast for a deep, rich aroma. The result is a very well-balanced tea full of toasted sweetness, rich plum, and an lilac floral complemented by lingering minerality.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Huang Guan Yin/Harney and Sons – Ashmanra –
Huang Guan Yin goes by several names. The tea plant is a hybrid/cross of a Tie Guan Yin cultivar and a Huang Jin Gui cultivar. The name literally translates as “Yellow Goddess of Mercy.” It is sometimes also called No. 105 or simply Yellow Goddess. It is a fairly new cultivar.
This particular one from Harney and Sons is very light. There is none of the roasty toasty or smokey flavor found in many TGY or Wuyi oolongs. No Tung Ting nuttiness. I think some companies do sell this processed a little more roasty if their descriptions are accurate.
The scent cup revealed floral aroma reminiscent of baby powder – that light magnolia or osmanthus scent, and a baked sugary treat smell that made me think of cream filled dougnuts. Then a herbaceous savory note rises.
It was prepared gongfu style. The liquor is yellow. There is quite a mix of flavor here. The floral scents are still there, but there is a savory note overlaid on all the sweetness. Sipping the tea, I taste the floral aspects first and then the savory nips in at the aftertaste like vegetable liquor from leafy greens, like tender greens (popular in the South where I live) or perhaps bok choy, perhaps more well known.
The leaves held up for steep after steep, delivering a lot of flavor. It was a very interesting tea to try. I wouldn’t want to waste this one by drinking it with a meal. I prefer to enjoy it on it own to tease out all the flavors.
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Harney & Sons
Description
This is a light Oolong from the Wuyishan area of northern Fujian Province. We have been buying from Mr. Chao for many years. This Spring we stopped by and saw him and his wife. This is one of the 3 teas that we bought from them. This is a cross blend between Ti Quan Yin and Huang Jin Gui, so you have nice floral notes and a bit of sweetness.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
**this tea was purchased and not gifted in exchange for a review**
Ashmanra tries a GABA Oolong. . . Sparrow/Whispering Pines Tea
I have been wanting to try a GABA oolong for a long time and finally had the chance! GABA tea is supposed to be very supportive when dealing with stress. Who doesn’t have a bit of that?
I love that many of the teas from Whispering Pines are named for the memory or feeling they evoke, or for nostalgic places they bring to mind.
This is a listed as a heavily oxidized oolong. Don’t you love how much variation there is in oolong tea? They can be green or dark, smokey or floral, sweet or savory. But this doesn’t come out dark or smokey. It is golden grain-like.
I did not give this a rinse as I wanted to enjoy every drop. I made this in a gaiwan and timed it as the company recommends. The leaves expanded into beautiful, large leaves.
I used a scent cup because I want to fully experience this tea. The aroma in the scent cup is creamy grain, lightly savory, vegetal, and then…CHOCOLATE! More like melted milk chocolate bar than cacao, I suppose because of the creaminess.
The tea has a round mouthfeel with medium body. The flavor is cream and grain, and strongly reminds me of an olive leaf tisane I drank a few years ago. This is a most unusual oolong, unlike any I have tried!
Although the package gives instructions for three steeps, I kept it going for six. I extended the steeping time each steep until it reached five minutes and held it there. It never grew bitter or sour, but kept the same characteristics as the first steeps with a little lighter flavor.
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Whispering Pines Tea
Description
This heavily oxidized GABA oolong is bursting with rich aromatics and a super complex body! First impressions are of chex mix and chocolate, and it actually strongly reminds me of a baked chocolate chex mix that my mom makes sometimes. Other notes are a tartness almost akin to cherry and some slight spice in the finish. Really active mouthfeel and a creamy sweet finish! One of my go-to’s recently, Sparrow is also one of the best cost/value ratio teas I’ve come across.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Steeping Notes on GABA Oolong/Wang Family
Often times while drinking a new tea I like to have a session where I won’t read the companies description of flavor and aroma to avoid the influence.
But this one has been stumping me.
Sweet potatoes. Not a yam, do not confuse the two as many stores do. They are quite different.
Anyway, the dry aroma is very slight. Somewhat fruity, kinda creamy. Wet aroma reminded me of buttered noodles a few times but more often it is vegetal. And then the mysterious flavor of sweet potatoes in the golden liquid. It’s smooth on the tongue. Creamy but also has unique woodsy accents.
Mahogany maybe?
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Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Wang Family Tea
Description
Dry leaves are dark brown, and smell like dried fruit. This tea brews up a bright golden-yellow color. First round of brewing has a flavor and aroma that is reminiscent of roasted sweet potatoes. It tastes soft and mellow, and the aftertaste is lightly sweet. The second round brews up soft, but very thick. There is a strong GABA aroma in the air. The flavor has become slightly acidic, with a dominant flavor of dried fruit. The third round is fruity, slightly acidic, strongly fruitly, and still retains a hint of roasted sweet potato. The energy of this tea is deeply relaxing.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
2018 King of Thieves Dancong/Verdant
If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. This little phrase can be used time and time again with tea.
If you don’t like it the first time you try it, try it again. I was not impressed with my first session, so here we are trying again.
The dry aroma is better this time around. Somewhat floral, somewhat earthy.
The first time around is the best but I’m finding subtle floral notes that are nice in later steepings as well. The mouthfeel is smooth and refreshing.
While using my aroma cup I encountered I very briefly encountered some intense fruity notes with woodsy notes but couldn’t find it again after that. The leaves are a unique dark color but when wet they are outlined with lighter brown shades.
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Verdant
Description
贼王 or “King of Thieves” got its name from the famous story of a thief stealing this valuable tea tree in the middle of the night over 200 years ago, but leaving some of the roots and trunk in their haste to cut it down. King of Thieves growing today is said to have regrown from that little remaining root stock. This tea was hand picked and hand processed over 24 hours of intense labor to bring out its rich nuanced dessert-like flavor and spiced tropical undertones.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!