(Insert Music Bed HERE)…The best part of waking up…is dancing leaves in your cup! Okay, I’m just having a little fun with spoof jingles and at the same totally showing my age. Regardless, it was the first thing that came to mind when I was infusing this tea. Shi Zuo Oolong from Tea From Taiwan…it’s where it’s AT!
Don’t let the gentle, pale yellow liquor tea color fool you! What it lacks in a bolder, more vibrant color…it makes up for in beautiful aroma and flavor!
It’s very fresh, clean, buttery, and sweet when it comes to taste. As for aroma it reminded me of sweet, sugar snap peas with a hint of raisin. The buttery texture of the sip lingers long after the sip and makes you crave more.
This is definitely one of the more interesting and flavorful Oolongs I have sampled in a while. I think it would pair well with a nice savory veggies and rice dish, too! YUM!
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Tea From Taiwan
Description
Shi Zuo oolong tea (wu long tea) is grown in the Shi Zuo (Stone Table) area of Alishan (Mount Ali). At an altitude of 1300 meters, Shi Zuo has a cool, moist climate that is ideal for growing tea.
Shi Zuo oolong tea is hand picked and hand processed in the traditional manner of Taiwanese High Mountain oolongs. The processing results in ball-shaped tea pellets which consist of two or three leaves and a bud. These pellets open up during brewing to release the full flavor of the tea.
In order to experience the full potential of this tea, we recommend brewing it Gong Fu style. This method of brewing brings out the sweetness and complex undertones that mark this tea as one of the best that Taiwan has to offer.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
GLENDALE ESTATE, NILGIRI, FIRST FLUSH 2017/Yatra Tea Company
This Nilgiri is reminiscent of a Darjeeling. Though the leaves really do not have a resemblance, the wet leaf smell has the mineral and earthy components.
It is somewhat mineral in taste as well but namely earthy with mixes of wood and earth. That sounds confusing but if you look at a tea flavor wheel it will make more sense.
If tasted while steeping between minutes 1-2 you may detect some hints of honey which I also find follows in the after taste but the honey disappears when steeped past 3 minutes.
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Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Yatra Tea Company
Description
This tea is no longer available but click below for teas that are.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Sun-Link-Sea Oolong Tea/Fong Mong Tea Shop
Currently Fong Mong Tea has their Spring 2018 Shanlinxi Taiwan Sun-Link-Sea Oolong Tea featured in their shop. It’s a High Mountain Ooolong Loose Leaf.
I haven’t sipped on the Spring 2018 one YET but the Sun-Link-Sea Oolongs from previous years have been stellar!
Gaiwan Style is preferred but in a strainer always seems to get the infusing job done, too! I used about a tablespoon – maybe a little more – and let sit just until the leaves were ‘open’. This is what I like to call a ‘dancing tea’. Yup! You guessed it! The leaves dance around in the cup naturally while uncurling and steeping.
As much as I hate the term ‘mouth-feel’ I don’t really know how to describe the texture of the sip. It’s really quite amazing. It’s smooth, light, refreshing, a tad floral, a little vegetal-sweet, and even a bit fruity-sweet…maybe like a sweeter crab apple.
This tea is just begging me for multiple infusions. Of course, I had to oblige. I infused longer each time and was able to get a solid 3 to 4 infusions out of it. Delicious!
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Fong Mong Tea
Description
Located between Xitou and Ali Mountain in central Taiwan – Nantou County, Shanlinxi (Sun-Link-Sea) is famous for its amazing “sun links sea” scenery. Situated at an altitude of approximately 1200 meters, Sun-Link-Sea has an average temperature of 20 degree Celsius all year long. Shanlinxi (Sun-Link-Sea) tea tree mountains, not as high as other high-mountain tea tree ones though, with their distinctive geographic environment, gestate another different fragrance and taste which is another characteristic fine tea of Taiwan high-mountain teas.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Shire Green / Geek and Tea
The moment I set eyes on the title of the tea (before even reading the name of the company) I knew they were referring to The Lord of the Rings.
This Canadian based company is owned by a lady who is a botanist and a geek who loves tea. Pairing the geek with the tea is a win in my book. If you are a geek you have to give their website a gander.
Now all that being said I’m disappointed in the packaging. One should never package in plastic. Especially clear plastic. Tea can be highly influenced by other aromas around it. And if not sealed tightly will quickly lose its freshness. I can tell just by smelling the dry leaf that it has been sitting a bit too long. It still brews up fairly well.
A bit astringent and a bit lax on the grassy flavors but I intend to save this company and order from them to give them a nice fresh taste.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: green
Where to Buy: Geek and Tea
Description:
Delicate with a surprisingly fresh and grassy quality, this organic green Ceylon tea will transport you to a in time in The Shire where friendly Hobbits roamed the country side covered with cotton-grass, moss and bracken.
Fresh, grassy and earthy aromas will delight the senses of this light amber green tea.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Chinese Wuyi Jin Jun Mei Black Tea Grade One / Apr Tea
Took a hiatus from some of the amazing teas I’ve been sampling the past few weeks. Not because I wanted to but because I had a bit of a cold.
Nothing serious but enough to knock my senses out a bit. Hoping against hope that I was better than yesterday I decided to open this 5g packet. Thought it quite odd they would use honey incense in the name but the moment I opened the packet it hit me. Then I had to blow my nose to make sure I was getting every ounce of this incredible aroma.
Honey and incense! The packet still smells like it even with the tea out in my pot. Needless to say I’m excited to try this. Oh wow. Oh man. This is beyond delightful. Everything about this tea is pleasure. Even the way the dry leaves looked before steeping.
Golden leaves mixed in with dark, chocolate-brown. The clear, dark, honey, liquid is a beautiful precursor to the flavor. No astringency, only sweet bits of honey rounded off with light touches of forest floor and hints of nuttiness. The mouth feel is incredibly smooth.
This tea just blows me away. If you enjoy black tea you absolutely have to give this one a try.
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Apr Tea
Description:
Wuyi Jin Jun Mei (金骏眉):Every 500g of Jinjun Mei tea needs tens of thousands of fresh shoots of tea buds, picking the fresh tea buds of the mountain original ecological species in Wuyishan Nature Reserve, to be completed through a series of complex withering, shaking, fermentation, rolling and other processing steps. The appearance of Jinjun Mei tea is small and tight. The color is gold, yellow, black and white. Golden for the tea fluff, buds, tight tight knot, round and straight, light body weight, uniform. Open Tang golden color, water with sweet, sweet through the incense, the bottom of the flower fruity display was unable to imitate and beyond the rare quality. Special aroma, dry tea fragrance; hot soup pure and refreshing; warm soup (45 ℃ or so) maturity and delicate; cold soup clear and elegant, high and lasting. Both hot and cold drinks are smooth, with “clear, and, alcohol, thick, fragrant” features. Even brewed 12 times, the mouth is still full of sweet, after the end of the leaves stretch, sprouts fresh, beautiful show.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!