Dorothy

Zealong Black from Ya-Ya House of Excellent Teas

Dorothy drank Zealong Black by Ya-Ya House of Excellent Teas

Recently there was a post on Steepster/Teatra.de about a special offer to buy a pre-release pack of Zealong black tea. It seemed a bit pricey but I love trying new stuff so I put in an order for 50g. (Although to be fair, the price is on-par with other high end black teas I buy)
My package came in the mail today, and along with the tea I ordered there were a few goodies: a photo of a Zealong picker in a tea field, photo of a tea cup in snow, and 2 tea samples (gaba oolong and FF ruby darjeeling).

For my first tea session I will be brewing it “western style” once at 3mins. Next time I’ll do multiple short steeps in a 100ml tea vessel.

Dry leaf appearance: big broad leaves

Liquor scent: malty, grainy

Flavour: Starts off very light, grainy, malty, with a sweet after taste. As I kept drinking, I started picking up on a unique flavour, not sure how to describe it other than “grapey”. It’s not a muscatel or concord grape kinda flavour. The tea body wasn’t bitter or had much astringency. Reminds me a bit of the “oolong-black” tea I tried from Yuuki-Cha.

Next time I brew this western style, I’ll try it at 5 minutes. The tea body is very light, so I think it could benefit from a longer steep time. This is my second experience with a tea from New Zealand. Before this I tried the Zealong Pure oolong, which I thought was pretty good. They all seem to be quite smooth and lack a sharp astringency.

Overall I found this to be an interesting black tea, but I won’t rate it until I do a short steep session.

2012-02-28 17:55:57 -0500

200 °F / 93 °C

3 min 0 sec

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Tea addict since 2010. I do not sweeten, add (soy) milk, honey or anything else to my teas. _{(not that I look down upon it, but it’s not my preference)}

Feel free to add me on Steepster, I’ll probably add you back. :)

_{I don’t log tea every time I drink it. Tasting notes tend to be about either one style of brewing or a new experience. It is helpful for me to look back on my notes and see what a tea tasted like or which steeping parameter worked best for me.}

_{When I write “tsp”, the measurement I use is a regular western teaspoon. Not a tea scoop}

_{Recently I have begun listing how much water I use, amount of tea leaves, and number of steeping with their times in my notes. This is for two reasons, firstly so that I can duplicate good experiences and also avoid steep times that were bad. Secondly so that other people on Steepster can suggest better steep parameters. I am ALWAYS looking to improve my knowledge of tea and how to prepare it. :) So if you have a tip, suggestion, or critique, please let me know via comment or private message.}

_{Since I am constantly developing my palate, over time tea ratings can change +/- 10 points. This mostly applies to the first few months I’ve spent on Steepster (I hadn’t tried anything excellent yet!)}

_{All ratings last adjusted: Feb 2nd, 2012}

What my tea ratings mean:

99-100: Teas that blow my mind! An unforgettable experience. Savoured to the last drop. I felt privileged to drink this.

90-98: Extraordinary, highly recommended, try it and you won’t be disappointed (and if you are, mail me the tea!)

80-89: Excellent, a treasured experience but not a favourite.

70-79: Good but could be better. Above average.

60-69: Average, unexceptional, not something I would buy again. Slightly disappointed. I’d rather drink water.

50-59: Doesn’t meet my expectations / Disappointed. Subpar. Does not leave a bad taste in my mouth.

40-49: Leaves a bad taste in my mouth

Below 39: Not suitable for consumption

No rating: Mixed feelings, can’t decide whether I like it or not, not enough experience with that sort of tea to rate it. A dramatic change of heart.