75

Hmm, I’m confused about this one. It does not smell or taste like a charcoal roasted oolong. It’s seems extremely similar to an oriental beauty and if it is, then its a really good one (and that means something as I am not a big fan of oriental beauty). However, the leaves for this are tightly rolled unlike those of oriental beauty, so I dunno what to make of it.

Either I got the wrong tea in the package or this is a style of roasting that I am completely unfamiliar with. At any rate, it is a good tea, whatever it is! :D

ETA:
I just did a second steep for 45seconds (first was 1min15sec) and the flavor is significantly different than the first steep. I can now recognize the characteristics of a roasted oolong, but still not as strong as I thought it would be. In the first steep, I didn’t detect any of the smoky notes that it is supposed to have. I only detected honey with a hint of floral, much like oriental beauties I have had before, but it had a distinct nutty attribute that made it different. The second steep brings out hints of all that I expect from a heavier roast, but they are not all in-your-face.

I wouldn’t mind having more of this tea in my cupboard, but quality teas are pricey and I am saving my funds for Mantra Tea’s über-awesome Ruby Black. We’ll see how disciplined I am with my money when the time to order comes around :p

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 1 min, 15 sec
Mantra Tea Taiwan

Shelley you are substantially correct, as this one is not nearly as heavily roasted as the TGY. I would recommend trying it cold brewed before giving up though :)
We placed 5 grams in 500ml of mineral water, left it in the fridge for three days. It was magical then.
Hsiao
PS have to thank you again for so conscientiously brewing and reviewing our teas.

Shelley_Lorraine

I still have a lot to learn about teas :) I had expected this one to be heavier roast than the tieguanyin, so that was a surprise. I liked this one too though, it was just not what I was expecting when I brewed it this morning. I still have the leaves waiting for a second steeping and I’ll update my thoughts then. People are always recommending that I cold brew teas, but as many of my followers know, I don’t like cold tea. Call me weird, but I just don’t like to ice my teas (or my coffee). It might seem the thing to do in summer, but there is a reason that fall and winter are my favorite seasons (^^)

Mantra Tea Taiwan

Duly noted! I loved your Ruby Black review, btw. Though you said you didn’t have the vocabulary for it, your feelings really came through :)

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Mantra Tea Taiwan

Shelley you are substantially correct, as this one is not nearly as heavily roasted as the TGY. I would recommend trying it cold brewed before giving up though :)
We placed 5 grams in 500ml of mineral water, left it in the fridge for three days. It was magical then.
Hsiao
PS have to thank you again for so conscientiously brewing and reviewing our teas.

Shelley_Lorraine

I still have a lot to learn about teas :) I had expected this one to be heavier roast than the tieguanyin, so that was a surprise. I liked this one too though, it was just not what I was expecting when I brewed it this morning. I still have the leaves waiting for a second steeping and I’ll update my thoughts then. People are always recommending that I cold brew teas, but as many of my followers know, I don’t like cold tea. Call me weird, but I just don’t like to ice my teas (or my coffee). It might seem the thing to do in summer, but there is a reason that fall and winter are my favorite seasons (^^)

Mantra Tea Taiwan

Duly noted! I loved your Ruby Black review, btw. Though you said you didn’t have the vocabulary for it, your feelings really came through :)

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Bio

Name: Shelley Lorraine Limegrover
Location: Livingston, MT

Hobbies: Learning, reading books, math, physics (have a degree in it), literature (have a degree in it too), anthropology, traveling, piano, and drinking TEA, of course (^o^)

Favorite teas: Kukicha, Green teas in general, aged oolongs, charcoal roasted oolong, taiwanese oolongs, Assam . . .

Don’t like: Genmaicha, Earl Grey, Darjeelings, ginger, coconut, smokey teas (even mild ones), nut flavors, overwhelmingly strong floral flavor (esp. Jasmine), most della derra and adagio teas. . .

My Rating System

100 My happiness absolutely depends on it

95 Will definitely repurchase

85: Might repurchase (teas that depend on my mood)

75 Won’t repurchase (but I would drink it again if offered).

65: meh

45: I reluctantly finished a cup.

15: Couldn’t finish a cup.

I simplified my ratings to single numbers rather than ranges because I can’t precisely compare so many teas with a system more detailed than this.

An unrated tea is most often one that I recognize as having significant notable quality, but that does not suit me personally. Sometimes, I leave teas unrated for other reasons, such as I am undecided or I brewed it wrong, etc.

Note: Boiling temp. barely reaches 200 where I am (and a few times it sticks at 195, I assume due to unexplainable shifts in altitude or the position of the moon. . .aliens?. . .).

Location

Colorado

Website

https://shelleyintherain.word...

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