I decided to commune with the spirits in the wee hours, so I broke out my newly arrived Ta Oolong from Tea From Vietnam and started a session right at midnight.

The instructions on teafromvietnam.com only listed Western brewing and I was in the mood for a long gong fu session so I winged it by putting 5 grams of these little pearls in my 100ml gaiwan and steeped it 12 times at 10/10/10/15/20/25/30/45/60/120 seconds, finishing with 3 and 5 minute steeps as the leaves gave out. By mid-session the leaves expanded to fill the gaiwan. Many of them were intact and quite large.

The dry leaf reminded me of fresh cut grass. Once warmed, aromas of buttered popcorn, florals and sweetness emerged. About ten minutes after the 5 second rinse these turned to strong tart and sweet fruits with moderate florals.

Time to get busy! The first steep was a very pale greenish-yellow and smelled of sweet cream butter and florals.

BTW I’m not familiar with flower aromas so my notes are vague in that area. If you want a really good breakdown of which flower types are present in this tea you should read Amanda Wilson’s post on it here: http://steepster.com/SoggyEnderman/posts/316753. She can tell you not only what type of flower but also what month she smelled it and the type of soil it grew in. I’m exaggerating (slightly) of course, but she does have a great nose and a way with words.

So, back to the first steep. The body is very light but the flavors are distinct, with a buttery and lively mouthfeel. There’s a slight citrus tang with sugar sweetness, stonefruits and floral notes in the retro-nasal exhale. It feels like this tea is still opening up.

Subsequent steeps increase in body although it remains light, the liquid becomes a light yellow, the mouthfeel turns creamy and the flavors intensify to a moderate level. The main notes I find in the cup are tart citrus, sugar sweetness, stonefruits and spice, with the occasional appearance of buttered bread and fruity notes. There’s a moderate amount of florals in the retro-nasal exhale across all steeps. The first ten steeps were the best. The last two long steeps had a mild astringency and the flavors began to fade.

I felt the energy in this tea mainly in my heart and head, and it left me with a calm and clear mind. I usually drink roasted or aged oolongs, not having found a jade that really “wows” me. This one, however, turned my head. In spite of the light body the flavors, aromas and energy struck me in a most enjoyable way. I bought 50 grams so there’s plenty left to revisit this, and I will.

Pix: http://instagram.com/p/9Rx4KHli0j

Preparation
185 °F / 85 °C 5 g 3 OZ / 100 ML
boychik

Amanda is awesome at picking all the flavors. I know one more person who goes into such detailed notes and each steep is described . It’s yyz.

TeaExplorer

Of course. And I’m probably forgetting several other reviewers as well.

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I’ve only tried one Vietnamese black & it was quite pleasant. I shared it with my cousin who is a Vietnam vet, who said the Vietnamese allies were never without tea, and they drank it Grandpa style from big plastic (not so clean looking) jugs. Proof, I think, that one’s need for tea is unstoppable. I will definitely visit this vendor’s site.

TeaExplorer

That was my first tea of any kind from Vietnam. I stumbled across it in the post by Amanda ‘SoggyEnderman’ Wilson that I referenced in my review.

I ordered that and the Gui Fei (not tasted yet), 50 grams each, $11.90 apiece + shipping. Arrived via air mail in about 3 weeks.

Their web site has been broken for days. The main page loads, but all links yield a 404 error. I emailed them about it two days ago, but no response so far. Hopefully they are just on vacation or something.

pixel

Yes. Could not find the site you referenced online via search on my phone. Let me know if you find it again, please.

TeaExplorer

Will do :)

pixel

Thanks! Steep well;-)

TeaExplorer

The TeaFromVietnam web site is still broken (been down for a week now). No response to my email. Will keep checking periodically.

pixel

Thanks for checking. I’m trying to broaden my black tea knowledge and experience beyond China and India. I wish I had been on Steeper when I had that Vietnamese tea, so I would have tasting notes to jog my memory.

TeaExplorer

The teafromvietnam.com web site came back on line a short while ago.

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Thanks. I’m about to check out!

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Comments

boychik

Amanda is awesome at picking all the flavors. I know one more person who goes into such detailed notes and each steep is described . It’s yyz.

TeaExplorer

Of course. And I’m probably forgetting several other reviewers as well.

pixel

I’ve only tried one Vietnamese black & it was quite pleasant. I shared it with my cousin who is a Vietnam vet, who said the Vietnamese allies were never without tea, and they drank it Grandpa style from big plastic (not so clean looking) jugs. Proof, I think, that one’s need for tea is unstoppable. I will definitely visit this vendor’s site.

TeaExplorer

That was my first tea of any kind from Vietnam. I stumbled across it in the post by Amanda ‘SoggyEnderman’ Wilson that I referenced in my review.

I ordered that and the Gui Fei (not tasted yet), 50 grams each, $11.90 apiece + shipping. Arrived via air mail in about 3 weeks.

Their web site has been broken for days. The main page loads, but all links yield a 404 error. I emailed them about it two days ago, but no response so far. Hopefully they are just on vacation or something.

pixel

Yes. Could not find the site you referenced online via search on my phone. Let me know if you find it again, please.

TeaExplorer

Will do :)

pixel

Thanks! Steep well;-)

TeaExplorer

The TeaFromVietnam web site is still broken (been down for a week now). No response to my email. Will keep checking periodically.

pixel

Thanks for checking. I’m trying to broaden my black tea knowledge and experience beyond China and India. I wish I had been on Steeper when I had that Vietnamese tea, so I would have tasting notes to jog my memory.

TeaExplorer

The teafromvietnam.com web site came back on line a short while ago.

pixel

Thanks. I’m about to check out!

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

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Joined December 2013
Updated February 2016

Latest News: I brought my cupboard up to date (woot!)

Fond of Puerh (raw and ripe), Yunnan Blacks, Oolongs. Occasionally drink Assam, Darjeeling, Keemun. Not a fan of any flavored teas.

Doing limited swaps once again, but please try to not overwhelm me!

On Instagram as TeaExplorer. Only pictures of tea-related things, perhaps occasional cats and interesting outdoor shots. No food pix, I promise! I want to use the pictures to supplement my reviews here on Steepster.

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