75

A sample tea I got from Upton with one of my recent orders.

I have to agree with Jacqueline that this is a bit lighter in body and more oolong-ish than the Chinese Keemuns. My cup is a lovely dark red. I’m not really getting the smokiness myself, but I’m picking up on a sweetish, woody type of flavor. There is a definite tannin bite in the finish of this tea which is bugging me… maybe it needs less steeping time than what Upton recommended (5 minutes).

I enjoyed this a bit more with some soymilk which cut out some of the tannins and brought out a sweeter note. This was ok but not going on my list of items to buy.

Preparation
Boiling 5 min, 0 sec
Scott B

I have a sample of this that I need to try, although hearing it’s oolong-ish is a little disheartening.

So, what’s this tannin bite like? I’ve been tasting something in my finish lately. And now that I think of it, I don’t recall it in whites or greens-just blacks.
TeaBrat

The best way I can describe it is something bitter and sharp, slightly astringent. I only seem to find it in black tea personally.

Cheryl

My wishlist is safe from Keemun reviews…phew : )

TeaBrat

I’ve tried a few different ones and they just don’t seem to be favorites of mine. To each their own!

ScottTeaMan

WOW…….This one takes me back at least 8 yrs, and it was $2 cheaper, so not really a huge price increase. Anywho, without giving a full review (and I really do remember this one), I thought it was really good. I must have used more leaf, because I remember a fuller falavor. It is definitely different than a Chinese Keemun, I distinctly remember it being woody (oaky perhaps), but definitely woody. I don’t remember the Oolong note, and there is no smokiness like some Chinese Keemuns.

Hey wait…….this is turning into a full review…….me done. :))

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Comments

Scott B

I have a sample of this that I need to try, although hearing it’s oolong-ish is a little disheartening.

So, what’s this tannin bite like? I’ve been tasting something in my finish lately. And now that I think of it, I don’t recall it in whites or greens-just blacks.
TeaBrat

The best way I can describe it is something bitter and sharp, slightly astringent. I only seem to find it in black tea personally.

Cheryl

My wishlist is safe from Keemun reviews…phew : )

TeaBrat

I’ve tried a few different ones and they just don’t seem to be favorites of mine. To each their own!

ScottTeaMan

WOW…….This one takes me back at least 8 yrs, and it was $2 cheaper, so not really a huge price increase. Anywho, without giving a full review (and I really do remember this one), I thought it was really good. I must have used more leaf, because I remember a fuller falavor. It is definitely different than a Chinese Keemun, I distinctly remember it being woody (oaky perhaps), but definitely woody. I don’t remember the Oolong note, and there is no smokiness like some Chinese Keemuns.

Hey wait…….this is turning into a full review…….me done. :))

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

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Bio

My profile pic is of a pink dahlia at Golden Gate Park.

Hobbies include: tea, making art, animals, vegan things, buddhism, nature, creativity, books, writing, cooking, meditation, yoga.

I am a fan of many different teas but my favorites are blacks and oolongs, chai, also like darjeeling and pu-erh. I’n always learning and expanding my horizons!

Dislikes include: bergamot, jasmine, highly tannic or bitter teas, overly judgmental and bitter people. :)

Live in San Francisco, I’m a SINK (single income, no kids) and love the urban life, but traveling out to the middle of nowhere is always fun too.

I tend to not drink things I know I will hate so a lot of my tea ratings are on the higher side. Here’s my rating system, sorta

95-100 I love this tea and would like to keep it around

94-90 An excellent tea which I may or may not repurchase

89-80 Pretty good, above average

79-70 Acceptable

69-60 Mundane – Will probably drink it if I have it

59-50 Ick

49 and below Nasty

Location

San Frandisco

Website

http://sanfrantea.teatra.de

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