I stopped at Happy Lucky’s for tea today looking for a headache cure for the smoke I’ve inhaled from the big fires here.
I asked if there were any new tea’s to try and this Ruby 18 was suggested. When I asked my expert server Sam more about it, he said it was an Assam Oolong blend, a toasted old leaf Oolong cooked and left with the leaves whole and straight like black tea. We discussed this category of darker Taiwanese Oolongs that would possibly place this Oolong with Black Tea’s in China. It is dark, has long leaves and isn’t green. Not sure.
Just learned the Assam is a hybrid with Chin Shin grown in Taiwan and introduced to the U.S. in 2011.
After my pot of tea steeped. I smelled the dark ruby red-brown colored leaves which smelled slightly of cinnamon and flowers.
The flavor was lighter than an Assam, not malty or smoky but mild with a little Oolong personality and no astringency.
The pairing was more successful than I would have imagined. I thought about how this would make a very fine cold brewed tea. Just the right balance of fruit and body.
I can’t stress enough how much it means to have a tea shop where you know the staff and where they and the owner are knowledgable about tea. If you can find a place…a tea pub…for yourself…do it! Search for such a special place.
Happy Lucky’s is the Best!
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I wish we had such a place locally and am also glad to hear that you are still safe and sound despite the smoke headache.
And they are probably happy to have you as a customer… :)
Ah Amy that was so sweet of you! (feet shuffling…)
(Uh, oh yeh there is the part where I bring THEM samples and BUY tea!)
It seems that if you edit your review it goes to the top of the list again or am I nuts?!
It does, I edited mine from earlier today, and one of Amy’s was like 4 minutes after mine, so it had been on top. Now it’s below. I was wondering what was going on, and that would definitely explain it.
Detective!
Glad you have a special place to go and buy yummy teas.
I am literally out in the middle of nowhere, online and catalog ordering is my only option.
Like Autumn said, very happy that you are safe!
And glad you have a new yummy tea to sip:)
yeah I noticed the switch too, it’s a bit weird
Hopefully Happy Luckys will have an online store later in the year!
This is my one complaint about our one local really good tea shop. Their catalog is fixed, has been for years, and seems unlikely to change. I’ve tried everything they have on offer that is likely to appeal to my taste and so the joy of trying something new is largely off the table when I go there.
I’m really surprised they don’t rotate in new teas, like, at all.
Sad and lazy! This tea was a new one. Every employee is tea educated and the employment is a career not a job. Partly because this shop has an altruistic mission building schools in Cambodia. 10% of proceeds and many events at the shop support this effort. (OCMC needs a tea house!)
I wish we had such a place locally and am also glad to hear that you are still safe and sound despite the smoke headache.
And they are probably happy to have you as a customer… :)
Ah Amy that was so sweet of you! (feet shuffling…)
(Uh, oh yeh there is the part where I bring THEM samples and BUY tea!)
It seems that if you edit your review it goes to the top of the list again or am I nuts?!
It does, I edited mine from earlier today, and one of Amy’s was like 4 minutes after mine, so it had been on top. Now it’s below. I was wondering what was going on, and that would definitely explain it.
Detective!
Glad you have a special place to go and buy yummy teas.
I am literally out in the middle of nowhere, online and catalog ordering is my only option.
Like Autumn said, very happy that you are safe!
And glad you have a new yummy tea to sip:)
yeah I noticed the switch too, it’s a bit weird
Hopefully Happy Luckys will have an online store later in the year!
This is my one complaint about our one local really good tea shop. Their catalog is fixed, has been for years, and seems unlikely to change. I’ve tried everything they have on offer that is likely to appeal to my taste and so the joy of trying something new is largely off the table when I go there.
I’m really surprised they don’t rotate in new teas, like, at all.
Sad and lazy! This tea was a new one. Every employee is tea educated and the employment is a career not a job. Partly because this shop has an altruistic mission building schools in Cambodia. 10% of proceeds and many events at the shop support this effort. (OCMC needs a tea house!)