Asha Tea House

No notes yet.

No notes yet.

No notes yet.

No notes yet.

The first few sips remind me of broccoli and grass. A bit bold for an introduction! It’s much greener tasting than other milk oolongs I have had in the past. The sip fades into a smooth floral note — quite tasty! This finish reminds me a little bit of Life in Teacup’s Bai Ya Qi Lan oolong tea.. but not as light and fluffy.

Second infusion offers many more floral flavors. As I’ve mentioned before, I am terrible at identifying specific flowers.. but these are sweet and yummy!

I’m surprised to see this tea is a milk oolong because it really isn’t that creamy or milky to me. It’s unique and tasty, but wasn’t exactly the milky cup I wanted this evening.

I have received this in a swap with BTVSGal. This is my first offering from Asha. It’s everything you would expect from a good golden Yunnan. A little malty, a little starchy like fresh cut french fries. It’s quite good.

This tea is refreshing, clean and sweet. It pairs perfectly with the pouring rain this afternoon. I need something bright! It’s very floral (I’m always terrible with identifying specific flowers) and more astringent than I expected. I wish there were more buttery notes.. in fact, I can’t really taste any in this cup. It’s nice, but there are other oolongs that are smoother and more enjoyable for me.

Tea of the morning, today I am revisiting this tea from Asha and my initial impressions still stand. Very malty with quite a bit of smoothness and no bitterness. Now that I know this tea is an assam cultivar all is becoming clear… ha!

the more I drink it, the more I like it.

I need to light a fire under myself to finish the green oolongs I have before they go stale.

I’m happy to report this is still delicious! (see previous notes). I did give it a bit of a longer steep today than I normally would because it’s western style brewing.

Finishing up the last of this one. So good!

It’s crazy how good this tea is! I don’t know how David finds these oolongs. I have been drinking a lot of black tea lately and have not had an oolong in a while. This is a great tea to get me back into drinking oolong. Really any of Asha house oolongs are. I can’t get enough of them! This is the last of the sample from sampler pack that I had.

Buttery cinnamon goodness:)

Thank you Mercuryhime for sharing with me! Well its okay … I can slightly taste the caramel in it – its not strong but it is there. It is also just okay as an oolong. The roasting is nicely done but it has a bit of a watery taste. I used plenty of leaf to water ratio. I think this could be an absolutely excellent tea if they worked it out a little. I am glad I got to try it!

I think I got this from Lindsay? I’m not sure. sorry! Well, anyway, I got this maybe a month or so ago and I never got around to trying it. Something about roasted oolongs are a turn off for me. I know that all oolongs are pretty much roasted or cooked or something, but the ones that promote roastyness…I dunnoooo. I like my oolongs green and fresh. So yeah, I was a bit nervous. But then, I was asked for this in a swap and I figured I’d better try it before I get rid of it. :)

I make myself a small tasting sized pot of this and hmmm…it’s not bad. It’s not as green as I prefer my oolongs but still, it’s got a bit of a honeyed note along with more traditional ti guan yin flavors. Quite good in fact. I probably wouldn’t buy it myself, but it’s good enough to enjoy. The second infusion is so average tasting though. There’s some creaminess in there, but I’m not sure if that’s left over from the coconut pouchong I was sipping earlier.

In any case, good experience!

And now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve been drinking tea all morning without a bit of food in my stomach…

I’ve tasted about a dozen ali shan offerings (most of them quite green, slightly-roasted like this one). Upon comparison, this is a standout. When it comes to floral aromas, I found some lovely ones within, lilac among them. However, it’s not as strongly floral as some I’ve had (and I do cherish those floral notes). Where this Pure Heart shines is the leaf freshness and tenderness and the even coverage of oxidation across the leaf. Obviously there was a lot of careful attention paid to bruising this crop, and it delivers a great drinking experience. Rich flavors of butter and corn are a delightful contrast to a light-bodied liquor which is clean and sparkling like champagne.

The pickers took complete budsets down to the third open leaf, yielding finished nuggets of dry tea that are large and fat. Many of the nuggets sport a ‘handle’ of stem which I’ve come to associate with hand-picked products. Gazing at the steeped budsets transports me to the tea fields in my mind’s eye. They are so juicy and tender that I am inclined to gobble up 90% of the leaf and stem, as if it were steamed asparagus. I wonder what it would taste like with a little bit of vinegarette dressing … something to explore with a future session’s results. I’m having my tea and eating it, too! This ali shan is an opportunity to discover the sweetness of stems, which are often sweeter than the leaves. This revelation has caused me to view stemmy tea with a less doubtful eye.

5 grams tea / 3 ounces water. Short rinse, followed by a rest … then steeps from one to ten minutes, with higher temperature in later ones.

Whatever sweet angel from here sent me this should be thanked! This second steep was also amazing. This is a much more complex oolong than some of the others that I have had. I love the slight sweetness of the honey and the roast flavor. Lovely.

omigod I made this exacting to the instructions set out by the steeping instructions. It smells crazy! There are roasted, honey notes that are very surprising for the 30sec. steep time. I’m really surprised because my last dan cong did not really smell quite like this; I’m starting it might be the steeping instructions? The liquor itself is very light, almost as clear as white tea.
Mmmm this tea is excellent! I was expecting it to be more harsh. But it was very light, very slightly roasty, and lots of honey. There is a very light amount of floral flavor at the back end of this sip that is really awesome. I am a convert to dan cong now. :p
edit
drool as this cools another flavor stands out. It has this almost lychee flavor! The stark clean flavor of lychee is what I’m noticing. I would recommend this one!

I love the name of this oolong. It sounds delicious!

First Infusion: Lightly buttery, clean & fresh. Very smooth, not astringent in the slightest.

Second Infusion: Stronger butter scent. Floral notes are definitely coming through now. Not as smooth as the first infusion. Flavors are more floral and with a little bit of bite.

Third Infusion: Still a bit astringent. The dominate flavor is of flowers, but with something like buttered greens in the background. Quite tasty!

I am going to stop steeping now, only because dinner is on the way. This is a very fresh and clean tasting oolong with nice floral flavors. I prefer a bit more milky/buttery notes in my oolongs, but drinking this tea gets me in the mood for spring!

No notes yet.

This tea has a aroma that really brings me to some wonderful morning memory, I just can’t seem to put my finger on what it’s reminding of, it’s almost like the smell of the hull of the toasted peanut. It has a great roasted rich burnt coffee aroma and taste, but the most unexpected sweetness that kind of tingles a little in your mouth and lingers long with the after taste. The first infusion was much more complex than the proceeding but it keeps it’s originality throughout.

Striking aroma from the leaves after first brewed, so sweet! Its very true to its name, wonderful honey floral taste almost like a honeysuckle, just a little hint of oxidation, smooth with a good heaviness on the tongue due to the astringency. I got to sample this with BTVSgal and was very sad upon learning it’s no longer for sale.

This tea is a little of the flavored side for me, but I see it pairing very well with a smoked fish or any Asian protein dish with oyster sauce. An interesting tea for sure, but not my cuppa.

Wonderful tea, light the rich aroma it’s buttery and mellow but this tea has a little a stronger nutty taste over the floral. Also had a higher astringency to me which I enjoy but tend to drink more of ;)

Drank this from the sampler, it’s mellow and buttery with a wonderful floral after taste. Very light with a touch of astringency.