Nannuoshan
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o Quantity: Half the sample packet/110 ml
o Water temperature: 90°C
o 5 infusions: 30, 30, 45, 45, 60 sec
Stream of consciousness notes (ie. Don’t think too much, don’t care about grammar, just write what you are experiencing as you experience it.)
o Dry leaf aroma: aroma is powerful, immediately, expansive, dark chocolate covered raisins, very sweet caramel, a faint amount of floral. when allowed to air out more, a chocolate flavored sugar candy arrives at the forefront
o Dry leaf aroma in heated gaiwan: dark chocolate covered raisins – so incredibly sweet, though almost single noted
o 3 sec wash
o Throat: semi-sweet chocolate, caramel, then fades into creamy milk chocolate – very sweet and a bit warm in its sweetness, a faint amount of pecan
o Wet leaf aroma: prunes mixed with milk chocolate, faint amount of wet bark
o Liquor color: light to medium brown, leaning more red than yellow, it has a bit of opaqueness to it
o Liquor aroma: intensely soft creamy milk chocolate, dried fruits, small amount of chocolate covered raisins, larger amount of caramel. the sweetness is not overwhelming
o Taste: creamy milk chocolate first, hint of floral in the middle, ends with dark chocolate covered raisins and a bit of cream. raisin and milk chocolate notes linger longest. oily and slightly creamy mouthfeel, expansive in the mouth, throat is refreshing and length is long, no astringency at all, no notes of typical roasting
o 2nd infusion liquor aroma: almost no noticeable degeneration in aroma, a sakura (cherry blossom) note is present now that mingles with the rest.
o 2nd infusion taste: first cream and milk chocolate and then a small amount of chocolate covered raisins, middle of sip has a note of creamy honey, mouthfeel is more creamy than oily, no astringency, long length, coats mouth in milk chocolate and faint amount of raisins, raisin note seems to get stronger towards the end of the sip
o 3rd infusion liquor aroma: very very slight degeneration. Otherwise the notes are the same as the previous infusion.
o 3rd infusion taste: addition of hot water aroma, notes of chocolate covered raisins are most prominent, mouthfeel is less creamy, first hit is milk chocolate, caramel, and raisins which moves to chocolate covered raisins that expand in the mouth, length is still long, no astringency
o 4th infusion liquor aroma: almost identical to steep three’s aroma
o 4th infusion taste: chocolate covered raisins and cream hit first, the candy note lingers longest and the addition of milk chocolate comes in the middle and fades into the candy note, not incredibly complex, mouthfeel is thinning out, no astringency, length is long
o 5th infusion liquor aroma: degeneration increases a bit but still just as sweet and soft
o 5th infusion taste: hot water note hits first and then chocolate covered raisins, cream and milk chocolate hits in the middle. the milk chocolate lingers longest. the throat is more refreshing, no astringency, mouthfeel is creamy, body is medium to thin
Though only five infusions are suggested, I went ahead and did two more infusions. The first was for two minutes the last was for three minutes and thirty seconds.
o 6th infusion liquor aroma: aroma has the addition of liqueur to it
o 6th infusion taste: notes very similar to the fifth infusion
o 7th infusion taste: all notes are the same as the sixth infusion, however, they are all muted, it could still be considered a steep, but an incredibly light one.
o Final thoughts: Incredibly unusual in a positive way, the chocolate covered raisin note mixed with the warmth of the sweetness is something that is not common
Preparation
o Quantity: Half sample pack / 110 ml
o Water temperature: 100°C
o Several infusions, 60 seconds each.
Stream of consciousness notes (ie. don’t think too much, don’t care about grammar, just write what you are experiencing as you experience it)
o Dry leaf aroma: Sweet roasted nuts, dried fruits, huapia (Hawaiian coconut pudding), a bit of molasses, the freshly roasted tea note arrives at the forefront when the tea airs out a bit
o Dry leaf aroma in heated gaiwan: Roasted aroma intensifies and overshadows the other notes, sweetness is sharp
o Throat: roasted nuts, sharp sweetness, hint of stone fruits, some caramel
o Wet leaf aroma: cooked fruit, roasted leaves, dull sweetness reminiscent of a fruit liqueur
o Liquor aroma: Huapia is upfront, followed by cream, almond milk, and honey.
o Taste: light but complex and with deep notes of huapia and toast, fruit notes appear in the middle, huapia note lingers the longest. small amount of astringency at the end. medium body. medium length. mouthfeel is a bit dry. soft sweetness. honey notes appear towards the end.
Notes on the remaining infusions:
o Was able to do four infusions after the first. The fifth infusion was incredibly faint.
o Aroma changes: More roasted aroma than any other aroma
o Tastes changes: Mouthfeel is a bit more creamy. The notes of huapia and fruit vanish quickly, sweetness also vanishes quickly.
o Spent leaf aroma: figs and dates, wet leaves, small amount of minerals
Preparation
o Quantity: Half sample pack / 110 ml
o Water temperature: 200 F
o 4 infusions: 60, 60, 90, 90 sec
Stream of consciousness notes (ie. don’t think too much, don’t care about grammar, just write what you are experiencing as you experience it)
o Dry leaf aroma: immediate mineral notes, wet rocks, a hint of floral, some sweetness and a note of honey, when allowed to air it is much sweeter and has an additional note of sugarcane
o Dry leaf aroma in heated gaiwan: strong and sharp wet mineral notes are at the forefront then accompanied by floral notes
o 1 sec wash
o Throat: warm (ie. soft as opposed to sharp) sweetness and a bouquet of flowers that fades into sugarcane
o Wet leaf aroma: sharp mineral note, then a wet rock note that covers the floral notes in the background
o Liquor color: medium brown that leans more to red than yellow
o Liquor aroma: butter upfront and then cream and flowers, warm sweetness
o Taste: mineral and concord grape notes hit first with a small amount of upfront astringency and then are overshadowed by the floral notes which is where the sweetness lies, the middle of the sip has a short note of cinnamon, the sip ends with a bit of cream that lingers, the mouth is coated in a bit of a mineral note and very faint amount of flowers, body is thin, length is long.
o 2nd infusion liquor aroma: light mineral notes mixed with floral notes and a faint amount of cream, small amount of bread
o 2nd infusion taste: mostly minerals and flowers up front, a small amount of bread in the middle, less astringency than first steep, however the astringency lingers and coats the mouth
o 3rd infusion liquor aroma: warm sweet cream over the mineral notes, floral notes intermingle with both, has less depth
o 3rd infusion taste: the mineral note is very soft, the overall sip is a bit sweeter, floral makes up most of the notes and then cream, a small amount of astringency shows up at the end, sip is a bit drying
o 4th infusion liquor aroma: bread notes are more upfront, followed by notes of flowers, very minimal mineral notes
o 4th infusion taste: bread notes hit first, followed by cream and a faint amount of floral, less astringency at the end of the sip than in the third steep, length is short, cream note lingers longest
o Spent leaf aroma: hot water, then bread, and finally a faint amount of flowers
Preparation
o Quantity: Half sample pack / 110 ml
o Water temperature: 90°C
o 3 infusions: 60, 90, 90 sec
Stream of consciousness notes (ie. don’t think too much, don’t care about grammar, just write what you are experiencing as you experience it)
o Dry leaf aroma: Sweet, sugar based candy with the faintest hint of cherry flavoring, background note is mineral, foreground is a creamy sugar note that is airy but bold. Other notes detected are honey, a hint of coconut, a hint of caramel, and some roasted nuttiness mixed in and buried within the sweetness. A faint hint of cotton candy is noticed when leaves are allowed to air out.
o Dry leaf aroma in heated gaiwan: light roasted note added on top of the notes above, dark cherry note added, as well.
o 1 sec wash
o Liquor color: brown that borders on tan, has a tinge of yellow. medium in value.
o Throat: soft sugar cane, faint cherries, faint caramel, incredibly sweet
o Wet leaf aroma: wet rocks, minerals, fresh greens, faint amount of flowers
o Liquor aroma: very warm and deep aroma of honey, cream and butter, faint fresh and overly buttery pastries, small amount of caramel
o Taste: minerals are sharp and hit first, not astringent, body is thin, mineral notes become more faint as notes of cream, honey, and caramel hit, small amount of floral notes hit towards the end of the sip. medium length and is more cooling than warming, overall mouthfeel is creamy
o 2nd infusion taste: you can tell immediately that the complexity has diminished a bit from the first infusion, same notes are present but with the distinct hot water aroma note added to it
o 3rd infusion taste: minerals evolve into a faint amount of honey, butter and flowers, mouthfeel is still creamy, medium length and even more cooling, overall the notes are not as strong, can detect a very small amount of cherry appearing at the end of the sip, no astringency
o 4th infusion taste: incredibly soft and smooth, all notes are faint – notes of butter arrive first and then minerals that remain for the entire sip, and honey makes an appearance close to the front but vanishes. overall a relaxing steep and not complex
o Spent leaf aroma: floral, minerals, wet leaves, mostly minerals.
Preparation
o Quantity: Half sample pack / 110 ml
o Water temperature: 90°C
o 4 infusions: 60, 60, 60, 90 sec
Stream of consciousness notes (ie. don’t think too much, don’t care about grammar, just write what you are experiencing as you experience it)
o Dry leaf aroma: sweet bark, sweet cinnamon, floral, honey, faint minerals, a faint amount of cedar
o Dry leaf aroma in heated gaiwan: strong addition of charcoal, dark spices like clove, finally cinnamon hits – all other notes from before are muted. Overall it is sweet, but the roasted note is stronger than the sweetness.
o 1 sec wash
o Throat: strong charcoal – indicative of a heavily roasted tea like a gui fei, hints of stone fruit, sweet and faint cinnamon, sweetness of sugarcane and then honey
o Wet leaf aroma: strong minerals, hint of charcoal, hint of fresh earth, wet green leaves, small amount of cinnamon at the end
o Liquor color: Medium tan/brown with a tinge of red
o Liquor aroma: aroma is faint but cinnamon is detected first, minerals are next and are almost overshadowing the cinnamon, honey sweetness is detected in a deep breath
o Taste: notes evolve on the tongue. pleasant oily mouthfeel, mineral notes linger as do cinnamon notes. The cinnamon lingers in the throat for a while as the mouth is coated in a sweet, mineral note. Sweetness hits first when the tea hits the mouth, quickly moves to minerals with a faint hint of flowers and a stronger note of cinnamon. Very smooth – small amount of astringency comes with the mineral notes. Medium to thick body.
o 2nd infusion liquor aroma: cinnamon sugar that mingles with the mineral notes seamlessly
o 2nd infusion taste: mouthfeel is creamy and oily. throat lingers with minerals and cinnamon. mineral notes hit first when the tea hits the tongue, quickly mixed with a bit of cinnamon and creamed honey. Smooth, however, there is a very apt and very small amount of astringency. Body is medium. Length is long and warming from the cinnamon notes.
o 3rd infusion taste: First notice the difference in astringency, it is gone from the second steep. All over, it does not evolve like the previous steeps, instead the notes mingle. Body is medium. Length is long and warming still but the notes are incredibly faint. Notes are of minerals, a faint hint of cinnamon, and a faint amount of flowers – the notes have a small amount of sugar cane sweetness to them. Notes are distinctly not as bold as the first two steeps.
o 4th infusion taste: Incredibly faint. Notes of winter honey, a bit of spice, and minerals. Evolution on the tongue goes from sweet, light, and creamy due to the honey notes to a small bite of astringency with mineral notes. Body is medium. Length is shorter than the previous steeps.
o Spent leave aroma: hay, minerals, wet earth, honey
o Final thoughts: After all four steeps, I would say that one and two are the most flavorful and complex. The third is interesting due to its lightness and lack of astringency.
Preparation
The third white tea from the Nannuoshan collection. Good white tea will age well and mature in flavor. You do not need to finish it off in a hurry if stored well. This one is from 2008. In the dry leaf I catch a complex blending of scents. This is leafy and deeply earthy. There is a touch of sour mixed with sweet. I also catch the fragrance of hay with floral overtones.
The leaf is very dark compared to their younger, Bai Mu Dan offering. It looks more mature with silver buds covered in fine downy hair. The leaves have only a slight hint of green. Mostly they are darker shades of brown, looking more like black tea at this point.
A 30 second steep in 195 F water results in a liquor that is clear with only a light tinting of yellow. The leaf remained mostly on the top of the water during the steep. After emptying the teapot, the leaves can be seen as chocolate brown and cinnamon.
The aroma is very suggestive of a black tea. Along with the leafy and peony floral notes, I detect a healthy dose of malt.
Tasting, there is a green leafy note up front, followed by a touch of ginger without the heat. After this, it turns a mellow mineral, followed by a mystery taste. It isn’t really potato. I am thinking maybe water chestnut, but not really. What is that familiar flavor?
Second cup, also at 30 seconds, had a plum aroma as I poured. The taste continues where the first cup left off with the addition of a peppery spice note up front. This cup also has a pleasant peony taste.
Cup three was steeped for 45 seconds. Weird, it is back to having a malty aroma with a much lighter plum note. This tastes much like the second, except the spicy note is much less pronounced. The plum that I caught in the aroma is also drifting in to the taste.
Sorry getting long winded. I’ll finish by saying this seems to pack a lot of cha qi. I feel warm and fuzzy, very mellow, yet very focused.
My second white tea from the Nannuoshan collection. The dry leaf aroma has sweet and slightly sour notes of fresh cut hay. My sample had very little settling so the leaf is mostly intact, long and straight. The leaf is light green to olive, while the buds are silvery and covered in fine downy hair.
A 30 second steep produces a very light yellow liquor. The tiny fuzzy hairs are seen throughout the mug. Once the tea cools for a moment the fuzz all settles to the bottom leaving an otherwise clear brew.
The wet leaf scent matches perfectly my memory of mom’s peony bushes that bloomed outside my bedroom window when I was a wee lad. I have honestly never caught this before in a white peony. So, much love.
Sipping I get a light melon/cucumber taste. There is some amount of floral notes that are more in the background. The longer I sip the more I pick up on the slightly sweet hay noted in the dry leaf aroma.
I veered off course with the second cup and steeped for 1 1/2 minutes instead of the recommended 45 seconds. The flavor is more intense but I learned I really prefer the shorter steep taste. The brew is a much darker golden color with a green tint. The flavor seems to match the first cup but as I mentioned is more intense. It is accompanied by a peppery spice note at the front of the sip. I catch fleeting glimpses of fruit. It seems to jump back out of range before I can fully lock in on it and identify exactly what type fruit.
I have enough for another session with this one. I intend to stick with the recommended time and temps.
I chose to review Nannuoshan’s white tea collection. This first one, Xue Ya, seems controversial. I’ve seen versions of Snow Buds listed by other companies as white, yellow, and green teas. This one from Yixing is long straight green leaf with silver haired buds. The dry leaf scent is slightly sweet, and equal parts grassy and oats.
The first steep was 30 seconds. The liquor has very little color, just a hint of yellow. The green wet leaf has an aroma suggesting stewed meat to me, Mmmmm. Along with it is a vine like aroma.
The taste is mildly sweet. It is sort of grassy, but the taste is bigger than that simple word. It has a bite that is bitter, but stay with me, the bitter is the crisp refreshing type that is pleasing to the palate.
The second cup at 45 seconds is very different. The good bitter of the first cup is moved to the aftertaste along with some grassiness. The sip itself has a strong umami presence with an almost metallic bite. My cup was empty before I realized, so obviously I enjoyed it.
The third cup at 60 seconds morphs once more. The aroma is quite vegetal, seeming more like a Chinese green tea. The taste is a combination of flavors. I get earthy/mushroom, mineral, umami, and grass. The aftertaste is cooling while tasting lightly sweet, and a good bitter grass.
I do like this one. To my tastes it seems more like a green tea than a white. I can see why the debate rages on.
I received samples from Nannuoshan for review.
let me just say its creative presentation and i really loved personalized letter.
Today i decided to start with Rou Gui. i sampled a few before so i knew what to expect.
i prepared it according to website parameters.
3g 90C 110ml porcelain gaiwan
rinse/ 60/60/60/90sec
i really loved the aroma coming when i rinsed the leaves. Simply divine. Mix of roasted nuts and florals. But floral notes in this tea are not strong (thank god). its just beautiful compliment to the complex mix of peaches and roasted nuts and cinnamon.
1 steep @60 sec – pleasant, not super roasty, some floral, hint of cinnamon. slight sweetness coming thru. Very aromatic
2,3 steep @60sec- leaves are opening up more, more intense in flavor. but never harsh. i found 2nd and 3rd steep are pretty similar.
4 steep @90sec – very nice and pleasant, not harsh in any way. Some citrus-y notes emerging and cutting thru sweetness of peach and nuts (not roasted any more lol). now im thinking it reminds me nectarines more than peaches.
To sum up: many people are not huge fans of roasted oolong. this one is perfectly fine and safe. Give them a chance, its like delicious fruit compote in your mouth. The sweetness is lingering long after i finished my session.
6g for 100cc and flash or quick steeps. This is my usual parameters . im pretty sure i didnt experience the whole beauty of this tea my way. i have 3g left. i may do it my way and report the results.For the record I stopped rating any tea long time ago. it is hard for me to put a number. the more i try the harder it is.
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Preparation
ooooh! “delicious fruit compote”… yum.
And, I’m with you on the number rating thing… I just can’t do it.
Sounds really delicious! I’m with you on roasted oolongs too – they’re really special teas that definitely do not not need to be feared!!
I agree with your comments on ratio. I’ve stopped packing my pot as much as Iused to, but like my Yancha with lots of leaf!!
As long as you’re OK with a little bitterness, bringing up the leaf-to-water-ratio really helps to enhance the body, mouthfeel, etc.
Oh no! I wrote this tasting note a while back but forgot to post it. Sorry about that Gabriele.
The dry leaves a large and twisted, in different shades of pistachio, brown, and reddish. Wonderfully fruity lychee aroma with mineral and nut notes, slightly boozy.
The first brew has notes of pistachio, dried cherry, and a fairly strong mineral note. Slightly roasted. Medium orange infusion
Subsequent infusions gain a fragrant wood note and moderate sweetness. The mouthfeel is nice and thick and lingering taste and aroma. Slightly bitter with a hoppy flavor. Very hearty and reminds me a bit of a good beer.
Like all the samples I received from Nannuo Shan it was a very fine tea, and I am grateful for the opportunity to try them.
Flavors: Dried Fruit, Hops, Mineral, Nutty
Preparation
Additional notes: I’m having the last of this sample and somehow it is even tastier than last time… a fuller, smoother flavor. I’m not sure why! It seems steeped perfectly this time… I wish I was paying more attention when I was steeping it. It was definitely at least 20 minutes after boiling (last time 22 minutes), so there wasn’t much of a difference with that. I’m raising the rating from an 87… it’s the perfect bai mu dan!
Thanks so much for the samples, Nannuoshan! This is the last one! I didn’t think I’d be able to write reviews for all eight within a week but somehow I’ve managed it! I hope I’ve done a well enough job that Nannuoshan is glad they sent some samples my way. I’ve enjoyed all of the teas from Nannuoshan – some high quality leaves here! This is another white tea that suggests a high temp and time on the site (five minutes at 194 degree water?), so I didn’t really follow that. The huge leaves are silver with hints of green, sometimes fuzzy. The bright yellow cup tastes like a sweet lemon dessert, something fluffy with meringue or marshmallow with a bit of a dried grass flavor to bring it back to Earth so you remember you’re drinking tea. The scent of the steeped leaves are super vegetal – I’m glad that doesn’t appear in the flavor of the tea though. The second steep has even more flavor – brighter, crisper, a little more buttery or savory — less delicate than the sweet lemon dessert of the first cup but in no way oversteeped or bitter. It has a lot more flavor than the Dian Yin Zhen that I tried the other day. This one is a great Bai Mu Dan – the type of white tea that made me realize how much I LOVE a great quality white tea.
Steep #1 // 3 grams // 22 minutes after boiling // 12 ounce mug 2/3 full // 2 minute steep
Steep #2 // 20 minutes after boiling // 3 min steep
nannuoshan.org
Flavors: Butter, Grass, Lemon, Marshmallow, Meringue
Thanks again for the samples, Nannuoshan! I’m glad I was able to try most of the black teas! I used 1 1/2 teaspoons for a 12 ounce mug 2/3 full. The leaves look a little the Yi Ji Qi Hong Xiang Luo and the Tanyang Gongfu – completely dusty black and shorter than some of Nannuoshan’s other black teas. The fragrance of the dry leaves is very bready. I would say the flavor is somewhere between a keemun and a bailin gongfu but difficult to describe. There are some deep but subtle plum notes, rye bread notes, hints of chocolate and tobacco. A very dark cup and very tasty. The second steep seems on the lighter side, but that’s probably because I waited the same length of time to steep the second cup.
Steep #1 // 1 1/2 tsp // 10 minutes after boiling // 12 ounce mug 2/3 full // 3 minute steep
Steep #2 // 10 minutes after boiling // 4 min steep
nannuoshan.org
Flavors: Bread, Chocolate, Plum, Rye, Tobacco
This tea has the dark thin flatter leaves of the traditional gongfu tea with occasional bits of gold. The dry leaf smells grainy and malty with cocoa underneath.
I followed Nannuoshan’s recommended parameters if 3g/150ml which is slightly more leaf than I normally use but it did not make the tea taste bitter.
First steep: 45s the broth is light copper brown, when steeping I smelled a waft of malty chocolate. The steeped tea also had hints of tart fruit, caramel and cinnamon in its scent.
The flavour top notes were a mix of barley, tart fruit and malt, with cocoa, cinnamon and caramel underneath. The taste captured all the notes of the scent.
As it cooled, the caramel notes and malty chocolate notes intensified. A sweet spicy floral note also appeared. Hints of warm plum and a faint hint of mandarin appeared in the taste as well.
2nd steep: 60s : Malt opened up to caramel floral spice and tart sweet fruit, caramel and chocolate in the aftertaste. Strong flavour of floral spice and caramel at the end of the sip.
3rd steep: 60s more grainy with slightly citrus like fruit tones added to the other flavours. Again floral, and slight tropical fruit note in aftertaste.
4th steep 90s heavier malt with deeper darker tones, floral, caramel, spice tones still present.
Altogether this was quite a nice tanyang. The fruit was quite balanced in it( sometimes I find them too bright and need to let the tea age a bit before I enjoy it) and it is maltier than some examples I have had which gives it a nice body.
Thanks Nannuoshan for the opportunity to try this tea!
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Oh my.
This is my third and final day testing my way through nannuoshan’s Tieguanyins. I am so glad that I save the best for last. This is the most interesting and complex tea I have drank in some time.
I used 3g of leaf in my 150ml gaiwan @ 90C. 30/30/45/45/60/60….
The dry leaf is so fragrant and rich. I was practically drooling on the loosely rolled, dark green leaves. They smelled like ripe summer fruits marinating in rum.
Steeping the leaves produces a happy medium between the roasted TGY and the lighter roast. It’s a honey colored liquor that is thick and soupy. There is a strong ripe peach flavor, as well as some graham cracker and blackberries and mineral notes. I am surprise at how boozy this tea tastes! I keep going, but the flavor does not stop.
Flavors: Alcohol, Brandy, Graham Cracker, Peach
Preparation
This is my eighth, and final, sample from nannuoshan. Thanks so much to Gabriele and nannuoshan for sending this my way! I should mention that one reason I asked to sample this tea is that I have yet to find a white tea that I really like. I’m hoping this one will change my mind.
This tea is beautiful. The leaves are a mint green color and are covered in what looks like white down. The ends are darker, especially the stem ends which look as though they’ve been scorched. Such a wide array of colors in each leaf. This is really something special.
Side note: I think I must be having some trouble with my digital kitchen scale because it never gives me consistent readings. I thought at first that I must be doing something wrong, but now I’m pretty sure it’s just not that great. With that said, I think I used about 3 grams of tea leaves here.
I did a quick rinse with the leaves though I’m not entirely sure this is necessary with a white tea. Gabriele mentioned in his note that this would work for all but green teas so I did it here just in case. The first infusion is very light in color and in flavor. I was worried that this would be bitter which has been my experience with other white teas but it really isn’t. I’m not picking up any specific flavors though.
The leaves on the second infusion smell stronger, almost malty like a dark rye bread. It doesn’t necessarily taste like rye, just like a dark wheat bread. Maybe something like pumpernickel. This surprises me because I don’t think of white tea as having a bold flavor. It’s not quite as strong as a darker tea, but the flavor is definitely there.
By the third steep, the tea is starting to calm down. It’s still very flavorful, but it’s nothing like the punch of the second infusion. I might otherwise try to steep this one again, but it’s getting late so I’m going to end here.
Infusions
4 ounces water + 195 degrees + 45 sec, 45 sec, 60 sec
Flavors: Bread, Malt, Wheat
Preparation
This turned out to be my favourite Yancha of this sample package provided by Gabriele and Nannuoshan. It had Avery nice nix of fruit, spice, floral and wheatgrass notes and made me think of spring.
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The leaves ranged from olive green to brown with hints of rust. Once I put them into a preheated pot they released a scent that was quite fruity and spicy with hints of cherry, papaya and berries.
I steeped 2g of tea in a 100ml yixing at temperatures between 90-95°C. This tea yielded 10 steeps for me ( 2*60, 2*90, 2*120,150, 210s, 4 and 5min).
In early steeps the scent was fruity with hints of melon, white peach, and cherry mixed with cinnamon, wheatgrass and a bit of vanilla.
Early steeps yielded a wheatgrass flavour opening up to a cantelope cherry blend with cinnamon, cream, clover nectar. The tea had a fruity floral aftertaste with clover nectar and cantelope.
By 90s the tea had a flavour where the notes were well blended and a minetalnote became apparent.
Towards the end the flavour faded towards mineral notes, honey, sweet veg and a bitter sweet cacao note.
This tea was a nice antidote to the wintery weather we’ve been having.
Thanks again for the samples, Nannuoshan! So many oolongs to choose from at Nannuoshan! As much as I’d love to try them all, I think I know the Tie Guan Yin best… and it might be my favorite type of oolong other than a Wen Shan Bao Zhong (spelling?). The jade green bundles actually have the scent of milk oolong to me, very sweet. After lifting the infuser from the mug, the dark green leaves now have a floral fragrance – my favorite type of oolong (the more floral the better.) The flavor of this pale, mellow tea isn’t as floral as some oolongs I’ve tried, but is very smooth, syrupy, milky, a little buttery, hint of orchids, and some odd flavor I’ve never tasted in an oolong that reminds me of some sort of vegetable I haven’t tasted in ages. It does throw me. As it cools, the flavor is creamier and fruity, possibly pineapple. I love the cooled flavor. I feel like I could drink gallons before I’m tired of the flavor for a while. The second and third steeps are just as delicious: sweet and silky as could be, now the fruit has switched to peach. The odd vegetal flavor that was at the top of the first cup might not have appeared if I had rinsed the leaves first. I’ve tried many oolongs, and this one seems to be at the top of the list for the sweetest and smoothest oolong. There wasn’t any hint of any oversteeped astringency and these leaves could have kept steeping many more times. I feel like I could drink gallons before I’m tired of the flavor for a while. Though it is a great representative of Tie Guan Yin, there is a unique flavor that makes it top quality. Where would I be without oolongs like this one?!
Steep #1 // 1 heaping tsp // 8 minutes after boiling // 12 ounce mug 2/3 full // 2 minute steep
Steep #2 // 6 minutes after boiling // 2 min steep
Steep #3 // 2 min after boiling // 2 1/2 min
nannuoshan.org
Flavors: Butter, Creamy, Milk, Orchid, Peach, Pineapple, Sweet
Thank you to Gabriele and nannuoshan for this sample!
I’m excited to try this one since my favorite of nannuoshan’s samples so far has been the roasted Anxi Tie Guan Yin. The color of this version is a strikingly vivid and vibrant green (much like fresh spinach leaves) and the fragrance is just as flowery as I had hoped.
After a quick rinse, the aroma of the leaves is much more vegetal than floral. The first steep brings out a certain freshness, and I can taste both the floral and the vegetable flavors in this infusion. The liquid is a pale yellow and the flavor is very light.
It’s interesting, the taste in this second infusion is more vegetal while the aroma is more floral. It’s also a little bitter. I probably shouldn’t make comparisons here, but I much prefer the roasted variety. I’m just not sure I’m enjoying this one as much as I should be.
The third steep went a little longer because I got distracted after setting my timer, but I don’t think the flavor suffers too much for it. It’s still a touch bitter, but it’s starting to feel a little watered down as well. I have to say that this isn’t my favorite of the nannuoshan teas that I’ve tried, but I would like to come back to this one after trying other varieties to see if my opinion has changed at all.
Infusions
4 ounces water + 195 degrees + 30 sec, 30 sec, 60 sec
Flavors: Floral, Vegetal
Preparation
A big thank you to Gabriele and nannuoshan for this sample!
I requested a sample of this thinking it was something I had never tried before and didn’t put it together until today that I actually have some Qi Lan oolong in my cupboard already. I ordered this same type of oolong from Teavana back in October. It would be interesting to compare them side by side to see the difference between the two. Perhaps I’ll do that with the rest of my sample.
I had a black tea earlier today and it’s so interesting to see how different the leaves look when comparing the two. The black tea had leaves so small that some were almost twig-like. The oolong leaves are plump and curvaceous, a shade of green so deep it might pass for black. It has a sweet scent, but I don’t detect anything floral just yet. I’m hopeful that it will live up to its description of “unusually sweet and flowery”.
Oops, I forgot about the rinse on this one until it was too late. I let it steep for about 60 seconds and poured the wash over the cup, pitcher, and saucer. Hopefully this won’t affect the taste too much. I’m waiting on my first “real” steep to finish now.
I’m sure this is because of my inexperience with different types of teas, and oolong specifically, but the aroma reminds me of nannuoshan’s roasted Tie Guan Yin oolong that I had earlier in the week. It has that aroma that reminds me of dense, hearty bread pulled right from the oven. The taste is very bitter so I’m thinking I must have let it steep too long or at too high a temperature. It’s also a touch astringent, but I’m sure this is due to over-steeping as well. This might be a little bit strange but I can detect a hint of spice. It seems like there was something like cinnamon in that last cup.
The second cup is much less bitter and much more enjoyable. It still has that baked bread quality to it which I’m enjoying, and I’m still tasting the tiniest bit of cinnamon. By the third steep, the tea has opened up and is beginning to resemble torn grape leaves. Its aroma is starting to fade in both the leaves and the liquid. This may be due to my forgetfulness with that first steep/rinse. I’m sure it pulled out quite a bit of the flavor that was meant for the first cup. This tastes very watered down, more hot water than tea flavor here though the color is still a golden yellow. The fourth, and final, steep is barely flavored at all. I’m sure it’s because I messed this one up in the beginning. Next time I’ll know to do things a little differently.
Infusions
4 ounces water + 195 degrees + 60 sec, 60 sec, 60 sec, 90 sec
Flavors: Bread, Cinnamon, Spices, Sweet
Preparation
Day Two of the Tieguanyin taste tests! once again I used my 150ml gaiwan, 4g of leaf but with cooler water; at 90c.
this is my favorite style of Tiegyuanyin that I have tried. the leaves came alive and filled my gaiwan to bursting at the second steep. it has the texture of cream in my mouth. the liquor color is a bright and happy light straw yellow. the heady floral scent of rose is present at the forefront of the brew in the initial three steeps. After that, the floral note is present, but at the tail notes. just as pungent, but there is a green, rose stem-like quality to the body of each sip. it is like drinking an entire rose, head to toe. i mean this in the greatest way possible. Minus the thorns.
Flavors: Floral, Plant Stems, Rose
Preparation
Method:
2tsp/12oz
Pre-boiling
Rinse: 10sec
First steep: 1min 55sec
Second steep: 2min 45sec
Liquid is a clear, pale yellow. Mineral and stone fruits are at the forefront of each sip; toasted rice, vanilla bean, cream, and flowers on the back end. The second steep developed some really nice, buttery, bread-like flavors that were absent from the first. I suspect that the strong roasted mineral notes were a result of my not watching steep time carefully enough. This is why you don’t use steep time to keep studying for an exam!!! You take a break. The plan was to begin steeping at 1min 15sec, and increase by increments of 20-30sec. Next time I will treat this tea more gently. Thank you very much nannuoshan for the sample.
Flavors: Bread, Butter, Cream, Floral, Mineral, Roasted, Stonefruit, Toasted Rice, Vanilla
This one was my favorite!