wei-chuan

Thank you to TeaEqualsBliss for sending me some of this tea to enjoy.

Not a bad Oolong … woodsy and earthy … hints of smoke. Pleasantly smooth, sweet … more fruity than floral. The fruit tones taste almost “roasted” to me, like a roasted peach. Enjoyable.

I received this one in a swap – thanks so much (I forgot who it was – maybe Pureleaf)

Dry Leaf Aroma is that of a sweet and sour wood. Once infused it smells like a Roasted and minimally-charcoaled Oolong.

The flavor is a little sweet, a little sour, a bit floral, a bit charcoal, and fairly roasty/toasty. It also has a strong nutty end sip on to the aftertaste.

This one is alright :)

This is actually a revision.
I feel I have to write a note on this tea. It’s the first loose leaf purchase I made and it turned out to be a great stab in the dark. I must admit that cost helped drive my decision and for under $10 I wasn’t very apprehensive about it. As it turns out it is a staple around our house. Daily is there an afternoon pot of either this, or another similar Asian grocery tea, once all are in from work/school.
Dry leaf is sweet and nutty; which I will explain why I’m sure it’s nutty in a minute. Leaves aren’t necessarily quick to unfurl, mostly larger leaves with some pieces. Wet leaves are sweet smelling yet I can’t place what it reminds me of. Color is exactly the red/brown as of the picture on the can.
At first sip there is a nuttiness to the flavor (still not telling why yet). A smooth drink with no astringency. I can drink this one from my Stanley thermos a couple hours after infusing and it is still tasty.
I will often steep this 5-6 times only bringing the steep time up a tad for the last 3 steeps. I will now admit the ignorance I maintained about multiple steepings when I first started. I would lay my leaves on paper towels and re-use them 2,3,maybe 4 days in a row. I didn’t know any better and didn’t suffer any displeasure either. So if times are hard, know that you can REALLY stretch your tea dollar when needed.
So now let me finish the story (if you haven’t opted out due to sheer boredom due to my rambling). My wife is coming along on the no sugar thing with some teas, this one she still uses a spoonful. I had just poured us each a large mug when she pointed out I had to go to my job. I poured the remainder of the pot in my thermos along with what I THOUGHT was my cup and dashed (ahhh you see where it’s going).Once on the road I poured a small cup for myself and when I threw back a swig of the tea,rather than my face contorting in horror as would happen if accidently taking a drink of sweetened coffee,a look of stupified (which comes very naturally) wonder appeared instead.
Somehow I had just drank peanut butter toast…a childhood favorite. The one spoon of sugar from ny wifes cup mixed through 6cups of this oolong was a creamy peanutty surprise.Dare I say I may have to use this formula again.
For those of you who hung on for the ending bravo to you, not that your lives are any further blessed or there was any enlightenment to be gained.

Though I try this tea with a hint of sugar from time to time I still don’t seem to get the same effect that I did on this occasion. I think I still prefer this one without sweetening. Just wanted to revisit this drink since it is so commonly drank at our house.

tunes-Bobby Hebb/Sunny;Leon Russell/Tight Rope;The Stranglers/Golden Brown;The Who/Eminence Front/Reign On Me;Looking Glass/Brandy;Bobbie Gentry/Ode To Billie Joe

I’m happy with this tea.My wife made the comment that she detected hints of floral smells to the dry leaf.I was surprised at how quikly it unfurled,big leaves.Noticing leafless stems had me a little concerned,but that quickly diminished.Amber color was a bit cloudy(may have been my water). The sweetness in dry leaf was only slightly present after infuse,but definitely enough to appreciate.The was very smooth yet at the same time dry.Grassy aftertaste;bold yet not strong/astringent enough to call barley,maybe hay if that could be interpreted as something not offensive. The tune was Bob Dylan-Wicked Messenger

This is my very first tea from Wei-Chun thanks to Pureleaf!

This is pretty tasty! I did a ‘double shot’ with a slightly shorter infusion time and it worked well.

Slightly sweet, slightly woodsy, fairly airy, dry, and comforting. Warming aftertaste.

The dry leaves from this tea seem smaller and have plenty of visible stems both connected and loose. There is definitely a sweeter aroma prior to their infusion, however this is lost somewhere along the way. This is, of course, is dissapointing, but all is not lost since the tea is still pleasant.

I find this tea very similar to the Ti Kuan Yin from Shan Wai Shan and both are packaged very similarly; however this one is distributed out of California and Shan Wai Shan is out of Fuzhou, China. Nonetheless, they both are very nice teas for their own price range: <$10 for 300g (found on sale at local International Supermarket)

Regardless of how much was paid (which I do pay MUCH more for other higher quality teas), this tea is judged by what I taste and from knowing that I have reached for this one many times so far this year.

Sigh it’s like saying farewell to a fond friend. Finishing up this one. It’s been such a clutch tea and the Asian market no longer carries it. Much like the matcha that I loved. A good quality Ti Kuan Yin nicely priced.

No notes yet.

Well now I feel that I am officially have graduated to another level of tea neediness as I am reviewing my centennial steep. This is one my favorites in my cupboard. I decided brew it differently than I normally do. Usually I just use my strainer but this morning I heated up the water and put the leaves into a sauce pan. I’m at my fiancé’s place so I don’t have my pot. I noticed with this brew the wonderful vegetal aroma. The liquor looked like honey and the flavor is very honey like. A very good star to the morning.

4 steepings today and still tasty….me love you Oolong time!

Oh Iron Goddess of Mercy we thank thee for thy pale liquor. I found this at the Asian grocery for about six dollars for 10 ounces. I can honestly say that I think this tea is just as high a quality as some that you would pay 2-3 times more for. Good for three steeps no problem and not lose flavor. I’ve mixed it with Pu-Erh and a cherry rooibos and have had fantastic results. Mixed with the cherry flavor you get a taste similar to beer.

I brought this roasty toasty tea to keep me sane on the hour and a half long bus ride to our field trip today. So far, it is working.

I tried this tea again and I think I’ve figured out what was wrong with it. Using just one bag, the tea is weak and strange, but using two makes the flavor very full. If the next cup is just as good, I’ll know it wasn’t a fluke and will increase the rating on this tea.

I picked this up at the Hong Kong Marketplace and it was a pretty good deal: 25 bags for $1.19. Really all the teas were great prices. This isn’t exactly what I expected, but I’d never had Tie Guan Yin before. Luckily, while the smell is slightly musty and vegetal that doesn’t come out in the taste. You have to drink this one hot…when it cools the flavor seems to almost disappear. Fair, but not amazing.

No notes yet.

Got this at the local ‘Lotte Plaza’ asiain/international supermarket for pretty cheap. 10oz for about $6.

Steeps into a nice amber color. Has nice large leaves. 1.5 tsps expand to take up almost all the volume of a mug. Pleasant aroma with a hint of sweetness but not floral. Taste is the same.