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Recent Tasting Notes

90

Thank you, Alistair, for procuring this awesome tea!

I gotta admit, I hesitated getting this tea because it looked to green. The dry leaf has a floral green been and jack fruit aroma that I usually would get in a Japanese or Korean green tea. Drinking it up in a tumbler told me the same story: This oolong was on the greener side with a little bit of an astringency akin to apricot and jack fruit, but some smooth floral notes western. I only got five yields from it which disappointed me considering this is an expensive tea. So Gong Fu would be the better method to do, and this tea needed a lot more care and attention.

I went light on this one with a 5 sec rinse, but around 5 grams of tea in five oz. I got floral hints, but a little bit of a grassy sourness and nice fruity apricot in the background. The fruity notes got more prominent as it cooled down. There was a little bit of lemon peel, orchid, and something that I might pin as magnolia. I’d like someone else’s opinion on that floral, but still. I do get orchid more clearly. The tea is still green as ever.

Second steep ten, third at 5 seconds, and fourth at seven seconds, it’s been generally the same. I got Yuzu in three, more apricot and some sugarcane in four and five. There’s more to come in the future.

Next one at one minute, and I get orange peel rather than lemon. Smoothly floral, but not as densely green. The next three steeps from this morning were much the same, while being closer to a Baozhong in florals, having some honeysuckle, and some hint of a blossom. It’s still citrusy.

The tea still strikes me as something much closer to a Japanese or Korean tea in style, maybe with a Nepalese apricot hint, but I’ve gotten to yield more complexity in the brews so far. I do think this is an excellent tea, but with or without this particular price point, I personally would not drink this tea extremely often because it’s so frickin’ green. Too bad this is sold out, because I’d definitely recommend this tea to more hard core Green Tea drinkers because it’s got the qualities of at least four terroirs in one.

Flavors: Apricot, Astringent, Citrus Zest, Floral, Fruity, Grass, Green Beans, Orchid, Pleasantly Sour

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90

I finished it off gong fu. I thought that I should maybe savor it, but the day before Indepence Day was an appropriate date to drink it. It resembled an Oriental Beauty with immense bready and buttery notes. I am going to miss this one. If only I didn’t have the other LOADS of oolong I need to go through…Anyway, my previous note can be applied to how I drank it this time. Luckily, I still have some Ruby left over.

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90

Alistair, I gotta be honest- I opened an smelled every single bag to make a decision, and this one had my favorite scent.

Smelling the tea, it was mildy chocolaty, nutty, and fairly floral in an autumn leaf pile kind of way. Smelling the tea brewed, it had a baked goods quality to it.

The first time I had it in my tumbler, I went light on the leaf, but long on the steep time. It matched the dry leaf, but had a distinct rose note, coupled with baked bread, chocolate hints, cashews, and other florals. It was a little dry, but sweet enough to stand out on its own although the texture was a little bit thin.

I upped the leaf in a “Mug Fu” style, rinsing it for five seconds, then tested it, then soaked it for another 10. It was very much the same, but the rose was more pronounced with a little bit of malt and stronger chocolate notes in a complex leaf pile. The second steep at about 15 seconds, but less water was distinctly more fruity and sweet. The fruit notes were hard to pin out, but it had the stone fruit quality you get from most Nepalese teas, but there were time where it made me think of passion fruit. Tannin and more savory notes built up a little bit as it cooled down, being almost akin to a sweet red wine, or even peachy like some Rose (I do not know how to put the accent mark in). The more I rebrewed it, the fruitier it got and the more almond the nut note became.

In comparative words, this tea was like most Nepalese or Himalayan Oolongs, having some trademarks of an Oriental Beauty, but the chocolate or cocoa or baked notes were honestly something out of a Laoshan Black. I’m glad that I snagged some for the limited edition, but I will say that only get this if you know what you’re getting. It does share a lot of similarities with the Winter Special which I slightly prefer only because of price. This is an excellent tea that I will finish quickly because I like it that much, but if you do decide to purchase what little of this tea there is, do so with care. I’m personally rating it a 90 although it’s a little closer to a 93-94 for my taste. The price is the only problem. I’m still glad What-Cha was able to offer it, and it’s my favorite of the limited edition teas right now. I wonder how the Ruby Black compares.

Flavors: Autumn Leaf Pile, Bread, Chocolate, Floral, Nuts, Rose, Stonefruit, Sweet

derk

I’ve been trying to limit my oolong purchases but after reading your exchange with eastkyteaguy in a tea note, last week I sprang for 3 of the 4 limited Jun Chiyabari offerings. It’ll be pouring rain through the weekend and I hope the postman doesn’t leave the package out!

Togo

There’s never enough of Jun Chiyabari tea! :)

Daylon R Thomas

Oolongs are so expensive…although they occupy the majority of my cabinet. And I have three of the four-except the Ruby Black.

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77

This tea is really woody. The longer it steeps the woodier it gets. For me, reducing both the steep time and temperature has helped to tame the tree. :)
1 min, 200F (although I should try 195)
Still woody, but a little sweet. I don’t think I’d order this again, but I will enjoy the rest of my bag.

Flavors: Oak, Sweet, Wood

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80

I’m going to be honest: I haven’t had an Assam in a while, because I have honestly avoided them. Since Alistair gifted this, I knew it was going to be good.

I tried gong fuing the sample with a rinse. It was faintly resinous, but malty, and a little drying while all to thin. I upped it up to a little over a minute in my tumbler. Like every single What-Cha tea, it’s smooth and of good quality. The sip started off with viscous texture, accented into the Assam’s malt, hinted at some cocoa, cherry for a split second, and then finished dry with citrus and something that reminded me of gin in the slight bitterness and astringency in the end.

Second brew, more malt, viscousity, and a touch more cocoa. I can see the jam a little bit by approximation because its got a little bit of that rhaspberry tartness in the finish, but I am getting it in the later steeps. It’s not that sweet and remains very much malty like most Assams, but its balanced. The brew is going good on its own without additives so far, but I see this going better with cream and sugar, or even just a bit of sugar.

I personally would not buy it myself, but I’m glad I tried it and do recommend it to Assam lovers for something balanced.

Flavors: Cedar, Citrus, Cocoa, Drying, Malt, Raspberry, Tea

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88

This was the second of my sipdowns for the current month and a tea that I had been meaning to get around to reviewing for some time. I’ve long been interested in some of the more experimental teas coming out of India and Nepal, and I was really curious about what this tea had to offer. I expected it to be at least somewhat different from the other Darjeeling oolongs I had tried, but what I did not count on was just how unique it would turn out to be. I also found myself enjoying it way more than I expected I would.

I prepared this tea gongfu style. After the rinse, I steeped 6 grams of the loose leaf and bud mix in 4 ounces of 194 F water for 5 seconds. This infusion was chased by 15 additional infusions. Steep times for these infusions were as follows: 7 seconds, 9 seconds, 12 seconds, 16 seconds, 20 seconds, 25 seconds, 30 seconds, 40 seconds, 50 seconds, 1 minute, 1 minute 15 seconds, 1 minute 30 seconds, 2 minutes, 3 minutes, and 5 minutes.

Prior to the rinse, the dry leaf and bud mix produced aromas of autumn leaves, pine, malt, almond, and smoke. After the rinse, I noted new aromas of peanut, grass, hay, and rose as well as something along the lines of turnip greens. The first infusion brought out aromas of cream, butter, spinach, and green bell pepper. In the mouth, the tea liquor presented notes of autumn leaves, pine, malt, rose, hay, grass, almond, butter, and pear that were backed by hints of smoke, peanut, green bell pepper, cream, and white grape. The subsequent infusions brought out aromas of apple, pear, dandelion, orange zest, and apricot. Stronger and more immediate notes of green bell pepper and cream appeared in the mouth along with hints of spinach, dandelion greens, and turnip greens. I also picked up notes of minerals, dandelion, walnut, apricot, apple, peach, orange zest, and marigold. I noticed the liquor turned more astringent too, especially on each swallow. As the tea faded, the liquor emphasized lingering notes of minerals, apple, pear, almond, grass, autumn leaves, green bell pepper, and dandelion that were backed by hints of cream, apricot, peach, rose, and malt.

An odd and interesting Darjeeling oolong that capably balanced vegetal, nutty, and woody characteristics and warmer, more welcoming floral and fruity characteristics, I could see fans of very balanced yet quirky teas being into this offering. It was a challenging and unpredictable tea, but it was never inaccessible. That’s a hard balance to pull off, especially with a more experimental offering. This one is definitely worth a shot if you are into some of the oolongs coming out of India these days.

Flavors: Almond, Apple, Apricot, Astringent, Autumn Leaf Pile, Butter, Cream, Dandelion, Floral, Grass, Green Bell Peppers, Hay, Malt, Mineral, Orange Zest, Peach, Peanut, Pear, Pine, Rose, Smoke, Spinach, Vegetal, Walnut, White Grapes

Preparation
6 g 4 OZ / 118 ML

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90

This was the first of current month’s sipdowns. I wanted to start February off with something a little different, so I went through my What-Cha hoard, found this tea, decided that it had been far too long since I had reviewed an oolong from Nepal, and then immediately tore into it. I found it to be a near excellent Nepalese oolong, though I found the body and texture to be lacking at times.

I prepared this tea gongfu style. After the rinse, I steeped 6 grams of loose tea leaves in 4 ounces of 176 F water for 5 seconds. This infusion was chased by 16 additional infusions. Steep times for these infusions were as follows: 7 seconds, 9 seconds, 12 seconds, 16 seconds, 20 seconds, 25 seconds, 30 seconds, 40 seconds, 50 seconds, 1 minute, 1 minute 15 seconds, 1 minute 30 seconds, 2 minutes, 3 minutes, 5 minutes, and 7 minutes.

Prior to the rinse, the dry tea leaves produced aromas of hay, malt, chocolate, roasted almond, raisin, and prune. After the rinse, I detected new aromas of roasted peanut, wood, brown sugar, and blackberry that were accompanied by subtle touches of tobacco and cannabis. The first infusion introduced aromas of anise, violet, candied orange, Muscatel, and honey. In the mouth, the tea liquor presented me with notes of honey, malt, roasted almond, cream, prune, raisin, and wood that were chased by hints of brown sugar, tobacco, chocolate, Muscatel, and butter. The subsequent infusions brought out aromas of rose, cherry, celery, plum, orange blossom, butter, cream, and vanilla that were accompanied by some smoky accents. Hints of hay, cannabis, roasted peanut, blueberry, and anise came out in the mouth along with belatedly emerging notes of candied orange and violet. I also picked up some hints of smoke, black raspberry, and popcorn as well as more dominant impressions of minerals, nutmeg, rose, vanilla, orange blossom, cinnamon, cherry, plum, and celery. As the liquor faded, I primarily detected notes of minerals, malt, wood, cream, roasted almond, and vanilla as well as stronger roasted peanut and hay impressions. There were also some fleeting hints of Muscatel, tobacco, cherry, plum, black raspberry, raisin, popcorn, nutmeg, and butter lingering in the background.

This was a strong and incredibly complex Nepalese oolong with a gorgeous mix of aroma and flavor components. I just wish that the body had not struck me as being so thin and the texture of the tea liquor had not seemed so lifeless in many places. One of the greatest things about Nepalese teas is the little bit of sharpness their liquors display, but I did not get much of that with this tea, and quite frankly, I found myself missing it greatly. I, however, did not miss that characteristic enough to score this tea less than 90. It was still a fascinating tea with a tremendous amount to offer, so I could not justify abstaining from giving it a high rating. If you are looking for an incredibly complex and satisfying Nepalese oolong and do not mind a couple slight imperfections, then this would be a tea for you to try.

Flavors: Almond, Anise, Blueberry, Brown Sugar, Butter, Candy, Cannabis, Celery, Cherry, Chocolate, Cinnamon, Cream, Dried Fruit, Hay, Honey, Malt, Mineral, Muscatel, Nutmeg, Orange, Orange Blossom, Peanut, Plum, Popcorn, Raisins, Raspberry, Roasted, Rose, Smoke, Tobacco, Vanilla, Violet, Wood

Preparation
6 g 4 OZ / 118 ML

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89

Oh man, this tea has me wrecked. I’m not done with the session yet; I’m taking a break, fighting falling asleep because I have some schoolwork to catch up on since I didn’t go to any of my classes yesterday. Figured I’d write a note, hopefully allowing the passage of this sedative effect.

I had a few pieces of homemade spanakopita a while ago for lunch and it was a little tart from the feta and some ground dried lemon. A similarly tart tieguanyin seemed like a good follow-up.

Teapot time: 4.4g, 100mL, 200F, rinse plus 3 steeps so far at 40/30/40s

Dry leaf scent is lightly wheaty and vegetal. In the warmed leaf, delicate notes of fresh peas, soybean, cream, cucumber and grass come forward. Rinsing the leaf brings forward orchid, butter and sugarcane.

The first thing I notice is how non-nuclear green this tieguanyin is. Sure it’s green in flavor with notes of peas, soybean, grass and lettuce, but it’s a rounded, slightly creamy, delicate and dainty green. I’m also picking up on light butter and an orchid and daisy? overlay that becomes stronger on the exhale. Some osmanthus and peach in the aftertaste. The tieguanyin tart finish in the back of the mouth is present and never overwhelming — it integrates perfectly. Now that I think about it, it reminds me of oxalis aka sour grass. Almost forgot to add the aroma is quite present yet soft with lily-of-the-valley.

By the time I finish the third steep, the sugarcane returning sweetness emanates from the throat and a pleasant astringency rings my mouth along my teeth; the back of my tongue and my lips are tingling. My gaze softens with an orange hue, my eyelids droop and I so desperately want to lie down. I feel like I’ve walked through a damp meadow of wildflowers and orchids. This is one of the best tieguanyin I’ve had — I’m not so much a fan of them but I’d definitely drink this one again.

So far, sooo good. Except I’m still sleepy. Thanks, Kawaii433 :)

Flavors: Astringent, Butter, Cream, Creamy, Cucumber, Floral, Flowers, Garden Peas, Grass, Lettuce, Orchid, Osmanthus, Peach, Soybean, Sugarcane, Tart, Vegetal, Wheat

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 0 min, 45 sec 4 g 3 OZ / 100 ML
Kawaii433

Glad you enjoyed it! I just finished work so I think I’m going to go have some right now and see if I can detect some of those notes. :D

tea-sipper

a meadow of orchids.

derk

lalala…

derk

Enjoy, Kawaii433 :)

Kawaii433

Thank you Derk :)

I just finished the 5th infusion but oh man, after the 2nd… I started feeling the zzzzz too. It must be the meadow of orchids that tea-sipper mentioned. :D It’s like the Wizard of Oz Poppy field zzzzzzzzzz lol.

tea-sipper

NO derk mentioned the meadow of orchids, I thought it just definitely needed repeating on this winter day. :D

Kawaii433

hehe ok “I feel like I’ve walked through a damp meadow of wildflowers and orchids.” was a beautiful line. :D

derk

Definitely feels like the poppy field. I hope the meadow of orchids imagery gave you some relief, tea-sipper.

tea-sipper

It did, thank you much

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87

It’s been a while since I’ve had this one. Here I thought I’d be writing about it more often, but for whatever reason cough, cough, Taiwanese oolongs cough, cough I haven’t written more. I would drink it a lot in summer and the winter for the past few years, maybe every once in a while in the fall. It’s better suited to fall, but it’s more of season round tea for me.

I’m gong fuing today, and doing it 6-7 grams in 5 oz, 10, 20, 30, 35. The later end was the fruitiest and most honey forward, but slowly developed some power that was too much for me after that. The smoke and lychee are still there after having it for nearly four years, and it’s technically expired, but I think it’s smoother than when I first bought it. Darker oolongs tend to age well and better than black teas, so I shouldn’t be surprised. It’s not quite as forward with the honey and not quite as overwhelming. There’s a little bit more mineral as I drink it. It also made a very good cold brew last year with a friendly 4-6 grams in 14 oz tumbler.

I thought I rated it and wrote at least one more note, but I was wrong. It works tumbler, western or gong fu, but I get the most bang for my buck gong fu or tumbler. Shorter steeps are better for it because it does have some bitterness and astringency like the woody core of an overripe peach. I would have rated it in the higher 90s when I was first getting into dancongs, but now it’s between an 80-90. I still have the same 50 gram bag that I did all those years ago, and I’m not close to finishing it. I’d be happy to share, but I’m happy I’ve got some left over. It’s one of the most reliably good and consistent dancongs I’ve got though, and the least tricky to brew. I occasionally get overwhelmed by it’s strength or sharpness, though it’s easily one of the more balanced Dan Congs I’ve had.

Flavors: Astringent, Bitter, Floral, Honey, Lychee, Mineral, Orchid, Peach, Resin, Smoke, Smooth, Sweet, Tropical Fruit, Wet Rocks, Wood

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87

I should have bought more than 50 grams of this one, because it has all the qualities for staple oolong for me. It’s peachy, nutty, floral, fruity, lychee like, and just a hint baked offering the great balance I aim for on a cold day. Sooo good. I’m tumblering it right now, and it has been durable. Expect more notes in the future.

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The What-Cha order arrived, and then I proceeded to open and sniff every single bag. The smell of this one excited me. Cassia, wood, leaves, and chocolate were in the dry leaf, and brewing it up, I found that I’m going to have to pay attention to this one. I brewed it lighter than usual, and only got a few dimensions to the tea. I think it has more to offer Gong Fu, though it is durable to long steeps so far.

Here’s what I’ll describe anyway. Alistair said that this one was a little greener than the usual Rou Gui, and while I can see that, there’s no doubt that this is a yancha. The body is also thicker than I imagined with a very thick mouthfeel and great aroma of flowers, cinnamon, and nutmeg. The taste also had a hint of spice, but something that you’d get in the ingredients of a more savory dessert. I did not quite get cherry, but I think I could use more leaves. I’ll write more notes about this one later, but I wanted to write that it does not deviate too far from a usual Yancha, but it’s got a rounded profile that is enjoyable and is smoother than the average Rou Gui. Til next time, then.

Flavors: Chocolate, Creamy, Floral, Thick, Wood

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84

Sipdown, and still good after 4 years. I threw the rest of the sample in my tumbler, brewed about 20 seconds, splashed it into my mug, then savored it…nectarine, rose, tannin, brown sugar, straw, malt, peanut, and dryness with a little astringency. I did another cup and downed it because it was a bit too malty, but good. I didn’t drink more and feel kinda bad about it, but I know how the tea tastes. Solid cup overall.

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84

I’ve needed to write about this one for a while. My feelings were lukewarm the first time I brewed it gong fu or western, since I tasted a citrus zest malty black tea with a weird mouthfeel. It had the yam note that I like about Chinese blacks, but there was something missing in the body. It was almost thinning, if that makes sense.

It was better today, and in part because of easteaguy’s florid and apt description. Thinking of peanuts, brown sugar, rose, and pine made the tea all the better, and it performed well in the tea tumbler I currently have. It was sweet and definitely what I was looking for this morning with Amaretto infused scrambled eggs. The malt, yam notes, and citrus zest combined wonderfully. The pine notes are nice too, and personally got more prominent in later brews. After a while, they get a little overwhelming because I can feel the tea coat my teeth. I don’t like the reminder that I need brush extra to get the tannin out. Oh well.

I admit I’m relying on your notes for reference, eastteaguy, but they are pretty accurate, and I agree with the rating. I think that this is very approachable for a new drinker, and it does have enough complexity for more experienced drinkers, but the particular tea drinker in my thinks that What-Cha has more interesting options that are around the same price.

Flavors: Brown Sugar, Citrus Zest, Fruity, Honey, Malt, Peanut, Pine, Sap, Yams

eastkyteaguy

Personally, I think this one probably performs best when brewed Western and consumed from something like a tumbler. I sometimes brew black teas in a pot and then transfer them to a travel tumbler or thermos for work, and that’s what I did with the last of this tea. I noticed that it was very difficult to overbrew, which was a plus, but like you, I had a lot of difficulty with the thin body and dry texture.

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Swap Sample Sipdown! (16 | 85)

This was one of many oolong samples that the lovely Kawaii433 saw fit to share with me!

So full disclosure, li shan and ali shan oolong are not my favorites. They have a tendency to be quite floral, which is not an attribute that I love in tea.

This one was quite floral as well. The rinse was creamy and delicious with light peach notes, and it probably should have occurred to me to start with shorter steeps because of that. But it didn’t, so I started my first steep at 25s. Next time, I think I’ll start at 15s (at most) for gaoshan.

So the first several steeps were very strong on the floral notes. There were also some sweet peach, grass, pea, and spinach notes in the background. I didn’t find the overall flavor to change a lot during this time, which surprised me. But this may have been a side effect of my poor brewing parameters.

I did really start to enjoy this tea in the last few steeps though, where the flowers faded a bit and I could appreciate the soft grass, vegetal, and fruit notes more.

I will say, every single steep of this tea had an amazing sweet aftertaste that lingered forever. I’m not sure if that was what is referred to as hui gan, or not? Either way, I could definitely appreciate that this is a very good quality tea, even if it isn’t my personal “cup of tea”. ;)

Flavors: Cream, Floral, Grass, Orchid, Peach, Peas, Smooth, Spinach, Sweet, Vegetal

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 5 g 4 OZ / 120 ML

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99

Additional notes: Just had to bust this tea out today… haven’t had it in a while and was craving that sticky rice profile. So very good. The weather is finally starting to warm up! Vaccines are getting out there. (Don’t think I didn’t notice that vaccines started rolling out slightly after 2020 ended. I think it was the 2020 curse or something and 2021 lifted that curse.) Things are getting slightly better.

AJRimmer

Ha I had a dream last night that I got my vaccine.

tea-sipper

Yeah, hopefully that dream will be a reality sooonnnerrr for more people.

Kawaii433

Oooh, I think this is the best sticky rice tea in the world. <3 I still have a can full and it’s been a while since I had some. Hmmm, I think I’ll have some soon! hehe

Kawaii433

I got my first vaccine. Sadly, my local govt is irrelevant when it comes to COVID19 but thanks to FEMA and our National Guard, I was able to receive it. They have been setting up vaccination sites. Hopefully, as the Federal plan is implemented… The Lord of the Flies scenario will be a thing in the past.

ashmanra

Ashman has had both of his and now three of my children have their first one. I am hoping to get my first next week. My state is still really limited to who can get the shot…

tea-sipper

I’m glad you are getting your vaccine, Kawaii and yours soon, ashmanra!

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99

Additional notes: Sipdown of this amazing tea! I had this the other day but it’s too irresistible not to finish the other teaspoon. Thanks again, Kawaii433 for allowing me to find a new favorite (to order when my cupboard is tamer). I’m having this tea in my bigger mug today, but I think it’s just perfect with a teaspoon and my smaller dragon mug (note to self). Maybe the ceramic infuser is just better with oolongs or something. I’m not sure what this magic is!
2019 sipdowns: 13
Also finished a pouch of my oldest B&B Pumpkin (though luckily still have some in stock). WOW was the flavor still absolutely amazing and this tea was OLD!! So I’m glad the flavor stays fantastic with this cupboard staple. I especially felt tea spoiled today. :D

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99

Oh man, when I saw this in the samples from Kawaii433, after seeing some pretty ecstatic notes for this tea, I knew I was ESPECIALLY in for a treat! THANKS SO MUCH, Kawaii433! The tasting notes ain’t lying. This oolong is layer upon layer of lusciousness. This is absolute extreme sticky rice. Upon steeping, it imparts a sticky rice scent to the entire room. It keeps giving and giving. The oolong itself seems to lend to the sticky rice flavor, like the oolong itself is buttery and milky. It tastes like the most buttery of popcorn to me. Sweet, never astringent. Even when I mistakenly waited for 20 minutes for the water to cool on the second steep, even though I only waited 16 minutes on the first steep, the flavor was intense when it should have been weaker with the cooler temperature. Each steep was very consistent. The FIFTH steep almost had the flavor strength of a typical sticky rice oolong’s first steep. Whoa. This will probably be a cupboard essential for me when I finish some teas! So yeah, this is easily one of the best teas I’ve ever had.
Steep #1 // 1 teaspoon for a full mug // 16 minutes after boiling // 1 1/2 minute steep
Steep #2 // 20 minutes after boiling // 2 minute steep
Steep #3 // 10 min after boiling // 2 min
Steep #4 // 4 min after boiling // 3 min
Steep #5 // just boiled (not full mug) // 3 min

Also finished Lupicia’s Framboise Chocolat (2019 Sipdowns: 5)

Flavors: Butter, Cream, Kettle Corn, Milk, Popcorn, Rice

Cameron B.

I agree, definitely buttery popcorn!

Kawaii433

Best Sticky Rice Oolong so far. I always keep it in stock should any of you ever need more <3.

tea-sipper

For sure. I definitely don’t feel the need to search out any other sticky rice oolong!

Kawaii433

The two sticky rice favorites that stopped my sticky rice searching were 1) Thailand ‘Jin Xuan’ Sticky Rice Oolong Tea and 2) For sticky rice pu’er, Mandala’s Rice Aroma.

tea-sipper

Definitely and thanks for sharing both of those with me. :D

Crowkettle

I second Kawaii433’s top two Sticky Rice teas. I consider both to be essential to maintaining a healthy tea cupboard ecosystem. :)

tea-sipper

haha, yes, some teas are like that.. or it just ain’t a tea cupboard!

Kittenna

Dang this sounds good.

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85

Swap Sample Sipdown! (13 | 82)

From Kawaii433!

Jasmine again! But this time on a jin xuan oolong base, which sounds amazing…

To be honest, I’m surprised to not quite love this as much as the dragon pearls I had a few days ago. Even though this is a jin xuan base, I feel like somehow it tastes less creamy. Maybe it’s just because the peach flavor is missing?

Anyway, it’s still good! The texture is silky smooth from the oolong, and the jasmine is nice and sweet and fresh-tasting. I’m not sure I get that much flavor from the base per se, perhaps a bit of peach and some additional floral presence. Oddly enough, there’s something combining in a way that makes me think of banana near the beginning of the sip… Definitely not a bad thing, just strange!

Anyway, this is yummy and relaxing. But I do prefer Mandala’s dragon pearls.

Flavors: Banana, Creamy, Floral, Grass, Jasmine, Peach, Smooth, Sweet, Thick

Preparation
190 °F / 87 °C 3 min, 0 sec 2 tsp 12 OZ / 354 ML

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90

Thank you, Derk, for this sample. :D It gave me an opportunity to compare it with the other two What-Cha GABA Oolongs. I really wanted to do this! Already great reviews on this so I’ll add a little, then move on to other thoughts.

So this is the same as their Taiwan GABA oolong but with an added: “medium roast to bring out the sweetness in the tea”. It did indeed seem sweeter than the zero roasted one. It also had a nice light roasted flavor, not overwhelming nor overshadowing the fruit and vanilla notes. It had a clean finish, distinct notes of apple and pear. In the later infusions, it became slightly more minerally, less roasted flavor, and got a few spice notes in addition to the fruit. Overall, it was an excellent GABA oolong.

I had a lot of fun trying to compare the three. I’ve come to the conclusion that I still prefer the Vietnam GABA High Mountain Oolong. Mainly because the cultivar is Jin Xuan versus Si Ji Chun. The Vietnam GABA had milky feel vs a clean feel, it had a longer finish vs a clean finish. I also like the baked bread, buttery, black tea-ish notes in the Vietnam GABA. To me, there was a larger spectrum of fruit notes and was a little richer too.

So there you have it. All were excellent. Thank you again, Derk!

5g, 205°F, 110ml, rinse, 11 steeps: 10s, 15s, 20s, 25s, 30s, 35s, 45s, 55s, 65s, 75s, 120s

Flavors: Apple, Burnt Sugar, Floral, Fruity, Nutmeg, Pear, Smooth, Spices, Sweet, Vanilla

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 0 min, 15 sec 5 g 4 OZ / 110 ML

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80

I don’t often drink roasted oolongs, but I was curious about the plum notes that some people mentioned about this tea. Oolongs with any non-citrus fruit notes are my weakness! I ended up being able to taste light plum notes in my first three gongfu steeps, so I’m happy with this tea.

Dominant flavor notes: plum, chocolate, cinnamon
Secondary flavor notes: malt
Roastiness: medium

This is pretty good for a roasted tea, good for days when I just want a strong oolong. I don’t know if I’d buy it again since I’m not a heavy roasted oolong drinker, but if I wanted a roasted oolong, I’d buy this first.

Flavors: Chocolate, Cinnamon, Malt, Plum

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 0 min, 15 sec 2 tsp 5 OZ / 150 ML

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93

At some point in the past year in my reading about Baozhong oolong tea, I think I remember reading that roasting the leaf was a traditional part of the process. Recently, a trend for greener oolong emerged and dominated the market, perhaps a reason why I haven’t come across this style of tea before. Thanks to Kawaii433, I was able to try a roasted Baozhong for the first time.

I drank this while grinding away on homework a few nights ago and managed to jot a few barely legible notes in the margin of my graph paper.

4.3g, 100mL teapot, 212F, rinse plus 5 steeps at 30/40/30/45/60s. I probably could’ve gotten another few infusions but since it was near midnight, I opted for sleep.

Dry: plenty of roastiness but calm. Roasted barley, roasted almond, roasted coffee bean, sour, very dark chocolate, orchid?.

Rinse: bamboo shoot, polenta

Liquor pale straw color. Thick, soft and round with high note gardenia bouquet in nose and mouth on top of a lightly sweet base of toasted corn meal, chestnut, straw, light mineral. Tart bamboo shoot in back of mouth after swallow. Persistant, sweet and airy gardenia aftertaste. Butter later. Never once bitter and only slightly astringent late despite using boiling water.

This was actually a great, calming tea that complemented night work with its cool, soft florals and warm, comforting grain/nut taste. The floral finish stuck around so long that I had naturally spaced out the infusions which let me focus on my work instead of solely on the tea. Really impressed!

Preparation
Boiling 0 min, 30 sec 4 g 3 OZ / 100 ML

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72

Another tea that never made it into my Steepster cupboard, still it’s a sipdown.
Western, 2min, 200F
Floral, smooth, buttery. I re-steeped it with the same flavors. Overall, not that memorable and not a re-purchase.

Flavors: Butter, Floral

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 2 min, 30 sec 12 OZ / 354 ML

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90

It’s been a while since I’ve had this tea, but thanks to Kawaii433 I was able to melt into its comforting embrace this evening. This tea has already been reviewed most excellently. Whoever decided to mix Sticky Rice Herb with tea deserves a place in the history books.

Fantastic aroma and tastes. Toasted rice, popcorn, butter, cream and vanilla in the nose. Cucumber, seaweed, grass, starch, sticky rice, vanilla and cream in the mouth with an aftertaste heavily emphasized by butter and at times a hint of ripe banana. Medium to light-bodied with a satisfying swallow. Sugarcane returning sweetness.

Light and refreshing enough to drink in warm weather, comforting enough to drink when it’s cold outside, like rolling yourself into a sticky rice burrito blanket. Good western and gongfu, though I can’t attest to grandpa.

This is a lifelong sidekick tea. A good friend, that one you can call no matter what. Lends a listening ear, ready at a moment’s notice for adventure. I’m pretty sure if you have this tea with you, you can commit crimes and get away because this tea has your back.

Flavors: Butter, Cream, Cucumber, Grass, Popcorn, Rice, Seaweed, Sugarcane, Sweet, Toasted Rice, Vanilla, Vegetal

Preparation
185 °F / 85 °C 3 g 2 OZ / 60 ML
Cameron B.

Yasssss sticky rice burrito blanket tea! ❤

Kawaii433

lol Cameron :)

Both you: I really love this tea too. It’s definitely going to always be on my shelf so if you need more (or to those who haven’t tried it), give me a holler.

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