Tung Ting Vietnam

I made this earlier and have been half-heartedly sipping on it this afternoon. Not really my favourite oolong. Too seaweedy and grassy, a little bitter even though I steeped cooler and for a shorter amount of time.

Of course I’m kinda grumpy anyways (ugh hormones!) so that’s probably not helping. I should have a tea I know I like, rather than an unknown I might feel meh and grumpy about drinking. :)

I’ve never tried a Vietnamese tea before, although apparently there’s a fairly big tea industry in the country – it’s just that little of it seems to get imported to N. America. The tea is loosely rolled into balls – or maybe a more accurate description is lumps. Dry they have a fresh green scent but as they steep the tea takes on the floral scent I’m familiar with in green oolongs. The tea is gently lilac flavoured though most tung ting have a roasted or baked undertone while this one has what I would call a mineral taste instead. I wouldn’t consider this the best tung ting I’ve ever had, but it’s certainly decent quality-wise.

I got the last time I was able to visit a store location. It smells nicely green, and natural. In a way that makes me want salad from the natural foods store. There is a light, and creamy vegetal flavour. For something I got on a whim, it turned out well.

Recieved as a gift from a friend. I wasn’t a huge fan of this on the first steep. It was bit bitter, and too grassy for me. However, I think I overheated the water. On second steep, I found it to be far sweeter – almost flowery in taste. Doesn’t compare to milk oolong to me, but was definitely worth the steepings.

Had this one for a bit. I don’t know too much about oolongs, but I know I like this. Steeped western-style for lack of a pot, for 4-5 minutes, adding about 30 seconds a steep.

The dry leaf is the closest you’ll get to the ‘piney’ flavor they advertise, as there is sort of a resin smell to the neat little balls mixed with what I assume is what people call ‘oolonginess’, a mellow, vegetal scent that I can not find an adequate comparison for. Rinsed in near-boiling water for probably not quite enough time, as the leaves didn’t quite start to unfurl after I drained it. First steep I was afraid I’d scalded it, since it tasted sort of light and was missing that sweet, rough edge I’d tasted previous times. I haven’t had this one in a while due to being away for work, and I was afraid I’d just convinced myself I’d liked this to justify buying it. However, subsequent steeps in slightly cooler water intensified the natural sugariness. I’m on cup 3 now, and it has the sweet, mountain-water flavor I remember, with a faint lingering aftertaste like steamed green beans in the front of my mouth and plenty of the rock candy in the back. Something bracingly unrefined about the flavor that I really like, particularly if I feel sluggish or dull. All about this until someone shows me something better.

If you like oolongs and want to try drinking out of a waterfall, I would absolutely recommend this.

Update: Made some more today. I said the resininess was only in the dry leaf, but today I got a good taste of it in my first cup. Maybe because I washed them properly today? Maybe I used a different temperature of water? I’m not sure.

Other Update: Cold-brewed a glass of it after steeping it twice today, western-style, extra leaf. The result is brilliantly lime green, astringent, a little bitter (but in a way that I like in iced tea) and vaguely reminiscent of honeydew melon. Wouldn’t brew it this way on it’s own, but a good use for well-washed but still useable leaves that you just don’t have time to properly steep.

Very nice delicate flavour, a little more punchy then the milk oolong which is my usual favourite, this may become my new favourite.

This is one of my favourite oolongs. It tastes lighter than other oolongs I have tried (Which I like!). The liqour is a nice golden brown colour, and isn’t too dark.

The flavour consists of a light, sweet taste followed by a bold nutty flavour. It is perfect for a mid-afternoon drink, or even as a morning starter.