Fine Champagne

I had a cup of this today with an almond-caramel shortbread and it was a wonderful pairing. I’m not a huge fan of darker oolongs, but they went so well together that I quite enjoyed it. It’s got that strong finish that dark oolongs seem to have, but it was offset well by the dessert.

I tried this at the shop this morning. It was tasty, I quite liked it! However the caffeine proved to be a bit much, I was jitterbuggin all over the place.
The tea itself was actually a little nutty, not something I expected but I’ve noticed that in oolongs before, as they cool down. When it was still relatively hot, the tea was remarkably champagne-y without any of the alcohol burn, which I am also impressed with. However, I did find it was slightly astringent… not enough to bother me though.
I had been looking forward to my morning tea since planning out my path to work the night before, so every sip of this tea was savoured.
Would I buy it?? maybe. I am undecided on that, but definitely considering it. It isn’t complex enough for me to absolutely fall in love with it- I’m at serious like right now.
Oh, and I added a dash of agave, but I think it may have been better without.

Teaopia has their summer sale on right now and when I went there at lunch, I found the teas on my list were on sale (woot) so I decided to add this one to my order (even though it wasn’t on sale) since I was curious and I’d save so much on my other teas.

I don’t mind this, but it isn’t quite what I was expecting. I’m finding it more like a black tea than an oolong which is slightly disappointing. Although I may have oversteeped it or had the water too hot so I won’t completely blame the tea.

It is fairly tasty though.

It’s hard not to respect this tea given the name “Fine Champagne” and the beautiful, full, puffy leaves that it is made of. Also hard to find any flaw in the taste as well, except that it might be too smooth a drink, I might prefer more of a bite. I’ve noticed a strange chocolaty taste in Taiwan oolongs like this one, and I can’t say I completely like it since it gives the feeling that I’m drinking an extremely weak chai tea.

In conclusion I have to say that this tea is in no way bad, but it is very unremarkable for a tea I respect enough to steep 5 times. Oolong has acquired a huge reputation as a great tea, but something falls short in this tea for me. I guess I’ll rate it the same as I rated the Temple of Heaven Gunpowder tea, for now it gives me the same indifference.

I really liked this tea, it has a very unique taste both hints of green and black tea. I think I would drink this tea if I needed a good jolt in the morning!

I prepare this tea Gongfu style. It has a rich aroma, a deep golden colour, an earthy flavour and a pleasant tartness that pervade right through to about the fifth 30-second steeping, after which the flavour appears to be completely spent, despite still producing strong colour.