Imperial Pearl

The liquor smells predominantly of black tea and something I can’t quite place (it’s a really prominent smell, however, and I’ll edit this once I figure out what it is). Almost chocolate or coffee…but not quite. As it cools, it smells much more like a rich black tea. The liquor is a reddish amber, almost greenish on the edges. The flavor struck me as rather two-dimensional. It’s not a really simple flavor, but it definitely doesn’t seem particularly nuanced to me with this steeping. It tastes almost the same as sit smells, with more of a nearly-pine flavor, but in a not-quite-smoky way. I’ve seen it described as creamy or other such adjectives, and while I get that, it seems more sweet, but in a way that you might imagine old wood to be. At first, I cared for neither the odor of the dry leaves, nor for that of the liquor. I felt it tasted really…not off, but not really in a direction that I like my tea to go. As I sip it, however, it starts to seem much more drinkable. I think I’ll definitely enjoy what I have, but would choose something else in the future. Certainly an interesting tea, though.

Wow, nutmeg! Dark brew, all three steeps. A natural sweetness. This does remind me of something you’d drink out of a snifter at the end of a nice dinner party.

When it comes to oolongs, so far I prefer the green ones to the dark ones. But I like the quirkiness of this one. Will have to play more with the steeping times and temperatures.

This is a very dark, highly-oxidized oolong, very close to a black. There are notes of molasses, and a sweetness that is present through all infusions. Although not roasted, there is a certain “roastedness” to it.

First infusion – 3 g. per 6 oz water, 90 deg., 1:30 min.

Second infusion – 3 g. per 6 oz. water, 90 deg., 2:30 min.

Third infusion – 3 g. per 6 oz. water, 90 deg., 4 min.

Fourth infusion – 3 g. per 6 oz. water, 90 deg., 7 min.

Fifth infusion – 3 g. per 6 oz. water, 90 deg., 10+ min.

Brandy oolong is oxidized at around 90%, and the leaves are picked in summer. As a result, the flavor is deeper and more pronounced. This particular tea received recognition at the North American Tea Championship.

The hard, dry leaves were individually rolled irregularly into small green “pearls,” and are uniformly dark green in color. The unsteeped aroma is a predictably vegetal. The tea itself is not unlike a smoky Yunnan black, with a small amount of sweetness on the finish. Very flavorful – ideal as a breakfast waker-upper.

An interesting and beautifully complex tea. Steeped in a gaiwan, the first infusion came out very strong and Black Tea like with chocolate and molasses notes, with a subtly sweet, almost fruity after-taste. I agree with other tasters that the tea mellows out on the third infusion, lacking the strong Black Tea flavor of the first 2 infusions. Overall a great tasting tea; however, it can be a bit overpowering on the first couple infusions. Good on occasion, but I can’t see this as an everyday cup.

For the first cup, I would recommend washing the leaves for 1 minute before making it. As other have said, it takes the second cup before you get the full flavor.

I just received a bunch of teas from The Mountain Tea Co. and this was the first one I tried. I think lizeepea hit it spot on with her assessment. The second and 3rd steeps are the best and the it starts to fall off. I didn’t really time the steeps but they started at about 30 sec and added 30sec to each additional steep