414 Tasting Notes
This is the last 5 g of my 10 g sample. I brewed the first 5 g using short steeps, as I would a green Tie Guan Yin, but decided to go with my usual longer infusions in this session. I used a 120 ml clay teapot and 195F water, and steeped the tea for 30, 30, 40, 40, 30, 30, 40, 40, 50, 50, 120, and 240 seconds.
The flavours are similar to those in the last session, only much more intense. In the first steep, I get caramel, wood, pecans, walnut and walnut shells, but not much smoke at all. The second steep adds the pleasant tangy sourness I associate with roasted TGY.
Going to 40 seconds in the third steep is a mistake, yielding the taste of bad convenience-store coffee. There’s smoke, dark wood, aggressive roast, bitter caramel, and underlying grassiness. Anxi Dark, I’m sorry for mistreating you so badly. Unfortunately, I did my steeps two at a time, so I had to drink one more awful infusion before lowering the time to 30 seconds again.
Back at 30 seconds, this is drinkable again, retaining its previous flavour for the next six steeps or so. Some nice mineral notes emerge near the end of the session.
Other than my premature 40-second steeps near the beginning of the session, this was very enjoyable.
Flavors: Caramel, Coffee, Grain, Mineral, Pecan, Pleasantly Sour, Roast Nuts, Roasted, Tangy, Walnut, Wood
Preparation
This is yet another of my Zen Tea samples. As an experiment, I decided to steep it as I would a green Tie Guan Yin: 5 g in a 120 ml teapot at 195F for 10, 12, 15, 18, 20, 25, 30, 40, 50, 60, 90, 120, and 240 seconds.
The first steep tastes like roasted nuts, caramel, and graham crackers, while the second adds flavours of heavy roast, grain, wood, and walnuts. These notes intensify throughout the next few infusions. I get a hint of spice from the fifth steep, but the flavour profile stays pretty consistent across the session. Sadly, I don’t detect any fruit or florals.
This is a straightforward roasted oolong that’s pleasant to drink but nothing special. I’ll have to try my remaining 5 g with longer steeps to see if I can get a more complex flavour.
Flavors: Caramel, Graham Cracker, Grain, Roast Nuts, Roasted, Spices, Walnut, Wood
Preparation
I was a bit heavy handed with this one, accidentally filling my 120 ml pot almost full with slightly more than 6 g of leaf. I steeped it at 195F for 8, 10, 12, 15, 18, 20, 25, 30, 40, 50, 60, 90, 120, and 240 seconds.
Prior to steeping, this tea smells like a generic woody/roasted Wuyi oolong. The first steep gives notes of honey, roast, and walnut shells. Surprisingly, it wasn’t the astringent mess I was expecting based on the leaf quantity. In the second steep, hay, wood, and light florals emerge. The third steep has even stronger hay and honey notes, and I’d swear there was stevia in there if I didn’t know better. Later rounds get less sweet and bring out minerals and roasted nuts.
This is a nice, very sweet dark oolong, and while I don’t think I’ll buy more, I’m glad I got a sample.
Flavors: Floral, Hay, Honey, Mineral, Roasted, Roasted Nuts, Sweet, Walnut, Wood
Preparation
I recently discovered a cache of Zen Tea samples from 2015, and I’ll be reviewing them in the next few weeks. I seem to have bucked the trend by brewing this one gongfu style. I steeped 5 g of leaf in a 120 ml teapot at 195F for 10, 12, 15, 17, 20, 25, 30, 40, 50, 60, 90, 120, and 240 seconds.
The small, loosely rolled, often downy snails are really pretty! The first steep has notes of caramel, earth, cocoa, malt, and wood. For such a powerful tea, there’s not much astringency, though a bit does appear in the aftertaste. The astringency gets more intense in the second steep, while all the other flavours stay the same. (Maybe I used more tea than I realized and I need to decrease my steep time.)
The third steep incorporates honey, grain, and a hint of smoke into the existing flavour, and has calmed down in terms of astringency. Surprisingly, though the cocoa is definitely there, it’s never too prominent, although it does get stronger in steep four. This tea goes for a few more rounds before petering out around steep nine.
Though this isn’t the most complex tea in the world, it’s rich and satisfying, and changes interestingly as the pearls unfold. Like most of Zen Tea’s offerings, it’s also well priced. It would have been even better if the cocoa had been a bit stronger.
Flavors: Caramel, Cocoa, Earth, Grain, Honey, Malt, Smoke, Wood
Preparation
I bought this tea in early 2016, so it’s a bit long in the tooth. I steeped 5 g of leaf in a 120 ml teapot at 195F for 10, 12, 15, 18, 20, 25, 30, 40, 50, 60, 90, 120, and 240 seconds.
In the pot, the dry leaf smells like liquorice and grape candy. The first steep has notes of scuppernong grapes, liquorice, menthol, and malt, with a big kick of tannins in the aftertaste. The second steep is similar—fruity and sweet until the astringency punches you in the throat at the end of the sip.
I brought the third steep down to 190F, which made the liquorice/sassafras note sweeter and cut down on the astringency. I get faint notes of honey, raisins, and earth. The profile stays consistent through the next few steeps, then starts to fade in the ninth.
If brewed at a slightly lower temperature than I normally make my black teas, this is a nice daily drinker. I also remember it being very reasonably priced, so that helps. Let’s hope that Zen Tea keeps it in its lineup when it starts selling teas again.
Flavors: Astringent, Earth, Grapes, Honey, Licorice, Malt, Menthol, Raisins, Tannin
Preparation
Since I love teas with naturally occurring rose notes, I was drawn to this oolong, even though I have mixed feelings about Wuyi rock teas. This is the spring 2016 version. I steeped 5 g in a 120 ml teapot at 200F for 8, 10, 12, 15, 18, 20, 25, 30, 40, 50, 60, 90, 120, and 240 seconds.
The smell of the dry leaf is roasty and floral, and reminds me of a Qi Lan I had from Tao Tea Leaf a while ago. The first steep has notes of flowers, roast, wood, smoke, and cream. The rose becomes more distinct in the second steep, although it only emerges gradually. There are also hints of apricot. The aroma at the bottom of the cup is surprisingly sweet.
In the third steep, the tea comes into its rosy glory. The notes of candied rose petals go oddly with the roast, which is still pretty assertive. The apricot is most prominent in the aftertaste. By steep five, the rose subsides and flavours of honey and roasted barley take over, and the tea also begins to get more vegetal. By the eighth steep, it has notes of minerals, veggies, and underlying sweetness, and it peters out soon afterwards.
This is a complex tea that rewards careful sipping. While the roast is sometimes obtrusive, the sweetness smooths it out. I enjoyed watching this tea evolve throughout the session and will have no trouble finishing the remainder of my package.
Flavors: Apricot, Cream, Floral, Honey, Mineral, Roasted, Roasted Barley, Rose, Smoke, Sweet, Vegetal, Wood
Preparation
Although I like green Tie Guan Yin, I haven’t had too many of them. This one is from spring 2016. I steeped 5 g of leaf in a 120 ml teapot at 195F for 10, 12, 15, 18, 20, 25, 30, 40, 50, 60, 90, 120, and 240 seconds.
The first steep has typical Tie Guan Yin flavours of citrus, butter, orchids, violets, other unnamable flowers, and grass. The mandarin and orchid notes really stand out in the next steep, leading into a long aftertaste. The middle steeps have vegetal, metallic undertones. This tea isn’t too demanding and would probably be good iced. The balance of fruit and florals continues into the eighth steep, after which the tea becomes increasingly vegetal and astringent.
This oolong has been open for a few months and has lost some of its freshness, but it’s still a good tea and a great value. I look forward to getting more when the spring 2018 harvest comes out.
Flavors: Butter, Citrus, Cut Grass, Floral, Herbaceous, Metallic, Orange, Orchid, Vegetal, Violet
Preparation
I think I bought this Da Hong Pao in the spring of 2016 when I was just starting to explore Wuyi oolongs. I steeped about 4 g of leaf in an 85 ml teapot for 10, 12, 15, 18, 20, 25, 30, 40, 50, 60, 90, 120, and 240 seconds. However, this pot has a slow pour, which tended to add a few unwanted seconds onto the first few steeps.
The first steep has notes of wood, char, black walnuts, and caramel. The underlying sweetness is overpowered by the roast. The second steep is even woodier. This tea is smooth, but less complex than I remember it being.
As the session goes on, it’s clear that wood, char, and caramel are the dominant notes. I get hints of tobacco, cream, and minerals in later infusions, but no fruit or florals.
This tea tastes like a high-end furniture store smells. It’s surprisingly good, but not something I’d drink regularly.
Flavors: Caramel, Char, Cream, Dark Wood, Grain, Mineral, Smooth, Tobacco, Walnut
Preparation
I posted a review of this tea earlier this afternoon, but realized in retrospect that I’d used the wrong leaves. I have two tea clips that look exactly the same and all the packages from Taiwan Sourcing appear similar, and I was obviously not paying attention. The reason I previously compared this tea to a green oolong was that I was mistakenly drinking a green oolong.
I wanted to buy this oolong in 2016, but it was out of stock by the time I was ready to make a purchase. This year, I got as far as adding it to my shopping cart during the Black Friday sale, but when I pulled the trigger a couple days later, it had all been snapped up. Thankfully, the people at Taiwan Sourcing must have recognized how much I desired this tea, and included a free sample with my order.
I steeped 5 g of leaf in a 120 ml teapot at 195F for 25, 20, 25, 30, 30, 45, 60, 90, 120, and 240 seconds.
I’ve never actually tasted a longan, but gather that it’s similar to a lichi. The first steep has notes of roast, honey, cream, lichi, and banana bread. It’s very sweet. The second steep adds roasted nuts and sesame seeds to the mix. Later infusions are a beautiful red colour and have notes of slightly burned banana bread, plum, spice, and dried fruit.
This is a rich, comforting oolong. I’ll have to buy the 2018 version if I get the chance. And next time, I’ll pay more attention so I don’t have to rewrite the review!
Flavors: Bread, Creamy, Dried Fruit, Grain, Honey, Lychee, Plum, Roast Nuts, Spices, Sweet
Preparation
I’m wistfully savouring the last of this tea, regretting that I didn’t buy a kilo of it. Since there was a little more than an average session’s worth but not enough for two, I put about 7 g of leaf in my 120 ml teapot. I steeped it at 195F for 20, 10, 20, 25, 30, 40, 50, 60, 90, 120, and 240 seconds.
This tea is sweet, rich, and balanced. I get notes of barley sugar, honey, flowers, caramel, chestnuts, cranberries, malt, and wood. There’s a bit of astringency, especially since I stuffed so much tea in the pot, but it doesn’t detract from the deliciousness. By the third steep, notes of orange blossom, citrus, and a bit of cocoa show up, and walnut skin appears in the aftertaste.
For the next few steeps, the chestnut, honey, and fruity tartness are dominant. Even when it starts to fade, it does it elegantly, without the bitter mineral taste that later infusions of black teas seem to have.
No question, this is the best black tea I’ve had in 2017.
Flavors: Caramel, Chestnut, Citrus, Cocoa, Cranberry, Floral, Honey, Malt, Orange Blossom, Roasted Barley, Tart, Walnut