Nuvola Tea

I am so behind on my Nuvola reviews. I feel pretty bad about that, so I think I’m going to finish them today. Curse my tea ADD.

I admit, I’m a little afraid of this one. I’ve had a few orchid scented and flavored things before and I’ve hated them. However, the tea leaves I have here don’t smell like that at all. They smell like a nutty oolong, with a hint of spring grass. They’re dark green, and they look like they were rolled very gently and loosely.

The tea brews up to a pleasant pale green, and suddenly, the strong aroma of flowers is very evident. It reminds me of fresh gardenias. There’s also a bitter scent that puts me off a little bit, but if I know anything about oolong, I know I shouldn’t be scared away by that. And I’m right! The flavor is surprisingly delicious. Vegetal and floral at the same time with sweet creamy notes. The orchid is much more subtle than I expected, which is nice. It’s like a little decoration on an already good oolong. Very satisfying!

Thank you to Nuvola Tea for this sample!
Nuovla Tea always impresses me!
After the new year this is one of the companies I plan to make a good order with!
Here are some snippets from my upcoming review (scheduled at this time for December 24th on http://sororiteasisters.com/ )

Premium Taiwan Oolong Black from Nuvola Tea has a sinful aroma! It smells sweet, deep, intoxicating. There is a malty aroma cutting through the sweet aroma, then nutty, woodsy, so many wonderful sensations – and this is just the initial smell!

I love the complexity of this tea! On one hand its sweet and makes me feel like Willy Wonka in a candy shop but as soon as I find myself relishing in the sweet goodness this fresh breeze rolls in offering a light refreshing note of rock mineral and hay as if I am strolling through the woods on a sunny day.

This is a rare and wonderful delight and I highly recommend trying some tea from Nuvola! I know so far I have sampled about 5 of their teas and I have yet to find one that is less than stellar!

My second infusion of these leaves … the leaves unfurled completely with this infusion, and the leaves are quite a bit larger than I expected based upon previous experiences with Bi Luo Chun.

The flavor is lighter this time around, that is to say, it’s not quite as vegetal as the first cup… this has a smoother taste, and more delicate of a profile. Still deliciously nutty/grain-like in flavor, maybe more so, since the vegetative tones have waned somewhat. Still really wonderful.

Nice!

This looks a bit different from what I was expecting from a Bi Luo Chun … I think I’m used to smaller leaves? These leaves are a little longer, deep, forest-y, emerald green and wiry. They brew a pretty light yellow-green liquid that smells very vegetal, almost kelp-y. Like a cross between seaweed and steamed vegetables … and just a touch of freshly cut grass. It’s a very green aroma!

The flavor is also quite green, although the vegetative flavor is not as aggressive as the aroma might suggest. It is crisp and very pure tasting, with a flavor that is a little like very lightly buttered veggies. There is also a citrus-y tone that emerges toward the end of the cup … it isn’t really a strong, obvious citrus note, but more like a refreshing, sunny taste that tastes of citrus. It has a warmth to it too, slightly nutty taste. It’s a very invigorating drink!

A really rewarding cuppa … I’m very glad I had this opportunity to try it!

This is a free sample from Nuvola Tea. Thanks!!! The dry leaf has a great green oolong aroma, similar to Tie Guan Yin. I didn’t really time the steep, but I think it was about 1.5 minutes. The flavor is very similar to Tie Guan Yin too: green, buttery, floral, and amazing!

There is something odd about this tea though. Most of the flavor is in the sip. The aftertaste is faint and light and just a little bit salty. I usually find that green oolongs have a heavy, vegetal, floral aftertaste. But this one doesn’t. This tea’s aftertaste is still flavorful, just light and delicate and not what I’m used to. I’m betting the second steep will be even more amazing!

Second steep was for 3 minutes. I timed it this time. ;) The leaves are fully open now, and the flavor is maybe a little more developed. But overall, it’s very similar to the first cup. Yummy! I think I’ll stop the infusions here though. I’m practically sloshing with tea. That’s what I get for brewing oolongs Western style. :P

I haven’t tried a new green tea in a while and I was ready to do so to mix things up a little. Another big thanks to Nuvola Teas for this sample! I’m taking this one for a spin in the morning, although I prefer the heartier black teas at this time of day to pounce on my partially awakened senses.

When I opened the sample packet, the aroma of the long dark green leaves was grassy and slightly earthy. I brewed the leaves at 175 degrees for three minutes.

The brewed liquid was mostly odorless. The color was a light greenish gold.

I found the flavor to be very mild but not unpleasant. There was a sweet undertone to a generally grassy green tea flavor. The taste was light, airy, and quite smooth.

I had no trouble drinking four cups of this offering. My personal preference is for the stronger-flavored black teas but that does not make this selection any less palatable.

If you enjoy smooth, sweet, and mild-flavored green teas, you will certainly like this one. So far, Nuvola seems to have a great handle on both black and green teas!

My tea hobby is starting to make me feel like I am traveling all over the world without leaving my house. Today, we journey to Taiwan for a first taste of Nuvola Tea’s Taiwan Oolong Black Tea.

I didn’t even know that you could combine oolong with black tea. I truly learn something new every day!

When I opened the little sample packet, graciously provided by Nuvola Tea, a rich, earthy, and sweet aroma escaped from within. The unbrewed leaves were dark green, long, and thick.

I wasn’t sure what time and temperature to use for steeping, so I opted for my milder black tea settings of 205 degrees for three minutes. The color of the brewed liquor was a light amber. The aroma was sweet and airy.

At first sip, the taste was sweet, malty, and very smooth. With additional gulps, I became aware of the oolong in a stronger sense than I had experienced with other oolong teas. This might have been the influence of the black tea.

This tea is so smooth that I had to force myself to slow down to keep from chugging it. The more I drank, the more I found myself really enjoying this blend.

The flavor is gentle but not weak. It has a sweetness that is almost like honey. There is also just a stitch of earthiness and malt in the taste. The aftertaste is sweet and extremely pleasant. There is not a hint of bitterness anywhere.

This is simply a wonderful tea. I’m not sure yet if it will provide an explosive enough caffeine jolt to earn a spot in my morning tea rotation, but the flavor is so good that I may make an exception. I will definitely be adding it to my shopping list shortly.

I have one more Nuvola Tea sample to try. I am anxious to see if it is in the same class as this Taiwan Oolong Black Tea. So far, I am very impressed with Taiwan tea and Nuvola!

Thank you Nuvola Tea for this free sample!

Leaf Quality:
The dried leaves each had a mixture of yellow, light and dark green. They smelled sweet, and perhaps vegetal. The brewed leaves were very vegetal, sweet, and only minutely floral. They were very aromatic.

Brewed Tea:
I brewed the tea 20 seconds for the first two.
The liquor had a light green complexion and smelled vegetal. The flavor was sweet, and quite full-bodied for a green tea. Each sip finished with floral notes. Towards my last sip, I noticed a buttery scent, much like the one I noticed from the other sample Nuvola Tea sent me.
Second Steeping
This cup was again very floral, yet bold. It reminded me of a Gyokuro, and shared several qualities with one. The vegetal notes showed with every sip, as did the sweetness.
Third Steeping
This brew was more vegetal. A bit of sweetness finished each sip, but the floral notes were absent.
Fourth Steeping
I really enjoyed this brew. The sweetness was maximized here, and the floral notes were again present. The boldness of the first three brews had toned down quite a bit. I also noticed a new quality: fruitiness.
Fifth Steeping
This steeping was light and floral. It wasn’t as sweet as the last cup, and the boldness remained the same. The buttery notes showed up in this brew.
Sixth Steeping
Sweet, vegetal, and floral. This cup was a toned down version of the fourth steeping.

I found this tea to be quite bold for a green tea, and was also surprised that the scent and flavor differed as much as it did. I liked the sweetness and floral scent along with the vegetal undertones. Thank you Nuvola Tea!

Thank you Nuvola Tea for this free sample! I didn’t expect this tea to be delivered this soon, so it was a wonderful surprise to find in the mail this morning.

Leaf Quality:
The leaves of this black tea were very long. The dried leaves had a texture that reminded me of charcoal. The brewed leaves were a reddish-brown, and smelled wonderful. They carried the aromas of malt, chocolate, and a slight spicy note- very different than other black tea leaves.

Brewed Tea:
The brewed tea was coppery-brown in complexion and smelled the same as the leaves. It tasted very mild, malty, and floral with a sweet, minty aftertaste. My second sip yielded a sweet and buttery taste.
Second Steeping
This brew smelled more savory, and tasted more floral. The malt had toned down quite a bit, and was soon overcome by a mild fruity aftertaste. The spiciness from the first brew was absent. I liked this brew more than the first.
Third Steeping
The color of this brew looked more like that of an Oolong. It was floral, sweet, and buttery. This was a very nice tea.

This is a mild, savory, and slightly floral black tea good for any time of the day. Thank you again, Nuvola, for the sample!

Thanks to Nuvola for this sample! It’s quite tasty! I prefer my oolongs greener and less roasted, but still good! It’s a comfy tea to help your relax at work. I also detected a bit of fruitiness. Like jam and toast. :) It’s like relaxing out in the autumn woods with a comforting hot cup of tea. It provided a nice gentle boost of energy as well, and resteeped very nicely! Good stuff!

I wish I had some of this tea right now because I am exhausted! Baking pies and making creme anglais and washing puppies…ah! Too much after a full day of work! I still have to make chocolate syrup and ginger syrup, but I’ll have to do that in the morning. I can’t do anymore. Still waiting for a pie to finish baking. :( Then off to sleep. sleeeeeep. Then more cooking. It will be worth it! My whole apartment smells fantastic, by the way. :)

Dry Smell: There is some sort of floral smell that I have never smelled before, especially in an Oolong tea. It’s very intriguing.

Wet Smell: Smells no other Oolong I have ever tried.

So this is a very interesting Oolong. Everything about it is very different from any other Oolong I have ever tried. It has the normal taste of TKY under a taste I have never gotten from anything else. There is a sort of sweetness to it and it is very light and smooth. I love it, it’s just so unique and different.

Dry Smell: Raisins.

Wet: Roasted something. Not sure what, maybe roasted nuts?

So I have made 4 16oz cups so far and this is still going strong. It has the usual Ti Kuan Yin taste with that of Wuyi. I look forward to find out how many steeps I can get out of this before it starts to fall off.

A review of Sansia Bilo Chun by Nuvola Tea

Date: 11/12/2012
Company: Nuvola Tea
Tea Name: Sansia Bilo Chun
Tea Type/ Green
Region: Taipei Taiwan
Steeping Vessel/Amt. Leaf:
Plucking Season:
Liquor Color: a very light green
Leaf Characteristics:

1st Steeping:
Water temperature: 190 Fahrenheit
Time: 3 minutes

Note: I brewed this tea for 3 minutes with hot water, cooled after boiling and the tea’s color was a light green color and the aroma is sweetly and when I taste the Sansia Bilo Chun, it is so very light on the palette, has no astringency. I kept sipping and sipping this tea until it was all gone. I can say this is one of the lightest teas’ I have had.

Thank you, Nuvola Tea for sending these samples to me.

A review of Alishan Oolong Tea by Nuvola Tea

Date: 11/11/2012
Company: Nuvola Tea
Tea Name: Alishan Oolong
Tea Type/ Oolong
Region: Taipei Taiwan
Steeping Vessel/Amt. Leaf: cup/ loose leaf
Plucking Season:
Liquor Color: light yellow
Leaf Characteristics: The tea leaves when brewed became plump and supple with a buttery taste to the wet leaves.

1st Steeping:
Water temperature: 200 Fahrenheit
Time: 5 minutes

Note: I emptied the sample packet into my tea mug and pour the boiling water, leaving it to steep for five minutes. I like watching how fully the leaves plump while brewing and when I place the cover on my mug the leaves were able to fully steam/as if cooking so that when I remove the cover, I am met with this green/veggie like aroma; smelling so much like broccoli. As I taste the tea it is sweet and buttery like, there is absolutely no astringency to this oolong tea.

This Alishan Oolong is a floral bouquet with a smooth buttery finish of a taste when swallowed. I was able to have multiple infusions with this sample. I drink it first alone and later during the day with my diner, some Udon Noodles and it made for a very enjoyable meal since I felt like I was in a restaurant where they keep refilling your tea pot with oolong tea or something similarly.

Thank you Nuvola Tea for sending me a sample of this Alishan Oolong, it is quite nice, just as I remember. I had some of Fong Mong’s Alishan earlier this summer as well; they are both lovely teas that I have enjoyed with a full meal.

Wet smell: Smells like corn dogs.

Tastes like veggies. With a little bit of grass mixed it as well as some spice. It’s very enjoyable as well as a little relaxing.

Hai guys guess what? I found an oolong that I like…even if it is a bit floral-y. I may have to break down an order some of this sometime, once I get through a bit more of my cuboard. This has a light honey taste with the floral/perfumey notes coming through at the end. As some of you may now i hate floral teas but in this one, it’s just different enough that I don’t mind it. Looking forward to getting through a few more steepings on this one.

Thank you Nuvola for this sample!

Went to Spaworld today for the first time. If you have a Korean spa anywhere near you you should go. I have decided that this is where I live now when the world gets me down. The routine goes something like this; give someone $35 then put your shoes, clothes and cell phone away for the next (up to) 24 hours. Get naked in your gender-specific locker room and go take a shower. Hit the shower/pool/sauna/hot tub/cold tub/infrared rest area of you choice, or all of them. Put on a comfy cotton orange prison jumper and go to the co-ed areas. Get yourself a bubble tea. Scope everything out and relax. Go to the hot rooms made of crystals, salt, ice, charcoal and pine, clay, or the omgomgomg red clay ball pit. Hit all of them. Seriously. Really wish you had thought to bring some iced green tea. Get a massage, salt rub, waxing, spicy tofu soup or dumpling depending on budgetary restrictions. Go lie under two inches of hot red clay balls again until you are putty. Shower again then go lie down someplace comfy for an hour or so. Nap. Repeat until you absolutely positively must be jacked back in to teh worlds again. Best $35 EVER.

In other news, I tried this sample right before I went out today. This is really great and if my third steep had gone with me instead of sitting neglected on the dining room table it would have made everything better. I think ashmanra and scharp covered the description well, and I am a bit too blissed at the moment to try to add to their insights. This makes two of three samples I have tried from Nuvola that I must have more of. Pretty impressive considering I haven’t tried the third yet and already ordered more of the first.

Thank you Nuvola Tea for this free sample!

Leaf Quality:
The leaves were both dark and light shades of green, and very floral. I detected a bit of milky-fruitiness. The dry leaves themselves smelled quite sweet. The brewed leaves were grassy and floral. They unfurled into yellow-green crinkled gems in the water. After the second brew, all grassy notes had left, and the scent was purely floral.

Brewed Tea:
The tea smelled a bit milky, but even more floral. It had a bright yellow-green liquor and tasted light, floral, and had a slightly grassy finish.
Second Steeping
This brew was again floral. However, the milky notes had transformed into melon notes. It reminded me of either cantaloupe or honey-dew melons. The floral notes had also changed a bit from the first brew, i that it was more pronounced and sweeter. A very nice melon aftertaste.
Third Steeping
This tea was increasingly sweet with each brew. The melon was lighter this time, and the floral notes kept strong.
Fourth Steeping
Melon notes showed up again for this brew. The floral qualities carried themselves through and through, changing slightly each time.

What a nice Oolong to taste. Thanks again, Nuvola!

The first time I tried this sample from Nuvola Tea, I made a few mistakes. I tried it when I was really on a more green oolong kick (I really prefer greener oolongs, to be honest). I made it for a one time steep. I really just wasn’t catering to the tea itself. I was pretty meh on it, and decided not to leave a tasting note, since I thought I should give it another try later down the line.

So here I am, craving a slightly darker oolong. And I have it.

The dry leaves are wonderfully elegant. In the first 30 second steep, they barely unfurl at all. This demonstrates that they were lovingly rolled. Over the next few, they slowly reveal their true beauty.

There is definitely a floral aroma coming from this tea. The smell sort of calls to mind a forest right at the brink of fall. Each steep makes this aroma slide a little closer to fruity.

I was kind of surprised to find that there was a good bit of smokey flavor under all of the floral tones. It’s a good surprise, though. It complements very well. It definitely reminds me of fall, when you take sweet flavors out of their natural elements, and introduce them to spices and such.

Altogether, I enjoyed this tea a lot more the second time around. I will probably order a batch to have when I’m wanting an oolong that tastes more like…well, oolong!

Thank you Nuvola Teas for this free sample!

I decided to brew this tea in the Gongfu manner.

Leaf Quality:
The dried tea leaves smelled very floral. They had dark and light green as well as yellow sections, and were very delicate. The brewed leaves smelled wonderful. I detected roses, peach, and perhaps some cinnamon. This is one very floral tea! They unfurled, but the beautiful greens and yellows still sowed up. Perhaps I also smelled honeysuckle.

Brewed Tea:
The brewed tea had a bright greenish-yellow appearance, and was very sweet-smelling. The scent was almost as floral as the leaves themselves. The taste was wonderful too. A bit of vegital hints behind great floral qualities. The first brewing was very nice. Very pleasant.
Second Brew
This steeping was very floral as well. There was a light scent of pineapple. Aside from the new fruity scent, the cup was very consistent with the first, and was very tasty.
Third Brew
This was lighter than the previous cups. Nevertheless, it was still great. Those floral qualities pull through each steep. Silky smooth, and very sweet.
Fourth Brew
This brew showed more fruit notes, but the floral qualities were still present. It was much weaker than the third brew.

This is a very nice Oolong. I’m glad to have tried it.

Thank you Nuvola Tea for sending me this free sample, along with two others!

This was a pleasant surprise to find yesterday in the mail.

Leaf Quality:
The leaves of this Bi Luo Chun were dark green, yellow, and white in different parts of the leaves. They smelled richly floral. The brewed leaves smelled vegetal and floral, almost like a Taiping Hou Kui.

Brewed Tea:
I brewed this using the “Top-Putting” method. This was a wonderful brew. The tall glass showed that the tea was almost completely absent of color- it was a very light, clear yellow. The scent of orchids filled the glass. It tasted sweet, very floral, and had a slightly vegetal finish. This was very refreshing.
Second Steeping
This cup was consistent with the first: richly floral, sweet, and a light vetetal finish.
Third Steeping
Consistent again with the first two brews, this tea proved very steady in taste. However, the flavor was noticeably lighter with the third brew.

Overall thoughts: This tea was great. Nice and floral, very smooth. I liked this tea very much.

Thank you Nuvola Tea for this delicious and unique sample!

What a great idea of offering this very intriguing black tea. It’s always nice to find a good Taiwanese tea, especially a oolong or black – but find a hybrid, now that’s absolutely perfect!

The really long dark strips of tea leaves are more like an oolong, but they are more oxidized to the range of black tea. The taste is sensationally sweet, with some roasted fruity peach notes. The liquid has a pleasant medium fullness with a faint maltiness toward the end of the sip.

This tea is another great reason to love Taiwan teas! Thankfully companies like Nuvola Tea see the need to expose the Western culture to this great treasure. What a privilege it is to experience the long history & tradition of other cultures that celebrate good tea. Definitely a great cup!

So, I decided to give this another go with the same leaves. This time, it got a longer steep time and hotter water. I wanted to see how this liked being treated more like a traditional black tea.

The liquor came up a bit darker, but not by much. Not amber or anything like a regular black. More like the picture shows here: http://www.nuvolatea.com/upload/product/14l.jpg It smells more like a black tea. Heartier, with a hint of smoke. The taste is slightly more toasted and astringent, but oddly not much different from the first infusion. It seems like the more I treat it like a black tea, the more it tastes like one, and the same when I treat it like an oolong. But the change is very subtle. Interesting.

My first thought when I picked this tea to try was “Oooh, black oolong. Now this is interesting.” Honestly, as long as I’ve been here at Steepster, I had somehow never heard of such a thing. I ripped open the little packet and inspected the leaves. Dark and thin, rolled into long narrow strips. It looked like a fine black tea with a few hints of golden brown here and there.

I treated this one gently as well, and may or may not have used a bit too much water in my ceramic teapot. The liquor is a pale tan, and smells like black tea with a hint of sweet fruit. The taste is very, very interesting. While it does have hints of floral, spring-like oolong, I can taste the black tea oxidization more. It’s caramelly and much more robust than a traditional oolong. Malty, even. Like a light golden tip tea… sort of. This is hard to describe and delightfully complex, and I love it.

Also, after checking the website to see how much this tea is, it’s listed as $60HK for 50g… I was horrified at how expensive it is. But then I checked a converter on Google. It’s only about $8 USD. Whew!