Taiwan Sourcing

Only one day until the blind samples of oolong arrives. I’m very excited, Andrew. Very excited indeed. A part of me was thinking about sending some samples your way of the Eco-Cha Shan Lin Xi once I get it, but that might take to long.

I decided that more oolong in the place of anticipated oolong would do me good. And happily, this made a good morning tea. I used a traditional porcelain tea pot and cup. The pistachio nuttiness that I often describe shined through as much as the jasmine. However, there was a woody bitterness and grassy astringency. Basically, I brewed it with too many leaves. I was able to get some wonderful cups in steeps of 30-45 seconds for a pot 2/3rds full-more or less than a cup and half. 11 ounces could be more accurate.

Maybe less leaves next time. Learning more brewing parameters is so much fun.

Brewing Gong Fu in my little tea vessel from South Korea. This little bugger brings out the florals and creamy notes which makes me happy. It’s also getting some nectar. So good.

I need to look at my older notes. Brewed this way too strong at first then way too light. I’m very happy to have a favorite daily drinker though. I wanted to do this against jasmine pearls eventually. The main difference is that this was a bit grassier to me with a pistachio note, and the Green Pearls are creamier.

Okay, I’m getting cravings for this one. And it made my morning. I’ve been through some Jasmines lately, and none have quite tasted like this one. You don’t get a pistachio nut note often, and because of that alone I’m raising the rating. I’m tempted to get this one…and so many other teas.

This is $20 bucks at 150 grams. Not bad. At the same time. I’m tempted to try Tea Ave eventually. Are there any teas you’d highly recommend from them?

I filled my little strainer a bit more full. I’m guessing two to maybe three teaspoons. Same tasting notes: Dominant jasmine with a peachy creaminess and a pistachio nut aftertaste. I actually like this better western and Grandpa style. I don’t know what I was thinking last time I tried it. This is actually a really lovely Jasmine tea. A part of me still prefers green ones, but I’m loving the nutty aftertaste right now. Plus I’ve been craving it. Maybe it’s a seasonal thing since this winter has edged toward spring. Thank you inconsistent Michigan Weather, and thank you Global Warming.

A nice smooth jasmine. I noticed very few differences from the green, only a few more tastes from the oolong. A little bit peachy and nutty like almond or pistachio (a bit of a dramatization, but that’s what I taste). Better Western, personally medium steeps between a minute to two minutes at first. Probably a daily drinker, maybe a guest pleaser. For jasmine lovers and oolong lovers. A part of me actually prefers green and white even though oolong is my favorite. Something off about the balance to me. A lot of people on the website itself enjoyed it for the balance between the oolong and the jasmine. Maybe I wanted more oolong, or am just being too persnickety. I would recommend a try.

Same cup from last night, down to 200 degrees F for my whopping 5 grams at 10 seconds. It finally tastes like the Yan Chas I like with some Guava. More chestnut notes like a darker TGY. Still on the medium dark spectrum. Certain mineral taste and a bit of a kicking astringency. It’s especially pleasant when it cools down. Between 190-200 is the ideal heat for me.

Finally upped the rating because this is a good tea. I just had a hard time figuring out the way I liked it. I personally would not buy this again because this tea even with less leaves can be a bit overpowering for me although it’s an oolong. However, I would highly recommend this to more experienced drinkers and connoisseurs. This is a pretty complex and unique tea. I think they would appreciate it more than I have. It may be because I’m starting to prefer more delicate oolongs (if you can call them delicate) like Dan Cong, Qi Lan, and green Taiwan High Mountain Oolongs like Dong Dings, Shan Lin Xi’s, and Milks.

Followed boychick’s recommendations and it’s more pleasant but feels a bit over leafed for me. I still get salty cookie dough or graham crackers and I like Yan Cha style teas.I actually prefer it at a lower temperature because it is sweeter and more graham cracker like then. One review on the website compared it to a Da Hong Pao and I can see that. Because it’s so similar to a mega dark TGY or a Da Hong Pao, I’m having a hard time with it. I think I might like more delicate teas. It is certainly thick, but too thick and salty for me. I do think it’s a good tea, but it has yet to scream at me. I’m tempted to swap or sell it.

Yet another tea I need to figure better brewing parameters for. Gong fu with a ten second rinse, followed by 30 seconds increasing by fifteen, 30, and a whole minute. Very nutty, roasted, a little bit vegetal, and very sweet. After 30 seconds, it almost reminded me of sugar cookies. A lot like a roasted Tie Guan Yin. Nice, but could be more impressive. I had to be missing something.

The second time was Grandpa Style to get more of a spectrum. Very rarely have I tasted such vivid rainbows of weed. So, epic fail. I’m still missing something. I expected better, but I must be blind to what I wanted.

This is my first GABA green tea, and as I enjoy GABA oolongs, I was quite excited when this arrived.

The dry leaf fragrance is a nice mix of toasty and buttery aromas. Not at all unusual for a green tea, but perhaps a little more on the buttered toast side of things.

I gave the dry leaves a quick rinse (probably 10s in total contact time) with 85*C water. The leaves gave off a plume of more attractive buttery/toasty smells, but now with a starchy hint of plantain chips. That plantain character is clearly the GABA processing peering through. It is not vegetal (sweet potatoes) like some GABA oolongs can get. In fact, it feels right at home in the fragrance of a green tea.

After letting the leaves rest for 10 minutes or so, I steeped the tea for 30 seconds at 80*C. A hint of floral character starts to peak through in the aromas off the leaves. The body of the brew is thick, and the flavor is a buttery with some savory complexity. Subsequent steeps are consistently pleasant.

All in all, while this tea isn’t very complex, it is clean, quality material that is quite satisfying and does keep my interest throughout due to its well defined character. In addition, the GABA character doesn’t overshadow the tea flavors and aromas at all, but rather enhances the existing, comfortable green tea flavors and aromas. With each steep I slip a little further down in my chair (that is to say, it is indeed relaxing). I’m not usually big on green teas, and was maybe hoping for something a little “weirder,” but I certainly have been enjoying this.

Wet leaf after rinse: Big buttery aroma with nectar sweetness and bright floral fragrances. Recognizable high mountain oolong fruity/floral character comes out after the first real infusion, along with a shift from butter to butterscotch! It is seriously intoxicating. I find myself huffing the gaiwan between sips.

Brew aroma: Butterscotch and floral, with maybe a hint of sweet cream.

Brew: Thick, slippery mouth-feel with a buttery, sweet, fruity and very slightly umami flavor. Retronasal aroma is floral and fruity.

Conclusion: Damn this is good. Drank it at night the first time around, and it was indeed relaxing. I’ve had a few GABA oolongs previously, and they were all significantly more vegetal (sweet potato) than this tea. This tea comes off very sweet and buttery, first and foremost, with layers of fruited and floral complexity that unfold elegantly.

This is one tasty black tea. It is slightly malty, just slightly. Another reviewer said it tasted like molasses, this is a fairly good description of the sweet note to this tea. There is very little bitterness and very little astringency to this tea. It just tastes good to me. Not really feeling the effects of the GABA though, perhaps when I am done with my last cup?

I steeped this eight times in a 120ml gaiwan with 7g leaf and boiling water. I gave it a 10 second rinse and a 10 minute rest. I steeped it for 5 sec, 5 sec, 7 sec, 10 sec, 15 sec, 20 sec, 25 sec, and 30 sec. I think it would have gone a couple of more steeps if I hadn’t reached my caffeine limit for the day and then some.

Right now I am sitting down with a lot of tea in front of me and Christmas cards… who would have guessed that I’d spend over $100 to send tea to people I never met just to bring joy to others during the holiday seasons?
Not me.
Anyways, I decided to pull out something special while I package up some of my favorite teas because holidays are meant to show that you care not just that you can; so goodbye to a few of my favorites.

You’re wondering what this taste like? It taste like you need to go buy some :p

Got this as a free sample with my recent Taiwan Sourcing order. This is one excellent oolong tea. It is sweet with virtually no bitterness. Despite being a green oolong it has no grassy or vegetal taste. The sweet note reminded me of white grapes. But that is only an opinion. It has a very fresh taste to it. The Taiwan Sourcing website does not seem to list the flavor notes but white grapes is as close as I can come to a description.

I steeped this eight times in a 120ml gaiwan with 7.1g leaf and 190 degree water. I gave it a 10 second rinse and a 10 minute rest. I steeped it for 5 sec, 5 sec, 7 sec, 10 sec, 15 sec, 20 sec, 25 sec, and 30 sec. This tea would have gone a couple more steeps but I want to move on to something else.

This tea is really quite good. It’s roast profile is really light which in my opinion is good. There was no unpleasant roast flavor. The tea had a nice sweet flavor to it, not sure what to call the note. I ordered the GABA sampler from Taiwan Sourcing and this is the first I’m trying. I can’t say I felt any effect from the GABA though. That is somewhat disappointing. I did steep this gongfu style and ten steeps so I drank enough tea. This order has also left a sour taste in my mouth. A tea that I ordered 75g of was not sent in the proper quantity, a 25g sample was sent in it’s place. We will see if Scott at Yunnan Sourcing does the right thing and ships a replacement. The 25g sample portion was actually marked 75g. Most annoying. This tea however was what I can only call steller. The fact that it tasted so sweet to me and I added no sugar to it is a testament to the processing skills of the tea maker in Taiwan.

I steeped this tea ten times in a 120ml gaiwan with 7.1g leaf and 190 degree water. I gave it a 10 second rinse and a 10 minute rest. I steeped it for 5 sec, 5 sec, 7 sec, 10 sec, 15 sec, 20 sec, 25 sec, 30 sec, 45 sec, and 1 min.

This has got to be the best GABA oolong I have ever tasted. First,second, third steeps are sweet then creamy and tastes of walnut. I did several 15-20 sec steeps then added 5’s and 10’s after the 5th steep. This tea has a think mouth feel and had my mouth tingling after every cup. Just thinking about the taste has my mouth watering.

I was really impressed. Very rarely are Four Seasons strong teas. It tasted like a strong, good Tie Guan Yin after 15 seconds. It was almost overpowering. Vanilla was the strongest first note, nevermind there is no vanilla in this. Then there was gardenia, lilac, orchid, and a strong sweet tartness. Also partially vegetal, nectar and a hint creamy mouth feel. I brewed it about 6 times, adding 30 seconds each time and though it got weaker, it delivered. Oddly enough, it reminded me of Mandala’s Tie Guan Yin. If you want to try a four seasons and it be a stronger tea, I recommend this one deeply.

The last of my GABA sampler. This one was my least favorite so far, but it was still pretty good. The reviews on their website were pretty accurate, with the “roasted sun-dried tomato” description coming to mind. So do the notes of mushrooms and sweet potatoes. It was very, very soupy and savory. It was practically a broth. The roasted nuts oolong quality was there, but under everything else. As for steeping, another accidental gong fu western combo.

I would recommend this one to try something different, and maybe even more as a culinary tea than anything else. This would make some awesome flavoring for chicken or dip. Or, it might be good while eating a sandwich or bite sized meals. Again, not as sweet as the other three of the bunch, but likable.

Backlog. A good green tea, but it wasn’t as sweet as I had it last time. I must have brewed it well before, or I just had an overactive imagination while exploring different variants of Jin Xuan. I got sesame, walnut, bock choy, sourness, thick body, spinach, and a hint of lemon every now and then. I’m hoping that it continues to hold up.

It also could be my preference has changed. I really do prefer lighter teas now.

Really a green Jin Xuan Oolong, but with a little bit of a vegetal green tea astringency. The first few steeps all gong fu (30 seconds then upping 20 seconds every time) had the consistent characteristics of a Jin Xuan but with a strong walnut note like a green tea. Still creamy, floral, sweet, and vegetal.

Then at steep four, it changed. More almond like, a little bit tart, and similar to milk. I’m not quite sure what to point to in terms of taste. A lot of the prior notes were still there, but there was a push towards fruity, almost pastry like.

Steep five, the transformation came full circle. The tartness turned into something like lemon custard, which I’ve very rarely tasted before. Many people on steepster have already had this moment with other teas, but now, I’m having mine. It really tastes like a lemon tart. Wow….

Steep six and seven got weaker, but six still had some lemon and cream left over. I could probably brew this one up a few more times in the fridge for several hours. Not today, though.

By far this was the strongest of the GABA samples from Taiwan Sourcing. I was really impressed with the strength and complexity of this supposed green tea, and every steep had power. The tasting notes were not delicate by any means. They were apparent. Thus, I’m giving this one a higher rating for the sheer surprise, strength, and complexity. The calming effects of the GABA are a bonus. I might read this again and think what the hell was I ranting about. Yet, I need another session to be certain.

I had to say goodbye to this one before I sent the rest of it off to hawkband. The dry leaf is ugly and woody. But the brew is excellent. I enjoy this tea so much more than last time. Apparently, an over leafing mistake was enough for me to put it off for almost eight months. I was also particularly anxious, and the GABA effects weren’t as potent.

But this time, they sneaked up and gave me a really nice euphoric buzz lasting for the hour I am spending with this tea. The taste is equally as excellent. The grape note was the most noticeable thing by brewing about 3-4 grams in 6 ounces at 180 F. The first steep had 30 seconds and the later were shorter increasing from 15 seconds upward by ten to fifteen added increments. What I enjoyed this time was the honey note and the personal lack of a vegetal quality. Instead, there were florals that I did not previously pick up, specifically florals that you would find in a white wine. This tea really is much closer to a white wine which was why it was my personal favorite of the GABAs from Taiwan Sourcing. The vendor even put mulberry on the description, which I agree with.

This really was the best GABA I’ve ever had. And to think I was in search of the perfect fruity oolong with florals, and it came from a more oxidized one instead of a Jade. I am going to miss this one terribly, but I am going to be so happy to share it. We’ve had our time together, and if I really wanted to, I could just order myself some more. hawkband, like I told you, you are going to be in for a treat.

I messed up this time. I wanted a good dark oolong for the morning. The first 15 sec steep yielded a nice muscatel cup. The second at 20 yielded something that tasted like sea weed. The smell of the wet leaves was not so great. I tried more, and it was not right.

I will try this one more time, but I don’t like it nearly as much as I did. I’m hoping it’s good enough to trade with @Amanda ‘Soggy’ Enderman along with the Alishan GABA Green and the Rummy Pu I have.