Tea Ave

I got this tea because Tealizzy recommended and Teaave has free ship on everything till 7/31.
I thought its a great opportunity to try this tea since Im on roasted oolongs quest.
The package arrived 3 days later by DHL truck.
Everything was packed with a great care.

About the tea. i used my smallest gaiwan of 50ml which i find great for sampling.
did a quick rinse. 200F 15/20/30/40 sec etc
This tea is a fruit bomb. Peach, pineapple, nectarine,maybe something else . it is so juicy. the roast done well so no ashy aftertaste.
And i was resteeping it the whole evening, lost count how many steeps.
So happy i got this tea. also 5 tins . they are not only gorgeous turquoise color but also very tight fitting lids . They so remind me Tiffany&Co ;)

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Sipdown (120)!

- Teabag/steeped Western style
- Sweet with light roast
- Honey notes
- Fruity body and finish
- Apple-y? Like, soft red apples
- Somewhat floral

Thanks for the sample Tea Ave! All three samples made great accompaniments for my Series of Unfortunate Events binge on the 13th when it came out.

Sipdown (110)!

Since Tea Ave. is running a free shipping promo right now I took advantage of that to place an order for the one blend I really wanted more of after initially sampling/reviewing some of their blends. This was an added sample from that order which has already arrived after only four days passing! I think that may actually be a new record for the fastest time I’ve received a tea order!

While Tea Ave. does let you specify what you’d like to sample I left that field of the order form blank and so they chose for me. Two of three samples were new to me, and one a repeat – though as I’ve been pretty impressed with all of their teas I’ve tried I’m far from disappointed about that. This sample came in sachet form, though not all three did. It’s the first time I’ve tried one of their blends in a sachet; I always have mixed feelings about teabags/sachets because I LOVE the convenience but think that most sachets don’t generally offer enough room for leaf expansion – which is definitely a bigger issue with oolong. Though in this case the sachet is very large, and that turned out to not be an issue at all.

I did two infusions of this tea, both turned out to taste very similar so I wont do a flavour summary for each like I tend to do when I steep the same tea several times. I thought the liquor was very light and gentle with an incredibly smooth and silky mouthfeel that made for really easy, calm sipping. The dominant note – though in this case dominant just means “most present” because nothing about this blend was harsh, was honey and it was the right level of sweet but natural and not cloying. Supporting notes were fresh picked Spring flowers, hay, and a soft, roasty note that reminded me of just barely toasted bread. I’d describe the overall combination as ‘ambrosia’.

I do think this was a little watery, and had it not tasted quite as diluted I’d be all over this blend – but it was incredibly pleasant for what it is as well, and a really nice balance between a greener, more vegetal oolong and a heavily roasted, mineral tasting more oxidized one.

I’m happy to have tried it!

The first sip of tea sent me straight to heaven. It had a creamy mouthfeel and fruity flavor that reminded me of peaches covered with fresh cream. It was absolutely delicious and definitely the type of tea I find myself craving during the hot summer months.

You can read the rest of the review on my blog:
www.notstarvingyet.com/index/2015/6/30/tuesday-tea-osmanthus-oolong-tea-ave

(Tea Provided for Review)

Lishan Oolong
Origin: Lishan Mountain Region, Taichung City, Taiwan
Cultivar: Qinxin Oolong
Elevation: 1700m

Dry Leaves: The leaves were the most underwhelming of the three; this had a light floral scent. The leaves had a lot of yellow and green and not a lot of blues.

First Steeping
Temperature: Boiling
Brewing Time: Three Minutes
Aroma: Floral and Fruity
Flavor: Floral and Sugarcane
Tasting Notes: This has a nice thin-ish mouthfeel, not as thick as teas grown at higher elevations, but not what I normally expect for teas grown at 1700m. Regardless it was nice. It is a little vanilla for my taste. I could taste honeysuckle, hyacinth and lilies, other than that I could taste sugarcane. It was very mellow. I imagine it would brew a lot better for longer times.

Depending on the price I might buy this again. I tend to prefer more complex oolongs.

[From http://rah-tea.blogspot.com/2015/02/tea-ave-preview.html]

Whew! It seems like forever since I posted a review. Time to get back in the saddle and the Oriental Beauty from Tea Ave seems like a good place to start. Tea Ave specializes in Taiwanese oolongs and this may be the best of their offerings. The leaf aroma is of fresh grass and the flavor over several steeps follows a perfect arc (I started at :30 and added :15 for each subsequent steep). The first smells rich and slightly sweet; the flavor is a bit watery but has a long finish and hits those glands at the back of the tongue. The second steep smells and tastes notably more honey-like, but with a slightly shorter finish. The third steep has a rich and soft mouth feel with more honey flavor up front and less in back. The flavor arc heads down after that, getting progressively drier on the tongue and less sweet. Tea Ave’s hype says that you can get up to ten steeps, but I found it pretty tapped out after six. Still, six steeps of lovely, sweet, lightly roasted oolong is nothing to sneeze at. I got this as a sample and I’ll definitely be ordering more.

Tie Kwan Yin Oolong
Origin: Muzha District, Taipei City, Taiwan
Cultivar: Tie Kwan Yin
Elevation: 350-400m

Dry Leaves: I love how much info Tea Ave has on their teas on each individual sample package. Although it might be a little overwhelming to someone new to tea, I was rather interested in what they decided to list. The origin and elevation is pretty standard for Taiwanese oolong. The roasting level, oxidation level and cultivar are pretty rare and I love that they included it; and then three separate brewing recommendations (tea bag, tea pot and cold brewing), although the tea bag recommendation wasn’t really necessary. Unfortunately I lost all my photos of this particular tea, but the leaves were closer to a green oolong then a darker one.

First Steeping
Temperature: 195oF
Brewing Time: Three Minutes
Aroma: Roasted and Fruity
Flavor: Roast, Fruity and Burnt Wood
Tasting Notes:
This was my least favorite of the three (not surprising). I am not really fond of roasted oolongs; I have trouble distinguishing darker oolongs apart. Most roasted TKY taste nearly the same to me. So I wasn’t surprised to taste mostly the roast and some fruity notes, but I was startled to be able to taste burnt wood. The burnt wood flavor was the best part of this tea for me; it distinguished it enough from others that made it stand out for me. As to would I buy this tea, maybe. I generally prefer aged tea over new roasted teas, but if the price is right I may buy this once Tea Ave launches their site.

[Originally published: http://rah-tea.blogspot.com/2015/02/tea-ave-preview.html]

I don’t have a note for this, but it was one of my favorites when I first tried it. I remember that the roasting level just added a nuttiness and breadiness, and, despite not being that big of a fan of roasted teas, was totally forgivable because the luscious and incredible sweetness that lingered for DAAAAYZ. I remember really wanting to buy it. Which is what makes this session I had with Dinosara so bizarre. Maybe it was the different samples?
I found the whole gongfu session somewhat bland, and so charcoally that it was approaching bitterness. Because of this disparity, I will wait to rate this until I sipdown my last teaspoon.
The only one of the 6 steeps that gave me a hint of what it was before was the rinse (ironically), but it was almost salty it was so roasty. Overall, not what I remembered at all.

This is nuanced and delicious – to me it tasted equal measures of creamy, floral, and fruity. Very balanced, and I enjoyed this sample a lot.

I don’t know that I’ve ever tasted osmanthus before, but it is a distinct floral if this tea is very accurate in flavor. I really enjoyed it – the oolong gave a creamy base, which cut the floral a bit. It also had a bit of fruit flavor. I was able to get 3 strong steeps out of this before I got tired of it and gave up for the session.

In other news, my stomach is in knots – I have a job interview next Tuesday in Virginia, about a 5 hour drive away. I am super anxious for the drive, the interview, and making sure the dogs I am pet sitting for get cared for during this really inopportune time haha. Interviews always seem SO critical to me, as they are important, but I already feel myself getting insane tunnel vision feeling anxious about how much my future rides on this…failing to remember that even if a contract job doesn’t happen for this fall, there will be other interviews for other equally great jobs. Yay anxiety?

I also managed to get my tea to live only in my setup in my tea cupboard and on my dining room table, and off the section of the floor. Yay drinking more tea than I acquire for once?

Tiny 3.1g sample in my 100ml gaiwan, and I tried not to fill it up as much as usual. 90-100C water. First steep 60sec, second 80sec, still going. :) The aroma of this is really cool. The wet leaves after the rinse were had a sweet, floral scent, but after subesquent steepings smell like spinach or seaweed, rich and green. The liquor smells sweet and floral in the first steep, with vegetal notes emerging in subsequent ones. The flavour is very crisp and refreshing, lightly vegetal like cucumber or fresh garden vegetables, with a creamy mouthfeel and a long finish, and floral notes in the aftertaste.

Sipdown! 39/365

This was quite delicious. I often think of tky as a very green oolong, but it’s usually more roasty and flavourful – this was no exception. Very rich-tasting.

Oh so delicious. Second time at this tea; I just have a teensy bit left for a small mug later. Anyhow, it’s really quite delicious. Packed with minerally “oolong flavour”, roastiness, sweetness… really the biggest thing I’m noticing here compared to other similarly flavoured oolongs is the dried fruits-sweetness, which is wonderful. I’d definitely drink this one again. Thanks again to Tea Ave for the sample!

Backlog from last weekend.

I believe this is the second of Tea Ave’s wonderful samples that I have tried – and another stellar tea! Roasty, savoury, with a strong oolong flavour – I drank at least 3 solid western-style infusions of this until it started to lose flavour. I wish I could write a more detailed note, but I’ve been lacking in writing down info lately (although I’m trying to make more of an effort now when I can!) Hopefully I’ll have a bit more spare time when I drink the rest.

Thanks again to Tea Ave for the teas and wonderful teacup set – my roommate and her boyfriend were a big fan of this and the Ali Shan I got (though not so much the Magnolia Oolong, which I haven’t yet tried) – and she’s been bugging me because she wants to place an order with the gift card we were generously sent.

The first time I steeped this tea, I think I used too much leaf – I went with 6g for my 100ml gaiwan (because the instructions said 8g for a 130ml gaiwan), and it was ok, but there was a bitter note that I found distracting, and it was more vegetal and less floral than I was hoping for. This time around, 4.5g in the same gaiwan, and that worked way better. The scent of the dry tea is very fragrant and sweet, like candied flowers. I did a quick wash, which I tasted, and it was lightly sweet and floral, just a preview of things to come. :) I think i steeped it for 30sec, then 1min, then added another minute for each subsequent steeping, finally getting bored after the 5min one. It was actually really tasty throughout. Initial steepings were very fragrant and floral, like sticking your nose in a bouquet of flowers. Then some light, fresh, vegetal flavours started coming in, balanced with the floral, so it was like eating the flowers? And then the floral faded even further and the vegetal became crisper with a faint hint of bitterness, as if you’re now munching on tender stems or leaves. So basically it’s like eating a flower, but in tea form, lol. This is a terrible description, but the tea was actually quite lovely. :)

I had this tea this afternoon and brewed in a gaiwan. I tend to prefer the lighter oolongs compared to the more roasted ones. This one was roasted but it was very light.

On the first infusion it brewed up a pale yellow. It was so creamy with a bit of sweetness and a very light roast. Soooo good.

2nd infusion, was still good but roast was a bit more pronounced and the creamy flavour a little less.

3rd was similar to the 2nd infusion.

The first cup was my absolute favourite but it was very good throughout.

I had a much better experience, both gongfu and western, with this tea (#–3) than with the rose oolong. It’s been a long time since I had a magnolia oolong, so it’s hard for me to compare, but I did really enjoy this one. After using it in our gongfu session last weekend, I had a little over my normal quantity of leaf, but what was I going to do with half a teaspoon? So I used all of it but lowered my steep time to compensate.

I think perhaps the magnolia works better with the base? Here I get the creaminess from the Jin Xuan that I was missing in the rose oolong. The florals are thick and rich, but in no way overwhelming or perfumy. Just that they have body and substance. Magnolia can be slightly jasmine-y in flavor, I find, and I get hints of it here. A little fruitiness. Overall a very nice oolong.

Quick note about my gongfu experiences with this one. Equusfell and I shared it yesterday in a nice little session. I feel that I enjoyed it a little more gongfu-style, but it still fell a little flat. Not enough rose, and the base tea just didn’t seem to work very well with it. Still no creaminess or floral notes (other than the added rose). Not sure why this one didn’t turn out for me (when the base definitely worked with some others), but so it goes.

Finally getting around to more of my Tea Ave samples. By now I’ve tried 2 of 3 (plus a bonus), and this one (#–2) is the last one to try. Funny, since by rights it should have been the first one I grabbed given that I love rose. I’m brewing this one western style using my typical green oolong method. I will take the rest home to gongfu, perhaps this weekend.

Some people may appreciate that this tea has light rose notes. They are definitely present, but playing around the edges. I myself prefer a much stronger rose flavor, since rose is one of my favorites. I could forgive that, however, if the base was anything to write home about. I find it a little meh. Vegetal, a little buttery, but lacking the creaminess I would expect from a Jin Xuan. I will say that I get a little bored by Taiwanese high mountain oolongs, although I have them as the base of a few other scented teas and enjoy them well enough. Even in Tea Ave’s own Ginger Lily, it worked better. I think this one is just so dominant in the flavor, and one-note (vegetal). Maybe it will be more nuanced in gongfu. That said, I drank it easily enough.

The thing that sets me off the most about this is the price. Right now, the sale price is more than double what I would pay for a rose green oolong from Dammann or Taiwan Tea Crafts. Now, I am not one to cast judgement at spending a lot on one tea, as I have done my damage with some reserve teas in the past, but their prices seem a tad excessive to me for the product. I am grateful that they sent me the samples to review (as well as the aroma cup set and such), but I will be perfectly honest in my review: I expect mind-blowing for that price, and this is decidedly not.

Thanks ashmanra once again for the sample exchange! I’ve been thinking about ordering with the sale they have running at Tea Ave, but I wanted to try all the teas at my disposal first. This is the last one I needed to try (but not the last I need to write a note about- that tasty Tie Kwan Yin still sitting in my sample box!).
First steep 45 sec: This is not my first Jasmine scented oolong (Lupicia took that coin!), but it’s much smother than any I have had. The gorgeous base is really what elevates it. The jasmine flavor is present, but not terribly strong or sweet. This first steep is a little weak for me, even though I used my standard western style parameters. I think the short steep short-changed me here; the leaves are still tightly curled.
Second steep: 1:30: Still rather vague in flavor. Maybe I miss the strength of the gongfu session last weekend! I feel the familiar buttery, fresh veggie sweetness of the base tea coming through on this steep. There is almost a sour note on the first part of the sip. Like nectar that has gone past it’s prime.
Third steep: 2:00: This is absolutely the lightest jasmine tea I have ever tasted. I am mostly enjoying the base tea at this point, which is contributing the velvety mouth-feel I’ve come to expect from it to a slight touch of jasmine-nectar, of which I cannot even smell. I was hoping this tea would be the oolong version of Verdant’s Yunnan White Jasmine, but alas, the Jasmine is much too light for me. By no means does that mean I didn’t enjoy this cup, but it just didn’t knock my socks off like the magnolia! Maybe I need the full Jasmine Oolong from Tea Ave instead?

Number three on the gong fu marathon with Dinosara!
No rinse, 5 second first steep +5 seconds for each subsequent steep.
First steep: In the aroma cup, the smell is that of fresh gingersnaps! The scent translated into the flavor, I even tasted cinnamon and brown sugar sweetness coming through when it cooled!
Second steep: A more baked/toastier ginger cookie!
Third steep: Toastier, yet again, but less cinnamon this time. I have decide that the ginger flavor is not a fresh ginger root, but dried ginger powder, with none of the ginger spice.
Fourth steep: The floral flavors of, I think, the base are coming through, now. There is less ginger.
Fifth steep: Ginger is faint. The aroma cup contains a much more floral scent, but the tea is weak.
Overall an interesting flavor. I was not actually that big of a fan of the ginger flavoring, but the cookie in the beginning was really nice! I’m not sure where the lily came in, but if you like ginger, just not the spice, than this one may be for you!

As I mentioned in the other note, this was one of several teas Equusfell and I had today at our gongfu session. I’m not going to write notes for the others just now, to keep interruptions to my cupboard sip-through to a minimum, but since this is the only time I will likely have this one a note is in an order.

Anyway, this is totally like drinking gingersnaps. Definitely baked ginger cookie flavor going on here. It became a bit more floral as the steeps went on, but overall I definitely got a gentle, not spicy, ginger flavor, with even a hint of cinnamon. Very tasty; it would be interesting to try it as a western brew too.

The dry leaves in a warm gaiwan smell like roasted seaweed. Interesting start. The scent after rinsing the leaves is a really bright floral nectar smell, sweet, with notes of honey, little notes of seaweed still in the background.

Really unique flavor. I’m not even sure how to describe it. It’s creamy, tastes a lot like some kind of fruit or flower, like a tropical fruit… maybe little hints of mango or papaya? Maybe even nectarine. It has a bit of toasty flavor, but mild.

Second infusion is a little more floral and overall similar flavors. Not quite as creamy or sweet. A lingering peach aftertaste.

Third infusion is much like the second, but stronger flavor. By the fourth infusion it’s even more floral tasting and less fruity. It’s more the kind of floral that can be kind of borderline offensive to me, hinting at soapy. This is the usual type of floral I experience in taiwanese high mountain oolongs. Sometimes I simply have to brew lighter to avoid them. With other teas, it is just innately overwhelming to me (mostly Alishan… in my experience). With this Lishan though, it’s not too much, but definitely there.

By the fourth infusion the floral has backed off and it is back to the fruity notes. I really liked the first and maybe the later infusions of this tea, but some of the middle infusions with the bright floral taste were borderline harsh for me. It’s hard to decide how I feel on this one because that tropical fruit taste is just really unique and unlike anything else I’ve tried, but the flavor is not consistent throughout infusions, nor does it change in a good way, since the first infusion was the best. Hmmm. Still a good tea though. Worth trying for it’s unique tropical fruit notes, and if you like pretty floral oolong teas, then there is probably nothing to fear here at all.