Tea Ave

This is the most floral of the three oolongs I’ve tried from Tea Ave. Big spinachy leaves; nice bronze velvet color and texture. It smells like Mom’s lilac bush, and the taste is close, too. Nice cup of spring when all about me is muddy, cindery, snow slush.

This is not the one I’d choose for a Tea Ave rerun, I think—that’d probably be the Dong Ding—but that’d due to personal preference, not to the excellence of the oolong! Those of you with more delicate palates than me will likely love this.

It was my 2nd test from the Tea house Tea Ave. and second success.

It is a beautiful oriental beauty picked between 400 and 800 meters. The oxidation level is at 6 on a scale of 10 .

A fragrant honey smell typical of these "bitten"Oolongs is emerging from the dry leaf.

I steeped this bai hao 3 minutes at 100 ° C for the first test. The leaves impeccably unfolds .

The beautiful liquor smells delicious fruits and honey.

The taste is from a typical oriental beauty , the body is quite light and fruity very pronounced . Honey is there but in the background and leaves the leading role to dried fruit, stone fruit. The “sweet” aspect is present in a good quantity ,but very balanced.

This is not the best OB I tasted so far but it is definitely very good and it made me starting the day nicely.

Pics are visible here : https://thevangeliste.wordpress.com/2015/02/15/oriental-beauty-tea-ave/

I choose to start the Tea Ave samples with the Rose Oolong, it was the best choice on earth for sampling something for me who loves rose so much! 1rst very good point, indications are super accurate: oxidation, type of Oolong used everything is mentionned on the package. I have rarely seen such accurate indications.

It is therefore an Alishan picked at 1200 meters and little oxidized scented with taiwanese roses I am about to drink.

This rolled leaf smells divinely good , a real bouquet of roses. Tea Ave. requires an infusion at 100 ° c, so do I.

3 minutes later, I have a beautiful yellow-green liquor, very pale, typical of Alishan and a sweet smell of roses.

From the first infusion leaves unfold very well. What beautiful leaves … and with rose petals, I am in love.

Then…the taste… because it is not because Tea Ave sent me some samples that I am particularly kind with the teas. But then … I can only be a little seduced beforehand … Oolong + rose … this tea begins with a big advantage … and … it is good. Yes, it’s a good Alishan, refreshing, with a body between light and medium.

The scent of rose is present but just right for my taste, it does not hide the Oolong. I adored my first steep, the second infusion is nice but is less interesting for me as it has less body.

For my first sample with this Tea house, I am delighted.

This is however a beautiful tea, pics available here : https://thevangeliste.wordpress.com/2015/02/14/rose-oolong-tea-ave/

My last sample from Tea Avenue. The base is an Alishan, a Jin Xuan picked at 1200 meters. The degree of oxidation is inevitably low, 2 on a scale of 10 (I love those details from the Tea Ave.)

Although we have some osmanthus flowers mixed with the Alishan it is not profusely. I’m sick so I will not go into the description of the smell of the leaf. Fortunately my taste is not yet affected by the cold.

Once drained, we can not see them again too … it’s an Osmanthus hide and seek game.

The liquor is of course very pale, a very pale yellow like Alishan have the secret.

The taste is pleasant : a refreshing Alishan with nice floral notes.

Was it a good idea to have choosen this one for the morning? … Not sure. I think this tea is perfect for the evening (well for my taste). This is undeniably a tea very good. This is not my favorite type of tea but it doesn’t shadow all its qualities. Thank you so much Heidi at Tea Avenue for this sample.

Pics of my session are available here : https://thevangeliste.wordpress.com/2015/02/21/osmanthus-oolong-tea-ave/

It’s been a very, very long time since I posted a review, mostly due to work and partially since my previous gaiwan didn’t survive my move. Now that I finally got a replacement, I can finally post a review about the samples that I recently got from Tea Ave.

The dry leaves remind me a lot of a Darjeeling, very colorful and with a delicate flora aroma that I’ve come to expect from high-mountain teas. I filled my gaiwan about half way, and steeped for 15 seconds with 190-180 degree water, then pour it directly into some of my small cups. The first steep resulted in a very nice medium colored tea, that was very aromatic. Much like the dry leaves, it smells very floral, but there’s also a fresh herbacious aroma like a fresh green Tie Guan Yin. The flavor of the tea is similar to a really top quality Tie Guan Yin, but it feels like it’s thicker. The mouthfeel is a very nice buttery sensation that lingers for a long time in the mouth. As the tea cools down, it starts to taste a bit like a White Peony and loses some of the complexity.

For the second steep, I used slightly cooler water for about seven seconds. The tea actually tastes a lot more complex now, with hints of leaves and spice present in the palate now. The spice isn’t like the saffron that you taste in a really high quality Tie Guan Yin, and is a bit less subtle yest still hard to describe. It still retains its butter mouthfeel, but it’s a bit reduced. The aftertaste also is more complex, with lingering hay, leaves, and spices that fades over about 2 minutes. The development is rather amazing, and I can’t wait to see how it continues to develop.

For the third steep, I let it sit for 10 seconds. The end result is that I got a surprisingly thick feeling tea that was actually sweeter than both of the previous infusions. The aroma is also stronger, and it has developed a honey flavor, and generally continues to grow stronger and sweeter. Unfortunately, something came up and the tea got cold, wo there’s nothing else to say about this.

Later steeps started to lose flavor and intensity, and generally started to taste like a Bai Mu Dan. A very good Bai Mu Dan, but still much less interesting than the original flavor. Still, it’s a very god tea for contemplative sipping. If you want something that will just give you a nice relaxing afternoon, this is a good tea to try out.

This is another sample sachet from TeaAve. Thank you!

I brewed this today at work in my new 5oz finum hot glass system. I did 3 steeps. The first steep at 2 mins, the second steep at 3 mins, and the last steep at 5 mins. It was fun finally being able to see the true color of tea through the glass. This tea brewed up a very lovely golden brown. I noticed that the flavor of this tea really popped once the temperature had cooled for a bit after the steep. It was very honey sweet, with hints of caramel, and fruity notes of peach. I love Oriental Beauty Oolongs, and this was a great example of one. Another wonderful offering by TeaAve. I look forward to Sunday to be able to hop on the webpage!

I just lost this note when my tablet froze and reset itself grrr.

This is a lovely tea!

In celebration of their upcoming launch on March 1st, I decided to spend time with the samples that Tea Ave scent to me. Thank you very much! They were beautifully presented and the teaware will be much loved. I decided to try the Magnolia oolong first as Jasmine is a bed-time tea for me and I have more time to dedicate to the Lishan tomorrow.

This tea is traditionally scented and uses Alishan Jin Xuan grown at 1200m altitude as it’s base tea. I like Jin Xuan but I prefer when they are on the fruitier side versus the milkier side. This one appears to be more fruity so I am happy.

I used less leaf than the 8g recommended because I usually prefer to under leaf green Oolong’s. I find that it tends to minimize the vegetal flavours and maximized the floral notes which I love. I used 4.5g of tea which covered the bottom of my 120ml gaiwan.

the dry leaf’s scent was fruity and fresh with fruit and floral notes, as well as hints of second cut hay ( alfalfa) mixed with clover and a hint of something that reminds me of jube jubes.

The leaves were mostly a darker green that was slightly muddied but not quite olive. They were tightly rolled with some stems visible. The tea also included some strips of dark brown which I assume are bits of Magnolia flowers.

After a sixty second steep at boiling the tea yielded a scent that was soft, floral and warm. It was slightly candy like and reminded me of the sugary smell of cotton candy. There was a crisp green scent above the sugar which was a blend of grape hyacinth and blanched snap peas.

The first sip tasted very smooth and slightly vegetal but the tea quickly became very sweet and candy like. Also present were warm and enveloping floral notes mixed with a cool creamy magnolia note. This was accompanied by the flavour of sun warmed grapes mixed with the tropical warm juices of warm melon and pineapple. As it cooled a green crisp vegetal note appeared. This steep reminded me of German and Alsace white wines.

A 90s second steep yielded a scent that was more intensely fruity in nature and had the addition of cream. There was more melon in the fruit flavour, which was a mix of grape, pineapple and melon. Also present was cream and a spice note that included a mix of spicebush, cinnamon and pineapple chamomile, and a less distinct hyacinth note. The tea remained creamy with a cool crisp undertone. There were crisp greens and sweet floral tones in the aftertaste.

After a two minute steep the tea had a good balance of fruit, floral and vegetal notes in the scent. The vegetal notes moved forward in the flavour and was a little bit bitter, but it opened up quickly to a creamy tropical fruit mixture that then opened up to a warm creamy floral. This floral note really tasted like magnolia in this steep. A chamomile note remained present and a bit of bitter cocoa mixed with the vegetal note.

The last good steep I had was 4 minutes. This one was more floral in scent with hints of lilac mixed with magnolia. It had a sweet vegetal taste with notes of artichoke and corn mixed with lilac, magnolia, hints of tropical fruit, cream and vanilla, but the flavour was fading.

The spent leaf clusters had up to 4 leaves and a bud on them and were a good size, but were not as large as some I have had. There was very little to no colour on the leaf margins.

Altogether I very much enjoyed this tea. Thanks Tea Ave for the sample!

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Okie dokie. Not sure of what was going on with the jasmine so I’m moving on to this one. An interesting aroma when dry. Not quite sure but I think of China when I smell it….

1tsp. Small, one cup glass tea pot. Sorry but I microwaved the water. Wasn’t sure if something is wrong with my kettle. Maybe I’m the issue because I drank too many flavoured black teas on my trip. Sorry anyway… at 1 min it was too light so I put it back in again. But even at a minute I can tell how smooth it is. Like silk on my tongue. Light flavor of magnolia and other vegetal flavors. You really have to have a palette capable of tasting all the intricacies of these oolongs. Otherwise it’s very easy to miss. I also find you really need the perfect water temp. I think the flavors come out a bit more as it becomes luke warm.

Second steep about the same. 30 seconds yields very subtle flavors. Much better at a minute not sensing the usual butter oolong flavors. I can kinda tell they’re there but lightly.

On the first steep, This oolong has light roasted notes of nuts and barely, with a vegetal taste which is kind of minty, and almost like it’s lightly spiced with sweet cinnamon. The aroma is on the smooth side, hinting at fruit and nut flavours.

Third steep is my favourite so far. All the flavours mentioned about have been smoothed out to a sweet, nutty silk.

For me these notes are filling- I can almost forget I haven’t eaten anything yet. It’s a satisfying cup and quite the contrast to my two other Tea Ave samples, which are both flavoured/fragranced and use the Alishan Jin Xuan as a base.

On a side note, I love that Tea Ave includes the altitude, as well as the roasting and oxidation levels with scales, on the packets. It’s incredibly helpful and informative to an oolong newbie like me!

This is another sachet sample from TeaAve. Thank you!

I feel like a broken record with these teas. Amazing, wonderful and so on so forth, but these oolongs have been quite the treat. The Tie Kwan Yin has been no exception to that. It was a roastier TGY than I was expecting, but it was a great level of roast for me. It was slightly fruity, I was definitely picking up on the peach notes in this tea. Like the other oolongs I have been sampling from TeaAve there was a slight creamy mouth feel to it. I didn’t get to spend as much time with tea as I would have liked. It was a crazy afternoon at work, but my first impression was a very good one. Thank you!

I made up the rest of the sample, without destroying it this time (2 min. at boiling for first steep), and the balance of jasmine and milky oolong is now perfect. I’m not big on jasmine, but I can’t deny how smooth it is here: the cream, fruit, sweet, and floral notes work well together. Huge improvement from last night’s session (which was still pretty satisfying).

I forgot I had this steeping in the kitchen. It probably sat for 10 minutes while I was eating sour keys and staring into The Void. That’s exactly the last thing I wanted to happen with a jasmine tea (I find less is better with this flavouring). Luckily this tea appears to be a particularly light and forgiving one!

The jasmine scent and flavour is now akin to a Body Shop jasmine frangipani candle (extreme flower and slight cream). There is also a hint of floral/veggie bitterness, but it’s still drinkable.. and enjoyable.

I’m looking forward to the subsequent steeps, and a second session, so I can get a better feel for this tea. Right now it’s promising!

Addition— getting to my unconventional fourth steep now, and there is a substantial amount of pepper spice to the finish.

Tea Ave went above and beyond with their sample packages and labeling. I wish I was more gifted with words- I’d offer something besides a huge THANK YOU! I’m grateful there are people like Roswell Strange to make up for my lack.

‘Ginger’ made me decide to try this one first. It was a good choice. I re-steeped this about six time last evening (at a time I shouldn’t have been drinking tea), plus once more this afternoon, and it’s probably one of the best and most soothing tea sessions I’ve had since last spring.

The ginger is a vibrant, sweet finish to this silky Jin Xuan. I second the person who says they now want to try this base oolong unflavoured. It’s been so long since I’ve had a milk oolong.. my roommate doesn’t understand right now (she’s giving me a weird look as I go pacing about the apartment with my tea mug). It’s an exciting thing.

This is a very delicate oolong. Light on jasmine. Subtle butter. Little bit of honeysuckle. It’s not as strong as I thought it was going to be and I’m wondering if I did something wrong. The other reviews had me so excited but they truly I feel that I must have gotten a bad batch or something.

Yea… I’m really not picking up those nice oolong and usual jasmine scents or tastes. I may have to get the other one from the other box and see if that one is better.

Sample #2 from the other box. Sorry Tea Ave. I know this one was supposed to be for someone else but there was something wrong with the one I had so I wanted to give it another shot. First steep at 30 seconds and 1 min. Much better then the packet I had. Jasmine is still subtle but I’m ok with that. the more I let it cool down the more I can taste. Second steep, even better. Still not getting as much of that buttery oolong, but that’s ok. To me this is more like something in between oolong and green. A new type of tea!

Noticed something else just now as well. The smell of this sample is much better then my first.

Backlog: Used the rest of this sample pack for a cold brew. It was light and creamy, and a little sweet. It was refreshing, as the day I had it was quite warm.

So, I decided to make this tonight. This comes from TEA AVE as a sample gift set that had three samples of oolong, and an aroma cup set, plus a few extra goodies. It was all a very generous sample and gift set…so thank you so much Heidi! I attempted to use my aroma cup set for this, but as I don’t have an actual tea pot, pouring the tea into the aroma cup proved challenging, as it is tall but very narrow. I think the set is lovely….the white cups and the oak tray are stunning, but maybe a bit too fancy for me? I have a tea pot in mind though, so I’ll try this all again when I get that.

Onto the tea now. So I chose this one tonight, and the leaves are very dark green, and very tightly rolled. I used my bamboo spoon, which I assume is 1-1.5 tsp. I used oiling water like they said, and did a 2 minute steep (recommended 1-3), and then I improvised getting the tea into the aroma cup and then into the drinking cup. I did definitely get a nice smell from the cup, but I am a little stuffed up today…so I’m not confident I got the whole experience.

In the cup, the liquor was very pale yellow, and the contrast with this and the white cup almost made it look milky. The leaves after steeping grew an inane amount, and even more the second steep, and were an amazing dark green, almost resembling steamed spinach.

As for the taste, it is quite light, with a slight sweet (butter) creaminess, and saliva inducing quality, but also a little brothy too. I took this one plain, without sugar, and for some reason, these kind of oolongs I can do that with, and it’s fine. But…I have to be in the mood for a more savoury and broth tea. I did get a little oil at the top of the brew, which does not bother me.

Although I’m not that great at pointing out a lot of subtle aspects in tea flavours, but I do try, I would say that this is a great tea for a novice as well as an expert.

This is another sachet sample from TeaAve. Thank you!

This was a very light smooth oolong with hints of Jasmine. This had a somewhat creamy texture, but not quite as creamy as the Ginger Lilly. This was one of the best Jasmine teas I have had. The flavoring blending so well with the base. How do you guys do that? It was slightly floral, creamy, mixed with the perfect amount of Jasmine. Another oolong I was blown away by. Thank you!

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Heyoooo! Tasting note 2500! Wow that’s a big amount of reviews…

Finishing this one off hot in a mug, Western style. The base is definitely standing out more tonight than it did last time; it’s so silky and smooth with velvety vanilla notes! The jasmine is much milder this time around – not quite sure why. I still like it and think it’s very natural tasting, but tonight I just can’t get over those vanilla notes. They’re slaying. Sorry, but the jasmine’s supporting the vanilla this time around and not the other way around.

I think this is still my least favourite of my three Tea Ave. samples – but by a narrow margin. They’re all solid teas!

Thank you Tea Ave for the sample! I’ve tried a couple jasmine oolongs now, so I was excited seeing this one included in my samples since I’ve absolutely got a point of comparison. Besides, jasmine teas really seem to work for me (jasmine whites are my favourite though; admittedly) in general.

I made a pot of this one tonight when I got home from work to drink while I watched The Voice with Tre tonight. And, I was sure to use the aroma cup as well. In fact, Tre was really interested in what I was doing so I wound up teaching him how to use it too (not like he ever will though). So thanks for that as well Tea Ave; it was cool sharing tea stuff with him!

I have to say; the aroma cup didn’t make a huge difference for me; not like it has with the other teas I’ve tried it with, anyway. Absolutely made the floral notes in the tea stand out – and was very sweet, but I didn’t personally think I made any observations I would’ve missed otherwise. I let Tre smell though; but he didn’t like it much. Then again, he really hates most things floral so I should’ve expected it.

Taste wise, I thought most of the cups from my pot tasted very consistent. The ratio of jasmine flavour compared with the natural flavours of the oolong was pretty even; neither over powered the other, and both got a chance to shine. Definitely a sweet jasmine; absolutely and completely natural tasting. I can’t imagine it’d ever find its way into “chemical” or “cheap perfume” territory!

The oolong was very soft and I tasted similar butter and cream notes to what I experienced with Ginger Lily; but I believe the two share the same base (someone correct me if that’s wrong though; I don’t have the packaging on me) so that’s not surprising. Maybe it was the flavour pairing; but I do think Ginger Lily’s “milk oolong” like flavour notes were stronger, and more drawn out. I missed that in this blend. Obviously, the floral notes were more exaggerated though – lots of orchid but also honeysuckle. Different than Ginger Lily; I also tasted more vegetal notes. Sugar snap peas, in particular. Crisp and sweet!

Final thoughts; the jasmine in this is excellent. Insanely well balanced, and completely natural tasting. Probably better than any other jasmine oolong I’ve had – or at the very least just as good. The oolong itself is also very good but less interesting here than it was in Ginger Lily.

However, taking a moment to be a little more critical – Ginger Lily is much more unique and a more surprising find for me. That, combined with the way the flavours of the oolong were brought out, is why I think it’s significantly better. While this certainly is a very good Jasmine Oolong, they aren’t terribly uncommon either. So I don’t think this is one I’d want to purchase – though I really, really did enjoy it. I still think I’d buy Ginger Lily though.

I think this note jumps around a lot but it’s also 1:00AM so bare with me.

I was a little suspicious of Tea Ave at first. They sent an email asking about samples, but when I went to find them online the website didn’t exist, so I ignored the email. A few months later I started to see some chatter on here about folks receiving samples. I emailed them and they were kind enough to send me a few of the tea sachets. Thank you Tea Ave. for allowing me the opportunity to take part in tasting your line of oolongs!

This tea is amazing. It is a light creamy oolong with hints of ginger and floral. It is a flavored oolong. Usually when I see a flavored oolong I run the other way. The flavor is usually so strong and doesn’t blend with the tea that it ends up just tasting weird. This is not the case with this tea. The flavor blends so well that I hardly notice that I am drinking a flavored oolong. The feel of this tea in my mouth is one of the things that makes it stand out so much to me. It is like drinking silk. So smooth and creamy. It really makes me want to try the straight Alishan Jin Xuan Oolong that is the base of this tea to compare.

I really look forward to trying the rest of the teas. I think I see a Tea Ave purchase in my future.

This was our fourth and final tea for the afternoon of gong fu, because I believe Dinosara would really like this one, since I just love it.
5 second first steep, +5 seconds for each subsequent steep in the gaiwan.
First steep: Creamy an almost spicy flora scent, it’s so thick! It reminds me of walking into a bridal salon, where everything is perfumed silk with a slight bit of saran wrap smell?
Second steep: The sweetness of the floral flavor is almost too strong, a bit like molasses! A slight fruity edge to it as well. Greener too; reminds me of the spicy-sweet smell/taste of the sap from bulb-type flower stems. So unique and delicious!
Third steep: An even amount of green-ness and that unique floral flavor in this steep. It reminds me of lush, thick petals (much as you would find on a magnolia tree! Haha) with an exotic, velvety sweetness.
Fourth steep: A more simple, but sweeter brew. It reminds me of tobacco flowers.
Fifth steep: The tea leaves are really slowing down now. A much greener flavor to a weak brew.
Can you tell that I love this tea? So unique and delicious! I haven’t had any other magnolia flavored teas, but I’m sure this would be near the top. I think I’m going to have to order some with their current sale!

Thanks again to my favorite sample-sharer Dinosara! I’m quite excited by this tea company, can’t wait for March 1st!
The dry leaves and the tea have a vaguely butter smell, almost nutty, with an edge of sweetness, like if you dipped dried papaya into cool browned-butter. Or maybe some kind of buttery raw nut, like a hazelnut or macadamia nut. It’s sort of familiar, but really pleasant!
The first steeping, boiling for 1 minute: the scent has become a flavor on the intake of breath before the sip while hot, but throughout the sip as it cools. A sweet minerality lingers on your tongue for a very long time (I haven’t allowed longer than 2 minutes between sips, but it likely last much longer!) after you swallow, it is really quite amazing. The whole experience is quite soothing and fresh at the same time, like a cool asian garden walk. VERY nice. It very definitely gets sweeter as it cools.
Second steep: 1:30 at boiling. This steep both looks and smells greener. While the first steep was pale yellow-green, this is much more spring green. The leaves have totally unfurled by now and they are huge. There are a few short stems with two or three leaves popping off! It also smells more floral. I’m getting way less of the nutty/buttery aromal now it is more like a far away florist’s shop, that fresh, green smell of flowers that are not known for their scent. The minerality is stronger and not as sweet. There is a sensation on the back of my tongue that bitter is much to strong of a word for. More like when you sort of taste someones perfume? It makes my mouth feel slightly cottony. An interesting steeping, but I miss the flavor I was getting in the first steeping. Sweeter with a soft floral note when cool.
3rd steeping: 2 min, boiling. This steep smells quite vegetal, like the steaming water of a green vegetable. The water is again greener, but some of the nuttiness is back in the scent. Now the flavor is a veggie sweetness, like really good broccoli or asparagus, and fills my mouth as it cools. The minerality has faded quite a bit and only lingers at the back of my mouth. The ‘bitterness’ is absent as well. This is good, but not nearly as floral or as fruity any more. I think I’m just tasting a fabulous oolong, most of the flavoring must be gone at this point.
These are all the steeps I have time for today. Overall a very pleasant experience of a high quality oolong. I’m a relative beginner, and it speaks to the quality of this tea that I was able to get so much variety and flavor between steeps. Very excited to try my other samples!

I often joke about how subjective tasting is…what’s grapes and dark chocolate to me may be moldy bread and scrap lumber to you. So it made me smile when my impression of this nice Tea Ave oolong was exactly as advertised on the packet. Teeny hint of roasted bitterness to give it some backbone. Mellow. Fruity. Precisely. Sweet peaches and apricots.

Isn’t as thick and heavy on the tongue as the Dong Ding from Tea Ave I tried before, but that makes it no less fine.

Thanks, Tea Ave, for broadening my tasting horizons!

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I’d almost forgotten that I still had this tea! It was a pleasant surprise going through samples and finding it right at the top, like it was there waiting for me! So I brewed it up, and I’ve been enjoying sipping on it while watching Brooklyn 99 ever since!

Very smooth floral notes of lily and orchid with a soft gingery spice finish. So pleasant, and a really nice evening cup of tea! Maybe I’ll order this one again in the future – but for the time being I think this is a really nice way to finish it off.