Tie Kwan Yin Oolong

Tea Ave sent a sample of this with my last order. Thanks! The sample consisted of full leaf tea in a pyramid teabag. I steeped it twice in the teabag, then opened up the bag and steeped up the loose leaves two more times in a finum filter.

I woke up craving a solid oolong and this hit the spot. The dry leaf smells honeyed and roasted. The flavor, fairly consistent over multiple steeps, is sweet and gently roasted with a dominant honey flavor. I’m not picking up on the fruity notes that other people report but I’m ok with that.

This is a much overdue note on this tea, which came as a sample when Tea Ave first opened. I’m not sure why it has taken me so long to get to this, but I think it is in part that I was in a pu erh phase for a while, and then green…and it has been green for a bit, probably because of the summer. I’ve also been trying to have less caffeine teas. But as summer has faded, and fall in fully here, along with the rainstorms, it seemed like a good time to break out a nice roasted oolong tea, and so, last night, it was the right time. I had gotten soaked and drenched and all other related words on my way to work in the morning. My shoes and socks were still wet when I got home, and a small bit of my pants by my ankles was still damp. I decided it was the night to have soup (winter squash and mascarpone with lima beans) and toasted bread (raisin, cranberry, and walnut) for dinner….this tea seemed up to the job in comfort, and seemed like a good match.

I admit that I’m not the hugest connoisseur when it comes to straight teas and deciphering subtle notes, but I want to say that this was nice and roasty, maybe with some bittersweet cocoa notes. It’s hard to say. It basically tasted like a nice roasted oolong, and I don’t really discriminate straight oolongs. I very rarely find one I don’t like. This was no exception. It was quite tasty, and it fit the bill for what I was looking for.

This was drunk without anything added. which I don’t usually do…I usually add a small amount of cane sugar to most teas. I also brewed this western style. As I had this later in the evening, and fell asleep at 8:30 or 9 and didn’t wake up til after 1, it was the only cup I had. Future use should allow multiple steeps, as I had intended this serving to be, til I fell asleep.

I am grateful that this is one of the samples that I was sent, because I do really like darker and roasted oolongs.

This is a very pleasant oolong from Tea Ave. Roasted TGY’s don’t tend to be a big favorite of mine, but I am enjoying this. The nutty and roasted barley notes hit me first, and then it has a sweet/fruity aftertaste where I’m getting pineapple. I’m not finding the subtle bitterness mentioned on the package… maybe if I had steeped it longer I’d be getting that. I’m not sure of my exact steeping temp. as I’m drinking this at work but it’s definitely below the boil.

An interesting, complex tea but not one I feel compelled to add to my collection at this point.

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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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.

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!

I got to try this tea thanks to the generosity of Equusfell. We traded our remaining teaspoon of a couple of our free samples. I wanted to try as many as possible before placing my first order so that I can choose my very favorites.

This TKY falls in the middle of the roastiness scale when compared to others I have had – not too dark or heavy but not green. It does have a mellow flavor and is not a heavy body, but the roasted flavor adds a deeper layer to the tea.

What I liked most about this tea was the longlasting lingering sweetness and fresh aftertaste. It was like having the memory of a sweet kiss with you. When you have a really good mint, you probably find yourself inhaling with your mouth forming an “o” shape to continue to enjoy the coolness of the mint. I did that with this tea, enjoying the honey + roasty sweetness each time I inhaled. I do love a good oolong.

Of all the Tea Ave offerings I have tried, I think I would put this right under my favorite, Magnolia Oolong. The aroma cup carried a very similar sweet floral scent that stayed through many steepings of the tea, even though I only filled it at the first steep.

“Previous experience with many tie kwan yin (or ti kwan yin or ti guan yin or several other spellings) had attuned me to a typical green, buttery, creamy, smooth nose with these oolongs, but this one is different. I note that the tea smells darker, stronger, and more intense.
…in the flavor, I taste what had surprised me in the dry leaf aroma – those deep, rich notes. Originally, they had reminded me a bit of a roasted oolong, but I realize at first taste that this is not the same. Natural and flavorful, even not quite yet full, the mouth-coating flavors embody a dark, green sweetness. The very faintest hint of bitterness sits on the tongue in the aftertaste, truly not strong enough to distract from body (and perhaps even contributing a bit).”
Full review here: http://www.createwritedrink.com/2015/03/tea-review-tuesday-review-of-tea-aves.html

I am still marveling over the beautiful and generous gift sent to me by Tea Ave. I have used the aroma cup several times now and can say that it is a wonderful way to gain a deeper appreciation of the olfactory qualities of tea!

This Tie Kwan Yin oolong is super tasty, and brews up lighter and greener than I was expecting, given the rather dark color of the dried leaves. Most of this variety of tea seems to be more green and less brown—or perhaps that’s just been my luck of the draw? In any case, this one was delicious through three separate and full infusions—very aromatic and silken in texture. I’ll probably order this tea once back in the United States since they do not ship to New Zealand. For now I am happy to be able to enjoy these samples.

Thank you Helen and Tea Ave!