I don’t think I’m the only one who’s happy that 2020 is ending. Like many of you, I’ll be spending the holidays alone. I was going to get together with my family, but the widespread lockdown and rising case counts in Ontario made us change our plans at the last minute. With things feeling less than festive, I’ve decided to dip into my tiny stash of pricy, aspirational teas that I’ve been hoarding for several years. I always worry that I won’t appreciate these treasures, or conversely, that they’ll ruin me for all the good but not great tea I can afford to drink regularly. Nonetheless, I’ll be sampling some of these teas throughout the holidays.
This green Tie Guan Yin is from spring 2016. I steeped my entire 7 g sample in a 120 ml teapot at 195F for 7, 10, 12, 15, 18, 20, 25, 30, 40, 50, 60, 90, 120, and 240 seconds.
The dry aroma of these still green leaves is of citrus, orchid, cream, baked bread, and apple. The first steep has notes of orange, apricot, orchid, baked bread, cream, violet, lilac, honeysuckle, grass, apple, butter, and herbs (Eastkyteaguy says parsley, and I agree). The second steep adds honey and a pungent note of zucchini. The third gives me more lilac and orchid, as well as gardenia, sweet pea, custard, grapefruit, peach, melon, peas, spinach, and minerals. (That peachy aftertaste alone is enough of a reason to buy this tea!) I love how the fruit, florals, and veggies are so balanced.
In the next few steeps, the tea gets less fruity, with the florals, veggies, umami, herbs, and creamy sweetness balancing out. However, I still get those apple/melon/stonefruit notes if I look for them. I also get some pepper and metallic notes, with a lemon-like tang. There’s a pleasant sourness by steep seven. The tea keeps becoming more pungent and vegetal, but is still surprisingly balanced and enjoyable until the end of the session.
This is easily the best Tie Guan Yin I’ve had the pleasure of tasting. At $29 for 50 grams, it’s expensive but not out of reach. I’ve paid $15 per ounce for Li Shan and Bai Hao teas from Taiwan, though admittedly, I usually get only one ounce. I won’t wait another four years to buy more of this tea!
Flavors: Apple, Apricot, Bread, Butter, Citrus, Cream, Custard, Floral, Gardenias, Grapefruit, Grass, Herbaceous, Honey, Honeysuckle, Lemon, Melon, Metallic, Mineral, Orange, Orchid, Parsley, Peach, Peas, Pleasantly Sour, Spinach, Umami, Vegetal, Violet, Zucchini
Preparation
People who liked this
Comments
Yes, I have new twin grandbabies and can’t see them. I am a hugger who can9t hug anyone. My husband is essential personnel and is in line to get the vaccine as soon as January 4th. I am ready for things to get better.
Leafhopper Take it from a very old lady-Use the ‘good stuff’ now. Don’t save it for a rainy day/special occasion. A lot of us will be spending the winter holidays alone this year. Wonderful, special tea is good solace for that. Remember that you have all your Steepster friends, so none of us are truly alone.
Ashmanra, not being able to see your grandkids is hard, though I’m glad to hear your husband will be vaccinated soon. The U.S. seems to be rolling out vaccines faster than Canada is. Like you, I’m more than ready for things to go back to normal. This has been a long year.
White Antlers, you’re right, I should use the good tea while it’s fresh (or at least while it’s clinging to its last vestiges of flavour in the case of some of my older teas!). Steepster has definitely helped me feel less alone.
Yes on 2020. I celebrate Festivus, and I fear I’ll need an extra day to get through my Airing of Grievances this year, haha!
I used to horde my “good stuff” and then by the time I got back to it, the flavor and/or quality had degraded. I’m trying to sipdown my cupboard to a managable state so that when I buy new tea, I can actually enjoy it when its at its tastiest!
Mastress Alita, I had to look up Festivus traditions and think the airing of grievances is a good one, although I’m sure it can lead to some arguments.
I have some good teas that are probably no longer as good because I’ve been hoarding them for so long. I have a Da Yu Ling from 2017 that I’m scared to open! Some of my average teas sit in my backlog for over a year before I get around to them. I really need to discover just how much tea I have and then not buy any more until it’s at a reasonable level, but somehow I never get around to doing that.
You are speaking about vaccines and we will give first shots maaaybe in February.
But yep, I don’t want to speak aobut it here. It’s hard, though I spend my time with my family (I live still with parents, as obvious from a few notes) and this tea seems just great. I am happy that 2020 ends, and I am praying that 2021 will be, at least a tiny bit, better.
Yes, at least the vaccine is progress. I wish you some lovely socially distanced fancy tea sipping!
Yes, I have new twin grandbabies and can’t see them. I am a hugger who can9t hug anyone. My husband is essential personnel and is in line to get the vaccine as soon as January 4th. I am ready for things to get better.
Leafhopper Take it from a very old lady-Use the ‘good stuff’ now. Don’t save it for a rainy day/special occasion. A lot of us will be spending the winter holidays alone this year. Wonderful, special tea is good solace for that. Remember that you have all your Steepster friends, so none of us are truly alone.
Ashmanra, not being able to see your grandkids is hard, though I’m glad to hear your husband will be vaccinated soon. The U.S. seems to be rolling out vaccines faster than Canada is. Like you, I’m more than ready for things to go back to normal. This has been a long year.
White Antlers, you’re right, I should use the good tea while it’s fresh (or at least while it’s clinging to its last vestiges of flavour in the case of some of my older teas!). Steepster has definitely helped me feel less alone.
Yes on 2020. I celebrate Festivus, and I fear I’ll need an extra day to get through my Airing of Grievances this year, haha!
I used to horde my “good stuff” and then by the time I got back to it, the flavor and/or quality had degraded. I’m trying to sipdown my cupboard to a managable state so that when I buy new tea, I can actually enjoy it when its at its tastiest!
Mastress Alita, I had to look up Festivus traditions and think the airing of grievances is a good one, although I’m sure it can lead to some arguments.
I have some good teas that are probably no longer as good because I’ve been hoarding them for so long. I have a Da Yu Ling from 2017 that I’m scared to open! Some of my average teas sit in my backlog for over a year before I get around to them. I really need to discover just how much tea I have and then not buy any more until it’s at a reasonable level, but somehow I never get around to doing that.
You are speaking about vaccines and we will give first shots maaaybe in February.
But yep, I don’t want to speak aobut it here. It’s hard, though I spend my time with my family (I live still with parents, as obvious from a few notes) and this tea seems just great. I am happy that 2020 ends, and I am praying that 2021 will be, at least a tiny bit, better.
Yes, at least the vaccine is progress. I wish you some lovely socially distanced fancy tea sipping!