Happy after the Holidays (almost, still New Years) everyone, I had a good one, and a good little vacation, I hope you all didn’t miss me too much. Sadly though my stomach ulcer is acting up, so all the yummy holiday food cannot be eaten by me. Luckily though I discovered that copious amounts of Oolong tea soothes my stomach. Today I am reviewing some Oolong from Taiwan sent to me from the lovely people at Eco-Cha, I decided to bring out the gaiwan (like I ever put it away?) and my bubble cups for brewing.
Organic High Mountain Oolong Tea by Eco-Cha Artisan Tea is an Oolong tea picked from the He Huan Mountain in Taiwan during the Spring of 2012. I suggest giving their website a view, they give lots of useful information about their teas which I certainly appreciate. The aroma of the loose leaves is sweet and floral with notes of honey and lilac. There are also notes of mild vegetal, spinach in this case, and a very faint fruity note that is evocative of scuppernongs. The aroma of this tea is enticing, not overpowering and heady but like a spring breeze bringing distant aromas through an open window, this tea makes me want to go outside and explore.
Once I give the leaves a steeping in their gaiwan the aroma becomes even fruitier with honeyed notes of scuppernongs and floral hyacinths. There are also vegetal notes and a very mild whiff of pepper. The aroma of the brewed liquid is very mild and sweet, like honey and a hint of orchids.
The first (of several) steeps blends sweetness and floral flavors together for a very mild tea. The taste is like candied violets and honey with a mild vegetal midtaste ending with sweetness again. The mouthfeel starts out buttery smooth and finishes with an abrupt sharpness that wakes up the mouth. The first steeping starts off relaxing and soothing and ends with a crescendo making me excited for the next steep.
The second steeping gives a slightly darker liquid with a sweet aroma and a note of lemon verbena giving it both a citrus and herbal tone. The first thing I notice is the incredibly smooth and buttery mouthfeel, the taste is mild with subtle notes of honey and lilacs with a finishing note of chestnuts. As it cools there is a hint of cherries as an aftertaste.
The third steep brings a more floral aroma from my little bubble cup and it is quite heady. The taste is sweet like honey with a rich orchid note. The mouthfeel is still very buttery smooth and delightful to drink, I feel very soothed. There is a fruity aftertaste that lingers for a bit.
The last steep is subtly sweet with more of a vegetal note than floral with a slight midtaste of chestnuts. The mouthfeel is still extremely smooth and soothing, it is definitely one of my favorite aspects of this tea. This tea is great for sipping Gong Fu style and reminds me of early Springtime, it also is soothing to my angry stomach so that is a huge plus.
For blog and photos: http://ramblingbutterflythoughts.blogspot.com/2013/12/eco-cha-artisan-tea-organic-high.html
