Taiwan Sourcing

WAY OLD BACKLOG. Okay. With 5-6 leaves, this works well Western AND Grandpa. And it tastes a lot like a Darjeeling, which should be no surprise considering how close they are in terms of fermentation. I find myself craving this one, so, cause I can remember it and distinguish it, I’m raising the rating. It also lasted me a while.

Rating still stands, but I learned something about steeping. I did this 15 sec, then 20, 30, then 15, and I got a really awesome fuse of flavors. I’ve only back down on timing for some Mandala teas and Whispering Pines teas, and now I know it works really well for others. The first steeps were still muscatel, but had a more soup or broth like taste with nuts thrown in. The last one so far was a lot more fruity and less brothy. Well, experimenting is fun.

Wow, this one surprised me. At 15 seconds, this tea tasted like walnuts. Then steep two at 30 seconds, a little muscatel, but still nutty and creamy. Had the same qualities one might expect from a Jin Xuan, being creamy, sweet, thick, and kinda grassy.

Then-what do you know- I let it sit for two minutes by accident. Again, I was surprised. White grape, and muscat raisins. That’s what it tastes like. Astounded at the sheer complexity of this GABA. Steep four, more muscatel and grape like, being similar to white wine for some reason. Oddly refreshing. Let’s see what else I comes my way with this one. So far, the only thing that hasn’t come my way is the GABA effect that I get from the blacks. I actually feel kinda hyper, but that’s after three cups today.

My morning tea for travel, and a tea that I needed for the moment. I used a small teaspoon in my 12 ounce cup again and it actually is way better western. So based on the economy of the leaf and how complex and sweet it is light, I’m rating it higher. Most of the same notes with Molasses leading, but then there’s a little bit of a cocoa thing going on with the sweet potato. And it is so, so balanced and sweet. So, I recommend this one brewed lighter, western or grandpa.

I got a sampler pack from Taiwan Sourcing to see what their tea was like, and when I saw they had a sampler for GABA in green, black, oolong, and roasted oolong, something beckoned me to get it. I am a college student in need of caffeine AND relaxation. Based on my experience with GABA before, I can get exactly that. Although the studies for the GABA are contradictory, some do show promise for those with ADHD or ADD, and I’ve almost been diagnosed with one of those conditions, so they help me.

This one had a molasses type taste which I was kinda expecting based on the distinct possibility that I’ve had black Jin Xuans before. I brewed this in a combo of gongfu and western, starting off with 15 seconds. Sweet, and molasses like, but too light. At 30 seconds, more molasses and an Asssam like malty note. Still sweet, and definitely like a black tea.

Steep 2 at about 50 seconds, there’s again molasses but with a strong sweet potato starchiness. Something about it almost reminded me of a plantain. The same went for steeps 3 and 4 each at about 2 and 3 minutes.

Mandala’s Black GABA has my favoritism for now, but I think that this one requires more experimentation to get the other flavors that are hiding. Really enjoyable, though I was expecting a little more. Expect an eventual update on this one.

I have (nearly) always been a Chinese black kinda girl. I do occasionally enjoy others as well, like I’m partial to a good Assam and I wouldn’t say no to a low-grown Ceylon or a particularly good Kenya, but deep down the Chinese blacks is where I ‘live’ preference-wise.

Taiwanese blacks are sort of the same family (political controversies not even taken into account) and they have lots of the same qualities. Like for example one of the things I like about the Chinese blacks is how they are nearly impossible to ruin. If you have a good leaf, you can steep it to kingdom come and it will still come out perfectly drinkable. Perhaps a little less nice than if you’d done it properly, granted, but it won’t be totally ruined. In comparison, if you did the same thing with an Assam or a Ceylon, it would be a highly unpleasant experience indeed.

I don’t have much experience with Taiwan, though. It’s one of those things, you see. You tell yourself you should explore this or that type or this or that area but just never really seem to get around to it. So when I got a newsletter from Yunnan Sourcing, announcing the opening of Taiwan Sourcing, I jumped at the chance immediately and got a small amount of each of the three blacks they offered. The first one was the one I posted about last time I posted. This is one of the other two.

This is actually saying a lot, as I have entered a phase where I’m less focused on having an enormous amount of tea choice at all time and wanting to try all the teas and all the shops and all the flavours and find the perfect this and the perfect that. This is what happens when you stop using a site for 8 months. In recent times I’ve rather thrown myself at embroidery and am more likely to be spending money on stitching supplies. (So many designs! So little time!)

Anyway, this tea is very minty when you smell it. So minty, you’d think there was mint in it, but there isn’t. There’s a great deal of camphor-y notes to it as well.

It’s slightly astringent when drinking it, especially as it cools down a bit, but not nearly so much as to bother those who don’t care for astringency, I don’t think. I mean, we’re not on an Indian teas level of astringency here. But a touch of it, yes. There’s a cinnamon-like aftertaste as mentioned in the description of it, but for me it’s primarily quite malty and dark tasting. It’s very nice.

Hello Steepsterites!

Long time, no see.

I haven’t been around here for… 8 months or so, judging by the date stamp of my last post. So why the absence? Well, to be entirely frank with you, forum wank. At the time when I stopped coming here there had been a number of petty little arguments and other rounds of controversy on the board, one following the other. I got fed up and lost interest. This period of time was significant because anything going further than a heated discussion has been very rare on this site indeed.

So time for a break and a break I’ve had. I’ve enjoyed it, but it seems my tea-interest has changed in the meantime. I’m not sure I’d say it has waned, but definitely changed. I still prefer a decent quality leaf and I still brew it loose in the pot, but I’m buying much less, keeping less in the house, and have also come to appreciate the simple convenience of the bag now and then. GASP SHOCK HORROR!!! I know, Steepsterites. But really, once you no longer feel the need to analyse and consider every sip, but would rather just have something warm and satisfying to drink, you tend to start leaning more towards convenience. Don’t worry, I haven’t sunk so low as reverting to Lipton’s Yellow Label or anything of that ilk. I primarily have herbal teas in bags, with the very occasional exception if it’s a decent brand and an interesting sounding flavour. Such as that Nutcracker Sweet from Celestial Seasonings that I remember many people around here being very fond off around Christmas. I’ve even started drinking way more coffee than before, due to this fantastic espresso pot for the hob that we bought in January and Husband buying a coffee grinder, so we can have coffee with ultra-freshly ground coffee. It’s fab!

I can’t really promise that I’ll come back to regularly visiting the site. Maybe I’ll have a peek in now and then. Interestingly, I seem to have gained a lot of new followers while I’ve been dormant. Not sure how that works, but then again, I’m here now so, hi! waves

So why am I back now? Well, Steepsterites, Husband and I have spent a lovely week in a rented summer house in the South of Denmark. Understand that this area of the country is culturally very much coffee country. This was reflected in the summer house which had not one but two coffee makers and a sufficient amount of coffee cups to serve twenty people. At least!

For tea drinkers? Bit of a waste-land, and the forced creativity that followed was what made me think of you lot.

The house had no kettle. Not an electric one, not one for the hob. No kettle whatsoever. Okay, we had a sauce pan.

The house had no teapot. None. Hm. There’s a ceramic bowl with a handle and a small spout.

The house had no mugs. Loads of coffee cups, though…. The lack of mugs was for me the most dire. Coffee cups are fine for coffee, but for tea they’re rather small. Local charity shop to the rescue, where we bought two mugs and donated them to the summer house when we went home.

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So, Steepsterites. Go to your kitchen. Cuddle your kettle! Pet your pots! Hug your mug! These things are pure luxury!

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Now, this tea I’m drinking. My long break from this site has caused me to lose some of the tasting routine that I had built up before. I can probably still taste more nuances than someone who has never tried analysing a tea flavour, but some things are no longer as clearly different from each other as they once were.

As a consequence, when I drink this tea, the first thing that comes to mind is simply ‘this is very nice’. And then I try and think about some details and I feel a bit lost. There’s a familiar note here, how did I usually describe that? Another note there, is it more grainy or malty? I think I’d describe this as a fairly malty and somewhat grainy tea. It has a good body and a long aftertaste, and now I just sound like I’m trying to write a wine label. I’m so not used to this.

In the end, though, it’s a highly satisfying Taiwanese tea, and with a name like this, how can you not love it?

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So, what’s new with you lot?

This is an exquisite black tea with a flavor profile unlike any other I’ve tried. A trinity of flavors (spearmint, candy-apple and fresh tomato) in perfect harmony create a really special brew which leaves a wonderful tingling sensation in the mouth. I might shorten the steep next time to eliminate the modicum of bitterness. I’m looking forward to trying the Wild Elephant from TS soon.

I brewed 7 grams in a purple clay yixing tea pot. Drank the rinse…had to…

I like shorter steeps…then rode the tea over 10 rounds. Considering the history of this tea it is more simply an honor to brew and the tastes are excellent yet the overall experience is just so nostalgic.

Give it a try if you like tasting history.

4g brewed in a 60mL gaiwan.

Smell and taste are reminiscent of aged sheng funnily enough… I think I would call this a hybrid between oolong and aged sheng.

I can taste the age for sure, which comes through in leather and wood. Subtle hints of fruit and florals linger in the background. The wet leaves smell sweet, medicinal, woody and leathery. It reminds me of a dry forest in autumn or an old library of leather bound books (but no mustiness per-say) both in smell and taste.

Mouthfeel is thick in a gaiwan, but I’m sure it will be thicker in Yixing clay. This tea will steep many times with a nice qi.

Overall a must have for any tea lover, especially those who enjoy fine oolongs and puerhs.

Wow, what a great brew. The dry leaf is fairly roasted. Nice bouquet of cereal and faint floral. I used a small celadon tea pot and the soup was bronze indeed, sweet honey, apricot pit, thick but not too roasted. Very good structure throughout its steeps as I’m at 10 now and there is still a lot of flavor and color. Cant wait to try the Dong Ding I purchased from them as well. Taiwan Sourcing, don’t miss it.

New oolong players, Taiwan Sourcing!

First to review this it seems…

Pretty dark roast, this oolong surprisingly does not overwhelm with “roastiness”, no burnt taste.

The first note I got was cannabis… How do I know what cannabis tastes like? Well…i’ll leave that to your imagination ;-)

Eucalyptus follows….A fresh mouthfeel.

Dried fruit sweetness as well. A caramel feel, thickness in the mouth.

It rendered many steeps.

The liquor is this amazing amber bronze color, it does wear its name pretty well.

A beautiful tea.

I must say I’m very impressed with the quality I have found in Taiwan Sourcing products so far. With Scott Wilson (Yunnan Sourcing) behind it, why am I not surprised?

Good luck to them! I’m officially a fan :-)

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