8 Tasting Notes
This oolong is gorgeous. The dried tea leaves look like little bundles. It smells very similar to a good genmaicha (Japanese popcorn tea): slightly sweet, woody, delicious. Once brewed, its flavor is hard to describe, just like the last oolong I tried (Townshend’s Tea Company’s Wuyi Mountain Oolong). The color is lighter, but the flavor (after the first brew) is pretty similar. I’m looking forward to the next steep.
Preparation
One of my Portland tea purchases, this is the first one I’ve tried now that I’m home.
Townshend’s Tea Company describes this tea as having a smokey, earthy taste. When a tea is described as smokey, I think of Lapsang Souchong. This in no way resembled a Lapsong Souchong. I tasted nothing smokey about it…
And that’s probably a good thing. As someone who doesn’t seek out smokey flavored teas, I find this (non-smokey) tea very drinkable. It’s hard to describe: it tastes like other teas I’ve had in nice Chinese restaurants. It’s subtle. It goes really well with food. It’s delicious!
Preparation
Yum! The vanilla is very strong all around—before and after brewing. It smells a lot like a really plump vanilla bean. The black tea is a perfect match for the vanilla flavor. The description says that the black tea is from Sri Lanka, so I assume it’s a Ceylon. I’m used to Assam black teas, and I enjoyed this one thoroughly with a sprinkle of sugar and a dash of milk. It was even tasty on the second brew. I’m looking forward to trying it iced.
Preparation
I’m not sure what kind of green tea this is. The flavor is mild and woody. The smell is floral. I prefer Japanese teas like matcha, genmaicha, sencha, and hojicha. I believe this one is Chinese, but it does not taste like other Chinese teas I have had before (at Chinese restaurants mostly). Not bad, but not something I think I will crave.
