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“Steep Information: Prepared in store. Served in the Duck Eggshell Porcelain Guywan Set with an iron pot of water. I was pretty impressed with myself, for the first time using a guywan I only made a...” Read full tasting note
“Late last month, takgoti did a cross-country trip and I bribed her into stopping by my place by offering a free place to spend the night. It was super-cool to officially meet her and needless to...” Read full tasting note
Really pure awesomeness. The apex of tea, our Bai Hao Oolong harks from nearly 2,000 feet above sea level, in the rugged countryside of Hsinchu Province, Taiwan. Its tippy leaves produce a tropical, floral, sweet, creamy brew. Our Bai Hao Oolong is delicious hot or cold-brewed, and it offers a long patience (an ability to re-infuse countless times).
We suggest brewing it by filling a guywan nearly halfway with tealeaves and infusing them with simmering water for just 30 to 45 seconds. This is a delicate brew, so it’s best if you don’t rinse the first infusion. The first brew emanates a young wild rose character, hints of acacia and geranium, and a slight peach and honeydew melon finish. Honey notes persist throughout.
Second and third infusions brew darker, with more caramel tones and stronger stone-fruit and tropical trade-wind notes. Steep for 60 to 90 seconds during subsequent infusions to yield a strong dried fruit flavor and full-bodied astringency.
You can also age this unique oolong tea in a cool, dark, dry place for two to three years. It will improve with age, as some of the floral notes are gradually replaced with a darker, more caramel-rich flavor.
Ingredients: Taiwanese oolong tea.
Samovar's is dedicated to preserving the simplicity and integrity of the tea traditions and inspiring people to practice peace through drinking tea.
Steep Information:
Prepared in store. Served in the Duck Eggshell Porcelain Guywan Set with an iron pot of water. I was pretty impressed with myself, for the first time using a guywan I only made a mess the first pour! I went through about 3+ pots of hot water and the tea was still going strong but our food was done, the parking meter was up, and it was time to go to our next scheduled event.
Tasting Notes:
Dry Leaf Smell: vegeal, nutty
Steeped Tea Smell: Very little to no scent
Flavor: light, silky, vegetal nutty
Body: Light to medium as it went on
Aftertaste: not noticeable, but I was also eating
Liquor: translucent yellow green
I had this for breakfast at the Yerba Buena Gardens location. I ordered it as there was no Golden Phoenix Oolong Tea available. The waitress suggested this as an alternative and i enjoyed it. I had the Ginger Quinoa Waffle (Soft like a pillow, heavenly. Served with fresh fruit & real maple syrup) along with this tea.
Images: http://amazonv.blogspot.com/2010/12/samovar-loose-leaf-oolong-tea-bai-hao.html
Late last month, takgoti did a cross-country trip and I bribed her into stopping by my place by offering a free place to spend the night. It was super-cool to officially meet her and needless to say, she’s even more wonderful in person than on the interwebs. Added to the lovely fact that I got to experience her sparkling and fun personality in person, she also shared tea with me! Yay for hand delivered tea swaps!
This one was one of the lovelies she gave to me. Honestly, I didn’t take too many notes on it because I was really just enjoying it too much to. Basically, this is a lot like Royal Garland but without any residual dryness or astringency (which I didn’t really notice with Royal Garland until I had this tea). It’s like grape juice and sweet fruits and wonderfulness. Juicy and sweet and good. It resteeped rather well, too. Thick and sweet and staying remarkably true to the initial taste while also developing a heavier flavor to balance the sweet juicy grape-ness.
I’m still probably a Royal Garland fangirl at heart – anything that can make me think of grilling fruit on a beach as a storm front comes in is a win in my book – but I would say that I could easily enjoy having some Bai Hao around.
If I knew you were in the SF Bay Area, I would have been happy to drag you around to tea places! Did you have a chance to swing by Imperial Tea Court, Teance, or Red Blossom?
Sadly i was only there for about <48 hours :( otherwise that would have been awesome! I arrived midnight friday – went to wicked grounds, woke up saturday and had breakfast at samovar, then spent the day at teh dickens fair seeing a friend, then dinner at samovar, dessert at wicked grounds, sunday was lupicia and airport…short trip
gastronomically speaking, sounds like a success!!
yes! short but sweet, i do wish i could have gone longer