Zhong Shu Hu Oolong Tea

I’m having to use the carrot-and-stick writing method today. This was my reward for 300 words.

And it really was a reward, not just a reason to get up from the writing chair. First steeped sniff was so floral I expected eau de lilac flavor. Not at all. This is sweet and thick and a little flowery, but not cloying.

And at six purported steeps, I should get 1800 words out of it! (Please let them be spelled and punctuated correctly.) Thanks to K S for the diversion!

Steep 2 report: a little more floral, not less. Hmm.

I begin the sip with out additives. While hot, like yesterday’s oolong, the flavor starts very light. Then, I think butter, no wait; it’s more complex than that. As a child I would do stupid things, like put my tongue on the aluminum window frame. I know, I know. Anyway, the sensation I get when tasting this is like the aluminum frame but with butter. Actually this is way better than it sounds. As it cools, the aluminum disappears and is replaced by a more traditional green oolong floral flavor. The aftertaste is lightly floral and not as noticeable as the previous samples from Tea From Taiwan. A nice cup.

Now I add my Splenda. Oh, wow! Definitely add sweetener to this if you don’t object to the practice. This has come alive. It’s alive! It’s alive! Now the flavor is much fuller. It is lightly nutty and floral, but the main difference is a very prominent spiciness. On one sip I think this reminds me of apple crisp. On the next, I believe it is nutmeg. Whatever, it is just good. The aftertaste is also stronger and more joyous, though not nearly as long lasting as many oolongs. This is now a really good cup. At this point, I grabbed a brownie from the break room. The flavors blended like they were meant to be together. Awesome.

Wah – I just wrote a nice detailed tasting note for this but it did not get saved for some reason.

Normally I think Alishans are kind of wimpy but this one was really good. Lightly buttery with a scent of gardenias but not overwhelmingly floral. Very clean and delicious, I would definitely buy it again. Steeped 4 times and still very flavorful! Sorry for the brevity of this note, I don’t have the patience to recreate it – :)

Very sweet. I did a double take on my first sip. Did someone sneak sugar into this? Very floral and creamy. I’m really happy I ordered these sample packs. All their oolongs are so sweet and smooth. I especially enjoy this one because of that hit of sweetness. Later steepings bring out more creaminess and balances out the floral flavors. Then the peachy kicks in. And later the more typical oolong flavor reminds you that you’re drinking tea and not some heavenly nectar of the gods.

I had the tiniest bit from my sample pack so I can actually enjoy this again later. :)

fruity flavor, which reminds me of apples. There is a slight sweet finish,which ends rather quickly and makes me want another sip. Wonderful tea. I am very pleased with the group of oolong samples I bought from Tea from Taiwan!!

I’m not sure exactly when or how I got this one, so I think it may be rather old. However I brought it to work with me today and it’s serving me quite well. My current work tea set-up right now is typically using my 400 ml tea glass and having my 500 ml (awesome) Zojirushi thermos/travel mug full of hot water. I let the water cool a bit, add the leaves, and keep refilling with the thermos. Light Oolongs are my favourite this way, not surprisingly.

This started off very sweet, green, and floral. As I go on a nice creaminess is developing. I used the entire sample so I regret that I won’t be able to try this gong fu style, but I’m really enjoying it this way and it’s yielded a litre of tea so that’s pretty great. It could keep going if I had more water.

Backlog:

I love me some Ali Shan! This is an excellent Ali Shan.

The first cup is light, with hints of butter but not a heavy, creamy mouthfeel just yet. Delicate, with notes of orchid and a honeyed sweetness.

Subsequent infusions offered a more milky/buttery texture. A really delightful Oolong … one of the best teas that I’ve had the opportunity to try from Tea from Taiwan.

Here’s my full-length review: http://sororiteasisters.com/2013/10/12/zhong-shu-hu-oolong-tea-from-tea-from-taiwan/

The first thing that hit me soon as I open the bag is the aroma of this tea I’ve tried many teas with this same type of aroma but the aroma of this one was just so much stronger and much more I dunno beautiful? can you describe an aroma as beautiful? I just did :) it smells floral and green and just awesome.
The taste was really nice too, it was nice and greenish and floral at first then creamy and almost buttery with some hints of fruit like apple or pear by the third infusion it developed slightly spicy notes almost like cinnamon that really played well with the fruity notes that were still there, the creamyness was present the entire time, very interesting and super good tea.
If I had some more of this one I could play with my steep times and preparations and probably discover lots of other wonderful flavor notes notes from it. Even tho this greener type of oolongs are not my favorites I have to say that this is one of the best ones I’ve tried from Tea from Taiwan so far :)

This is my first real Oolong! I decided to brew it for 5 min each time at 98C because I thought I would mess it up if I tried gong fu style brewing.

Dry: The tea is rolled into little balls, and the smell reminds me of green tea. It almost smells a bit like seaweed? But not in a bad way…

Steeped: It brews into a nice yellow liquor and it smells good! It’s a really smooth tea that I just want to sip away at all day. How do you describe this though? Each sip tastes a little different and I was wrong about the seaweed – I can’t taste that at all! It is sweet and mild and very refreshing.

2nd Steep: I re-steeped the leaves for another 5 minutes. I realise this may make me a barbarian but it still tastes really good. I am getting more vegetal notes this time around, but it makes me think of a really good green tea.

3rd Steep: Is this oolong abuse? I’m now on my 3rd 8oz cup. It’s getting really mild now but the grassy/vegetal flavours are still strong enough. I sipped away at it, but didn’t feel it warranted a 4th attempt at steeping.

And wow. I just realised how expensive this tea is. 75g (2.65 oz) costs $22. Yowza. Maybe I’ll try to brew it properly next time, but… it’s just such a time commitment that it’s hard to do.

I am looking forward to trying more oolong teas though!
And here’s a picture of the tea during the 3rd steep: http://instagram.com/p/SjvfMVtWvp/

The dry leaf smells awesome. Creamy, sweet and rich. It smelled so great I hunted down the husband to make him smell it. The powerful smell, however, doesn’t last through the brewing. It still smells nice but it is pretty faint – I might have accidentally dunked my nose in the tea trying to get close enough to get a good smell so yeah, that faint. But fear not! All that yummy smell did not simply go poof. Oh no – it was turned into taste. Sweet in a green, fresh way with zero astringency and an oh so pretty (though kinda brief) aftertaste. It just tastes so fresh and sweet, almost fruity. There’s a fibrous taste as it cools, like eating a thicker green veggie. Uh oh. My cup is empty. Can’t have that.

The second steep (2:30) is a bit heavier and richer but not quite as fruity sweet, or maybe just a different, heavier fruit.

Third steep (3:30) and the flavor has changed a bit again. This time I am oddly reminded of a mild Yunnan. It’s weird, I don’t get it, but that’s what is coming to mind with the rich but light feel and sweetness of this tea.
4g/8oz