Tea Reviews | It's All About The Leaf

Posts Tagged ‘Canton Tea Company’

This tea is made of contractions. Lovely, lovely contradictions. It’s both mild and brash. Untamed and civilized. Light yet strong.

The leaves are big and twisty and unruly with the typical white tea fluffiness. Darker than I expected. They’ve got a sweet, hay-like aroma, similar to other white teas.

Brewed up, it’s a pale yellow color. And the flavor is very strong for a white tea. Very bold. But it’s still a white tea, so while strong and bold, it’s still delicate and light. It’s a hay flavor, with some fruit overtones. Other tasters mention citrus or melon tones which I don’t really get. I do get a generic fruity flowery bright tone. But, it’s lovely. This is my perfect type of white tea I like stronger flavored teas, and this has the best of both worlds. White tea flavor turned up to 11.

This may be for you if: you think white tea is interesting, but too wussy for your tastes

You can purchase the Ye Sheng Wild White Tea directly from the Canton Tea Co. website.

This is such a light, refreshing tea.  Very mild, very light – the brewed color is a light pale wheat color.  The brew has a light hint of a tang or tart to it as well.  Lovely.

I once read a Japanese food related comic, that mentioned drinking hot tea on a hot day.  I alway thought that was absolutely insane.  However, this tea makes me understand this.  I could drink this tea on a hot day and be refreshed and happy.

For an everyday drinking tea however, I’d like something with a little more oomph.

You can purchase the Snow Buds (Xue Ya) directly from the Canton Tea Co. website.

I am a big fan of Canton Teas, so it was with anticipation that I opened the packet of Superior Long Jing.  And at once, I got the green bean aroma and the visual of the large flat leaves.  Ah, Lovely.  I tried brewing this two ways.  The first way was with approximately a teaspoon of leaf per cup, brewed at about 165 for 2 minutes.  This resulted in a nutty, buttery brew; quite enjoyable and a pleasure to drink.  Then, after review the company web site, I tried brewing it with a lot of leaf at a very low temperature.  This resulted in a more vegetal brew, very light yellow in color.  It tastes less buttery and more like green beans.  Very clean tasting, and also quite drinkable.

Of the two, I preferred the less leaf / higher temp steep.  But either way, it’s a nice light, lovely green tea.  A great example of this type of tea.

You can purchase the Superior Dragon Well (Long Jing) directly from the Canton Tea Co. website.

Flowering teas originate from Southwestern Yunnan Province. Flowering teas are prepared primarily for their aesthetics; often in glass / transparent vessels so that the blooming of a flower right before your eyes within seconds can be fully enjoyed. The tea leaves are harvested and while damp, they are sewn into various shapes and bundles with cotton thread. One single, more elaborate bundle may take as long as ten minutes to sew. Flowers commonly used are globe amaranth, chrysanthemum, jasmine, lily, hibiscus, and osmanthus. Flowering teas can be refreshed several times, and do not get bitter with extended steeping. The taste profile is usually light, fragrant, and aromatic. Here I have posted pictures of my steeping of Canton Tea’s Sweet Osmanthus.

This flowering tea is in the shape of a bulb. It is made up of silver needle and orange osmanthus flowers so I steeped it at 88C. The aroma coming off the pot smelled very sweet like nectar and a little like medicinal herbs. It did not smell floral at all.

The infusion was a light orange colour similar to the colour of the osmanthus flower that emerged from the bulb. This is interesting for a silver needle. Most infusions of industrial white teas are yellowish-orange but not premium quality white tea which brings up the point of the quality of the tea that goes into flowering teas. I would think that they are on the lower end as the point of flowering teas is more for aesthetics than for taste.

The bulb opened up completely in about 3 minutes, just enough time for the tea to steep. The website said the tea tastes like lilies and orange osmanthus. I do not know what that tastes like but this tea did not taste floral or fruity, or crisp or refreshing but it is on the opposite end – more robust, grounded, a hardier taste. It tastes a bit like sugar cane. Not bad if that is what you like. Sometimes I opt for the less fruity and floral teas myself.

You can purchase the Sweet Osmanthus Flowering Tea directly from the Canton Tea Co. website.

Utilising one of my larger gaiwans and about a tablespoon of this tea, I rinsed the tea and got right down to the first infusion of 30 seconds.

First impressions:
Smells a bit fruity, a bit sweet, yet mellow and slightly grassy at the same time.
The liquor is very clear and bright.
The taste is a bit darker and more woody than I expected from the smell. Also, I noted the taste to be a bit more watery than expected Perhaps more than 30 seconds are necessary for the second infusion.

Continuing impressions:
The 45 seconds I gave the second infusion brought about a darker hue, perhaps not as bright, yet still clear.
It definitely improved the flavour.
Over the next three or so infusions I put these leaves through, this tea never grew very strong, but sipping it truly was a delight. The aftertaste of this tea is stronger than expected, composed of floral and fruity notes.

Overall, a thoroughly pleasant oolong that I would definitely recommend. On my personal scale, I give it an 85/100.

You can purchase the Anxi Rou Gui directly from the Canton Tea Co. website.