Tea Reviews | It's All About The Leaf

Posts Tagged ‘Liquor’

I hate the word mouthfeel. Hate it. Because it feels so pretentious to me. Per the Random House dictionary, it was developed in the 1980′s, which tells me it was likely developed by a Yuppie. Possibly in response to an overpriced wine. As I was child in the 80′s, I have a yuppie aversion almost as strong as my shoulder-pad aversion, my hyper-color shirt aversion, and my aversion to electric pink.

Even after all that, I still use this term. Because it’s such a good descriptor. One of my favorite things about the green rolled oolongs are the ways the liquor can feel like liquid silk rolling around on your tongue.

All that being said – the mouthfeel of this tea was amazing. One of the most silky and creamy textured teas I’ve had. I was however a little disappointed with the rest of the tea. The aroma was fairly mild, and the flavor was a little too delicate for me. But, oh, I would drink this a lot just for the mouthfeel. So nice.

You can purchase the Four Seasons directly from the Tula Teas website.

My preference when it comes to pu’erh is certainly for a nice cooked and aged pu, but all the same, this 2004 Ji Xing Yi Wu sheng pu’erh was a gift from a friend and came highly recommended. So I decided to first give it a shot in my gaiwan and take it through it’s fragrant paces.

After the first infusion, the wet leaves smell a bit smoky, like burning logs, and quite musty. The infused liquor is a lot lighter, still with mustiness. My first cup left my mouth with a distinctive dry feeling. The earthy, vegetal taste is quite full and leaves a lasting impression on the tongue. Quite frankly, this pu’erh has the biggest aftertaste of any pu’erh I have ever had.

For the second infusion, I let it steep for 30 seconds, which I found to be a bit too long for this tea, when using the recommended amount of 3-4 grams. 20 seconds will be certainly sufficient for the first few infusions. This second, strong infusion very much emphasizes the dry notes of this tea. As I finish this infusion, I very much enjoy how robust the flavour of this uncooked pu’erh is.

After five additional steepings, these leaves were beginning to lose much of their robustness. Canton Tea Co.’s website does recommend at least six infusions for this tea. Overall, this tea was an excellently smooth example of a tasty raw pu’erh. My rating for this tea is 85/100.

You can purchase the 2004 CNNP Ji Xing Yi Wu Raw Beeng Cha 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.

This tea from Shanti Tea is aptly named “Red Chocolate” as it is made of Rooibos (Red Bush) and cocoa shells. Rooibos is a herbal tea that grows naturally in the wild in South Africa. It is naturally caffeine-free which makes it a perfect beverage for the evening as well as for kids and expectant moms.

Right when you open the bag, your senses are treated with an aroma that is similar to red wine, on account of the mix of aromas coming off the rooibos and the chocolate. It smells almost like the liquor inside the cherry-filled chocolates.

When it is steeped the liquor is a lovely, bright, coppery orange infusion. The scent becomes very chocolaty, and at times if I smell it for an extended period of time, it can even become kind of heady. The taste, however, is not as it smells. It does not taste like liquor, so don’t worry you won’t get tipsy from drinking this!:) Rooibos is very forgiving; it’s hard to steep this incorrectly. As a matter of fact you can steep it for as long as you want. Extended steeping will make the infusion darker but it will not get bitter. I recommend steeping 1 heaping teaspoon per 8oz for 4-6 minutes with boiling water. It doesn’t taste like many flavoured teas where any one element of the tea stands out and overpowers the other tastes. The chocolate and rooibos blend well into a singular taste where you don’t know where one begins and the other ends. It is quite natural in this way. For anyone looking for unique, lasting aromas and subtle, natural tastes, I would recommend this tea.

You can purchase the Red Chocolate directly from the Shanti Tea website.

Pre-steeping, my nose revels in the wonderful and delicious smells coming from the dry leaves. This tiramisu smells delicious, and it is strong enough that I can hardly detect the scent of the red rooibos underneath it.

After steeping, the aroma of rooibos has been brought to a more prominent place, but the tiramisu is not letting go of its grasp on the scent and the senses. The liquor has steeped a deep red colour, yet remains bright and clear. Eagerly, I lift the cup to my lips in anticipation…

Creamy! This tea has a very thick mouthfeel that actually starts out being a bit thin, but when the sweetness of the tea finally hits, it thickens considerably. The rooibos has come through beautifully, though it almost seems to have too much rooibos flavour (as compared to the tiramisu). The tiramisu does put forth a good showing, however. It boldly jumps out at the drinker, and lasts a while, settling in a delicious aftertaste. With each sip, I’m left wanting to take another sip and another…

I really enjoyed this tea, which is probably an understatement, considering how fast I went through the first cup. I gladly give this tea an 85 out of 100 on my personal enjoyment scale.

Time to go have another cup!

You can purchase the Tiramisu Rooibos directly from the TeaFrog website.