Tea Reviews | It's All About The Leaf

Posts Tagged ‘Overtone’

Spider webs conjure up ethereal visions of delicate pale films of almost nothing. Wisps of white that disappear in the sunlight. Shanti’s Spiderweb oolong initially seems strangely misnamed. The leaves are short, black and twisted, but very tangible and more like spiders than their webs. My sample didn’t have much aroma dry, but once steeped, it almost smelled more like grapes than oolong. Or ice wine. Very sweet. Again, not a quality widely associated with spider webs.

Once brewed up, the liquor is a light tan. The tea doesn’t have much of the typical oolong flavor of other teas, but it’s got a pleasant lightly tannic flavor, and a lovely sweetness on the finish that reminds me again of grapes, or on subsequent steeps of sweet lemons. There’s also a malty overtone to the brew. It’s got a thin, tannic mouth-feel, and here’s where the spider web name is applicable. The tea’s flavor dissipates quickly, leaving just the hint of sweetness, and the knowledge that you’ve just had some nice tea.

You can purchase the Spiderweb Oolong directly from the Shanti Tea website.

I know I tend to repeat myself on this point, but I really adore that first whiff of a new tea. The myriad of preparation techniques and additives means that each new tea is an olfactory adventure. Or, more succinctly – dang, they can smell great! And this one – wow. Aromas of dark sweet fruit, like raisins or dates combined with malty, yeasty overtones. It reminded me of whole wheat raisin bread in the first few sniffs.

So I eagerly dumped the packet into the gravity teapot I use at work so I could try this tea. This is where I ran into my first problem. The sample size was pretty small. So I scaled back the size of cup I was planning to make and added my 190 degree-ish water and commenced steeping.

The resulting brew was a beautiful deep brown. But the flavor was a little light. Tones of nuttiness, raisins and a light floral overtone which may have been orange blossom, but nothing outstanding. It was a pleasant cup, but not an outstanding one. I did play around with the steeping parameters to try and improve it, and wasn’t able to get it to sing. I would like to get a larger sample someday and try playing with this tea again.

You can purchase the Imperial Formosa Oolong directly from the Golden Moon Tea website.

I am just finishing my fourth infusion of this elegant Dragon Well green tea and it is going strong. I have worked a bit at learning how to prepare green teas properly. A little bit of attention to detail–water quality, water temperature, steeping time–repays itself abundantly. The dry leaf does not give away an enormous amount of aroma but seems slightly fragrant and nutty. The leaves are firm and a bit tippy. The wet leaf, as is typical, provides a fresh and vegetal fragrance and resembles broad bright green pine needles.

The vivid tea is a pleasing pale yellow color–the relative pale color testifies to the youthfulness of the leaf. The taste is fresh, light, and buttery–almost like a sweet pea that has some delicately inserted wild rice grains. The taste develops a floral overtone that could be described as “orchid-like”. It’s not at all astringent or bitter.

I think that this tea is youthful and light yet it can sustain multiple infusions. It’s got an extremely fresh and natural taste and the hints of orchid, rice, corn, and vegetable are delightful flirtatious. This is a tea to ponder over and to enjoy. I would not use sweeteners at all with a nicely delicate and bright tea like this one.

I most certainly plan to try more teas form Grandtea.com. Visit their website athttp://www.grandtea.com/. Based in Hong Kong, they specialize in Chinese and Japanese teas of high quality and ship inexpensively to the USA and the rest of the world.

You can purchase the Xi Hu Premium Dragon Well directly from the Grand Tea website.

This tea is confusing, and complex. When I first opened the packet I did a double take – bubble gum! But I was opening tea, not gum…? On a second sniff I could identify the vanilla and in the background found a subtle hidden jasmine note. But overall – bubble gum.

My first sip tasted odd… the flavors were complex and hard to pin down. My tongue was confused. I got some creaminess from the vanilla, but couldn’t really taste the jasmine. But I did get a cooling aftertaste in my mouth after the liquid had passed which I think may have been the jasmine. There was a fleeting overtone of “artificiality” in the brew. When I added a little sweetener, I tasted some of the “cream soda” flavor other tasters have reported. But it wasn’t a strong resemblance.

I then tried it cooled, and enjoyed it much more. The melded vanilla and jasmine each stand out as separate yet complimentary flavors.

As an iced tea, this was wonderful. I can very much see myself sitting outside on a warm night, drinking this tea, and being very content. As a warm tea, it wasn’t my favorite, however I know of many others who appreciate it very much. This is one of those teas you’ll have to try for yourself. But, if you do – make sure to try it iced.

You can purchase the Vanilla Jasmine directly from the Golden Moon Tea website.