Tea Reviews | It's All About The Leaf

Posts Tagged ‘Shan’

Canton Tea offered up this opportunity for me to try their Superior Long Jing and I jumped at because I’ve never tried this quality of Dragon Well before.  I really appreciate and enjoy the experience that comes with every Long Jing, regardless of it’s grading, it’s always good.   This particular Long Jing is from a aged tree high up in the Weng Jia Shan Village of the Zhejiang Province. It’s a ‘Superior’ grade meaning
that it was picked in early spring (first flush).  The dry leaves are long and flat and have a strong vegetal scent to them and they are full leaves, clearly they had to have been hand-picked.  There is absolutely no dust in this tea which doesn’t surprise me, I’ve never had a tea from Canton that was dusty.

I’ve pre-warmed my teapot and boiled water to 208 degF.  Pouring the water over the leaves and the first scent I’m getting is one that is slightly sweet with a touch of grassiness.  I let the leafs steep for 5 minutes and the color went to a crystal clear, light green hue.  The taste is clean and slightly nutty.  I have resteeped this tea five times and, only now, the flavor is fading.  It really is a pleasure to be able to enjoy this quality of tea and I hope to have the opportunity to try new teas from Canton Tea.

You can purchase the Superior Dragon Well Green Tea | Traditional Long Jing directly from the Canton Tea Co. website.

This truly is a momentous day. Not for the fact that I slept in until 3PM. Not for the fact that one of my favorite restaurants brought back their three-dollar burger for happy hour. Nay. Today I finally notched off the last oolong offering from Middle-Earth.  (I mean, New Zealand.)

Zealong teas are a product of the Wakaito region of the li’l Kiwi country. They are prepared in a traditionally Taiwanese fashion – like Ali Shan or Bai Hao oolongs – but differ somewhat in their character due to the lower altitude in which they grow. The Zealong folks produce three types – Pure, Aromatic, and Dark – based upon how heavily roasted they are. I adored the Aromatic, liked (but didn’t love) the Dark, and now it was time to purse lips to the Pure.

The first thing I made note of was how green this oolong was. Sure, I expected it to be greener – given the emphasis placed on how under-roasted it was – but this was the greenest I’d come across yet.  The aroma also differed quite a bit with a loud floral forefront and a forest-like after-whiff. All in all, incredibly welcoming; I would even say it was more “aromatic” than the other Zealong with that badge.

There were no brewing instructions on the Tula Teas site, but that was okay. I didn’t plan on following their approach anyway. I had a customized gongfu-ish method that worked quite well for me. I used a gaiwan, 1 tsp. of leaf-balls,  and 190F water with four steeps – the first two at thirty seconds, the last two at forty.

First infusion (thirty seconds):  The liquor only brewed to a white tea-ish partial yellow. Finding an aroma from the cup was also difficult. I thought there was a floral presence, but I couldn’t be sure.  The flavor came out like a band of ninjas carrying a bouquet of flowers, though.  Shades of milk and syrupy sweetness also came through.

Second infusion (thirty seconds):  The leaves in the gaiwan had unfurled finally. Liquor color echoed this with a somewhat deeper hue. The scent reminded me of bold osthmanthus blossoms with a hint of jasmine. Not sure how, but the flavor took on a grassier profile.  Thankfully, not vegetal.

Third Infusion (forty seconds):  Same liquor color, but this time a mineral nose came to the forefront.  The flavor was incredibly pleasant, though, reminding me of a high-altitude Ti Kwan Yin – slightly roasty but botanical. There was a minor mineral note toward the finish but not unpleasant.

Fourth Infusion (forty seconds): The color faded a bit, but the aroma actually took on a sweet note – something I’d hoped for but didn’t expect. On the flavor front, a melon-noted white tea sensation came through. Again, unexpected but not unwelcome. This was the lightest but perhaps my favorite infusion, highlighting the purity of this offering.

It lasted a good two more infusions before tasting like warm water. Still, quite a strong oolong for one so green – low altitude especially. And while I’ve concluded the “Middle-Earth” tea trilogy, I would gladly re-rea…-er, re-steep these in a heartbeat. Zealong Pure is the “Two Towers” of the Kiwi tea-fecta.

You can purchase the Zealong Pure directly from the Tula Teas website.

Canton Tea’s Alishan Oolong is absolutely fantastic! I haven’t tasted an oolong so flavourful in a long time. Alishan Oolong is one of Taiwan’s finest high-grown oolong teas. According to the Canton website, their Alishan won 2010′s Great Taste award and I can see why!

Dried leaf is in tightly rolled clumps that open up into medium long leaves with hot water. Liquor is an attractive clear, bright, green infusion. The scent is just heavenly, floral with apricot scents and most importantly the taste is just yummy. Smooth with very floral and fruity notes, not to the extent of being too perfumy or chemical but I would say a little goes a long way. I used about 9.5g in 1.6L of water which is on the more diluted side but it was still packed full of flavour. I think I would still prefer it to be even more diluted. My taste buds were on overdrive it seemed. Hey, this didn’t win the great taste award for nothing! For those of you who love quality, classic, flavourful oolong taste this is perfect for you but if you are looking for something more subtle or light then I would suggest you look elsewhere, probably not in the oolong category. This tea like many oolongs has many nuances and complexities and yet still has a bit of a vegetal base. One thing I found interesting was you get an aftertaste in your mouth like you’ve been chewing on some flower petals and have just eaten an apple after drinking this tea. My co-worker has been hinting at me to order this for the office and I have no hesitation to do so.

You can purchase the Ali Shan Oolong Tea directly from the Canton Tea Co. website.

When I opened the small bag in which the leaves were held, I was immediately intrigued by how different this sheng pu smelled, compared to other pu’erh I have had recently (including other sheng). The aroma of the dry leaf tends toward more of a mossy smell with some tobacco notes. Definitely a crisp smell.

To start off the process of making this intriguing tea, I rinsed the leaves briefly and then went for a 30 second infusion. (I should mention that I am using a small gaiwan.) A lot of the leaves seem to be a bit broken up, but this could have been on account of some transit issues, as there are quite a few large leaves as well. The smell of the wet leaves still maintains its mossiness, but also smells of coffee and tobacco.

The first steeping produced a very light brew. The smell remains the same, which is why the flavour caught me completely off guard. Very rough edges combine with much stronger tobacco notes to almost overwhelm any remaining moss flavour. Then there comes a bit of a sour taste, which was a bit unpleasant, yet somehow fit with the general flavour of this tea.

Time for the second steeping. While the aroma has not changed at all, the edges of the tea have indeed smoothed out. The sourness still remains a bit on the aftertaste, but is not as prominent anymore. Toasted flavours of tobacco and that little bit of moss taste still remain.

Steep number three brings a diminished smell, which I found a bit strange. It was as though the smell had all but disappeared. The taste too has been muted a bit, yet still the same as the previous steeping. Some would call this muted-ness “smoothed”, but I disagree. It is definitely lacking for flavour now.

I put the leaves through another steeping, this time leaving it for a few minutes, to see if this would improve or affect the flavour. The result was not much different. This was a decent pu’erh, but quite green, and had a flavour to match that fact. I give it an 80/100 on my enjoyment scale.

You can purchase the 2009 Nan Nuo Shan – Ban Po Zhai directly from the Grand Tea website.

I’ve had the pleasure of reviewing a number of the Canton Tea Company’s teas, and have been very pleased with their products. Their teas have been very flavorful and enjoyable to drink. Therefore, I’m finding the current cup of tea I’m trying a disappointment. On opening the packet, the scent of the tea was very light – almost non-existent. As I always look forward to that first scent of a new tea, I was disappointed. The aromas did increase upon adding hot water, but were still not strong.

Watching the leaves dance was lovely. I always enjoy how the teaspoon or two of rolled oolong teas can turn into a cup bursting with soft tea leaves.

Drinking the brew, the flavors were very subtle. A light sweetness greets the tongue on first sip, followed by a much stronger aromatic floral note in the mouth long after the liquid had left. For me, the floral tones overpowered any other flavors in the brew, and once the cup cooled, were the only flavors I could taste. And I’m not really fond of strong floral flavors, so didn’t really appeal to me.

However, the tea does have good features. It maintained these floral flavors throughout multiple steepings. I got three from each of my attempts, and I’m sure they could have gone for more cups. I also did find this tea was forgiving in brewing, I lost track of time in one steeping and the resultant brew was only slightly bitter.

Yellow Gold Oolong was not one of my favorite oolongs. I found it floral and a little boring. I much preferred their Ali Shan. Unless you really like floral, I’d recommend that one instead.

You can purchase the Yellow Gold Oolong Tea | Huang Jin Gui Wu Long directly from the Canton Tea Co. website.