Tea Ave oolongs - LiShan Oolong

I am excited to share this oolong review with you. The tea itself was very good. And I like the way in which Tea Ave presents itself and its teas. A bit of background about the company from Heidi Chen:

We are a brand-new online tea store specializing in Taiwanese oolongs. We travel to Taiwan ourselves to compare teas from the best tea farms before deciding where to source them from—which means every tea we offer has our personal stamp of approval. Our teas are always fresh, delicious, and free from artificial flavorings. 

Tea Ave will official launch in 2 days! Check teaave.com on March 1st for the grand opening.

I received three oolong samples and a surprise (a small tray, an aroma cup, and a tulip cup). I also received a gift card; hello, more oolong. There was an unexpected surprise in my package too the details of which I will share next week, so stay tuned! The oolongs are LiShan, Oriental Beauty, and new-to-me Wenshan Baochong.

The LiShan as I mentioned at the start of the post was very good. I prepared it on two separate occasions, both times in my 130 mL tasting kit. When I rinsed the dried leaves, I poured that liquor into the aroma cup. I used the tulip cup from my tasting kit as a pitcher. On the first day I prepared the LiShan, I loosely followed the instructions on the sample packet. By the way, the level of detail on each packet is unusual and appreciated.

On the second day I prepared the LiShan, I strictly followed the instructions. I consulted My Japanese Green Tea for assistance with cooling my boiling water to the appropriate temperature. I don't have a thermometer nor do I have a variable temperature kettle. And I've never been able "to read the bubbles" in my kettle. Here are my notes from day two.

Infusion 1
I boiled a bit more than 130 mL of water then poured the water into a vessel and let it sit for 1 minute to cool down to 90-95 degrees C. I rinsed 2 teaspoons of dried leaves (approximately 8g (I don't have a scale)) then used the remaining water to steep the leaves for 60 seconds. The steeped leaves smelled like burnt sugar and dampened summer grass. The liquor was creamy, sweet, smooth, and tasted of a mild, white-fleshed fish (maybe seaweed?).

Infusion 2
For the subsequent steeps, I used boiling water as recommended so I poured the water directly from the kettle onto the leaves in the tasting cup. The second steep lasted 60 seconds. The liquor had a bolder color and was drier than the initial infusion. I tasted pine and eucalyptus. The liquor was also chewy, like eating fresh bread. The flavors lingered in my cheeks and there was a bittersweet citrus note at the end. A sweet smell could be detected in the empty tulip cup.

Infusion 3
The packet recommended adding 20 - 30 seconds to each additional infusion so on the third infusion I steeped the leaves for 1 minute and 20 seconds. The liquor was noticeablely in volume and darker colored. I tasted and smelled a soapy, floral note which I associate with the flowers of the Callery pear tree. The liquor was more astringent than dry with a bit of stone fruit flavor. Think of sucking on the pit of a peach or apricot, not the taste from eating the flesh. The chewy texture remained as well as a lingering burnt sugar aroma in the tulip cup. I could drink this tea all day!

Infusion 4
After a 1 minute and 40 second steep, the liquor was still flavorful. It had a thick mouth feel with citrus notes, this time like a sweet red grapefruit thought with a slight bitter flavor in the back of the mouth.

Infusion 5
A 2 minute infusion! I think this was the longest time I have steeped leaves in a tasting cup/gaiwan set-up. The liquor had lost some of its complexity. Mineral flavors began to emerge.

Infusion 6
About two thirds of the original liquid remained in the pour. The color of the liquor was a brown yellow with a wet wood taste. The liquor was dry, no longer astringent, and the sweetness had evaporated from the tulip cup.

Don't forget to visit teaave.com on March 1 for Tea Ave's grand opening. I recommend the LiShan, and look forward to drinking the Oriental Beauty and Wenshan Baochong

Favorite Tea Ware - Jo Johnson of A Gift of Tea

As a tea drinker, and I am sure this is true for you, I adore teaware, from bombillas to matcha whisks. Everyone has their favorites! This series showcases the favorite teaware of folks in the tea blogging community. Today's faves are from Jo J of A Gift of Tea.

This bowl, from China was a gift from my dear friend Darlene. I like the colors and hand-painted design.

A must include on any teaware favorite list is a tea tumbler that goes when I go.

This has now become my daily favorite cup holding 16oz and with an infuser it keeps me tea filled all day.

A Tokoname perfect for Sencha this flat teapot has rhythmic textured patterning and a matte finish, accented in colors of gray and red.

Nicole Aquillano created these cups. One is called bridge, the other home. I enjoy her work and it fits along with my thoughts of tea, my bridge to home.

All photos and stories courtesy of Jo J. Thank you for sharing some of your favorite tea objects with us.

P.S. O-Cha has written a brief history of Tokoname teapots.

Tea Review: Buddha Teas

Buddha Teas is California based company started by Englishman John Boyd. The teas are organic and packaged in bleach-free tea bags. The teas are marketed as a wellness drink ("100% natural herbal supplement").

The company generously provided three boxes of tea -- Dragonwell Green Tea, Elderberry Tea, and Oolong Tea. Information about the specific varietal of oolong was not provided. The tea bags do not have the name of the tea they contain printed on them so I had to be conscientious when laying them out. Another drawback was the lack of water temperature information. The company's website recommends boiling water across the board.

I prepared the Dragonwell and oolong and my preference is for the oolong. Neither of these bagged teas has the complexity one would get from their loose leaf versions, but someone new to Dragonwell or roasted oolongs would get a very basic taste for both. I haven't steeped the elderberry but I will soon. Gardenista published a recipe for elderberry syrup; drinking elderberry is a flu prevention strategy.

Our thanks to Buddha Teas.

P.S. Coming up on the blog: a review of Palais des Thes grand crus, an afternoon tea review of The Pierre, and Jo J's favorite teaware.

Amoda Tea Discovery Box - Autumn Masala & Heavenly Cream

Two weeks ago I reviewed Sock It To Me by Indie Tea, one of three black tea blends in my Amoda Tea Discovery Box. Today I present the other two blends -- Autumn Masala by Nepali Tea and Heavenly Cream by Sloane Tea.

You can probably guess that Autumn Masala is a masala chai. The dry leaves have a spicy, woodsy (think pine) aroma. I prepared a pot of tea, steeping it for three minutes (the suggested time was 3-5 minutes). The liquor from the three-minute steep was mildly flavored. An additional two-minute infusion time did not significantly alter the taste. I would not recommend adding milk to this tea as it would only weaken the spice flavors.

The name Heavenly Cream doesn't provide a hint of the ingredients in the blend but as soon as I opened the packet, I knew that the tea contained bergamot. It is not a straight Earl Grey as the tea is blended with vanilla. The vanilla provides a creamy note and smooths the intensity of the bergamot. I don't seek out Earl Grey teas or teas flavored with bergamot but this blend was enjoyable. I steeped the leaves for four minutes - the instructions recommend 4-6 minutes - and that was enough time to extract a rich amber color and bold flavor. The liquor retains its character with milk. I craved banana pudding while drinking this tea so I think it would pair well with sweets, for dessert or for afternoon tea.

You can purchase Autumn Masala on the Amoda website. Heavenly Cream can be purchased on Amoda or directly via Sloane. Aren't the tins beautiful?!

This post concludes the review of a Discovery Box courtesy of Amoda Tea. Thank you, Amoda.