Mountain Stream Teas

I got the Four Seasons pack from Pear Mountain, and I am enjoying all of them. However, I am going to have to constantly rewrite notes as I crank them out and backlog, and likely talk about the samples in unison.

I tried this tea out first and foremost as I gong fu brewed it. The first 20 sec steep was milky and sweet like spices and brown sugar amidst a faintly green background, and the second 15 steep was like milk soaked in cinnamon toast crunch, hitting a high sugary note that enveloped the back of my throat, and then my sinuses. The cinnamon and brown sugar notes kept going steeps 3-5, but then faded out into osmanthus ever so gradually. I got some slight stonefruit notes that I’ll have to pick a part when I drink it again, but the sugary notes and the spice accents were the most prominent.

That said, it was vegetal, but more viscous than herbacious. The vegetal notes were otherwise very faint and light like coriander since the texture dominated the steeps with the sweeter flavors. The greener notes showed up in the later steeps, developing a more citrus like edge into steep ten. It’s a tie between this tea and the snow pick so far, but I will say this is a very good Li Shan at a great price for $25 for 100 grams. I’d be interested to see how my next visit with this gem changes. I noticed a difference in the vessels for drinking the snow pick, so I’m curious what it has to offer.

Summer Vacation! I’m onto Taiwan now, and while I don’t have a lot of Taiwanese teas in my collection, they usually bode well for me (I really like Taiwanese oolongs!) Depending on how this last week of August goes, if I run out I may make a vacation stop in Thailand or Vietnam… we’ll see!

First up is this sampler that was gifted by derk! Thank you derk! I have never tried anything pomelo-flavored (or eaten anything pomelo for that matter) which is what made me curious about this one. I like trying “exotic” (to me, anyway) fruits. I’m attempting this gong fu style since it is my day off and I have some more time this morning, but we’ll see how it goes. I don’t have a lot of practice with it. I’m doing the 4g in about half the volume of my shiboridashi, which comes out to 75ml, because the full 150ml per infusion is just too much tea for me over the course of several infusions of a session. Still waiting on that tiny 50ml gaiwan from China… shipping woes.

Gong Fu [Shiboridashi] / 4g / 75ml / 200F / 10s rinse / 30s|45s|60s|65s|70s|80s

The aroma is very floral, but citrusy… like orange blossoms and citrus oil. It comes off slightly perfumy when the tea is still very warm and steamy, but I find that settles a bit as the tea cools. The flavor is certainly something unique; I’ve had teas with a natural fruity/floralness before (sakura), but that soft cherry note is very different than this citrus note from the pomelo flowers. It tastes like a light mandarin orange flavor mixed with jasmine flowers, and below that is a fresh green watery vegetal note from the oolong, along the lines of lettuce/celery/cucumber. The pomelo flavor leaves an aftertaste on the tongue, and there is a very mild astringency left after the sip. In the second steep the pomelo flavor was much fuller and I got a grape note beneath the florals that was very pleasant, but the astringent drying on my tongue in the finish was also a bit stronger. The increased steep time by the third steep seemed to help a lot with the astringency in the finish, and the floral became very smooth and flowery, and the tea quite sweet with some new sugarcane and pear notes. I went for six steeps and at that point the flavor was starting to give out and become quite mineral-like.

A very pleasant oolong and unlike anything I’ve tried before. A bit drying (some accompanying water is a must) but the citrusy floral note produces a very unique flavor. Thanks for letting me try this, derk!

Finished up the remaining 4g of my 10g pouch this afternoon. I didn’t follow exactly MST’s guidelines for gong fu. 4g to 100mL in a covered glass mason jar. The last time I brewed this, I experienced an almost distracting dryness at 190-195F which is the recommended temperature, so I kept all steeps today at 185F. That definitely helped. I did a flash rinse followed by 6 steeps at 30/45/60/70/80/90s.

Reaction: I think this tea shines when doing shorter steeps that allow for the crispness and distinct flavors to come out. Following MST’s steep times and using 185F water, the brew was very smooth and thick but after the first steep, it became thick with spinach which detracted from the fruity, floral, citrus, creamy and light vegetal qualities. If I were to buy this again, I would definitely stick to shorter steeps at 185F. I think it would be best that way. Plus I picked up ripe pineapple in one steep. Don’t come across that very often. I mentioned in the other log that this could be a good daily drinker (gong fu) and I still hold to that, but only for somebody with fat stacks.

As a learning experience, I wanted to compare Old Master Baozhong, a spring harvest, to a different company’s winter (November) harvest that I drank yesterday. Unfortunately, I screwed up with this tea and ended up overbrewing the sixth steep by about 5 minutes while I was rushing around getting ready to head out for a game of tennis. And while it was still a fine steep, I decided to end the session. I’m kind of bummed I didn’t get to play this session out in a respectable fashion.

That said. Gone gaiwan, 6g, 150mL, 185-195F, flash rinse/10/12/15/20/25s/:(

Dry leaf looks very much hand-processed and is a mix of shapes with shades of green and some yellowish leaf. The scent is intoxicating, heavy with sweet pea floral, vanilla custard and violet. The flavors were strongest in the first 2 steeps with golden delicious apple, bartlett pear, sweet lemon, mineral, floral sweet pea, cream, custard, white peach, was that pineapple?!?, lilac, vegetal sweet pea, raw green bean, spinach. The liquor was a light yellow-green, very smooth but drying and slightly numbing on my tastebuds. Aroma was lilac, custard, peach and spinach. Persistent floral and fruity aftertaste.

Third through fifth steeps lightened in aroma, taste and texture and the liquor darkened into a yellow-gold. In addition to the above flavors, the apple pushed forward, then moved into a strong peach/apricot/mango/nectarine and the fifth steep had an addition of wet green hay with a very strong white peach aftertaste. The mouthfeel almost became distractingly drying so I played around with temperatures in these steeps but that didn’t change anything. The sixth steep at 5+ minutes was not a wash but I decided to end the session there as I didn’t think there would be anything left to give. Spent leaf was lined with red along its serrated edges and had some more oxidation on the petioles.

For what this tea was missing in depth and richness in comparison to yesterday’s winter harvest, it produced a wonderful crispness, clearness in taste and a very pronounced peach aftertaste that could easily make this tea a daily-drinker. They’re different and respectable teas in their own rights. I have 4 grams left so I’ll try MST’s recommended brewing parameters for gong fu and rate it after that.

I think I’m falling for baozhong.

Thank you for the sample Mountain Stream!

Derk, I gotta say, I was not a huge fan. It was a good tea, but it overwhelmed me despite it being on the lighter side. The pomelo was pronounced, floral, and a little funky. Yes, I brewed it gong fu, but every time, I kept on getting a watercress note, and then the weird yeastiness that you described. The citric acidity coupled with the savoriness reminded me of a tortilla chip. Steep three, and more tortilla citrus flavor and watercress midsip and body. Steep four, heady and slightly bitter jasmine with a citrus finish. Steep five-green jin xuan ness. I can get the coriander in its herby profile, although it is still green and milky in texture. Not thick enough to be like spinach as Jin Xuans tend to be…which was kinda a relief.

Okay, back to my assertion. The yeasty citrus combo was a little too much for me. I think the florals gave me the buzz more than the caffeine, and yeah, I was a little tea drunk from this one. It might grow on me, but a little too much.

Finally a cloudless, ambient temperature morning. I’ve been awake for a few hours now and still haven’t eaten. Good combination for drinking a floral oolong. I picked up this Pomelo Fragrance Oolong because I am a total sucker for citrus blossoms. This reminds me I need to buy a porcelain gaiwan.

Dry leaf has a light but persistent fragrance with that pomelo flower, I want to say jasmine, fresh linens.

6 grams into the unwarmed 150mL glass gaiwan. Following MST’s temperature and time guidelines of 212F and 30/45/60/+5-10.

First steep, the leaf is strongly pomelo flower, lemon blossom, sweet pea, bittersweet with a touch of yeast. The light green-yellow liquor smells like a lemon with earthy notes (hard to describe), very floral, green leaf lettuce, buttermilk biscuit. The liquor is drying on the tongue, light yet viscous. Taste is strong, sweet citrus florals with a with a pleasant very light mustiness, mineral, golden delicious apple, sugar cookie, citrus pith and an unplaced vegetal green.

Second steep, the leaf is again strongly floral pomelo, lemon and jasmine with notes of water cracker, milkiness and green pear. Liquor a darker green-yellow and smelled of pomelo flower, golden delicious apple, jasmine, lactose. Taste is divine: the jin xuan cultivar came out in full force with its milkiness, again strong citrus florals, sugarcane and mineral. The liquor is soft, still a drying tongue that plays with bitterness and a lingering strong sweetness in the back of the mouth.

Third steep, the florals in the leaf lightened up with pear and a dark vegetal coming through, like sweetened collard greens. Liquor smells like pear, florals, lemon water and buttermilk biscuit made a return. The liquor first hit that bitter, drying note on the front half of the tongue then glides over the rest with a lovely velvety, thickness. Taste is pear, floral, butter, sugarcane, orange blossom and collards.

At this point I need to take a break to eat something light. A leftover hamburger bun from the weekend bbq. Tasting ability is numbed where the drying bitterness was on my tongue.

Fourth steep is still strong, more drying but velvety, less citrus floral, more butter. Butter and citrus blossom persist in the mouth. At first I thought there was no cha qi but now I’m very sleepy, eyelids drooping, a narcotic buzz in my body. Tea drunk. …And she’s down.

I suppose I’ll finish this session a few hours from now. I’ll give it a rating after I finish the remaining 4 grams of my sample using a different brewing technique.

Update: Decided to call it quits after the fifth steep, ending on a pleasant sour and mineral note.

Dry leaf smells remarkably of raisin toast with a muted cinnamon :)

Teapot time: 5g, 100mL porcelain, 195F. Rinse plus 10 steeps, starting at 10s.

The Spring 2018 harvest is a little different than 2017. Honestly, I can’t remember if it was 2017… I’m pretty dang sure. The 2018 tea is lighter in taste and darker in character like it was more oxidized. There’s also some astringency to this batch that shows up early and fades after a few steeps. I think most of the flavor of this tea comes from the aroma; there are never penetrating flavors on the tongue. The tea’s strong points are its round, fruity fragrance; medium-thick, pectic mouthfeel; a blossoming almost floral grape finish and an inability to be oversteeped once you get past the first several slightly drying infusions. It also performs well western and grandpa.

The taste is less pronounced but still fruity. Straightforward notes of plump, pliable purple raisin mingle with sweet red grapes, butter (sometimes funky), light brown sugar, that GABA bright tartness, minerals and a tone of baked bread. The fruitiness most closely reminds me of warm, rehydrated raisins in a curry — like when they pop in your mouth. Wood presents if I do a little swish. Like other GABA oolong, the tastes don’t exactly evolve. This one does move out into the sweet potato realm but not until the end, and even then it’s still raisin-grape in taste. Steeps out sooner than the 2017.

Giving the Spring 2018 harvest a 90. 2017 I had rated at 98 because it tickled me and had great longevity. Averaging the two gives 94.

I finished up the 10g pouch of this yesterday since nobody took me up on my offer and it was beckoning me. I just dumped the remaining 5g of balls into my 20oz thermos with unknown temp water from the cafe (I should have asked them by now) and sipped on it for several hours. Never got bitter or astringent and was wonderfully full-bodied. It has a different flavor profile this way, mostly tasting and smelling of overripe strawberries and really good sweet fruitiness. The funkiness came out but it melded perfectly with the flavors. At the end, there was a faint cooling sensation in my mouth. The energy was never overwhelming. Probably could’ve gotten another 20oz out of the leaf but I didn’t have access to a hot water refill.

This tea jives with me and is versatile. Sticking with the 98.

This review makes me feel like such a dork.

Thinking about grapes… The fog has been lifted from San Francisco for the past few days so we had a barbecue in the city close to the southern end of the Golden Gate Bridge. The corkscrew, along with half our silverware, somehow managed to get tossed in the trash when someone in the group got clean-up happy.

I’m home now, sunburned and spent but in the mood for tea. Reached for this Wild Garden GABA Oolong sample. Mountain Stream Teas says it’s sweet, large black raisins. Does not require corkscrew. Great.

I’ve read that GABA-processed teas can bring quite the funk in terms of taste and smell. I admit I’ve been trying not to anticipate disappointment with the few GABA oolong samples I recently acquired even after falling hard for What-Cha’s Taiwan Amber GABA Oolong which possesses no funk.

First a sniff of the leaves while still in the pouch. Hit first with the oh-so-lovely scent of fresh durian in Vietnam. Smelling durian every time is like an assault to the senses. But it’s so complex beyond that weird tropical fruit custard rot that I find my nose going in for more. The durian funk of the dry leaves was thankfully fleeting and out came a faint roast well complemented by champagne or wine grapes or even a little bit of those black concords. Let’s just say super sweet and floral grapes. Is this tea even roasted? I don’t know. Damn, this is pleasant.

5 grams into my warm grape-colored clay gaiwan. Wow. Quick 10-15 second rinse at 195F. Wow. Then followed the suggested timing of 20/30/30/etc.

First and second steeps were light in flavor but very aromatic. A little bit of sweet-tart at the top back of the mouth and drying grape skin tannins at the front. Wet leaf smelled amazing. Third steep was stronger in flavor, revealing the champagne grape with peach emerging and a hint of vanilla sugar. Minerals and salivation at the end of the cup. Fourth steep, aroma of the liquor was so sweet and delicately intoxicating. Tastes about the same as the third, more peach. Fifth steep again produced the same aroma and taste with the addition of a VERY light cooling along my lips and some kind of berry I’m sure exists that tastes like a soft, white, sweet strawberry. Subsequent brews remained consistent with growing mintyness going down the throat. Spent leaves are a beautiful mix of green with red oxidation.

MST says this lasts 5-6 steeps but I lost track. More longevity than expected, though it might be less with 3-4 grams.

I now only have 5 grams left and would love to try it out in a porcelain gaiwan but I don’t have one. So I’m debating between the glass one or doing a western steep. Too bad it’s out of stock, otherwise I’d also try grandpa.

Overall, the Wild Garden GABA Oolong delivers a consistent, well flowing profile reminiscent of an ice wine (without the booze) or fruity gummies and an undeniable strength in aroma and sweetness, a lingering fruity taste and drying yet quenching mouthfeel. Pleasing energy. Everything is in its place.

Very unique and refreshing white tea with strong notes of licorice and mint.