SpecialTeas

This tea always surprises me by being more pleasant than I anticipate. Of course, I anticipate it being something like drinking Pledge so that might not be saying much.

Things I have learned with this tea: It is too light for milk. Sugar is optional. It doesn’t really get bitter. The dry leaf smells horrid. The tea itself tastes pretty good. It doesn’t scream lemon so much as softly whisper “I’m not just plain tea. Promise.” It’s too light in body for a happy-making morning tea but ultimately it works.

I normally make my tea right before I leave for work, but this morning DH had to leave early, so I did it right after getting out of bed. Not the best plan since I was basically still asleep, just ambulatory.

The choice of this tea today was influenced by 2 things: 1) I didn’t have it yesterday and 2) it was on top of the front stack of tea. Yes, I have very demanding prerequisites for my tea first thing in the morning.

I did manage to put the right amount of leaf in (though it was a close thing – forgot I had to measure and just started spooning leaves into the pot – it took a bit for my brain to kick in this morning) and remembering that this tea tastes lighter than the dry leaves smell like it should, I added just a tiny bit of sugar and milk (though the thought process of ‘lighter = more or less milk?’ took quite a while).

So even though I was still asleep, I did manage to brew this tea without any big screw ups. Yet this tea is still very light. Or rather, the lemon flavor of it is. There’s a lemon scent to it (thankfully not like a cleaning product lemon but a lemonade lemon) but just a hint of the flavor, mostly at the tail. It’s a soft tea, not very bold. Sort of plain if not for the light lemon flavor which, since it is so light, really just adds a bit of a fresh taste to the tea. Not a lot of depth of flavor (though more dimension than some flavored teas – Adagio’s Blackberry, I’m looking at you).

I’m not in love with this tea but I do enjoy it. I think I would enjoy it more if the dry leaves smelled differently – it’s SO strong! The superlemon scent hits me as soon as I open the tin so I end up anticipating that scent to translate to flavor in the liquor. But it doesn’t. Which is probably a good thing but then the light flavor become almost confusing. Nice. But confusing.

I’m feeling uninspired by this tea today. It has a light flavor, not overwhelmingly lemon (which is good) but just seems to be missing a little something (which is bad). It needs to be treated as a more delicate black (because it is) but I keep forgetting that (because I’m not awake first thing in the morning).

Liking this Oolong today, used 4 level tsp in 14 oz pot, water just off boiling (200ish). Got steeps at 2 1/2 and 3 minutes, the second fell off a little, but still good.

I’m really enjoying this cup. I didn’t used to think very highly of this tea, but it’s tasting really good today. Very toasty, sort of like a hojicha with an obviously high amount of oxidation. Used 4 level tsp in my 14oz Yixing pot. Water just off boiling, went for 2 1/2, and I’ll try again for around 3 minutes.

I have an unsteady relationship with this tea and I think it has to do with its’ delicate brewing nature. For starters, a good cup with this one requires a mountain of tea. Piling on the leaf, I get a good juicy cup with a brief steep at the traditional 180F mark. Straw, banana skin, apricot, and dry leafy greens come through. It gets a nip fishy in the back of the throat, but I like that in certain teas. Play nice with this one and you’ll get a decent soup.

This is pretty good.

I used a bit more leaf this time (4 heaping tsp in my 14 oz pot), and all 3 infusions came out pretty good. The last one here is a little lacking, but it’s not as weak as last time. Did the steeps at 2, 2 1/2, 3 minutes – water about 195-200.

Certainly the best Formosa Oolong I’ve had (although I do have a Tung Ting Jade here still yet to try). This one’s very lightly oxidized, almost like a green tea but still with the floral Oolong character. I used 3 heaping tsp in my 14 oz. Yixing pot, and I’m on the first steep of hopefully 3 at around 2, 2:30, 3:00 and water at 195ish. Can’t wait for the next infusions.

I was actually disappointed by the second and third steep – neither of them had very much character at all. Mostly like Oolong scented water. I may not have used enough leaf.

Drinking it from a tea thermos again. I just top it up once in a while, and I have continuous tea for a couple hours.

I’ve grown to really enjoy using this in my tea thermos.

This tea came as part of a SpecialTeas Oolong sample collection, and I’m wondering if I’ll have to learn a new vocabulary just to describe them. This has an unbelievable aroma being all grassy buttery and floral… hang on, buttery? I could spend the rest of the afternoon inhaling over a cup of this. The taste is sweet and full, yet light and, er, oolongy. I guess I like it.
The second steep was closer to what I’d expect a standard Oolong to be, so savor that first cup.

Brewed it a bit lighter today. Still has that distinctive keemun aroma but also a hint of citrus.

I brewed a cup of this and some Special Grade that Justin (http://jushag.steepster.com) let me have, just to compare. The Imperial had a denser aroma and possibly a slightly richer flavor, but one could hardly tell. Justin said he couldn’t detect any difference, but he’s usually full of pu’.

This is really good.

This has that typical velvety Keemun smoke and chocolate, but this has stronger perfumy floral notes than other Keemun I’ve tried.

This is an absolutely delicious oolong. Very sweet and aromatic.

I thought I was out of this tea, but found a sample bag of it. Steeped 4 min (usually I do 3) It came out smelling very chocolaty, with a nice robust flavor.

Good stuff.

Everybody likes a little Golden Monkey.

This is probably the best oolong I’ve had (although I’ve admittedly only had a few). I got 3 good steeps at like 2:30, 2:45, 3:00 minutes with 195 degree water. Tastes a lot like a ti kuan yin but a bit lighter and even a bit sweeter.

One of my favorite black teas. Needed some caffeine late in the day here at work.

Brewed nice and strong for my first cup of this long week.