What-Cha

My feelings are way to mixed with this tea…

Lovely tonight. Less leaves. I am so temperamental about this tea. Butter and thick coconut oil are strongest this time with some arguable spinach in the background. Of course I love it. I swear it was slightly different the first time I had it. More florals and a tad less buttered greens would be perfect. Oh well. Still happy.

“I like savory to be balanced in my oolongs….” okay never mind this tea is strong on the savoriness and too strong on the flavor. I do not remember if I already wrote this-but please-for the love of delicate tea- Gong Fu this and do not exceed 3 grams for a 6-8 oz serving. The fat creamy and sweet qualities were better at 10 sec for 3 grams, 5 oz and 180 F. 170 might work as well. Or that’s just me because I am crazy. That is all I have to add.

Backlog: the last time I had this, it was buttery bock choy rancid. The smell from the bag has also been overwhelmingly buttery and vegetal-almost like cooked spinach. Next time I drink this, I am going to use a lot less leaves to tone down the green. I hope it is not due to something a little more serious, but more than likely, the overpowering smell may be from a larger amount of that oolong piled in a large bag.

In terms of taste, I’m not really saying more than what has already been written. Here’s what I can add: this tea has a butterscotch thing going on along with the massive amounts of lilac florals. Maybe plumeria, but that’s my longing talking. It is sweet and buttery, but not as vegetal as other flavored milk oolongs. Maybe cooked spinach comes close, but that’s it. The sweetness and the florals dominate.

The balance between the flavoring and the natural floral qualities this tea has impresses me. What impresses me even more is the considerable complexity it has western. You maybe could brew this gong fu for a flower power sweet buttery oolong, but it might be too light for some. Either way, I wish I had more of it myself especially considering the price.

It actually stacks up against one of my favorite teas which is impressive. It’s not AS thick and sweet like toffee, but the smooth, thick, yet silky body is very welcoming. I would recommend this to someone just getting into tea for sure, and as something to try among more experienced addicts-I mean- drinkers as a decent flavored tea. The very natural florals and tropical coconut milk sweetness would be the appeal- the lightness and high leaf load for gong fu may be a deterrent. I could be wrong. I could also try it myself, but I do not want to squander it.

Much better the second time around. I’m sorry little Cannonballs, I treated you harshly yesterday. You didn’t deserve my hate! This time I used my 120mL gaiwan and 160F water. I was also much more careful with my steep times, knowing that this tea can turn into a bitter mess as soon as the little cannonballs begin to open up.

I started this off with a 20 second rinse to get it going and then the next 8 or so steeps stayed at or below 10 sec. Before the cannonballs opened up all the way, the tea was light and a little vegetal with a good sweetness. As they started opening up, the tea definitely got thick, a tad bitter, and picked up a savory and brothy characteristic. A couple steeps later, the savory flavor started mixing with a renewed sweetness, which soon developed a nice floral characteristic.

I suspect this tea is quick to bitterness because, as I saw looking at the spent tea, the cannonballs are comprised of very small and fragmentary leaves. Thus, once they open up, you’re hit with a bitter-bomb if you aren’t careful. Pretty tasty once I knew how to handle it.

Hmm…really wasn’t feeling this tea. It seemed like it was lacking all the bright/vibrant flavors that make green tea good. The wet leaves had a salty vegetal or seaweed aroma. The first couple steeps were alright, with some light corn sweetness and a bit of astringency. As the little balls started to open up, the tea got quite bitter, to the point where I had to lower my steep times back down. I got some vegetal notes and a brief citric note at one point. I will try this again with lower temp or cold brew.

I don’t know if this tea is just a little old for green tea or what, but it was pretty flat, bitter, and just meh overall.

This tea was exceedingly light compared to the Taiwan Milk Oolong last night. I definitely got the mango in taste, texture, and smell with thick mouth feel and a transparent light quality. I was not sure what else I missed.

So I brew it up again, and more or less the same thing, only the creamy quality was sweeter. Like a sugar cane sweetness-maybe cotton candy-but sweetness is one of those subjective notes to me.

I do gotta say this is better Western in the short steep of one minute with one tea spoon than gong fu with two. More leaves makes this tea significantly more vegetal, while western brings out the more creamy and light qualities this tea has. Which is not that usual considering that Gong Fu brings out creamier and more floral qualities of an oolong for me.

Oddly enough, it was not that vegetable to me compared to the many other Jin Xuans I’ve had. It did have a light grassiness to it along with a thick, and again, creamy body, but not as buttery as other flavored milk oolong. Coconut oil is the closest fat that I can really parallel this to. This may or may not appeal to people who have a hard time with buttery and spinachy jin xuans, especially flavored. I personally quite enjoy it for the light simplicity.

This sampler bag has lasted me quite a while. Balanced, malty, and smooth earl grey with a great feel on the tongue. I got some cocoa personally, but that was my imagination looking for it. It actually became a little creamy when the cup chilled from the cold weather sneaking inside. I would recommend a light cold brew of this then.

This Earl Grey is actually one of my favorites because of its balance and simplicity. Guess having little astringency goes far for me. I’d still recommend it for Earl Grey lovers.

Now to consider if another What-Cha order is a wise idea. Wise for getting a few exquisite teas I want to try and more jade oolongs on the spectrum, but not wise if I want to venture too much further this month.

The notes on here pretty much describe it well: a lightly balanced malty Earl Grey with neither the tea nor the oil dominating-just the way I like my Earl Grey. I got three solid steeps western using 190 F and Alistair’s recommendations. I have a feeling this is better as plain, but I will add some cream and sugar to try it out.

Later…

This one is interesting. I definitely get the nutty finish and tangerine body that Alistair mentions with a savoriness that I did not expect. Like a mineral, green tea savoriness. I’m thinking seaweed like other reviews wrote. It was a tad bit salty, but still pretty good. I can adjust for that through shorter steeps, but not too much since it worked out for me.

I’m glad Alistair was nice enough to offer this sample. Samples make my world go round.

I still love this one. I’m actually finding that the green lettuce notes are actually refreshing with the florals in a warmer summer sun.

It’s my birthday, and I had an awesome morning despite the schlew of grading, writing, thinking, resume writing, a leak from a whole into the tar roof into my mother’s rooms walls, and the sharp, icy rain. My bloodsugar is still high from some salmon and steak hibachi, and I had this tea, so I should not be complaining.

I had to visit this one to see how it pans as my favorite. I started out with the Qilan What-Cha offers at midnight, and woke up this morning with the new Taiwan Amber GABA Oolong, and this tea to gage how my preferences have changed at age 23.

I’ve found that I’ve like a little bit more baking and maturity in my oolongs, and I have not drank my nucelar Gaoshans as religiously as I used to….never mind I still cling to them like the occasional Hail Mary of an uncommitted Catholic, but a little more. The crisp apple notes and fruity florals are still there in its soothing creamy texture, but it actually came out as being noticeably grassier than the GABA and not quite as sweet. This was creamy verdant sweet, whereas the GABA is its own category of mineral, rock sugar, pear, and light yet “rocky” roast. A part of me preferred the GABA, but I still would have a hard time parting with this tea or its type. The GABA has the benefits as having the pear notes a high mountain oolong would with very short steeps, but it is not going to be as verdant or spring like as this one when I need it to be.

So in short, I have gotten more attached to oolongs with more roast, but I still cannot part with my gaoshans, or this tea for that mattter, for a while, though I might not get as large quantities of it as I used to.

I have two cups left, and I need to finally decide if I want to sell a large amount of the tea I have…if it I can even sell it. Just upon first sip, yes, I would prefer to have this on my hand over large quantities. If only it was back in stock. I’ve been otherwise tempted to get some from Berylleb.

Now. Where can I get respectable resealable bags for a massive sale?

It’s in the high fifties with gushing sunshine and gushing winds. Spring is coming prematurely before Michigan decides to revert back to cold this weekend. In honor of the weather, I brewed this up gong fu with a few extra leaves. The grass and lime notes were especially present, but pleasant like a matcha can be. Otherwise, people who read my notes already know how I feel about this tea. Now I’ll put a number. 95 in terms of taste, 100 in terms of flexibility in brewing and 100 in quality for price.

Now, I have a dilemma tied to greedy curiosity. I want to restock on Spa Oolong eventually, but I also want to try What-Cha’s Kenya Gold Needle and Berylleb’s other oolong offerings. Never mind I have Zhangpings in the exact same caliber as some great Taiwan oolongs. My Green Teapot also had a few flavored oolongs that looked in line with Naivetea I wanted to try, but their sample sizes are 25 grams and over 8 bucks. #Problems of a spoiled tea addict.

Officially one of my top favorites. I have been Gong Fuing it and tumblering it almost every day. I might have to get more soon. But then there’s another order I wanted to try at the same time. Decisions of a whiny college kid. Oh, sorry, I mean future graduate.

Backlog:

Tumbler Test#2- Holy crap this worked out well. I used a very small teaspoon, maybe a little less, and brewed it using 15 ounces in the tumbler. I just let it soak, and the tea yielded two heady floral and creamy brews, the third fruity and floral, and the last just lightly floral and refreshing. I am so happy that I have a green oolong that can be brewed Grandpa and Western allowing so much complexity and sweetness. I still need to try it again Gong Fu to see if I can do it properly.

It almost passed the tumbler test since the florals popped out, but there was too much residue from a previous tea to accurately judge it.

This morning, I’ve been trying to use less time on the leaves starting at one minute, and the second steep at two minutes. I’m gettting the floral and creamyness fine, but more grassiness than fruit in the taste. I guess going two minutes the first time is the way to go for me.

I’m being an idiot with the brew anyway because it’s flatter than usual. I don’t know if my current allergies are the cause. Last night, I was able to taste a Dayuling just fine. Today, I’m getting a muted version of what I love despite having the same snotty symptoms last night. Here’s to having plenty of this tea for the upsides and the downsides!

Now, if only I purchased from What-Cha when Alistair released the new Zhangpins…

I’ve guzzled quite a few samples of my What-Cha order. I could not resist opening every package and then smelling every bag.

This one spoke to me the most so far. Oh so creamy, and oh so fruity and floral.

If any one reading this has ever had a good Li Shan, I don’t need to preach to you, the choir. This is a representative of that calibre. It is light and full bodied. I will update the full details later, but know that I enjoy it.

As it turns out, oh so cream, and oh so fruity and floral are the only real description this needs. I did it western again to savor the sample. I brewed it about at 170-180 F and noticed more of the lovely sugar cane sweetness, but again, creamy and floral. The florals popped out more with higher heat for the last session. This tea is a little bit grassy to me, but not as grassy as other gaoshans I’ve had.

I do wish I got more of this along with the Taiwan Milk Oolong Alistair has. I would recommend this is as a solid starting point for someone getting into Li Shans, and it is by no means as terribly expensive as others I’ve seen. Still pricy, but its worth it. I think my more experienced friends would think it’s a solid standard. I’m still not sure how it do Gong Fu since I’m savoring the sample western. However, the western began with a rinse and a steep of one minute. That is one good indicator at least.

This tea became another subject to my amateur blending. I’ve been wanting a good coconut oolong, and a part of me has been tempted to blend coconut with a Taiwan Jade, but since I have not drank this too often, I figured this tea was a good option. With the natural floral and lemon tang this had, the coconut might make it a bit sweeter and creamier.

So, I bought some cheap organic dried coconut pieces and blended it into the bag. They were HUGE, so I had to really make sure I got an even distribution. After a week of scenting, the results were really frickin’ close to coconut water. I guess I am on target. I could still taste the natural notes with the coconut flakes. The flakes on their own are incredibly creamy and sweet. Hopefully, they helped add those qualities to the tea. I’m still a little bit hesitant about the tang, but oddly enough, I found my experiment to be refreshing and headache relieving.

The white grape tartness continues to deter me however. I am very tempted to add a dash of vanilla, but I do not know the “more is too much” point yet. I was also thinking about pineapple pieces, but I do not know if it’s necessary with the teas natural fruit quality. Here’s to experimenting!

So happy that my What-Cha order is here!

Well, this would be a decent daily drinker. Very floral. Imagine the mega floral profile of a Tie Guan Yin with the bitter after taste of green tea. I’m also getting the lemon in the aftertaste that another review described. The body is interesting because it is very, very watery. Like a water chestnut.

My only complaint that it was not as sweet as I thought it was going to be. It’s still good, and could make a good blend. I would recommend a try of this for sure, but Alistair has some better options of the many he offers.

So after trying this gongfu yesterday and finding the flavors rather light, I decided I’d try it western style using some longer steep times. I used 5.2g in an 8oz teapot with steep times of 2m, 4m, 10m. If anything, all three steeps were even weaker than my gongfu session! So, I must conclude that this is just a very light tea. Nothing wrong with that – it’s also smooth and quite easy to drink. It never got bitter, even when steeped for ten minutes. Just a little light and a touch boring to my palate. Glad I got to try it though :)