Milk Oolong 2011

Name; Milk Oolong

Type; Oolong, Un-oxidized oolong, China or Taiwan

Price; £ 3.50 for 50 grams from Better Beverage Company.

http://www.betterbeverage.co.uk/

Review;

 It’s not often I come across a tea I loathe.  Even rarer that I would waste the time to write about it. And it is entirely plausible that I simple haven’t had a good milk oolong. 

As previous reviews of Better Beverage may have suggested they are a business.  A business with selling a product for money is a key component (unlike those that just do it for the passion, or the love of tea or any other reason). So again the age old question of whom to blame; merchant or tea.  I’m doing a bit of both.  I’ve tried a milk oolong in Pekoe Tea, and it was alright.  I wouldn’t buy any, and I wouldn’t write a thank you letter if I received it at Christmas, but I would still drink it occasionally.  This one from Better Beverage is going straight in the bin.  I tried to find out more information but the owner of Better Beverage is rather cryptic saying that he doesn’t know anything other than it passes European health law (to a degree (worrysome?)).  

You know that fake artificial butter that gets put on your popcorn when you go to the movies?  Just imagine drinking a tea cup full of that “delicious” “butter”.  That is the best description I can give.  Milk oolongs are suppose to give an array of flavours, this just tastes fake perfumed.  And chances are it is.  The price was ridiculously low, so I guess I can’t be that surprised.  The worst part about drinking it is that the oil seems to just sit in your mouth, impossible to wash/scrub off.  Might go buy some whisky to solve this problem…

Don’t enjoy!

-Tea Fan

Cinnamon Anise Rooibos 2011

Name; Cinnamon Anise Rooibos

Type; Infusion, Rooibos (South Africa) along with Cinnamon, Star Anise, and Jasmine Blossoms

Price; £ 1.50 for 50 grams from Anteaques.

http://anteaques.co.uk/infusions/cinnamonaniserooibos

“The subtle sweetness of cinnamon, the floral notes of jasmine blossoms and the gentle spiciness of star anise are blended together with the rich honey tones of rooibos. A smooth blend which can be enjoyed all day and late into the evening.

Each flavour is wonderfully balanced with the rich and mellow rooibos base. Naturally caffeine free and low in tannins, this is a heavenly infusion, both purifying and lush.”

Review; Its not often that I review rooibos, or flavoured “teas” for that matter. But Cinnamon Anise Rooibos has been on my “to review” list for too long. I don’t really like rooibos, its…blah. I drink it when I want something warming, without the caffeine (I have a very low caffeine tolerance…which when I get around to reviewing Matcha will provide evidence of). That being said rooibos has some very interesting characteristics to it. This malty honey flavour that is almost a bit like Mead and a fruit juice mixed.

Add cinnamon, anise, and jasmine blossoms and you get a bizarre mixture. I wouldn’t say its possible to detect the jasmine blossoms on their own, which is what really adds to this blend, but provides this floral background to providing the harmony of the other spices. Sweet, and yet still spicy, reminds me of an oriental night with a cool breeze. Its very pleasant and impossible to over brew, which leads to a guilty pleasure of mine. Cooking with tea. I know I’m not the first to do this by a long shot, but cooking with the liquid tea I find quite pleasurable. Rooibos I find goes wonderful with a wholemeal loaf with a couple spoonfuls of honey, or instead of boiling rice in water, boil it in a green tea infused with jasmine blossoms.

And over the summer, I shall be doing over brewed Jasmine teas mixed with gin!

Enjoy!

-Tea Fan

Ceylon Silver Tips Glentilt Estate 2011

Name; Ceylon Silver Tips Glentilt Estate, Low Grown
Type; White, Sri Lanka, Ceylon, Low Grown, Silver Needle, Glentilt Estate, 2011
Price; £ 9.50 for 50 grams from Monsoon Moutains Tea Company.

http://www.teahills.co.uk/Green_and_White_Teas.html

“Slender velvet needles of pale green grey and a hint of rose is how I'd describe the look of this exquisite white tea. This is a lovely mellow tea who's honeyed apricot liquor is delicate, very delicate, and very sophisticated. This is an elegant tea with a smooth silky feel and lovely at any time of the day”

Review; And now for something completely different. There seems to be a growing trend of orthodox estates producing variants from the standard black tea. For better or for worse it is certainly shaking things up. What I do like is it means these variants of the normal mean the teas are truly produced artisanal. Not to become a hipster or anything, but it means you can either get a batch with lots of TLC, or…is complete rubbish. Not too long ago I had the pleasure(?) of trying an Oolong produced in Darjeeling. While it still had much of the muscatel tones, without a full oxidation to release these tastes the tea ended up tasting a bit bland, and slightly off.

White teas are a whole ‘nother pot of tea if you don’t mine me saying. You get a delicious delicateness that means over-brewing is harder, with a concentration of the flavour in the first little leaves. Silver needle personifies this. Silver needle is generally the most expensive white tea to purchase (yes I know this is a major generalization, but at least I’m not calling white teas the rarest of teas like Teavana does). Lets dive into this Silver Needle shall we?

First-off the price. Auch! Luckily Monsoon Moutains does lovely sample packets so I didn’t spend a fortune (50 p a packet, 10 grams in a packet. I wish all tea shops did this). I spoke with the owner and she thought it tasted best brewing for 7-8 minutes (!) and I actually agree. I also brewed mine for around 85 degrees. Perhaps not being from the Fuding Da Bai cultivar means these tea leaves that are normally destined for black need a bit of time to adjust. Regardless, and perhaps only because it’s a white tea, it does not over brew. It also brew quite clear, with not many of the distinctive silver hairs falling off.

This particular sample has wonderful tones of dried hay, and apricots, with maybe lily of the valley in the background. If I was doing a blind tasting of this tea I would think it was a ya bao tea. I have to say the hay is a little dominant on the tastes for my preference. The aroma isn’t as strong on it as I’ve smelled from other Silver Needles, so problem with either 1.) The estate 2.) The Merchant or 3.) Me. As this is my first review of Monsoon Mountains I guess I shall reserve judgement, and as the estate is probably just started producing this sort of cuppa…

This tea is perfect for the summer weather that is starting to happen, cherry tree blossoms, and bright red lobster people mean that winter has gone! (touch wood).

Enjoy!

-Tea Fan

Pre-Rain Organic Anji Bai Cha

Name; Pre-Rain Organic Anji Bai cha
Type; Green, China, Zhejiang Province, Fengwukou Village Garden, Picked between 5^th April and 10^th April 201. Which means the 2012's should be harvesting soon

Price; £ 21.00 for 50 grams from Jing.

http://jingtea.com/tea/type/green/pre-rain-organic-anji-bai-cha

Review; There is nothing like a fresh green, green tea in the morning. That chlorophyll aroma in your pot, before the hectic chaos of the day begins. Pristine. The tea I’m tasting this week from Jing Tea, is the second attempt from them. Last year I tried two teas (a Goomtee Darjeeling and Keemun I believe), and I was left severely disappointed. Perhaps Jing shall fare better this time, as they to claim to be one of the UK’s top tea distributors.

The brew is a slow infusing one, with beautiful pinnate leaves that hang vertically. Aromas of wilted bok choi and spinach. A clear infusion almost, gives off an iridescent appearance. I’m brewing this in a tea pot, but I think a guywan would serve it more justice. This is a gorgeous tea. Delicate, but surprising strong despite the plain nature of the liquid. Tell-tale roasted chestnut with a strong vegetal notes as well. A delightful light and soft crispness awakens the tongue. Mid to no astringency. If this tea wasn’t over charged by Jing it could easily become a regular of mine. Tastes a bit like a Xin Jiang Mao Jian, in the sense that it has a delicious savory nature to it.

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This tea really is over priced, but usually the Pre-Rains are. And one can taste the difference, in reality though the tea just shouldn’t cost that much. Guess this is what market economies are there for though.

Enjoy!

-Tea Fan

Bouteaque Blue Mist Reviewed Again

Name; Bouteaque Blue Mist
Type; Black, India, Nilgiri, Coonoor Estate

Price; £ 5.55 for 50 grams from Eteaket.

http://www.eteaket.co.uk/teaboutique/info_A09.html

Review; OMG. I hate to start a review like that, and I thought I wouldn’t ever review the same tea twice but seriously, wow. Here’s the link to my first review (http://criteacism.blogspot.co.uk/2011/05/bouteaque-blue-mist.html).

So in my first review of Eteaket’s pride and joy I tried it in their shop, and I pose a question of who is to blame; the tea or the tea shop? The answer clearly lies with the staff to the tea shop. I recently acquired some of this tea and in the past week I’ve had 5 pots of it. It is very nice, and I can see how it has won many tasting awards.

As per my problem when I first tried it in Eteaket, do not let it over brew, if you do you lose all of the flavour and it becomes fit only for milk and sugar. Catch it before, probably around 3 minutes, maybe 2 minutes and 30 seconds, and you get a wonderful bouquet of flowers. Roses, and gardenias, and maybe just a hint of caramel. Brew it til it’s the colour of light amber. I even like to let it cool a little bit as then I can let the liquid sit on my tongue and absorb the flavour. This tea rivals even some nice Nepalese teas I’ve had.

When I first opened the packet I was a bit disappointed in the leaves, long and slender, much like an orange pekoe grade, lacking any luster. They unfurl beautifully though in the tea pot and one can see how the flavour is preserved so well. The price might be a little steep (ha, steep!) but c’est le vie, enjoy tea and splurge. Well worth its money than the crappy Darjeeling last week.

This is probably the nicest Nilgiri tea I’ve had, so hats off to you Erika, though don’t let your staff ruin this delicious tea.

Enjoy!

-Tea Fan

P.S. Thank you readers! March 2012 was the most reads my blog has had, stay tuned for a super critical evaluation on Mariage Freres