Tea Review: Dong Ding Red Oolong (Floating Leaves Tea)

Dong Ding Red Oolong
Floating Leaves Tea
Type: Oolong
Origin: Taiwan
Product Description: Not provided.

Temperature: 195°F
Amount: 3 grams
Steeping Time: 3 minutes

The dry leaves have an aroma of whole grain bread.  

The golden infusion has a toasty aroma with brown bread notes and a hint of minerals.  The taste is toasty and sweet with notes of brown bread, nut shell, and whole grains.

This was a very tasty oolong with the liquor color deepening as the leaves unfurl.  The flavor was reminiscent of a breakfast cereal from my childhood. For the purposes of this tea review, I prepared the tea with a cupping set.  However, I found the best results when preparing this gongfu-style using more leaf in a smaller brewing vessel with a higher water temperature and shorter steeping time. Color deepens as the leaves unfurl.

This review was written in 2021.

This tea was purchased by me.

Tea Review: 1966 Beipu (Floating Leaves Tea)

1966 Beipu

Floating Leaves Tea
Type: Oolong
Origin: Taiwan, Beipu

Product Description: Not provided.

Temperature: 208° F
Amount: 3 grams
Steeping Time: 3 minutes

The dry leaves have and aroma of cocoa with a hint of fire-seared wood.

The infusion is dark red with roasty and sweet aroma notes of cocoa and something that reminded me of ground coffee beans.  The taste is bold and roasty with notes of cocoa and fleeting bitterness with a long, lightly roasty and cocoa finish.

This oolong was delicious with cocoa notes in both aroma and flavor.  The best flavor is in the first infusion with significant mellowing by the second infusion.

This review was written in 2021.

This tea was purchased by me.

Tea Review: 2011 Huang Pian Puerh (Floating Leaves Tea)

2011 Huang Pian Puerh
Floating Leaves Tea
Type: Puerh
Origin: China, Fujian Province
Product Description:

The broth is soft and smooth, with chocolate and dried fruit notes. Classic date fragrance. Body is not as rich and syrupy as our Da Xue Shan 2006, for example, because the material doesn't contain young leaves and buds. But the flavor is clean and the energy is grounding.

Temperature: 208°
Amount: 3 grams
Steeping Time: 3 minutes

The dry leaves have and aroma of salt-cured food, tree bark and moss.

The dark red infusion has an aroma of moss, freshly turned soil, and wood.  The taste is thick, rich, and smooth with notes of wood, moss, and earth.

This puerh was delicious, notably smooth, and flavorful throughout multiple infusions, leaving a warming sensation at the finish.  The liquor darkened by the second infusion and brightened by the third.  On a more personal note, I was reminded of collecting moss for a neighbor's floral business when I was a child.

This tea review was written in 2021.

This tea was purchased by me.

Tea Review: GABA Oolong (Floating Leaves Tea)

GABA Oolong

Floating Leaves Tea
Type: Oolong
Origin: Taiwan, Hsinchu County, Jianshi Township
Product Description:

Rich red-amber broth is flavorful and sweet, with notes of caramel and sweet potato. Aromatic notes of spices and dried fruit fill out the top end. Mouthfeel is round, soft and full. Masterfully processed so that the characteristic GABA taste is not at all protruding or obvious, and the smoothness of the tea leads as the defining characteristic.

Temperature: 195° F
Amount: 3 grams
Steeping Time: 3 minutes

The dry leaf aroma had rich notes of heavy cream or butter.

The golden infusion has a deeply rich and buttery aroma with notes of whole grains.  The taste is rich, thick, smooth, and buttery with a long flavorful finish with notes of sweet grains.

This oolong gave me the urge to bake and eat buttered popcorn, possibly both at the same time. The color of the liquor is indicative of the flavor.

This tea was purchased by me.

Tea Review: Shourai Hachijyuhachiya Hand-picked Sayama Ichou Sencha (Charaku)

Shorai Hachijyuhachiya (88th Night) Hand-picked Sayama Ichou Sencha - 2023 Shincha
Charaku
Type: Green
Origin: Japan, Saitama Prefecture, Hidaka
Product Description:

Shorai (literally, the "Sound of the Pines") is a most special tea from Bizenyacha in Saitama Prefecture that we are proud to offer a limited quantity this year. The leaves of three varietals are picked from their nogien (naturally-grown tea garden), slightly withered, and hoiro-roasted (a special form of hand-roasting) to bring out the best of the teas' aroma and create a harmony among the three distinct varietals.

This tea has the distinction of being served to Their Majesties The Emperor and Empress during the dessert course at a visit to Koryo Shrine in 2017. It continues to be a most special tea year after year.

We are pleased to bring back Sayama-cha, teas from Southwest Saitama Prefecture, after a long absence. This particular tea is special as an Ichou (Withered) Sencha created by Shimizu-san of Bizenyacha in Hidaka, Saitama.

The techniques of allowing a short withering period and then mild roasting creates a tea that is still Japanese green tea, but starting to lean towards an Oolong. Some call these teas Japanese Green Oolong.

The annual tea harvest in Japan begins 88 days after Risshun, the start of spring on the traditional Japanese calendar. Drinking tea picked on this day has always been considered auspicious and believed to bring good health throughout the year. Often reserved for family and friends, this tea has naturally limited availability. Charaku Fine Japanese Tea is pleased to offer Hachijyuhachiya Sencha this year! This Ichou (withered) Sencha fromthe Sayama tea-growing region is a most special tea. We hope it brings you health and good fortune this year!

Temperature: 160-194° F
Amount: 3 grams
Steeping Time: 5-50 seconds

The dry leaf aroma has nutty, marine, and grassy green notes.

The light yellow-green liquor has a rich, buttery, nutty aroma with edamame notes.  The taste is sweet green and savory with notes of cooked edamame, nuts, with a long refreshing green finish. 

For this review, I followed the brewing recommendations on the packaging, brewing for 50 seconds at 160° F for the first infusion, 5 seconds at 176 ° F for the second, and 50 seconds at 194° F for the third.  The first infusion had almost delicate fresh green notes evoking Springtime.  The second infusion was sweeter with more up-front green notes and a refreshing clean finish with sweetness moving to the front by the third infusion. The results were refreshing throughout!  

This tea was purchased by me.

Tea Review: Golden Monkey (Mad Hat Tea Company)

Golden Monkey

Mad Hat Tea Company
Type: Black
Origin: China, Yunnan
Product Description: 

I am quite certain that you can find a Yunnan Golden Needle that will set you back 3 or 4 times as much, but why? This tea is the epitome of the middle path, plenty of body for structure from the more oxidized leaf combined with plenty of Golden tippy material. Drinks more like an Oolong really than a Black Tea.

Temperature: 208° F
Amount: 3 grams
Steeping Time: 3 minutes

The dry leaves have an aroma of fruit (reminiscent of grapes), oats, ground wheat, and nuts.

The copper-red infusion has an aroma of baked fruit, bran muffins, oats, and nuts.  The taste has notes of baked fruit and brown sugar with a hint of astringency and a long, sweet, baked fruit finish.

This tea is delicious in both taste and aroma (dry leaf and infused) with the best flavor in the first two infusions.  On a personal note, I haven't thought about bran muffins in years and this left me with a sudden craving to try one again.

This tea was purchased by me.

Tea Review: Needle Oolong (Yunomi/Obubu)

Needle Oolong

Obubu/Yunomi
Type: Oolong
Origin: Japan, Kyoto Prefecture, Wazuka
Product Description:

Medium-bodied with a rounded texture, Obubu's Oolong Needle has a fragrant aroma with a complex, rich taste, slight bitterness, and a deeper flavour. It was left unroasted, allowing you to taste fresh acidity in every cup.

The production of Oolong Needle tea, involves light steaming, rolling, and drying. Unlike traditional Oolong tea though, it is rolled into a needle-shape in the same manner as Japanese Sencha.

Temperature: 176° F
Amount: 3 grams
Steeping Time: 1 minute

The dry leaves have an aroma of hay and nuts.

The aroma of the golden liquor is buttery with floral, fruit, and nutty notes.  The taste is mildly astringent with notes of green vine, nuts, and a floral hint with a long lightly fruity finish.

The packaging recommended using 194° F water and brewing for 4 minutes and I found even 2 minutes at that temperature too astringent for my own preferences, though I did enjoy the fruity notes in the long finish.  Rather, I found that steeping for only 1 minute with 176° F water was rather pleasant with only mild astringency throughout three infusions.

This tea was a gift from a third party.

Tea Review: Organic Yakushima Hojicha Roasted Green Tea (Yunomi/Hachimanjyu)

Organic Yakushima Hojicha Roasted Green Tea/有機焙じ茶
Hachimanjyu/Yunomi
Type: Green
Origin: Japan, Kagoshima Prefecture, Yakushima
Product Description:

JAS certified organic tea farm and factory Hachimanjyu roasts their green tea to create a toasty hojicha.

Temperature: 194° F
Amount: 3 grams
Steeping Time: 1 minute

The dry leaf has a deep aroma of roasted chestnuts.

The amber-orange liquor has an aroma of roasted nuts and caramelized sugar while the taste has notes of roasted nuts and nut shells with a long toasty finish.  

Roasted chestnuts are one of my favorite cold-weather treats and I knew I was going to have a good tea tasting experience when the aroma of the freshly opened tea package hit me.  The best flavor was in the first two infusions with the third being notably lighter, though still enjoyable.  The directions on the package recommend 1 minute steeps which worked out well as this hojicha has a fair amount of leaf in it and could get astringent with longer steeps.  

This tea was purchased by me.

Tea Review: Limited Edition Handpicked Mountain-Grown Kabusecha (Yunomi/Murakami Tea Garden)

Limited Edition Handpicked Mountain-Grown Kabusecha/かぶせ茶
Murakami Tea Garden/Yunomi
Type: Green
Origin: Japan, Shizuoka Prefecture, Yoshiwara
Product Description:

According to Hiroki Murakami, who will become the farm's 4th generation master, the family doesn't know exactly when they started farming tea, though his great-grandfather was the one who built their first processing factory in the late 19th century.

Based in the Yoshiwara district, a mountainous region famous for its sea of clouds within the municipality of Shizuoka City, the family produces about 2 tons of tea altogether per year (first and second flushes).

Their leaves are mostly processed as a near-fukamushi (deep steamed), a steaming technique that creates a tea that has fukashimicha's deep, opaque green color and sweetness, but while also retaining much of the leaf's shape.

Temperature: 160° F
Amount: 3 grams
Steeping Time: 1 minute

The dry leaf aroma is nutty and green with notes that remind me of brown bread.

The pale green liquor has an aroma of fresh green vegetables, edamame, and nuts.  The taste is savory with notes of nuts, sesame, edamame, and steamed green vegetables with no astringency and a refreshing lightly nutty finish.  

The flavor deepened after each infusion, becoming more savory by the third.  Often, the fullest flavor is in the first two infusions, so this was a pleasant surprise and that third steep was easily my favorite.  I was also intrigued by the more vegetal green notes as opposed to the marine, nori, or grassy green notes I usually encounter.  

This tea was purchased by me.

Tea Review: 2022 Gingerbread Man (White2Tea)

2022 Gingerbread Man
White2Tea
Type: Puerh
Origin: China
Product Description:

Our 2022 Gingerbread Man is a shou Puer blend that's easy on the wallet and packed full of sticky sweet molasses flavor and aroma. A great introductory shou Puer tea for anybody in a need of a hefty morning cup who has a penchant for sweet baked goods.

Temperature: 208° F
Amount: 3 grams
Steeping Time: 3 minutes

The dry leaf aroma has notes of dried mushrooms, smoke, and salt-cured food.  

The dark reddish-brown liquor is opaque with a savory aroma of moss, dried mushrooms, and wood pulp.  The taste is smooth, rich, and almost sweet with notes of earth and wood and a finish that is earthy with just a hint of spice cookies.

This was one of the smoothest shou puerh I've had the opportunity to taste and the dry leaf aroma left me with a distinct craving for smoke-cured food.

This tea was a gift from a third party.