Tea Review: Ruby 18 (Shen Zen Tea)

Ruby 18
Shen Zen Tea
Type: Black
Origin: Taiwan, Sun Moon Lake
Product Description: Ruby 18 is a rare tea to be found in the US but a classic black tea in Taiwan.  Known for its extra dark leathery taste, Ruby 18 infuses a strong and complex flavor profile with a smooth finish of dark fruits such as raisins and prunes.

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

The dry leaves have an aroma of seasoned wood, pepper, and honey.

The infusion is red amber with an aroma of cloves, prunes, and honey .  The taste is dark and rich with notes of cloves, prunes, and a hint of leather.

There's an unexpected spiciness to this tea that I associate with cloves and the leathery notes are mild and intriguing.  A second and third infusion produced flavorful results while developing a dryer finish.

This tea was purchased by me.

Tea Review: Pumpkin Spice Chai (Shen Zen Tea)

Pumpkin Spice Chai
Shen Zen Tea
Type:  Flavored Black
Origin:  Not provided.
Product Description:  Shen Zen Tea’s Pumpkin Spice Chai is a holiday classic reborn! Freshly ground spices are blended with exceptional oolong and black teas in this all organic holiday blend. Add sugar and cream for the complete Pumpkin Chai experience!

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

The dry leaf blend contains cinnamon, cardamom, oolong tea, vanilla beans, ginger, black tea, nutmeg, allspice, clovers, and marigold.

The orange amber infusion has an aroma of pumpkin spice, cinnamon, vanilla, and nutmeg.  The taste is pumpkin spice, almost sweet, with low astringency.

The dry leaf blend smelled so strongly of cardamom, I was afraid the other spices wouldn't come through.  Fortunately, the infused tea smelled and tasted just like pumpkin spice and autumn.  The recommended 6 minute steep produced even more flavorful results with moderate astringency, great on its own and very nice with the suggested addition of milk and sugar.

This tea was purchased by me.

Tea Review: High Mountain Ali Shan Oolong (Shen Zen Tea)

High Mountain Ali Shan Oolong
Shen Zen Tea
Type:  Oolong
Origin:  Taiwan
Product Description:  High mountain oolongs are truly a tea connoisseur's treasure.  High elevation environments produce leaves that are thicker and more succulent.  This green oolong yields a golden infusion that has a smooth body and unique sweet, coconut flavor.  Oolong teas are often thought to boost metabolism.

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

The dry leaf aroma is grassy green, floral, with a hint of nuts.

The pale green-yellow infusion has an aroma of fresh spring greens and sweet cream with a hint of coconut.  The taste is smooth and green, sweet and buttery like sweet cream.  

This oolong remained full-bodied and delicious throughout three infusions with no noticeable loss in aroma or flavor while floral notes became more pronounced after the second infusion.  The fresh green aroma and taste remind me of Spring.  

Shen Zen Tea

Shen Zen Tea's storefront is closed.  Their products are available online, at local farmers markets, and at cooperating retailers and restaurants. 

Shen Zen Tea has been preparing and selling quality teas at farmers markets, festivals, and food and gift shows throughout the Puget Sound for over four years.  In December 2014, they opened their first tea shop in Olympia's Capital Mall.

The interior is clean, bright, and welcoming.  Shelves are lined with signature Shen Zen tins filled with teas and tisanes ranging from popular favorites to rare and small-batch teas.  You'll also find infusers, bath infusions, syrups, and tea sodas.  

Shen Zen staff are friendly and knowledgeable.  They can prepare your tea to go, make recommendations, and provide insight into your favorite teas.  Shen Zen also offers in-home focused tea tastings for those who would like to learn more about tea in a quieter setting.

Owner Jason Chang prepared a delicious cup of Ali Shan for me during my recent visit while we talked tea.  He explained how he incorporates his background in science and art into Shen Zen and his plans for the business as it evolves and expands.  The tea shop is relatively new and you can expect to see some great changes and improvements in the future.

Drop by the tea shop and look for a Shen Zen booth at farmers markets around the Puget Sound! Be sure to visit Shen Zen's Facebook page for updates and news!  

Address:

625 Black Lake Blvd#265, Olympia, WA 98502

Hours:
10:00 am to 9:00 pm Monday-Saturday
11:00 am to 6:00 pm Sunday

Tea Review: Sun Moon Lake Assamu (Shen Zen Tea)

Sun Moon Lake Assamu

Shen Zen Tea
Type:  Black
Origin:  Taiwan, Sun Moon Lake
Product Description:  Assamu is a rare tea to be found in the US.  The assam cultivar is grown in the high mountains of Taiwan in the city of Sun Moon Lake.  The result is an extraordinarily complex black tea with sweet and floral notes of honeysuckle and prunes.

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

The dry leaves have an aroma of chili spices, fragrant seasoned wood, prunes, and wood smoke.

The infusion is orange-amber with an aroma of warm tangy plum sauce, wood smoke, and roasted chestnuts.  The taste is smooth and rich with notes of plum and a hint of smoke.  The long finish reminds me of creme brulee and flowers.

Steeping this tea at 195° F (208° F is ideal for black teas) was a happy accident and the results were deliciously smooth, rich, and complex throughout three infusions.  It reminds me of both a rich dessert and a thick, flavorful broth.  A fresh cup steeped at 208° F for 5 minutes resulted in a pleasantly rich flavor with slightly less complexity and very little astringency.  

This tea was purchased by me.

Tea Review: Amber Dragon (Shen Zen Tea)

Amber Dragon (Bai Hao Oolong)

Shen Zen Tea
Type:  Oolong
Origin:  China, Guangxi
Product Description:  Young tea buds are gently plucked and oxidized to create this prized, golden black tea rarely ever seen outside of China.  The down on the leaves infuses a rich buttery texture with notes of apricots, sweet tobacco, toasted nuts, and caramel.

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

The dry leaves have an aroma of apricots, caramel, peanuts, and a hint of tobacco.
  The amber orange infusion has an aroma of apricots and caramel.  The taste is lightly smoky with notes of roasted vegetables and caramelized sugar.

The heady aroma of the dry leaves left me with a strong craving for dried apricots.  This is a heavily oxidized oolong, though it has the lightest coloring in the dry leaves of the Bai Hao Oolongs I've seen, and is best at one infusion where the nuances of flavor and aroma are most evident.  The packaging recommended a higher steeping temperature of 200° F, but I was very pleased with the results at 195° F.

Tea Review: Dragonwell (Shen Zen Tea)

Dragonwell
Shen Zen Tea
Type: Green
Origin: China, Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou
Product Description: Our dragonwell green tea is hand roasted in small catches and brews rich flavors with vegetal and earthy notes. A cup of our dragonwell tea carries aromas reminiscent of roasted chestnuts.

Temperature: 175° F
Amount: 3 grams
Steeping Time: 3 minutes

The dry leaves have a toasty, green, nutty aroma with a hint of cocoa.

The infusion is pale yellow-green with an aroma that is green and nutty with a hint of soybean.

The taste is green, nutty, and buttery smooth, like macadamia or chestnuts, with moderate astringency and a long green finish.

There appear to be some buds blended in, judging by the color of the dry leaves and the silver "hair" floating in the infusion.  While this adds to the velvety mouth feel, it doesn't hinder the crisp green astringency.  The packaging recommends doubling the amount of leaves and steeping at 185 for 4 minutes.  I found that a slightly lower temperature and time, and single portion of leaves produced a great cup of tea.  However, the packaging recommendation will likely produce a bold green flavor and aroma, and a deeper golden infusion that many may find quite desirable.

This tea was purchased by me.