As last week’s focus on Ti Kuan Yin made clear, I’m focusing quite heavily on oolong tea this year. Along the way, I’ve improved my brewing technique through trial and error, so I thought I would share some of the lessons I’ve learned.
This review, the final one in my series of ti kuan yin reviews, comes at an opportune time: Chicago Tea Garden, the suppliers of this final ti kuan yin, officially launched yesterday. Congratulations to Tony and his partner Erin — all the best of luck to you both!
Now, the tea.
A line from Little Yellow Teapot’s review of Chicago Tea Garden’s Golden Bi Luo has stuck with me this week:
The sign of a great tea is when the leaves look great before and after steeping.
It is remarkable just how markedly different two teas of the same style can be. Yesterday’s ti kuan yin, a Taiwanese one, had a sharp nutty character and a wonderful dry aroma. Today, we’re drinking a ti kuan yin produced in Fujian Province, China, and there’s not a hint of nuttiness. But it still smells lovely, as its name suggests: Clear and Fragrant Style Ti Kuan Yin from Tea Trekker.
The first in my series of ti kuan yin teas is the only one from Taiwan.
Highly aromatic teas seem to be the hallmark of Taiwanese tea producers. This ti kuan yin might not be as aromatic as some of the other Taiwanese oolongs I’ve tried, but it still bears a lovely nose of sweet, almond-like nuttiness. One of the best things you can do with a tea like this is to warm the gaiwan or whatever teapot you’re using first, place the tea leaves in there, and then just suck in the aroma. You’ll be amazed at how much you can smell.
It’s going to be a week of ti kuan yin here on Tea Finely Brewed. Over the past few months I’ve accumulated a nice little collection of ti kuan yin teas from different merchants, so I thought it would be interesting to review them all in the same week.
Serenity Teahouse is a small tea shop in Box Hill, a suburb of Melbourne. A tiny sign dangles above the sidewalk. Downstairs, there’s an Asian bakery that sells the tea; but the real fun begins upstairs, where Candy, the owner, will treat you to free tea tastings. Her family runs a tea farm (or several?) in Taiwan, so her specialty is in Taiwanese teas.
Among those is this formosa oolong, which I liked so much I decided to dedicate my first yixing tea set to it.
Fair trade is a tricky thing. I’ve written before about why I believe fair trade is important, but there’s a flipside: too often, fair trade tea is of lower quality to similarly-priced, non-fair trade tea. Which leaves a tea lover to decide between sacrificing quality or sacrificing an ethical stance.
Over the past year I have bought primarily non-fair trade tea, for one big reason: there are very few fair trade tea options around here in Melbourne, and the ones that I can find tend to be in teabag form. But one goal I’ve set for myself over the next few months is to explore some of the fair trade tea options available online. Here are five online tea stores that sell fair trade tea.
“May you always have walls for the winds, a roof for the rain, tea beside the fire, laughter to cheer you, those you love near you and all your heart might desire.”
When Bec and I got married, we had those words printed on a card and placed on a table by the entrance to the winery. I still love them. There is something so homely and comforting about them — truly a wonderful benediction.
I am reminded of those words today, as it rains outside (a much needed rain) and I enjoy my morning tea ritual inside. Bec and Benny are asleep and I am trying a new tea: a shui xian (also known as dancong) oolong from Teas Etc.
There are a few exciting things going on in the world of tea at the moment. Fellow tea bloggers Griffin Kelton (from Tea Time Tuesday) and Tony Gebley (from World of Tea) launched a tea community earlier this week, called The Tea Roundtable. I signed up but haven’t had time to post anything yet, though it’s clear there’s a real buzz around the forums. That may be due to the site’s current competition: the first person to post 25 times in the forums will win themselves a year’s supply of tea from Narien Teas. Nice one!
The other thing that I quickly wanted to mention is that The Tea Spot have slashed 30% off their Vintage Oolong, which is a single-estate, medium-bodied oolong from Taiwan. Here’s how The Tea Spot describe their tea:
With a sweet, nutty flavor, this tea captures the subtlety of what amazing, full–leaf tea should taste like. Hints of ripe apricots and lilacs combine to produce a tender, timeless green oolong; hence the name! This tea yields a bright, amber liquor and should be re–steeped multiple times. Each successive steeping will unveil new flavors & aromas, until the leaves are fully opened. Delicate, refined, and understated – this is the true connoisseur’s tea!
Head over to The Tea Spot now.
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