From Mauna Kea Tea comes this 2010 first flush oolong tea, a Hawaiian-grown, organic tea. This oolong reminds me of a cross between a bai hao oolong and a traditional green-style ti kuan yin, like Chicago Tea Garden’s tie guan yin (review here). It has a markedly faint dry aroma which blossoms with plum-like notes upon infusion.

The leaves yield a golden infusion that combines flavours of sweet potato and honey with a lemony finish. The aftertaste is mildly astringent, with a sharpness similar to what you find after chewing some fresh lettuce leaves.

At $20 per 10 grams, this is a very expensive tea. But it’s rare, too. Tea enthusiasts who are interested in sampling Hawaii’s finest should give this a try.

Click here to go to Mauna Kea Tea.

If you’re interested in Hawaiian tea, also check out my reviews of Mauna Kea’s 2010 first flush green tea and Narien Teas’ Kilinoe.

Disclaimer: I received this tea as a free sample from Mauna Kea Tea.

© Eric for Tea Finely Brewed, 2010. | 2010 First Flush Hawaiian Oolong Tea from Mauna Kea Tea | No comment |
Post categories: Oolong tea, Tea reviews
Post tags: First flush 2010, Hawaii tea, Hawaiian tea, Mauna Kea Tea

From Xinzhu County in Taiwan comes this bai hao oolong, sent to me by Gingko from Life in Teacup.

What a tea. It isn’t as aromatic as some Taiwanese oolongs, but the real treat is in the mouth. One sip and I was amazed at how the tea’s honeyed sweetness coated the mouth. I’ve had bai hao oolongs before (reviewed one here), but this one is, without a doubt, the best I’ve ever had.

Dry, the tea presents a lovely bouquet of white tips intermingled with leaves of various shades of brown. The leaves unfurl slowly in the water, and it takes three infusions before they really start opening up. I wasn’t able to have any more infusions this morning - duty calls – but I’m sure this tea will provide at least another four or five infusions. If Bec doesn’t go through it today, I’ll be sure to continue enjoying this tonight.

While drinking the second infusion, Bec drew a comparison to Earl Grey. And indeed, there is something Earl-ish about this oolong. It must be the fruity flavour (which grows stronger with longer infusions).

As I said, this isn’t a particularly aromatic tea, though it does have a sweet, almost tropical aroma. That sweetness is what stands out on the palette as well. There is a hint of peachy tartiness giving the tea a lively character, but it always finishes with a long, smooth sweetness.

Bai Hao Oolong Superior Grade is available from Life in Teacup for $7.20 for a 1-ounce packet.

Browse more bai hao oolong teas in the Tea Marketplace.

© Eric for Tea Finely Brewed, 2010. | Bai Hao Oolong (Oriental Beauty) Superior Grade from Life in Teacup | No comment |
Post categories: Oolong tea, Tea reviews
Post tags: Bai Hao Oolong, Life in Teacup, Oriental Beauty, Taiwanese oolong, Taiwanese teas

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.

Before we get started, one very important note: Experiment! Take my advice as a starting point, not the ultimate authority.

1. The vessel

There is an extensive array of vessels you can use to brew oolong tea (or any tea, for that matter). Personally, I prefer using a yixing teapot or a gaiwan.

A gaiwan is a simple three piece brewing device, most often made of porcelain or glass. You can pick them up online for about $10 – $15, or try your local Asian grocery store to see if you can find one there.

Yixing teaware is renowned for its superior quality. It’s porous, which means that it absorbs the flavours and aromas of the tea; for this reason, it’s a good idea to devote a yixing teapot to a specific type of tea.

If you have another type of teapot, you can still make a great cup of oolong tea. The trick is to give the leaves plenty of room to expand; if your teapot has an infuser basket, make sure it is wide and tall enough. If it doesn’t come with its own infuser, you can just place the leaves in the bottom of the pot, but be sure to drain the pot completely after steeping the leaves ? if you leave the leaves sitting in water, they will continue to steep, so you won’t get as many steepings out of them.

Gaiwan

2. Heat before use

I highly recommend heating the gaiwan, yixing or other teapot before using it. Not only will the heated vessel keep the tea hot for longer, it will also stabilize the temperature of the teapot before you start steeping, so the water won’t cool down as rapidly after adding it to the vessel.

Also, if you heat the vessel and then place the dry leaves in it, you can take in the aromas of the tea before steeping. Trust me: You’ll be amazed at how much more you can smell when the tea sits in a heated vessel.

All I do is pour a little boiling water into the vessel, give it twenty seconds, and then empty it.

3. Water temperature

Most people will tell you to use near boiling or boiling water for oolong tea. Personally, I prefer to use slightly cooler water for teas that are less oxidized and higher temperatures for more heavily oxidized oolongs. After all, the less an oolong has been oxidized, the closer it is to a green tea ? hence, it makes sense to me to use cooler water temperatures, as you would for green tea.

4. Leaf quantity

When I’m using a gaiwan or a yixing (which are smaller than your average teapot), I cover the bottom with leaves. I know, I know. That’s terribly imprecise, but it yields good results.

If you’re working with a larger teapot, the cover-the-bottom strategy might not work. In this case, what I would recommend is to start off with 2.5 teaspoons of tea leaves for every 250ml of water.

You can also use less leaves and allow for a longer steeping time, though you won’t be able to get as many steepings out of your tea in the long run. Depending on your purposes, that might be ok.

5. Timing

The length of your steepings is directly related to the amount of leaf you’re using. If you’re using the cover-the-bottom strategy, or using 2.5 teaspons of leaf for 250ml of water, you need to use shorter steeping times that you might be used to. You could try this rough guide:

• 1st steeping: 0:30
• 2nd steeping: 0:30 – 1:00
• 3rd steeping: 1:30 – 2:00
• 4th steeping: 3:00
• Add a minute for each subsequent steeping.

Let your taste buds guide you. If your 2nd steeping at half a minute was a little watery, allow for a longer 3rd steeping (perhaps two minutes).

If you need or want to use less tea leaves, increase the amount of time you allow for steeping the tea. For example, if you’re using the traditional one teaspoon per person approach, I would suggest having 90 seconds to 2 minutes for your first infusion, adding a minute or more to subsequent infusions.

Above all, experiment. Making tea isn’t a one-size-fits all sort of thing: you might prefer stronger or weaker tea than I do, or the oolong tea you’re brewing might need a longer or shorter steeping time than I’ve suggested above. Experimentation is key.

© Eric for Tea Finely Brewed, 2010. | How to Make Oolong Tea: 5 Ways to Brew a Better Cup of Oolong | 3 comments |
Post categories: Oolong tea
Post tags: gaiwan, how to make oolong tea, how to make tea, Yixing Teapot

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.

This is a competition-grade ti kuan yin from Anxi County in China. It’s lightly oxidized, presenting beautifully with lush green leaves tightly rolled and intermingled with darker shades.

It’s nose is quite sweet and floral, though it isn’t as heavily aromatic as the Serenity Teahouse ti kuan yin, which is the ti kuan yin I find it most comparable to. Like the Taiwanese oolong, it has a nutty flavour, though this is hardly as pronounced as in the former tea.

What amazes me is that, despite the sweetness of its dry aroma, the tea’s flavour is almost completely savoury, with barely a hint of the sweetness that my nose detected. It reminds me quite a bit of rhubarb; there is a tarty character to its flavour. This became much more prominent in the second infusion, both in the mouth and in the nose.

One things that struck me about this tea is just how energizing and refreshing I found it. None of the other three ti kuan yins really left me with that feeling (which isn’t necessarily a bad thing). There is something implacable about this tea that makes me feel ready for the day.

Competition Grade Ti Kuan Yin is available from Chicago Tea Garden for $17.99 for 50 grams.

© Eric for Tea Finely Brewed, 2010. | Competition Grade Ti Kuan Yin from Chicago Tea Garden | One comment |
Post categories: Oolong tea, Tea reviews
Post tags: Chicago Tea Garden, ti kuan yin

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.

How true.

Unfortunately, it’s a sentiment that doesn’t favour Orange Tea Co.’s ti kuan yin, which comes out of a steeping looking rather worse for the wear. The dry leaves are attractive enough, with a nice consistency of darker green rolled leaves; but after steeping this once, I can see that many of the leaves are broken. There are a few full sized leaves, but there are also quite a few broken bits. Granted, I was at the bottom of a sample, so you are always going to end up with some smaller leaf particles; but there was too much of it here for my liking.

Appearance aside, this is still a pleasant tea. It reminds me a little of those plums that straddle the line between sweet and sour. I picked up a hint of pepper, both in the nose and the mouth, which struck me as interesting ? neither of the previous ti kuan yins I have reviewed had that. The tea wasn’t as fragrant as either the Serenity Teahouse ti kuan yin or the Tea Trekker ti kuan yin; but I suspect that both of those teas were much more fragrant than your average ti kuan yin.

Iron Goddess is available from Orange Tea Co.

© Eric for Tea Finely Brewed, 2010. | Ti Kuan Yin from Orange Tea Co. | No comment |
Post categories: Oolong tea, Tea reviews
Post tags: Orange Tea Co, ti kuan yin

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.

This is one of several ti kuan yins sold by Tea Trekker, one that they describe as being less oxidized and more fragrant than traditional ti kuan yins. Yet this is more oxidized than yesterday’s ti kuan yin. Clearly, there is quite a liberal range of possible oxidation levels for ti kuan yin teas.

Like other darker oolongs, this ti kuan yin has a nose dominated by the deep aroma of stonefruits. Think plum or peach. It reminds me a little of the jam in hot jam donuts: rich, fruity sweetness. A note of cabbage-like vegetables is fairly subdued; on the whole, this tea comes across as more fruity than vegetal.

The second infusion reveals a tangy, acidic flavour, especially as the tea cools. But already by the third, this is becoming less dominant as the tea seems to smooth out. So far, I have had four great infusions, and I’m guessing I’ll get at least another two or three.

Clear and Fragrant Style Ti Kuan Yin is available from Tea Trekker.

Like my artsy fartsy photo?

© Eric for Tea Finely Brewed, 2010. | Clear and Fragrant Style Ti Kuan Yin from Tea Trekker | One comment |
Post categories: Oolong tea, Tea reviews
Post tags: Tea Trekker, ti kuan yin

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.

This is quite a green ti kuan yin, suggesting a shorter than normal oxidation process. It steeps into a light-coloured brew of green and gold, still bearing a remarkable sweet aroma, which now has fruitier notes (strawberries and sweet green grapes came to mind). The flavour profile isn’t nearly as sweet. Instead, it has a nutty sharpness (it’s quite drying on the tongue), with a hint of something vegetal, like a juicy steamed zucchini.

With the second and third infusions, I find that the sweetness of the aroma recedes, as the nutty character develops. I also notice a slight tartiness reminding me of rhubarb.

In the end, I find that this tea gives about five good infusions before it starts thinning out. I’ll be very interested to see how that compares with the other ti kuan yins I’m tasting this week. Stay posted for tomorrow’s edition!

Oh and by the way… Serenity Teahouse has a website here, but I’m not sure whether they ship beyond Australia. If you live around Melbourne though, I definitely recommend stopping in at their shop in Box Hill or on Russel Street in the CBD.

© Eric for Tea Finely Brewed, 2010. | Ti Kuan Yin from Serenity Teahouse | No comment |
Post categories: Oolong tea, Tea reviews
Post tags: Serenity Teahouse, ti kuan yin

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.

At a glance, here’s what I’ll be reviewing:

• A Taiwanese ti kuan yin from Serenity Teahouse
• Tea Trekker’s clear and fragrant-style ti kuan yin from Fujian Province, China
• Orange Tea Co.’s ti kuan yin, pictured above
• Chicago Tea Room’s Competition Grade ti kuan yin

If you hate ti kuan yin, check back next week:)

© Eric for Tea Finely Brewed, 2010. | A Week of Ti Kuan Yin | 5 comments |
Post categories: Oolong tea
Post tags: Chicago Tea Garden, Orange Tea Co, Serenity Teahouse, Tea Trekker, ti kuan yin

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.

Formosa oolongs are a darker oolong, (meaning it has been oxidized more). They tend to be full-bodied, with some of the verve of black teas but without the mouth-puckering sharpness.

Benny also enjoyed his formosa oolong! Don’t worry, the cup and the tea were both cool:)

Serenity Teahouse’s formosa oolong has a weak nose. Surprising, considering how aromatic their other teas are. But where their greener oolongs have the most delightful aroma but a light flavour, the formosa oolong is less aromatic but has a stronger flavour.

The formosa oolong tastes of stonefruit and asparagus. In a way, it reminds me of the Ceylon black tea I reviewed last week. Similar flavours, similar character ? it just has less bite.

I’m not sure whether Serenity Teahouse ships internationally, but their website is here.

© Eric for Tea Finely Brewed, 2010. | Formosa Oolong from Serenity Teahouse | One comment |
Post categories: Oolong tea, Tea reviews
Post tags: Formosa oolong, Taiwanese oolong, Taiwanese teas

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 four online tea stores that sell fair trade tea.

1. The Tea Spot

The Tea Spot have four fair trade organic teas:

• Organic Blue Mountain Nilgiri ? Single-estate black tea from India’s Nilgiri tea region.
• Organic Green Twisted Spears ? Hand-twisted spears from Sri Lanka.
• Organic Monkey-Picked White ? A buttery white tea from Fujian Province, China.
• Organic New Moon Darjeeling ? Autumnal Darjeeling tea. It’s single-estate, but they don’t specify which estate.

You can also get The Tea Spot’s Black Label Organic Teas set, which includes all four of the teas above and ends up saving you about 20%.

2. Numi Organic Tea

Numi Organic Tea have quite an extensive range of fair trade teas, most of which are organic as well:

• White Rose – Velvet Garden ? A white tea combined with rose petals. Also available as tea bags.
• White Nectar – Osmanthus Spring ? Organic white tea with Osmanthus flower. Also available as tea bags.
• White Orange Spice – Moonlight Spice ? White tea mixed with orange, berries, lime and spices. Also available as tea bags.
• Ginger Sun – Lemon Decaf Green ? Himalayan grown green tea combined with lemongrass and ginger. Also available as tea bags
• Jasmine Green Tea – Monkey King ? Jasmine tea from Jiangxi Province in China. Also available as tea bags
• Mate Lemon Green Tea – Rainforest Green ? Yerba Maté blended with lemon myrtle and chun mee green tea. Also available as tea bags
• Decaf Black Vanilla – Indian Night ? Organic black tea blended with vanilla. Also available as tea bags
• Breakfast Blend – Morning Rise ? A breakfast tea blended from Ceylon, Assam, Keemun and Darjeeling teas. Also available as tea bags
• Aged Earl Grey – Bergamot Black ? Full-leaf Assam tea blended with natural Italian Bergamot, not oils or flavorings. Also available as tea bags
• Berry Black – Raspberry Darjeeling Black Tea ? North American forest fruits blended with Darjeeling tea. Also available as tea bags
• Golden Chai – Spiced Assam Black Tea ? Numi’s chai tea. Also available as tea bags
• Lapsang Souchong – Smoky Tarry ? From the Wuyi Mountains in China comes Numi’s Lapsang Souchong.
• Chamomile Lemon – Sweet Meadows ? Egyptian chamomile tea blended with Australian lemon myrtle.
• Ruby Chai – Spiced Rooibos is a rooibos chai blend. Also available as ]tea bags.

Also check out Numi’s Velvet Tea Caddy, which has four of their fair trade teas and could make a great gift idea. (Click here for more tea gifts).

3. Art of Tea

Art of Tea have a small selection of fair trade teas, all three of which can be bought together in their Fair Trade Tea Gift Set, which includes:

• Biodynamic Darjeeling ? Black tea from the Makaibari Estate.
• Egyptian Chamomile ? Chamomile tea from Egypt.
• Gunpowder ? Gunpowder green tea from Zhejiang Province, in northern China.

4. Rishi Tea

Rishi Tea have made a name for themselves with quite a huge range of fair trade teas. You can see all their fair trade teas listed here. Also be sure to check out their store on Amazon , which has some great discounts.

© Eric for Tea Finely Brewed, 2009. | 4 Places to Buy Fair-Trade Tea Online | 5 comments |
Post categories: Black tea, Fair Trade tea, Green tea, Oolong tea, Organic tea, Pu-erh tea, Tisanes, White tea
Post tags: Art of Tea, buying tea online, Numi Organic Tea, Rishi Tea, The Tea Spot