Type: Green
Origin: China
Price: Sample (regular price – $16.95 for 3oz.)
Vendor: Teas Etc
Brewing Method: Per Instructed - 1 teaspoon of leaves, 1 cup of filtered water, heated to 170°F-180°F, steeped for 1-3 minutes
Overall Score: 3.9 out of 5
Bi Lo Chun Reserve is a carefully picked and processed green tea. The aroma of the leaves is fresh and sweet. They do not have that normal heavy vegetal and grassy smell like most greens. It’s more like dew or “after a rain” type of aroma.
The leaves are in small, twisted pieces that are tightly rolled. The overall color of the dry leaves is dark green with some light green bits scattered about.
The usually grassy/vegetal flavor comes out as the leaves steep. The liquor is a very light yellow color. A fresh and sweet aroma is still present in the tea.
The taste is delicate, light, and mellow. It is also quite sweet and crisp. This tea reminds me more of a white tea than a green because it is so mellow and light. It is not bitter, but it is a little astringent – my mouth was starting to feel rather dry after my second 2oz cup.
I may try increasing the steeping time for this tea and see how it turns out. The flavor was just so delicate (maybe too delicate?) that I really had to search for the flavor.
Friday, June 5, 2009
Teas Etc’s Bi Lo Chun Reserve Review
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Tea Appreciation Society
Straight off the home page of their website, “The Tea Appreciation Society was originally set up in 2007 by a small group of designers, since then it has grown into a wonderful worldwide collective of tea lovers, many of whom are artists, musicians, photographers and other creative types.”
This is an England based society, but you don’t have to live in England to be a member. All you have to do is click the link “Become an ‘Official’ Member” on their home page or go here and order their membership package. Select your country’s currency on the left hand side and for a reasonable price you can become a member of the Tea Appreciation Society!
All members receive: A welcome letter, personalize certificate with individual membership number, exclusive members only badge, sticker, and a free Miles brand tea bag.
I joined the society back in February and I am member 601 (I was shooting for 600, but oh well). As of this moment, the number of members is up to 728. So, as you can see, this society is most certainly growing rapidly!
The TAS also has tons of tea apparel, teaware, stickers, etc. Ah, it’s better if you just see for yourself!
Go here for the homepage.
Go here for the Manifesto of the Tea Appreciation Society.
And here for the membership pack.
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Canton Tea’s Anxi Rou Gui Review
Type: Oolong
Origin: Da Ping Village, Anxi County, Fujian Province
Price: Sample (regular price – £14.99 for 100g)
Vendor: Canton Tea Company
Brewing Method: Per Instructed - 1 teaspoon of leaves, 1 cup of filtered water, heated to 190°F-200°F, steeped for 2-3 minutes
Overall Score: 4.2 out of 5
The leaves smell grassy with some background floral notes. It smells more like a typical green tea than a typical oolong tea. It also has a slight nutty aroma. The color of the leaves is an overall dark green with some light green specks throughout.
The liquor is a deep yellow color. The tea is starting to smell like a typical oolong now. It smells clean and vegetal with a nutty background.
The taste is a little more bitter than expected. It has a nice crisp flavor. It is fresh and vegetal, but the nuttiness is more in the aroma than the taste – I barely taste it. The after taste is buttery and lingers for a moment. The tea is quiet astringent, also.
The flavor is around medium body for an oolong, I would say. However, I think it is slightly stronger in flavor than some oolongs I have had. For green tea lovers who are looking for a more pungent flavor than what plain greens have to offer, this would be a good tea to try. It’s definitely a greener oolong and has more punch than a regular green.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Canton Tea’s Jasmine Yin Zhen Review
Type: White
Origin: Fuding County, Fujian Province
Price: Sample (regular price – £13.99 for 100g)
Vendor: Canton Tea Company
Brewing Method: Per Instructed - 1 teaspoon of leaves, 1 cup of filtered water, heated to 160°F-170°F, steeped for 1-3 minutes
Overall Score: 4.5 out of 5
Jasmine Yin Zhen is white tea infused with jasmine. I barely opened the package and I could already smell the sweet floral jasmine. The leaves are long, rolled, and fuzzy – tiny hairs cover each strand making them soft and silky to the touch. They are a light green color with some dark tips here and there.
The jasmine scent really comes out during the steeping of the leaves. The liquor is a very light green color. There is actually tea in those cups in the picture, but the liquor was so light that it was really hard to take a good picture of it.
The taste is very sweet and floral. The jasmine is really all I can taste, but it’s not overpowering. Overall, the tea is smooth and mellow. Bitterness isn’t an issue, but there is a faint hint of astringency. The brew is quiet refreshing.
I was nervous about trying this tea because I was not a jasmine fan – notice the past tense. This tea, in my opinion, is perfectly infused with the jasmine scent/flavor. There is not too much in which usually engages my reaction of sip, grimace, swallow, cough, curse, and then make a small effort to find a tea lover with a jasmine fetish that may enjoy that particular over flavored crap. However when I hit the bottom of my cup, this time, I was ready for more.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Canton Tea’s Pouchong Review
Type: Green
Origin: Xu Family Farm, Wenshan, Taipei province, Taiwan
Price: Sample (regular price – £13.99 for 100g)
Vendor: Canton Tea Company
Brewing Method: Per Instructed - 1 teaspoon of leaves, 1 cup of filtered water, heated to 180°F-190°F, steeped for 1-2 minutes
Overall Score: 4.1 out of 5
The dry leaves of this Pouchong smell very fresh and grassy, however the aroma is very subtle – I had to stick my nose in the package in order to find the sweet smell of the leaves. The leaves are huge, long, rolled strands with an overall dark green color.
The liquor is a very nice green color. The aroma of the freshly brewed tea reminds me more of an oolong than a green. It smells vegetal with also that fresh, crisp smell that oolongs have.
The taste is lightly grassy. It has a taste between a green and an oolong – brisk, lively, and vegetal. The tea was a little astringent, but not bitter. Overall it kind of tastes like steamed green vegetables, especially in the after taste.
I would say this is a nice, plain, everyday green. There is nothing special about it, but it not a bad tea either. If you want a step up from the everyday Sencha... this is a good one to try.
Monday, May 18, 2009
Canton Tea’s Bai Ling Gong Fu Review
Type: Black (a.k.a. Red)
Origin: Bai Lin, Tai Mu Mountain, Fu Ding County, Fujian Province
Price: Sample (regular price – £11.99 for 100g)
Vendor: Canton Tea Company
Brewing Method: Per Instructed - 1 teaspoon of leaves, 1 cup of filtered water, heated to 190°F-200°F, steeped for 3 - 4 minutes
Overall Score: 4.6 out of 5
The Bai Ling Gong Fu leaves are very beautiful to look at. They are long, twisted, rolled strips painted with yellows, oranges, and browns. Tiny hairs can be seen on the leaves. The leaves feel very soft and silky to the touch. The aroma of the dry leaves is subtle, earthy, and slightly smoky.
The liquor is a light yellow color. The aroma is a little smoky and woodsy. Along with the aroma of the dry leaves, the freshly brewed tea’s aroma is also subtle.
The taste is on the milder side of blacks. It is very smooth, crisp, and brisk. The tea still has the earthy/smoky tones in the taste that I could smell in the dry leaves. It is not bitter and actually rather refreshing. The after taste is a mix of caramel and honey like flavors.
If you are one who likes to add milk to your black tea, you might want to resist the dairy on this one because of the already mild taste.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
I Like It Because It's NOT Perfect
While in Chicago a few months ago at the World Market I found this tea cup that I just HAD to add to my collection. It has now become my favorite tea cup! My other cups have been collecting more dust than tea… but I can’t help it… it’s like my personality in a cup!
I love how it is not perfect. It does its job by holding my current freshly brewed tea; however it’s not the perfect round shape of a cup, it’s dented throughout, the handle is an unusual shape, and it also has that visible clay “fold” by the handle. Plus, the inside is green – my favorite color! The price was a steal as well… only $4.99.
