Tea Time: China Fujian Classic Shui Xian Oolong Tea

Tonight's tea is an Oolong from Fujian, China.  It has a smokey smell and is very oxidized.

It tasted very toasted and smelled very much the same.  Lots of smoke flavor...  Almost like a smoking newspaper mixed with the hint of the perfume that composes a tie guan yin.  A touch of the bitterness of grapefruit.  Sounds like ingredients for a witches brew.  It is a very balanced tea, each component comes together very well.  Very good on a cold night.

Brewed at boiling and left to steep for about a minute.

Tea Time: Nepal Monsoon Black

Nepal Monsoon Black a very sweet almost coffee like smell.

 It has a taste of very dark chocolate and the smokiness of coffee.  The liquor is thick, but has only a medium richness and an aftertaste of bitter spinach and smoke.  It is hearty and filling but lacks the buttery smoothness of a laoshan black.  Good meal time tea.  Breakfast tea too.

Boiling Water for a minute.  Maybe 95°C for future brews.
An above average black.

Tea Time: Georgia Ilia's Factory Green Tea

Today I went hunting for some tea ware at the close by Salvation Army.   Unfortunately, all I found was this guy.

"Hay Gurrl Haaay!!"

Tonight's tea is a green tea from Georgia.  (the country not the state)
not much of a scent.
It is a very light green tea with a very mild grassy taste with a hint of spinach.  None of the sea like taste you sometimes get with green tea.

 

80°C for 60 seconds
brewed about 3 times.
It was an average tea.  a 2.5/5

Tea Time: Nepal White Peony

I just received some new tea from what-cha.com  I ordered a number of mystery teas which all came today.  Eleven different tea's in all.  This blog will probably house all my thoughts of tea.. and dance and maybe other things as well.  Something like a not so private journal.  It's sure been awhile.  Let's see how long I can keep it up.

The tea arrived with such a friendly, personalized note!

Alistair is such a cool name!

The many teas!

The first tea I am trying is the Nepal White Peony.

Upon first opening the package I find that the tea has much tea dust and a very fragrant smell like that of honey-tinged citrus mixed with freshly cut grass and hay: a very smooth smell.  

The tea is mostly broken leaf and stem.

Such a succinct label.

I steeped it for about minute each time, the first two times at 90°C and one final time at 100°C.

Messy table!

I almost forgot about those coasters.

Brewbrewbrewbrew

The liquor was thick and smelled much like it did when dry.  The same honey and citrus mixed with a summers day in the country.  The first two steepings completely lacked any astringent properties and went down like a Milk chocolate bar with orange bits that had been liquefied and its essence and flavor extracted.  The third steeping was the same only with some slightly bitter notes, it was like the dark chocolate version.

While I only steeped this tea 3 times, it seems to have the potential to be steeped at least twice more.  Perhaps next time I drink this tea I will update this post.

For future steepings I would either steep at 90°C longer, maybe 2 minutes, or maybe 30-60 seconds at boiling.  I think I prefer it with the bitter notes.
I would also try pairing this tea with chocolate or perhaps a croissant.

Rating:
4/5 Dark chocolate bars good with an extra .5 summers day for good measure

Highly Recommended.