This tea is a bit of a departure from the mostly Shui-Xian-based teas that dominate the mid-to-lower-priced Wu Yi teas. I would group it with those teas that are composed predominantly of the Qi Zhong varieties, i.e. varieties that have not achieved famous status, but still produce a nice cup. Of all the Qi Zhong, it is the Qi Lan variety that is most prominent in this price class. In particular, the Qi Lan grown around Tong Mu Guan, the home of Lapsang Souchong (Zheng Shan Xiao Zhong), has been the standard bearer for this type of organic Wu Yi tea. However, with the growing popularity and availability of these organic Wu Yi oolongs, quality in general has slipped. And, now it seems, so has supply. Rishi tea, which sold a version of this tea that was specifically labelled as a Qi Lan, now describes their organic Wu Yi tea as a blend of different teas re-roasted for consistency. Seven Cups, who offered a high-quality version of the tea, is either out of supply or has removed it from their offerings. Let's see how the Arbor version holds up.
The dry leaf, which has a pleasantly smokey aroma, is rather typical in appearance and somewhat shorter than Shui Xian, for example. Once steeped, the leaf shows signs of moderate roasting, and medium to medium-light oxidation. There are a moderate number of stems in this leaf.
The tea brews up a medium amber, with an interesting aroma. The aroma is more pine-like and smokey than typical, with a moderate intensity, a nice sweetness, and hints of earth, wood, light-roast coffee, caramel and just a bit of the floral. Overall, it's very pleasant with a nice dose of complexity.
The tea soup is soft and smooth, with a moderate-to-full weight, a fairly complex flavor, a bit of sweetness, and a smokey note. In the mouth, the tea is more soothing than exciting, and transitions fairly smoothly into an attractive aftertaste.
The moderately intense, and quite persistent aftertaste has a bit of a tang mingled with a some wood, fruit, and smokiness.
The dry-cup aroma is nice and sweet.
You can brew the leaves a few times.
Overall, this is a very pleasant tea that I particularly enjoy on a cold afternoon with a good book. Having had better examples of the genre, specifically teas that were picked in spring and more carefully processed, I can't help but notice the comparative coarseness evident in this tea. Nevertheless, I still enjoy this tea very much and would purchase it again. At $16.50 for 7 oz., it's a nice alternative to similarly-priced Shui Xian.
Showing posts with label Organic. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Organic. Show all posts
Monday, January 14, 2013
Monday, January 7, 2013
Organic Shui Xian Oolong (Arbor Teas)
I had ordered a sample of this tea about two years ago and thought it quite nice, so I put in a bigger order (7 oz. @ $14.25) this past fall. This batch came across as much bolder than that earlier sample, and I find myself very conflicted about this tea. It's actually a great counterpoint to the Lao Cong Shui Xian of the previous post. That tea exhibited proper flavors and aromas, but left me wanting for something a bit more extroverted and complex. This tea, comes at it from the other direction. Here's how I see it.
The dry leaf of this tea is a typical dark brown, but there is quite a bit of variability in the leaf finishing. Some leaf is well twisted, but much isn't. There are a large number of stems in this batch as well, and some of those stems are stout and hard. The dry leaf has quite a strong aroma, but it isn't a particularly refined one. Needless to say, the dry leaf is not inspiring. The relatively stiff and sturdy wet leaf is dark green with brown edges and splotches, suggesting a moderate oxidation and baking.
The tide turns upon brewing. The tea liquors up a medium-deep amber/brown and gives off a generous aroma with a nice sweetness. The aroma is multidimensional, with floral, fruity, and woody notes, and, in general, characteristics typical of medium-roast Wu Yi. At the same time, there is an underlying component to the aroma that I associate with summer teas. This may be viewed as a desirable complexity by some, but it puts me off.
This Shui Xian is medium bodied, quite flavorful and smooth. The flavor is surprisingly sweet, with fruit, wood, and, to a lesser extent, floral notes. The tea is quite quaff-able, yet has a bit of grip on the swallow and a decent, tangy aftertaste. The "summer-tea" component shows here too, marring the experience somewhat for me.
The sturdy leaf delivers several infusions.
I checked reviews of this tea on the Arbor website just before writing this. Clearly, many really like this tea, and they have reason to. It's flavorful, it's exceptionally sweet, both in aroma and flavor, it's smooth and very quaff-able while still being multidimensional, and it pairs well with food. But, it's not a particularly pure tasting tea, and that's why I won't be purchasing it again. But, don't let my taste in tea stop you from trying it. Many others have enjoyed this tea and you might also.
The dry leaf of this tea is a typical dark brown, but there is quite a bit of variability in the leaf finishing. Some leaf is well twisted, but much isn't. There are a large number of stems in this batch as well, and some of those stems are stout and hard. The dry leaf has quite a strong aroma, but it isn't a particularly refined one. Needless to say, the dry leaf is not inspiring. The relatively stiff and sturdy wet leaf is dark green with brown edges and splotches, suggesting a moderate oxidation and baking.
The tide turns upon brewing. The tea liquors up a medium-deep amber/brown and gives off a generous aroma with a nice sweetness. The aroma is multidimensional, with floral, fruity, and woody notes, and, in general, characteristics typical of medium-roast Wu Yi. At the same time, there is an underlying component to the aroma that I associate with summer teas. This may be viewed as a desirable complexity by some, but it puts me off.
This Shui Xian is medium bodied, quite flavorful and smooth. The flavor is surprisingly sweet, with fruit, wood, and, to a lesser extent, floral notes. The tea is quite quaff-able, yet has a bit of grip on the swallow and a decent, tangy aftertaste. The "summer-tea" component shows here too, marring the experience somewhat for me.
The sturdy leaf delivers several infusions.
I checked reviews of this tea on the Arbor website just before writing this. Clearly, many really like this tea, and they have reason to. It's flavorful, it's exceptionally sweet, both in aroma and flavor, it's smooth and very quaff-able while still being multidimensional, and it pairs well with food. But, it's not a particularly pure tasting tea, and that's why I won't be purchasing it again. But, don't let my taste in tea stop you from trying it. Many others have enjoyed this tea and you might also.
Friday, January 4, 2013
Organic Wuyi Oolong (Fairway Market)
This organic Wuyi Oolong comes from Fairway Market, an upscale, New-York-City-based grocery store. This is the only tea in this series that I didn't purchase via the internet, and it doesn't appear to be available via their on-line store. Priced at $25.98 per pound, it comes in as the cheapest tea in this tasting series. I didn't really expect much from this tea, but, as it turned out, I came away pleasantly surprised.
The dry leaf was fresh and fairly impressive, with moderately-long, well-twisted leaf, few stems, and a fairly prominent aroma. The aroma hinted at mid-quality raw material with a moderate degree of processing. The wet leaf confirmed that this tea received a moderate amount of oxidation and roasting.
The brewed tea's aroma was moderate in intensity, with some smokiness, an underlying sweetness, and a hint of wood and earth. It was surprisingly complex and satisfying, even while betraying the less-than-stellar raw material from which it was crafted. There was some Shui Xian character in the aroma.
The tea was fairly full in the mouth, a bit flat on entry, but quite flavorful, showing surprising balance, dimension, and complexity. Again, the flavor and texture suggested that Shui Xian was in the mix. A nice grip and a pleasant astringency showed after the swallow. The first steeping flavor, in particular, was really quite impressive for a tea of this price. The aftertaste was fairly persistent, sweet, and flavorful, yet without quite the charm of the more expensive rock teas.
This tea re-steeped quite well, although the flavors of mid-quality leaf intruded in the second steeping and beyond.
Overall, Fairway Organic Wuyi represents excellent value, and would be a good introduction to Wu Yi oolong. It certainly outshines the Wu Yi in a can that you'll find at the Asian grocery. I probably wouldn't purchase it again, favoring instead a more expensive tea made from higher quality leaf.
The dry leaf was fresh and fairly impressive, with moderately-long, well-twisted leaf, few stems, and a fairly prominent aroma. The aroma hinted at mid-quality raw material with a moderate degree of processing. The wet leaf confirmed that this tea received a moderate amount of oxidation and roasting.
The brewed tea's aroma was moderate in intensity, with some smokiness, an underlying sweetness, and a hint of wood and earth. It was surprisingly complex and satisfying, even while betraying the less-than-stellar raw material from which it was crafted. There was some Shui Xian character in the aroma.
The tea was fairly full in the mouth, a bit flat on entry, but quite flavorful, showing surprising balance, dimension, and complexity. Again, the flavor and texture suggested that Shui Xian was in the mix. A nice grip and a pleasant astringency showed after the swallow. The first steeping flavor, in particular, was really quite impressive for a tea of this price. The aftertaste was fairly persistent, sweet, and flavorful, yet without quite the charm of the more expensive rock teas.
This tea re-steeped quite well, although the flavors of mid-quality leaf intruded in the second steeping and beyond.
Overall, Fairway Organic Wuyi represents excellent value, and would be a good introduction to Wu Yi oolong. It certainly outshines the Wu Yi in a can that you'll find at the Asian grocery. I probably wouldn't purchase it again, favoring instead a more expensive tea made from higher quality leaf.
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