Oollo Tea, Oriental Beauty

Oollo Tea Description:
Renowned for its beautiful five colour dancing leaves. This traditional beauty exudes apricot and peach scents followed by indulging orchid, muscat grape, and apple flavours.

Origin:
Varietal: Qingxin Oolong/Jinxuan Oolong
Grower Name: Zhen Family
Location: Pinglin, New Taipei, Taiwan
Elevation: 500m
Harvest: 2014 Spring

Sample provided by Oollo Tea

My Review:
Today I was delighted to read up on this tea and learn its secret is Vampires! More on that in a moment. First, something else I learned reading Oollo's website; Oriental beauty is the name British royalty assigned to this tea for it's "beautiful colours and shapes. It seemed like a lady dancing in the tea pot".

What gives this tea its unique characteristics is the green leaf hopper that bites the leaf and feast on the tea leaf juices like vegetarian vampires. Seems totally appropriate on the day before Halloween.

I have a 5g sample in a sealed aluminum bag. The label has brief brewing instructions. There are expanded options on the website.

Opening the bag at first gives up very little in the way of aroma. Then I catch floral notes that seem to grow as I linger. Oollo mentions orchids. To me it was more reminiscent of peony.

The leaf is gorgeous. The five colors associated with higher quality leaf can be seen - brown, red (more of a cinnamon), green, white, and looking closely, touches of yellow. The yellow/white is the result of the vampire biting leaf hopper.

I decided to use the entire sample for a western steep. I was originally going to split it for a gung fu session - until I read about the dance of the leaf that caught the British royal's attention.

Never wanting to miss a good dance, I heated water to 195F and grabbed my clear glass Bodum press. The steep was a short 1 1/2 minutes. So I guess I am back to doing a hybrid method from years passed, where I use western water amounts and eastern time and temperatures. Seems to work for me.

As for the dance, most of the leaf hung vertically from the surface. A few leaf dove to the bottom. What made this interesting was not the ballet I was expecting, rather the slow graceful swelling of the leaf as it began to fill the pot. There were several leaves that gyrated and twitched. I don't know, maybe they were Miley Cyrus wanna bes. Forget it, scratch that image. I know. Too late.

The steeped leaf is mostly complete leaves and buds joined to stems. From this side of the steep, I see no evidence of the work of the green leaf hopper. The scent is honey and fruit.

The liquor is clear, bright, and more the color of syrup than my camera captured. It is kind of a honey/caramel.

Tasting, I am asking, are you sure this is oolong? I know it is on heavily oxidized end of the scale but this seems like a Nepal black tea. It lacks the heavy roasting that many dark oolongs possess and for that I am glad - not personally a fan of heavy roasting.

So what I am tasting is raisin drifting into muscat grapes. It also has a nutty, deep woods presence to it. Late in the sip I sense it opening up with floral notes. Again, to me, it is peony. Very good. I am still making a Nepal/Darjeeling comparison in the flavor.

This should go several more steeps. I may find out later today. Right now an earache and head cold are making me feel less than up to the task. It has to be couch time somewhere, right? Definitely aspirin time.

You can find Oollo Tea American Beauty here.

Oollo Tea, Baozhong Oolong

Oollo Tea Description:
Grown in the serene mountainous terrain of Wenshan, Taiwan. The twisted leaves produce elegant lilac and vanilla fragrances while developing delicate sweet, floral notes. 

Origin
Varietal: Qingxin Oolong
Grower Name: Zhen Family
Location: Pinglin, New Taipei, Taiwan
Elevation: 500m
Harvest: 2014

Sample provided by Oollo Tea

My Review:
I feel like I have abandoned the blog lately. This is only the second review this month. No, I haven't been sick. No, I haven't moved on. Mostly it has been so blasted hot all month. 90 F + everyday does not equal a great desire for hot tea. Mostly, I have been chugging gallons of a bottled green tea. Don't judge me.

Today, the temperature broke and it will cap out around an awesome 80 F. So, that is reason to celebrate with tea and a review.

The sample I received has a clear and simple label. The sample is not resealable. It appears to contain about 10g of leaf.

My first clue as to what to expect came when I cut open the bag. I literally said, "Oh, Wow!" out loud. This is wonderfully fragrant of lilac. As I enjoy the scent the floral aspect lowers and I start catching sweet field hay. Truly nice.

The leaf is large, and twisted, with various deep shades of green. The leaves are attatched to the stems. I thought I knew Baozhong, but this is fresher, more alive, in appearance than I have experienced before.

Today I will once again employ the use of my favorite brewing instrument, a Bodum French Press. I love it and would with out question buy another if an unfortunate mishap should befall it.

I used a cup of filtered water heated to 185 F along with half the sample (about 5 grams of leaf).  I let this steep for 2 minutes. The label range is 1.5-4. I almost went the four minutes because I probably won't have time for the 3 cups this should make.

The leaf stayed pretty much on the surface of the water and only partially relaxed. No dancing for these shy leaves.

The resulting cup color is liquid gold. The picture definitely does not do it justice.

The cup aroma is sweet lilacs and after reading the company description, I can agree with vanilla notes.

The taste is softer than the scent suggests. At first I think a longer steep should have been used. As I adjust and the cup cools a little this opens up. The floral aspect is met with a delicate spice that almost has me rummaging through the wife's spice cabinet to figure out what it could be. Without doing that, because my wife would be upset with me, the best I can imagine it, is a custard and nutmeg combination done lightly and elegantly. The aftertaste lingers with a classic Taiwan oolong vegetal taste.

There is not an hint of bitterness and no astringency. No smoke. No roasted notes. Nothing even remotely off. It is sweet tasting and creamy feeling. This is really a pleasure to drink. Very nice.

You can find Oollo Tea Baozhong here.

Oollo Tea, Milky Jinxuan Oolong

Oollo Tea Description:
The true milky Jinxuan oolong tea with natural cream milk accent and luscious texture. The Alishan family farms tea trees that were bought from our family in 1990. They practice zero pesticide natural farming.

Origin
Varietal: Jinxuan Oolong
Curator: Grandpa Lo
Location: Alishan, Jiayi County, Taiwan
Elevation: 1200-1800m
Harvest: 2014 Spring

Sample provided by Oollo Tea

My Review:
The brief cool spell has ended way too soon. We are back to heat and humidity. O well, at least my air conditioning is working today. Being as I am all cool and comfortable, it must time for tea.

Today's choice is a milky oolong from Taiwan. I haven't had one of these is a long while. The sample cannot be resealed. Sometimes I use tape but more often a paper clip to hold the bag closed. It won't keep long this way and will need to be steeped soon. The label is simple with pertinent brewing instructions.

Opening the bag, I get a sweet scent of cut and dried field grass. It also leans towards a touch of bread and malt, but just a touch.

The tightly rolled leaf is dark and for some strange reason looks like armor to my brain. I think it is because of dull dark grayish tint and the texture looks kind of like a ninja turtle shell. Yeah, even I think that description is a little off the wall.

Into the press it goes along with 195 F water for a 3 minute steep. The range on the label is 1.5 - 5 minutes. That's a pretty wide range.

Before I write about the liquor or the taste, I have got to mention the wet leaf. Look at the size of it! I have trees in my yard that don't have leaves this big. I am impressed.

Most of the leaf after the first steep is still fairly compressed but as you can see some of it couldn't wait to get out of that tight little ball.

The aroma of the wet leaf is lightly roasted, slightly sweet, and vegetal.

On to the brew!

The tea has steeped very clear and very yellow. It is quite a pretty cup.

The first sip is, at first, light in flavor and texture. It starts with a mineral note that is almost metallic. It quickly morphs into a smooth milky texture. It is very thick feeling. Next, I catch a sensation that I can't think of another way to describe except to say prickly. The problem with saying this is it sounds unpleasant but that is not the case here. As you swallow, floral and vine notes emerge.

There is zero bitterness, but it feels kind of drying. As I think about the taste, I realize I caught hints of the roasting. They don't dominate or even jump out at you. I like the subtle layering of the flavors.

Interesting. The more the cup cools the more I am actually catching a milky taste to go with the texture.

Oollo says this the leaf can be re-steeped to make 4 brews.

You can find Oollo Tea, Milky Jinxuan Oolong here

Oollo Tea, Limited Edition Alishan High Mountain Black Tea

Oollo Tea Description:
Alishan Mountain is known for its amazing mountain oolong teas however it also produces small limited batches of black teas. This particular 2014 harvest brews a prominent cacao chocolate flavour with wooden musky aroma.

Sample provided by Oollo Tea

My Review:
My water heater has been out of commission for two days now. I have a plumber on the way. This has served to once again remind me of how good most of us have it. We take things like hot water for granted.

I think we do the same thing with tea. It is always there and most of us have way too much of it. I encourage you to ponder how the leaf made its way to your teapot. Most of our "good stuff" was had picked and processed. So much work and art go into tea that I find it pretty amazing we can get it at all.

So today I am reviewing a black tea from the Alishan mountain in Taiwan. In the past I have found the black teas of this region to be some of my favorites and as distinctive, and different, as Chinese Yunnan black tea.

Upon opening the sample bag, the scent of malt and baked cocoa is released into the air.  Removing the leaf, shows this one to be very dark, almost like charcoal color, but with areas of cinnamon brown. This looks like something I need to drink, and soon, because it looks so good.

I used half the sample. It appears to be around 3 g. The water was heated to 200 F and I steeped for 3 1/2 minutes. I totally made up these parameters as they do not appear on the sample label or the website. I often use 195 F for my black. Since I do not expect any bitterness here, I bumped it up a little. I seldom  use full boiling water even though that is how most people would prepare it. Just my personal preferences at work here.

OK, so the liquor is orange and bright. It is one of those happy shades, like the outdoors with an icy glass of tea type colors - or is that just me? The wet leaf has a stronger baked cocoa aroma.

As I expected, there is no bitterness present. There is a light bite with little astringency. It tastes as good as it smells. I get some malt, followed by cocoa and honey. There is a woodsy flavor present in the mix as well. I am also noticing floral notes blooming in the aftertaste.

This is not a subtle tea. You do not have to go out of your way to taste it. Yet, this is not an assertive cup like your usual Assam or Ceylon. It reminds me of Fujian black tea but smoother. 

I enjoyed every sip of this one.

You can find Limited Edition Alishan High Mountain Black Tea here.

Oollo Tea, Alishan

Sample

Oollo Description:
From the world renowned Alisan Mountain comes the unpretentious high mountain oolong. The Alisan family farms tea trees that were bought from our family in 1990. They practice zero pesticide natural farming.

Origin:
Varietal: Qingxin Oolong
Curator: Grandpa Lo
Location: Alisan, Jiayi County, Taiwan
Elevation: 1200-1800m
Date: 2014 Winter

Sample provided by Oollo Tea

My Review:
I do not want another month slipping by without reviews. So let's get started.

Dry Leaf

It is a scorcher here today with highs hitting the low 90's F. I want something that sounds light and refreshing while having solid flavor. This Alishan spoke to me saying it would fit my desire.

As you can see in the sample picture above, the packaging is a sealed aluminum bag. The label is simple and clean, showing basic brewing parameters. The one thing I notice, the label shows 5g in the brewing section, however Oollo's website calls for 3g for 12oz. The website more closely matches how I like my tea.

Opening the bag, I don't find much in the way of aroma to suggest what is to come. There is a light dried field scent and a touch of corn aroma. The leaf is quite dark green. I actually lightened the dry leaf picture some so the leaf would be easier to see. It is tightly rolled pellets with a partial exposed stem.

Wet Leaf

I used my glass press as the brewing vessel of the day. The water was heated to 195 F. With the lid in place, I steeped for 2 minutes.

The liquor is golden yellow with just the lightest tint of green. It is as clear as our extreme hard water will allow.

The wet leaf expanded nicely to reveal two or three whole leaves on each stem. It always amazes me how the artists process all that leaf into that tiny pellet by hand.

The wet leaf has a roasted aroma. I was expecting it to be more floral. Let's see where the sip takes us.

The first taste starts with a spiciness that is sort of a combination of mint and cinnamon. Not really the taste, rather the feel. It is icy and hot at the same time. This passes into the floral notes I was expecting. This one, however, is a little different, as it doesn't knock you over with floral. To me, that fits perfectly on this hot day. I am also tasting some creamy corn notes.

My wife popped in during my tasting asking me to help her plan some things unrelated to tea. While I am helping, I noticed how long the aftertaste was lingering. Nice.

I like Oollo's description of unpretentious, as that fits perfectly. It is not a wallflower, but it is not trying to be the center of the universe either. It does not knock you over with floral and does not have that strong latex aftertaste some green oolongs possess. What you get here is a solid cup of alishan with sufficient depth to keep you interested. For me personally, the cooler it got, the more I liked it. This leads me to believe it might work chilled.

Like most oolongs this should resteep well.

You can find Oollo Tea, Alishan high mountain oolong here.

Oollo Tea, Red Jade Black Tea

Oollo Description:
A perfect marriage between Burma Ashamu and Taiwanese wild tea. The long twisted whole leaves give distinct smooth raisin, date and cinnamon infusions with traces of peppermint.

Sample provided by Oollo Tea

My Review:
As you may have noticed tea reviews have been nonexistent throughout the month of May. With only 3 days left, I hope to stay feeling well enough to brew some good cups.

Oollo contacted me a while back to see if I would like to try their tea. I received some beautiful high mountain oolongs that I will be reviewing soon, as well as a couple black teas from Taiwan. Every black tea from Taiwan I have tried have had amazing flavor. I decided to have dessert first by brewing this one up now.

The sample packaging is simply but attractively labeled including basic brewing directions. The website contains additional detailed information, including gongfu and cold brewing directions. The aluminum sample bag is not resealable.

Opening the bag I catch malt, and grape? No wait. It's raisin and plum. Very fruity and aromatic. There is also a bread note present.

I removed half the leaf for examination. It is very dark. Nearly black. I notice some cinnamon coloration in the mix of these long twisted leaves. Smells good. Must brew....

I used the press that has been thoroughly cleaned after sitting all alone this last month. The water was heated to 195 F and steeped for 2 1/2 minutes.

I chose to hit the middle of the recommended steep time of 1-4 minutes. The result is a dark ale colored tea. It looks manly. The website pic is far more orange. Maybe it's the dark gloomy day or the lighting but, yeah, dark ale. I'm happy with that, besides it smells so good. Oops, I'm repeating myself. Must drink...

I read Oollo's description. That is not particularly what I am getting with the first few sips. Maybe if I had used the whole sample? But then I wouldn't have any left for another session.

What I am getting is pretty amazing anyway. First, I grasp the malt, then the fruity goodness of raisin and plum. There is a touch of spice that pops in late in sip. It does not make me think cinnamon. I don't notice a menthol or cooling, oh, but wait, there is a momentary flash late in the sip that is the lightest bit of cinnamon and peppermint flavor combined. So I guess I can confirm Oollo's description. If it had not been mentioned I might have missed it. Subliminal? Maybe. Good? Yep. I do still catch a baked bread flavor.

This is really an easy to drink cup. There is no trace of bitterness. The spice note that hits as just a small amount of bite, might be astringency but it is certainly not troubling.  The leaves are said to be able to steep two more times. I am still recovering and not going to push myself to try it at the moment... even though my cup is empty and I want more.

You can find Oollo Tea Red Jade here