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Eco-Cha’s Tsui Yu Jade Oolong
(Tea
Provided For Review)
So
I am going to experiment a little and change up my format a little. I tried
Eco-Cha’s Tsui Yu Jade oolong. So I am going to list the flavors/tastes in
order from strongest to weakest.
Origin:
NanTou, Taiwan
Harvest:
Spring 2014
Elevation:
400M
Dry Leaves: The shape is
interesting, they are rolled smaller than a normal oolong and a little flattened,
almost like an oval with a flattish bottom and rounded top. They had a light
floral aroma and a stronger rosemary scent.
First Steeping
Temperature:
Boiling
Brewing
Time: One Minute
Aroma:
Mostly Vegetal, Fresh Sage
Flavor:
Mostly Nutty, Green Beans, slight bitterness
Tasting
Notes: I was surprised by the sage aroma; I have not encountered any Taiwanese oolongs,
or any oolong for the matter, which have herb scents. I am rather fond of sage
so I immediately knew I was going to like this tea.
Second Steeping
Temperature:
190oF
Brewing
Time: Two Minutes
Aroma:
Vegetal, Cooked Sage, Rosemary and Thyme
Flavor:
Nutty, Spinach. Floral and Honey
Tasting Notes: I love how savory yet sweet this
tea smells! This is very smooth and easy to drink. Right now it is a nice mix
of savory and sweet, I like savory scents and flavors more so then sweet. This
is very balanced so if you love savory teas and hate sweet ones (or vice-versa)
you’ll probably not like this. I happen to like both and find this to be a
perfect balance between the two.
Third Steeping
Temperature:
190oF
Brewing
Time: Three Minutes
Aroma:
Orchid and Honey
Flavor:
Green Beans, Spinach, Nutty, Honey and Sage
Tasting
Notes: I was sad to see the savory scents disappear, but the taste became more
prominently savory at this point (although in later steepings, it wavered back
in forth between sweet and savory). Although I could finely taste the sage I’ve
smelled in the tea.
I
liked this tea and it isn’t that expensive, only $7 for 38 grams. It had a nice
mouthfeel, a little thicker than similar Taiwanese oolongs grown at 400 meters
above sea level, but not as thick as a proper high mountain oolong. I’d definitely
buy this tea when I run out, as I said before I have not encountered any oolong
with a nice herbaceous aroma or taste and I am quite fond of this flavor/taste.
While I adore floral oolongs, herbaceous teas are something of a rarity for me;
I can often find herby tastes in Japanese greens. I was surprised at how long
this tea lasted, for the price I was expecting it to last maybe six or seven
steepings, but I got thirteen whooping steepings out of the leaves and while it
started to lose its complexity around the tenth steeping and become distinctly nutty,
it was interesting enough to continue on. This is a great value for the price.
oolong teas
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