Rah's Thoughts on Tea

Origin: Darjeeling

So I decided to try What-Cha’s Darjeeling Second Flush 2014 Goomtee Oolong after trying What-Cha’s Silver Oolong from Nepal. I still have a couple Indian teas that I’ve been meaning to try, but I decided to try this first since I haven’t had many Indian oolongs and I am always willing to try new things, even if it is from a region I have a sordid relationship with.

Dry Leaves: It doesn’t look very oolong-y, but I am not that familiar with Indian oolongs. There was a muscatel aroma that I enjoyed; I tend to prefer second flush and later Indian greens because of the muscatel aromas/tastes.

First Steeping

Temperature: 194^oF

Brewing Time: Three Minutes

Aroma: Floral and Orange

Flavor: Violet, Citrus and Spice

Tasting Notes: It reminds me a little of the Nepal Silver Oolong, but much rougher. It has floral and orange notes, but it is much darker and has a lovely spice taste. I was not expecting much from this because I am not really all that into Indian teas, but this was quite nice.

Second Steeping

Temperature: 194^oF

Brewing Time: Three and a half Minutes

Aroma: Floral and Orange 

Flavor: Violet, Orange, Pepper and Woodsy

Tasting Notes: There is a new woodsy taste to it and the spice from the last infusion became distinctly peppery. This was my favorite of the three infusions. I am starting to warm up to the idea of Indian teas. I rather enjoy the Peppery and Woodsy tastes mingling while the Violet and Orange are rather sharp.

Third Steeping

Temperature: 194^oF

Brewing Time: Four Minutes

Aroma: Floral and Orange

Flavor: Orange, Pepper and Woodsy

Tasting Notes:  There still is some life left in these leaves, but this was my final steeping. It started to become to watery for me.

I rather enjoyed this, even though I am not known for my love of Indian teas this was rather nice. It is a little surprising I tend to dislike Darjeeling teas, but this may be the exception; regardless I may have to not judge Indian teas as harshly, at least Indian oolongs. And at the time of writing this it is on sale $10.80 for 50g (original price $13.50), I think it is worth checking out at either the sale price or the normal price and if Alistair sources the 2015 harvest from this estate I’ll have to check it out.

What-Cha Malawi Zomba Pearls White Tea

Origin: Satemwa Tea Estate, Malawi, Africa

So I’ve been on a Malawi kick recently, I’ve had a couple of What-Cha’s other Malawi teas that I’ve been meaning to write up a little on, but I always seem to use up the entirety of my stash before I take some pictures. In the future I must remember to at least keep my phone on me. Unfortunately this is my last of What-Cha’s Malawi tea so if I am ever going to write anything on the 2014 harvest it will probably be in comparison to the 2015.

Dry Leaves: It has a nice grassy aroma and a rather strange shape, not as strange as some of What-Cha’s other teas, it sort of reminds me of a baby being swaddled or some kind of cocoon.

First Steeping

Temperature: 176^oF

Brewing Time: Three Minutes

Aroma: Citrus and Green Beans

Flavor: Corn, Hay, Cucumber and Tangy

Tasting Notes:  This was very interesting. At first I was only getting corn and hay from this, they are definitely the dominant flavors, but after a few seconds of this tea on my tongue was starting to distinguish cucumber and something tangy.

This is a very crisp and clean tea, for some reason I can imagine drinking it on a hot summer day, it is a little to clean for winter and a little too heavy for the spring. This was a rather interesting steeping, but it feels more like a green tea then a white to me which is a good thing.

Second Steeping

Temperature: 180^oF

Brewing Time: Four Minutes

Aroma: Citrus and Vegetal

Flavor: Hay, Cucumber, Tangy and Bell Pepper

Tasting Notes: The corn flavor is gone completely, but hay is still there although considerably weaker. I was rather happy to see the cucumber become more prominent and the addition of bell pepper was nice as well. The aroma became rather nice. I wasn’t too impressed with it in the first steeping, it smelled like a watered down sencha, this time it started to become pleasant. If I brew this again I should try rinsing this first, it’s not that the first infusion was undrinkable, but this is a much more palatable starting point.

It had a nice thickish mouthfeel. I was much more impressed this time then the last, not that I didn’t enjoy the last steeping, but this feels much more distinct whereas the previous felt like it was struggling.

Third Steeping

Temperature: 185^oF

Brewing Time: Five Minutes

Aroma: Citrus and Vegetal

Flavor: Cucumber, Sugar Cane and Bell Pepper

Tasting Notes: It’s starting to become simpler and very mellow. It has become very relaxing, I liked that the bell pepper taste is still present and I am not even missing the tangy notes from the last two infusions (even though it was perhaps my favorite of the various tastes I could distinguish). It has become the kind of tea you want to drink on a lazy afternoon, not too strong, not too weak, sort of reminds me of a talented underachiever that you know could potentially accomplish great things, but for whatever reason is content doing nothing; and I love it for this. The last infusion made a great cup of tea while this isn’t as marvelous, but it is still nice and I think I prefer this last infusion to the two previous ones.

I felt the first infusion was struggling to find an identity while the second infusion was amazing it felt a little too confident and the third is the perpetual slacker that charmed me.

I should have started off with how cheap this is for $12.00 for 50g this is a steal, I may have to pick up 200 or so grams of this, it is that good. The price definitely makes this a daily drinker, but the taste is more in line with a special occasion type of tea. Words fail me when describing this tea, there is something elusive about it and I can only recommend you trying it out. While I still feel What-Cha’s wild growing Long Jing is the star of the greens, this my favorite of What-Cha's white teas. 

Origin: Greenland Organic Farm, East Nepal

Harvest: First Flush

I decided to try What-Cha’s Nepal First Flush Silver Oolong today; Alistair decided to pepper my latest shipment with only one Nepali tea, but numerous Indian ones, I can’t help, but think he is desperately trying to improve my opinion of Indian tea or perhaps cement my feelings on their superior Nepali neighbors. Regardless I am not really fond of white tea, generally they feel a little too expensive for me, even though I wouldn’t bat an eye at spending two or three times the amount on a green tea, and I generally prefer the jasmine scented ones rather than a straight white tea.

Dry Leaves: It has a very nice pungent orange blossom aroma. The leaves look like typical silver needles, perhaps a little greener then some in this price range, but they are a little reminiscent of a Bi Lo Chun. They are very soft and have a nice downy feel.

First Steeping

Temperature: 176^oF

Brewing Time: Two Minutes

Aroma: Orange blossom and Sage

Flavor: Cane Sugar, Orange and Vegetal

Tasting Notes: I almost wanted to say this has a floral aroma in addition to the orange blossom, but it’s not quite there. I feel this way in my subsequent infusions, it’s almost like there is a ghostly floral present that is simultaneously present and not. Regardless I rather liked this tea, I am not normally one for white teas especially silver needles, but I found this was quite pleasant. It reminded me a lot of those “enhanced teas” with orange blossom oil, but it has a much cleaner taste and scent.

It is a very perfume-y tea, but not overpowering. It reminded me a little of a Darjeeling oolong, but not as rough around the edges. It has that orange taste that is present in many Indian oolongs, but not as blunt as an Indian oolong. This was probably my favorite of the three infusions, although I most note this was a difficult decision to come to; each infusion was stunning, but this had the sharpest taste and I tend to prefer the sharp cutting flavors over mellower ones.

Second Steeping

Temperature: 181 ^oF

Brewing Time: Three Minutes

Aroma: Orange Blossom and Sage

Flavor: Floral, Cane Sugar and Vegetal

Tasting Notes: The sage aroma is stronger this time and offers a nice contrast to the orange blossom. And there was a Floral taste to it this time, I am not that confident in describing it as violet because the second time I brewed it I was getting orchid. I am a little sad that I don’t have more of this tea.

This was a very nice infusion; the vegetal notes are becoming stronger and are on the verge of becoming the key flavor.

Third Steeping

Temperature: 186 ^oF

Brewing Time: Four Minutes

Aroma: Orange, Lettuce and Sage

Flavor: Cane Sugar and Vegetal

Tasting Notes: I was surprised at how strong the cane sugar became. I thought the vegetal notes were going to become the key player in the last infusion because the cane sugar was becoming lighter, but it made come back. Otherwise it is very nice, a little simple by now, but there is nothing bad about that.

I was surprised by how much I liked this tea, even though it came from one of my favorite tea stores and from my favorite tea farm in the region.  This tea is definitely worth trying and for $8.63 for 50g it is not that bad of deal. If this was a Darjeeling tea, I imagine it would be sold for a much higher price.