Brand
Tea Ave
Price
~$11 for 25g or ~1oz
Type
Green oolong
Recommended Brew Time, Temperature, Amount
Gongfu- brew up at 100°C with 8g of tea, adding 30s with each infusion up to 4 times
Leaf Appearance
Pre-steeped: Mix of large and small, dark and light green balled oolong leaves with bright pink and red rose petals
Steeped: Variety of different sized light, olive green leaves, most with stems (as is the case with balled oolong); didn't mention this in the other Tea Ave review, but their teas have some of the largest, unbroken leaves I have ever seen
Rating
A- | 90/100
Tasting notes and thoughts:
So, I'm sure you can tell that I enjoy rose tea. That I also enjoy milk/Jin Xuan oolong. So, what else would be better than to combine the two? I don't know, but let's see if this tea lives up to my expectations. However, I've actually already tried this. This review is using my last few leaves since I've been drinking this somewhat often gongfu style, but let's see how this tea holds up through cupping.
Brew 1 (5 min.):
As usual with my version of tea cupping, there is no rinse. I'm brewing for 5 minutes since I've found that that is the best time for the best flavor for oolongs (I do want to enjoy the tea, guys). I'm also using boiling water and a melon baller- 1 scoop- as a measuring spoon (it actually works and holds the tea pretty well because of the shape, and also I don't own a scale). The tea was a dark yellow green color with a very sweet, floral aroma- much sweeter than the Jin Xuan on its own. The leaves were beginning to unravel, and the rose petals are beginning their color. The taste was a little bit bitter, with a bit of a tart, grassy taste. The milk flavor was actually very noticeable throughout the taste and also lingered a while afterwards. I didn't really notice it until after I inhaled after drinking, but I could really taste it afterwards. I could also notice a bit of a cotton candy/sugar after taste as well. One interesting thing to note is that the tea liquid, in the first few minutes of brewing, was actually aqua/teal colored; I don't know if it was the lighting, the set, or the tea. Very cool though.
Brew 2 (5 min.):
This brew was surprisingly much clearer than the previous, and a much brighter yellow (with some green). The aroma was still very sweet and floral, but now had very light milky/creamy notes. The rose petals are now almost a dull yellow, with their pink/red color drained, and the tea leaves are continuing to unfurl with the smaller leaves fully opened. The flavor was remarkably less bitter than the previous, but was still a tiny bit bitter. It was also less tart, and more grassy and vegetal; however, the milky, creamy taste continues to linger after drinking. There was a considerable lack of sweetness compared to the previous brew, but it was still very flavorful.
Brew 3 (5 min.):
At this point, the color was still as vibrant as the previous brew; however, it was not as dark, and was moving towards a yellow/golden color. The aroma is becoming weaker now, but is still similar to before. It has lost the sweet notes and instead is becoming more floral. In fact, I could really only smell the perfume of the roses. Almost all of the leaves are fully opened by now, and the roses are almost colorless (but are still a little pink). The taste, somehow, is more tart than before and much more grassy. The creamy milk flavor is only an aftertaste by now, and does not linger like it did previously. There is still a very slight bitterness, but it isn't very strong at all.
Brew 4 (Final; 5 min.):
So, this is the final brew since I'm following the directions on the packaging. It is, in fact, losing its flavor and color by now, but I think it can go for 5 total brews instead of just 4. The color of the brew is more green than previously, but is still that light golden-yellow color. The smell is much more lighter now too- all I could really notice was the rose along with some light sweet and creamy notes. Leaves, at this point, are fully opened, and the rose petals are drained of any color they had at the start. The taste had no evidence of any bitterness that was present before, and was actually mostly a milky taste. There wasn't much tartness, or any other taste at all, really. It did have a texture that wasn't present before in other brews, which felt a bit chewy and astringent. Weak now, but still pretty decent. I did also notice that cotton candy taste which I had in previous brews.
Final Notes:
Overall, I actually really liked it brewed this way. During gongfu, it came out somewhat flavorless, but during cupping, it tasted great (it might just be that I'm forced to pay more attention, but I still liked it a lot). As such, I think this tea benefits from longer brewing times instead of the usual 10-20 seconds in gongfu. I think this was much better than Tea Ave's Jin Xuan since it had a bit more flavor and was actually more milkier (probably due to a slightly lower- 0.5- oxidation level). The rose added a lot to the tea rather than completely overpowering it, which is the case in many other flower flavored teas. One of my favorites from Tea Ave, but I recommend experimenting with it a bit to get the best flavor. I ended up getting 5 total brews out of it (the fifth was even weaker than the fourth, but had some flavor still).
Other Notes:
So, since August is coming up, I really gotta get off my ass and do work. I'll post about my plan later, but one thing I have is to get more reviews up. However, I might run out of stuff to review soon since I only have that Pi Lo Chun, Monkey Picked Tie Guan Yin, Summer Rose Tea, and instant teas left. Buying tea isn't really a possibility since I'm actually broke now (I went from $550 in savings in March to $150 this month, which is pretty unacceptable considering I don't have any source of income). So, unless money starts coming in, I'll have to end reviews temporarily until I get back on my feet. I might post other stuff like life updates and creative writing, but there's that. Look out for another life/blog update coming soon, though.
Wednesday, July 29, 2015
Tea Review: The Rich Milk Tea - Twinings
Brand
Twinings (Japan)
Price
$6 for 190 g
Type
Instant/Powdered
Recommended Brew Time, Temperature, Amount
(Hot) Add three teaspoons (17g) of powder to 120 ml of boiling water
(Iced) Add three teaspoons (17g) of powder to 20 ml of boiling water, and then add 100 ml of cold water
Leaf Appearance
Very fine, light brown powder with some dark brown and sparkling specks
Rating
B- | 81/100
Tasting notes and thoughts:
So, I know a lot of people have an aversion to any instant tea, especially since its not even real tea, but I personally like it. The only reason is that during the time I spent in Philippines there wasn't any tea at all so I had to drink this stuff, which turned out to be somewhat decent (also the fact that I can be lazy in the mornings).
Anyway, I ended up buying this at a Japanese supermarket because I'm a sucker for Japanese milk teas (especially the canned/bottled ones). In fact, each time I've gone there I've bought a different brand or flavor of milk tea; I usually get Royal Milk Tea. As for this brand, I think it's one of the better instant milk teas I've had, especially since the taste is pretty close to the canned drinks. Unlike most other brands, it's not prepackaged into sticks so you can customize the strength of your flavor and reduce waste (I enjoyed the customization). The powder smells somewhat fruity and is obviously black tea; from the taste, I'm gonna guess that it's darjeeling mixed with ceylon tea, since it's very similar to the royal milk tea I make myself. It's not too bitter and not too sweet, which gives it a plus. It's hard to describe, but all I can say is that it tastes a lot like canned black milk tea.
My only problems with it is that the powder is weak-tasting, even if you follow the instructions (which leads to a really small cup), and that it isn't 'milky' enough. To add to this, it looks like the powder is also a bit hard to dissolve, which is a little weird. To fix this, I suggest just filling up a cup 3/4ths of the way with hot water, adding the powder to taste, and then pouring in some milk. Adding milk works with almost any instant milk tea, and in my opinion, makes it taste so much better. Overall, this is one of the better instant teas that I've had but the price point makes it a tough buy; try it iced and with milk!
Other Notes:
Gonna do 2 reviews today since I haven't done them in a while + this isn't even actual tea. July is coming to an end and I've ended up not doing a lot of what I've planned, so I'm going to spend today setting up work for August and writing stuff. On another note, I'm surprised at how much I could read on the back of this teas' packaging, especially since it's all in Japanese (thanks katakana skills!).
Twinings (Japan)
Price
$6 for 190 g
Type
Instant/Powdered
Recommended Brew Time, Temperature, Amount
(Hot) Add three teaspoons (17g) of powder to 120 ml of boiling water
(Iced) Add three teaspoons (17g) of powder to 20 ml of boiling water, and then add 100 ml of cold water
Leaf Appearance
Very fine, light brown powder with some dark brown and sparkling specks
Rating
B- | 81/100
Tasting notes and thoughts:
So, I know a lot of people have an aversion to any instant tea, especially since its not even real tea, but I personally like it. The only reason is that during the time I spent in Philippines there wasn't any tea at all so I had to drink this stuff, which turned out to be somewhat decent (also the fact that I can be lazy in the mornings).
Anyway, I ended up buying this at a Japanese supermarket because I'm a sucker for Japanese milk teas (especially the canned/bottled ones). In fact, each time I've gone there I've bought a different brand or flavor of milk tea; I usually get Royal Milk Tea. As for this brand, I think it's one of the better instant milk teas I've had, especially since the taste is pretty close to the canned drinks. Unlike most other brands, it's not prepackaged into sticks so you can customize the strength of your flavor and reduce waste (I enjoyed the customization). The powder smells somewhat fruity and is obviously black tea; from the taste, I'm gonna guess that it's darjeeling mixed with ceylon tea, since it's very similar to the royal milk tea I make myself. It's not too bitter and not too sweet, which gives it a plus. It's hard to describe, but all I can say is that it tastes a lot like canned black milk tea.
My only problems with it is that the powder is weak-tasting, even if you follow the instructions (which leads to a really small cup), and that it isn't 'milky' enough. To add to this, it looks like the powder is also a bit hard to dissolve, which is a little weird. To fix this, I suggest just filling up a cup 3/4ths of the way with hot water, adding the powder to taste, and then pouring in some milk. Adding milk works with almost any instant milk tea, and in my opinion, makes it taste so much better. Overall, this is one of the better instant teas that I've had but the price point makes it a tough buy; try it iced and with milk!
Other Notes:
Gonna do 2 reviews today since I haven't done them in a while + this isn't even actual tea. July is coming to an end and I've ended up not doing a lot of what I've planned, so I'm going to spend today setting up work for August and writing stuff. On another note, I'm surprised at how much I could read on the back of this teas' packaging, especially since it's all in Japanese (thanks katakana skills!).
Thursday, July 23, 2015
What's Going On? (Life Update) 7/23/15
Short update today since I feel kinda weird posting 2 life updates without anything in between.
So, California Extreme was great this year, even though none of my friends went. I played a ton of arcade games (and screwed up my wrist in the process!), joined a Panic Park tournament and got eliminated on the first round, met a bunch of people during my volunteering shifts, had a hell of a time at the Rockage SJ concerts, and overall had a lot of fun. I'm super happy since I got to meet the Megas (they complimented me on my Protomen shirt!) and Kirby's Dream Band (first time I heard their music ever, and I was blown away). I spent a ton of my money on merch, and got a CD from Dog Party, a vinyl from Kirby's Dream Band, and a CD from The Megas. I got the vinyl and Megas CDs signed for me and my friend (and in the process got to meet the bands and talk to them- they're super nice). Way better than last year even though Police 911, my favorite arcade game, or my friends weren't there.
As for non-CAX stuff, there wasn't really much since I've been taking it easy with my wrist. For tea stuff, I had a free sample come in from Teazillo, and I was pretty surprised. I got rose flavored black tea, and it came within two days of it shipping. The guy put them in really nice tins and included an extra (I only ordered 1). I'll get a review on that up sometime, but from what I've tried so far, it's actually pretty good. I've also been practicing cupping with the teas from Red Blossom Tea Co and Tea Ave, and drinking Twinings' The Rich Milk Tea (review also coming soon).
For non-tea stuff, I took another SAT practice test and got 2000 on it (10 more than last time, woo). The only 'work'- I doubt it even counts as real work- that I've really done is learning Audacity and converting my vinyls to digital. I also shipped out a package to my British friend with that signed Megas CD and some Ghiradelli chocolate, since he's the one who introduced me to the Megas and he's been having some health problems lately (hopefully it cheers him up). I also tried emailing a local ice cream shop that just opened if they're hiring, but they haven't gotten back to me (note to self: start filling out those apps!). Lastly, the girlfriend has been in Hawaii with her family for the past week and will be until the end of July, so I haven't really been talking to much people other than a few internet friends, namely the British guy mentioned above. Actually, my parents are going to Hawaii next week so I'm going to be alone with the grandparents then (I dunno how I feel about it).
Finally, that sleep study is going well! I finished doing a week-long sleep diary in which they call me daily and ask me a few questions about my sleep. I have to actually go into their lab for an in person interview, but according to my dad, it looks like I'm going to be accepted for their actual study with the ActiWatch and sleep coaching and sleeping at the lab and everything. He says they told him that the study could really help me and that I'm a good candidate for it. We'll see how the interview goes next week; I'm pretty hyped for it.
That's all for now! Thanks for reading.
So, California Extreme was great this year, even though none of my friends went. I played a ton of arcade games (and screwed up my wrist in the process!), joined a Panic Park tournament and got eliminated on the first round, met a bunch of people during my volunteering shifts, had a hell of a time at the Rockage SJ concerts, and overall had a lot of fun. I'm super happy since I got to meet the Megas (they complimented me on my Protomen shirt!) and Kirby's Dream Band (first time I heard their music ever, and I was blown away). I spent a ton of my money on merch, and got a CD from Dog Party, a vinyl from Kirby's Dream Band, and a CD from The Megas. I got the vinyl and Megas CDs signed for me and my friend (and in the process got to meet the bands and talk to them- they're super nice). Way better than last year even though Police 911, my favorite arcade game, or my friends weren't there.
As for non-CAX stuff, there wasn't really much since I've been taking it easy with my wrist. For tea stuff, I had a free sample come in from Teazillo, and I was pretty surprised. I got rose flavored black tea, and it came within two days of it shipping. The guy put them in really nice tins and included an extra (I only ordered 1). I'll get a review on that up sometime, but from what I've tried so far, it's actually pretty good. I've also been practicing cupping with the teas from Red Blossom Tea Co and Tea Ave, and drinking Twinings' The Rich Milk Tea (review also coming soon).
For non-tea stuff, I took another SAT practice test and got 2000 on it (10 more than last time, woo). The only 'work'- I doubt it even counts as real work- that I've really done is learning Audacity and converting my vinyls to digital. I also shipped out a package to my British friend with that signed Megas CD and some Ghiradelli chocolate, since he's the one who introduced me to the Megas and he's been having some health problems lately (hopefully it cheers him up). I also tried emailing a local ice cream shop that just opened if they're hiring, but they haven't gotten back to me (note to self: start filling out those apps!). Lastly, the girlfriend has been in Hawaii with her family for the past week and will be until the end of July, so I haven't really been talking to much people other than a few internet friends, namely the British guy mentioned above. Actually, my parents are going to Hawaii next week so I'm going to be alone with the grandparents then (I dunno how I feel about it).
Finally, that sleep study is going well! I finished doing a week-long sleep diary in which they call me daily and ask me a few questions about my sleep. I have to actually go into their lab for an in person interview, but according to my dad, it looks like I'm going to be accepted for their actual study with the ActiWatch and sleep coaching and sleeping at the lab and everything. He says they told him that the study could really help me and that I'm a good candidate for it. We'll see how the interview goes next week; I'm pretty hyped for it.
That's all for now! Thanks for reading.
Friday, July 17, 2015
What's Going On? (Life Update) 7/17/15
Woo, California Extreme is tomorrow! I'm gonna be volunteering for 2 hours both Saturday and Sunday, so I'll have free admission for the whole convention (so many free play arcade games!). The Megas are also going to be playing there, so I'm excited; I'm going to try and get a CD signed for one of my friends. Oh, and I might also film a video since I haven't made one in a while (it might be hard since it's going to be only me, and you also kinda need 2 hands to play arcade games).
Anyway, now lets get to what's been going on in my life.
As for tea stuff, I've mostly only been practicing cupping tea (aka tea tasting with the set I got from Tea Ave), as you can see in my most recent review. I've only really been drinking the Tea Ave stuff lately, and to be honest, I'm not sure how I feel towards the brand. Some of their teas are really good (remind me to pick up some Oriental Beauty), but for some reason, their tea can be really hard to brew. Like, it either tastes really good or like total crap if its' done right, and from what I've seen, it's kind of hard to do it right. It might be just me, which is why I've been drinking it so much lately (to try and get a feel for it), but I dunno. Other than that, I've also been planning to do that review of Twinings' The Rich Milk Tea soon since I really want to try it.
My job hunt kind of went on hold because I'm losing motivation right now, but I'm going to force myself to fill out the apps next week, along with starting summer homework (the writing part- I finished reading the Scarlet Letter in a binge reading session). As of now, I've only turned in 1 app and have the rest just lying in a folder in my room. Oh well. The dream for a science internship is still alive, though (which is a great transition into my next paragraph!).
Instead of getting a science internship like I was hoping, it turns out that I'm going to be on the opposite side- I joined a study about teen sleep! Essentially, they're trying to see how effective sleep coaching is at UC Berkeley. I finished the first interview and they think I'm a good candidate, so they're making me do sleep diaries for a week (what time I went to bed, how many times I woke up, how long it took for me to fall asleep, etc.). If they like my sleep diaries and my second interview, I get to do an 8-week (?) long study, where I have to sleep at their clinic, wear an Actiwatch, and take sleep coaching sessions. They'll then keep a tab on me for the next year to see how I'm doing. I'm really excited for this since it's research that also can help me at the same time. Honestly, I tried sleeping like how I did during the school year earlier this week (6 or less hours of sleep), and I was tired as hell all day; I have no idea how I kept that up for so long, and I guess I can see why I always passed out for a nap right after school. So, I'm really hoping I'll get accepted into the study after the second interview.
Other than that, I didn't really do much this week because of how hyped I am for CAX and that study. Mostly just SAT classes, CS:GO, and the Kill Bill movies (I really liked those). Oh, and I finally saw my girlfriend for the first time since summer started! We watched movies and played games at her house with some other people, which was pretty fun (except the fact that it seemed like her parents were shooting daggers at and judging me the whole time and were using her siblings to spy on us). Can't wait until she gets back at the end of July.
Finally, here's just a list of what I want to get done before July ends:
-Finish/turn in all of those job apps
-Participate in the sleep study
-Read those science textbooks I've been too lazy to read lately
-Read the APUSH text & work on the respective homework (along with AP english stuff)
-Make an examples Quizlet for AP english
-Practice piano, better handwriting, etc.
-Write those reviews I've been waiting to do for so long
-If I do record stuff at CAX, then edit + release the video
-Bike/exercise/eat/cook more & better
-Other stuff that I can't remember right now; I might update this later
Well, thanks for reading! I'm going to go be excited about CAX and the Megas and all that other stuff.
Anyway, now lets get to what's been going on in my life.
As for tea stuff, I've mostly only been practicing cupping tea (aka tea tasting with the set I got from Tea Ave), as you can see in my most recent review. I've only really been drinking the Tea Ave stuff lately, and to be honest, I'm not sure how I feel towards the brand. Some of their teas are really good (remind me to pick up some Oriental Beauty), but for some reason, their tea can be really hard to brew. Like, it either tastes really good or like total crap if its' done right, and from what I've seen, it's kind of hard to do it right. It might be just me, which is why I've been drinking it so much lately (to try and get a feel for it), but I dunno. Other than that, I've also been planning to do that review of Twinings' The Rich Milk Tea soon since I really want to try it.
My job hunt kind of went on hold because I'm losing motivation right now, but I'm going to force myself to fill out the apps next week, along with starting summer homework (the writing part- I finished reading the Scarlet Letter in a binge reading session). As of now, I've only turned in 1 app and have the rest just lying in a folder in my room. Oh well. The dream for a science internship is still alive, though (which is a great transition into my next paragraph!).
Instead of getting a science internship like I was hoping, it turns out that I'm going to be on the opposite side- I joined a study about teen sleep! Essentially, they're trying to see how effective sleep coaching is at UC Berkeley. I finished the first interview and they think I'm a good candidate, so they're making me do sleep diaries for a week (what time I went to bed, how many times I woke up, how long it took for me to fall asleep, etc.). If they like my sleep diaries and my second interview, I get to do an 8-week (?) long study, where I have to sleep at their clinic, wear an Actiwatch, and take sleep coaching sessions. They'll then keep a tab on me for the next year to see how I'm doing. I'm really excited for this since it's research that also can help me at the same time. Honestly, I tried sleeping like how I did during the school year earlier this week (6 or less hours of sleep), and I was tired as hell all day; I have no idea how I kept that up for so long, and I guess I can see why I always passed out for a nap right after school. So, I'm really hoping I'll get accepted into the study after the second interview.
Other than that, I didn't really do much this week because of how hyped I am for CAX and that study. Mostly just SAT classes, CS:GO, and the Kill Bill movies (I really liked those). Oh, and I finally saw my girlfriend for the first time since summer started! We watched movies and played games at her house with some other people, which was pretty fun (except the fact that it seemed like her parents were shooting daggers at and judging me the whole time and were using her siblings to spy on us). Can't wait until she gets back at the end of July.
Finally, here's just a list of what I want to get done before July ends:
-Finish/turn in all of those job apps
-Participate in the sleep study
-Read those science textbooks I've been too lazy to read lately
-Read the APUSH text & work on the respective homework (along with AP english stuff)
-Make an examples Quizlet for AP english
-Practice piano, better handwriting, etc.
-Write those reviews I've been waiting to do for so long
-If I do record stuff at CAX, then edit + release the video
-Bike/exercise/eat/cook more & better
-Other stuff that I can't remember right now; I might update this later
Well, thanks for reading! I'm going to go be excited about CAX and the Megas and all that other stuff.
Monday, July 13, 2015
Tea Review: Alishan Jin Xuan Oolong - Tea Ave
Brand
Tea Ave
Price
~$10 for 25 g or ~1 oz
Type
Green oolong
Recommended Brew Time, Temperature, Amount
Gongfu*- brew up to 60s at 90-95°C with 8g of tea
Leaf Appearance
Pre-steeped: a mix of large, dark and light green balled oolong leaves; size varies anywhere from 1/3 to 1/2 inch long
Steeped: large, light green leaves; many have stems attached (which is to be expected with ball oolong)
Rating
B | 85/100
Tasting notes and thoughts:
So, today I'll be tasting Tea Ave's Jin Xuan (aka Milk) oolong. However, instead of using a gaiwan like I usually do, I'll be using a professional tea tasting set from Tea Ave. My brewing parameters are going to be boiling water for 3 minutes, with about 3 grams- estimated. I'm not really experienced with this, so this is mostly just going to be practice (I'm also kinda lazy today for cleaning up my whole tea set, which is why I'm using this today).
Brew 1 (3 min.):
No rinse this time. The tea was a bright yellow-green, with a few leaf particles (no filter). The aroma was milky and grassy; however, it was more on the grassy side. Compared to Vital Tea Leaf's, this is much less milky smelling but still very pleasing. The leaves were beginning to open up, but still had the pearl shape. Oddly enough, there was a light roasted taste, which was quickly followed by the vegetal and creamy milk taste. It had a tiny bit of tart to it, and was very smooth with little astringency.
Brew 2 (3 min.):
Color started moving towards a brighter green from yellow. The leaves are still opening up, but are much larger now. The milky and creamy smell is much more prevalent, making it seem much more sweeter. As for the taste, it had lost the roasted notes and is becoming more creamy and grassy, ending on a sour note. It feels even more smooth now- I really enjoyed this brew.
Brew 3 (3 min.):
Color was becoming a bit more lighter, but retained the yellow-green shade. By this point, the leaves were almost fully open (I may have used too much leaf since there are a ton; it's either that or they are big). The aroma was very sweet and milky, but for some reason I got some really light metal-like notes. However, the taste was beginning to lose its sweet and milky qualities and is becoming similar to a green tea.
Brew 4 (3 min.):
Surprisingly, the color was a much more bright green for this brew. Leaves were fully expanded, and the aroma was still milky but had somehow lost its sweet notes (to be honest, it's kind of hard for me to describe). It's starting to lose its flavor- it is still very smooth, but is lacking the milky flavor found in earlier brews.
Brew 5 (3 min.):
Last brew- note that the label says it can go to 6 brews, as long as you increase the brew time (which I'm not). Anyway, the color was a bright green but very light, and the aroma was relatively the same (milky, but without any sweet notes- it's weird). There was almost little taste at this point. I could notice some vegetal notes, but they were too light to really be any factor.
Final Notes:
Overall, a pretty enjoyable tea- milk oolong is still one of my favorites. However, I do prefer Vital Tea Leaf's over this, since it has a much stronger flavor that lasts longer too. Despite that, this is still a good tea. The lower price point (and online availability) makes this much easier to obtain which is a huge plus for me. If you're buying from Tea Ave, I suggest picking this up with your order.
Other Notes:
So, I tried some of the samples a couple of days ago, and I'm impressed. The magnolia oolong (along with the rose) fits well with the jin xuan base, and is not too overbearing like most flower teas. The oriental beauty, however, is my favorite. It smells exactly like fruits and honey, and tastes like it too. It's different than most teas I've had and I really like it.
Tea Ave
Price
~$10 for 25 g or ~1 oz
Type
Green oolong
Recommended Brew Time, Temperature, Amount
Gongfu*- brew up to 60s at 90-95°C with 8g of tea
Leaf Appearance
Pre-steeped: a mix of large, dark and light green balled oolong leaves; size varies anywhere from 1/3 to 1/2 inch long
Steeped: large, light green leaves; many have stems attached (which is to be expected with ball oolong)
Rating
B | 85/100
Tasting notes and thoughts:
So, today I'll be tasting Tea Ave's Jin Xuan (aka Milk) oolong. However, instead of using a gaiwan like I usually do, I'll be using a professional tea tasting set from Tea Ave. My brewing parameters are going to be boiling water for 3 minutes, with about 3 grams- estimated. I'm not really experienced with this, so this is mostly just going to be practice (I'm also kinda lazy today for cleaning up my whole tea set, which is why I'm using this today).
Brew 1 (3 min.):
No rinse this time. The tea was a bright yellow-green, with a few leaf particles (no filter). The aroma was milky and grassy; however, it was more on the grassy side. Compared to Vital Tea Leaf's, this is much less milky smelling but still very pleasing. The leaves were beginning to open up, but still had the pearl shape. Oddly enough, there was a light roasted taste, which was quickly followed by the vegetal and creamy milk taste. It had a tiny bit of tart to it, and was very smooth with little astringency.
Brew 2 (3 min.):
Color started moving towards a brighter green from yellow. The leaves are still opening up, but are much larger now. The milky and creamy smell is much more prevalent, making it seem much more sweeter. As for the taste, it had lost the roasted notes and is becoming more creamy and grassy, ending on a sour note. It feels even more smooth now- I really enjoyed this brew.
Brew 3 (3 min.):
Color was becoming a bit more lighter, but retained the yellow-green shade. By this point, the leaves were almost fully open (I may have used too much leaf since there are a ton; it's either that or they are big). The aroma was very sweet and milky, but for some reason I got some really light metal-like notes. However, the taste was beginning to lose its sweet and milky qualities and is becoming similar to a green tea.
Brew 4 (3 min.):
Surprisingly, the color was a much more bright green for this brew. Leaves were fully expanded, and the aroma was still milky but had somehow lost its sweet notes (to be honest, it's kind of hard for me to describe). It's starting to lose its flavor- it is still very smooth, but is lacking the milky flavor found in earlier brews.
Brew 5 (3 min.):
Last brew- note that the label says it can go to 6 brews, as long as you increase the brew time (which I'm not). Anyway, the color was a bright green but very light, and the aroma was relatively the same (milky, but without any sweet notes- it's weird). There was almost little taste at this point. I could notice some vegetal notes, but they were too light to really be any factor.
Final Notes:
Overall, a pretty enjoyable tea- milk oolong is still one of my favorites. However, I do prefer Vital Tea Leaf's over this, since it has a much stronger flavor that lasts longer too. Despite that, this is still a good tea. The lower price point (and online availability) makes this much easier to obtain which is a huge plus for me. If you're buying from Tea Ave, I suggest picking this up with your order.
Other Notes:
So, I tried some of the samples a couple of days ago, and I'm impressed. The magnolia oolong (along with the rose) fits well with the jin xuan base, and is not too overbearing like most flower teas. The oriental beauty, however, is my favorite. It smells exactly like fruits and honey, and tastes like it too. It's different than most teas I've had and I really like it.
Friday, July 10, 2015
Quick Update: 7/10/15
Alright, so here's a quick update of what's happened lately and what I'm planning to do soon.
I bought some stuff from Tea Ave (http://teaave.com/) and it came in the mail yesterday, and I am very pleased with what I got. It came from Vancouver to California in 2-3 days with free shipping, and inside the package was a free totebag, 4 free samples (3 loose leaf, 1 teabag), a letter, their business cards, and the tea and oolong competition tasting set I bought. First time buying from them, and I am very impressed.
As for the tea I got from them, I bought myself 25g of Jin Xuan oolong and 25g of Rose oolong, so expect reviews from those. The samples they gave me were Tie Kwan Yin oolong, Magnolia Oolong, and Oriental Beauty- as for these, I want to drink it and enjoy it without having to worry about writing a review each brew, BUT I might write a quick/very short review about them. I'm actually tempted to buy the larger packs of these oolongs from Tea Ave if I like them enough.
Now, the upcoming reviews are:
Tea Ave. Jin Xuan oolong/Rose oolong/Magnolia oolong*/Tie Kwan Yin oolong*/Oriental Beauty oolong*, Red Blossom Tea Co. Pi Lo Chun/Monkey Picked Tieguanyin,
assorted instant milk teas (like Twinings' The Rich Milk Tea and Owl teas),
and very possibly re-reviews of some Lupicia teas (since I've been drinking some of their loose leaf).
*possibly a short review or none at all
And finally, what's going on in my life. Woke up today to a nice surprise- a 5 on the AP Bio exam- so I'm pretty happy about that. Thanks to urging from my dad and girlfriend, I think I've decided that I'm going to self-teach myself AP physics (and possibly chem) from the textbooks and also take the AP exams, since I have the whole year to learn it. I'll have to work my ass off for that, but I guess it won't be too bad since I can retake the test. Secondly, I got most of the applications from the places near me, and I've turned in an app to Baskin Robbins, but I'm waiting for them to call back. So, for the next week or so, I'm just gonna be filling those out, editing my resume, and turning those in. Thirdly, I also took another SAT practice test. It wasn't as bad as the first time, and I actually think my essay was decent this time. I didn't finish one section, but oh well it's just a practice test for Princeton Review. And finally, California Extreme is coming up next week! I'm volunteering both days so I'm super excited, especially since The Megas are playing there (free play arcade games are awesome too). My friends might come, but I think they're going on their own since I have an early shift.
So, that's it! Thanks for reading.
I bought some stuff from Tea Ave (http://teaave.com/) and it came in the mail yesterday, and I am very pleased with what I got. It came from Vancouver to California in 2-3 days with free shipping, and inside the package was a free totebag, 4 free samples (3 loose leaf, 1 teabag), a letter, their business cards, and the tea and oolong competition tasting set I bought. First time buying from them, and I am very impressed.
As for the tea I got from them, I bought myself 25g of Jin Xuan oolong and 25g of Rose oolong, so expect reviews from those. The samples they gave me were Tie Kwan Yin oolong, Magnolia Oolong, and Oriental Beauty- as for these, I want to drink it and enjoy it without having to worry about writing a review each brew, BUT I might write a quick/very short review about them. I'm actually tempted to buy the larger packs of these oolongs from Tea Ave if I like them enough.
Now, the upcoming reviews are:
Tea Ave. Jin Xuan oolong/Rose oolong/Magnolia oolong*/Tie Kwan Yin oolong*/Oriental Beauty oolong*, Red Blossom Tea Co. Pi Lo Chun/Monkey Picked Tieguanyin,
assorted instant milk teas (like Twinings' The Rich Milk Tea and Owl teas),
and very possibly re-reviews of some Lupicia teas (since I've been drinking some of their loose leaf).
*possibly a short review or none at all
And finally, what's going on in my life. Woke up today to a nice surprise- a 5 on the AP Bio exam- so I'm pretty happy about that. Thanks to urging from my dad and girlfriend, I think I've decided that I'm going to self-teach myself AP physics (and possibly chem) from the textbooks and also take the AP exams, since I have the whole year to learn it. I'll have to work my ass off for that, but I guess it won't be too bad since I can retake the test. Secondly, I got most of the applications from the places near me, and I've turned in an app to Baskin Robbins, but I'm waiting for them to call back. So, for the next week or so, I'm just gonna be filling those out, editing my resume, and turning those in. Thirdly, I also took another SAT practice test. It wasn't as bad as the first time, and I actually think my essay was decent this time. I didn't finish one section, but oh well it's just a practice test for Princeton Review. And finally, California Extreme is coming up next week! I'm volunteering both days so I'm super excited, especially since The Megas are playing there (free play arcade games are awesome too). My friends might come, but I think they're going on their own since I have an early shift.
So, that's it! Thanks for reading.
Monday, July 6, 2015
Recipe: Avocado Baked Eggs with Garlic, Tomato, Lemon, Sea Salt, and Green Tea
So, thanks to my girlfriend, I've also decided to post some of my recipes on here (I'll try to include tea in them just to fit with the blog theme)! This, along with guacamole, is my go-to recipe for avocados.
Ingredients
Avocado (1 whole avocado)
Garlic (1-2 cloves)
Loose leaf green tea (1 tbsp of leaves)
Lemon (1 whole lemon)
Any oil (Spray or 1 tbsp)
Tomato (1 whole tomato)
Egg (1-2 whole eggs)
Sea salt (Add to taste)
Pepper (Add to taste)
Water (2-3 tbsp)
How to prepare
Step 1: Cut your avocado (hass) in half and remove the pit. Scoop out some of the avocado to create a deeper well for the egg. You can either get rid of the excess avocado, place it in a separate ramekin, or stuff it into one of the avocado halves (if you're only using 1 egg). Preheat the oven to 350-400°F.
Step 2: Place the avocados, with the flesh facing out, on a baking tray so they stand up & are balanced. Crack open an egg or 2 and pour them into each well. It should sit snug, but it's fine if it overflows- just get rid of the excess (it can get messy). Scrambled eggs work too!
Step 3: Cut a tomato into slices (size depends on preference, but I cut it 1/3" thick). I use roma tomatoes for this. Place the slice on top of the avocado; it shouldn't be wider than the avocado.
Step 4: Chop or mince your garlic cloves. Evenly sprinkle/distribute it over the avocado.
Step 5: Heat your water if it isn't already warm, and brew your tea. Once the leaves are opened, evenly sprinkle them over the avocado. Personally, I like using a loose leaf green tea, like a sencha or Pi Lo Chun since the leaves are small and taste pretty good on their own. If your baking tray allows, pour the brewed tea onto it so it can evaporate and create an aroma (don't waste!).
Step 5: Cut your lemon, depending on how much juice you want. Squeeze/juice it over the avocados. I haven't tried this yet, but you can also try adding lemon zest, along with the juice, for flavor.
Step 6: Sea salt and pepper to taste. Quickly spray the tops of the avocados with oil (I use canola because I have it), or just drizzle (grapeseed or olive oil would work great too).
Step 7: Carefully place in oven, so as to not knock over the avocados or spill anything. Cook at 350-400°F for 20-30 minutes, depending on how well done you want your eggs.
Step 8: Serve! They're great as their own meal or as a side.
Note: you can pretty much do anything with this recipe- add spices, do steps 3-6 out of order, miss/add steps, whatever! It's pretty forgiving since it's so simple.
How to Tea 101: A Quick Start Guide
Here's a quick infocard I made for a presentation about tea tasting in English class. Don't mind the formatting and everything else since I made this in less than an hour the day before- honestly, I hate the font choice, but oh well.
Also, I know I said I wouldn't post any pictures on this blog, but I'm way too lazy to reformat this from word for here. So, new rule: pictures only in certain situations. However, I'm not sure what situations they would be, but I might add pictures of the tea and other stuff occasionally.
Sunday, July 5, 2015
Tea Review: Blue People Ginseng Oolong - Vital Tea Leaf
Brand
Vital Tea Leaf
Price
$40 for 4 oz
Type
Flavored dark/roasted oolong
Brew Time, Temperature, Amount (from the container)
Gaiwan- brew up to 30 secs, 180-190°F, 1-2 tsp; 8 brews
Leaf Appearance
Misshapen, ball-rolled oolong covered in a dark green powder which gives it a bit of a dried owl pellet like texture; balled leaves are about 0.5 inches long (pre-steeped)
Medium-small very dark green/brown, wrinkled leaves up to 1 inch long (steeped)
Rating
B | 84/100
Tasting notes and thoughts:
So, I got a bit of a headache today after watching Iron Sky (funny movie, but staring at a screen and just lying/sitting down all day isn't really good for me), and I thought, what would be a better way to fix it than a nice drinking session? This tea is covered in ginseng and stevia too, which is great for energy.
Brew 1 (post-rinse; 20 sec):
For the first brew, the tea had a light, clear yellow color; despite the strength of the aroma, it wasn't as colorful as the milk oolong. On the other hand, the aroma was very similar to coffee- it smells very roasted and earthy, but with a tiny bit of sweetness. At this point, the leaves are still mostly closed. The taste was honestly somewhat weak, but smooth and with a bit of a smoke and licorice taste. The effect that this tea is known for, a very sweet aftertaste that lingers in the mouth, has already begun- and personally, I enjoy it.
Brew 2 (30 sec):
Since the previous brew was a tad weak, I decided to increase the brew time to 30 seconds. The leaves were starting to open up, revealing a very dark green, wrinkled leaf. The liquid was a much darker and brighter yellow (probably due to the increased time and second brew), with an oily film- probably the stevia- on top. It smelt a tiny bit less roasted and coffee-like, and is moving towards a sweet, sugar-like aroma. As for the taste on this brew, it was a bit stronger, still with the roasted, smoky, wood-like taste; it slowly moved towards a super sweet aftertaste, staying in your mouth.
Brew 3 (45 sec):
Bumped up the time again because I think my water is starting to not be hot enough for this tea. Color is now a darker yellow with small particles (which got past my filter), and honestly, at this point, the smell is almost only the sweet stevia. However, the taste has changed from a primarily smoky taste to a sour/tart taste, then smoky, and finally sweet. The sweet aftertaste that lingers in your mouth continues.
Brew 4 (35 sec):
Lowering the time now since the last brew was a tiny bit bitter. Leaves are almost fully open by this point, and the brew is now starting to change to a lighter yellow. The smell is a bit of licorice, roastiness, and sweetness. The taste starts with the roasted licorice notes, which quickly changes into a very tart, sour taste. At this point, there's very little sweetness, but it's still somewhat noticeable. Honestly, I think I enjoy the sourness of the tea at this point, since it's actually much more sour than other teas but is still enjoyable (not like lemon juice sour, but just tart). Gonna stop brewing here, since I'm almost certain my water is too cold for this tea.
Final Notes:
I enjoy this tea mainly because its so different from other teas; rather than just being scented by the ginseng, it's actually rolled with the ginseng and stevia during preparation. This gives it a characteristic super sweet aftertaste that you can't find in other teas (at least I haven't found it in anything else yet), and also creates an odd, but satisfying, flavor change over brews. It starts out smoky and sweet, and eventually changes to a sour, roasted flavor. It's decent as a cold-brewed tea (it's mostly sweet though), too. I like it, but it wouldn't be a daily drink for me; however, it is one of those teas you have to try at least once or twice because of how unique it is. Oh, and remember to use the correct temperature of water, unlike me. I ended up leaving my water out too long so it got too cold, and this tea is one of those that need a higher temperature.
Other Notes:
My posting schedule is now as follows: I'll have tea reviews once a week (specific day TBA), followed by a life update. I might also post other stuff too like the Alternate History prompts, but those will mostly just be random. I'll probably need to stock back up on tea though if I want to do this more than a month; the only tea I have at this point is a ton of different powdered instant teas, Lupicia Momo Oolong Super Grade, Lupicia Cookie, Red Blossom Tea Co. Pi Lo Chun, Red Blossom Tea Co. Tieguanyin, Red Blossom Tea Co. Chai, and probably some cheap tea bags that I have lying around in the kitchen.
Vital Tea Leaf
Price
$40 for 4 oz
Type
Flavored dark/roasted oolong
Brew Time, Temperature, Amount (from the container)
Gaiwan- brew up to 30 secs, 180-190°F, 1-2 tsp; 8 brews
Leaf Appearance
Misshapen, ball-rolled oolong covered in a dark green powder which gives it a bit of a dried owl pellet like texture; balled leaves are about 0.5 inches long (pre-steeped)
Medium-small very dark green/brown, wrinkled leaves up to 1 inch long (steeped)
Rating
B | 84/100
Tasting notes and thoughts:
So, I got a bit of a headache today after watching Iron Sky (funny movie, but staring at a screen and just lying/sitting down all day isn't really good for me), and I thought, what would be a better way to fix it than a nice drinking session? This tea is covered in ginseng and stevia too, which is great for energy.
Brew 1 (post-rinse; 20 sec):
For the first brew, the tea had a light, clear yellow color; despite the strength of the aroma, it wasn't as colorful as the milk oolong. On the other hand, the aroma was very similar to coffee- it smells very roasted and earthy, but with a tiny bit of sweetness. At this point, the leaves are still mostly closed. The taste was honestly somewhat weak, but smooth and with a bit of a smoke and licorice taste. The effect that this tea is known for, a very sweet aftertaste that lingers in the mouth, has already begun- and personally, I enjoy it.
Brew 2 (30 sec):
Since the previous brew was a tad weak, I decided to increase the brew time to 30 seconds. The leaves were starting to open up, revealing a very dark green, wrinkled leaf. The liquid was a much darker and brighter yellow (probably due to the increased time and second brew), with an oily film- probably the stevia- on top. It smelt a tiny bit less roasted and coffee-like, and is moving towards a sweet, sugar-like aroma. As for the taste on this brew, it was a bit stronger, still with the roasted, smoky, wood-like taste; it slowly moved towards a super sweet aftertaste, staying in your mouth.
Brew 3 (45 sec):
Bumped up the time again because I think my water is starting to not be hot enough for this tea. Color is now a darker yellow with small particles (which got past my filter), and honestly, at this point, the smell is almost only the sweet stevia. However, the taste has changed from a primarily smoky taste to a sour/tart taste, then smoky, and finally sweet. The sweet aftertaste that lingers in your mouth continues.
Brew 4 (35 sec):
Lowering the time now since the last brew was a tiny bit bitter. Leaves are almost fully open by this point, and the brew is now starting to change to a lighter yellow. The smell is a bit of licorice, roastiness, and sweetness. The taste starts with the roasted licorice notes, which quickly changes into a very tart, sour taste. At this point, there's very little sweetness, but it's still somewhat noticeable. Honestly, I think I enjoy the sourness of the tea at this point, since it's actually much more sour than other teas but is still enjoyable (not like lemon juice sour, but just tart). Gonna stop brewing here, since I'm almost certain my water is too cold for this tea.
Final Notes:
I enjoy this tea mainly because its so different from other teas; rather than just being scented by the ginseng, it's actually rolled with the ginseng and stevia during preparation. This gives it a characteristic super sweet aftertaste that you can't find in other teas (at least I haven't found it in anything else yet), and also creates an odd, but satisfying, flavor change over brews. It starts out smoky and sweet, and eventually changes to a sour, roasted flavor. It's decent as a cold-brewed tea (it's mostly sweet though), too. I like it, but it wouldn't be a daily drink for me; however, it is one of those teas you have to try at least once or twice because of how unique it is. Oh, and remember to use the correct temperature of water, unlike me. I ended up leaving my water out too long so it got too cold, and this tea is one of those that need a higher temperature.
Other Notes:
My posting schedule is now as follows: I'll have tea reviews once a week (specific day TBA), followed by a life update. I might also post other stuff too like the Alternate History prompts, but those will mostly just be random. I'll probably need to stock back up on tea though if I want to do this more than a month; the only tea I have at this point is a ton of different powdered instant teas, Lupicia Momo Oolong Super Grade, Lupicia Cookie, Red Blossom Tea Co. Pi Lo Chun, Red Blossom Tea Co. Tieguanyin, Red Blossom Tea Co. Chai, and probably some cheap tea bags that I have lying around in the kitchen.
Saturday, July 4, 2015
What's Going On? (Life Update) 7/4/15
Happy 4th of July! Go America.
Anyway, here's what's been happening- I've designated July as my "Get Shit Done" month, so for the past few days I've been trying to actually get something useful done.
Since the 1st, I've been practicing piano for around an hour (?) a day, and have gotten pretty far. As of now, the songs that I've focusing on and can play somewhat decently now are Before Dawn from the .hack//SIGN soundtrack, the instrumental to Paper Boats from the Transistor soundtrack, and The Impossible Dream from the Man of La Mancha soundtrack. I actually enjoy playing now, since I've gotten much better at sight reading. However, I still have that dream of playing Piano Sonata in A Minor Croatoa, Op. 5, Mov. 1 by Jonas Blake one day (the piano cover of Lost Temple of Croatoa Suite from Jamestown); maybe I'll be able to before I graduate, but I still have a really long way to go. The Apartment Theme would also be a nice song to know too.
On the 2nd, I had SAT practice class from Princeton Review (which I'm honestly not too happy about, but oh well it's something to do). We got the scores back from the previous SAT practice test we took, and as of now, I'm at 1730 with a 3/6 on the essay. I'm pretty sure I can improve, since it seems like a lot of the questions I got wrong were because of not reading closely enough. After that, I spent a couple hours biking all over my town looking for places that were hiring and for job applications (I'll talk about it more below). Here's a tip: don't go job hunting before Independence Day weekend, since every place is closed early and isn't open until the next week.
The 3rd wasn't really a productive day (in terms of "Getting Shit Done"), but I actually had fun with friends! Honestly, I'm a bit disappointed with myself since I've only hung out with friends twice this whole summer. The first time I got lunch and hung out with my old friends a week ago, and this time, I went to the fair for the whole day with a different group- my newer friends. It was a ton of fun, but a lot of them had to leave early and I couldn't go on much rides after a while since I felt like throwing up from the heat & dehydration. Also got some SAT homework done but that's pretty much it.
Today, I started online Drivers' Ed classes, did some more SAT homework, wrote this, and maybe will fill out some of the applications.
As for the girlfriend, we've been chatting almost every day since she's been out of country after summer started (would prefer if we were hanging out together, but oh well). It's gotten more serious and a lot of stuff has happened, but I still like her as much as when we started dating. If you're reading this, I'm not lying, even though you might think different. I'm planning to give her something big for when she gets back (not gonna spoil it), but it might involve stuffed animals and junk food and stuff.
As for some sort of work, my hopes for a biology or science internship have pretty much died at this point since professors seem to want to get emails months in advance (reminder to self: start emails in spring), and the chances now are super slim. I'm a bit bummed out since that one guy from my science fair project (the one who did the least) got a really nice, paid internship at UCSF because of family connections, but oh well, I'm not rich. I've changed my focus to a part time job (summer, but might continue through the school year), and I think I have my CV/resume almost ready. The places I'm interested in are Baskin Robbins, 99 Ranch, Rising Loafer (a cafe/bakery-I'm sure you can guess where I live now from that), Java Detour (a drive-thru coffee shop), Screenworks (fixing screens woo) and Workbench Hardware (I'm interested, but the hours/available shifts are kinda crap). To be honest, though, I'm actually a bit scared of this since it'll be a big change, but I need the money (for reasons stated below) and something to do.
Other stuff I have in store are volunteering at California Extreme and AP homework. The volunteering I'm looking forward to because it's going to be a ton of free arcade games and bands playing, but I might have to go alone since all of my friends are either busy or out of town. I've started the AP homework (English and History woo), but I've been going at a snail's pace since I'm too lazy to spend a ton of time on it. I also started reading the AP Physics textbook, even though I'm not signed up for the class, so there's that. Oh, and one last thing that I haven't mentioned yet- I think I'm gonna be going to Japan with my sister for winter break! I've been saving since the start of this year (I'm at $1000 now; a job will help tremendously), and my parents are letting me go with her since she'll be studying abroad then. Woo!
Well, that's it! I might try to figure out a schedule to post these so they're not super long like this one, but I've kinda been lazy on posting stuff lately so we'll see. Thanks for reading!
Anyway, here's what's been happening- I've designated July as my "Get Shit Done" month, so for the past few days I've been trying to actually get something useful done.
Since the 1st, I've been practicing piano for around an hour (?) a day, and have gotten pretty far. As of now, the songs that I've focusing on and can play somewhat decently now are Before Dawn from the .hack//SIGN soundtrack, the instrumental to Paper Boats from the Transistor soundtrack, and The Impossible Dream from the Man of La Mancha soundtrack. I actually enjoy playing now, since I've gotten much better at sight reading. However, I still have that dream of playing Piano Sonata in A Minor Croatoa, Op. 5, Mov. 1 by Jonas Blake one day (the piano cover of Lost Temple of Croatoa Suite from Jamestown); maybe I'll be able to before I graduate, but I still have a really long way to go. The Apartment Theme would also be a nice song to know too.
On the 2nd, I had SAT practice class from Princeton Review (which I'm honestly not too happy about, but oh well it's something to do). We got the scores back from the previous SAT practice test we took, and as of now, I'm at 1730 with a 3/6 on the essay. I'm pretty sure I can improve, since it seems like a lot of the questions I got wrong were because of not reading closely enough. After that, I spent a couple hours biking all over my town looking for places that were hiring and for job applications (I'll talk about it more below). Here's a tip: don't go job hunting before Independence Day weekend, since every place is closed early and isn't open until the next week.
The 3rd wasn't really a productive day (in terms of "Getting Shit Done"), but I actually had fun with friends! Honestly, I'm a bit disappointed with myself since I've only hung out with friends twice this whole summer. The first time I got lunch and hung out with my old friends a week ago, and this time, I went to the fair for the whole day with a different group- my newer friends. It was a ton of fun, but a lot of them had to leave early and I couldn't go on much rides after a while since I felt like throwing up from the heat & dehydration. Also got some SAT homework done but that's pretty much it.
Today, I started online Drivers' Ed classes, did some more SAT homework, wrote this, and maybe will fill out some of the applications.
As for the girlfriend, we've been chatting almost every day since she's been out of country after summer started (would prefer if we were hanging out together, but oh well). It's gotten more serious and a lot of stuff has happened, but I still like her as much as when we started dating. If you're reading this, I'm not lying, even though you might think different. I'm planning to give her something big for when she gets back (not gonna spoil it), but it might involve stuffed animals and junk food and stuff.
As for some sort of work, my hopes for a biology or science internship have pretty much died at this point since professors seem to want to get emails months in advance (reminder to self: start emails in spring), and the chances now are super slim. I'm a bit bummed out since that one guy from my science fair project (the one who did the least) got a really nice, paid internship at UCSF because of family connections, but oh well, I'm not rich. I've changed my focus to a part time job (summer, but might continue through the school year), and I think I have my CV/resume almost ready. The places I'm interested in are Baskin Robbins, 99 Ranch, Rising Loafer (a cafe/bakery-I'm sure you can guess where I live now from that), Java Detour (a drive-thru coffee shop), Screenworks (fixing screens woo) and Workbench Hardware (I'm interested, but the hours/available shifts are kinda crap). To be honest, though, I'm actually a bit scared of this since it'll be a big change, but I need the money (for reasons stated below) and something to do.
Other stuff I have in store are volunteering at California Extreme and AP homework. The volunteering I'm looking forward to because it's going to be a ton of free arcade games and bands playing, but I might have to go alone since all of my friends are either busy or out of town. I've started the AP homework (English and History woo), but I've been going at a snail's pace since I'm too lazy to spend a ton of time on it. I also started reading the AP Physics textbook, even though I'm not signed up for the class, so there's that. Oh, and one last thing that I haven't mentioned yet- I think I'm gonna be going to Japan with my sister for winter break! I've been saving since the start of this year (I'm at $1000 now; a job will help tremendously), and my parents are letting me go with her since she'll be studying abroad then. Woo!
Well, that's it! I might try to figure out a schedule to post these so they're not super long like this one, but I've kinda been lazy on posting stuff lately so we'll see. Thanks for reading!
Thursday, July 2, 2015
Tea Review: Milk Oolong - Vital Tea Leaf
Brand
Vital Tea Leaf (in San Francisco's Chinatown)
Price
$40 for 4 oz
Type
Green Oolong
Brew Time, Temperature, Amount (from the container)
Using a gaiwan- brew up to 30 secs, 180-190°F, 1-2 tbsp; 8 brews
Leaf Appearance
Mix of large, dark & light green balled oolong; most are about 1/5 of an inch in diameter (pre-steeped)
Dark yellow-green leaves, few stems, leaf size varied greatly from 1 inch to 0.5 inch (steeped)
Rating
B+ | 88/100
Tasting notes and thoughts:
Well, this is my first review in a super long time, so don't expect much. Note that I may not have the exact water temperature, amount of leaves (especially since I'm actually out of the loose leaf now; this is the last bit I have), etc. Also a bit of a speed review since I have to leave in a bit for a class (sorry!).
Brew 1 (20 sec):
Just to clarify, this is the brew after rinsing the tea. The liquid had a very bright yellow color, with a strong creamy milk aroma as the prevalent note. It also smelled very grassy and fresh- which was fitting, as its a green oolong. As for the taste, grassy, vegetal (like broccoli?) notes were dominating. It was followed by the light creamy taste, and oddly, a metallic taste. Not very tannic or astringent, which was nice.
Brew 2 (15 sec):
Brewed shorter this time to try and draw out the milky flavor. Color was still a bright yellow; in fact, I think it was even brighter than the previous brew. The smell on this one was more milky, and I couldn't really notice any grass or green tea smells. Taste was, in fact, more milky and creamy, but had a bit of a sour and grassy taste to it. The milk taste lingered very long after drinking.
Brew 3 (10 sec):
Trying to decrease brew time again. This time, the color was a bit lighter. Smell is sweet, with a strong balance between the green and milk. The taste more predominantly the milk, with the tart, grassy taste as an aftertaste. Milk (I always thought it was more like a powdered milk) taste still lingers in the mouth.
Brew 4 (20 sec):
Last brew since I'm pressed for time, but I know you can brew this tea much more- by 7-8 brews it starts to lose its flavor (as it says on the box). At this point, color is lighter (still a bright yellow, however), with a tiny bit of green. Smell is sweet and milky, a bit like water/rain (?), and grassy. The taste starts out a bit sour, moves into grassy, and ends on the sweet, milky flavor. Throughout drinking, however, it feels and taste a bit more creamy than other teas.
Final Notes:
Overall, a pretty good tea- one of my favorite oolongs. I think I'll need to try different brands for a better understanding, but I like Vital Tea Leaf's. I doubt this tea is flavored unlike other milk oolongs, since the milk flavor isn't overpowering- it's more of a side taste. Only gripe I have with it is that it's super expensive ($10/oz). The taste varied a bunch depending on how it was brewed, from super grassy and a bit tart (regular brew) to creamy and sweet (usually cold brewed). Try it both hot and cold brewed!
Other Notes:
Gonna move life updates/that other crap to their own posts, so look forward to that. The Sencha Tanegashima from o-cha review is canceled now since I used all of the leaves, but if I can find a seller I'll review it. The other teas are still coming though- Blue People Ginseng Oolong, Pi Lo Chun, Tieguanyin, all that stuff. I might even review snacks or instant tea if I feel like it.
Oh, and next time I'll actually budget my time so I'm not rushing like a madman halfway through the review.
Vital Tea Leaf (in San Francisco's Chinatown)
Price
$40 for 4 oz
Type
Green Oolong
Brew Time, Temperature, Amount (from the container)
Using a gaiwan- brew up to 30 secs, 180-190°F, 1-2 tbsp; 8 brews
Leaf Appearance
Mix of large, dark & light green balled oolong; most are about 1/5 of an inch in diameter (pre-steeped)
Dark yellow-green leaves, few stems, leaf size varied greatly from 1 inch to 0.5 inch (steeped)
Rating
B+ | 88/100
Tasting notes and thoughts:
Well, this is my first review in a super long time, so don't expect much. Note that I may not have the exact water temperature, amount of leaves (especially since I'm actually out of the loose leaf now; this is the last bit I have), etc. Also a bit of a speed review since I have to leave in a bit for a class (sorry!).
Brew 1 (20 sec):
Just to clarify, this is the brew after rinsing the tea. The liquid had a very bright yellow color, with a strong creamy milk aroma as the prevalent note. It also smelled very grassy and fresh- which was fitting, as its a green oolong. As for the taste, grassy, vegetal (like broccoli?) notes were dominating. It was followed by the light creamy taste, and oddly, a metallic taste. Not very tannic or astringent, which was nice.
Brew 2 (15 sec):
Brewed shorter this time to try and draw out the milky flavor. Color was still a bright yellow; in fact, I think it was even brighter than the previous brew. The smell on this one was more milky, and I couldn't really notice any grass or green tea smells. Taste was, in fact, more milky and creamy, but had a bit of a sour and grassy taste to it. The milk taste lingered very long after drinking.
Brew 3 (10 sec):
Trying to decrease brew time again. This time, the color was a bit lighter. Smell is sweet, with a strong balance between the green and milk. The taste more predominantly the milk, with the tart, grassy taste as an aftertaste. Milk (I always thought it was more like a powdered milk) taste still lingers in the mouth.
Brew 4 (20 sec):
Last brew since I'm pressed for time, but I know you can brew this tea much more- by 7-8 brews it starts to lose its flavor (as it says on the box). At this point, color is lighter (still a bright yellow, however), with a tiny bit of green. Smell is sweet and milky, a bit like water/rain (?), and grassy. The taste starts out a bit sour, moves into grassy, and ends on the sweet, milky flavor. Throughout drinking, however, it feels and taste a bit more creamy than other teas.
Final Notes:
Overall, a pretty good tea- one of my favorite oolongs. I think I'll need to try different brands for a better understanding, but I like Vital Tea Leaf's. I doubt this tea is flavored unlike other milk oolongs, since the milk flavor isn't overpowering- it's more of a side taste. Only gripe I have with it is that it's super expensive ($10/oz). The taste varied a bunch depending on how it was brewed, from super grassy and a bit tart (regular brew) to creamy and sweet (usually cold brewed). Try it both hot and cold brewed!
Other Notes:
Gonna move life updates/that other crap to their own posts, so look forward to that. The Sencha Tanegashima from o-cha review is canceled now since I used all of the leaves, but if I can find a seller I'll review it. The other teas are still coming though- Blue People Ginseng Oolong, Pi Lo Chun, Tieguanyin, all that stuff. I might even review snacks or instant tea if I feel like it.
Oh, and next time I'll actually budget my time so I'm not rushing like a madman halfway through the review.
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