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.
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