Producer: Unknown
Origin: Taiwan
Brewing Parameters: 6g, 90°C water, gongfu style
Appearance: Medium to large black/white/orange-reddish curled leaves
Rating: A | 93/100
# of Brews: 4
Tasting Notes and Thoughts
Tea two of the Taiwan set! Like I stated before, I can't read Chinese, so the producer and recommended brewing parameters are unknown. Since these leaves are very loose in the teapot, they fill a lot of space– and so, the first few brews are going to be very short (essentially just pour the water in and pour off).
Even with the short brews, this tea is extremely aromatic, both the leaf and liquid. From the pot, it's sweet and fruity, with a slight soy smell. The liquid itself is a light, caramel color, which got darker as brews went on. This oriental beauty is similar to the one by Tea Ave, but I think I prefer this one a bit more; the flavor is very citrusy (lemon) and honeyed, with a smooth texture and little to no aftertaste. It's a bit sweeter than the Tea Ave Oriental Beauty, which I think is a lot more expensive than this. They're both of comparable quality, and I think this one wins. Overall, I still really like oriental beauty, and this one helps solidify that idea.
Other Notes
Today's album is Her World Famous Great Recordings by Vera Lynn. I chose this because I was up until 1 AM last night fixing my record player (another tip? Don't buy an Audio Technica LP60– they're decent beginner turntables but they do not last long). Unlike most of the other albums, I own this one on vinyl; I picked it up used at Rasputin's and when I did, the cashier was very surprised since she is a very old singer and they've had the record in store since 2004. But, still, after I heard We'll Meet Again in Stanley Kubrick's Dr. Strangelove, I've really enjoyed her music.
So, I graduate this week on the 2nd. It still hasn't hit me that high school is finally over, and I don't know if I'll ever feel different once it actually is done. It sucks that it has to end after this year has been so successful and fun, but all things must come to an end. After ending middle school with a single B, I actually am graduating as a Principal's and President's scholar, with a 4.0 unweighted GPA and around a 4.24 weighted GPA– if it really matters to anyone. Also, I have an internship with the Alameda County District Attorney's office over the summer, so there's that.
For college, I've been thinking, and I guess my tentative plans going into Freshman year now are to take concurrent majors at Cal in Letters and Science as a media studies major and in Natural Resources as a environmental sciences major. My housing assignment is a double in Unit 3 (random roommate), so if you see me there, come say hi! I've thought about it for the past few weeks, and I guess I'm finally coming to terms with choosing Berkeley over LA. One thing that helped put my mind to ease was something that the girl from the other team said– in a group chat with her, I posted a paragraph from the recent travel ban case opinion (because it was pretty damn good), and her response was "I'm not even going to pretend I read that." I guess she didn't mean it in any bad way, but it made me realize that I prefer people who actually like to learn or put effort into intellectual (or at least somewhat academic) things. At Berkeley, I got the vibe that everyone there is very driven/motivated, which I like, compared to LA's laid back and somewhat more fun attitude.
As for this blog, the plan is to post some more of my writing, like my college essays. I'm probably going to write a letter or update on or after graduation, and I'll continue writing reviews (goal is to reach 200 total reviews) throughout summer. Once college starts, however, I'm going to end this blog with a final letter. I'll see if I can make a regular schedule through summer, but those are my goals and I'll try to follow through on them.
So, I graduate this week on the 2nd. It still hasn't hit me that high school is finally over, and I don't know if I'll ever feel different once it actually is done. It sucks that it has to end after this year has been so successful and fun, but all things must come to an end. After ending middle school with a single B, I actually am graduating as a Principal's and President's scholar, with a 4.0 unweighted GPA and around a 4.24 weighted GPA– if it really matters to anyone. Also, I have an internship with the Alameda County District Attorney's office over the summer, so there's that.
For college, I've been thinking, and I guess my tentative plans going into Freshman year now are to take concurrent majors at Cal in Letters and Science as a media studies major and in Natural Resources as a environmental sciences major. My housing assignment is a double in Unit 3 (random roommate), so if you see me there, come say hi! I've thought about it for the past few weeks, and I guess I'm finally coming to terms with choosing Berkeley over LA. One thing that helped put my mind to ease was something that the girl from the other team said– in a group chat with her, I posted a paragraph from the recent travel ban case opinion (because it was pretty damn good), and her response was "I'm not even going to pretend I read that." I guess she didn't mean it in any bad way, but it made me realize that I prefer people who actually like to learn or put effort into intellectual (or at least somewhat academic) things. At Berkeley, I got the vibe that everyone there is very driven/motivated, which I like, compared to LA's laid back and somewhat more fun attitude.
As for this blog, the plan is to post some more of my writing, like my college essays. I'm probably going to write a letter or update on or after graduation, and I'll continue writing reviews (goal is to reach 200 total reviews) throughout summer. Once college starts, however, I'm going to end this blog with a final letter. I'll see if I can make a regular schedule through summer, but those are my goals and I'll try to follow through on them.
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