Review: Oriental Beauty - Unknown

Type: Oolong
Producer: Unknown
Origin: Taiwan
Brewing Parameters: 6g, 90°C, gongfu style
Appearance: Very loosely rolled leaves, brown, orange and white, connected to thin twigs
Rating: A | 93/100
# of Brews: 5

Tasting Notes and Thoughts
For the Taiwan set of reviews, I think this may be the last one; I have a few other random tea bags and powdered/instant teas, but I'll most likely make those standalone posts. Anyway, like most other teas I've reviewed in this round, I've tried this beforehand but I've only gotten around to writing about it now.

So, the producer is actually on the packaging in English for this tea, but the font is so ridiculously small that I can't read it. There are also English instructions, but they're also very basic and describe how to brew in gongfu style, so I don't have much to work off of. To make up for it, I'll just be doing what I've usually been doing: six grams, flash brews, and boiling water.

Since this is an oriental beauty, it's very fragrant; the leaves are fruity, like a honeyed citrus with apples. The liquid is similar in color to beer (a golden yellow color) and smelled the same as the wet leaf. Compared to other oriental beautys I've tried– Ten Ren's and Tea Ave's– my first response is that this tea is much sweeter. It has some earthy undertones, but the main flavor is lemon; if I had to compare it to anything, I'd say it's like diluted lemon juice. However, rather than ending on a sour note, it becomes sweeter like honey or a dark caramel. There is no astringency, and it's a very smooth drink.

Funny thing is that while I was writing this review, my grandma was peeling an orange next to me and I thought that the orange scent was coming from the tea. They're actually very similar, but an orange is just a little bit sweeter in scent. Overall, this is one of the better oriental beauties I've tried; I'd like to compare it to Tea Ave's again, but I'd need to put in another order and right now my gut says this one is better.


Other Notes

Today's album is Chillhop Essentials - Summer 2017. I found it through The Cancel, one of my favorite bands for chill, jazz hiphop beats, and it's not a bad album at all. Chillhop always makes for some good rainy day or late night work music.

Well, first week of work is done. I still don't feel like I enjoy office work particularly much, but the District Attorney's office is very relaxed and the work isn't too hard. I have some other small things to do outside of that, like an online summer class for incoming Cal freshmen, a speech about human trafficking for the program I'm interning with, reading some books (Slapstick by Vonnegut right now), and improving my handwriting. I'm also still working at the ice cream shop, which I have a shift for today. Oh, and I've been driving so I'm on track to get my license before I head off to college.

After a lot of thinking, I need to work on my confidence in college. I can get somewhat nervous around people I don't know too well sometimes. My fix for that is to get out of the house more often and hang out with people, so I can just get more comfortable socializing and conversing. I guess I'm not as bad as I think I am, but it's still a bit scary going to a new place.

Review: Bao Chung Oolong - Unknown

Type: Oolong
Producer: Unknown
Origin: Taiwan
Brewing Parameters: 90°C, fill 2/3rds of brewing vessel with leaf, gongfu style (recommended)
Appearance: Mix of dark and light green rolled leaves of a large size
Rating: A | 94/100
# of Brews: 5

Tasting Notes and Thoughts
I actually forgot I had this tea; I thought I only had one left to review, and when I was looking through my bag of Taiwan teas, I found this one. It's in a nice, large gift box and has a decent amount of English information on it including brewing instructions and nutritional facts. For one, this tea already wins in presentation.

After googling a bit about this tea, it's supposed to be very fragrant– and this one is no exception. Once the tea was washed, my pot had a very strong, sweet floral scent just emanating from it.
Since the leaves were loosely rolled (6 grams took up a large amount of space in my teapot), I did very fast brews, essentially just pouring the water in and pouring the tea off. The liquid came out a clear, bright yellow-gold color with a scent similar to the leaves, but with a little more caramel scent instead of floral. For the taste, it's just how it smells, with sweet notes of jasmine, honey, and very light fruit, probably cantaloupe. I also tasted a little bit of tomato, but this is more of a greener, sweet tea. It's generally smooth, with a clean aftertaste, but I can see it getting astringent if you brew at high temperatures for a long time.

I ended around maybe the fifth brew, but the tea was still going strong; the color became more golden and the flavor was similar to when I started. This is actually one of the better teas in the Taiwan set I've had– so far, the high mountain green and this one are those I've liked the most– and I can't believe I forgot about this one. Overall, it's enjoyable, following the taste of most Taiwan high mountain teas, but just a little less grassy.


Other Notes
Today's album is the Committed to the Crime EP by Chaos Chaos. Like most other people recently, I found them through their song Do You Feel It? which was in Rick and Morty a while back. They're pretty good; I recommend it.

Anyway, it's been an interesting past two days. Yesterday, I figured out my schedule for next year– history of Asian Americans through musicals seminar, chemistry, math, English, and political science– and went to the girl from the other team's grad party. I guess it wasn't a great day; it's kind of hard to socialize with people when everyone else knows each other, and I don't think I'm the best at meeting people. After staying there, giving her a gift, talking with a mutual friend, and eating, I walked a couple miles home for two hours. Thinking about it, I'm a "nice guy" in relationships and it isn't that great; it leads to some awkward situations. So, when college starts, the plan is to try to be more confident and assertive to try and make friends (and for relationships, too).

Today, I started work at the District Attorney's office. It mainly was just a lot of filing, refiling, and mundane/monotonous work, so it wasn't that interesting. It's a nice experience since it's my first office job, but from my first day, I'm not sure how I feel about it. Personally, I prefer actually getting out and moving about. I'll give it a week. Also, I'm getting better at driving, so that's fun, but right now with work, time management is what I need to work on. I'm currently watching the NBA finals right now, so I'll get back to you all after another review.

Review: Preferred Taiwan Mountain Tea - Guang Ying

Type: Oolong
Producer: Guang Ying
Origin: Taiwan
Brewing Parameters: 100°C, 3 min., gongfu style (recommended); using 6 g
Appearance: Small dark green, balled oolong with visible stems/twigs
Rating: A- | 91/100
# of Brews: 5

Tasting Notes and Thoughts
In all honesty, trying to find any information in English about these teas on the boxes is like an easter egg hunt. I got lucky with this one, since the brewing info was in English, but nothing else really was. With the name, appearance, and smell, I'm going to assume this is a high altitude oolong. Since there was no water volume listed on the packaging, I'm not going to follow the recommended 3 minute brewing time; I'm doing quick 10-30 second brews only.

Interestingly, the dry leaf smelled similar to jasmine flowers, although this tea is not flavored. Like most of the high altitude oolongs I've tried, the liquid had a smell that's somewhat creamy, grassy, and sweet; it's fragrant. As for the color, it's a clear light yellow that turned only a little bit greener as the drinking session went on. The flavor itself is surprisingly floral, a bit like rose (instead of jasmine, which is what the smell would lead you to believe). It's mostly sweet (slightly milky but not ridiculously sweet like a Jin Xuan) with a very dull sour taste that lingers in the mouth as an aftertaste. The texture is smooth with little astringency. Overall, I like this tea– I wish I knew exactly what cultivar it is so I could order more online, but oh well. Looks like there's more exploring to do.

Other Notes

Today's album is Acid Rap by Chance the Rapper. Fun album; favorite songs on this album are Juice and Cocoa Butter Kisses. I'm going to remember driving with my friends to get dinner, blasting this album, and singing along during my last week of finals.

Anyway, I started working out again and I am already sore (which is telling of something). I had a regular schedule a couple of weeks ago but stopped because school got busy, but now that it's summer, I have a lot of free time. My daily to-do list has usually just been this blog, exercising, cooking, cleaning, college stuff, driver's test prep, and reading. I'm trying to get out and do stuff with people at least once a day so I'm not stuck inside all day.

Review: Ginseng Oolong - Loyal Tea

Type: Flavored Oolong
Producer: Loyal Tea
Origin: Taiwan
Brewing Parameters: 95-100°C (recommended); brewing with 6 g and gongfu style
Appearance: Medium sized balled leaves with a thick coating of dark green flavoring
Rating: B | 84/100
# of Brews: 5

Tasting Notes and Thoughts
Personally, I think this tea is kind of gimmicky– with my experience with blue people ginseng oolong from Vital Tea Leaf, it's good at first but gets very old very quickly. If you're unaware of what ginseng oolong generally is, it's a roasted oolong rolled into balls and then coated in a ginseng and stevia mix. It's interesting because it tastes like a regular roasted oolong, but has a very sweet aftertaste that stays on the breath long after drinking.

First off, compared to Vital Tea Leaf's, this oolong has larger leaves with more powder/flavoring. When I washed the tea (which I don't recommend), the liquid was somewhat of a bright green color; however, in every subsequent brew, it was a dark yellowish-gold color. The flavor itself is soupy and savory with some smoky coffee and sour notes. With the sweet taste of the flavoring, the sour taste is especially prevalent, coming in and leaving on the back end of the tongue quickly. This is no different from Vital Tea Leaf's; the trademark sweet aftertaste of ginseng oolong is prevalent on this one, too.

Overall, I think it's obvious what I think; while this particular brand is a good tea, ginseng oolong is nice as a once in a while drink. It's one of those teas that I would give to someone if they were knew to tea, because it's interesting and drunk more for the experience than the actual flavor.


Other Notes

Today's album is Lungs by Florence + the Machine. It's a bit old now, but I mainly chose it for the song Dog Days are Over (which I feel is pretty fitting, now that high school is over). The whole album is great, though; I wish I actually did a full listen a while ago.

I graduated on Friday. A lot has happened since then, but I'll save it for its own post. I don't really have much planned for the next few weeks, but I need to catch up on my writing and do some stuff for Berkeley.

Review: Oriental Beauty - Unknown

Type: Oolong
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.

Review: Bao Zhong - Tea Chai Te

Type: Oolong
Producer: Tea Chai Te
Origin: Taiwan
Brewing Parameters: 1 tsp, 8 oz.  185°F water, 3-4 min. (recommended)
Appearance: Small-medium sized, loosely rolled dark green leaves
Rating: B- | 82/100
# of Brews: 6

Tasting Notes and Thoughts
I mentioned this in a previous post, but I'm not the biggest fan of Tea Chai Te. They have a great selection of teas and the store is a nice place, but the service there wasn't the best (compared to other, similar tea stores I've been to). Also, I'm not sure if this is just the teas I've gotten or if I'm brewing wrong, but they all seem to be very weak in flavor– today's tea is no exception.

If I had to describe this tea in three words, I'd call it a buttery milk oolong. After washing the tea, it smelled exactly like milk oolong– mainly grassy, and a bit creamy. The color of the brew was always light yellow. For the first set of brews, the flavor was savory and earthy, with butter and nuts as the main taste. There was also a light cinnamon aftertaste. As time went on, it became more fruity and floral, but as I mentioned before, it was a bit weak in taste (despite using 5g of leaf). It's a decent tea; however, I think I'll need to try experimenting with water temperatures, leaf, brew times, etc. to try and get a better flavor. It has the potential, but it's not there yet.

Other Notes

Today's album is the Animal LP by Big Scary. Now that it's the weekend, I need to start getting my act together and catching up on all the work I have– just one project for AP Gov and studying for all of my other classes. I've spent this entire break mostly relaxing, but these next two weeks are going to be busy as hell, so it looks like I got some work to do! 

Review: Ruby Oolong - Spice and Tea Exchange

Type: Oolong
Producer: Spice and Tea Exchange
Origin: Thailand
Brewing Parameters: 1 tbsp, 8 oz water, 195°F for 3-4 min. (recommended)
Appearance: Medium-sized ruby/dark amber colored balled oolong
Rating: B | 86/100
# of Brews: 7

Tasting Notes and Thoughts
It's been a long time since my last review, mostly because it's been a very busy past two months. I plan to catch all of you up on what's happened recently in a life update post (there's been a ton and I can't do it all in the Other Notes section). Anyway, I went to Portland for the first half of spring break and I got a couple of teas from Spice and Tea Exchange and Tea Chai Te that I plan to review.

So, the first tea I'm reviewing is ruby oolong, a "dark fermented oolong tea from Thailand known for its luminous infusion and rich, complex flavor." The price seems relatively normal for most loose leaf of his quality– $5.95 for 1 oz, or 28g. When I first brewed this tea, the leaves had a very strong roasted and smoky smell. The color of the brew was a light, yellow amber color which stayed relatively constant throughout the drinking session.

If I had to describe this tea, I'd say it's very similar to a Tie Guan Yin. The first few brews had a very strong roasted taste, with some nutty chocolate notes. It's smooth with a light cinnamon aftertaste. Interestingly, the flavor picked up more of a fruity taste as time went on, with a citrusy-raisin flavor (maybe like wine). Overall, it's a good tea, but again, I think I prefer fresh/greener oolongs. If you're into roasted oolongs, this might be for you.  

Other Notes

Today's album is Yaeji EP by Yaeji. Found them from Likido (the music group in NY with Mark Redito) and there are some pretty good ambient songs in here. My favorite is Feel it Out; the music video for this song came out recently, so if you google it you should be able to watch it. 

It's spring break right now, so I'll try to get a few reviews done before school starts up again on Monday. Here's what's planned for the other Portland teas:
Hazelnut Cookie black from Spice and Tea Exchange
Chocolate Chipotle Chai from Tea Chai Te
Caramel Creme Brulee from Tea Chai Te

Portland's a nice place, but personally I prefer San Francisco. It seems like a very white-washed SF– which isn't bad necessarily (love the food trucks there!), but I don't prefer it. I might need to spend more time there before I make a final decision, but the one day I spent there was just okay. We went to Powell's Books and Voodoo Donuts which was fun, and we also stopped at Tea Chai Te. Great selection of tea there, but I didn't think service was that great. The guy selling me the tea didn't seem like he knew a lot about it and was kind of a dick; he also overbrewed some velvet/milk oolong (which was deathly bitter and a bit hard to do).

Review: Hoku - Lupicia

Type: Flavored Oolong
Producer: Lupicia
Origin: Taiwan
Brewing Parameters: 2.5-3g; 100°C; 1.5-2 min. (recommended)
Appearance: Dark green ball oolong with small stems, yellow and blue flower petals, and metallic colored rock sugar
Rating: A- | 90/100
# of Brews: 4

Tasting Notes and Thoughts
Woah, it's been a while since my last review of Lupicia tea. While I do admit that Lupicia isn't always the best quality since their teas are generally flavored (this tea is no exception), it holds a special place in my heart as the company that helped pull me into the world of tea. Anyway, I picked this tea up during my trip in Hawaii, which I just got back from last night. This will be the first of a set of seven reviews, covering Lupicia's Hawaii exclusive teas. I also bought a few interesting shinchas while there too, so expect some more reviews coming soon.

I ended up choosing this tea in the Hawaii set to start with because it's a balled oolong, and to be honest, I haven't had a decent oolong in quite a bit. Looking at the tea before I brew it (gongfu style), the most interesting things are 1. the silvery, metallic sheen of the rock sugar and 2. the very pungent, flowery perfume smell of the dry leaf. In general, however, the tea looks to be a standard Lupicia tea with the choice of flowers and shape of sugar.

For brewing, I decided to stick with the recommended parameters despite brewing in a gaiwan. The liquid was a light, golden cream color with a scent very similar to the dry leaf– perhaps even more fruity and sweet. Immediately upon drinking, the first thing that came to mind is pina colada; the first and last thing I tasted was a creamy, pineapple flavor. After that was a bit of tanginess, like that of a mango, some cooling sensation, like mint, and then the return to the pina colada. As for the texture, I noticed that it was a bit irritating to the throat, but I chalk it up to there being a bit of dust in the drink (not sure if it was from my set or from the actual tea).

In the end, I was able to get 4 brews from three grams of leaf– double what was expected. Being that it was a flavored tea, it tasted the same throughout the whole session, just becoming weaker as time went on. All in all, I enjoyed this tea quite a bit, which is saying something, since I think Lupicia's tropical-flavored teas are usually they're worst.

Other Notes

Hawaii was actually pretty fun; we did quite a bit of hiking, shopping, and eating. I was surprised to see that there was such a large Japanese population there– both tourist and residential– and that the food was so good (ended up having quite a bit of udon and croquettes). Our hotel was in Waikiki, but we visited Pearl Harbor and the museums there, along with the Polynesian Cultural Center (Ha Breath of Life was amazing) and a few other places. Matsumoto shave ice was also one of the highlights of the trip.

Anyway, it's the last week of summer. I decided not to go to Freq.Fest.SF since I don't really have the money (spent it on the tea, heh) and it can be streamed from DNA Lounge's website. In fact, the whole time I've been writing this, I've been listening to the show. As for school, I missed registration so I don't know my schedule yet, but I'll be going to make up registration tomorrow; I'll update you all once I get it. To be honest, I'm not really sure how I feel. For one, I'll have something to do and will be able to see my friends and all, but then again, I have college apps and tests and so on.

If you don't remember, the classes I signed up for are African American Literature, AP English Literature, AP Government/Macroeconomics, AP Chemistry, Competition Civics, and Photography. Here's to hoping I get all of the classes I signed up for. 

Review: Oriental Beauty - Ten Ren

Type: Oolong
Producer: Ten Ren Tea Co.
Origin: Northern Taiwan
Brewing Parameters: 3 g, brewing to taste
Appearance: Dark brown/black, thin, rolled leaves with a few twigs
Rating: A- | 91/100
# of Brews: 5

Tasting Notes and Thoughts
So, yesterday, I was in San Francisco with a friend and we went around town, visiting Japantown, Chinatown, and Pier 39. While there, I picked up two teas: some Sanpin cha (Okinawan Jasmine tea; expect a review later) at Japantown, and Oriental Beauty at Chinatown. I got stuck between choosing the Oriental Beauty and a small pu-erh cake at Ten Ren since they were the same price ($9), but finally decided on the Oriental Beauty since I haven't had it in a while– the last one I had was from Tea Ave, a sampler– and it came in a large bag.

Anyway, aside from Chinatown's ridiculous tea prices (really: the average price for some Jin Xuan was over $20), let's get to my first impressions and the review. Unlike the Tea Ave dry leaf, the Ten Ren leaves are a lot more darker and smell somewhat like urine. It's a bit disgusting, yes, I know, but it's comparable to a pu-erh; it's just less fishy-smelling.

As for the brewing, I started off with a rinse with boiling water. According to the Ten Ren site, this tea shouldn't be made with such hot water, so I let my water sit to cool afterwards and then began again. The first brew was pretty short– under 30 seconds– and the liquid came out a light, golden yellow, like a tie guan yin. It smelled a bit more better: honeyed, sweet, and like ginseng (I'm saying this because it's very similar to Blue People tea). The actual drink's flavor was pretty enjoyable, too– surprisingly. The first note I tasted was fruit, apricot, a little bit of lemon, which gave it a bit of a tanginess. Immediately after, it's followed by a slight moment of smokiness, and ends with the sweet honey that's in the smell. This sweet honey, combined with the fruit, lingers in the mouth for quite a while, and is generally clean. The texture, overall, seems to be very smooth, with little astringency or bite.

Overall, I thought this was a good tea especially considering the price. I got to 5 brews, with the tea eventually losing the honey and becoming a bit fruitier (but not very sour) in the later brews. In terms of taste, I think the Tea Ave Oriental Beauty was much better, but again, the price point of this tea makes it very appealing.

Other Notes
Well, I don't really have much to say here. I just finished reading Mother Night by Kurt Vonnegut (for the second time, I think, but I can't remember when I read it the first time), and am about to start to work on summer homework. Mother Night is a lot more darker than I remember it to be, but I did find that it has a strong moral message and existentialist meaning, especially considering that it's a novel about an American spy who acted as Nazi during World War 2; for example, here is the main lesson of the story: "We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful what we pretend to be."

Other than that, I'll be going to San Francisco again for Competition Civics workshops on Saturday, California Extreme for volunteering and games on Sunday, and an environmental science summer camp all next week. My goal is to finish the main portion of my summer homework by next week, or the week after; I already have all of AP Chem done, almost all of AP Gov done (just need to watch the Republican/Democratic conventions), and quite a bit to do for Comp Civics, even though it looks like I'm ahead of most people. One thing, though, that I've noticed (which is unrelated) is that I've started to become disillusioned with the people at my school, and the competitive college admissions atmosphere. Honestly, it seems that everything academic that one can do isn't enough, and for those that could do enough by my school's standards are able to do it because it's all a money game. I might write a longer piece on why I'm starting to become disappointed with the people I have to associate with, but that depends on if I have the motivation to or not. We'll see.

For tea stuff, I have a few reviews coming up soon. I have that Okinawan Jasmine tea I bought at Japantown, along with a bunch of different tea bags, including: Ambiance's Earl Grey, Trader Joe's Earl Grey (might do a side-by-side review of these two), Numi's Moroccan Mint, Mighty Leaf's Organic Green Dragon and Organic Detox Infusion, Ambiance's Soothing Chamomile, and Twining's Lemon and Ginger. Since they're tea bags, I might experiment with a shorter, quick-review style since I won't be able to get an entire profile from just one bag (and I only have one bag of each).

12 Days of Chris-Tea-Mas - Day 11: Ceylon Moragalla Oolong - What-Cha

Ceylon Moragalla Oolong - What-Cha
Type: Oolong (unflavored)
Appearance (dry): Long, thin, dark brown tightly rolled leaves
Recommended Brewing Parameters: 85°C, 1-2 tsps, 2-3 min.
Rating: A- | 92/100
# of Brews: 6

Tasting Notes:
It's hard to believe I'm already almost done with this project, and that I've tried almost every tea I've bought during Black Friday; at the time, it looked like so much, but now it doesn't look like much at all. Today's album is The Bones of What You Believe by CHVRCHES.

Interesting tea today; it's more of a black tea than an oolong. Even with short brews, the liquid is a dark golden amber color, with a smell like compost, burnt wood, soy sauce and red wine. The flavor is a bit sour, with earthy and nutty notes. I could also notice a very slight fruity flavor too. It tasted mostly like a black tea (CTC Assam, I'm guessing), with a slight fishy puerh aftertaste. For some reason, I could only think of fuel (kerosene?) when drinking this, mainly because of the smell (it did not taste like kerosene; that would be bad).  Oddly, even though I used boiling water, the tea wasn't hot at all; it felt the perfect temperature even after immediately pouring off, and lacked any astringency. The temperature of the room probably played a factor in that. Overall, this tea was surprisingly tasty, and I'd actually suggest trying it with milk and sugar on account of its earthy flavor (it is  pretty good on its own, I will admit).

Misc. Notes:

If you noticed, today's review has kind of been half-assed. That's because I've had kind of a bad day and not that much motivation to write. I'll make it up for you guys tomorrow. Sorry.

12 Days of Chris-Tea-Mas - Day 9: India Nilgiri 'Hari Ghatta' - What-Cha

India Nilgiri 'Hari Ghatta' - What-Cha
Type: Oolong (unflavored)
Appearance (dry): Small, dark green with streaks of brown white rolled & balled oolong
Recommended Brewing Parameters: 85°C, 1 tsp, 2-3 min.
Rating: C+ | 78/100
# of Brews: 6

Tasting Notes:
Don't really have any preliminary matters to attend to this review, so today's album is the Oldboy OST by Jo Yeong-wook (as my friends say, I'm always a slut for waltzes, and this soundtrack has quite a few).

From what I've noticed, it looks like a vast majority of Indian teas have a muscatel flavor, and this tea is no exception. The liquid is a golden orange, with an aroma similar to puerh (in terms of the fermented, maybe fishy smell), rain/wet grass, and fruit (perhaps apricot or peach). The texture was generally smooth, but it did dry my throat quite a bit at first. Unexpectedly, one of the strongest flavors at first was cilantro, which was followed by muscatel and finally citrus fruits. Over brews, however, the fruity muscat flavor became the main flavor, accompanied by something I can only describe as sweet dish soap; it was very bitter, then very sweet for a split second (I'm guessing the water temperature was too hot, and I was brewing for too long; this flavor came out once I reached around the 20 second mark). It did lose its dry quality over time, but I ended up stopping at 6 brews because the tea had gotten that bitter. It could go for a few more brews, and I'm guessing if you used a lower temperature water (I'm guessing mine was around 80-90°C) and brewed for shorter times, it would taste quite a bit better. Overall, a decent tea, but I think it requires very specific brewing parameters which, when not followed, make for a pretty terribly tasting tea.


Misc. Notes:

So, busy day today. I cleaned my room, started prepping for a second round of my experiment and cooked tonkatsu (I got that recipe perfected now, which is great since tonkatsu is one of my favorite Japanese dishes). Later, I'm going to get a massage with the family, have dinner with the girlfriend, and watch Star Wars. I'm pretty excited for it, and also for tomorrow, since I'll be tasting some puerh (the first real puerh I tried was Planet Jingmai, and it set the bar pretty high).

As for the rest of break, still not really sure as to what I should do, but I think I'm going to try and get all of my work/applications done in the first half of this week so I can spend next week and Christmas chilling. 

12 Days of Chris-Tea-Mas - Day 6: Jasmine Oolong - Tea Ave

Jasmine Oolong - Tea Ave
Type: Oolong (flavored)
Appearance (dry): Medium to large dark green balls of oolong
Recommended Brewing Parameters: 100°C, 8g, start at 1 min +30 sec each brew.
Rating: A | 93/100
# of Brews: 8

Tasting Notes:
So, it turns out that all of the Tea Ave samples I have are all 3 grams of tea, so I'll just be working with that instead of the planned 5 grams today (sorry!). Along with that, I'll be using a tasting set instead of the usual gaiwan, since I think it'll work better with the smaller amount of leaf and flavor, and since it will also give me more brews for the same amount of water. Today's album is a mashup album/mixtape by Starcadian; just released today, hear it at: https://www.mixcloud.com/lamusiquesismique/lms-mixtape-n2-starcadian/ .

Anyway, I started without a rinse this time and brewed for a full minute. The aroma was undoubtedly jasmine, but it was also very, very fruity and candy-like. The liquid was a light yellow; in relation, the flavor on the first few brews hadn't come out– all I could notice was the jasmine and perhaps a very light creaminess from the Jin Xuan base. However, it did leave a very sweet aftertaste in my mouth, and had a smooth texture. Over brews, the liquid became a much more bright yellow green, and the floral notes– both in the aroma and taste– became more pronounced. It did lose that sweet aftertaste, but in general, the body of the tea was sweet. I also noticed some sour and definitely grassy notes which appeared at the end of the taste; in my opinion, it complemented the sweet, floral taste of the tea very well and added a bit of depth to it. Over time, it became more savory in flavor– it had lost its sweetness– but it gained the milk flavor of Jin Xuan, and retained the creamy jasmine from the beginning (it was not, however, as creamy or sweet as their rose or plain Jin Xuan oolong). I ended up stopping at 8 brews, but it looked like the tea could go for a few more.

Like most Tea Ave teas, this tea suffers from a lack of flavor, most likely from the small amount of leaf I used. I've also noticed that Tea Ave's teas tend to do the best with a large amount of leaf over many brews because they have absurdly large leaves (in fact, by the time I finished brewing today, one leaf was maybe 2 inches; they're huge), and the flavor just tends to be weak in general at the beginning. However, as brewing continues, their teas tend to last a very long time, even in western brewing, staying strong in flavor (in fact, one time, I brought about 10g of Rose Oolong to a Chinese restaurant once, and it lasted the entire night in a tea pot, brewing the entire time). Overall, I enjoyed this tea very much, even though I'm not that much of a Jasmine kind of guy; as I said before, I prefer rose a lot more. However, while I did think it was fun to drink, I noticed that it lacks complexity in flavor, but it does make up for it by just being a tasty tea.


Misc. Notes:

Despite it being the last day of school before break, and a minimum day at that, today was surprisingly uneventful. I had class, went home early, had a nap (because of a headache), played some video games and watched videos/browsed the internet, watched Lee Daniels' The Butler (I actually liked it quite a bit), and am now writing this review. In fact, I actually still had that headache at the start of this review, but by the end, it's gone (I can't tell if it's because I was relaxed or because of the tea).

As for what I'm going to do over break, I'm not entirely sure. I am going to fill out a few applications for summer internships and write the essays (for both those internships and for a homestay in Japan over summer), work on my science fair project (the one with slime mold), read some books (When Marnie was There probably), drink tea, study/prepare for finals, work on writing that story with my girlfriend, hang out with people or just go outside, and just relax. I'll give updates on how that goes. Wish me luck! 

12 Days of Chris-Tea-Mas - Day 5: Four Seasons - What-Cha

Four Seasons - What-Cha
Type: Oolong (unflavored)
Appearance (dry): Large, dark yellow-green balled oolong
Recommended Brewing Parameters: 80°C, 1 tsp, 1-2 min
Rating: B+ | 89/100
# of Brews: 6

Tasting Notes:
So, I've actually already tried this tea before; it was one of the first teas I tried when my package from What-Cha came in. It was good, but I don't think I really paid that much attention at the time (which is what this review is for!). Today's album is Sunglasses & Solar Flares by the Y Axes.

From the first brew, the liquid was a clear, light yellow with an aroma similar to a roasted oolong (Tie guan yin?) and the sticky rice tea I've had before. The flavor was very smooth, with a very prevalent buttery, caramel taste. It was sweet, but not as sweet or creamy as other teas such as Jin Xuan (both flavored and unflavored). It did slightly dry my throat, and the buttery flavor lingered in my mouth as an aftertaste. Over brews, the color and aroma barely changed, only becoming very slightly darker. The flavor, on the other hand, became more sweet, but the aftertaste had gained a vegetal/grassy, slightly tangy note. The rice– possibly the sticky rice– also was much more noticeable in both the flavor and aftertaste. I ended up stopping at 6 brews because I'm feeling a bit tired (staying up late for the last week is catching up with me), but it looks like the leaves haven't actually fully unfurled, meaning that this tea could go for a large number of brews. Overall, I like this tea because it's a nice in between an unroasted and roasted oolong, with a sweet finish; however, like some of the other teas I've tried this project, it doesn't really have a taste that pops out at me.

Misc. Notes:

Woohoo! I'm finally done with all of my tests before winter break, and I think I did pretty well on them since they were mostly easy. I don't think I'll be writing much today, though, since I'm super tired and am kinda spacing out while writing this whole review. Sorry! Tomorrow will be better though, since school ends at 12:40. 

12 Days of Chris-Tea-Mas - Day 4: Nepal First Flush Oolong - What-Cha

Nepal First Flush Oolong - What-Cha
Type: Oolong (unflavored)
Appearance (dry): Rolled, brown, white, and olive drab leaves of medium to small size
Recommended Brewing Parameters: 85°C, 2 tsps, 60-90 sec
Rating: B- | 80/100
# of Brews: 5

Tasting Notes:
Hey! Short review today because I just got home from Mock Trial (oh hey, I need to give an update on that sometime) and have 4 tests to study for. Today's album is Sounds of System Breakdown's self-titled album. In my opinion, an average album (SOSB has some other good albums/singles), but some of the songs in it make up for the rest: namely, Underneath the Floorboards and Love's Only Chemicals.

Anyway, just from looking at this tea, I could notice quite a few similarities to Oriental Beauty. The leaves had similar colors, albeit smaller, and the first brews had a very similar aroma. It had the citrus notes of Oriental Beauty, but seemed much more malty or earthy (similar to a black tea). The flavor was interesting, to say the least. It was in the middle between a roasted oolong and a black tea, with notes such as malt, citrus, and muscatel; it also dried my throat and coated my mouth after drinking, similar to other black teas. The liquid was a light gold color, but as brews went on, it changed to a darker, more amber color. Over time, it began to become much more drying, but more and more fruity (in fact, it tasted almost the same as Muscat tea from Lupicia, which is flavored; this is not). There were also light smoky undertones, which complemented the muscatel flavor. I ended up stopping at the 5th brew because of time, but it looked like the tea could go for a few more brews (it had begun to lose its color, however). Overall, it's an average tea, but it's not really my cup, especially because it became really astringent/dry over time.

Misc. Notes:

Nothing much to say, really. School was alright, but after school was pretty fun. The girlfriend bought me pizza (not my choice; she insisted), and we studied SAT math. I'm actually feeling pretty confident about the math now, since it looks like most of my issues come from not focusing hard enough/not reading closely. As for tomorrow, I just need to study for quite a few tests– English (essay, vocab, and possibly a reading test), Biotechnology (DNA!), Statistics (sample proportions and means, not too hard but still), and Precalculus (not sure how I feel about this considering how I've been doing on my homework, but I've been doing pretty well on tests so far so not too worried)– so I'm going to be staying up a bit late tonight. Wish me luck! Once I'm done, I can finally relax for winter break. Oh, and also, I've started applications to summer internships (mainly Stanford and the Arthritis Foundation), so wish me luck on those too!

PS: Also, I've finally figured out my schedule for next year after talking to a few people; I'll be taking (or applying to) Comp Civics, Science Research, AP Chem, Video Production, AP Literature, and AP Gov/Macro.

12 Days of Christ-Tea-Mas - Day 1: Wenshan Baochong - Tea Ave

Wenshan Baochong - Tea Ave
Type: Unroasted Oolong
Appearance (dry): Dark green, rolled leaves with a large spread in sizes
Recommended Brewing Parameters: 95°C water, 10g(?) of tea, steep up to 30 sec
Rating: B | 83/100
# of Brews: 8

Tasting Notes:
Well, Day 1 and I already violated the brewing parameters I set for myself; I was given a sampler of this tea when I bought some Rose Oolong and a gaiwan, and it turns out that it only has 3 grams of tea. Anyway, it was a free sampler, so who cares. Today's album is he's not with us anymore by casio dad; pretty good chip-rock album, and it's free.

So, from the first brew, there was a very strong, sweet floral aroma- mainly, jasmine and roses- and the liquid was a surprising bright yellow-green. The flavor was similar to a tieguanyin, but not as roasted or astringent; rather it was smooth, brothy, and floral, like its smell. I could definitely taste the jasmine that was in the aroma. However, as time went on, it began to lose the floral notes and became more soup-like (in terms of viscosity and flavor); by the 4th brew, I could notice flavors such as cabbage, herbs (I'm guessing sage?), and a faint sweetness. However, by the 6th, the tea had begun to lose its flavor, but had gained sort of a Chinese-origin matcha (in terms of sweetness and floral notes). I stopped at brew #8, but it looks like it could go for a few more. Overall, a good tea, but it's a bit average for my preferences, mainly because it didn't really have any qualities that popped out to me.

Misc. Notes:
So, for these reviews, I'm going to go back to my original format in which I'll put the basic info (appearance, recommended brew parameters, a rating, number of brews, etc.) and a short section about flavor and how I brewed it. On another note, nice day today. Super strong winds and rain since I woke up to the time I'm writing this review. I'm mostly just going to do homework today, bake some stuff for friends, and head to UC Berkeley to finish up the sleep study (just an interview; I have another one at 6 months, and another at a year, and I'll be completely done!). See you guys tomorrow.

Week of Jin Xuan - Day 7 (FINAL): Thailand Winter Frost Jin Xuan Oolong & Alishan Jin Xuan Oolong

Last day of summer! I honestly don't know what I'm going to do today, but I will get something done. Some stuff on the itinerary is get my class schedule, watch Straight Outta Compton, go to piano class, and other stuff. I might write an update and finishing post for this project today, especially because I think it was pretty successful. Anyway, multiple albums today since they're kind of short: God of Love by Stereo Alchemy and Reptilians by STRFKR.


Thailand Winter Frost Jin Xuan Oolong - What-Cha
Type & Appearance: Dark green/brown, medium-sized balled oolong
Recommended Brew Time, Temp., Amount: 80°C, 1 tsp, 2 min.
Rating: B | 86/100
# of Brews: 7

Notes:
This tea began with a light golden yellow color and an aroma similar to that of citrus, fruits, grass, and wood. The flavor had notes of citrus, nuts, and cream with a mellow, slightly viscous mouthfeel. It's more on the sour side, with only small notes of sweetness. There's a fruity aftertaste that lingers in the mouth, but only stays on the breath for a short time. Over brews, it eventually became more bitter and grassy- somewhat similar to sencha. It became less sour and slightly more sweet, but after 6 brews, it began to lose most of its flavor. I stopped at 8 brews since it actually began to taste pretty bad, but the liquid still had color and the aftertaste. It's a good tea (better than yesterday's), but I think this tea might require more experimentation to get the best flavor; boiling water doesn't seem to cut it for this, leading to bitter notes.


Alishan Jin Xuan Oolong - Tea Ave
Type & Appearance: Unroasted Oolong - very large, bright green balls of oolong
Recommended Brew Time, Temp., Amount: 90-95°C, 8g, 1 min. + 20-30 sec each brew
Rating: B+ | 88/100
# of Brews:  8

Notes:
I've already reviewed this tea, so I'll keep this short. At the beginning of the tasting session, the liquid was a bright green with a sweet, milky aroma; I could also notice some honey, seaweed, and grass notes. The flavor was sweet, smooth, and mellow, with flavors such as grass, cream, and flowers (specifically roses and jasmine). Over time, it became more yellow and lost its sweet profile for a grassy, somewhat savory taste. I ended up stopping at 8 brews since it was losing almost all of its flavor, but it didn't get that same bad taste of the Winter Frost oolong.


Final Notes
Well, that was a good way to end this project. I got up early, drank tea before breakfast (writing only short notes), and then wrote this. I think these teas were much better than yesterday's, with my preference leaning towards the Alishan Jin Xuan Oolong from Tea Ave. I still can't get over how large the leaves were (at the beginning, I had relatively the same amount of leaves but the Alishan Jin Xuan ended up filling all of my large gaiwan. The Winter Frost was good, but it seems to be a bit finicky with time and temperature since some brews were really good, and some were marred by bitterness and just plain bad flavors. Anyway, expect a closing post on this whole project soon.

Week of Jin Xuan - Day 6: Vietnam Jin Xuan Oolong & Taiwan Ali Shan Jin Xuan Oolong

Welp, only 1 more day left before summer vacation ends. Today and yesterday, I practiced making matcha, went biking with the family and ate at an Indian restaurant. I think I'm going to go watch a movie with them after this, and then study. Oh, also, that Milk Oolong from Taiwan from yesterday's review is now my carry-around tea (used to be Rose Oolong). Honestly though, I don't know how I'm going to spend my last day of summer (I might watch Straight Outta Compton with my sister), but hopefully it'll be good before I get back to the grind. Anyway, today's album is The World! Evangelion Jazz Night by the Tokyo 3 Jazz Club.


Vietnam Jin Xuan Oolong - What-Cha
Type & Appearance: Unroasted Oolong - Medium sized, dark green balled oolong
Recommended Brew Time, Temp., Amount: 80°C, 1 tsp, 2 min.
Rating: B- | 82/100
# of Brews: 6

Notes:
At the beginning, the tea had a light golden yellow color and a wet earth and wood aroma, with some notes of burnt sugar. The flavor was a bit like dried fruits, hazelnuts, and milk/cream (only somewhat). It irritated my throat quite a bit, but left a very fruity, mango-like flavor in my mouth and breath. Over time, it became a bit more fruity and lost its drying qualities (for the most part). Overall, a pretty average oolong.


Taiwan Ali Shan Jin Xuan Oolong - What-Cha 
Type & Appearance: Unroasted Oolong - Small, light-green/brownish balled oolong
Recommended Brew Time, Temp., Amount: 80°C, 1 tsp, 2 min.
Rating: B- | 80/100
# of Brews: 6

Notes:
For this tea's first few brews, the liquid was a light straw yellow with an aroma similar to wood, a little bit of smoke, and cinnamon. There were notes of malt, peanuts, and very sweet rose with an aftertaste of caramel
It made my throat and mouth a little dry, but not as much compared to the Vietnam Jin Xuan. This tea is more earthier than the Vietnam Jin Xuan, but not stronger; they're relatively the same. After a couple of brews, this tea became more creamier, a tad bit bitter, and less astringent. It was okay, but I've tasted better.


Final Notes
So, I'm sure you can tell that today's review is a bit short. That's because my dad decided last minute to go out to the theatre (after we decided to watch at home), so I ended up rushing through. Both of today's teas were a bit average- more astringent than usual- but still enjoyable. I personally liked the Vietnam Jin Xuan more since it wasn't so dry and more fruity, but I can see some people enjoying the Jin Xuan from Ali Shan.

Week of Jin Xuan - Day 5: Fujian Anxi Jin Xuan Milk Oolong & Taiwan Jin Xuan Milk Oolong

Oh man, so I woke up super late today since I was super tired last night. I decided, last minute, to go bike ~30 miles (essentially across 3 towns) in 2 hours at 9 pm. I just finished watching O Brother, Where Art Thou?- a really good movie in my opinion- and had the idea of doing it since I had done nothing at all that day. Anyway, so this review is happening right after brunch since I just woke up and am really tired. Today's album is Sunset Blood by Starcadian. Oh, also, the reviews might be a little short too since I'm going to spend the day with family and I'll have to leave on short notice.


Fujian Anxi Jin Xuan Milk Oolong - What-Cha
Type & Appearance: Unroasted Oolong - Dark green, medium to large balls of oolong
Recommended Brew Time, Temp., Amount: 85°C, 1 tsp, 1-2 min
Rating: B | 86/100
# of Brews: 8

Notes:
Compared to the Taiwan Jin Xuan, this aroma of this oolong is much less milky and instead more fruity. The color of the liquid for the first few brews was a light, golden yellow. The flavor profile was creamy, with a bit of cotton candy (and related mouthfeel), Indian mangos, and a tiny bit of grape. It's very smooth with little astringency, only leaving a light tart note on the tongue after drinking. By the later brews, the mango flavor became very prevalent as an aftertaste, and I could even taste it on my breath long after. It became sweeter, losing the sour notes, but still retaining the fruity flavors. Overall, I liked it, but it was kind of average for what I've tried so far.


Taiwan Jin Xuan Milk Oolong - What-Cha
Type & Appearance: Flavored Oolong - Dark green, large balls of oolong
Recommended Brew Time, Temp., Amount: 85°C, 1 tsp, 1-2 min
Rating: A- | 91/100
# of Brews: 8

Notes:
Even before I brewed this tea, I could already smell the milk. The dry leaves have a smell similar to danish cookies, coconuts, and evaporated milk- and it's amazing. After brewing, the color is a light, blueish yellow with the same aroma as the dry leaves, albeit slightly more fruitier.  As for the taste, this tea is one of a kind. It tastes exactly how it smells, with notes like coconut milk, cookies, and some burnt sugar (or toffee/caramel, depending on where you're from). Over time, the flavor actually stayed relatively the same (maybe only a little milkier and slightly more sour)- mostly only weaker. Overall, a really enjoyable, unique oolong.

Final Notes
I ended up stopping the review early, but I'm pretty sure the teas can be brewed for a lot more than 8; at this point, the liquid was actually pretty brightly colored and the flavor was still strong. Both of these were pretty enjoyable, but like most other days so far, I've had a tea that's blown me away and another that's good, but nothing compared to the other. As for today, the tea that's blown me away is the Taiwan Jin Xuan Milk Oolong and the okay one is the Fujian Anxi. In fact, I was a bit suspicious of the Taiwan Jin Xuan because of how milky and flavorful it was, and I thought that it had been scented or flavored. I was proved wrong after a while, since the flavor stayed strong even after the 8th brew. Overall, today was also a good day for tea.

EDIT: Turns out that the Taiwan Jin Xuan Milk Oolong is actually flavored! I think that actually bumps up my score for it, since almost every flavored oolong I've tried has only lasted 3-4 brews max. This one was at 8 and still going strong, which was pretty amazing.

Week of Jin Xuan - Day 4: Rose Oolong & Thailand Jin Xuan Oolong

So, this review is happening right after brunch (1 PM). I honestly don't know what I'm going to do today, but I think I'll try to practice piano and do some reading/study after the tasting session. I am going to bike later tonight, though, when it cools down. As for what I have done, I've just done some cooking (fried rice!), eating, and a lot of osu! (and practice using Joy2Key). There will be 2 albums today since they're related and pretty short; they are History Repeating: Blue and Red by the Megas.


Rose Oolong - Tea Ave 
Type & Appearance: Flavored Oolong - large, dark and light green balls of oolong with bright pink/red rose petals
Recommended Brew Time, Temp., Amount: 100°C, 8g, 1 min + 30 sec each brew
Rating: A- | 90/100
# of Brews: 8

Notes:
If you've read my previous review on this tea, you can tell I really like it. This is/was actually the tea I carried around on me in a small case, until I used it at a dinner at some fancy restaurant (I ended up putting it in an empty tea pot and it lasted 4 brews while constantly brewing in western style, which was really surprising. Everyone really liked it too). So, I guess you can tell I'm pretty excited for this one. This review is going to be a bit lacking since I've already done a full review, but I'll still do some tasting notes. By the first brew, I could already smell the sweet, floral aroma coming from the light, greenish-blue liquid. The flavor wasn't as contaminated as the Milk Oolong from Vital Tea Leaf, but I could still notice very light cinnamon notes. The most dominant flavor was the rose, followed by grass, and finally cream. It's not overwhelmingly sweet and actually has a bit of bitterness, but is still very enjoyable. Over time, the color of the brew became a brighter green. The aroma stayed relatively the same, but the flavor began to lose the rose (which became an aftertaste) and move towards the Jin Xuan with a bit of a broccoli and grass flavor. It actually got a bit more astringent over time also. Overall, I still really like it (and wish that this wasn't my last set of leaves).


Thailand Jin Xuan Oolong - What-Cha
Type & Appearance: Unroasted Oolong - very large, light and dark green/brown balls of oolong
Recommended Brew Time, Temp., Amount: 80°C, 1 tsp, 2 min
Rating: B- | 82/100
# of Brews: 8

Notes:
As for this tea's first brew, it had a light golden yellow color and (surprisingly) little smell. The leaves, on the other hand, had honey and wood notes with a smell like tupig (Filipino sticky rice). It was surprisingly savory for a Jin Xuan, with flavors like raw walnut, a little almond, and (weirdly) hay. The creamy notes of the Jin Xuan weren't really coming out for the first few brew. There was also a slight bit of astringency, which made my throat feel very dry after drinking. Over time, the color became a bit more yellow and the aroma from the leaves could be smelled in the liquid. The flavor became more creamy, sweet, and Jin Xuan-like, but not as flavorful as Vital Tea Leaf's. More brews didn't help with the astringency, however. I will admit, though, that it got way better by the later brews and was still going strong by brew 7. Overall, an average Jin Xuan. It lasts long which is nice, but I don't really like the flavor.


Final Notes
I decided to end the review early since I was getting pretty full and kept running out of water (California drought woo). However, judging from the color of the teas, they could have kept going; in fact, it looked like the color of both teas was getting darker. Anyway, I think it's pretty clear that I liked the Rose Oolong much more. I just think that the Thailand Jin Xuan is too astringent and lacks a lot in terms of flavor compared to all of the other teas I've had so far. There wasn't really much special to it, and the teas it's being compared to are a lot, lot better.

Week of Jin Xuan - Day 3: Magnolia Oolong* & Thailand Sticky Rice 'Khao Hom' Oolong

So, today I've pretty much done nothing other than mail my package for Reddit's 1st White Elephant Tea Exchange and make french toast. I should really do something big before summer ends since school is coming up fast. Anyway, today's review is between two different scented oolongs. The album for the review is the Skullgirls Original Soundtrack PLUS by Michiru Yamane and others.


Magnolia Oolong - Tea Ave *NO REVIEW*
Type & Appearance: XX
Recommended Brew Time, Temp., Amount: 100°C, 8g, 1 min. + 30 sec. each brew
Rating: XX | XX/100
# of Brews: X

Notes:
To be completely honest, I screwed up. It turns out that the sample I thought was Magnolia Oolong was actually Monkey Picked Tie Guan Yin from Red Blossom Tea Co. As I started drinking, I realized that I drank the whole sample of Magnolia Oolong given to me a long time ago by Tea Ave and didn't save any of it at all. So, no review for this one today (it'll be coming later in a full review). I'll still be tasting it in order to create a frame of reference for the Sticky Rice oolong, however. Sorry again! (If I do remember though, the Magnolia Oolong was way too weak in terms of flavor, and the fact that I didn't have extra leaves didn't help; it was a really small sample.)


Thailand Sticky Rice 'Khao Hom' Oolong - What-Cha
Type & Appearance: Flavored Oolong - large, drab light green balls of oolon
Recommended Brew Time, Temp., Amount: 80°C, 1 tsp, 2 min.
Rating: 92 | A-/100
# of Brews:  10

Notes:
By the first brew, this tea had already begun to take on the sticky rice taste. The liquid had a very light golden color with a floral, sweet, and obviously rice-like aroma. The flavor starts off with a somewhat sour, muscatel flavor, then moves into the flavor of sticky rice (it's hard for me to explain, but if you've tasted it before you know what I mean; it's ). It finishes off on a sweet, light cinnamon note. Over brews, the color had begun to become darker, but the aroma stayed relatively the same. As for the flavor, the fruity notes became much more pronounced, but the sticky rice flavor remained and became even more stronger. In fact, the cinnamon notes were eventually lost and the sticky rice stayed as a very dominant aftertaste, which I could taste after drinking and exhaling. The creamy, milky notes of the Jin Xuan base began to come out, making the tea taste surprisingly a lot like milk- something which I haven't seen in a lot of Jin Xuan. The flavor began to wane after 7 brews, but it still tasted relatively the same. There was little astringency throughout the complete drinking session. Near the end, the creaminess of the Jin Xuan became the dominant flavor, and the sticky rice became a light aftertaste. Overall, a really, really great drinking experience.


Final Notes
Overall, I'm actually pretty happy, despite my blunder. The sticky rice oolong really made up for it with its flavor and I enjoyed drinking it very much. This is the longest a flavored oolong has lasted in terms of number of brews, and the taste stayed the same without changing much. I actually had to stop early (10 brews) since I ran out of water, but I'm almost certain it could go much longer. On par with the Vietnamese green I had yesterday.