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 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 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.

Tea Review: Rose Oolong - Tea Ave

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.

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.