Thoughts on Tea
Tea Inventory
This here is an overview off all teas that have been tasted, with variables and notes pertaining to their preparation.
Teas are colored by type
| Black |
Green |
White |
Oolong/Gaba |
Pu Erh |
| Tea |
Temperature* |
Initial Stewing Time |
Increment per Infusion |
Vendor |
| Ruby Black |
87°C (95°C) |
15s |
5s |
Meileaf |
| Ancient Haze |
87°C (95°C) |
20s |
10s |
Meileaf |
| Honeycomb Black** |
95°C |
25s |
5s |
Meileaf |
| Ruby-Gaba |
99°C |
20s |
5s |
Meileaf |
| Swallows Nest |
99°C |
25s |
5s |
Meileaf |
| Stone Milk |
99°C |
30s |
5s |
Meileaf |
| Old Tree Silver Needle |
87°C (90°C) |
30s |
10s |
Meileaf |
| Guangxi Silver Needle |
80°C |
60s |
20s |
Yoshien |
| Young Gushu 23 |
95°C |
20s |
5s |
Meileaf |
| Little Tong Mu |
Meileaf | |||
| Imperial Green |
Meileaf | |||
| Superior Iron Goddess |
Meileaf | |||
| Autumn Light |
Meileaf | |||
| Laoshan Green |
Meileaf | |||
| Alishan Cream |
Meileaf | |||
| White Peony |
Meileaf | |||
* in format: my temperature (officially recommended temp), no brackets if equal
** I add sugar to these teas
Additional Notes
Guangxi Silver Needle
Yoshien just specifies "2min." for stewing time, so stewing times are my best guess.
Tasting Log
Ruby Gaba
Gaba-tea (roasted under inert atmosphere) of Ruby 18
Taste
- High amount of astringency
- Strong roasted notes (as is typical of oolong)
- Juicy notes
- Acidity
Rating
It's fine, but doesn't blow me away like Ruby Black.
I never was a big fan of oolong, so maybe it's just that.
Swallows Nest
Rock Oolong of Rou Gui leaves
Leaves got crushed in shipping, so taste may not representative.
Taste
- Extremely strong (probably because the leaves got a bit crushed in shipping)
- Tastes like a whiskey barrel without the alcohol
- Slight fruity notes
- Some herbs
- Maybe even a hint of cinnamon?
Rating
Usually I'm not a fan of oolong-teas, but I actually quite like this one. The usual taste of plain roasted leaves is transformed into something akin to a whiskey barrel, which creates a rich and layered taste. Good tea, may buy more.
Stone Milk
Rock oolong from Shi Ru leaves
Taste
- Very gentle taste (for oolong)
- Creamy mouthfeel, actually feels like milk (tastes very different of course)
- High minerality
- Roasted leaves
Rating
Surprisingly mellow and gentle oolong, with a strong minerality. Like licking some friendly rocks.
Not a very deeply layered taste, but good for some relaxed drinking.
Ruby Black
Black tea of Ruby 18 leaves
Taste
- Strong notes of camphor
- Moderately high minerality and astringency
- Subdued cinnamon sweet notes
- If you look for it, you can even detect hints of eucalyptus
- Nice floral and spice notes
Rating
I love this tea. It to me represents the essence of what a black tea is, and I like black tea the most already.
At first the camphor dominates, but with more infusions the more subdued notes take the stage and create a deeply layered drinking experience.
Still easily my favorite tea.
Ancient Haze
Black tea of Ye Sheng Dehongensis leaves
Taste
- Extremely fresh and refreshing
- Juicy and fruity
- Notes of various citrus fruits
- Hints of hops
Rating
Very nice black tea. Extremely refreshing with a decently deep flavor profile.
I like it a lot.
Honeycomb Black
Black tea of Da Ye Zhong leaves
Taste
- Bread
- No really, it's like I made tea of old toast
- Malty notes
- Hint of dark chocolate
Rating
Bread.
On it's own I don't like it that much, but if you add a bit of sugar it very nicely complements and softens the rather dry bready flavor and transform it to something like a honeyed pastry.
Old Tree Silver Needle
White Tea of Da Ye Zhong leaves.
Taste
- Fresh fruit notes
- Hint of camphor
- As it cools down a pudding-like note appears
- Pudding-taste gets stronger with the first few infusions
- Fresh and creamy mouthfeel
Rating
Fresh and gentle notes with a interesting and deep flavor profile, that also changes a good amount with each infusion.
I like it a lot, very good white tea.
Young Gushu 23
Raw Puerh from the year '23
Taste
- Fresh, leafy
- Green tea
- Apple (?) skin
Rating
Very refreshing and comfortable to drink. Doesn't have the "moldy" notes some Puerh teas tend to have.
Pretty good