by TeaDragon » Oct 27th 10 12:07 am
Ordered the 2010 Spring Tai Tung "Hao Xian" black tea (oolong) and the 1996 Chung-Cha MengHai Factory "Orange-in-Orange', Uncooked pu'erh last Wed.
Shipping: Fast; got here today (four days after ordering). Order was extremely well packed; tea is in vacuum sealed mylar (?) inside yet another sealed bag with a zip close top.
Tea:
Tai Tung Hao Xian: I ordered this based on recommendations and descriptions on the Hou De website. They wrote: "The aroma has a gorgeous profile composed of ripe fruit (apricot, berries), floral scents and a honey-like sweetness. "
Well. The aroma is what I would describe as very malty...it smells a LOT like the brewpot when I'm making beer with the more malty/honey beers over the holiday. So I can see the malt/honey. But I'm completely missing the berries.
"At a cooler temperature, the sweetness becomes more caramelized and concentrated." This is true. The maltiness isn't smacking me in the face as much as this cools to room temp, and there is a slight sweetness lingering on the palate. Maltiness decreases with subsequent infusions, being the most obvious in the footwater and first infusion.
"The taste is medium-bodied, silky-textured, and enlightened by a slight fruity acid feeling." It rolls very nicely on the tongue, without the mouth-drying sensation of a lot of black teas or even some pu'erhs.
Tea texture: Whole leaves, not fragments. Gorgeous deep amber color bordering on red.
