Tag: Oolong Tea

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Teakan’s Charcoal Roasted Tie Guan Yin

Charcoal Roasted Tie Guan Yin by Teakan
Oolong Tea / Straight
$30.00 for 65g

Charcoal Roasted Tie Guan Yin is part of Teakan’s Volume 5 Exploration Kit, a collection of five single origin teas. Charcoal Roasted Tie Guan Yin makes up 15g of the 65g kit.

First Impressions

Charcoal Roasted Tie Guan Yin came as part of the Volume 5 Exploration Kit. This oolong tea comes in a sealed, resealable kraft paper pouch. There’s a simplistic white and black label folded over for the front and back. This particular oolong comes from Anxi, Fujian, China, and was harvested in spring of 2021.

The leaves are dark, very deep brown with hints of green throughout. The aroma has a strong nuttiness from the roasted component, with a fruity undertone that strongly reminds me of plums. It has a nice aroma, I don’t really get much of a charcoal feel to it, but the roasted nuttiness does come through in the aroma of the dry leaf.

Preparation

Teakan recommends steeping Charcoal Roasted Tie Guan Yin in 96°C (205°F) water for 2 minutes 30 seconds for western style steeping, and 45 seconds for gongfu style steeping.

I opted to do an initial steep of Charcoal Roasted Tie Guan Yin in the western style of steeping for 2 minutes and 30 seconds.

First Taste

Charcoal Roasted Tie Guan Yin steeps to a golden orange, very clear, and has a nutty aroma. On first taste, I get the nuttiness, an astringency, and just a touch of fruitiness that reminds me of plums, but the nuttiness is much stronger. The astringency leads to a dry mouthfeel, but there is no bitterness. I find the astringency and that dry mouthfeel makes me want to drink more, just to quench that thirst that it creates. It has a pleasant flavour though, with just the tiniest hint of sweetness.

A Second Cup?

I resteeped Charcoal Roasted Tie Guan Yin a total of six times (seven steeps total with the same leaves), and added an additional 30 seconds for each subsequent steep. I kept with the same steeping method and water temperature and I found that the flavour stayed fairly consistent. I found it to remain lightly astringent with plum-notes throughout, along with that dry mouthfeel at the end of each sip.

My Overall Impression

I loved Teakan’s Charcoal Roasted Tie Guan Yin. I’m not sure what I was expecting when I saw the name Charcoal Roasted Tie Guan Yin, but I don’t think this was it. I was pleasantly surprised in the fact that it was had more roasted notes than what I had assumed it would be like, which would have been something closer to a lapsang souchong (and honestly, not one of my favourite types of tea) because I saw charcoal and thought smokey. The nutty flavour carries through well, and the plum notes really carry with each steep. I would highly recommend resteeping this oolong as much as possible.

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Dessert by Deb’s Lemon Chiffon Pie

Lemon Chiffon Pie by Dessert by Deb
Green Tea & Oolong Tea / Flavoured
$6.50 for 25g

First Impressions

Lemon Chiffon Pie was a tea that showed up in my bimonthly subscription box from Dessert by Deb. This green tea and oolong blend is part of the Deb’s Vintage Dessert Diner collection – which features all fun diner classics (like… the Lemon Chiffon Pie). I love the packaging – the pale pink metallic is just pretty.

Lemon Chiffon Pie consists of organic: green tea, ti kwan yin oolong, lemon peel, coconut, toasted coconut, lemongrass and calendula petals. The blend is quite beautiful, and the coconut flakes are just such a bright white compared to the rest of the ingredients. It has a very strong lemon, coconut, and lemongrass aroma to it – and the Lemon Chiffon Pie blend is pretty.

Preparation

Dessert by Deb recommends steeping Lemon Chiffon Pie in 200°F (93°C) water for 4 to 5 minutes. I followed the steeping instructions and did an initial steep for 4 minutes.

First Taste

Lemon Chiffon Pie steeps to a yellow-green colour. The aroma is primarily that of the lemongrass and coconut – they’re just quite strong flavours. Taste wise, I found it to be mostly coconut, lemongrass, with a buttery flavour that mingles in the background that allows the tea to be really smooth on the palate. The green tea isn’t that pronounced, but the oolong really carries through with the buttery creaminess and makes it seem more pie or pastry like.

A Second Cup?

I resteeped Lemon Chiffon Pie once, adding an additional 30 seconds for the resteep. The flavour is low on the coconut and lemongrass, but the oolong does well with the resteep and with a stronger buttery flavour to it. I’d recommend resteeping Lemon Chiffon Pie if you’re into oolong.

My Overall Impression

I liked Dessert by Deb’s Lemon Chiffon Pie. I like the blend with the coconut and lemongrass, the oolong does well to carry the blend and add to the flavour profile with that butter flavour. While I don’t specifically get the idea of lemon chiffon pie, I do like the flavours of this blend and think that it tastes delicious – I would definitely make this iced in the spring or summer to enjoy because I think that coconut flavour would lend itself well.

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DavidsTea’s Silver Bell Oolong

Silver Bell Oolong by DavidsTea
Oolong Tea, White Tea, & Green Tea / Flavoured
$12.98 for 50g

First Impressions

One of the reasons that Silver Bell Oolong made its way into my online shopping cart because the reviews compared it to a previous blend (Monk’s Blend). This obviously meant that I needed to give it a try. But when I first unboxed the order, I was subjected to this label. I’m not sure who decided teal was easy to read on a medium shade of blue, but it isn’t (at all). Silver Bell Oolong comes in a sealed, resealable pouch.

Silver Bell Oolong consists of: white tea, milk oolong with natural milk flavouring, and jasmine green tea pearls. It’s a beautiful blend, and has a great aroma to it. I can smell the jasmine and milk from the milk oolong. Silver Bell Oolong is really pretty to look at and admire the different leaves. Silver Bell Oolong has identical ingredients as Monk’s Blend (a retired blend), with a slight change in price  ($12.98 versus $11.50), but comes with a different name that makes me think that it’s a holiday or seasonal tea (so keep that in mind if you’re wanting to get some).

Preparation

DavidsTea recommends steeping Silver Bell Oolong in 90°C (195°F) water for 4 to 5 minutes. I opted to follow the temperature recommendation, and did an initial steep of Silver Bell Oolong for 4 minutes.

First Taste

Silver Bell Oolong steeps to a beautiful yellow colour. There’s a strong aroma of jasmine and milk. Silver Bell Oolong has a smooth liquor. I find that the flavour is floral, milky, and grassy. Silver Bell Oolong has a certain level of creaminess to it, that I would attribute to the milk oolong. It has a nice mouthfeel to it, with zero astringency or bitterness.

A Second Cup?

I resteeped Silver Bell Oolong two times (three steeps total), adding an additional 30 seconds for each subsequent steep. I find that the flavour stayed fairly consistent to the initial steep, with the milky flavour waning as I resteeped the leaves. It is quite tasty though.

My Overall Impression

I liked DavidsTea’s Silver Bell Oolong. I still find this oolong, white tea, and green tea blend to be tasty. It has a great mouthfeel, flavour profile, and resteeps decently well. I think that Silver Bell Oolong coming back is nice for fans of the original Monk’s Blend, and I think it’s very similiar (if not identical?) to the original blend. I wish I still had some in my tea stash so I could do a taste comparison between the two. I would highly recommend resteeping this blend because it does hold up to resteeping, and Silver Bell Oolong has a great flavour. The creaminess of Silver Bell Oolong would lend itself well to being paired with a meal or dessert.

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