JING Tea Ali Shan Oolong
Country of Origin: Taiwan Leaf Appearance: deep green, tightly rolled Ingredients: oolong tea Steep time: 30 seconds Water Temperature: 195 degrees Preparation Method: porcelain gaiwan Liquor: gold The taste of this tea was deeply floral with a sweet and vegetal finish. In short, it was everything that I love about Ali Shan oolong. Fruity notes added a pleasant lightness that kept it from being too “green”. The mouth-feel was smooth and almost creamy. I did about six consecutive infusions and the flavor remained consistent throughout. The leaves took their time unfurling but they had completely filled my gaiwan by the time that I was finished. They had a incredible aroma, even after brewing…
JING Tea Silver Needle 2013
Country of Origin: China Leaf Appearance: pale green, covered in downy hairs Ingredients: white tea Steep time: 3 minutes Water Temperature: 175 degrees Preparation Method: glass teapot Liquor: pale gold The first thing that I noticed about this tea was the leaves. While all silver needles are covered in downy hairs, these leaves were positively fluffy. I was amazed to actually see the hairs falling off into the water during steeping. This is a phenomenon that I’ve been told happens but I had never actually seen it for myself. The taste was sweet and mellow with definite notes of honeydew melon. It was vegetal without becoming grassy and the finish had a pleasant…
JING Tea Dragonwell Supreme Organic Green Tea
Photo: JING Tea Country of Origin: China Leaf Appearance: jade green, flat, some leaf fuzz Ingredients: green tea Steep time: 30 seconds Water Temperature: 160 degrees Preparation Method: porcelain gaiwan Liquor: very pale According to +JING Tea‘s website this is their highest quality Dragonwell selection for 2013. The leaves were picked between the 6th and 8th April 2013 from Fengwu tea garden, near the ancient Chinese city of Hangzhou. The taste was mellow, vegetal and refreshing. Notes of chestnut and citrus led to a lingering sweet finish. The mouth-feel was fairly thick with hardly any astringency. I did three consecutive infusions with a gaiwan and it developed a pleasant grassiness as each steep…
JING Tea Organic Dragonwell
Photo: JING Tea Country of Origin: China Leaf Appearance: jade green, flat Ingredients: green tea Steep time: 30 seconds Water Temperature: 160 degrees Preparation Method: porcelain gaiwan Liquor: pale gold This tea was subtly vegetal with nutty notes along with an almost floral quality. The mouthfeel was smooth with just a touch of astringency. Each sip had a sweetness in the finish that lingered in my palate in the nicest way. I did three consecutive infusions but it definitely could have gone for a few more rounds. The wonderful thing about Dragonwell is that it is a perfect tea for beginners and also offers a lot to someone who is more experienced. This…
Blind Tasting: Dragonwell – Organic vs Organic Supreme
I haven’t done a blind tasting in a long time and I thought now would be a perfect chance to do that since I happened to have two Dragonwells from +JING Tea. Both teas are organic but one of them is supreme grade. I’ll be reviewing the teas individually after this and will be sure to post the links here once they are published. Before you get to the bottom of the post, see if you can guess which one is which. No cheating! Featured in this post: JING Tea Organic Dragonwell I prepared both teas in porcelain gaiwans using the same parameters, 170 degree water and 30 second infusions. Visually the samples were…
Jing Tea Silver Needle White Tea 2008
This year has been an oolong odyssey for me so I was looking forward to the change of pace that this tea had to offer. Jing’s website explains that it was picked at the end of March 2008 and is made up of the first spring buds of the Da-Bai tea plant. Silver needle is the highest grade of white tea and is still a reigning favorite in my book. The dry leaves were covered in the signature silvery down and had a faint floral scent. I brewed this tea in a gaiwan with 176° water, steeping it for three minutes. The liquor was a light gold color and had a similar aroma…
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