Country of Origin: Taiwan
Leaf Appearance: mix of green, red and brown with some white tips
Ingredients: oolong tea
Steep time: 30 seconds
Water Temperature: 185 degrees
Preparation Method: porcelain gaiwan
Liquor: pale amber
The online tea world has been buzzing about Tea Ave lately. I have to say that I am really impressed with their brand aesthetic and the packaging of their tea. The label provides so much information in a small space without being cluttered or hard to read. I want to know everything possible about the tea that I’m drinking. Oriental Beauty, also known as Bai Hao, is one of my favorite Taiwanese oolongs. I have three samples to choose from but I gravitated to this one immediately. The taste was full of floral sweetness with notes of honey and a very subtle hint of spice. There was also an interesting biscuity quality that I seldom see in Taiwanese teas. It stood up very well to resteeping, so much so that I simply stopped counting. Gaiwans are always my preferred method but I think it would do well if brewed in a more western fashion. This type of tea can be quite pricey because an authentic one must be grown organically. I would say that Tea Ave’s version is fairly affordable compared to some that I have seen.
Oriental Beauty sample provided by Tea Ave.