Hairy Crab Oolong - Virtuous Teas

This was my first experience with Hairy Crab Oolong (not the most appealing nomenclature I must admit.) Hairy Crab Oolong is also known as Mao Xie Oolong. This tea originates in the Anxi District in the southern part of China's Fujian region. The tea is named for an edible crab common in the region. These serrated tea leaves have a visible fine down.

The leaves of this tea were tightly twisted and a mix of olive colored leaves and nearly black leaves. There were a few stems mixed in. The scent of the dry leaf was of pine and citrus.

I must confess that I did not get the brewing of this quite right today. I was more successful yesterday and am anxious to try it again soon. The difficulty I faced with this tea was that I saw recommendations of using anywhere from 1 tsp to 1 tbs of leaf per 6 to 8 ounces. Brewing time was anywhere from 1 - 3 minutes and some called for 180 degree temps while others called for boiling water. Others are adamant that you should only brew this using gaiwan and short steeping times...So, there will be a great deal of trial and error with this one.

Today I did a first infusion using 1 tsp of leaf and a 3 minute steep with water just below boiling (around 190 degrees). The tea had a very light, gentle flavor. There was some floral quality reminiscent of jasmine. There was a slightly lemony finish. It didn't quite have the depth I'd hoped.

The second infusion was for 3 1/2 minutes. It was a bit stronger, but still relatively delicate. The floral notes became much stronger. There was a slight earthiness.

The third infusion was for 4 minutes. The tea began to develop a bitterness. I blame this on overbrewing.

In the future I will try this tea using 2 tsp of leaf and begin with a 2 minute steep, adding just 15 seconds to each steep in order to avoid the late bitterness. I will also try this using a gaiwan.

Tea: Hairy Crab Oolong
Source: Virtuous Teas
Type: Oolong tea
Brewing details: 1 tsp per 8 ounces at 190 degrees for 3 minutes (3 1/2 for the 2nd infusion and 4 minutes for the 3rd)
Comment: Take care with this oolong as it is a fairly lightly oxidized one. It will likely be a little temperamental regarding water temperature and brewing time.

For more information on tea, please visit The Tea Pages website.
For Tea Pages merchandise, visit our site at Cafe Press.

Herbata Tea Bar - Nashua, NH

I recently mentioned that I stumbled upon a new tea bar in Nashua, New Hampshire. Herbata Tea Bar opened its doors in April 2008 under the direction of co-owners Kathleen and Marybeth. It is located at 650 Amherst Street (Route 101A) in a strip mall with Mother & Child Consignment, Wine Society, Lilac Blossom Restaurant, Sherwin Williams, and a few other shops. The location threw me at first, but as soon as I stepped in the door I knew that I would quickly forget about the outside environment.

The inside of the tea bar has been beautifully decorated with rich red walls, natural wood high top tables, and comfy leather chairs. There is even a child sized table and chairs with a children's tea set. There is a large bar where you can order your tea and refreshments and chat with the owners. In the back there is a small table that is used for tea tastings.

There is a small, rotating lunch menu of soups and salads served mid-day. Pastry is available all day. On my first visit I tried a fantastic corn and bacon chowder and a very enjoyable chai coffee cake. The tea menu was very nice - a good range of blacks, greens, and oolongs. Coffee and other beverages are also available. I tried a Caramel Oolong and was very pleased with my choice. I generally prefer unflavored oolongs, but this was a really pleasant tea and well brewed.

There were numerous displays throughout the store with teapots, cups, and accessories and a wide variety of loose leaf tea. There are teas of all types, tisanes, and specially blended "health teas." They will also create gift baskets for tea lovers.

I had the chance to go for a second visit last Friday. Herbata was hosting its first on-site tea tasting. Jeremy, a part-time staff member (a chef who also works at Wine Society), conducted the tasting. It was a great experience - appropriate for those new to tea and to hard-core tea lovers. He offered 4 black teas - 2 Ceylon and 2 Indian. It was a nice mix to compare and contrast. Jeremy was very amiable and easy to chat with.

The Vithanakande Estate Ceylon was a 1st flush single-estate low-growing Ceylon from the Ratnapura Region of Sri Lanka. It was a mild tea with a gentle floral taste. Very subtle.

The second tea was Lover's Leap Estate Ceylon. It was a broken leaf tea from Sri Lanka's highest region. This was a fruity, grape-y rich tea with a full mouth feel. It reminded me a great deal of Mark T. Wendell's Cheericup Ceylon.

We then moved on to Indian black teas. The Orange Valley Single Estate Darjeeling wasn't my favorite. It was okay, but I just kept looking for more complexity. It just didn't offer me as much as I would have liked.

The last tea was Superior Assam. It was an Assam blend - strong, bold and malty. A good wake-me-up tea.

I ended up purchasing some Caramel Oolong and Lover's Leap to take home. Jeremy mentioned that they are planning on doing tastings every other week or so (likely Fridays 4:30 - 7:00. Call the store for more information - 603-598-1212.) The next tasting will be on May 30th and it is supposed to be oolong teas. Sounds like another great opportunity!

I would definitely recommend a visit to this shop. Let me know if you get a chance to stop in!

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all those moms, grandmothers, aunts, sisters, and every other woman who is a mother-figure in someone's life.

I know I've been a bit MIA of late, but I'll be back with more posts next week. I'll have some new tea reviews, a write-up on Herbata tea of Nashua, and a few other informational posts in the coming days.

Here's a quick photo of my Mother's Day. We had a picnic at Lilac Sunday at the Arnold Arboretum in Jamaica Plain (Boston), MA.

I hope everyone had some good tea today!

Okayti Darjeeling Autumn Flush Oolong - Mighty Leaf

Happy tea day everyone. Today is a day I definitely needed a good cup of tea! I needed to purchase something and called a bunch of stores trying to find it. I called one store that was 30 minutes away and they said they had it. Hooray! I got the kids ready, drove out there only to discover they didn't REALLY have it. They had something "like it." Seriously.

Today I decided to try the sample I received of Mighty Leaf's Okayti Darjeeling Autumn Flush Oolong (loose leaf.) About a week and a half ago I sampled and reviewed the Darjeeling black tea and LOVED it. To be honest I've been hesitating on this one. I really love oolong teas and didn't want to be disappointed.

The dry leaf had an interesting mix of colors - browns, rust, greens, and white. (I apologize for the photo. My camera had a very tragic "falling in the sand" accident and it is definitely on its last legs. I'm just trying to make do until I replace it.) This tea originates from the Okayti tea estate in the Darjeeling region of India.

The scent of this tea was floral with a little note of earthiness. The taste was slightly sweet with a bit of a wine like taste. It reminded me of the Darjeeling black I had tried previously. Actually, it reminded me quite a bit of it. To be honest, I think if I hadn't known I might not have realized this was oolong. I must admit that I think I do have a mental bias for Chinese or Formosa oolongs. I haven't acclimated yet to Indian oolong so that could also be a factor.

The second infusion tasted much more like a traditional oolong to me. The leaves had opened nicely. (The leaves are quite small compared to the Tung Ting from the other day. I'm just starting to learn about the differences between different oolong styles. More to come on that in later posts.) The second round seemed a slightly lighter and smoother tea that reminded me of flowers and oranges.

Tea: Okayti Darjeeling Autumn Flush Oolong
Source: Mighty Leaf Tea
Type: Oolong tea
Brewing details: 1 tbs per 12 ounces at 190 degrees for 3 minutes (3 1/2 for the 2nd infusion)
Comment: I vote for the Darjeeling black, but this is also a nice tea. Another solid loose leaf offering from Mighty Leaf.

For more information on tea, please visit The Tea Pages website.
For Tea Pages merchandise, visit our site at Cafe Press.

More Dolce Vita - Tea Forte

A few weeks ago I reviewed three of the teas from Tea Forte's Dolce Vita collection (here and here.) Today I thought I'd publish the reviews of the remaining teas in the series.

Coco Truffle: Chocolate teas always give me pause as they are often lacking in flavor. Disappointing. Then I noticed that this was a tisane. I became even more concerned, fearing that this would be a timid offering. It was not. This was actually a really nice herbal option. This combination of cacao, fennel, licorice, and cardamom made for a rich, enjoyable blend. A nice evening option.

White Ambrosia: This white tea is blended with vanilla, coconut, and fruit. The coconut was readily apparent with a light frutiness - pineapple, perhaps. The coconut wasn't overpowering. I think the vanilla and fruit mellowed it a bit. This wasn't my favorite of the collection. It felt like something I'd had before while several of the other teas in this collection seemed completely unique to me.

Raspberry Nectar: A raspberry flavored tisane. I'm not a huge berry tisane fan. I will say though that this one smelled lovely and had a real raspberry flavor, not artificial. While it wouldn't be a favorite of mine, it was a well done herbal.

Overall I will definitely give the Dolce Vita collection a positive review. A nice selection of blends that are perfect when you need just a bit of sweetness. Most benefit from a touch of sugar, but they stand up well on their own. A great addition to the Tea Forte repertoire.

Interesting Notes from the World of Tea

Hi all,

Happy Wednesday. It's an absolutely beautiful day here. Just had a picnic with the kids in the front yard so we could watch the workers fixing the street. Life doesn't get simpler or better than that!

I've been reading some interesting tea related news lately so I thought I'd focus on that today. These are in no particular order, just things I've happened upon of late:

• There was a really interesting article in the April 2008 "Tea & Coffee Trade Journal" about some of the tea growing locations we don't hear much about. Did you know that there have been tea gardens on the Azore Islands off Portugal's coast since the 18th century? Have you heard of Agricola Himalaya, the company cultivating tea crops in Colombia? Many of you know about the tea estate in South Carolina but did you know tea is also being grown in Hawaii and in Washington State. (The estates in Washington have not yet processed tea for commercial sale.) There is even a tea plantation and annual festival in Tuscany, Italy in the town of S. Andrea di Compito. I'd be more than happy to visit this one and do some research if anyone would like to fund a trip there...or Hawaii....or Portugal.
  
• Speaking of South Carolina, the Charleston Tea Plantation will be hosting a First Flush Festival on May 17, 2008.
  
• Adagio Tea has released a new edition of TeaMuse.
• The Guinness World Record was broken for the World's Largest Tea Party in Indore, India. 32,681 people came together to share tea. The previous record was established in Nishio, Japan in 2006 when a tea party of 14,718 was held.
• Elmwood Inn has been commissioned by the National Archives to develop a tea that would replicate the tea thrown overboard during the Boston Tea Party. The tea will be sold in the Archives' gift shop.
• And in the "Maybe someday..." category, Den's Teas and Tea: A Magazine have announced a July tea tour to Japan. You can find details here. Visit 7 cities and taste 70 teas.

That's all for now! Off to make myself some tea.

New Tea Shop in NH - Herbata

I happened upon a new tea shop in Nashua, NH today. It's called Herbata and it's located on Route 101A (Exit 8 from Route 3 to 650 Amherst Street, Nashua). They are open 9:30 - 5:30 Monday through Friday and from 9:30 - 4:30 on Saturdays. They are closed on Sundays.

It's located in a kind of non-descript strip mall but the owners, Kimberley and Marybeth, have done a nice job with designing the space. It is comfortable and has a nice modern feel. There is a decent selection of loose leaf for purchase (which is sourced from several different companies) as well as other tea-related gifts. They do gift baskets as well. They serve lunch from 11 - 2 (soups and salads) and you can buy brewed tea, coffee, drinks, and pastry all day.

They've only been open since the beginning of April so things are new but look interesting. I'll go back soon and do a full review. (I had a really nice caramel oolong today and a wonderful corn and bacon chowder.)

If you're in the area, they'll be doing a tea tasting this Friday night at their store from 4:30 - 7:00 p.m.