2 Wuyis and a White Tea

Hello to all my fine, forgiving readers...

Our house has been beset by one of the never ending viruses that seems to be making the rounds. My husband and I got to go out for Valentine's Day (small miracle!) to dinner and to see the new show "Dirty Dancing." We had a fabulous time. Unfortunately, as we returned home we found that my son's cough had escalated to croup. Ugh. Poor kid. We've since had this awful cough/ sore throat / tight chest / fever-y mess of an illness running through the house. First my son...then me...then my husband. My daughter is the latest with it. And IT NEVER SEEMS TO GO AWAY! My son is on day 10...BUT, I just couldn't bear to have any more time go by without posting. So, I'm back. As a thank you for your patience I'm going to review 3 teas today.


Organic Silver Star - David's Tea

This was one of several samples I received from David's Tea.

The leaf was soft, needle shaped and completely covered in downy white hair. There were some pieces of green leaf mixed in with the silver needle as well. The scent was sweet and lemony. It was actually reminiscent of something I'd smelled before - a connection that I suspect very few of you would make.

Many years ago I worked for the US Department of Agriculture doing research. Our primary medium for the research was potatoes. We used to collect samples of plants - leaves, potatoes, etc. We would weigh the samples and then dry them and re-weigh to assess water content. I remember there being a huge drying room, dark and hot and full of tall shelving with wire mesh racks that the bags of samples would go on. I will never forget the smell of that room - kind of like a sauna, but with this additional scent of dried autumn leaves. That is what this tea smelled like.

1 1/2 tsp per 8 ounces water for 4 minutes at 170 degrees - The tea brewed to a nearly colorless brew. There was an extremely pale yellow tint. (The second infusion yielded a slightly darker color.) It smelled of apples and honey. The taste was reminiscent of leaves, forests, and pine. It had a lovely sweetness to it. The after taste was of tulips and honey. The second infusion was a bit more lemony.

I'm going to need some more time with this tea to develop a strong opinion. For now, I will say that it was clean and pleasant and deserving of some more tries.


Wuyi Oolong - Mighty Leaf Tea

This is the first of two oolongs I recently received from Mighty Leaf Tea. (The other was the Jade Oolong.)

The dry leaf was dark brown with long, twisted leaf pieces. The scent was that difficult to describe oolong scent. I must echo the frustration of many, many tea writers/reviewers who cannot come up with a description for oolong's aroma. There was some smokiness to this particular tea's scent also.

1 tsp in 6 ounces water for 3 1/2 minutes at 190 degrees: The tea brewed to a peach colored liquor. The scent was like a musky black tea. The first infusion tasted of lemon and mint. I couldn't quite get the taste I anticipated from this oolong. The second brew was much darker, more like a black tea. The flavors were richer and more complex.


Super Butterfly Wuyi - David's Tea

This tea, while also a Wuyi oolong, could not have been more different from the Mighty Leaf version.

The dry leaf was tightly rolled and a mix of olive, dark green, and ebony colors. The scent was rich and chocolate-y.

1 tsp per 6 ounces water for 3 1/2 minutes at 200 degrees - The aroma of this brewed tea was oolong with a lovely sweetness. The color was maize, yellow-orange liquor.

This was an extraordinarily full flavored tea - gorgeous and intoxicating. It was sweet and slightly floral. It reminded me of the greener oolongs I've been partial to lately. The second infusion was also excellent - rich, honey, and slightly savory.