Formosa Pouchong - Adagio Teas

Adagio Teas recently sent me their newest collection of teas. The set included: Fujian Ti Kuan Yin, Fujian Ali Shan, Anhui Keemun, Jasmine Pearl, Yunnan Golden Curls, Yunnan Golden Puerh, Wuyi Da Hong Pao, and Formosa Pouchong. I must confess that a few of those names made my mouth water immediately. I was hopeful.

I decided to start with one of my favorites - Formosa Pouchong. This very lightly oxidized oolong has long been a favorite of mine. Teance's version has been a "must have" for me for quite awhile.

The dry leaf was incredibly long, with a slight twist and a lovely deep olive color. It had a sugary, slightly maple-like scent.

I brewed the tea at 205 degrees for 2 minutes. The liquor brewed to a pale yellow. The scent was very sweet and floral like tulips or lilacs. As the tea leaves opened, their rich olive color and serrated edges were revealed.

The first steep was creamy with gentle floral notes. It was nice, but much more subtle than I'd anticipated. There was the long aftertaste that I have come to expect of a good pouchong.

I brewed the second steep for 2 minutes, 10 seconds. More leaves were fully opened and they had a slightly leathery feel. The scent of the leaves reminded me of asparagus. The thick mouthfeel stayed. At first I thought, "Bold," but it faded quickly. It was more that the scent was strong when first steeped but it quickly faded and so did the flavor. The taste just didn't keep up with the scent.

I did my third steep for 2 minutes, 30 seconds. It was still too subtle for me.

This is a decent pouchong, I think. Maybe even better than decent. I want to try brewing with more leaf next time. I think I've just been spoiled by incredibly flavorful pouchongs that may not require quite as much leaf. True, this tea just can't compete with Teance's pouchong but I think Adagio has come up with a nice oolong here. I'm optimistic that my brewing adjustments will make this a more memorable tea for me.

It's a carnival!

I’m very excited that the Association of Tea Bloggers (of which I am a member...for now...until they kick me out for my utter lack of posting of late) is doing a “Tea Blog Carnival.” What this means is that a number of ATB members will all be posting on the same topic on the same day. You can find links to all the other bloggers in the carnival by visiting www.gongfugirl.com

The topic is “What is Your Favorite Piece of Teaware and Why?”

I find these kinds of topics so much harder than they seem. It’s like when someone asks about my favorite tea. My pro and con list seems never ending. I guess that’s why I always struggled with multiple choice exams. And so, since I’m kind of making the rules here, I cheat.

My response is: Anything made of Yixing.

I am completely in love with this beautiful clay. The town of YiXing is located in the Jiangsu province on China’s eastern coast. For hundreds of years, teapots have been produced here using this very special earth. What I love most about Yixing is that the pots and other teawares are unglazed by design. One should only brew a single type of tea in these pots because over time, the teaware absorbs the flavors and aromas of the tea. It is said that if you use a pot this way for years then you can eventually brew tea simply by adding hot water -- the pot will actually release enough of what it has absorbed to flavor your brew.

I currently have three Yixing pots. My current favorite is my newest purchase. It is a traditionally-sized Yixing pot and sharing pitcher.

And now, what’s YOUR favorite teaware?