My Tea Break

Rediscovering Tea around the world

Category Archives: Oolong Tea


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Aged Tie Guan Yin (Iron Buddha)

This week I tried an aged Tie Guan Yin as part of the Canton Tea Club. Tie Guan Yin is an Oolong Tea also known as Iron Buddha.

This aged Tea was harvested in Spring 2007 and is handmade on a traditional Anxi Farm in the Fujian Province in China.It is heavily roasted and then stored for 4 years away from heat, light and humidity to let the deep, toasty flavours develop.

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The initial rich sweet cocoa flavour develops into a long, lingering, dark fruit taste, with hints of toasted oats and cinnamon along the way.

For more information about Oolong Tea please check our previous post that explains all about this Tea: blog.myteabreak.com/2011/03/11/oolong/

Happy Tea Break.

 

 


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Bai Hao Oolong Tea

Bai Hao Oolong is a famous Oolong Tea from Taiwan. The name Bai Hao refers to the appearance of the Tea leaves which are mostly dark in color but ends with a silvery tip. This Tea is also known as Dong Fang Mei Ren or Oriental Beauty, a name given by Queen Elizabeth II when she tasted this Tea for the first time.

This Tea is known by its sweet fruity flavour but the processing of this Tea is even more interesting. This Tea is made not only by man but also by insects. Yes… Insects…  The farmers wait that some tiny green flies attack the Tea leaves before harvest. The Tea leaves that were bitten by the green flies will change into a yellow colour and the Tea leaves produce an antibody which gives its characteristic fruity flavour. Only the damaged leaves can be selected which makes it an incredibly labour intensive process from start to finish.

There are many stories about the origin of Bai Hao Tea. According to one Taiwanese Tea book, a Tea farmer in Beipu (Taiwan) noticed that small green insects resembling grasshoppers had damaged the leaves of his newly picked spring crop. Rather than destroying his crop, he decided to process the leaves and was very surprised by its strong sweet fruity flavour.

A truly Oriental Beauty…. 

Happy Tea Break.

Tania


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Tea between Mountains

Last week I had the opportunity to travel around Switzerland, where you can find the most breathtaking places.

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 During the day we spent @ Interlaken, we had a real Tea Break in the middle of the mountains. What a scenario! I had an Oriental Beauty Oolong. I felt in peace and in harmony. It was amazing!

Happy Tea Break,

Mariana

Our dearest friend Thuy Tien from Mùi Concept, has sent us a few samples of Tea. Today I decided to try the Voie Lactée (Milky Way) – an Oolong Tea with an amazing soft, but very characteristic, aroma and taste of milk!

I have to say I am completely in love with this Tea. It is quite different from other Teas, as it has a unique and sweet aroma and taste. The after taste is intense and very pleasant.

How to prepare it: use spring water at 85º; infusion of 4 minutes minimum.

This was an excellent way to start this week! Thank you Thuy!

You can more information about Mùi Concept: www.mui-concept.com

Happy Tea Break!

Mariana


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Cold Tea / Chá Frio

The Spring is here and the weather is now warmer (ihih!) ! So, today, I am suggesting Cold Tea.

How to prepare it? It´s very simple!

- You should infuse 10g of Tea in 1 Litre of water at room temperature for one night.  Take the leaves in the morning and put your Tea in the fridge.

- Another way to prepare it is by infusing 10g of Tea on 1/2 L at the recommended temperature, let it cool down and add 1/2 L of cold water.

You can use aromatized or flower Teas, but also plain Teas. Last summer I used to drink a lot of Oolong Bao Zhong, an amazing Tea from Taiwan. I also recommend cold Rooibos, which is great for children! You can also add citrus peel, sugar, honey, mint, ginger and/or spices.

Happy Tea Break,

Mariana!

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Chegou a Primavera, o tempo está mais quente e apetece mais beber um refresco! My Tea Break aconselha que beba Chá Frio!

È muito simples de preparar: 

- Faça uma infusão de 10g de chá para 1 litro de água à temperatura ambiente. Deixe as folhas durante a noite. Na manhã seguinte retire as folhas e ponha o chá no frigorifico.

- Outra forma é fazer a infusão de 10g em 1/2 litro de água à temperatura recomendada, deixar arrefecer e acrescentar 1/2 litro de água fria.

Tanto os Chás aromatizados como os simples são óptimos para fazer Chá frio. Recomendo Oolong Bao Zhong, um fantástico chá do Taiwan e Rooibos, que também é óptimo para as crianças! Depois da infusão, pode acrescentar cascas de limão ou laranja, gengibre, menta, açúcar, mel e/ou especiarias a seu gosto.

Tenha um óptimo dia,

Mariana!


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How To Choose The Right Tea for You?

Hi Tea Lovers,

Jesse Jacobs, from the Samovar Tea Lounge, can help you decide which is the right Tea for you. You should answer the following questions:

  • How do you wanna feel?
  • What am I eating?
  • Tea Category and what kind of flavour do you like?

Check out his video –  

Happy Tea Beak,

Mariana


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Special T from Nestlé

Last year, Nestlé launched a new concept , Special T,  which brews Tea from capsules.

“Special.T by Nestlé offers a selection of 25 tea varieties – ranging from green, black, blue, red and white teas, to flavoured teas and organic herb teas – which are carefully sourced from selected tea farms in China, Japan, Sri Lanka, India and South Africa. 
The high quality tea leaves are protected by aluminium capsules, with each dosage measured to precision. The perfect brewing time and temperature for each individual tea variety is calculated by the innovative Special.T machine system, which in turn, releases the full benefits and infusion of the tea beverage.”

“I have never tasted the Tea capsules and, to be honest, this is definitely not my cup of Tea! Although I´ve got to say it is a very creative idea!” Mariana

“I actually tried it last weekend as my uncle just bought one. I was quite suspicious about its quality but actually I enjoyed it. I tried a Rooibos capsule and it had a pleasant smooth and fresh flavour. It also comes out with a small layer of foam on top which gives it an  Espresso look and feel ” Tania

Click here for more information about Special T.

Happy Tea break!


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The last one!

Throughout this week, I have been tasting the Canton Tea Co. Teas. I have tasted two great black Teas (Black Bai Lin Gong Fu and Ying De Nº 9. ) – one light fresh green Tea (Xue Ya – Snow Buds) and one oolong Tea (Huang Jin Gui).

Today I am tasting the last Tea that Edgar Thoemmes has very kindly sent me. It is a Oloong Tea called Ali Shan or High Mountain Oolong from Taiwan.

This Tea was harvested in the Spring 2011. As the name indicates, it is grown is high mountains ( 1200m+). The leaves are tightly rolled and are dark green. The liquor presents as light green and the taste is quite fresh, smooth and sweet. It is an excellent Tea!

It has a long, soft and sweet after taste.

´The fresh, clean almost creamy taste makes it an extremely refreshing and satisfying tea to enjoy at any time of day.´

                                                             For more information please see:

http://www.cantonteaco.com/ali-shan-oolong-tea.html

Have a good weekend, Mariana!


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Good Morning!

Hey everyone,

This morning I am tasting the Huang Jin Gui, which is a Oolong Tea - Yellow Gold Oolong Tea. This Tea is from the Fujian region in China. It has a soft, floral smell (like the Osmanthus flower); a yellow/gold colour; a light but personalised floral taste. It is a very good light floral Tea. Maybe I would recommend it for later on in the day.

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For more information, please go on:

http://www.cantonteaco.com/yellow-gold-oolong-tea.html


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Tea Tasting @ Tea&Coffee Festival – part 2

At the Chinese Tea Ceremony, all Teas tasted were spring Teas, picked 4/5 weeks ago. They were all very fresh.

Edgar Thoemmes, director of specialist Chinese Tea supplier Canton Tea Co., started by introducing the Ye Sheng Wild White Tea from the Fujin mountains. The Tea was very delicate, smooth, creamy and soft in taste.  Edgar told us that this Tea comes from an abandoned farm that was once owned by the government. “The tea bushes were left to grow wild. Our producer recognised the potential in the farm, the natural tea bushes, the excellent terroir and particularly the yellowy, rocky soil – perfect for giving the tea a delicious mineral note. He bought up the estate and produced this great tea from the first, small harvest of all the tea bushes that had been left untouched, in a natural state for decades.”

white tea

This Tea was followed by a fresh Dragon Well, green Tea. The Tea was picked just before the rain and it is variety #43, which is a top grade and therefore it is quite expensive – 50g for £26.  The Tea felt smooth, fresh and I could also taste a nutty flavour.

Green Tea

The third Tea we´ve tasted was the Mi Lan Dang Cong (Honey Orchid). This is an extraordinary Oolong Tea. “Dan Cong is the champagne of oolongs: ripe with intense fruit and sweetness. This high grade example comes from a plantation on the lower slopes of Wu Dong Mountain, Chao Zhou. The leaves are thoroughly fermented and baked to produce a rich liquor with unique flowery and honeyed notes that can be enjoyed through multiple infusions.” I found this to be an amazing Tea. I highly recommend it!

Oolong Tea

Last but not the least, the fantastic Bai Lin Gong Fu Black Tea. This is Tea is fully oxidised and it is quite robust. You get a long mellow after taste. I found it sweet, with no need to add milk or sugar! “This Bai Lin Gong Fu is made from young wild white tea buds, twisted into tight elegant gold-streaked curls. The liquor is reddish-brown and tastes naturally of caramel and cream so needs absolutely nothing added. This is a wonderful example of whole leaf black tea.”

Black Tea

This was a very good experience. All Teas were of great quality. You can get them online:

. Canton Tea Co. http://www.cantonteaco.com/

Have a great week, Mariana!

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