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TTNs: Two oolongs, one nice, the other like an old La Tâche!

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Saina

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TTNs: Two oolongs, one nice, the other like an old La Tâche!

by Saina » Tue Feb 06, 2007 12:17 pm

I'll probably be taking a few weeks or so off alcohol in a little while so I ordered some teas from EastTeas in England so that I'll have some interesting things to drink meanwhile.

Shui Xian (aka Water Sprite Oolong, aka Shui Hsien)

The tea is from Wuji Mtns in Fujian. Brewed at c.80C and steeped for about 4 mins. The colour is very dark. The nose is typical oolong in its sweet, floral notes, but it also has a strange touch of rye bread! It's not a terribly elegant oolong because of this malty note, but it is a nice drink.

Shan Qie Ye

From Guandong, this is from a single 120 YO tree that yields 12kg a year. This stuff rocked. The scent rocks! It's citrussy and rather red toned in its fruit (lingonberries comes to mind) with a nice, subtle spiciness, maybe even some jasmine - it is a compact scent that is very elegant and complex. I thought for a long time what it reminded me of, and all of a sudden my nostrils recalled the event a few years ago. The nose bears a striking resemblance to the one time I've tasted an old La Tâche (1959 to be precice). That had the same mix of elegance and decadence and purity and balance. At £12,50 for 20g, it's not the cheapest tea, but it is much nicer to pay this than the 2600€ or so that a '59 La Tâche now costs. Lovely palate also, a bit citrussy but full bodied and naturally slightly sweet. This stuff rocks!
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Maria Samms

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Re: TTNs: Two oolongs, one nice, the other like an old La Tâche!

by Maria Samms » Wed Feb 07, 2007 1:19 pm

Hey Otto,

What a great idea to "taste" tea like you would wine! We are big tea drinkers here since my husband is from England. I really like Oolong as well, but I have never gotten speciality Oolong. I will ask my In-laws to bring some Shan Qie Ye Oolong next time they come out. Thanks for the tea tasting notes!
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Anders Källberg

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Re: TTNs: Two oolongs, one nice, the other like an old La Tâche!

by Anders Källberg » Wed Feb 07, 2007 5:03 pm

Great notes Otto! They make me really want to taste that Shan Qie Ye stuff! I might send an order to EastTeas myself.
Keep the tea notes coming, also if you have to stay off alcohol for some time.
Cheers, Anders
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Re: TTNs: Two oolongs, one nice, the other like an old La Tâ

by Saina » Wed Feb 07, 2007 5:18 pm

Maria, Thanks, it's no new thing however - I've been putting up TTNs for a long time and have hoped others would also. I think alongside wine and beer (not industrial lager, BTW just to drive the matter in) and whisky, tea is maybe the beverage that only is able to achieve such heights of complexity. Some will say that Cognac and coffee can also, but in honesty, in Cognacs I can only smell varying degrees of oak (and we all know how I feel about oak! ;) ), and in coffee roast. The flavours in themselves in these drinks are pretty uniform if I may say so. = purely subjective opinion, Anders will chime in soon and debunk everything I've said! :)

Anders, Thanks, stay tuned, I'm just about to put up a few more TTNs on other smashing teas from the same company I drunk today! Unfortunate stuff about having to stay off alcohol isn't it? Especially since I just was off alcohol on my month in Zanzibar because there was nothing interesting to drink there. :( Oh well, I've been meaning to buy a couple interesting bottles of more expensive wine than I should be buying with my budget. Now with no money going into "everyday" stuff, I might just be able to do so! :)

-Otto-(always looking on the bright side of life)
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Re: TTNs: Two oolongs, one nice, the other like an old La Tâ

by Anders Källberg » Wed Feb 07, 2007 5:45 pm

Well, at least regrading coffee, I beg to differ, though I have to agree that one has to get behind the roasting aromas.
Then I'd like to add another thing one can taste in the same way as those beverages you mention and that is dark chocolate. Not a beverage, but definitely with a large range of flavours and tastes. I'm working hard to get to learn the stuff more deeply right now,and is becoming quite addicted...
Cheers, Anders
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Re: TTNs: Two oolongs, one nice, the other like an old La Tâ

by Ben Rotter » Tue Feb 13, 2007 3:03 pm

Otto,

Nice to see some tea notes!

Does the East Teas company have a catalogue or is it necessary to call them to order etc? (Don't see anything on website apart from contact info.)

Re coffee: the roasting certainly obscures the terroir influences. I think you have to learn to get past it.

What will you be covering next? Cigars? :wink:

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