My tasting notes: Alishan oolong
Of all social media platforms, Instagram is my favorite. It has connected me with tea lovers near and far and never fails to provide me with inspiration.
Not long ago, I had the chance to join Jeffrey Cleary during a live video on Instagram. If you don’t know him, he is the knowledgeable owner and talented photographer behind UNYTea, an online tea store. His action shots of tea being poured from a gaiwan or teapot are epic!
Here’s what I learned during that live session. You can store already steeped tea leaves for up to 8-10 hours or overnight in two ways: either you leave them in the brewing vessel without water and fluff them up or you spread them on paper towels. And there you go, you are ready to re-steep them. It goes without saying that the tea leaves have to be high quality to begin with and that you probably won’t get the same amount of flavor out of them compared to your first tea session but it might be worth trying! I’m all about reducing waste! Thank you, Jeffrey, for sending this tea sample my way!
Tea Name: Alishan
Origin: Lugubrious, Nantou County, Taiwan
Ingredients: oolong tea
Harvest: 2016
Water Temperature: 194 F / 90 C
Steep Time: 1st steep 20 seconds + 5 seconds for each additional steep
Preparation Method: porcelain gaiwan
Leaves/Water Ratio: 5 gr to 5 oz / 150 ml filtered water
EYE
dry leaves: rolled leaves, small and medium sized round and oblong pellets, visible stems, dark green with light green stems and light green hues throughout
wet leaves: dark green, pellets open up and reveal three leaves and one bud, leaves are 2 inches long (5-6 cm)
liquor: yellow
NOSE
dry leaves: flowery notes, sweet
wet leaves: flowery and buttery
liquor: flowery, notes of hyacinths in full bloom
PALATE
liquor: slightly vegetal and very flowery, notes of hyacinths
MOUTHFEEL: silky, light-bodied, smooth, pleasant aftertaste lingers
FOOD PAIRING: honey based desserts, like a honey pannacotta
OVERALL IMPRESSION: take a sip and ... spring has sprung! Delicious!
Disclaimer: sample provided for review by UNYTea. This is my honest opinion. I am not affiliated with UNYTea nor with the manufacturer of this product. You can find this tea and more information here.
