Just4Tea – Tie Guan Yin

Snapshot: 9.5/10
A multifaceted tea with a creamy mouth feeling comprised of apricot, chocolate, sugar cane, vanilla, nutty, and smoky flavors. The unique mouth feeling makes it a must try!”
Brewing Method:

• Gong Fu
• Water Temp: boiling
• Infusion Times: 5 s rinse, 35 s, 45 s, 70 s, 100 s, 115 s, 130 s

Color: a medium orange, pretty much the same for each infusion

Taste 9/10: (by infusion #)

1. bold, slightly smoky, smooth & heavy mouth feeling, chocolate, sugar cane aftertaste
2. apricoty & chocolaty (f those are words), slightly smoky
3. intense chocolate followed by a sugar cane aftertaste, ever so slightly smoky
4. pure apricot
5. sugar cane & chocolate followed by a nutty finish
6. apricot, sugar cane, & chocolate
7. intense vanilla and sugar cane
8. subsequent infusions tasted exactly the same as 7, but the flavor lost intensity with each infusion

Aroma 10/10: (by infusion #)

• Dry Leaf: charcoal, bamboo
• Wet Leaf: butterscotch, chocolate, nutty, smoky

1. Chocolate galore! slightly smoky
2. apricoty & chocolaty, smoke slightly subdued
3. peach & sugar cane
4. pure sugar cane
5. sugar cane with some nuttiness
6. chocolaty, sugar cane
7. intense vanilla & sugarcane
8. subsequent infusions smelled exactly the same as 7, but the aroma lost intensity with each infusion

Vendor’s Description:
Semi-fermented and grown in the AnXi area in the Fujian province of China. Tie Guan Yin undergoes a longer fermentation period than ordinary Oolongs and is blended and roasted using our traditional Chaozhou family recipe. It delivers deep flavor, with an intense, floral and nutty aroma and a fruity finish. When steeped in boiling water the crinkly balls unfurl, revealing green-brown, lace-edged leaves.

My Overall Impressions:
An excellent multifaceted tea comprised of apricot, chocolate, sugar cane, vanilla, nutty, and smoky flavors. The tea dramatically changes from infusion to infusion, featuring a different combination of the core flavors with each infusion. The first few steepings had an unpleasant smoky taste, but the following infusions were amazing. Infusions 5 and on were my favorites, as they were intensely sweet in both aroma and taste. The lid of my yixing pot smelled so sweet, I wanted to eat it (Mmmm… sweet clay). What I found especially unique about this tea, was the feeling of the brewed liquor. It was heavy and smooth, almost like a thick matcha. If small sips were taken, the liquor would immediately sink into my tongue and disappear, leaving behind a flavor almost more intense than that of the liquid itself. It was almost as if I was “eating” the tea.

Where to purchase?:
Just 4 Tea – Tie Guan Yin

~ by trentknebel on April 4, 2008.