Jan 01
Jamie’s Teaview Snapshot
 | "I thought this was a fabulous tea. The flavors were light, aside from the slightly floral, slightly perfumy overall flavor of the tea (and neither, to my delight, was overwhelming in the least) it was a non bitter, extremely pleasant tasting tea."
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9.5/10
Oriental Beauty is an oolong tea, also called Bai Hao Oolong, organically grown. This was the first oolong tea I have ever tried and it was superb.The dry leaves didn't have much of an aroma, so I wasn't sure what to expect brewing them up. Let's just say I had no preconceptions about what the tea would be like brewed. I made a nice pot of it with breakfast this morning. I heated the tea to just over 200 degrees and let it cool naturally to about 195, which is just under Zhi's recommendation of brewing at 200 degrees. I let it steep about 4 minutes for the first brewing, according to their suggestions. (To note, this tea can and should be steeped multiple times). What a surprise to taste. There was a light perfume to the tea. I am often a little skeptical about "perfumed" teas, as they can become, after a few sips or a couple of cups, permanently cloying. I've had this experience with jasmine teas, where I love the taste of them but have learned not to order too much at a time as it isn't, for me, a daily cup with such a strong taste. However, I'm talking about Zhi Tea's Oriental Beauty. This tea is interesting in that the light perfumy taste of the first sips never gets stronger, never becomes cloying...no horrors of teenage experimentation with cologne and eau de toilette will mar your morning (or afternoon, or evening) cup in this case! The taste mellows slightly, and the further into your cup you get, the more the perfumy taste becomes just a facet of the tea's overall "simple complexity."
I thought this was a fabulous tea. The flavors were light, aside from the slightly floral, slightly perfumy overall flavor of the tea (and neither, to my delight, was overwhelming in the least) it was a non bitter, extremely pleasant tasting tea. I never started to note any strange, bitter flavors in the background, it never became too strong tasting. It has a wonderful "ethic" to its taste, in that it remains what it is throughout your drinking. No surprises or strange changes along the way, this was a first rate tea, among any type of tea, in my opinion. I'm sorry I haven't tried a few more oolongs at this point, as I would have some sort of scale to compare the teas...my paucity of information in this case leaves me unable to say at this point whether the strengths of Oriental Beauty are unique amongst the oolongs, or if they are characteristic of oolongs in general. My instinct leads me to believe that Oriental Beauty is a bit of a show off in the oolong category. Very sophisticated in taste, and yet entirely approachable and enjoyable. This tea wears its perfume well, and its attributes speak so easily for themselves that no additional hype is necessary.
If I have any archetypal image in my mind of a woman of great beauty and style, with the further compliment of being a truly gentle and loving individual as well, without arrogance or conceit, that archetype is exemplified in this wonderful tea! I think that the anecdote on Zhi's website about this tea's introduction to the then Queen of England is worth quoting from their website (www.zhitea.com) . "A little history, the origin of this name dates back to the early 20th century when a British tea merchant presented a sample of this tea to Queen Elizabeth II. From there, the Queen named this tea as Oriental Beauty." Apparently, one Queen recognizes another.
I'll be adding some of Zhi's Oriental Beauty to my favorites shelf.
— To purchase Zhi Tea Oriental Beauty, or for more specific information on ingredients or the story behind this particular blend, click here to go directly to the manufacturer's web site.
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