Jul 11
Vanessa’s Teaview Snapshot
 | "The tea was very fragrant, yet not overly floral. This tea has a clean light-bodied taste. If I had to break down the flavor composition, I would say it is one part nutty, one part earthy, and one part floral, although the floral leans on the fruity (peachy) side."
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I am a big fan of oolong and always love the chance to sample a new variety. This morning's sample, Great Red Cloak oolong, was from Jing Tea, a company that is new to me. I brewed the tea in my yixing pot reserved for oolong teas. The leaves opened up to fairly large whole leaves, but were not quite as voluminous (as in overflowing the infuser) as other oolongs. As I poured the tea into my teacup, my first reaction was surprise at how pale the tea was, with a light yellow color. However, the full cup took on a color that was a bit darker, what I would describe as a light amber color. The tea was very fragrant, yet not overly floral. This tea has a clean light-bodied taste. If I had to break down the flavor composition, I would say it is one part nutty, one part earthy, and one part floral, although the floral leans on the fruity (peachy) side. These three elements work surprisingly well together to maintain a crisp and light flavor. When the tea was quite hot, I also detected a smokiness in the aftertaste; however, as the liquid cooled, the smoky flavor was much subdued. I attempted a second infusion with the leaves and found that even though I steeped the leaves for longer to account for the second steeping, the liquid was a bit weak in flavor. While still enjoyable, I think that perhaps I should have infused the leaves for just a bit longer to make sure that I got the maximum flavor out of the second brew. I didn't try, but I doubt these leaves would stand up to a third infusion. On a final note, I let the second half of my second infusion cool and found this tea very refreshing when cold. For some reason, I usually take oolong tea only when its hot, but my experience with the cooled Jing Great Red Cloak Oolong showed me that iced oolong can be quite tasty!
— To purchase JING Great Red Cloak Oolong, 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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July 17th, 2009 at 7:59 am
[...] Jing’s Great Red Cloak Oolong [...]