Jul 17
Jamie’s Teaview Snapshot
 | "My second infusion was superb, with a great sort of toastiness to it, and the third infusion, while weaker overall and less flavorful, still yielded a nice, good tasting cup. This tea has a great natural sweetness that needs very little to bring out."
|
9/10
Great Red Cloak Oolong tea is a Chinese grown Oolong from Wuyi, China. It's got a pungent smelling leaf whose greatest attribute in my book (and it smells good, too) is that the leaves are just beautiful to look at. Each one was over an inch long, partially unfurled, and with very few broken bits at all...the broken pieces there were I would expect are more due to shipping and handling than anything. I've never seen such a long leaf in an oolong tea, and all so plump and healthy looking, even dried! I couldn't wait to add water and watch them really come into their own.I brought my water to about 195 to 200 degrees, and steeped for the recommended three minutes. The greeny-brown, twisty-long leaves swell slowly but steadily while steeping and I thought the smell of the tea was quite hearty for an oolong. There was a hint of a floral scent to the tea, slightly honey smelling. The sample packet describes this tea as being "full, with mineral, blossom, and fruit notes." I was a little baffled by the idea that a tea might smell "mineral" until I really smelled the tea brewed. There is an interesting sturdiness to the smell, which makes me think of words in other languages that seem to catch this notion a little better than the English "sturdy." "Forte" or "dure" seem more appropriate - the smell is a little "hard" but in a positive fashion. It smelled solid and strong, and there was something almost mineral about the smell, though I never would have come to that word on my own...it really fits the bill, though.
The tea, brewed, has a pretty caramel color, it's lightly sweet with a very clean taste. There is a light astringency to the tea which gives just a nice little tang of dryness to the tea. The tea has a great, full flavor, with a lot of components to it, and truly does have a nice mineral taste up front, with a nice floral finish. I didn't personally note much fruitiness to the tea, but my husband's first comment was that it smelled lightly fruity. My second infusion was superb, with a great sort of toastiness to it, and the third infusion, while weaker overall and less flavorful, still yielded a nice, good tasting cup. This tea has a great natural sweetness that needs very little to bring out. I was thinking while drinking it that it would take kindly to just a hint of honey or some raw cane sugar.
And oh, wouldn't this tea be perfect with an Asian meal, specifically Chinese. My hometown in the west (boy was I in a state of transport drinking this oolong) is very close to Richmond BC, Canada (just outside the city of Vancouver), which has a huge concentration of Chinese, many who came to Canada around the time of Hong Kong's transfer. If I remember correctly, it might be the largest population of Chinese in North America, and perhaps outside of Asia. It's an awesome area for restaurants, language schools, great Buddhist Vegetarian Chinese food (my favorite!!), and great markets. This tea really took me back to some of my favorite places there. Till I'm home again, and beyond, this tea will be a good thing to have on hand not only for times of extreme homesickness, but as a great complement for stir fry lunches or dinners.
— 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.
 |
Jamie Teaviews.com Reviewer » Read more about this reviewer on Jamie's profile page. » Find a list of recent posts by Jamie. |
Recent Comments