Sep 22
Dan’s Teaview Snapshot
 | "A spin on the popular "Oriental Beauty" variety of Taiwanese Oolong teas. Naivetea seems to excel in their field -- each offering I have encountered from them has been extremely enjoyable, and some of the best Oolong tea around. This tea is no exception."
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Naivetea strives to offer the best in premium Oolong teas from Taiwan. The Imperial Beauty Oolong is merely one of 11 offerings currently available -- but it is also considered their best and most prized -- at least if you go by price assumptions, as this is the most costly of their teas. The tea comes from a very small farm, and as such is likely quite limited in production. Naivetea claims that this is their own take on the Oriental Beauty variety of Taiwanese Oolong tea, which was reportedly named as such by Queen Elizabeth, since she was quite fond of it.The dry leaf is nicely prepared - tightly curled nuggets of an evergreen-tinged mahogany shade. The aroma is sweet and woody. As this is purportedly Naivetea's version of "Oriental Beauty", I had expected to find it to be more white-tipped, but thus is apparently not even the case in all Oriental Beauty teas.
I started with near-boiling water at 4 minutes. While the initial cup was brewing, it was first thing in the morning here in the office. I began wondering to myself: "Hmm, someone is cooking breakfast and it smells really nice" -- I then quickly realized that it was the tea in front of me that I was catching a whiff of. An aroma of toasted grains and nuts came gently wafting out of the cup. The liquor is a pale golden color, and the leaves have taken on a collard green hue. Taste-wise, this tea offers a good deal of complexities. Those toasty notes are certainly there, accompanied by the nutty feel from a quality green tea, and the warmth of a Darjeeling. As the cup cooled, more sweet parameters came into play. Once again, my expectations were taken aback, as the descriptors for this tea included "intense fruity aroma" and "strong honey flavor" -- neither of which I found to be immediately evident. Once the toastiness subsided as the cup cooled, I could find the fruit and honey on the nose as well as the palette, but we will have to wait for cup #2 to see if they play out stronger.
The second infusion, steeped with just-boiling water for 4 minutes again, does not seem to play up the fruity or honeyed aspects portrayed by the purveyor. While this doesn't detract from the tea's quality or enjoyability in any way, it is somewhat distracting in terms of expectations. On its own merits, cup #2 is a fine continuation of the delightful flavors present in the first cupping. Less toasty, and more straight-up tea "leaf taste" -- a bit more astringency in this cup.
Cup #3 (same leaves, same temp, same amount of steeping time) is nearly as good as the second cup, but not quite there. Yet more "earthy" flavor, and less of the toasty and/or honey flavors. In continuation of drinking this tea, I would probably cut it at two steepings and not bother with the third, but that is not to say the third was a bad cup -- just not as delightful as the first two.
Naivetea seems to excel in their field -- each offering I have encountered from them has been extremely enjoyable, and some of the best Oolong tea around. This tea is no exception, although as to whether its higher price point is justified, I can't say I agree. Many of the other teas on offer from Naivetea are equally delectable, or better. Regardless, despite the misgivings from the information provided on the Naivetea website, this is a delicious Oolong with great qualities.
— To purchase Naivetea Imperial Beauty 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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Dan Teaviews.com Reviewer » Read more about this reviewer on Dan's profile page. » Find a list of recent posts by Dan. |
September 18th, 2009 at 4:41 pm
Hi Dan,
Thank you for taking the time to review our teas. Hope you will keep enjoying our other offerings.
I am curious to learn how you brew, such as the amount of tea leaves to water. We are accustomed to brew in small yixing pots and would like to learn how others brew with different type of pots.
Please call or e-mail us.
Thank you again!
Best,
Lawrence