Nov 02
Jamie’s Teaview Snapshot
 | " The second infusion surprised me into exclaiming aloud "It's completely different!" as I took my first sip. "
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California Tea House offers two oolongs, carefully sourced. Buddha Hand is one of them. A beautiful deep jade colored oolong, so named "Buddha Hand" as the tight pellets, smelling sweet and vegetal, have a look reminiscent of a clenched hand with the thumb sticking out. (And Buddha Hand sounds far more what you'd expect from a tea vendor than, say, "Hitchhiker Hand" or "Opposable Thumb Oolong.")The website suggests one to two tablespoons per 8 ounces of water, steeped with 195 to 200 degree water for two to three minutes. I was making a pot to share, so opted to use three tablespoons to 24 ounces, starting my first infusion at 2 minutes. The steeping tea swells fabulously and unleashes a lightly fruity and creamy scenting and after two minutes yields a lovely pale golden green liquor. The first infusion is sweet and mild with a very fresh flavor. Even very hot, my first sips still have a light creaminess to them. As the tea cools a bit to a more drinkable temperature, sweetness, creaminess and a bit of dryness at the close of each sip become more pronounced. There are floral/fruity notes as well.
For a second infusion I used the same temperature water and extended my steep time to three minutes. As an aside, I'd stick to a two minute steep for the second infusion, it would have done just fine. The second infusion surprised me into exclaiming aloud "It's completely different!" as I took my first sip. The first flavor to hit home was actually an almost vanilla flavor - but this didn't really carry on for me throughout the cup. The coloring had deepened, the astringency had kicked up a bit, most notably when very hot still (the astringency is quite nice at all times, I should note. And it backed up quite a bit in the second infusion as the tea cooled off just a hint). The creamy and floral elements are still present but the floral tastes seem to have backed up slightly, perhaps becoming more evened out with the other strengths of the tea (a freshly vegetal and definitely creamy sweet character). This oolong's second infusion is one expanded in consistency, really feeling full in the mouth. The end of each sip still has a fine, fresh dryness to it as well. I infused the leaves a third time for three minutes and found the creamy, sweet, fresh qualities of taste still very much alive in the tea. The body seemed more mild and more akin to the first infusion but with less of a stand out floral nature. The feeling of the tea in the mouth was thinner, too. More vegetal and freshly astringent notes seemed present.
For a fourth infusion I poured my fully unfurled leaves into a smaller 12 ounce pot and poured on cooler water and left to steep again for three minutes. I was rewarded with another fine tasting infusion. Still fresh and slightly floral, with a pleasant creaminess still peeking through.
This is a superb oolong, full of good clean energy and wonderfully fresh and enjoyable to drink. I think California Tea House has its steeping recommendations bang on and I really appreciate their inclusion. A tablespoon per 8 ounces using under 200 degree water, with two minute steeps for the first and second and three minutes for further infusions treats this leaf with the respect it deserves and rewards you with infusion after infusion of superbly flavored oolong.
— To purchase California Tea House Buddha Hand, 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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