Jan 17
Jamie’s Teaview Snapshot
 | "A delectably satisfying, sophisticated but easy to approach oolong. This would make a great show off tea for friends you are trying to woo into the wonderful world of loose leaf teas. "
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9/10
The nearly black loosely curled leaves of this Eastern Beauty Oolong from Teavana give off the glorious scent that can only belong to a Formosa. Fresh, dry and fruity and with sweetness promised once steeped, this is a tea that reminds me of wine with lots of complexity in the nose alone. It's exciting to get up close with teas that nearly leave a taste in your mouth.I heated water to a bit under a boil. Standard 195 degree oolong preparation is recommended for this tea. Teavana recommends a three minute steep to start and I tried both a three minute and a two minute steep to start. Flavor is bold with this tea, and the minute didn't seem to make a tremendous difference to me, so use your preference. The wet leaf opens wide and brightens to chocolate brown with many olive leaves in there as well, the leaf is short and medium in length, with a few longer leaves here and there. The scent (and taste) of the steeped tea is fabulous, as expected. Sweet and floral with lots of play in the nose and throughout the mouth, this tea reminds me a bit of some first flush darjeelings, in the sense that the flavors are so intense and with very playful characters. High notes are a nice combination of floral and fruity and the wonderful sweetness gives this tea a lovely body. Always in the nose and in the mouth is a pleasing dryness that makes this a fresh, enjoyable tea to enjoy any time of day. I woke up to it this morning and enjoyed it in the afternoon yesterday, and must say I felt enlivened each time I took a sip.
The tea has a nice dry finish with minor astringency that is quite pleasing. Best of all, this tea has great body and wonderful sweet and full flavor to boot. Something about this tea makes me think of certain fall apples. It has a fullness and sweetness you can fall right into coupled with a dryness/astringency to the finish that leaves a clean taste in the mouth along with a sense of refreshment.
Teavana's Eastern Beauty is a delectably satisfying, sophisticated but easy to approach (and share!!) oolong. It's a famous oolong for good reason. This would make a great show off tea for friends you are trying to woo into the wonderful world of loose leaf teas.
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January 17th, 2010 at 1:47 pm
Kudos to you Jamie for pinpointing this tea to Taiwan. I’m far from being such an expert myself, but maybe after few years I can also get there.
March 6th, 2010 at 1:49 pm
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