Tea Information:
Tea: Royal Courtesan (oolong tea)
Type: Oolong Tea
Packaging: Loose Leaf
Company: Zhi Tea
Purchase: Here
Description: This tea is extremely limited. It has a long round clover honey sweetness, surrounded by wildflower notes and a nice tilled soil kind of depth. What makes this honey oolong stand out from the others we cupped when selecting this type of tea is the intense aromatics, overall body of the liquor, and complexity of flavor. It has a fullness and depth of character that continues even at room temperature or even cold. Multiple steepings reveal rich nutty earthiness and a more refined sweetness.
One of our Artisan Reserve organic oolong teas, a line of small batch handmade teas from a craft handed down over generations. Hand selected for having all the hallmark qualities of the highest grades with noteable personality accents.
Gui Fei Oolong was created by a group of young tea farmers from Luku township in 2000. After the big earthquake 9/21, the tea farmers in Luku township were engaged in rebuilding their hometown and neglected to manage their tea gardens which led to the tea leaves being chomped by the “tea leafhopper”. After these tea leaves were picked and produced according to traditional Dong Ding Oolong tea method with a long fermentation, it turned out the tea liquor was crystal clear orange color and full of honey or litchi aroma. The green leaves were surrounded by red edges and looked very elegant and poised just like an ancient Gui Fei (The highest-ranking imperial concubine). Its flavor and aroma are different from traditional Dong Ding Oolong tea, which is why it is named Dong Ding Gui Fei tea or Gui Fei Oolong tea. We call it Royal Courtesan to honor its exemplary characteristics.
Steep Information:
Amount: 3 tsp
Water: 750ml at 175°F
Tool: Breville One-Touch Tea Maker BTM800XL
Steep Time: 3 minutes
Served: Hot
Tasting Notes:
Dry Leaf Smell: Strong toasty scent
Steeped Tea Smell: sweet (floral), toasty
Flavor: sweet, silky, toasty
Body: Medium
Aftertaste: toasted, gritty
Liquor: translucent medium orange brown
Not the best oolong I’ve had, but a very nice one.
Resteep:
750ml at 175°F for 3 minutes and 30 seconds
Resteep:
750ml at 175°F for 4 minutes
It could have steeped more but I was headed home.
Rating: 3/4 leaves
Leaf system:
1=Bleh! not again if it were free
2=Acceptable, if it were free or there were limited other tea options
3=I might purchase this tea from time to time, or select it while out
4=A staple in our cupboard from now on, I will purchase and keep purchasing
I purchased this product. All my reviews are as unbiased as possible, whether I buy or receive free product. I accept no other compensation other than free product.
