Pouchong 1st Grade from Ten Tea

Scent in package: softly floral
Brewed in: glass teapot/infuser
Steeped: 3 minutes @ steaming
Cup: porcelain teacup

As promised, a new review. I found 3 teas in my cupboard last night that haven’t yet been reviewed here, so look for oolongs next week. I had a tough time deciding which tea to drink, and finally decided on this pouchong, which I ordered when I got my silver tea tray from Ten Tea.

I only got the sampler of this tea, because it is very expensive at $25 for 4oz. The sampler cost me $2.90 for .32oz or so, and I’ve been skimpy with the leaves just to stretch it as far as possible. It’s really a very enjoyable tea, perfect for a calming evening cuppa.
The leaves are large, dark green and twisted when dry, as you can see. The scent isn’t strong at all, but there is a light floral fragrance that comes up when I first open the bag. They are beautiful while steeping, and I only wish I’d freed them from the infuser and used a strainer to pour, instead of keeping them “trapped” as they are. Next time I think I’ll use my glass gaiwan to brew them (I have enough for one session left). I had planned on multiple infusions, but got distracted, so only had the one.

The tea brews up a light, bright yellow, and the scent wafting off is wonderfully sweet and flowery. The taste is truly delightful, fresh floral with just a tiny hint of citrus in the background. It’s sweet, no astringency whatsoever, and kind of reminds me of marshmallow fluff – light, airy and very smooth.
Not only is it a good evening tea, but it reminded me of spring, gentle breezes, and flowers just starting to come up. So a good tea to drink when spring fever hits, I think – a harbinger of warm days to come. The wet leaves are gorgeous - vibrant and fresh green, as you can see.
I’m sure I could talk myself into paying for a full canister of this tea, but I’ll hold off until I can do a “Pouchong Showdown” with this tea, Adagio’s Opus Pouchong, and some from Art of Tea that I have in my cupboard.

Opus Pouchong from Adagio

Scent in tin: A very light, sweet floral scent.
Brewed in: small ceramic teapot/unbleached filter bag
Steeped: 5 min. @ steaming
Cup: porcelain teacup/ceramic travel mug

I had pictures of this tasting, I swear. And now I can’t seem to find them. So if I come across the files, I’ll post them later, but I guess my descriptions will just have to suffice for now. I’m sipping this tea from my travel mug as I type, having made a fresh cup here at the office this afternoon for a break.

I like pouchong teas as a rule. The floral sweetness on a smooth, silky base is just very relaxing and decadent for me. This one is the third I’ve tasted, and I have to say I was a bit disappointed in it.

The dry leaves are a mixture of regular “thick” tea leaves dried and twisted, and broken bits of leaves, as if someone didn’t handle the tea carefully enough. That’s pretty odd for Adagio, since they go to the lengths of packaging their teas in tins and all. I can only surmise then that this is a lower grade of pouchong than I’ve been drinking.

The scent is very light – much lighter than either of the two I have at home. It’s almost imperceptible, and I find myself having a hard time even coming up with much of a description. What I can sniff out smells good, it’s just not really as fragrant as I’d like it to be. The scent of the brewed tea is stronger, and there I can easily make out notes of vanilla among the floral, and the fragrance really is quite lovely to the nose wafting from the cup.

It’s kind of an odd tea in terms of taste. Brewed at a lower steaming temperature, it’s quite light, and though the brew is bright yellow, the taste is just sort of flat, with a hint of floral on the palate. When brewed at a higher steaming temperature, there’s more flavor, but it’s also much harsher on the tongue, with notes of cinnamon actually standing out amongst the vanilla. I’d like to say it’s interesting, but honestly, to my palate it’s just odd.

Regardless of brewing methods, both times the one thing that has stuck out wildly about this tea is the overall “flatness” of taste. It has a thin viscosity, and the flavors come one after the other, not really blending well together and not really playing well together either. There is no real discernable aftertaste, and I find myself unsatisfied after a sip, with the feeling that something is missing.

I guess this tea is okay – if I had to choose, the lower temperature water brings out the best flavor for my personal tastes. Then again, I would probably pick a different pouchong – this one just isn’t really “robust” enough for me, I guess.

Mandarin Silk from Art of Tea

Scent in package: Very strong, very sweet fruity-floral-vanilla scent.
Brewed in: Tea for one at work
Steeping: 5 min. @ nearly boiling, 6 min@ around 180 degrees
Cup: Tea for one café mug

Every time I’ve opened the package of Mandarin Silk to sniff, I can’t decide if I like the scent or not. It’s cloying, super-strong, and “in your face” vanilla, caramel and floral notes…like being wrapped up in a honeysuckle bush on a really hot day. The perfect scent, just way too much of it.

In any case, any tea with “silk” in the name seems like it might be a good bet, so I scooped out a couple heaping teaspoonfuls of very twisted large greenish-black leaves and set some water to heat. I was looking for a strong brew, but didn’t want to overcook it, so I stopped it just barely starting to boil, and brewed a 5 min. cup. It was still too hot to drink, of course, but not too hot to smell, so I held the cup under my nose and took a deep breath.

And smiled.

There it was – the silky smooth floral scent that I live for in a good Jasmine tea was right here on my desk, complimented by hints of vanilla and cream. The brew was a light golden yellow, crisp and clear, and I couldn’t wait to take my first sip. But having burnt my tongue enough in the last couple weeks, I set the cup back down to wait for it to cool, contenting myself with that lovely scent wafting over my desk.

When it was finally cool enough, I took my first tentative sip. I knew this was a “lighter” oolong type tea, and since I’m not much for green tea, I was worried that the distinctive grassy taste would be foremost in the flavor profile. To my happy surprise, there was absolutely no grassy, vegetal or green taste at all…just pure, vanilla floral sweetness that truly washed across my tongue like silk. It did leave my mouth a bit dry after, hinting at more astringency than I normally experience, but that didn’t stop me from making another infusion immediately after polishing off the first.

For the second infusion, I steeped it a minute longer with a bit cooler water. It was a little lighter, a little “fresher”, and still had that honey-vanilla taste, but this time the orange blossom finish came through, as promised on the web site. It was completely enjoyable and “silky” to the end.

It’s a bit spendy at $8.00 for 2oz., but if you’re in the mood for a splurge, I’d highly recommend Mandarin Silk for an enjoyable afternoon of smooth sipping. I won’t drink this often, due to the cost, but I can certainly see myself keeping it “in stock” for special occasions, as well as a special treat to serve to guests. I’m quite sure it would be wonderful with shortbread or lemon tea cookies.