Lochan Tea Tasting – #5 Harmutty Golden Paw, 2009 Second Flush

#5 Harmutty Golden Paw, 2009 Second Flush

Dry Leaf: Straw

Wet Leaf: Spice, Vegetal, and Sharp

Brewed: Warm honey on the nose and up front in the taste, smooth malt, and a fairly quick finish of a bit of tannin/bitter but soft enough that the initial flavors carry through to the close.

With a similar dry leaf scent as the Hattialli from yesterday, this one changes quite drastically from the wet leaf smell onward. I’m not sure I would be able to instantly peg this as an Assam by taste alone. It goes from honey to malt to a bit of tannins/bitterness but not unpleasantly so, and then to a fairly short finish which is a wrap-up of everything that came before in one. I really enjoy this tea and it is pretty straightforward but it does it’s thing in a nice neat package that has just enough complexity to make another sip appealing. It doesn’t strike me as a tea that you would sit and ponder deep thoughts over a long finish, but not every tea has to be. Efficient, fulfilling, and brisk.

Lochan Tea Tasting – #4 Hattialli Golden Bud, 2009 Second Flush

#4 Hattialli Golden Bud, 2009 Second Flush

Dry Leaf: Assam, no mistaking it. A deep darker straw/hay scent.

Wet Leaf: Assam, malty and bold. A hint of a sour.

Brewed: Assertive flavor up front of Assam which has a lot happening in the middle, they flash by quickly so it will take more than one tasting to peg this one. That’s a good thing, I like a challenge and something that makes me come back a few times before giving up it’s secrets.

I’m not normally one for Assam outside of maybe with some raw sugar when I’m at a cafe and nothing else really speaks to me. I was surprised by this one, the smell of the leaf seems to scream standard Assam, but one sip of the richly dark liquor reveals that there are a few layers to dig through before the old standby Assam notes finally show up. They do go by quickly, as I’ve stated, so one could happily drink this at just face value and be perfectly happy with the fairly bold, slightly honey sweet, tiny touch bitter and astringent tea. But with a little attention it has more to offer. Thoughts of a favorite wine, or a satisfying meal, conjure up but can’t be caught. I could see this as a good vessel for some sugar and milk, but not to mask anything or to tame an unruly or overly strong cup but more in harmony with the actual nature of the tea itself. It’s soft but bold enough to demand notice.

Lochan Tea Tasting – #3 Korakundha FOP 2009 Second Flush

#3 Korakundha FOP 2009 Second Flush

Dry Leaf: Raisin and not a whole lot else.

Wet Leaf: Strangely enough, spinach.

Brewed: Very mild, almost like a Ceylon/Dimbula. Very faint fruity notes but not anywhere near pronounced enough to specify. Straightforward but wholly enjoyable black tea.

I don’t want to short this tea by such a brief overview but these are my tasting notes, as-is. It’s a bright cup of tea that does one thing and does it well, no massive complexities, no super long finish or standout notes. It’s grown at one of the highest elevations I believe and the wiry partial leaves look like they have eeked out an existence high up in some tougher climes. It is slightly sweet throughout and I can’t see it benefiting from any additional sweetener, and it is a touch too mild to really stand up to a shot of milk… neither of these are routine additions for me but I thought it may help those who do enjoy it.

Lochan Tea Tasting – #2 Meghma Oolong 2009 Second Flush

#2 Meghma Oolong 2009 Second Flush

Dry Leaf: Autumn leaves. Since I am currently surrounded and drowning in orange and brown fallen leaves, I know it well.

Wet leaf: Bai Hao/Oriental Beauty with some edge of Puerh and faint wet Autumn leaf subtly at the end.

Brewed: Keemun instantly up front, a little malty, which turns quickly into an Oriental Beauty with very slight citrus no strong assertive notes popping out. Raw honey and very faint roasted almond on the breath at the very long end.

Small leaves unfurl into this mid roasted/fermented tea which sits between the greener oolongs and the more heavily fired and oxidized offerings. I wasn’t sure what to think with the overwhelming Autumn leaf scent of the freshly opened package that didn’t expose much else in the way of secrets. The instant the near-boil water kissed the leaf though it opened up into what hit me as a fairly standard Oriental Beauty oolong. The taste eventually went in that direction but the first hit of Keemun and the very long finish was quite welcome and gave it some added dimension. Minutes after the last sip there was a slight hint of those original Autumn leaves which followed the first finish of faint raw honey/roasted almond that appeared 20-30 seconds after the initial taste. A good tea in the Bai Hao/Oriental Beauty category, but nothing that would make this fit a category of its own or snap to the top of the one it comfortably sits in. The long finish is very relaxing and enjoyable which forces one to slow down and savor it to the end… and even a bit beyond.

Lochan Tea Tasting – #1 Doke 2009 Silver Needle

Tea #1 Doke 2009 Silver Needle:Dry leaf: Nice full leaf, many downy, some green some woodier, scent reminiscent of raspberry

Wet Leaf: Raspberry continues with possibly a little citrus/tang and herbal/woody notes

Brewed: Woody up front with a finish of faint raspberry, a small amount of astringency and a bit of malt/hops… can be detected along lines of the finish of a good Belgian beer.

A very nice white tea with a very good balance and complexity as well as a more well-rounded and developed overall flavor than many silver needles which can be overpowering in one aspect or another. Not bitter or harsh, this tea has all it’s corners rounded off even with a fair amount of leaf and steep time. Not flowery or perfumy either.

Update – Long Jing Huang Pao

It’s not often I update a tea that I so recently covered for the first time, but this is an exception. My recent foray into some new black/red teas didn’t produce much to excite me, but there had been this one oddball. With a fairly mysterious past filled with intrigue and adventure such as 300 year-old, lost, recipes recently uncovered and diligent reproduction of it resulting in a tea that has been brought back from the sands of time and now can be in your cup for a few sheckles. These kinds of tales always fail to impress me and normally I steer clear of wild claims like this, especially since there is just one source and one manufacturer… but I tried a sample purely out of curiosity. It was strange, with an over-ripe fruit taste and some characteristics of puer along with a sweet/sour kind of note that permeated the whole thing. I know that it might not sound all that alluring, but initially the oddness caught my attention. It ships in small 3g packets from the manufacturer which is also kind of weird.

I can’t vouch for the story behind it all, but I can say that this tea has grown on me quickly. Something about that flavor sings to me, regardless if the story surrounding it has a shred of truth to it or not. I wish this tea was available in some other format than just buying multiple tiny 3g plastic packets which is actually my main issue. I’d like to store some to age and also to not have to open tiny packets for larger brewings. Hopefully this will change or a new source will be found where it can be bought in a normal quantity. But things can’t be all bad if my main issue is getting my hands on more! This strange tea is worth a try for anyone who likes puer or a bit of a walk on the wild side of tea.

Turkish Coffee

A recent trip to a local Moroccan coffee shop made me absolutely fall in love with Turkish Coffee. Having had it before I wasn’t prepared for the amazing reinvention at the hands of a skilled artisan, it was amazing. I wanted to recreate it myself now that I’ve been enlightened so I knew my first step was to acquire the tools of the trade. The main component is the Ibrik, a very small (~4oz. or so for a single serving) copper or brass pot with a handle. It serves a specific purpose so while a reasonable result could probably be obtained without it, I had to go the authentic route. Just like each tea has its favorite teapot, Turkish Coffee has its favorite vessel as well. They’re inexpensive and small so it isn’t a monumental undertaking.

Just as with tea it can be as loose or exacting as you make it and there is certainly some skill and finesse involved which will take practice. The basic rundown is: Put in the desired amount of sugar (1-2 teaspoons), then fill the cold water to the point where the Ibrik starts to narrow, then add in about two heaping teaspoons of super finely ground coffee to the top. Do not stir it in. Then over a medium heat let it come to a slow foaming/boil. The fine coffee  grounds will act as a seal at the top to keep oxygen out which is the desired effect. As it begins to come to a slow boil the coffee will begin to mix in and that’s OK. Now is where the handle comes into play… take the Ibrik off of the heat source and stir down the foam until it settles down a bit, then put it back on. Do this three or four times and then let it sit off of the heat to let the grounds settle to the bottom. Pour off into a demitasse cup and leave as much of the grounds behind as possible, any mistakenly poured in will settle in the cup so avoid that last sip. Enjoy! It is a nice sweet treat and a good break from tea when you are looking for a coffee fix.

Yi Hong Jing Pin A – Teaspring

Yi Hong Jing Pin is said to have characteristics of Chinese red dates, which was an aroma I picked up from the Rou Gui yesterday, but outside of a basic sweet aroma I was not getting any of this. My initial notes were: Sweet. Fermented. Tobacco. Wood. As the hot water hit the leaves in my gaiwan I was presented with more of a smoky/wood scent coming off of the liquor. The instant flavor profile I was met with was that of Bai Hao (Oriental Beauty) oolong but minus the sometimes present citrus note. Slightly malty and long after a very slight red date flavor is present in the back of the mouth.

While I can’t help but think that if I wanted bai hao oolong I would just brew some instead of going to a black tea to get almost the same result, there is something captivating here and it does make you want to explore it further. I personally do not like the citrus hints in Oriental beauty so this actually has an advantage in my personal tastes in that regard. It’s not super complex or noteworthy so it doesn’t really assert itself into a place in my favorites list but it is pleasant and interesting enough to finish what I have.

Bentley’s Papaya Green Tea

The unfortunate tea situation in most offices is tragic. A few forlorn Lipton packets of unknown vintage are normally about it, so you can imagine my (slight) delight when this assortment showed up!

Bentley's Royal Classic 12 Flavors

Sure, they’re not the finest teas from China or Japan but they are better than nothing when stuck in a meeting. My first selection was the Papaya Green Tea. I was completely happy with it! It was naturally flavored and the papaya is a very mellow undercurrent on top of a passable green tea. The papaya is very well represented and tastes exactly like papaya should, very subtly sweet and a mild peach/pineapple/tomato flavor. Together it works quite well. Bently’s has always been a decent teabag and I regularly stock their Mango White Tea at home which I really enjoy. It seems they have a knack for getting the flavored tea angle right and balanced and while it won’t blow your mind with complexity, it will get you through that next board meeting.

Thai Iced Tea – C.T.F. Brand

Thai food is one of the most underrated cuisines and one of my personal favorites, happily that seems to be changing and it starting to make in-roads into many American cities. Thai iced tea is actually something I rarely order when out but on a recent trip to a great new Thai restaurant near Pittsburgh (Nicky’s Thai Kitchen) my father had decided to try some. He was hooked, and knew his tea-swilling son would be able to find him some.

I went with C.T.F brand Thai tea which consists of very small bits of leaf, yellow #5 coloring!, and anise seed… why tea would need any colorant is beyond me, but it was the best of the options available. I brewed some up for myself to check it out, and while it still isn’t exactly my thing, it is nicely refreshing as just a plain (no sugar or half and half) iced tea. It has a kind of woody aroma and taste with a hint of the anise subtly tossed in. Nothing complex or outstanding but no glaring issues either outside of adding color to a drink that by definition is already, naturally, perfectly colored. I seriously don’t get that. He was happy to be able to enjoy this treat on his own, and throughout the summer I’m sure I’ll get use out of my bag too. I’m looking forward to using it in some cooking and maybe a homemade BBQ sauce, and also for some bubble tea. At about $4 for a pound of tea it is a great value too for what it is.

Thai Iced Tea

Por Kwan brand Thai Ice Tea Mix – 16 oz