Tea and Zen

This is a fantastic tea. This stock I have right here is sadly a little old, but it still packs a punch. It's something I do plan on getting more of (assuming they don't run out of stock) once I have a lot less tea. Right now my blog is booked till January while making an update every two days. That's a lot of tea! Tiger Lily and Seven Cups are the only two places I have seen Orchid scented tea offered, so if you enjoy Jasmine scented teas, check this out while stock lasts!

Dry leaves

Anyway, I highly recommend you check out Tiger Lily Tea. They're a little Mom & Pop style shop in the quaint, historical town of Mystic, CT. The owners are extremely friendly and knowledgeable. Unfortunately most of their stock is not on their website or Facebook, but if you're looking for a WuYi Oolong then there are your go to guys. I'd definitely say that WuYi is their specialty. 

That being so, they also offer many herbal teas, a few flavored varieties such as a Cherry Sencha, Blueberry Black, and Chocolate Mint Black tea if flavored teas suit your fancy. They offer a few Japanese greens, several Chinese greens, and a yellow tea. The exact yellow tea I do not remember right now. So, in short, they have a lot of stock. I know right now they have two teas I haven't seen anywhere, period. One is the Ming Huang Hong I reviewed earlier, and another is a rolled oolong. I don't remember the origin. 

This tea is made up entirely of young tea buds grown on Mengding Mountain, scented with spring blooming Orchids. Man does it smell amazing! Even in the scenting being weaker, you can still taste the sweet, floral nature of the orchids in the aroma. Simply fantastic.

I used the last of my tea (3.8g)/235ml, 85C water. First steeping was 30 seconds + 10 per each additional steeping.

On the back of the package (apologies for the smudge in the image, that's my fault!):

Tea scented with Orchid flowers has always been quite rare. Today, only Sichuan province tea makers produce this tea by means of careful scenting processes that uses fresh Spring blooming Orchids and young tea buds grown on Sichuan’s Mengding Mountain. A rare scented tea that balances the complexities of high quality green tea and the delicate scent of the orchid flower.

Brewings

Once brewed, the first cup smelt of orchids and a red leaf lettuce. In the aftertaste you have orchid, honey, and hint of gold raspberries. The liquor is very smooth and full without a tiny hint of astringency. As this is the bottom of the bag there were a few broken pieces, it likely came from them. There is also a slight bubbliness to it like soda. It is very subtle.

In the second cup the liquor is even more buttery and smooth. Your tongue is immediately met with a very strong flavor of honey, melon, and orchid mixed together. The lettuce from before is much lighter in flavor. In the aftertaste there is orchid, melon, and a little elderberry that mingle together.

The third cup is much milder in flavor. Butterlettuce and a hint of green beans are present in the liquor. The aftertaste is a gentle mixture of orchid and honey.

This is something that I particularly like about this Orchid scented tea. You get the same experience as jasmine: floral, a little fruity and a little green, but you have a totally different overall flavor profile. I get raspberries in jasmine tea,  but not gold raspberries. They do taste different. I rarely get elderberry in jasmine tea. Yet, here it is in the orchid. I do get the orchid flavor in jasmine teas, but it is much weaker than the jasmine flavor. Here, that is by far the main floral profile and it is simply delightful. It isn't overpoweringly floral like a lot of jasmine I've had. It's just floral enough to be the main taste but mild enough to let the other flavors shine through. This tea isn't one I would consider complex but it s very enjoyable. Sometimes being complex is a good thing, other times it isn't. This is one of those times where it's simplicity is the beauty of a tea.

The remaining three cups were very similar to the third cup. Mild, smooth, lightly fruity and floral, and downright delicious. Considering this tea is on the older end, it wasn't as strong as it would've been otherwise. Since it gave me tasty cups despite the age I believe this says a lot about the quality as well. The fresh tea is much, much better than this. Yet it is still better than a lot of jasmine I've had out there. Seriously: try this tea!

Rating

Overall I give this tea an 8.2. It's a nice, delicious change from your typical jasmine tea. It's sweet, floral, and a little fruity. The price is a little steep ($14.99/25g) but the quality is definitely worth it if you ask me. It's lovely for anyone who is enthusiastic about floral scented teas.

Leaf Samples

If you're interested you can purchase this tea here or visit their shop!

This bag did not want to open. The resealable part give me the middle finger which was unfortunate. I was planning on drinking it quickly anyway but sheesh. Had to put the bag in a ziplock since the reseal never actually opened. It certainly means the tea was very safe from the air. This is a long review so the tl;dr is go buy this tea it is fantastic. 10/10. It also smells like pure bliss. You'll get the most out of this tea Grandpa Style.

Dry leaves

I really like the way that this tea smells. It has a very sweet, almost candied scent to it. Cream comes to mind among a few others scents I recognize but can't quite put a finger on. The more I sat on it, it reminded me of the brown sugar coated nuts that a General Store sells around here. Pecans came to mind the most, perhaps almond brittle and sticky sweet rice as well. A very subtle cocoa note is in the aroma as well. That's not something I smell in green tea very often.

From the website:

A wild-growing tea picked from a tea field abandoned over 30 years ago in the high mountains at an altitude in excess of 1300m. The tea has a wonderful aroma and brilliant nutty taste.

I don't know about you but I think that it is pretty cool that it comes from an abandoned field. If you can't tell from my aroma description, it does indeed have a wonderful aroma. I can't wait to try it! The price is very nice ($11.03/50g) so when I do another sample order I will probably purchase 50g of this. It'll make for a very tasty everyday Longjing. The aroma alone is to die for! I could sit here and smell it all day.

As Longjing is best drunk Grandpa style, that is what I did first. 2.5g/355ml, 80C water and topped up at the 2/3rds mark.

I then did western style brewing. 2.5g/235ml, 80C water, 30 seconds first brew +10 seconds for each additional brewing.

With the last 5g I did gong fu style. 5g/120ml, 80C water, 10 seconds first brew +2-5 seconds for each additional brewing.

Grandpa Style

Seriously Brah this tea smells absolutely amazing. Longjing is the Chinese green I have the most experience with and the aroma of this one alone blows me away. $11.03/50g is just whaaaaat!!!! I've had tea of lesser quality for much more, and I've had tea of the same quality for more.

My mind is seriously blown.

While might lighter, the liquor has a very similar aroma. It had more of the classical Longjing greenness scent to it than the dry leaf.

The liquor is incredibly buttery and smooth. There isn't a hint of astringency anywhere in sight. Look out for miles and there wouldn't be a sign. The initial taste reminds me of a mid-grade sencha mingled with a hint of melon. In the aftertaste there is elderberry, melon, and honeysuckle. They are all incredibly subtle but oh so delicious.

There were a whole lot of leaf fuzzies floating around in the liquor which I always like to see.

After I topped up the tea the second time the greenness was much less potent, not that it was terribly strong before. Elderberry, raspberry, and melon danced around my tongue in the aftertaste. The sencha-like greenness hung around as well which was rather nice. It balanced out the aftertaste very nicely. There was still no astringency anywhere and the liquor was a smooth and buttery as when I first poured in the water. As it continued to brew the characteristic greenness began to come back.

I seriously cannot believe this tea. This is better than some Longjing I've had at $1+/g and that is insane! I'm looking at trying Tea Drunk's Longjing once I am almost out of my What-Cha orders and this will be a tea I compare it to because this is outstanding and Tea Drunk's is extremely expensive. If you had given this to me and not told me the price range I would've guessed $1+/g.

After the third top up the liquor smelt a lot like the brown sugar coated nuts I mentioned before. A little more than half of the leaves had fallen to the bottom at this point and there are so many big, beautiful buds to look at. A larger percentage of broken pieces than something you'll pay more money for, but considering this is just as good as some much more expensive Longjing who cares?

The greenness was diluted again but that is a given considering the top up. The aftertaste consisted primarily of honey, cream, and almond brittle. It wasn't overpowering but it was very sweet and enjoyable. It was barely noticeable but I picked up on elderberry and raspberry as well on the sides of my tongue. Even more subtle was the taste of sweet sticky rice, it came to me after not sipping for around a minute.

I let it sit for a little without sipping it to see if it would get bitter. It didn't, though a slight astringency had shown up. It wasn't abrasive or annoying. A new greenness, kind of like Spinach, had shown up a swell.

After topping up a fourth time the greenness died down again and the mild astringency remained. The sweetness in the aftertaste though... so good! Raspberries, melon, jasmine, strawberry, and a teeny hint of elderberry.

I. Can't. Get. Enough. Of. This. Tea. This is so good Grandpa Style I don't even want to make it the other ways now! It ended up lasting for around three hours with very frequent top ups. Simply outstanding!

Western Style

The smell of the brewing leaves is very lovely. It has that candied nuttiness mingled with a greenness that reminds me of a less potent sencha. The liquor for the first brewing came out almost clear as one would expect. It was very pretty all the same. Just like when brewed grandpa style it starts out lightly vegetale like green beans with a sweet honey, jasmine, and cream aftertaste. Very smooth and light on the tongue with a slight astringency. After many sips elderberry and raspberry begin to show up in the aftertaste at the back of your tongue.

I had a reasonable break between my first and second cup because I got distracted by reddit. The aftertaste lingered the whole time and was absolutely lovely. The elderberry, cream, and jasmine were the most prevalent so it's very sweet.

The second cup is equally gentle. The liquor had green beans, sencha, and a hint of nori to it. Nice umami touch to it that didn't come out when I was brewing it grandpa style. The aftertaste was still very sweet. Cream and jasmine hung around the most. A slight astringency had shown up but it wasn't abrasive. Despite this it was very buttery and smooth.

For the third cup I accidentally didn't have the water hot enough. Despite this you could still pick out the vegetale notes and the sweet aftertaste was still present. More astringent than before.

The fourth cup had lost most of its sweetness but was still very vegetale. Sencha, spinach, and asparagus come to mind. The liquor is still very buttery and smooth. In the aftertaste I primarily taste spinach and sencha mingled with a hint of honey. If you wait a few moments before sipping again the honey taste increases.

The fifth cup was this teas last legs and very "meh." While good, I do think that this tea is much better when done grandpa style.

Gong Fu

I really didn't want to make this tea Gong Fu style. I really just wanted to drink the rest grandpa style but alas.

Compared to the other brewing styles, the first cup came out much, much greener tasting. Not terribly strong, but the profile was still evident. Green beans and tulsi were the main greens to come to mind.I also had Ippodo's 2016 Shincha not longer before this tea and it is very, very green (and had upset my stomach) so that may be playing a role here. I also don't typically like greens when brewed gong fu style but hey, gotta try it for the review.

Yeah it wasn't the Shincha, the second and third cups were absolute battery acid. I am so sad I wasted 5g I could've used for grandpa style brewing ;-; the more you know I guess?

Rating

This tea is a 10 and I don't give 10 out often. Seriously, this was absolutely fantastic. And the price, wow!! This tea has an amazing aroma, an aftertaste to die for, it never goes bitter, and it is all around a lovely tea. I know where I'll be buying my Longjing from now. I am still in awe about how fantastic this tea is. 50g of this would last me forever considering I, obviously, try other teas to review them and I only use 2.5g/355ml when brewing Grandpa style.

Leaf samples

If you're interested in buying this tea (and you really should be!) you can purchase it here.

This is something that makes a little more sense after you've had a lot of tea. You'll be able to tell the difference between a flat, not-complex tea and a complex tea pretty quickly if you try to drink a lot of tea, and a lot of variety. The photo is not mine, it was taken by a friend (whom I'm unsure wants to be named) while we were at the Tea Box in Richmond, London, UK.

Complexity will vary a little bit from person to person, but it typically comes down to the following:

• A noticeable or unique aroma, especially when you can taste the tea from the aroma alone
• Many tastes mingling together that makes it hard to pinpoint what exactly you're tasting
• On the flip side, many tastes mingling together where you can pinpoint what you're tasting
• The body of the tea (Is it buttery? Smooth? Bubbly? Rasping? Powdery? Full? Thick? Thin? etc.)
• Development of the tea over time (so from one steeping to another in both liquor and aroma).
• After taste + the unique flavors mingling 
• Length the flavor sits on your pallet

So, basically, it is very slippery and loose since it really depends on who you're talking to. 

Different teas fit my quota for "complex." For example, I love Japanese greens. They're what I'd call my expertise. A good Japanese green will always meet this. What the greens specific characteristics are will depend on if it is a shincha, gyokuro, sencha, or bancha. Very rarely banchas strike me as complex as they're an everyday tea, but that is besides the point.

Oolongs, good Sheng (that I've experienced so far), white, jasmine teas, many Chinese greens (especially Longjing!), and some blacks such as Darjeeling will also strike me as complex. This is a lot of variety, but I've had a lot of tea, and I enjoy many kinds!

While there are many wonderful black teas that I've had in the past, namely those from Yunnan, Laoshan Black, and Darjeeling, I find that many black teas are a one trick pony for me.

That being said, there have been more than enough teas from every other category that haven't been complex to me either. It really depends.

What's complex to me might be a one trick pony to another drinker, while a tea that is a one trick pony for me may be complex to another. Taste is very subjective.

Drink tea everyday. Drink a variety of teas that vary in quality. Compare the teas to one another if you can. Perhaps take notes on what you can figure out about the tea (even if it's just "I like it because it is sweet/fruity/woody/soft on my pallet" or "I don't like it because it is bland/sweet/fruity/woody/astringent" and simple notes like that) and before you know it you'll be able to tell a complex tea vs. a flat and bland tea, all according to your tastes!