Author: Oolong Owl

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2020 December White2tea Club feat. XXXmas Sheng Puer

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Last year I mixed up the White2tea club order so I can drink the yearly, club only, XXXmas huangpian sheng puer near Christmas. My 2020 December White2tea club arrived on Christmas Eve, and I really like my teas to rest from shipping. This tea had 3 weeks of rest – not enough for my liking but at least I got a baseline for it fresh. ‘ Leaf and Steeping Method Well, this is undoubtedly a huangpian – it is so yellow! 2020 XXXmas sheng puer has a light nutty grassy scent. As usual, I went gongfu style with 1 gram… Continue reading, hoot!

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2020 tRuth Shou Puer from Mandala Tea

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2020 tRuth shou is a limited edition, charity, and tribute cake by Mandala Tea. This shou puer is made up of Menghai material and only 200 cakes were pressed in November 2020. All proceeds for this tea goes to the Women’s Shelter and Support Center in Rochester, MN. I purchased my cake in December 2020. I would prefer to let this shou rest longer, but since this a limited edition tea, I’m giving it a drink so you readers can get the heads up before it disappears. Leaf and Steeping Method The leaves have a soft earth scent with a… Continue reading, hoot!

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Aged Shou Mei White Teas from Moychay

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This week’s review is a pair of Shou Meis with a few years of age, both from Moychay. As I drink through all the Moychay teas, I notice their house taste leans to the woody, berry, acidic side. If their tastes stay true to their white teas, we are in for a treat. Moychay’s 2019 Zhengshan Shoumei White Tea 2019 Zhengshan Shoumei is a 2017 material from Taimushan Mountains, Fujian Province, pressed in 2019 as a 290gram cake. The leaves smell like autumn orchard floor – fruity, leafy, bit aged. I don’t see any buds, this is just straight big… Continue reading, hoot!

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2020 November White2tea Club feat. 2020 Old Arbor Autumn Sheng

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The 2020 November White2tea club by volume doesn’t have much tea but it is quality! This month has a 50 gram cake of 2020 Old Arbor Autumn Sheng Puer and 25 grams of Yan Hong, a Fujian black tea, both tea club exclusives. 2020 November White2tea Club’s Yan Hong On top of being a Fujian black, this tea comes with 1 year of rest. Over the years I’ve also come to notice a lot of black teas, especially compressed, taste best after a year. That is something you’ll want to taste yourself as I know some who dislike black teas… Continue reading, hoot!

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Oolong Owl’s 2020 Tea Consumption and Stash Data Report

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Finally, 2020 is over and 2021 is here! New year, new data on this case study of a tea hoarder. Welcome to my annual tea consumption and stash data. I keep track of all the tea that comes into my possession and how much I drink. Here is a template of my Tea Stash Spreadsheet! Save a copy and start keeping track of your stash. I highly suggest tracking your tea stash before it gets out of control! This is the method I use to track my personal tea consumption. Everything tea that I own is weighed, including samples. I… Continue reading, hoot!

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2020 Wild Tree Purple Moonlight White Cake from Yunnan Sourcing

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For years, I was hoping Yunnan Sourcing would make a cake of their Purple Moonlight white. I previously reviewed the 2018 Wild Purple Moonlight and the worst is the giant bag taking up too much space in my stash. Finally, the 2020 Wild Tree Purple Moonlight White is pressed into a cake and I purchased it when the Yunnan Sourcing US site got it in stock. Pressing certainly changes the flavor, so let’s see how the purple moonlight white is. Leaf and Steeping Method The leaf has a juicy floral and fruity scent. I used 1 gram of leaf per… Continue reading, hoot!

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2020 October White2tea Club feat. 2020 Saturday Mass

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It is 2020 October White2tea club time! This month has two teas available for purchase and two club exclusives. I am skipping the 2020 Hot Brandy minis and squirreling them away for travel. 2020 Saturday Mass Chenpi Shou Puer The 2020 October White2tea club has a single 7g mini of Saturday Mass. This tea is a shou blended with aged chenpi/orange, which is a part of their small-batch shou collection. The tea mini has a gentle orange scent. I used the whole 7 gram mini in a ~100ml gaiwan, steeped with boiling water, gongfu style. Rinsed, Saturday Mass has an… Continue reading, hoot!

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Vadham Teas’ Chai Latte Instant Mix – Matcha Lemongrass, Ashwagandha Cinnamon, and Turmeric Ginger

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Seattle’s weather has been cold and extra grim, so it is chai time! Today I have Matcha Lemongrass, Ashwagandha Cinnamon, and Turmeric Ginger Chai Instant Lattes from Vadham Tea. Vadham Teas’ Chai Latte mixes have vegan-friendly milk and sweetener and prepackage for easy use. Each box is 120grams, 8 grams x 15 packets of instant chai mix. They all contain instant black tea, so even the Turmeric Ginger has caffeine. To make, mix a packet in 7oz/ 200ml / just under 1 cup of hot water. For today, I used 200F/93c water and mixed it with an electric frother. Matcha… Continue reading, hoot!

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Ujitawara Special Blend Matcha from Naoki Matcha

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Naoki Matcha has a new Masters Collection tea that I’ll be drinking today. Ujitawara Special Blend Matcha is made up of Uji Hikari and Samidori cultivars, stone ground in Kyoto Japan. The matcha powder has a grassy and fruity sweet scent that reminds me of raspberries. Ujitawara has an excellent vibrant green hue. I used 2 grams of matcha powder, usucha style, bamboo whisked in 5oz/150ml low temperature (175F/79c) water. Ujitawara Special Blend Matcha whisks up with a good amount of foam build up. I’ve seen thicker, but this one is pretty good. Tasting of Naoki Matcha’s Ujitawara Special Blend… Continue reading, hoot!

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2006 Troublemaker Sheng Puer Fang Cha from Crimson Lotus Tea

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I completely forgot I had a sample of Crimson Lotus Tea’s 2006 Troublemaker Sheng puer fang cha. While I was reorganizing my tea room, I found the sample packet under my couch, so Troublemaker has North Seattle floor storage. My guess is it fell from my sample basket. Tea hoarder problems. Leaf and Steeping Method 2006 Troublemaker is a bud heavy Bulang, pressed into a 100 gram fang cha square. Troublemaker’s scent is aged, and previously smokey, grandma’s couch. This tea is definitely dry storage here as it lacks that wet basement quality. I went with 1 gram of leaf… Continue reading, hoot!