Everyday Teas‘ focus is quality daily drinker teas. I previously reviewed two years of Everyday Teas’ puer. Let’s try their black and oolongs!
Gongfu Black
Gongfu Black is a Da Ye cultivar black grown in Lincang, Yunnan China. It is described to be a very forgiving black tea.
Dry Leaf and Steeping Method: Gongfu Black smells nicely fruity. There is a rare fleck of gold or two but otherwise is a pitch black leaf. I used 1 gram of leaf to 12ml of vessel size, steeped in boiling water.
First and Second Infusion: Not a bad hong for the price. The sip is bright sweet fresh tomato with a slightly fruity aftertaste. This tea has a clean sip and highly aromatic. After each, sip I can taste the lingering flavor in my mouth float up through my sinuses.
Third, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh Infusion: The shift in flavor switched to glazed yams, replacing the tomato, with a few sips tasting like oranges. The flavor is bright and forward. Gongfu Glack has a pleasant sweetness making this easy to drink. It is surprisingly light for a black, leaning more on the bright, light clean fruity side than woodsy motor oil. The body is gentle and slightly slick.
Eighth, Ninth, and Tenth Infusion: I got a couple good long infusions. Gongfu Black slips sweet, mineral, and yammy. Despite steeping for 10-15 minutes each, it never got dry or bitter.
Gongfu Black is bombproof like, easy to steep, forgiving, but also bright, yammy and sweet. There are some interesting notes and early on has a great aroma, with a lightly textured body. Fairly inexpensive too, this is a great mid-afternoon pick me up, and pairs well with sweets. I can see this tea being awesome from tumblers and grandpa style due to its flexibility. If you like sweeter black teas for daily drinking, or new with tea looking for a tea to gongfu that is easy, this is it.
Organic Nepalese Hand Rolled Oolong
I am hit and miss with Nepal tea. Organic Nepalese Hand Rolled Oolong is made from the Jun Chiayabari Estate in a Dong Fang Mei Ren style. I’m not a darjeeling fan, but I do like seeing Everyday Teas listing some Gongfu instructions.
Dry Leaf and Steeping Method: I love a pretty autumn pile of leaf. Nepalese Hand Rolled oolong has a fruity sweet scent. I steeped at 200F, with a 1 gram to 15ml ratio. I went a little conservative on the temperature in case this blasts out typical darjeeling like astringency.
First and Second Infusion: Creamy smooth and sweet. It has a bright grape and honey flavor with a brisk finish. Slight astringency showing up, leaving a dry throat, which contrasted with the creamy body during the sip.
Third and Fourth Infusion: The Nepalese Oolong slipped quickly to a high brisk bite of astringency, sharp grape skins, and light wood.
Organic Nepalese Hand Rolled Oolong is definitely a tea for more darjeeling drinkers who want to drink an aromatic oolong over a couple resteeps. I enjoyed the bright, fruity, and sweet notes as well the beautiful appearance.
Forever Spring
Forever Spring is a Si Ji Chun varietal oolong from Nantou, Taiwan. Everyday Teas recommends gongfu style for this tea.
Dry leaf and Steeping Method: Forever Spring smells like floral buttered popcorn. This oolong is quite weighty tea, as it barely filled the bottom of the gaiwan with my usual measurements.
I’m going to treat this one back to my standard methods of steeping. Yet again, 1 gram of leaf to 15ml of vessel size, steeped in boiling water.
First, Second, Third, and Fourth Infusion: Forever Spring is soft, sweet, grassy, and buttery. The flavor is like buttered sweet grass, with a buttery aftertaste. I am impressed with how buttery this tea is, especially for a daily drinker. It is obviously not altered like how a milk oolong is flavored either. I get some interesting salivation after each sip. The body is lightly silky feeling too.
Fifth, Sixth, Seventh, and Eighth Infusion: Forever Spring is a pretty consistent oolong until this point. The flavor shifted to less butter flavor but with more of a grassy taste with a wintergreen aftertaste. Slightly astringent starting in the cheeks, leaving a dry feeling in the mouth.
Each steeping got a touch drier until I got little flavor out of the infusion. In the end, Forever Spring has big and near perfect full leafs.
Overall, Forever Spring is a steal. I’ve had oolongs for more money with less complexity and body. It’s not bright or floral like a high-end competition oolong, but excellent if you love a buttery oolong. If you like green buttery oolongs, Everyday Tea’s Forever Spring is the hidden gem of the line up.
All the teas in the waste bowl, though you mostly see Forever Spring.
(teas provided for review)
