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Higuchi Black Oolong from Yunomi – Tea Review

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One can never have enough oolong! When one thinks of oolong, you probably think of oolong being from Taiwan or China, maybe Thailand. Today’s oolong is from Japan – Higuchi Black Oolong from Yunomi! Japanese oolongs aren’t something one sees often – checking around it seems Japanese oolongs are a special product and tea farmers don’t make much of them. This particular Japanese black oolong has a longer fermentation time than the other Japanese oolongs. The tea is grown in the Shige Prefecture with an altitude of 400 meters/ 1300 feet. Dry Leaf Higuchi Black Oolong dry leaf smells like plums… Continue reading, hoot!

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Tsui Yu Jade Oolong from Eco-Cha – Tea Review

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It is the first week of November and with my birthday is coming up (November 7th) I have an important decison to make – what teas to drink on my birthday! With that said, I’m going to be sampling a bunch of oolongs. Today’s oolong – Eco-Cha’s Tsui Yu Jade Oolong, an oolong from Nantou, Taiwan. By the way, Eco-Cha is having a crowd funding campaign for support of small scale oolong made from traditional farming methods. The oolong here is certified organic too! Check it out – the $50 tier looks pretty awesome as you get a clay gongfu tea pot!… Continue reading, hoot!

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Tea Candy – Oolong Owl 2014 Halloween Edition

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Happy Halloween Tea Peeps! I love Halloween, mostly because of all the spooky stuff, candy and my birthday being a week away. The Tea Owls are dressed for trick or treating. However, I think they want tea treats. I guess I could give them individually packaged tea bags that they’ll hate So, what to give to a Tea Owl? Tea Candy! At my local Asian grocery store (99 Ranch Market) I found a small line of Tea Candy under the brand “Bali’s Best”. I had to get all the flavors for the Tea Owls in order to prevent a violent trick… Continue reading, hoot!

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Genmacashew Genmaicha from 52 Teas – Tea Review

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Zoomdweebies, the tea seller that has the 52 Teas line (a new tea blend out each week!) and the Southern Boy Iced Teas as recently redone their shop and made a few changes. I mostly purchase from the 52 Teas line, especially when there is a really cool tea blend for the week. For the 52 Teas line, Zoomdweebies now sells the tea in 0.5oz/14gram packages instead of the 1.5 or 2 oz packages. That way you can try more and take a gamble on some weird (usually good) teas. I ordered 4 teas that looked fun, Genmacashew Genmaicha, Apple Jack’s… Continue reading, hoot!

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2010 Haiwan Peerless Ripe Pu’er – Tea Review

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Yunnan Sourcing keeps having these awesome 12-15% off sales the last while. With my last order I wanted to get a couple ripe/shu pu’er cakes as I have mostly raw/sheng cakes or loose ripe in my stash. I’ve been drinking ripe pu’er a lot these days and it is my #1 tea to go to when I’m sick. With the cold season coming, I’m going to need some good tea to keep me well! I was eyeing this 2010 Haiwan Peerless Ripe Pu’er cake. The price is nice ($20 at the time of this review @ Yunnan Sourcing’s US site/… Continue reading, hoot!

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Discontinued Teas – Finding old favorite teas and heartbreak

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I write this as I sip at one of my favorite teas – Good Morning Sunshine – a guayusa citrus blend from Butiki Teas. Not too long ago, Butiki Teas announced she is closing up shop. My undergrad major is psychology. In a marketing psychology class I came to realize what drives me to buy stuff – limited quantities. If I have the feeling if I miss out on something, I freak out. When I heard Butiki Teas was closing down, I ordered a bunch of my favorites (and some new teas that I would regret not trying), not waiting for any… Continue reading, hoot!

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The Jabberwocky Tea from Whispering Pines Tea Co – Tea Review

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I’ve been tea reviewing mostly straight teas these days, as it seems that is what has been arriving here at Oolong Owl, as well as the teas I’ve been purchasing for myself. Today’s tea is Whispering Pines Tea Co’s The Jabberywocky tea – a straight/unflavored blend of their Spring 2014 Harvest Fujian, Ailaoshan and Wild Arbor Yunnan black teas. Admittedly, the name of this tea is what drew me in, and the good ratings and recommendations from others cemented in that I needed to try The Jabberywocky, a tea to serve to the Jabberywocky! Dry Leaf The Jabberywocky tea’s dry leaf… Continue reading, hoot!

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2004 Big Leaf Yiwu Gushu Raw Puer from Mandala Tea – Tea Review

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Let’s taste Mandala Tea’s 2004 Big Leaf Yiwu Gushu Raw Puer! This tea was handed picked from ancient tea trees in the Yiwu area of China. Ohhh yeah I love a good ancient tree raw pu’er and what a treat as it is from 2004! Dry Leaf This tea comes in bricks that are being aged away, but Mandala Tea will break off pieces for you when you purchase. I bought 1 oz to sample. To my surprise, one of the chunks of tea I got is the size of the packaging, a big honking piece of tea! The dry leaf of 2004… Continue reading, hoot!

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October Simple Loose Leaf Selection Club

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Happy October! Autumn is my favorite season, though here in Southern California it still feels like summer, with it being 30c/85F (and a horrible heat wave) throughout September and into October! BOOOOO! Bring on boots, hoodie and scarf weather – though it barely gets that cold here for it! With that said, a new month means the October Simple Loose Leaf Selection Club! However, Simple Loose Leaf Selection Club is changing their formats – switching from a monthly selection box to a Co-op format. With a monthly subscription (cheaper, at $14.99 a month), you get a sampler pack every month. Simple… Continue reading, hoot!

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Imperial Gold Needle Yunnan Black Tea from Yunnan Sourcing – Tea Review

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Tea Review time! Today, Yunnan Sourcing’s Imperial Gold Needle Yunnan Black tea. This is the Spring 2014 batch from Simao prefecture, China. I first saw this tea when Yunnan Sourcing posted a picture of the leaf on facebook. Immediately the Tea Owl alert went off for “OMG GORGEOUS LOOKING TEA!” With one of my recent Yunnan sourcing purchases I did not hesitate to buy 50 grams of Imperial Gold Needle Yunnan Black tea. When my package arrive, it was the first tea I cracked into and sampled. With the crazy amount of tea that comes to me and the Tea Owls,… Continue reading, hoot!