08.13.07
Tasting Notes: 2007 Meghma Estate Oolong & Kashanganj Snow Bud
posted by T Ching | 32 comments
Thank you for your participation in the T Ching online tasting. If you have not submitted your tasting notes, please do so at your earliest convenience under this thread.
General Brewing Instructions:
The Meghma Nepalese oolong is a partially (and highly) oxidized tea. We recommend brewing this tea with premium quality water at near boiling temperature. Use about 1 heaped teaspoon (about 4 grams) of leaves per 8 fluid oz of water for 3 minutes. If you are brewing with the gongfu method, we recommend employing about 1 : 3 leaf to water ratio (by brewing vessel volume) and start with a very short 5 seconds for the first infusion before adjusting to taste for subsequent infusions.
The Kashanganj Snow Bud is a white tea. We recommend using 175 F / 80 C hot water or slightly lower. Use about 1.5 heaped teaspoons (about 6 grams) per 8 fluid oz of water for 3 minutes. If you are brewing with the gongfu method, we recommend employing about 1 : 4 to 1 : 3 leaf to water ratio (by brewing vessel volume) and start with about 45 seconds for the first infusion before adjusting to taste for subsequent infusions.
Enjoy and we look forward to reading your notes! We thank the sponsors, Lochan Tea Limited and The Simple Leaf (Pekoe Tips), for the tea samples and the experience.
July 31st, 2007 at 4:12 pm
I understand that there are still some samples left. Late comers are welcome.
August 2nd, 2007 at 4:07 pm
My review of the Meghma Oolong is posted on my blog. The other is coming soon! Thanks T Ching!:)
August 3rd, 2007 at 2:15 am
Kashanganj White: The dry leaves are very attractive, clearly hand picked. I have a special affection for white tea, so I played around with this one quite a bit. I started with 3 g/8 0z/185 F/5 min., then I upped it to 4 g, then 3 g for 6 min. The first brew was a little weak, but it had a very nice finish, just a touch of astringency that left a tingly sensation. The second brew was bolder, perhaps just a tad strong. Very similar to bai mu dan. The third was more mellow but still made a statement. The last cup I brewed to your brewing instructions, 6 g/8 oz/175 F/3 min. This yielded the best results. The over all flavor was the same, but it was the smoothest. I have tried an Indian white before and was not impressed. I think Fujian whites are superior by far, but this tea left me with a good impression. I still prefer Fujian bai hao yin zhen, but this is a close second.
Nepalese Oolong: My first attempts at gong fu-ing this…well, the results sucked. So I followed the tasting instructions more or less, 5 g/150 ml/195-200 F/5 s. for the first infusion/ and it was much, much better. The dry leaves are aesthetically pleasant, and so is the liquor, which progresses from a buttery yellow to a rich, honey orange. The taste is very smooth with a natural amber sweetness that reminds me very much of the Golden Needle from Yunnan, yet the familiar fruitiness of a Darjeeling is still present. It’s a wonderful combination. I like this tea, and I didn’t think I would to be honest. It’s got a great price, tastes good, and its enviromentally and socially friendly; I’ll probably buy this tea again.
August 5th, 2007 at 1:30 pm
Here’s my other review, just before the “deadline”
http://perplexitea.blogspot.com/2007/08/kishanganj-snow-bud-white.html
Thanks T Ching!!
August 5th, 2007 at 3:57 pm
Meghma Nepalese oolong
Judging from the leaves, this tea looks rather interesting. Most leaves range from brown to green and differ from one another in sizes and shapes. The smell from the leaves is a heavy mushroomy type. Thanks to the generous amount of leaves in this sample, I was able to brew it many times under different circumstances in different ways. The outcome was mostly similar. The orang-ish liquor produced a sweet and smooth brew, which made it a pleasure to drink. As for aroma, it came out to be quite strong in the first infusions, accompanied by a bit of astringency, while later ones brought out that typical Darjeeling taste. Overall this tea is quite enjoyable, even if it doesn’t change mind throughout the brews. Definitely a purchase to consider.
Kashanganj Snow Bud
The leaves of this sample were quite beautiful to look at, reminding me of silver needle type. The smell of the leaves isn’t too special, however the brew came out full and powerful in flavors. In fact what that interested me the most about this tea is its taste/aroma. Surprisingly its smell is almost identical to that of my perfume. I couldn’t believe it at first actually, but my assumptions were confirmed later on by a friend whom I’ve asked to try the tea and compare it to the smell of my cologne. The cologne is Gucci Pour Homme II if anybody is interested. Leaving the cologne business aside, the tea is quite smooth as well with a strong aroma and aftertaste to it. In fact the aroma was quite overpowering sometimes and gave me a slight headache. I couldn’t drink it as much as the Meghma Nepalese oolong as my tolerance for white teas is rapidly declining. Having no prior experience with Indian white teas, I’d have to say that I’m quite impressed.
August 6th, 2007 at 1:55 am
Meghma Oolong:
Aroma: Sweet like newly harvested timothy hay or similar grain.
Taste: Earthy very smooth, Darjeeling like, with Nutty overtones.
Kashanganj Snow Bud:
Aroma: Perfume quality like fruit blossoms in background.
Taste: Very light airy delicious.
Now be advised, I am very new to this in the Tea world. My experience
is limited to the Coffee world.
Respectfully,
Paul J. Fiske,
Allentown, Pa.
August 6th, 2007 at 4:05 am
—–Kashanganj Snow Bud—–
Dry Leaf:
I don’t know a lot about the different styles of snowbud, but to my untrained eye these leaves are quite pretty and reminiscent of silver needle (bai hao yin zhen). Unfortunately I have a head cold right now, so my olfactory senses are limited and I can’t really pick up on any dry leaf aroma. Nevertheless, this tea is looking good so far.
Parameters:
3.1g dry leaf; 170°F good tap water; 90s, 150s, 180s
Liquor:
Not surprisingly, the liquor was nice and light. It reminded me of a light, sweet first flush Darjeeling, with a bit of a dancong-like perfumey astringency in the second infusion. The aroma cup initially smells of white sugar and vanilla, which develops into a very strong vanilla cake frosting aroma in the second infusion. By the third infusion, the liquor tasted like little more than sweet water. I probably could have given a fourth infusion more time to extract more flavor, but I felt that I had already gotten a good impression of the flavor so I didn’t bother. I’m not much of a white tea fan since discovering the vast range of oolongs out there, but I can still appreciate the good quality of teas like this.
Wet Leaf:
I know nothing about how wet white tea leaves/buds should look, so I won’t even bother trying to analyze them.
Overall Impression:
White teas aren’t my favorite, but I liked this one. It had good flavor, and there was nothing offensive about it. The dancong-like edge was just enough to make me think, “hmm… interesting,” and earned this tea a solid 6.5/10.
—–Meghma Estate Oolong—–
Dry Leaf:
Looks almost exactly like an Autumnal Darjeeling, and smells similar too. The leaf color varies from near-white to dark brown, common in teas of this region (though I would think it has far more to do with processing than terroir). Pretty!
Parameters:
Oh boy. I’ve tried three different methods for brewing this tea: gongfu with long infusions (30+ seconds), European style with a big-honkin’ cheap teapot, and gongfu with short infusions (10-15 seconds). Gongfu with long infusions was absolutely dreadful, and left me feeling a bit sick. Clearly, this tea is not meant to be brewed this way. I later tried brewing it European style (4g leaf; 8oz off-boiling water; 2:30, 1:00), and had more success. I tried gongfu one more time with shorter infusions, and got better results than the first attempt, but I couldn’t seem to keep the infusion times short enough to enjoy the tea.
Liquor:
During my gongfu attempts, the liquor was extremely woodsy tasting, and not in a good way. If I had to describe the woodsy flavor, I would say it’s like a very insipid and alkaline thyme, but I’m not sure if that really makes any sense. When I brewed it European style, the liquor was much more similar to an Autumnal or second flush Darjeeling black tea (though its status as a black tea is debatable). Though there is still some woodsy flavor, it is much more subdued and a bit interesting. Perhaps if I hadn’t already tasted it in concentrated form, I would have found it enjoyable and intriguing. At any rate, I found the second infusion to be particularly nice— no woodsy flavor, and a sweet fruitiness characterized this brew.
Wet Leaf:
I was actually quite pleasantly surprised by the wet leaves of this tea. There are many whole leaves and some intact leaves/bud/stem complexes. This tea certainly appears to be hand-picked. The leaves are a dark brown color, indicating a near-black tea level of oxidation.
Overall Impression:
While I can certainly see that this tea has been picked and processed with care, I simply didn’t like it. Frankly, I felt a bit sick after my last gongfu attempt, which definitely does not earn it high marks. Still, I can’t help but think that it’s the Indian and not the arrow (yes, I realize the irony of using the word Indian in this context, but you know what I mean). Even my best results tasted lackluster compared to a good second flush Darjeeling, and after reading outstandingly positive comments by Phyll, I get the feeling I’m just brewing this wrong, so I can’t give it an awful grade. So, instead, this tea gets a 3/10. I’m sure it gets better than this, but if it’s this hard to get right, I don’t think it’s worth it.
For pictures and supplementary information via links, I encourage you to take a look at my blog post at http://teanerd.blogspot.com.
August 6th, 2007 at 12:54 pm
How do I accuire the tea sample package? I’d love to taste test these teas. Thanks.
August 6th, 2007 at 8:29 pm
If there are still samples left, I’d like to get in on this tasting. How shall I do? Thanks!
August 7th, 2007 at 12:15 am
I hope I am not too late, Ankit was kind enough to inform us of this event via the usenet rec.food.drink.tea
August 7th, 2007 at 7:27 am
Hello,
if it´s still possible I´d like to join too.
My tasting gear and myself are looking forward to your interesting samples.
Best,
Karsten
August 7th, 2007 at 7:10 pm
Nepalese Oolong
Scent in package: fruity, a very light muscatel scent, intriguing
Brewed in: Tea for one pot w/metal infuser
Steeped: 3 min.@ just under boiling, 4 min.@ just under boiling
Cup: Stoneware café mug
Thanks to T-Ching for this very generous offer! The samples far surpass the amount of tea I expected to get for the $3 shipping. This is my first time participating in a tasting event, and hopefully it won’t be the last.
I conducted this tasting at work, thus no pictures. I was surprised at the amount of brighter green in the leaves though…it seems like more of a mixture of light/dark than most oolongs I’ve encountered to this point. It does make for a very lovely looking dry leaf blend though.
The scent of the first cup is nearly intoxicating. Very grape/muscatel in nature, and I could sense a thicker viscosity in the liquid just by the fragrance wafting up from the cup. There’s a deeper note to the scent that I can’t quite make out, but it draws me in to that first sip.
The first sip was as intriguing as the scent. It’s a muscatel flavor, like a darjeeling, but much deeper and more rounded. The tea is thicker and more honey-like, blending the best of both darjeeling and oolong teas. It’s not astringent at all, but smooth and mellow – if darjeeling is the “champagne” of teas, I might go out on a limb and declare this oolong a “fine wine” along a similar vein.
The aftertaste left a slight bite on the tip of my tongue, and a smooth coating on the inside of my mouth. Very pleasant and soothing – a welcome relaxation to the mid-morning work “grind”.
I had a second cup of the same leaves in the afternoon, and it was very refreshing, with the same fruity taste, but lighter. All in all, very enjoyable, and a tea I will enjoy again soon.
August 8th, 2007 at 11:01 am
First of all — thanks to T Ching for the generous samples, especially so since 25g actually allows you to try it more than just once, and so be able to form a better opinion of the tea as one tries to figure out how to handle it for personal taste.
If it’s all right, I’ll simply post links to my notes, as otherwise they are a little… long, and I’m not sure if I should summarize them.
My initial notes of the Meghma:
http://www.xanga.com/MarshalN/608186124/meghma-oolong-from-t-ching.htm l
and the Kashanganj:
http://www.xanga.com/MarshalN/608344861/kashanganj-snow-bud.html
And a retaste of both, in more summary fashion:
http://www.xanga.com/MarshalN/608865747/t-ching-samples-revisited.html
August 9th, 2007 at 4:45 pm
and when they post their notes, more people will hear about it, and more will want to taste… will T Ching postpone the publishing again??
August 9th, 2007 at 9:43 pm
I hear ya Alex, but nope, just this once. We’ve got over 30 people we are waiting on notes from. Don’t forget that patience is a virtue. And the virtuous drink tea!
August 10th, 2007 at 12:07 am
hello!
something on the meghma oolong for you:
the meghma oolong tea project is promoted by mr. madan tamang, the guiding spirit behind the creation of meghma agro industries without profit being its primary objective.
meghma oolong is a semifermented tea, which gives a pale brew with a refreshing honey flavour. the taste is reminiscent of spring vegetation and differs from occidental varieties having a goldenbrew and a unique flavor.
it is cultivated in the highlands of the himalayas above 7500 ft around darjeeling. it is the highest plantation in and around this region. the factory is however at an altitude of 9500ft. the tea garden lies pristine in pure and natural enviroment , away from traffic, free from pollution and use of chemicals.
this tea is manufactured by the traditional hand method. the health benefits of this tea are innumerable - some of them are : this tea helps in reducing the cholestrol level thus it goes very well with heavy meals. it also reduces blood pressure and prevents atherosclerotic diseases.
i thought this inforation may be intresting to youy so i shared it.
thanks you for all the efforts.
regards
ankit lochan
http://www.indusfoundation.com
August 10th, 2007 at 12:09 am
hello!
Just a point that i wanted to bring to everyone’s knowledge:
Kishanganj Snow Bud hails from the Organic Doke Tea Estate which is in kishanganj. Details of this tea can be viewed on the respective sites -
http://www.doketea.com and http://www.indusfoundation.com
thank you
ankit lochan
August 10th, 2007 at 12:16 am
Meghma Nepalese Oolong
I don’t want to spend a lot of time on this one because I don’t believe I can give it a fair analysis. To me this tastes very much like a Bai Hao, which is, quite simply, not really my cup — not bad, just not my personal preference. It is a relatively high-oxidation oolong that is quite smooth with a sweet and sour fruity body that is a bit like grapes. Someone that is accustomed to black teas wishing to try something different would do well to try something like this. My personal preference, however, is something less oxidized with a more floral aroma. To be fair, however, it is a bit smoother and well balanced than most bai hao’s I’ve had.
Snowbud
This one, on the other hand, is absolutely delightful. At first this reminded me of a white peony, light and floral, but it also has a slightly fruity note to it. Grapes perhaps? It’s almost just a shillouette of a fruit that is hard to define, but nevertheless adds quite a bit. I was surprised to find that this tea has some viscosity, which is something that I love in my teas and have not found in a white tea before. The aroma, and less so taste, does have a slight vegetal quality to it as well, as the silver needle-like appearance of the dry leaf suggests. It is light and sweet, without any smokiness that is often found in other white teas, with a round body and a very slight astringency in the aftertaste. I find this to have a greater complexity than most white teas, with different nuances noted with each sip. A great one overall.
August 10th, 2007 at 4:45 pm
Kashanganj SnowBud from T-Ching (tea tasting)
Scent in package: very light fruity scent
Brewed in: Tea for one pot w/metal infuser, Gaiwan, tea for one pot
Steeped: 3 min@ steaming/4 min@ steaming, several infusions @ 170, and 3 min.@ steaming again.
Cup: Café mug, tasting cup, café mug
This was quite an interesting tasting, and while I kind of “ruined” the gaiwan session, I have enough to try again properly, and plan to do so. All in all though, I really loved the substantial nature of this white tea.
My first two cups were brewed at work, and I used the filtered water from the water cooler heated in my electric kettle just until it was steaming. I was “wowed” by my first sip, which was much more flavorful than I find many white teas to be. There was that fruitiness again, but very light and complementary to the ultra-soft vegetal notes in the tea. The viscosity surprised me as well…it brewed up a substantial cup that lingered after each sip was gone. The second infusion was just as good, with very little difference in the taste and the same mildly fruity scent wafted up from the cup. Very tasty and soothing, and sweeter than the average tea. There was no astringency or drying qualities at all, just very smooth and mellow.
So I decided to get out my gaiwan and brew a few infusions “gong fu” style. I made many mistakes however (wasn’t quite myself), and using tap water at a cooler temperature was the main mistake. Only one infusion out of the 6 I tried turned out even close to what I had tasted at work, and while it contained the sweetness, it was also very drying and somewhat bitter (all infusions with tap water were quite bitter). Needless to say, I was rather disappointed and it was the next morning before I realized my tap water mistake. I’m looking forward to trying it again with filtered water in my gaiwan.
This morning, I brewed up another cup at work with the same parameters as I used before. Worked like a charm, and I had a very sweet, mellow, enjoyable cup of tea this morning at my desk. I love that sort of fruity sweetness that comes through the vegetal flavors…it seems simple but complex at the same time. One thing I did notice with tap water was a “white pepper” flavor that gave just a tiny bite to the tea – I think it would be interesting to capture that and marry it with the fruit-sweet profile found with filtered water.
The leaves (buds) are gorgeous, and longer than many I’ve seen…a beautiful light green when dry, and very vibrant green when wet. The tea may be pricy, but I think it’s worth it, and I’m seriously considering ordering more. What a great tasting experience.
August 13th, 2007 at 12:51 pm
Never thought that people will like our teas so much.
Thanks to everybody, especially Tching, Sandy and Michelle.
This encourages us to produce better and still better quality for you.
After all “Serving Society with Superior Quality Products” is our motto.
August 13th, 2007 at 3:16 pm
on 1st June 1999 Indian Tea Board declared Kishangunj district of north eastern Bihar as a non-traditional tea growing area, though we had started planting tea little earlier in 1998 in Pothia block of this district.
Last month I was called by the Deputy chief minister regarding land and labour policy matters and came to know that Kishangunj was known as “poor man’s darjeeling” since people who could not affort to go to Darjeeling in olden days could enjoy the beauty of Kanchenjunga from a little distance, that is Kishangunj.
Doke plantation, where these teas are grown is south of Jhapa and Illam districts of Nepal and south west of Darjeeling and snow capped mountains are about 25 kilometers as the crow flies, though the foothills are only 7 kilometers away. On a clear day one can have a panoramic view of Himalayas and if oe is lucky evening setting sun lights up Mount Everest to be visible from Doke.
We have found burnt clay pottery broken pieces buried as deep as two feet all over the planting area and a legend says that during the ancient times of Virat kings who had Viratnagar as their capital and Thakurgunj as their river port on the banks of Mahananda river, there was a potters village in this location, which legendary Shrawan Kumar visited alongwith his blind parents and stayed overnight.
Bihar being the land of Buddha and full of ancient history, it seems history is repeating itself here in Doke and we wish to make full use of it.
August 13th, 2007 at 4:10 pm
This tea [Kashanganj Snow Bud] was a delightful surprise. When I opened the canister to measure out the tea I was greeted by a wonderful sweet, fruity aroma, which I had not anticipated from a white tea. The leaves seemed particularly long to me, but not as white as Chinese Silver Needles, with the down lying closer to the bud.
I infused 5 grams of the tea for 3 minutes at 170 degrees. The resulting liquor was a medium honey color, again with a nice fruity aroma. The taste was full, sweet, and satisfying, with viscosity and lack of astringency. The fruit notes were of a darker fruit, not citrusy. And I detected little or no vegetal quality. The aftertaste was also sweet, full, and balanced. These characteristics stood up well to a second infusion of the leaves, with only a slightly softer effect.
Comparing this to an Assam White that I drank not long ago I found this Indian White to be less malty, much sweeter, with a fuller mouth, more viscous, and with a cleaner aftertaste.
August 13th, 2007 at 9:43 pm
First off let my say thanks to Tching for another great opportunity to taste some rare and, to me, almost unheard of tea.
Also sorry for being a little late to the party, I opted in a little behind schedule.
The scientific side first of all:
Water: brita max filtered scottish tap water, which I still believe gives most bottled water a good run for it’s money.
Temp: I don’t measure temperature, yet . I boil the water and then wait until the steam rising has slowed to a pace gentle enough to warrent white tea, probably lower than I’d use for China green and nearer to a fitting temp for gyokoro.
Vessels: small pyrex jug perhaps around 200ml, filtered into a fair cup(small milk jug from charity shop) which seems to keep the tea insulated for longer than a large cup.
Timing: first brew 15-20secs, the next few lightning fast, the last few far longer than they needed.
This was the first tea from the samples I tried. The aroma was beatifully floral, more of a heavy pollen slant than the subtle floral I’m used to from white tea. There was also a quite a sharp fragrance from the wet leaf.
The liquor itself changed dramitcally from steep to steep exibiting the natural freshness I’ve come to experience from white tea. Not overstated as in some greens, mainly Japanese, more a country breeze than a cold north sea wind which my father declares as real freshness.
I was begining to think that the tea had been heavily influenced by the Oolong sampler that had been keeping it company in the envelope for a good few days. This was due to fact that there was an unmistakeble taste of darjeerling fighting with the usual delicate white. I began to retract my thoughts of contamination when reading over the description of the tea again* and, realising it was an Indian white tea, I think my mind blocked out the word India as it had already assumed that all white tea was Chinese. This discovery led me to appreciate the last few brews even more so. I was, perhaps, steeping the tea for too long but the purpose was to investigate and bring forth the darjeerling undertones. The plan worked! warmer water and longer steeps brought the liquor closer to a first flush darjeerling. The tea was not as pleasant to drink at this point however the second time I tasted the tea I was far more appreciative of the Indian character accompanying the traditional white taste as opposed to trying to discard the non Chinese notes from the liquor.
I don’t think I’ll be able to rate this tea on any scale until I’ve finished the sample and possibly another pack from T Ching . It confused me as much as it entertained my taste buds.
The last thing I feel the need to comment on is the remarkable endurance of this tea, even on my second outing with it I was hugely underestimating it’s staying power and getting brews that were a little to abrasive due to oversteeping after making more than one trip to the water filter -MUST TRAIN HARDER
And the very last thing is thanks again to T Ching not just for providing quality teas but also for managing to pick teas of great educational value that I would, likely, never have got round to trying.
*and will fully retract most of my post if this is case.
Proinsias
August 13th, 2007 at 10:32 pm
For repeating the experiment:
Water: brita max filtered Scottish tap water
Temperature: 2/3mins off the boil to start with, not reducing too much as my kettle is vacuum sealed on the walls.
Vessel: +/- 100ml gaiwan into a faircup.
Leaf: Around 1/2 of the gaiwan
Timing: straight in and out for the first 5 brews then moving up to over a minute around the tenth.
My knowledge of Indian tea is sparse. On smelling the tea I figured it was akin to a first flush Darjeeling and not a very exciting one at that.
The first taste of the first brew throttled that opinion. Yes this did taste like Darjeeling to me, but Darjeeling with so much more. The complexity was something I’ve not had in Indian tea before, admittedly I may not have been drinking the best pedigrees, the tastes were combining Darjeeling with something akin to dancong whilst adding a healthy dose of fudge tasting honey goodness. I brewed this for the first time with 3 other guests, only one with a tea addiction, everyone thoroughly enjoyed the tea ’till the non-bitter end.
The wet leaf was also far more beautiful, full and supple than the dry leave conveyed. This tea provided the largest gap I’ve encountered between my expectations from the dry leaf to what ended up in my cup.
I’m struggling to decide if this tea is truly great or if I’m simply infatuated with something new and shiny. I suppose only time will tell.
I don’t see this tea as replacing any of my current beverages but it’s good enough to warrant spending even more of my earnings on tea because I know I will want to experience it again in the future.
Keep up the good work T Ching.
Proinsias
August 13th, 2007 at 10:58 pm
Thank you so much, T Ching! I had a blast experimenting with these teas in all sorts of conditions, thanks to the larger amounts.
As others have done, I’m offering links to the notes I wrote up on my own blog as they’re a little long.
The Meghma Oolong
The Kashanganj Snowbud
I found it interesting that exstns thought the Kashanganj reminded him of his cologne. I thought it reminded me of my own perfume, Christian Dior’s J’adore. I compared the listed scents between J’adore and his Gucci Pour Homme II, and the only things they seem to have in common are violets and some wood. *shrug* I personally found it to be a very floral tea, but my father picked up more on a fruity, tangerine component. Ah well. To each his own.
August 14th, 2007 at 10:48 am
I’m a newbie at this kinda thing, so this is a practice run for me. I’m intimidated by the lengthy reviews I see posted now, but I haven’t read them (but will study them after writing this up!)
Meghma Oolong: This was surprising to me. It had a protein-like taste… like brewed mushrooms, or even beef broth!
Kashanganj Snow Bud: Sweet fragrance *and* taste. An early impression of *saltiness* (but after noting it, I didn’t find that taste again…) More body than what I’ve experienced with white teas before (but I am a total beginner at white teas!). Mildly astringent. Back notes of grassiness.
August 15th, 2007 at 2:11 pm
Tea Tasting notes-
I am still a novice in the world of tea, and a novice at writing such reviews; I have tried to set down my thoughts, feelings, and tastes, as they occurred to present as detailed a picture as possible. Thank you T Ching for this opportunity to taste such fine teas, it is greatly appreciated!
Both teas were brewed in a 16 oz size device that pours the tea out of the bottom. Each time I followed the recommendations to the letter, and for the oolong I rinsed the brewer out once with boiling water before adding the tea.
Meghma Oolong:
The dry leaf has many beautiful colors, greens, browns, and even specks of silver. The fresh leaves are bent in chunky shapes; some look as if they might have withered into their present form. The scent of the dry leaves is strong, earthy, almost pungent and remind me of a wooded area at night.
I rinse my brewing device to warm it, and then add the leaves. I add a bit of water before filling all the way, the initial smell brings to mind something moist, like a muddy patch in the aforementioned wooded area.
Now the tea has finished brewing, the wet leaves make me think of cooked cabbage. The leaves have unfurled and quickly sink and dance in the water. The tea has a similar scent, resembling that of mushrooms, earthy. The liquor is a bright and clear orange in the cup.
The first sips are very slightly flat in taste and leave a lingering feeling in the mouth. The flavor is very light, not very distinct. Unfortunately on this try, I left the leaves in for about 30 seconds too long, so I will have to start fresh later.
Oolong tasting #2:
A few seconds less this time, the color is the same, but seems a bit darker. Same flatness, but less noticeable this time. This time there is a hint of wood scent, similar to that of old paper, but it is very faint. Still not much flavor has come out here, and I can pick out the taste of the water and the general tea flavor, but not much else.
This oolong is a decent tea, it is drinkable and pleasant, but brewed this way it is nothing particularly special.
——————–
Kashanganj Snow Bud:
The leaves are fresh and crisp, without moisture. The leaves are each about 1 inch long, rolled in a kind of needle shape, but with a flattened bit at each end.
First cup, brewed according to the recommendations:
When brewed, the tea gives off a scent slightly reminiscent of cut grass, but lighter and without a strong chlorophyll scent. The dry leaves in the packet give off a similar aroma, but stronger and bordering on sweet.
The color of the tea is a pale, ephemeral yellow, a translucent yellow melon color when I shine a light down into the bottom of a white cup. Each sip seems to fill my mouth completely, but there is very little bitterness or aftertaste. I can tell it is a rather nuanced tea, and my tongue and brain strain to describe it adequately. It is an excellent flavor with slight fruity and grassy tones.
After the first few slow sips, I can already begin to feel the tea at work in my brain chemistry, it packs quite a punch.
Second cup, hotter water:
The tea has a similar scent this time, but not as complex.
The second time around, this tea has become more astringent and bitter. It has lost the delightful light flavor of the first cup, and been replaced with a flat feeling. Still packs a punch, but it isn’t nearly as interesting to the taste as the first cup.
This white tea, while not overly strong was wonderfully refreshing, and was truly excellent. I actually found myself using the word ‘exquisite’ when describing it to family members later in the day.
August 17th, 2007 at 6:16 pm
I’m a self avowed lover of tea and Oolong is one of my particular favorites. When I had a chance to order this particular varietal as a sample in the monthly taste test I jumped at it. I was unaware that Nepal was a source of Oolong but with its proximity to other tea production areas of the world it makes sense.
I gave this particular Oolong a five star rating based upon several items, first the look of the oxidation and carefully picked full tea leaf is one of the better Oolong’s that I’ve seen. Second as far as taste, it is slightly reminiscent of some of the more floral teas from the Darjeeling area famous for high quality black teas. Third the color of the tea liquid is a nice bright clear rich amber color (much like the color of hardened resin that covers those long dead insect fossils) and I’ve already described the bright flavor. I’d highly recommend that you try this particular tea and at this price it’s very affordable as well.
August 17th, 2007 at 9:06 pm
Kashanganj Snow Bud:
I’ve tried several Chinese Whites and even a Darjeeling that while it wasn’t “white” it was somewhat close but this is my first from this region. This has to by far be one of the nicest white’s that I’ve tasted. The look of the compact buds, just beautiful! The buds come to life when placed in the proper temperature water (don’t try to brew with freshly boiled water, wait for it to cool till about 180F or slightly cooler which should make this one burst with freshness. The liquor produced by this tea is very nicely light in color, don’t be surprised when it’s extremely pale yet nicely floral in taste. I was fortunate enough to get in on the tea tasting sampler of which this tea was included. If you like white’s this one is well worth a try, I highly recommend it!
August 23rd, 2007 at 11:59 pm
Meghma Nepalese Oolong
Intense and flavourful, I found this tea in the first brew to exude the floral, chocolaty smells layered with a dense musky note one might find a darjeeling black tee. A sharp sweet aftertaste confirms the quality of the tea. The taste remained for 2 subsequent, brews and then quicky fell off. Though this tea is smooth and delightful to drink, it did lack the clean flavour and unabashed edgy briskness that make most good teas from the Indian subcontinent a delight to consume. Very good, but not really my cup of tea.
3.5/5
Snowbud
Perhaps I have not drank enough white teas but this is perhaps the most interesting and “inspiring” white teas I’ve had. Floral, clean, and complex without the distracting mustiness that is sometimes found in many Chinese white teas. Where this tea lacks in aftertaste, it more than makes it up in the concert briskness that flips from bitter to quenching sweetness like clockwork. The amazing part about this tea is also that the briskness and flavour does not not quit for up to 5 brewings, with the last one spanning a night. Great stuff. 4/5
August 27th, 2007 at 10:30 am
I must say that I’ve never participated in any formal tea tasting. I am grateful to share this experience with T Ching and it’s members.
Snowbud
Dry Leaf: Wonderful in shape and color. Looks much like a light frost upon evergreen needles.
Taste and Smell: mild, sweet, slightly vegetal it shared undertones of the dried apricot I consumed a few days before. It was quite durable after many infusions. A quality tea.
Nepalese
Dry Leaf: rustic greens, with a few browns and yellows
Taste and Smell: sweet and light honey with a wonderful bitterness. tastes of flavourful dirt. Smooth and wonderful after many infusions. Had me craving a peanut butter sandwich.
October 7th, 2009 at 1:59 am
Lochan Tea Limited has announced a new Tea Tasting offer on Facebook!
We are quite sure that you will not be disappointed by the teas on offer!
See you on Facebook soon!