Kitty Loves Tea

It’s that time of year in the UK to dig around the attic and find the fans that were put away the previous winter. With scorching hot weather like today we really need them. It couldn’t be a nicer day to celebrate May Day (and also my cousins 25th birthday).

Truly hot weather requires constant fluids and with tea being my fluid of choice I thought today would be perfect to drink some Oolong. Nothing says summer like Oolong.

So I rummaged around my tea cupboard and pulled out this Single Estate Black Oolong by Lu Lin Teas. I want to thank Lu Lin Teas for supplying me with this sample.

Here is what they say about this Oolong.

This tea is from the spectacular province of Fujian on the Southeast coast of China famed for its Oolong teas this Oolong is unlike any we had tried before. It is closer to a black tea than most Oolongs but still brews an attractive amber colour. 

The leaves used are from a later harvest than our Fujian Oolong, they are sun dried but are then withered for longer like with a black tea giving this tea its dark appearance and smoky taste. - Taken from the Lu Lin Teas website.

http://www.lulin-teas.com/tea/loose-leaf/oolong/black-oolong.html

It’s always nice to know where a tea comes from and how it’s produced. Imagining this Oolong drying in the hot Chinese sun is simply amazing and the hot weather today really makes the imaging stage much easier.

The tea in raw form consists of small Oolong balls that are very dark brown/black in colour. They do look mature by the dark appearance alone but the rich toasted floral scent would have given it away had I not known before hand. Mature Oolong is always a treat and with age it becomes smokier and thicker but also more mysterious and interesting.

Using my Gongfu teapot with roughly 4g of Oolong and following the following instructions as taken from the Lu Lin Teas website.

Using boiled water cooled to 85˚C. Infuse for 30 seconds and discard first brew. Re-steep and infuse for 1-3 minutes, depending on taste. Re-steep up to 3 times. 

A side note – The reason for discarding the first steep is purely to stimulate the tea to wake up. The balls require a longer steeping time on average and with mature Oolong in particular it’s always best to do a short steep to remove any impurities that may be present. Also the more the tea balls unravel the more flavour there will be.

First Steep – 1 minute – The tea is light orange/brown in colour and has a thick smoky, roasted/toasted aroma.

Flavour is rather delicate but has strong smoky tones of wood, flowers and leather. It’s also slightly sweet which tones down the richness of flavours. The consistency is smooth and overall a very pleasing first steep.

Second Steep – 2 minutes – A little darker in colour and with a richer scent. The Oolong balls are also starting to unravel and open up and expand to become twice the original size. A little deeper in flavour now with more smoky leather tones becoming more dominant and the floral notes are becoming weaker to detect. It does however remain sweet and honeyed almost.

Third Steep – 3 minutes – It’s amazing how quickly a tea can start to weaken in both smell and taste. We went from being fairly weak to moderately strong and back down to openly weak. That would conclude that this is the last steep so around three steeps per pot is correct (at least for me). The scent is mostly toasty now compared to the previous much smokier steep. Flavour is also much sweeter and resembles toasted flowers.

Overall it’s been a beautiful tea on a beautiful day and I could not have asked for more. This is toward the early end of the mature scale so it’s not as mature as it could be but it’s at a nice level. Mature enough to have flavour but light enough to be refreshing. It would be a great example tea for those interested in trying aged Oolong without throwing themselves into the deep end and buying something too strong.

My rating for this tea is 8/10.

Please visit Lu Lin Teas website to view their large tea catalogue and for helpful tips on everything tea.

http://www.lulin-teas.com/

Yesterday I returned from my long weekend in Brighton and have been suffering from major tea withdrawal. I was so busy making sure that my house was clean and tidy before I left that I forgot to pack my Earl Grey tea, when I found out my face was like

Luckily on my return I remembered Lu Lin Teas had given me a generous sample of their Posh Earl Grey. I’m not sure what makes an Earl Grey posh but it certainly looks and sounds good.

Packaging.

Tea inside packaging.

We’ve taken a Sri Lankan black tea, LuLin Teas Single Estate Keemun black tea, bergamot oil, orange flowers & cornflowers and created an Earl Grey fit for Earl Grey himself (2nd Earl Grey, a British Prime Minister received a gift of Black tea flavoured with Bergamot Oil in 1803 and we haven’t looked back since).

- Taken from Lu Lin Teas website.

 http://www.lulin-teas.com/tea/loose-leaf/black/posh-earl-grey.html

The tea in raw form contains long and thin Keemun leaves with lovely blue cornflowers and large curly orange flower pieces. It has a very strong bergamot and orange essence that is fresh and floral with a touch of sweetness. The quality looks very nice but there are a couple of Keemun stem pieces amongst the blend.

Tea in raw form.

Tea close up.

Brewing Instructions: Add 3g of tea per cup into a teapot and steep with boiling water for 4-7  minutes according to taste. 

As my teapot holds roughly three cups full I will be using three fairly heaped teaspoons of tea. One good teaspoon of tea works out to be roughly 3g. Plus I adore strong Earl Grey so I will be going for a 6 minute steep. Also for the sake of this review I shall not be adding any milk or sweetener.

Once steeped this tea is light amber in colour and has a strong waxy orange aroma.

Tea once steeped.

In flavour this is strong, sweet and refreshing with pure orange and bergamot tones that are waxy yet juicy. There is a mellow misty aura which helps to tone down some of the strength which I believe is down to the Keemun base. Also detecting a subtle perfumey after taste with a little dryness. Very smooth and velvety.

Usually because I like my Earl Grey strong I have to add milk and maybe even a sugar or two to tone down the bitterness but this tea is light enough that I wouldn’t need to add anything to it to enjoy it.

Tea once steeped.

I didn’t know what to expect from a tea that claims to be Posh Earl Grey but now I know Posh means delicious. This is the kind of Earl Grey blend that stays traditional enough to still be Earl Grey but also has enough added to give it that extra push in flavour. Simple yet effective. I do love my Earl Grey and I now also love this blend. I would happily recommend this to any other Earl Grey fans out there.

My overall rating is 9/10.

Please visit Lu Lin Teas website for more information on this tea or any other tea from their large online variety.

 http://www.lulin-teas.com/

It’s been a while since my last blog entry due to my internet connection being on and off (mostly off) for the last couple of weeks. Thankfully everything is working now and I have the perfect tea to review thanks to Lu Lin Teas. They were kind enough to send me three random samples to review. The first one I chose to try is Fruity Fresh Hibiscus Tisane, the sun is shining and the sky is blue here in the UK and that combination is perfect for a fruit tea treat.

Sample Packaging.

Inside the packaging.

This is what Lu Lin Teas had to say about this blend:

“This caffeine free infusion is a fresh, hydrating blend of flowers and fruit creating a sweet and floral brew. It brews the most amazing red/pink colour and is the perfect blend to make sweet iced tea with or add a cinnamon stick and drink warm on cold winter nights!” – Taken from the Lu Lin Teas website. 

For more information on this tea please view their website: http://www.lulin-teas.com/tea/loose-leaf/tisane/fruity-fresh-hibiscus.html

In raw form this tea is a vibrant mixture of green, red, dark purple and yellow colours. The ingredients are large for the most part and look dry, crisp and fresh.

Blend in raw form.

Tea close up.

It has a very dry woody and peppery herbal scent with a touch of flowers.

Brewing Instructions: Add 3g of tea per cup into a teapot and steep with boiling water for 7-10 minutes. 

Ingredients: Hibiscus, orange flowers, rosehip, sea buckthorn berries & lemon verbena.

As my teapot holds roughly three cups full I will be using three fairly heaped teaspoons of tea. One good teaspoon of tea works out to be roughly 3g.

Once steeped this tea is dark red in colour and has a gentle sweet fruit and herby aroma. Very berry like.

Tea once steeped.

The first few sips reveal a soft berry fruitiness that quickly becomes dry and herbal tasting. The hibiscus is not overly sour or tart and it’s largest influence is on the colour above all else. The rosehips are quite dominant and dry tasting but is also lightened by the subtle citrus flavours from the orange flowers and lemon verbena. All of this leaves a floral berry like after taste which sits well with the warm weather today.

All of the ingredients taste natural and uplifting. Honestly I didn’t know what to think of this blend as I am not usually a fan of hibiscus or rosehips BUT this is so light and airy that it’s enjoyable and a good exception to my rule. You get used to the herbal taste which admittedly is not for everyone (as my husband will tell you) but I like herbal tea so this was right up my street.

I agree with Lu Lin when they said that this would make a nice sweet iced tea, it really would. There is a very real summer factor about it and the blend leaves me warm on the inside.

Tea after steeps.

Overall I think this is on par with some of the best herbal based teas that I have tried before and though it may not be my favourite blend of ingredients they do work well together. The fruit and berry flavours really come out the more you drink this tea.

Thank you Lu Lin Teas for letting me try this lovely blend.

My overall rating will be 7.5/10.

Please visit Lu Lin Teas website for more information on their wonderful teas. They stock a good variety and have something for everyone.

http://www.lulin-teas.com/