Four New Teas To Try - Gold-Flecked Green, White Forest Oolong, Tsui Yu Competition Oolong, and Chamraj Extra Long Nilgiri

It's amazing how busy things have been - sourcing new teas, tasting teas, selecting which teas to put out and which to hold back on. There really are a lot of quality teas on the market and it is hard to balance what one needs to fill out a cafe's tea selection versus which ones I personally want to try. However, I'm very happy with these latest offerings, some of which we were able to only secure a small quantity of. 

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Four new teas arrive on our shelf this month – a delicious summer green, two rare oolongs, and a black tea from the Nilgiri Hills of southern India

Gold-Flecked Green – Plucked at the beginning of the summer season, this green tea from Anhui Province, China exhibits a deep, rich flavor characteristic of a fine summer green. Ball-rolled and twisted, the golden amber liquor and leafy-green aroma make this a prefect everyday green tea.

Beautiful, rolled, twisted leaves.

A delicious green with a fresh, vegetal liquor.

Nice, uniform full leaves.

White Forest Oolong – Located just across the border from Darjeeling, the Pathivara Farm has been working to raise international awareness about Nepal’s fine teas for some time now. With a similar terroir and climate as Darjeeling, the teas produced from the this farm are processed in a twisted oolong style, resulting in a fresh tea that is a cross between a First Flush and a Moonshine Darjeeling. A unique tea that is not often found outside of the region (although this is changing, especially after the 2013 Darjeeling labor strike that pushed many to purchase Nepali teas, as well as the end to the Maoist insurgency which made many to abandon the tea estates in Nepal until just a few years ago when they were brought back under cultivation).

The fine hairs on these leaves really stand out.

Compare these leaves to one's from Darjeeling and you will see how similar they are.

The flavor is similar to a cross between a First Flush Darjeeling and a Moonshine Darjeeling.

Tsui Yu Oolong – Produced by the Nantou County Tea Trade Association for the 2015 Spring Oolong Competition, this tea is a rare treat. With only 2.2kg available for public purchase, we were lucky to secure a small lot. Submitted into the Tsui Yu varietal medium roast category, this tea was awarded a Superior Grade and placed within the top 20% of 2,400 entries. Photos and more on the Tsui Yu Competition Oolong can be found in this post.

Chamraj Estate Black – An organic black tea coming from the famed Chamraj Estate high in the Nilgiri Hills of southern India, this Extra Long Orange Pekoe tea provides a smooth, winey cup with hints of tropical and citrus fruits. On the lighter side of black teas, it can be drunk as a standalone tea, or with milk and sugar.

The color of this tea is simply beautiful.

Although an orthodox tea, many of the leaves are slightly broken.