January 16, 2009

2008 Winter "Awarded" Song Po Oolong









I remember last year when Hou De had this tea. I had never had it before but bought a tin of it then after tasting it immediately realized I wanted more but too late, they had sold out. Just like the Awarded Dong Ding Oolong this tea is in vacuum sealed bags in side nitro flushed tins. Fresh as it could be. I love the sound of the whoosh the bag makes when cutting it open. I bought the boxed set of two 300 gm. vacuum sealed bags inside a deluxe gift box.The price? $104.73 Presentation is really nice. From Nan Tou Taiwan this tea made from the Chin Shin cultivar. Machine harvested. This Oolong is as sweet as candy and has the aroma of Osmanthus flowers. No fermentation and no roasting on this tea. Brews a clear golden cup of fruity nectar. Not real durable maybe 5-6 pots and then it,s done. To me this is not a tea with much complexity, it,s pretty straight forward and simple but that doesn't equal boring. The little tea nuggets are very tiny and deep dark green. The smell coming from the bag of tea is amazing, so pungent. There isn't a lot to say about this tea. So lets sum it up, Fresh as it gets, smells good, tastes good and a whole lot of tea for the money. Any questions?


7 comments:

  1. Osmanthus paired with oolong is one of my favorites. I've gotten it from The Tea Gallery and it's very affordable. What is the beautiful tea in the pot which opens your site now? A beautiful photo and the tea looks simply delicious. The cup is very nice as well. It's a photo in which everything works including the tea canister at the back.

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  2. Thanks Eileen, The tea in the pot is Long Jing. The tea cup I got from Hibiki-an a long time ago. The little stick figure design on it is supposed to be a pine needle.Yes the Oolong I like quite a bit. Like I said though, to me it,s a very simple tea in that it,s not a complex tea nor is there a lot of depth to it but just the same it,s very nice.
    The pic in general I like also even though I couldnt get the clarity I wanted on the teapot itself. Very monochromatic.

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  3. Probably because the focus is on the bamboo at the back but the photo is quite nice, actually made better I think by the lack of clarity on the teapot. I like a nice simple tea, green or oolong especially, when I lack time for depth, when the 'be here now' is really 'better get going or be inexcusably late.'

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  4. I see what you mean Eileen. The picture taken as a whole works. The tea pot being out of focus in some ways adds to the overall ambiance. Sometimes it,s hard to judge my own pics. I dont always see what other people see.

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  5. I was tempted to get a 300g tin just for the can. I have the Spring Awarded oolong. Some day it'll hold more tea, or some other random stuff.

    The tea sounds delicious. Straightforward, enjoyable, like a tea that is happy just to be had.

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  6. I wouldnt buy it just for the can. The can is cardboard with a plastic lid, not gonna do a good job of keeping your tea fresh. I do keep the cans but I leave the tea in it,s foil bag rolled up and stored in the can.

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  7. Oh yeah the tea, your right the tea is perfection in it,s simplicity. A simple, honest, unpretentious Oolong.

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