Royal Phoenix

Tea: Royal Phoenix
Vendor: Tao of Tea
Price: $8.75 / 2.5 oz
Source: Guangdong Province, China
Vendor Description: In some areas of the Phoenix Mountains in Guangdong province, China, there are wild tea plants that remain a source for some of the best oolong teas in the world. Leaves from these old tea trees are prized for the flavor and full body. Making Royal Phoenix oolong invloves precise rolling and baking techniques to fully develop a toasty texture, fragrant aroma and taste similar to nectarines and peaches.

Leaf: The leaf for this tea is a dark brown – black leaf. The leaf is somewhat smaller than other Phoenix oolongs. The leaf is somewhat broken.

1^st Infusion Parameters: 5g, 208F, 45s, 5oz, 5s rinse

1^st Infusion: The tea has a lightly sweet aroma to it. It somewhat reminds me of a greener oolong. It has a light golden brown hue to it. It has a clear transparency to it. The aroma is sharp with woody tones to it. The flavor has a sharp almost soapy characteristic to it. It also has a medium bitterness to it, which is rather strong for a first infusion. There is no astringency and the flavor is overall somewhat weak.

2^nd Infusion Parameters: 45s, 208F

2^nd Infusion: This infusion has the same muddled woody aroma to it. It has a very sharp feeling on the tongue. The flavor is overall the same as the first infusion.

Rating: 1/10

Conclusion: This was a rather disappointing tea. For a phoenix aroma it doesn’t have the same characteristic floral characteristic to the aroma. The flavor was too sharp and bitter for a first infusion, and the flavor felt very muddled and confused. It’s not a very good flavor overall and it feels too harsh.