“Tea is best served for conversations. And over tea, we’d like to share our story too. Born in Singapore, we are the third generation of a tea-planting family from Fujian, China. Our forefathers came to Singapore early last century in seek of a better life, while the rest stayed in the tea plantations to continue the family trade of planting and crafting Iron Goddess (铁观音).” Let’s take a look at one of the Tea Descendants’ three teas.
– TEA INFORMATION –
Country of Origin: China
Ingredients: Iron Goddess Oolong
Water Temperature: 90 degrees Celsius
Steep Time: 2 minutes
– APPEARANCE+AROMA –
Dry Leaf: Tightly rolled, jade green and grassy.
Wet Leaf: Large, dark green leaf with floral notes.
Liquor: Yellowish-green, earthy and stronger floral aspects.
First Sip Thought: “Garden in a cup.”
Tasting Notes: This Iron Goddess oolong (also known as Tie Guan Yin) is an all around crisp and refreshing cup of tea. It arrived in a vacuum sealed foil packet placed in a airtight tin. After the tightly rolled leaves quickly unfurled their beauty, the first steep provided fine tastings of a floral bouquet full of nectar. Tea Descendants described these notes as dewy orchids, but I can’t quite put my fingers on it. Less grassy notes than expected, which may have been hidden by the spinach essence. As the name states, it is a light oolong and the second steep wasn’t as strong in the floral department, but this made it my favourite steep. I usually prefer roasted oolongs over floral ones, so the subtleness was perfect for my taste buds. There was also a buttery feel that followed in the third and fourth steep. I set the spent tea leaves in a mason jar in the fridge over night filled with cool water for a cold brew the following morning – this tea was too good to toss away and I knew the leaves would provide more goodness.
Verdict:
*Interested in this tea? You can find it online here.
I bet the liquor from the cold steep was good.