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I've written an interview themed post about the Great Mississippi Tea Company teas, talking to Jason McDonald, and we met both Jason and Timmy in an online meetup not so long ago. It was great trying some of those teas (which they provided; many thanks!), the first of a larger set. Beyond them expanding tea options made in the US, which would be enough, they also specialize in making novel tea blends, flavored with other natural ingredients, with those and other products described here. Those might be even more interesting, but it made sense to start with the plain teas.
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I think they sent some of these too |
These are the first teas I've ever tried from the US. That's strange, since I've lived in Hawaii, but I was only into tisanes then. A local "uncle" has sent tisanes from Hawaii a few times, so in the broadest sense I have tried tea from there, but in general I only use the concept in the narrower sense.
Let's check in on their descriptions of these, starting with the black tea:
Black tea is the most popular type of tea among Americans. This particular black tea is lightly oxidized to allow for its more delicate flavors to come to the forefront of the tea... This has flavor notes of sweet potatoes, molasses, malt, and stone fruit.
I did say a lot about the low oxidation level but didn't duplicate any of those descriptions. Alternate interpretations of the same flavors is a normal theme in vendor description, review, and online discussion. Using a different brewing approach changes a lot, and even changing the version of water used can shift aspects. I didn't brew this Western style; that will cause essentially the same flavors to come across much differently. If I get around to it I'll mention how that works after trying it later.
There is no description of this newer Empress Oolong version on that sales website, but they do describe it in a Facebook post introducing the type:
This tea is a lightly oxidized oolong using older leaves to give it a rich mouth feel and a floral aroma. It is similar to Taiwanese High Elevation Oolongs... This tea has flavor notes of floral (jasmine and lilac), sweet green (watercress or green beans), and mineral with a buttery after taste.
I'm not great with identifying floral flavors, even jasmine, which is quite common here, but the rest matches what I describe following.
Review:
Black Magnolia: interesting, quite pleasant. It seems a bit atypical for black tea range in general, which is usually a bad thing, but this aspects set seems to really work out. One might move right to a guess that oxidation level is a bit low, even just based on color, and that's one main variable, but it seems like a few inputs cause this to seem different.
Since the first infusion is light (my typical approach) it's too early for a developed flavor list, which never is going to do it justice later either. There's an unusual depth to this, and smoothness, and flavor range across a mild root spice range. The normal astringency, sweetness, and higher end flavor notes are fairly mild. It swaps out warm depth for those edgy, sweeter, and sharper tones, which per an early take is going to be pleasant and reasonably well balanced. One wood tone range aspect (or maybe spice) seems a little odd at this stage, which may turn out to be a flaw, but it's also not unusual for some early aspects to drop out over the first infusion or two, so it might be a non-issue.
Empress Oolong: it's odd how the one characteristic note in Taiwanese oolong is actually the first and main thing you notice in this. I'm not saying that it's completely type-typical in relation to those, but it shares some of the main aspect range, which is a part that's quite positive. That main flavor aspect is hard to specify; creaminess and underlying mineral compliment and probably help define it, but they aren't it. It's closest to floral range but really not that.
I suppose for it being hard to describe floral kind of works. It's that but a little towards a new car smell, not like plastic, but aromatic and distinctive in a similar way. From there one would next evaluate the whole flavor profile, overall balance, how an extra warm tone factors in, and if there are any flaws or limitations. I'll get to all that.
Black Magnolia, second infusion: oxidation level definitely was a part of it; this isn't relatively fully oxidized black tea. That's fine, of course, that level normally varies in black teas. This is at a lower edge for being in the category but that's fine too.
I'm not noticing any flaws in this related to flavor aspects; it did clean up. The depth is really nice, smoothness, richness, and flavor complexity. One could easily miss the edge usually present in black teas, a bit more astringency, higher sweetness level, sharper or more pronounced higher end flavors, but it's good as it is. Warm wood and spice tones give it a good complexity, and it balances. Sweetness level is fine, it just comes across differently, that milder form, which integrates with richness. Feel thickness and aftertaste are fine, not limitations.
From there developing a clearer flavor list would fill in description. But that's the part that no two people would ever identify in exactly the same terms. For someone else root spice could be wrong, and this could clearly be mainly almond flavored instead. Or listing both would make sense. A rich flavor out towards sweet potato or yam is hard to identify, integrated with the rest. I'll give it a slightly longer steep and try a clearer list next time. I think I'm noticing a touch of cinnamon; I'll see if that develops.
Empress oolong: it's funny experiencing that Taiwanese oolong flavor in this. If I were judging this as a high altitude Taiwanese oolong I would say that underlying mineral should be a little more pronounced, creaminess and fullness should be slightly higher, and that floral range flavor edge should pop just a little more, with more intensity. That it's really in the range to be criticized exactly as a Taiwanese oolong is cool. Some of the variations could relate to a balance that's not diminished, to an aspects set that overlaps but works in a slightly different way, so let's look at it through that lens instead.
This adds a smooth wood-tone layer to all that, which diminishes those specific notes' intensity. Whenever I mention wood it seems like an insult to the tea, but wood really covers a lot of range, of types, bark versus aged or fresh wood, sweet versus warm and rich, clean or else musty, like aged sawdust (which would be a flaw), and so on. Someone could easily "see" that same aspect as herbal in nature, more like chamomile, or similar to a root spice or nut (Brazil nut, versus almond in the first black tea version). The floral range here is really covering a lot of scope. One part more similar to Taiwanese tea is brighter, sweeter, and a little more forward, with a part overlapping with this range more like chrysanthemum, much deeper and more neutral. Complex floral and clean root spice / nut / light wood tone is nice.
Black magnolia, third infusion: this keeps improving, adding intensity and range. Some of that could relate to variations in infusion time but I think it's also transitioning nicely. That cinnamon spice note did increase again. One could easily interpret part of the range of this as cocoa, I just wouldn't tend to, since I'm accustomed to some versions of black teas really including a cacao / chocolate blast, and this is subtle. There's more I'm just not placing.
This is really a lot like I expected the oolong to be, to be honest. From there other range is what I'd already mentioned, mild tones that could be interpreted differently, as almond, root vegetable, or even root spice, a warmer tisane range (not very descriptive, that part; maybe like chamomile), or even wood. Just a touch more astringency and that sweeter and sharper black tea edge might help this a lot, but it's nice as it is.
Empress oolong: not varying. If anything this shifted closer to standard Taiwanese light oolong range. There is actually a range related to those, with factors like growing elevation, plant type, and degree of oxidation making a big difference. It would be cool if I could pin that down, for example saying this tastes like Qing Xin from a certain area and elevation, with a light but notable oxidation input. Someone more focused on Taiwanese oolongs really could; I drank more of that range 5 years ago. I just never really moved on to become a sub-type expert, gaining enough exposure to a high quality range and repetition to learn patterns. I suppose that I have drank more oolong versions from Thailand, Vietnam, and Indonesia than most, but that doesn't clarify simple cause and effect sequences at all.
Fourth infusion, black tea: cinnamon is getting even more pronounced in this black tea version; I bet it will be better and better as it's stretched for more rounds, brewed a bit longer. this isn't necessarily even beyond a halfway point yet, but I'll stop making notes in order to go do things, the weekend routine. Usually the stronger astringency edge that comes out from that isn't positive, but in this case it has been so mild I think it will be. This being more subtle than black teas typically are could come across as a lack of intensity, but it does have a depth to it. Probably adjusting brewing process and infusion strength would help it come across even better.
oolong: more of the same, not really evolving, which is fine. A trace more green wood edge might be picking up. Floral range probably is shifting slightly round to round, but this description of that has been so vague it doesn't do it justice. I'm noticing more rose petal range than I think it had before.
Conclusions:
Both are good tea, both distinctive and pleasant. I really expected more flaws; maybe I was being pessimistic. I suppose someone could experience all of this black tea character as a flaw if they don't love the range and balance, but really it's not that, just how it is. For it being uncharacteristically low in astringency level I thought it worked. It's really not my place to judge style choices or make suggestions but just a bit more of that--astringency edge, and related sharper flavor intensity--might have been good.
It was surprising that the black tea wasn't really in the range of a true black tea, probably most related to the low oxidation level, but the oolong had matched the main flavor aspect in Taiwanese oolong, which would seem to be a lot more challenging. Both were good, the main thing.
All in all quite pleasant and a great start. It will be interesting trying others.
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a school cooking assignment |
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Keo and the cats |
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