Blind Tea Tasting Set #4

In this blind tasting, the type of tea is revealed right from the start: Dong Fang Mei Ren, the Taiwanese oolong better known as Oriental Beauty, and sometimes as Bai Hao Oolong. It will be up to the taster to distinguish three different grades of Dong Fang Mei Ren, and estimate the retail price they would have on our shop, for two of them are only available in this set. The third can be found here and enjoyed on its own—but we won't spoil which one it is! The set is suitable for tea beginners, but will be appreciated by the experienced as well.

The samples arrive in pouches numbered from #1 to #3. After tasting them, you can follow the link below to reveal the name and nature of the teas.

Some questions to ask oneself while tasting Set #4 are:

• Can you detect any difference in the dry leaves? After infusing, what about the wet leaves?
  
• Though Dong Fan Mei Ren is an extremely aromatic tea, try the teas first while holding or otherwise not breathing through your nose. What does the mouthfeel tell you, and what flavors are perceptible on the tongue?
• Tasting and smelling the teas and the wet leaves, which notes are shared amongst all teas, and which are unique?
• (Best with gongfu brewing) Try to note the longevity of the tea leaves: how many infusions can you get out of the same leaves?
• After tasting the teas, how would you rank them in terms of quality? Try to rank them from cheapest to most expensive. Are these subtle gradations, or large steps between qualities? Based on other teas in our selection, try to guess the price a 50g pouch would retail for on our shop.

When you're ready to see the answers, follow this link to the reveal page.