Today I’ll be reviewing Mountain Tea’s Competition Grade Oriental Beauty, which sadly is no longer available. Even so please pay their web store a visit. I’ve previously reviewed an oriental beauty tea or bai hao on this blog and didn’t plan on returning to any previous styles so soon. Trying this tea again after a long absence has urged me to make an exception. I suppose I can tell you going into it that this tea is great. Its more than great, its amazing. If you want to read up on the history and background of oriental beauty see my previous post.

Its shipped in a gorgeous sealed red floral patterned bag. Open it up and you get a sweet but not very strong smell. Don’t worry, it gets better. The dry leaves look like your typical bai hao dark red and brown with the occasional white tip all shriveled and curled. Once rinsed with hot water (195F) the aroma really comes out and I’m met with a spicy scent, like cinnamon and allspice. I brewed five grams of this tea in a gaiwan with slightly shorter steepings at around 3-4 seconds under the assumpti0n that a competition grade tea can still deliver in such a short time. In the first few steepings this tea brews up a beautiful golden honey colored liquor.

From the fist time the first steeping touched my tongue the words that has stuck in my mind to describe this tea is “juicy” with “spicy” being a close second. We have two major flavor profiles going on here; one that goes along with the scent which is a spicy cinammon profile and another fruity tasting. The fruit profile is what is really exceptional about this tea and it hits your mouth first. Notes of red fruits like cherry, red current, and cranberry and once your done your mouth is left with a lingering spicy aftertaste. As time when on the body of this tea intensified from light to medium. At the same time with further steepings this tea the flavor became less sweet and more well rounded.

Overall this was a very impressive tea that has certianly earned the title of being “competition grade”. It starts out juicy and spicy and finishes smooth and bold. I give it two excited thumbs up!

Currently stuck in my head. Behemoth – O Father O Satan O Sun