Upton TC23. 2.2 grams steeped for 5 minutes at 212℉. Impression: BOP-size bits, mostly dark with some pale, see photo. Dry tea scent spicy, camphorous. Brewed tea scent is sweet, lily-like. Taste: sweet, floral. Moderately astringent.

You could not make this tea’s name fancier without putting gold braid and a fourragère on it. Like some other Ceylon tea, it is dominated by a sweet, lily-like flavor which is not to my taste.

Upton TT89. 2.2 grams steeped for 4 minutes at 180℉. Impression: leaves compressed into pellets, see photo. Dry tea smells sweet, candy-like. Brewed tea scent is floral with a hard-to-place candy-like scent, almost like bubble gum. Taste: Delicate, floral, with notes of lily in particular. Mildly astringent.

Taiwan (“Formosa,” to the tea trade, which is hilariously conservative with respect to names of origin) is the source of many fine teas, with which I am mostly unfamiliar because they tend to be pricey. This was purchased as a 12 g. sample. It gets only 3.5 stars because I’m just not that fond of flowery oolongs. I prefer baked oolongs, like the wu-yi types.

Upton ZG13. 2.2 grams steeped for 3 minutes at 180℉. Impression: leaves tightly curled into flat spirals, see photo. Dry tea scents are vegetal, herbal, grassy. Brewed tea scent is sweet, brothy. Taste: thin, faintly sweet, with notes of fruit and umami. Not astringent.

This is essentially an ersatz Pi Lo Chun in appearance and taste, for a much lower price. Very satisfactory as an everyday green tea. Upton sells a limited number of inexpensive teas in kilogram quantities to institutional buyers, and also in 200 g packs for individual customers, labeled as ‘Seasons Pick.’

China Oolong. Da Hong Pao. Upton, Product ZO25. 2.2 grams steeped for 5 minutes at 190℉. Impression: Dark brown wiry strands. Dry tea has a woody and fruity scent, reminiscent of apricots. Brewed tea has fruity and floral scents. Taste is mild, with hints of fruit, the ‘mineral’ tastes of Wuyi rock teas, and toasted notes. Grassy, vegetal finish. Mildly astringent.

Da Hong Pao, ‘Big Red Robe,’ is usually listed among China’s ten most famous teas. Upton’s variety was my introduction to the Wuyi oolongs. I’ve posted a review before, but not with photos. I hadn’t drunk this particular tea in three years, because Upton ran out and was unable to obtain more. I noticed a few weeks ago that they had it in stock again, and grabbed it while I could. I’ve tried Da Hong Pao from other vendors, but Upton’s is still my favorite.

Incidentally, this tea is a good example of why tea should be weighed, not measured in a teaspoon. The wiry strands would take up a lot of space in a spoon, resulting in too little tea brewed and a weak tea. Conversely, tightly curled teas like Pi Lo Chun or gunpowder types will take up too little space in a spoon, perhaps resulting in a too-strong tea. Weighing solves this problem.