1758 Tasting Notes
This was tasty with a lot of fermentation flavor to it. I only had one of these and either I wasn’t using enough tea ( I used the whole thing) or it is a fairly weak tea. I only got four good steeps out of it no matter how much time I gave it. I steeped it in all about seven times. The four times where I got tea of relatively good strength were good. The last three were weak. I would probably have noticed some nice notes to the first four steeps but I admit I was not paying attention as I was watching Haven.
I brewed this in a 130ml Yixing teapot with boiling water and one mini tuocha, about 3g. I steeped it for 15 sec, 10 sec, 15 sec, 30 sec, 1 min, 5 min, and 10 min.
Preparation
This tea is overly malty (not meaning chocolate malt) and not that great. It definitely goes into the category of teas I will not buy again. It has a bit of a sour note to it too. It has not been in my cupboard long enough to have gone bad.
I brewed this once in an 18oz teapot with boiling water and 3 tsp leaf for 3 min.
Preparation
This tea is excellent, almost but not quite stellar. It has very little fermentation flavor left, just a touch, barely perceptible. This is on par with a good quality puerh cake at least, if not the very highest quality. It is good. I might just put in an order with Berylleb for a half kilogram. I only bought 100g. In the initial steeping I detected notes of cocoa or chocolate. By the fourth steeping these notes had deepened to dark chocolate. There were other sweet notes as well. This is a very relaxing tea.
I brewed this 5 times in a 207ml Taiwan Clay Teapot with 7.6g leaf and boiling water. I steeped it for 10 sec, 10 sec, 15 sec, 20 sec, and 30 sec. There were at least five more steeps to this tea but I have had enough caffeine for one night. It got only a little weaker in the fifth infusion. I should have given it one minute instead of 30 seconds. This was a damn good tea.
Flavors: Chocolate, Dark Chocolate
Preparation
This is a tasty sweet (not meaning sugar) oolong with almost no bitterness. It was brewed for me today at the Infuse Tea Bar at the Pleasures of Tea, a store/tea bar in West Sayville, NY. I got a variety of notes and a little sugar brought out an unusually sweet plum or berry note, not sure which. This was a good tea. I bought about four oolongs from the Pleasures of Tea today. I hope they are all as good as this one. This had sweet notes and it was brewed western style. I shall soon gongfu it and see what I get.
This was brewed four times in a 10oz tea pot. I am guessing the leaf quantity was about 3 tsp. The water was around 190 degrees and the steep times were around 3 min each.
Flavors: Plums
Preparation
I am not going to give this one a numerical rating because I don’t have anything to compare it to, having drank yellow tea only once before. It was not bad for a first attempt. It was not bitter or astringent. It was slightly floral. It had just a bit of a sour note that I did not like. Overall, the tea was decent. If I get a chance to try some yellow tea that is recommended by others I will then give this a number in comparison.
I brewed this once in a 18oz teapot with 175 degree water and 3 tsp leaf for 3 min.
Flavors: Floral
Preparation
This tea is good. I am getting sweet flavors (not meaning sugar sweet). I can also taste some of the other notes on the list such as the flowers note and the molasses. There is also an aged flavor to it that wasn’t present in the 2014 Wild Monk. This flavor is slightly earthy in a different sort of way than a ripe puerh. This is not a strong earthy flavor but a mild one. It was strong in steeps one through three. By steep four it is weaker. The tea is more smooth. By the fifth steep, all bitterness is but a faint memory, the earthy flavor has nearly dissipated. By the sixth steep that earthy flavor is all but gone. On the seventh steeping I get notes of butter and cream, no more earthy aged flavor. On the eighth steep I still taste a strong aftertaste, it is good. I am doing longer steeps now. The ninth steep is perhaps the tastiest sheng I have had. I hope the 2014 Wild Monk becomes this good in two more years. On the tenth steep now, just smooth, no bitterness, no earthiness or aged flavor, none at all, not a hint. Steep eleven is like steep ten, smooth and sweet. Even though this is the eleventh steep there is still an aftertaste to this tea. For the twelfth steep I added fresh raspberries and had raspberry cream sheng, very tasty. After twelve steeps I am all shenged out. I have enough of this sample left to do this two more times. Thank you Sarsonator for this sample. It was good. I wish this tea was still available.
I steeped this twelve times in a 140ml Yixing teapot with 200 degree water and 5g leaf. I steeped it for 10 sec, 15 sec, 20 sec, 25 sec, 30 sec, 45 sec, 1 min, 1.5 min, 2 min, 3 min, 4 min, and 5 min. Even in the twelfth steeping the tea did not get much weaker, only better.
Flavors: Butter, Flowers, Molasses, Sweet
Preparation
There are many shengs including Global Tea Hut which I will get to try. I bought the subscription and their email said I would get the September Puerh issue.
Brewed this western style today. Got notes of roasted barley in it, I don’t know if this is common for Da Hong Pao but it was good. It was a little bitter, just a touch but good. It has hopefully woken me up.
Brewed this once in an 18oz teapot with 4 tsp leaf and 190 degree water for 3 min.
Flavors: Roasted Barley
Preparation
This tea is a reasonably good Chrysanthemum Puerh mini tuo cha. I gave the tea two rinses as I did not break it up first. The first steep was light and tasty. The second steep I forgot to give less time to. It was over brewed and the earthy flavor of the puerh was a little too powerful. I lowered the time on the third steep and it was improved. This tea goes into the category of teas I will probably finish but probably not buy again. It is good but a fairly average quality tuo cha.
I brewed this 4 times in a 220ml gaiwan with boiling water and one tuo cha, about 6.8g leaf. I gave it two rinses and brewed it for 15 sec, 15 sec, 10 sec, and 15 sec.
Flavors: Earth
Preparation
This tea, bought from the asian grocery store is pretty good. It is made by Ten Ren Tea which is the reason. The only picture I could find was of tea bags but mine is loose leaf, sold in bags of individual sized packets. The flavor of the green tea is dominent over the chrysanthemum. The Jujube and other ingredients are there too. I think the ingredient list was slightly different from what I found online. It came presweetened with rock sugar so there was no need to add any. So far this is the best find from the Asian market in Hempstead.
I brewed one packet of ingredients in 10 oz boiling water for 4 min.
Flavors: Sweet, Vegetal
Preparation
This tea is good. The first note I noticed was the roasted barley, it was prominent. I could also taste the notes of cocoa, scotch, and toast. It was a very smooth tea with just a little bitterness, however the bitterness was pleasant. I did not notice much qi but there was a little.
I steeped this six times in a 180ml teapot with 190 degree water and 6g leaf. I steeped it for 10 sec, 15 sec, 20 sec, 25 sec, 30 sec, and 35 sec. There was a beautiful golden color to the first infusion and a golden brown color afterwards.
Flavors: Cocoa, Roasted Barley, Scotch, Toasty