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The words trail mix come to mind… I got this for someone else who is very “christmasy” and this morning I decided to sit down and make this for them. The tea looks like trail mix, and it doesn’t remind me of Xmas very much (or a sleigh ride). The brew is a pretty pink color, which is nice. The flavor is pretty bad. The brew begins with a sour fruit taste, and it stays that course throughout. I noted a strange sweet note in the background. I didn’t finish my cup and poured the rest out. This is not my thing.

I am not a flavored tea drinker, for I am usually repulsed by whats in the cup. However, I’ve been eyeing this tea for a little bit, and my curiosity got the better of me. The leaf is an assortment of spices, nuts, and candied fruit; although, the leaf is dominantly oolong. I got a new travel tea press for Christmas, so I decided that this would be a good time to break it in. I felt awkward brewing western style, for it has been so long, but I managed. I gave my finished concoction a sip, and it was actually really good. The brew begins with nice woody and nutty tones. The flavor progresses to some spice and a minor tang. Then, the brew ends with a sweet honey and caramel aftertaste. The flavors are not overwhelmingly powerful, and my stomach was not upset by them. I really liked this brew, and I am happy that I have some leftover. I’ll be sure to show this off to some other “flavored” tea drinkers.

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I’ve had this for awhile, and I finally decided to drink it. I thought this was a blooming tea, but I was mistaken. This tea is 20 strands of flattened oolong tea that are tied together to make a “bag-free” tea bag. It’s pretty cool! It was a little difficult to open, for I didn’t want to break the fragile star. I placed this inside my glass teapot and gave it a hit of water. The star slowly opens up and puffs out; it’s very pretty. The smell of the tea and leaf carry an unpleasant roasted scent. I was impressed by how the tea looked, but I had misgivings on what it would taste like. However, I was completely wrong. This tea tastes fantastic. The brew is a nice clear dark bronze. The initial sip is a mixture of creamy malt and almond. This is a nice subtle wood flavor with a good body. I was only able to get one steeping, but I think I may pick some of these up. I feel these would make a good conversation piece, and I’d like to show them off to some people. To me, this is a very unique tea, and I really liked it.

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Someone inspired me to pick some of this, and I decided to break it out. I can’t believe I am the first to review a tea from 14’.

The cake has some massive maocha that is loosely compressed. The leaves are light subtle colors of white, gold, platinum, and some autumn browns. This array of colors give off a nice dry grass, slight fruit, and a whiff of tang aromas. I carefully stuffed my warmed yixing full of these beautiful leaves. The warmed scent was very unique. I opened the lid and was greeted by a thick warm almost creamy scent. I was picking up nectar, honey, dew, and it was all wrapped up so syrupy it was almost milky. I washed the leaves once and prepared for brewing. The leaves became rugged and vegetal with tones of spinach, wet wood, grass, and juicy pear. The taste was a sharp clean flavor. First, I tasted greens and a vegetal tone. The flavor was so fresh and uplifting. This oddly reminded me of mountain air, and I’m unsure what that means, haha. The flavor progressed to keep clean green tastes, but I also picked up some astringency and a pleasant drying sensation. My throat was picking up a nice sweet huigan that was like thick nectar. The third and fourth steep yielded some peppery kuwei, and the huigan built up to a thickly sweet and smooth feeling. The really interesting part about this tea is the drying sensation. The fifth and further steepings gave an intense dry mouth. I was picking up such a variety of tones. I had cotton mouth, a thick lasting huigan, and a pinchy kuwei that kept prodding at my tongue. The drying sensation had a subtle pine wood taste. This was a refreshing and clean brew. The qi was odd, and body encompassing. It felt like a tonic for my body. I felt wiped clean and without any restraints. It was such a a strange yet good feeling. I felt like I had just experienced a cleanse honestly, hahah. I really like this tea. I have tasted more intense flavors in brews, but this is a great steady brew. This drink carries the drinker and slowly steers them throughout the session. I’m glad I have more of this, and I’m really happy this hidden gem was brought to my attention.

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The infamous 05’ Naka! I decided that Christmas would be a wonderful time to remove this from storage and give it a steam. I’ve heard much murmuring and whispers about this “buzz” tea, so I needed to taste it for myself. I opened up the jar and grabbed a heavy chunk. The leaves are loosely pressed together, and they are a wild assortment of dark reddish brown tendrils. This cake gives off a nice deep scent of dark decayed wood, dried fruit sweetness, and some slight smoked tobacco. I broke some off and placed it inside my warmed jianshui. My brewing vessel exploded with intense aromas of pine resin, deep tobacco, and that same decayed wood. I washed the leaves once and prepared for brewing. The steeped leaves give off a deeper smokier scent with some sweet sap, saw wood, and more pine resin. This is a very deep and bold brew. The first sip was phenomenal with a clean dry taste mixed with a sweet plum aftertaste. The dry flavor resembled a light wood tone, such as oak. The brew was mostly soft tones with a pleasant and thick huigan. Also, I’d like to note that this session was taking place at a dining table during breakfast with many people around me (I was the only tea drinker). The brew grew pleasantly sour by the next two steeps and a mild eucalyptus flavor developed at the third steeping. The huigan grew more and more thick, as did the initial dry taste. At the fifth steeping, I began to look around the table, and I attempted to talk to someone sitting next to me. Again, I “attempted”. This session, mixed with being up late last night playing"Santa", and a busy morning left me feeling like I had been hit by a truck. The session continued, and I was picking up a beautifully sweet dried fruit flavor in later steeping sessions. Also, i carried a silly grin and muddled half opened eyes. I was having a good time, and this tea complimented that quite well. This brew gave me a deep calming feeling, as it states in the description. I felt as though my body was melting, and my muscles began to soothe. I couldn’t help but grin and laugh at my lazy posture. I was able to get quite a bit of steeps from my pot; however, at one point I had to get up and move around for fear I would pass out and bounce my head off the tea table. This is a peculiar and wonderful brew, and I am really happy to have some more of it. I do need to learn when and where to break it out though, ahaha.

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I really enjoy this tea in the morning! The dry leaf consists of black tendrils spotted with gold. These twisted leaves carry a lovely fragrance of malt, dried cherries, and some chocolate powder. I grabbed a good sized amount and stuffed the warmed ruyao teapot. The warmed leaves open up and give off a strong sense of dark bitter sweet chocolate, some syrupy notes, and a dark woody undertone. I washed the leaves once and prepared for brewing. The brew begins light caramel colored and slowly becomes darker. The steeped leaves give a strong and robust scent of mahogany, dark cacao, and burnt sugar. The taste is fantastic. This drink begins with a smooth sweet sugar cane that covers a tangy and wood flavor. The brew gives off a brief sense of astringency and tannin with each sip. As the session progresses, the flavors become deeper and consists of heavier wood flavors mixed with malt. The reason I love this in the mornings is that it gives a wonderful qi pick-me-up feeling. I experience a soothing warming feeling with an eye opening sensation. I also note some neck prickling and hair rising affects. I really enjoy this tea; however, I’m not a big fan of the later steeping. I usually carry this brew up to about four maybe five steep sessions, and then I leave for the day. This is a great value tea to throw into the teapot!

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This tea is awesome! The leaf is made up of dark forest green curls and tendrils, all chaotically tangled up. These dry leaves give off a fragrant vegetable aroma with a slight spice or pepper undertone. I warmed my kyusu and poured these in. The aroma instantly deepens to a more seaweed and roasted asparagus scent. I washed the leaves briefly and prepared for brewing. The steeped leaves smell amazing! This brew is highly aromatic with nice warm tones of veggies, grass, and steamed greens. The brew is a soft yellow jade color. The taste is superb. The flavor begins with some sweet nectar then it quickly moves into buffalo grass and juicy greens. I note a brief sharp bite that compliments the sweet and vegetal flavors. The aftertaste is a long lasting thick sweetness that lingers in the mouth. I was able to pull three steeping sessions until the brew falls flat. I really enjoyed this, and it has nice little pep to it. This helped me kick a cold and get motivated.

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I finally decided to pull this out. I tore open the package and took in a wonderful aroma. These leaves are very fragrant with notes of dark chocolate with some red fruit scent (or red grapes). I warmed my teapot up and packed these in. The leaf scent expands to a nice malt, warm dark chocolate, and some oak tones. I washed the leaves once and prepared for brewing. The flavor begins as slightly astringent yet still smooth. I picked up some nice baked bread, caramel, and burnt sugar flavors. The brew has a nice full body and warm curbed flavors. The brew grows with some astringency and wood tones by the third steeping. After, the brew falters down a notch to more sweeter tones with some light malt. I was able to get a decent amount of steeping sessions out this brew, and I enjoyed it. Although, this brew is a little too woody and astringent for my tastes.

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I had this to wake me up. I’ve been meaning to get to it, and I’m happy I finally made the time. The brick is tightly compressed and carries a dry earth and decayed wood scent. The leaves are small, dark, and spotted with brilliant gold. I warmed my teapot and popped it in. The scent became thick and grainy. I was picking up notes of oatmeal, decayed wood, maple, and some fermented fruit in the background. I washed the leaves twice to open them up. The steeped leaves give off a fairly different scent consisting of a sharp earth smell with some tangy pine resin. I could also take in dry coco nibs in the background. The taste was good. This brew begins with a nice drying sensation and has a full body. I was tasting a lot of earth and dark wood flavors, and a pleasant sour note finished the taste off. Around the third steeping, I experienced a pleasantly sweet aftertaste. I liked this brew; however, it quickly faltered off. I felt as though I was just starting to get into it when it completely watered down on me. My brew was clear and becoming light, and it had a watery murky taste. The qi was calm and nice and warming. This was a relaxing yet focused feeling, and I enjoyed it. I ended up dumping this and finding another shou to satisfy my craving.

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I found this towards the back of the Pu storage, and I can’t remember if I like it or not. The leaves are mostly broken up and fairly dark. They give off a dry and smoky scent. I plucked a handful and tossed in the warmed yixing. The scent darkened and spread out to a heavy wood and smoke. I could hint at some light sweetness in the background. I washed the leaves once and prepared for brewing. The steeped leaves give that bitter greens scent that has some bite to it. The brew begins soft and sweet with some subtle tones. I’m hinting at some light pepper in the background. The second steep I over did by about 10sec and it made a huuuge difference. The brew hit me real hard and sent goosebumps down my arms. Also, I experienced a lot of head shaking and a big woooef sound escaped me, haha. The later leans more toward the pepper side with a nice sweetness that lingers. This tea has a consistent hay and dried grass tone, and the drink grows lighter as the session progresses. Surprisingly, I was picking up a “yerba mate” taste at about the fifth steeping. This flavor consists of herbaceous, dry grass, and straw. The brew gives the dry sweet texture until it falters off. The qi is a nice light and steady feeling. The sensation is very slight and almost unnoticeable. I’m indifferent about this brew. I think it’s a decent daily drinker.

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