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I had this at an earlier time, and it wasn’t as “wowing” as others made it out to be. So, I decided to let it rest for a little and revisit before doing a review, and I am so glad that I did…

The dry leaf has very little scent to it. I opened my jar and could only catch whiffs of slight fermentation and some dust; however, there was a light sweetness in the background. I placed a generous amount of these strands in my warmed gaiwan and gave it a shake. Then, the scent came forth! The strands gave off a sweet hot coco mix scent. I took in the dry cacao powder aroma. I could note a lingering milkiness behind this decadent scent. I washed the leaves once and prepared for brewing. The chocolate aroma became muddled in the steeped leaves. The outstanding tone were fruit and a mild bitterness. The chocolate tone wrapped around these fruit scents like little jam filled desserts. The taste was fantastic! The sip begins with straight dates. The flavor moves into some more raisin tones with wet tobacco. Then, there is a prominent fig note. I noted a light pleasant bitter tone in the aftertaste. The next drink brings on a sweeter atmosphere with brown sugar and light honey. I began to experience a nice head feeling with a warm stomach; The qi has commenced. This brew has a lot of complex tones. The chocolate began to show its face at the second steeping by appearing dry and slightly unsweetened. The next steeping brings on its true face by being presented as rich, dark, and heavy with some earth tones. This brew has a lot of mouth feeling and it fills the palette. The body is thick and smooth and goes down easy. The qi continues to build and is an ever rising focused feeling. I experienced plenty of mouth action and hair prickling. This is something I could drink all night. I love brews that hit you with a full body of flavors steep after steep. The brew morphs to heavy chocolate tones with some drying in the background; moreover, there is a smooth creamy texture that lubricates the mouth. This is a well developed brew, and I am glad that I awaited its recovery. However, the brew dies down dramatically at about the eight or ninth steeping. The brew grows watery, pungent, and consists of solely fermented tones. Personally, I have little appreciation for these tones, but I do know people that enjoy this. All and all, I enjoyed this session, and I will be squirreling away some. I am sad to hear that this was discontinued. I can now understand the uproar from the tea community upon hearing of this tea’s demise. Thankfully, it can live on from the other tea hoarders and I ;)

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Awesome, first to review!
I’ve been craving something dark, so I grabbed this to give it a go. The leaves are long blackened strands. They give a nice scent of ash, char, cinnamon, and some smoke, but there is a lingering sweet fruit in the background. I placed a fairly good amount in my warmed gaiwan and shook it up. The scents deepened to more roasted tones. I took in some damp char, roasted cinnamon, and some burnt sugar. I washed the leaves once and prepared for brewing. The steeped leaves are smooth and oily with some green spotting. The liquor was thick and bronzed. The initial sip gave some great mouth feeling. I took in a smooth and toasty brew. The drink gave me a lot of warming feelings. The cup was toasty and carried brief mineral tastes. The full mouth feeling began with a light cinnamon, and then it deepens to a more coffee or coffee grounds like taste. The aftertaste was fantastic. My mouth got a “thirst quenching” feeling. The brew itself is very aromatic. My cha hai emitted heavy roast and cooked fruit scents. This was a nice brew. The drink had a decent body and smooth flavors. I also noted a focused head feeling. The flavors were prominent and curbed, but they were not overly complex. I enjoyed this tea, and I feel it would make a great morning starter or coffee substitute.

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My grandparents raised me on the cold hard English Earl Grey. That cooling tea is still one of the very few flavored I enjoy. I saw this tea, and I knew that I needed to give it a try. I still get excited when I discover new Greys. I picked some up with plans to try a little, and then pass it along to my Grandparents to judge. I didn’t even have to open the package to be greeted with the enlightening scent of the Earl. I tore open the package, and my tea room was filled with an intense clean aroma. The crisp scent of citrus and camphor filled the air. I took a sniff at the leaves and took in this pleasantly powerful scent. I noticed a slight underlying malt and baked bread that curbed these intense aromas. I warmed my gaiwan and placed these soft velvety curls inside. The scent deepens to hot fluffy bread with honey drizzled on top. I took in the bittersweet chocolate in the background. Then, I noticed the ever slightest hint of anise creeping forth through the chocolate. This would be a new spin on the typical Earl for me, and I was pretty excited. I sat and enjoyed these scents for quite some time before I washed the leaves and prepared for brewing. Once the hot spring water hit these golden curls the tea completely changed. The tones of the wet leaf changed to a smooth malt and wet wood. The chocolate became dark and drying. The background was misted with a sharp cooling tone. The taste was spectacular. This tea gives the impression of sharp and powerful bergamont tones; however, the actual flavor tells a different story. The fist sip begins with warm and concentrated honey. Then, it moves into a smooth but brief malt and lubricates the mouth. The brew develops in the mouth with light wood tones and a chocolate sweetness. This brew fills the mouth and gives some great feeling. This is a thick and syrupy brew. The smooth body can be felt all the way down to the stomach after sipping. The cooling sensation from the bergamont is slight but it withstands throughout steeping. The nice cooling action is present most in the aftertaste, and it combines well with the heavy malt tones of the snails. The later steeping sessions have a slightly sour tone, but it continues to have some decent mouth action. This was a fantastic re-representation of The Earl. I’m very happy to have tried it. The steeped leaves are intact and long. This makes a perfect companion with the morning breakfast or a late night snack. I will be sending some off to my Grandparents to get their two cents worth.

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This tea was something powerful. I opened the package and was struck by a very prominent camphor scent. This aroma was fresh and intense. I broke off a chunk and placed it into my warmed gaiwan. The aroma deepens to an all encompassing camphor with eucalyptus. I could feel this scent begin to cleanse my body. I washed the leaves once and prepared for brewing. The wet leaves reminded my of the leaves of a eucalyptus tree. This session is largely composed of cooling sensations with an underlying of wood tones. The flavor was incredibly peculiar. The brew begins as cask wood and alcohol. The term “bourbon barrel” comes to mind. The drink carries a prominent menthol and camphor flavor that fills the mouth and follows through to the stomach. The drink emits a cooling sensation that encompasses the body. The qi is quite powerful and centering. The feeling begins in the temples and encroaches upon the body as a whole. This is a very “now moment” tea. The tea sips begin with a peppery kuwei and a dripping pleasant huigan. The mouth feel is nice and lubricating with a smooth filling. The aftertaste leaves a whisp of smoke. I love the mouth action this brew brings to the table, and there is plenty of hair prickling. However, there is a heavy bitterness present in the brew, as is with all other bulang. The leaves are large and unbroken with buds and some large stems. This cake runs in line with the classic Bulang material characteristics. The sips contain nice tantalizing kuwei, a sharp swift bite, light cask wood, and finish with a lasting slight huigan. The unique part is the storage, which added the menthol and camphor like tones. This tea is a prime example of how strongly storage can affect your puerh. I would compare this to the non-Malaysian stored version of this Bulang this company offers.

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Juicy! This brew is pure life water! I opened up the package and was blasted in the face by a sweet aromatic nectar and fresh greens scent. This took me back to the spring harvest from earlier this year. The scent was so fresh and green. I was reminded of the bi lo chun from April. The scent was deep and rugged, yet it was also still floral and sweet. I placed some inside my warmed teapot and gave it a shake. The scent deepened to heavier greens alike, spinach, kale, and artichoke. These bulky greens was wrapped up in a syrupy floral fragrance. This tea is bringing me back to spring. The tea is super hardy so no need to worry about over brewing. The liquor is beautiful. The brew is a delicate translucent white. You can spot only the slightest of difference in water color. The taste is phenomenal The initial sip begins intensely sweet. The brew fills the mouth and gives a nice floral finish (lily or tulips). The base consists of watercress, chestnut, and brief apricot. The brew is so light and clear, but it tastes so thick and syrupy. There is a light drying sensation that follows each drink, but this feeling is soothed by a silky mouth feel. The easiest way to describe this brew is the taste of mountain air during the spring. The tea gives off such life, and it’s delicious. I was able to re steep this brew about four times, which I find to be a lot for green tea. The brew continued to be almost completely clear and fantastically sweet. I’m very happy to have been able to try this, and I still have a little left.

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This was an interesting session. I opened the package to reveal long slender leaves. They carried a smooth sweet grape and raisin scent. This fruity mixture was on top of an underlining oak aroma. I placed a very generous amount in my warmed gaiwan and gave it a shake. The scent deepened and expanded to other areas. I took in some char, mineral, sweet fruits, and some elderberry. The scent was strong and airy. I washed the long leaves once and prepared for brewing. The steeped black beauties give off a wet ash and grape juice scent at first. Then, this scent progresses to a lake water like scent. It’s a little strange and off putting. The taste is smooth with some sharp char. The brew gives a nice mouth feeling with some lubricating. The initial sip begins with a light grape flavor with an almost Darjeeling muscatel aftertaste. The brew progresses to give off some smoke and a slight bitter. I also noted that each sip gives a nice tang left in the mouth. The tang is unlike citrus; its a pleasant sour note. This was a decent session. The leaves kept brewing for quite some time, and each steep was a nice bronze coloured liquor.

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This was a unique aged shou experience. I unwrapped the nest and give it a whiff. I could take in some moist earth and must. I was also getting a lot of dirt tones. Also, this aged chunk kinda resembled dirt, ahah. I warmed this in my gaiwan and got relatively the same tones, but they were more intense. I washed this twice, for the heavy compression caused for some difficult brewing. The thick and dark liquor poured from my gaiwan, and it carried some more must and dust tones. The taste was smooth and lightly fermented. There was a distinct drying sensation that followed every sip. The liquor carries a brief oak wood and finishes with a dust taste. The smooth and delicious part is a slight petrichor that follows the brewing. The leaves are fairly large, and it consists of several stems. The steeped leaves give off an enticing tree root, deep earth, and light mineral tones. This brew is an easy drinker, and you could keep refilling the gaiwan all night with this one. The tones are pleasant and intriguing. I did not note any qi from this one. I liked it, but I don’t think I’d be spending any money on it. I have had better examples of aged shou, and this is definitely a bargain aged shu.

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This is the 2015 Summer Tea.

This tea is beautiful! I love Oriental Beauty simply because of its wild assortment of leaves. They look like the autumn leaves around my house, and I just adore that. I opened the package and took a sniff of this fall foliage. These leaves carry a dry hay scent with a very slight sweet grass tone. I placed what I had in my warmed gaiwan and let it sit for a bit. The scent deepened to more intense hay aroma with some brief honeysuckle in the background. I washed the leaves once and prepared for brewing. The initial sip is of the “wow” nature. The taste begins with nectar, hay, and a smooth grape that lingers. Then, it evolves into a crisp apricot tone. Last, it finishes with an intensely sweet honey aftertaste that fills the mouth. This honey tone is as identical to actual honey that I’ve ever tasted. The honey flavor even has the mild tang all too familiar with wild raw honey. The brew progresses to become alike liquid nectar, except minus the floral tone. This brew is sweet, syrupy, and a light bronze color. The brew lasts for about six steeps, and it grows mildly astringent while it leans more towards grass and hay tones. This was a very enjoyable brew, and it was a brief reminder why I love Oriental Beauty so much. I’m so happy to have been able to experience this!

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This was a fairly moderate Shou. This ripe is a perfect median for me on all grounds of the spectrum. The dry leaf is a good mix of some large and small leaf. The tea gives off a very slight fermented and earth scent, with a little dry dust in there. I placed a decent amount in my warmed gaiwan and shook it up. The warmed aroma was of earth and hot wet soil. I did get a strange earthworm tone (not bad, just peculiar). I washed the leaves once and prepared for brewing. The brew is a dark crimson and pretty clear. The taste is clean and smooth. I didn’t experience any complex tones. The drink was consistently basic. This is a nice daily drinker at best. I don’t believe the Shou has developed any in the best decade; although, it may have calmed down from its younger self. I noted the classic earth, smooth, slightly sweet tones congruent with most Shou. The flavor did not develop. The liquor did last for some time; I was able to pull about ten or so steeping sessions. This was a complete neutral for me. It was a no feeling session.

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Yes, first to review!
This was an interesting session. I’ve had a few offerings of this type of tea, and I had no idea that Sun Moon Lake was the actual name of it. I assumed this name was a brand or something. Anyways, I was very excited to give this a shot. The leaves are massive! These long black tendrils are highly aromatic. I opened the pouch, and I was greeted with an intense sweet brown sugar scent, warmed bread, and mild spices lingering in the background. This was going to be a treat! I placed a bunch in my warmed gaiwan, and I prepared for a heavy brewing session. The warmed leaves gave off a pronounced tone of sweet potatoes and ripe plums. I washed these black beauties once and got ready to do some steeping. The steeped leaves have the most unique scent. This aroma begins as a light red wine with smooth notes. Then, there is warm baked bread in the background. Furthermore, the unique scent is that of camphor. This peculiar cooling scent follows throughout the entire session. It is prominent in the aroma and fills my tea room. The drink begins with a slight peanut flavor and wooden tone. The camphor scent appears in the flavor, and it makes itself known. The unique tone fills the mouth and follows down the hatch with a brisk cooling sensation. I also noted a mild chocolate note that filled the tongue, and this taste ends with spices. This brew is intensely stimulating and carries a thick mouth-feel. The spices in the liquor narrow to cloves or allspice. The flavor lasts long after sipping, and in further steeping a burnt sugar aftertaste follow. This smooth and flavorful session lasted quite some time. This was a wonderful brew, and it was such a special experience. The other Sun Moon Lake’s that I’ve had are quite different. This tea certainty makes an impression.

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