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Thank you *Sophia * for this generous sample!

This is the first Fu Tea experience I’ve had, and I must say this was truly unique. The leaves are a forest green and heavily compressed. Its almost like an herbal pu-erh. This assortment of dull green leaves consists of some rather large twigs as well. Also, I did notice the vibrant miniscule golden “flowers” which I found simply amazing. I brewed these in my gaiwan under black tea parameters. I rinsed once to allow the tea to open up. This had a very earthy and humid odor. The taste was incredibly different. It started as a fermented wood flavor, but it finished almost salty and with minerals. I was able to get multiple steepings out of it. The salty flavor became more prominent as the session went on. Once I reached about four steepings the salt flavor was replaced with a dark sweet coffee flavor. This was very interesting! I would not be drinking this everyday, but I will be sharing it with my tea friends to bring something new to the table. Thank you again Sophia for allowing me to try this out!

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This was a very interesting tea session. I feel that I may have gotten perhaps old tea. I do not state this because it was a bad tea session, it just wasn’t as good as I thought it should be. I purchased a small sample size just to try out this “Award Winner” before I purchase a larger quantity. I would have loved to use this in my yixing, but I was shorted a few grams which was sad.
The long black leaves are a deep black and crimson. I placed these in my small gaiwan and prepared brewing. The immediate scent was of charcoal, raisins, and hot stones. I poured out and was very excited to taste. The initial sip was heavy with minerals and char. This brew had a deep body to start, but this body died away rather quickly. Once I reached only the third steeping it had already flattened out and became subtle. I was a little disappointed with this considering its price. It was a nice Wuyi, but I don’t believe it to be prize winning. I’ve had basic DHP that have stood up longer than this. Altogether, I don’t think I’ll be restocking this particular tea.

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I picked this to give my night a calming end. This had an amazing aroma while steeping. I could hint at honey, sweetgrass, and a soft flowery undertone, However, the flavor did not match. The taste was dry and with slight bitterness. It has a pleasantly sweet aftertaste, but altogether not what I was looking for. I guess this company just isn’t the company for me.

This was the first sheng I’ve ever brewed western, or the first pu-erh for that matter. I can tell that there is a reason why I don’t brew this western. The taste of this was very subtle. It carried a slightly sweet astringent flavor. The aroma was a strong sheng scent with wet wood undertone. I could taste a fresh pine flavor. This didn’t really do “it” for me. I appreciate being able to experience it, but I don’t think I’ll ever drink this again. This was a very generic sheng, and it carried no distinguishing flavors or depth. The fact that the name is very general should have been my first sign of its basic taste profile.

I’m so sad to see this go…..

Delicious and so sweet! Its like sipping crystallized honey and maple syrup :)

I’m in my tenth steep and it continues to become sweeter and sweeter :D

This was picked at random from my cupboard. I brewed it up in my tea press before work. This was smooth and slightly fruity. Like the air up in the himalayas this was very thin, haha. It carried subtle tones and not quite the bold cup I was looking for. This was still nice, but it might do better as an afternoon tea rather than moring.

This was sent to me from a tea friend :) I’m very happy to sit and relax for the few minutes that I have. Today has been crazy busy. I finally do make it back home and find that my tea package (which i’ve been waiting for almost month for) finally arrives and my gaiwan is shattered. I have begun my dispute with the company and really hope to be reimbursed.

Anyways, I picked this because I am tired and wanted simplicity. This is one of the very few tea bags I own, so the choices are slim. I thought this to be very unique though. I’ve never had oolong in tea bag form. This had a very smooth taste. The mango was very slight and it was mostly milky coconut. I guess the oolong added an amber base but altogether it was a coconut brew :)

Good morning!

This was interesting, so of course I had to have it :) When I hear gyokuro I immediately think vibrant green and umami. This particular Gyokuro is completely different which intrigued me. I brewed this in my tea press before work. The steeped leaves carry a dark chocolate and brown sugar aroma. The flavor is lightly smoked and woodsy. It carries a sweet dark caramel taste. This was a nice bold morning brew, and it was a definite win for me! I usually don’t appreciate any major tea chains; I prefer more independant companies. Although, this is actually a very tasty brew, and I’m glad that I received it.

This was a interesting tea session for me, for I was comparing with another version that a friend just recently gave me. I’ve enclosed pics of the taste off. The one of the left is Tao’s the other is from an anonymous chinese company.

Tao’s Tai Ping:

The leaves are massive! They are a vibrant green and smell of fresh flora. I brewed these beauties in my glassware to watch them dance. I did not follow the brewing guidelines because I disagreed with them. The aroma these gave off was wonderful! It was as if spring was in full swing as soon as my simmering water touched these long fingers. The liquor was an iridescent jade and tasted so sweet! The initial sip had a slight vegetal tone with dandelion nectar in the background. This brew was very subtle but had an amazing flavor! I was able to get four steepings out of this pot full. The fourth steeping was not bitter only the flavors had become nullified and all that remained was a slight astringency. This is definitely a treat that I would only break out for special occasions.

Chinese Company Tai Ping:

I really don’t have much to say about this one. The leaves were very small and a mudded green. I brewed these in my gaiwan for they were small enough to fit. These leaves were very lacking in aroma and the liquor was discolored. This brew was a slight aquamarine color, but mostly clear. The flavor was incredibly light and almost non-existent. This carried the slight taste of cardboard. I assume this tea just might be outdated or possible stored improperly. I was not able to finish it at my third steep and threw it out. I could feel a headache coming on.

This was a great experience and I was very happy to be able to sample two very different versions of the same tea. I hope that I will be acquiring more of Tao’s along the way!

*the brewing instructions for the tasting note were the ones I used with Tao’s

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This was wonderful! I bought this because recently a friend of mine had acquired some ginseng oolong and I was very intrigued to try it out. These small nuggets resemble a furry gunpowder green. I brewed them in my gaiwan gongfu style. I wished these pebbles once to allow them to open up. The aroma was immediately enticing! My tea room was filled with a succulent honey aroma. The flavor was phenomenal! The initial sip consisted of a nectar sweet syrup and a vegetal fresh base. This was a wonderful tea! The sweet flavor lasted about four steepings and then it reduced to only a warm vegetal flavor. This brew leaves a slight camphor sugar aftertaste which is incredibly enjoyable. I actually really appreciated this tea, even though I may have had some doubts. This has an excellent price, and I will be stocking up!

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