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Brewed in an infuser mug. Went for two steepings: 4 minutes, 8.

The name made me purchase a sample. Based on the leaf appearance, I went in thinking I’d be drinking something like Oriental Beauty. The leaves are thin and a little twisty, mostly dark brown with some camouflage green and few silver and downy – although their length is much shorter in comparison.

I had a hard time making out the dry leaf aroma, although the wet leaf’s smells of green grapes. The liquor is quite aromatic. It leaves behind in the mug, after I’ve finished each infusion, a rich clover honey scent. The kind of fresh honey from the farmer’s market. I had a gigantic aroma cup (the mug is on the tall, thin side).

At this point, I’d say this Taiwanese oolong is very much more like an autumn flush Darjeeling than an Oriental Beauty. The liquor is burnt orange, medium-bodied, and slightly thick. A honey flavor dominates and strengthens as the liquor cools. Red grapes take over in the aftertaste. Doesn’t leave a dry throat after I swallow. The honey and muscatel notes are not BOOM POW like they are in OB. They taste more subdued, gentler and kind of muted. Also, it even feels like autumn flush Darjeeling – both in the mouth and in effect of the body.

Decent quality, good price for 80g. I had an interesting experience with this.

Brewed Western method, in a filter bag and mug.

I received this as a free sample from my last order. It is Incredibly brisk in strength. The flavor is heavily malty, so much so that it is overwhelming. This can’t be drunk without milk or sugar, or both (unless you have taste buds of steel). I had to add A LOT of milk. There was still this bitter taste that wouldn’t go away though. Best suited as an early morning tea, for those who need a hammer on the head equivalent of a wake up call in terms of tea.

I let a nice tea go bad :(

Sad sipdown…

Received as a free sample from my last order. Brewed grandpa style.

I like that the packet says extract. I know exactly what’s in here. I’m used to seeing “natural flavors” at best. This has a pleasing dry leaf aroma. A strong strawberry scent emerges from the packet. Perfect for spring. The strawberry complements the floral base tea, which is a lower quality light-to-medium oxidized oolong, resembling (as it seems to me) Tie Guan Yin. The balance is so balanced that the liquor tastes as if the strawberry were a natural note that the leaf gave away. It reminded me a Taiwanese high mountain oolong.

I enjoyed this, but I wasn’t struck. The base tea didn’t impress me, but it makes sense to use it for a flavored tea – it’s ok quality at best. Maybe since it’s late summer, I’m ready to depart from this kind of oolong. Maybe next spring… I recommend this for those who love flavored tea, or for those who don’t but might be interested in the more natural side of this genre.

I last drank this last mid-November of 2014. This note is for educational purposes. Ratings won’t be deleted to keep the integrity of my first tasting note.

Gongfu session with a ceramic gaiwan. 5 second rinse. Steeping times: 30, 30, 45, 45, 60, 90, 120, 180, 240.

The leaf post-rinse has a light and sweet floral fragrance. Early spring-like, leaves still “flowers” on trees. The liquor is light yellow and has a light body. Fuzzies float around. The texture starts off as creamy, then becomes soft and thick. The flavor profile does not change throughout the session. Instant yum! with the first sip. Very sweet, delicately floral, fruity (mostly peaches and apricots) aftertaste.

How it differs from the first time: definitely not vegetal and seaweed-y (clearly wanted to have more Japanese greens in my life back then). Not as floral, certainly no roasted vegetables or tartness or berries. I’m able to discern more sweetness and appreciate its gentle qualities. I changed my mind from mid-summer to early spring. It’s because this Dong Ding is not roasted. These leaves were plucked from a kind of bush mostly used for pouchong. A lovely non-roasted Dong Ding, not quite every day, but not incredibly special.

Had a gongfu session with a ceramic gaiwan. Since Teavivre recommended only 4g, I split the 7-gram sample packet and had two sessions with two different sets of steeping parameters. The first from is Teavivre’s website: 10, 20, 30, 50, (accidentally skipped 70), 90, 120. The second is my own: 30, 60, 90, 180, 300.

I smelled the dry leaf aroma two ways. First, I stuck my nose into the packet, then I heated the gaiwan bowl with boiling water, poured that out, and let the leaf sit in the bowl for thirty seconds. What a wonderful aroma! It’s one of those you can’t stop smelling. A combination of cocoa powder, gingerbread, and cinnamon. I knew this leaf would smell great if it were amplified by a heated bowl. Great start to the first session. The wet leaf aroma smells differently – sweet potatoes, then, after the leaf aired for a bit, freshly baked muffins.

Against a white porcelain cup, the liquor has a beautiful and clear burnt orange color. The texture is consistently smooth and little thick. Full body. The flavor profile doesn’t evolve, but it’s filled with individual notes that I taste all at once yet can pick out separately. This goes for both sessions. There is the cocoa and the sweet potato, but also subtler notes of wet wood and clover. Sweet and bitter simultaneously, with a coffee aftertaste. This has a soothing and warming effect on me.

This is forgiving and easy to drink, therefore good for the Western brewing method and beginners to Chinese black tea.

I last drank this last mid-November of 2014. This note is for educational purposes. Ratings won’t be deleted to keep the integrity of my first tasting note.

Had a gongfu session with a ceramic gaiwan. 3 second rinse. Steeping times: 25, 55, 75, 90, 100, 120, 160, 240.

I couldn’t smell anything the dry leaf. The wet leaf aroma – after the rinse – is sweetly floral, and then becomes buttered popcorn. Thereafter, it is purely floral.

The liquor looks very pretty in a white porcelain cup: clear, bright, like sunshine. Medium-bodied. The texture is thick for the first couple infusions, and then gradually thins out.

Throughout the session, the flavor profile is pretty nearly consistent. The first and second infusions begin with a floral note and finish with a sweetness. An apricot/strawberry aftertaste lingers. Reminded me of a Taiwanese high mountain oolong. Thereafter, floral-plant and sour notes are dominant. The plants – green leaves, chloryphyll – aren’t strong or delicate, a medium intensity. Very Tie Guan Yin-like.

The sourness, I learned from Teavivre’s website, occurs naturally and is actually a part of the process these leaves underwent. A part of the interview with the farmer, Chen Biyi, from the website: “It is because a longer time of spontaneous fermentation before fixation. The sour flavor comes out naturally after the long time of tossing and oxidation, often in three days.”

In infusions five, six, and seven, the sourness becomes a part of the background, staying more under the tongue and allowing me to enjoy the plant and floral notes.

How it differs from last time: It’s much less fruitier, and when I did taste fruit with this session, it was only a for a little and I did not pick out the same fruits (peach, banana, clementine – where??). Presently, it was so much more plant-floral-like. I wonder why the sourness appears now but didn’t back then.

I liked drinking this. Good quality. But I was very new to oolong in general back when I had my first session. A dominating floral quality doesn’t strike me as “Wow yes love!!” – it’s alright. I now know that I am very much more into Taiwanese oolong.

Sample was provided for this review. Thank you so much, 3 Leaf Tea!

Prepared Western method, in a disposable filter and mug.

The leaf aroma has notes charcoal and honey BBQ sauce. The liquor, a light gold in color, is medium-bodied and clear. Texture is absent. At first, I mostly taste burning wood and light gray smoke. After a few sips, I become accustomed to the smokiness and I am able to discern a sweet and spicy note, very much like a BBQ sauce. This sweetness dominates for the rest of the cup, with the wood and smoke in the background.

This is a lighter and sweeter Lapsang Souchong. It doesn’t feel heavy and there is not as much smoke as I’m used to. I especially like the simultaneous sweet and spicy flavor.

Sample was provided for this review. Thank you, 3 Leaf Tea!

Brewed in a glass test tube steeper. Steeping times: 2 minutes, 4, 6.

The dry leaf aroma smells of malt and gingersnap cookies, while the wet leaf aroma is almost purely cocoa, with a touch of cinnamon. The liquor color is a lovely dark amber. Fuzzies from the leaf float around, and it’s not until the third steeping the infusion is clear. Smooth-textured with a medium body, the liquor has notes of malt, clove, and nutmeg initially. In the second in infusion there is not as much malt, replaced by sweet potatoes. And the spices from before stand out.

Overall, I liked it, but I’m neutral (there is nothing that I dislike about this per se). The dry leaf has a very nice presentation, and the aromas were yummy, but the taste doesn’t really suit me.

Sample was provided for this review.

I loosely followed the directions on the packet. Brewed the packet’s entire contents on the stove top in 8oz of water, brought to a boil, simmered on low for ten minutes, added four ounces of milk and a tablespoon of sugar, and finally brought to a boil again. In the end, an eight-ounce cup was produced, the total amount as the directions recommended.

I’m pleased with the spices included – they are typical, but there are also a good number mixed in. I smelled the clove and the cinnamon as the leaf brewed. As far as taste goes, I’m loving it. I usually don’t add so much milk (even though that’s what one is supposed to do with traditional masala chai) because I’m afraid that the spices would be heavily muted – for blends I purchase from vendor, that is. I have had experiences in which pre-made blends even brewed with only ONE ounce of milk are very weak. So disappointing. But the spices in this blend, especially the black peppercorns, taste fresh and come through strongly. They linger minutes after I swallow and touch the back of my throat.

I’m finding it difficult not to down all of my cup at once. This an excellent blend. Many thanks to 3 Leaf Tea for the free sample!