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Had a gongfu session with a ceramic gaiwan. One 5-second rinse. Steeping times:. 2, 2, 5, 5, 8, 10, 12, 15, 20, 25, 35, 75.

The dry aroma has delectable notes of lychee and red grapes, and the aroma of the leaf after the rinse smells more intensely of grapes, and of also wet rocks and maybe stonefruit.

The color of white grape juice sits in my cup. The liquor is not completely clear (wouldn’t say foggy or murky, just not clear), but the last couple infusions eventually become so. Full-bodied. Mellow, smooth, easy to drink. The first and second infusions are heavy on the mineral side and leave behind a tingling sensation. After that, the flavors don’t evolve throughout the session. Each infusion is consistently fruity, with notes similar to that of the aromas – grapes, lychee, etc.

Once on the tongue, that is. Seconds later, if I let the liquor sit in my mouth, a heavy roasted quality and bitter taste settle in, and these merge with the juicy flavors. Incongruous. Only the first two and last two infusions had not such bitterness. Could be due to personal taste, or possibly the brewing temp. Still, I decided to keep it consistent rather than lower it partway through the session. I wasn’t completely displeased, and it this does a nice, relaxing effect.

From the Here’s Hoping TTB Round 4.

Brewed in a shudei kyusu. Steeping times: 45 seconds, 60, 90.

All around, a sweet shincha. The leaf has a heavy aroma of cooked and buttered acorn squash. The electric green liquor has a full body, yet is light with a wild grass flavor and bright character.

I complete forgot I already reviewed this, so when I drank this yesterday – nearly after 7 months I initially reviewed it – I drank it as if it were completely new to me.

Brewed semi-Western style with a gongfu glass tea pot. No Rinse. Steeping times: 15, 10, 20, 20, 30, 45, 60, 75.

Time didn’t seem fair on this at first. Considering it’s been more than half a year, the dry leaf smelled soapy. Got a little worried. But the wet leaf aroma and everything after was just fine: a garden with flowers of numerous varieties of flowers. It only takes two steepings for the leaves to completely unfurl. The liquor is pale yellow, clear, and full-bodied. The texture starts out as thin but becomes thicker as the session goes on. The first infusion tastes like the wet leaf aroma and of summer air. It also has a stonefruit aftertaste. Infusions 3-5 are more basically more flavorful and more leaf-like. The floral note returns in the last infusions.

I still think this isn’t terribly complex – even less so seven months ago (tropical smoothie??) – and that it’s very nice to drink on any given day of the year, especially shortly after the summer solstice to set up a mood. A good beginner oolong, and a beginner Tie Guan Yin. I’m not changing the rating, though if I were to, it would be 80-81.

From the Here’s Hoping TTB.

Dumped the entire thing in a tea pot and brewed Western style. Steeping times: 30 seconds, 30, 60.

It slipped my mind to take a note of the dry/wet leaf aroma…so no word on that. Oopsies.

The only other houjicha I’ve had was the bagged kind (pyramidal and big squares) when I was back in Kyoto a few years ago. Whatever it was, it was inexpensive. So this is my first houjicha of a better quality, and I like it. It has a flavor profile with unexpected notes and it evolves (kinda). The first infusion tastes mostly like barely tea with a hint of chocolate, the second of Raisinettes, and the third – at this point, the leaf has weakened – of plain ol’ houjiacha.

I don’t particularly like Raisinettes but if it’s my tea, sure why not!

Sample provided in exchange for a review. Thank you very much!

Cold-brewed: 1/2 tsp, 6oz, stirred right away. Chamomile dominates the other ingredients initially, and the infusion tastes unpleasantly bitter. After drinking around half of the cup, the mint comes through, and the bitterness disappears a little.

Hot-brewed: 1/2 tsp, 6oz, 212 temperature. Similar to the cold-brewed infusion, but much better taste. Hardly any bitterness, thanks to the chamomile being sweeter. I’m able to taste the rest of the ingredients.

Chamomile isn’t my favorite herb when it comes to it being used in herbal blends since I find it tends to overpower the other ingredients. Though I definitely prefer the hot-brewed infusion, taste-wise. Additionally, This powder was difficult to mix because the chamomile flowers were not entirely crushed to a powder (it was more like fine bits).

Sample provided for the review. Thanks so much!

Hot-brewed: 1/2 tsp, 6oz, 212 temperature. This infusion offers an interesting dichotomy. it tastes warm and comforting because the base tea has grassy and buttery notes, but also cool because of the peppermint. The eucalyptus fits snugly in between, enhancing the calming effect.

Cold-brewed: 1/2 tsp, 6oz, stirred right away. This is similar to the hot infusion, except than the mint is stronger than the base tea and the eucalyptus. It tastes chilled even though I (inadvertently) used almost lukewarm filtered tap water. Very refreshing cup!

It’s interesting that the base tea is a Darjeeling. I didn’t think it would work, but I enjoyed drinking both infusions.

Thank you for the samples, Will!

Cold-brewed (1): 1/2 teaspoon, 6 oz, mixed right away.
Hot-brewed (2): 1/2 teaspoon, 6 ounces, 212 degrees.

1: A balanced combination of hibiscus and rose. The former isn’t at all powerful – it’s on the weak side for me since I drink hibiscus straight, but those who don’t like hibiscus should have no fear. I taste more of the rose.

2: I prefer this method. Overall, it’s a stronger-tasting cup. The hibiscus pops out more in the beginning, but the rose petals take over when I let the infusion sit in my mouth and in the aftertaste.

Lovely magenta/dark pink shade. I had trouble tasting the jasmine, but both cups were nice to drink. Hibiscus and rose make a good pairing.

Thank you for the sample, Will!

Brewed with hot water and then heated whole milk. Used half a teaspoon of powder for each, 6 ounces for each liquid, boiling.

Hot water: Spicy. Not adding milk allows the spices to fully come through. They compliment the woody note that the rooibos gives. There is a ginger snap cookie aftertaste.

Heated whole milk: The spices are muted somewhat, but the milk adds a cozy and creamy taste, texture, and feeling. This infusion is more like ginger snap cookie in liquid form. Masala chai drinker-Dad said it was “distinctive”, and that it’s “good as cocoa.”

This is for the winter solstice, not the summer solstice. In all aspects. Don’t drink it today. /melts

I really enjoyed this one!

Thank you for the samples, Will!

Hot-brewed (1): 1/2 teaspoon, 6 ounces, 212 degrees.
Cold-brewed (2): 1/2 teaspoon, 6 oz, mixed right away.

1: The licorice root stands, and it adds a sweetness that dominates the the yerba mate.

2: No one ingredient stands out in this cup. They blend well together. This tastes leafier, and it’s much sweeter than it was hot-brewed, although in leafy way. The texture is much thicker.

The murky beige color isn’t terribly appealing, but it didn’t put me off. I preferred drinking this cold-brewed. Also, I felt an energized after downing all twelve ounces nearly all at once. If you want something to drink before exercising, go for this.

Brewed with a glass gongfu tea pot . Steeping times: 45, 30, 45, 60, 90.

The dry leaf initially smells buttery and flowery, and when my nose becomes used to the aroma, sweet barn hay (maybe because the sample is almost a year old….). The wet leaf has classic dong ding aroma notes: roasted, much more floral, and chlorophyll-filled.

The liquor is slightly green gold, pale, clear. Full-body. Creamy texture. The first infusion is sweet and floral, an embodiment of mid-spring with a calming effect. Roasted vegetables are dominant in the second, and in the third – the peak of the session – they tone down, and a sugarcane sweetness appears, along with a honeysuckle note. Strawberry aftertaste. After a two and half hour break, I resumed the session. The fourth infusion is light and floral, and the fifth is roughly the same, although a little tangy.

I didn’t want to ingest anymore caffeine for the day, so I cold-brewed the rest for fourteen hours. Not…recommended. The leaf didn’t yield much. Not complex at all.

This dong ding didn’t give me a wow factor, but it was still lovely to drink, especially on a not-too-warm, sunny spring Sunday.