620 Tasting Notes
1 TB for 450mL water, bare. Rating: 80.
Okay, once the jasmine comes out, around the 4-5-minute mark, this blend gets intriguing. Not getting much oolong here, just a hit of butter behind the jasmine and the lemon. The lemon could dominate and ruin everything; the jasmine’s an inspired touch and that keeps the lemon playing reasaonbly nicely. Not a brilliant oolong blend, but it is soothing. Avoid if you don’t like lemon, because that’s definitely the dominant flavour and scent here. The oolong leaves are beautiful when they unfurl.
I’d love to try just a straight jasmine oolong. Anyone have a recommendation?
1 TB for 450mL boiling water, 5-minute steep.
I don’t often choose a Ceylon tea, as I generally find them a bit bland and crying out to be blended. I have the same reaction to the Nilgiris I’ve tried. But the Lover’s Leap estate tea is different. This is a very coppery tea — it even brews up a coppery colour — and it’s quite bright, a bit like drinking afternoon sunshine. There’s a slight astringency that’s very agreeable and a clean mineral finish. A very good tea for this cloudy and rainy day.
Lover’s Leap is available through many different tea vendors; I got it from my local indie shop, Britannia Teas and Gifts.
Rating: 88
1.5 tsp for a 350mL mug, water somewhat off the boil, 5 minute steep.
The last of my Damn Fine Jasmine Green, gone. And loved. Lovely balance of green tea and jasmine flowers and a solid jasmine hit. I am keeping all my Damn Fine tins, labels intact, to hold … I dunno. I just want to keep the tins, because the labels are so well designed. Anyway, the tea … really, really good. Only Dragon Tears are better.
3 tsp for 1000mL water, in the Breville, 3 minute steep with basket function on.
Yes, you read that correctly — I used only 3 tsp for a pot of tea. The directions on the package:
How do I prepare Anisa Tea™?
Anisa Tea™ can be prepared to perfection using the following directions:
1. Put two teaspoons (5g) of Anisa Tea™ into pot (sufficient for 4-6 cups).
2. Add boiling water.
3. Cover with tea cozy or tea towel.
4. Wait 5 minutes before serving.
5. Serve Anisa Tea™ by pouring into a cup, preferably through a tea strainer.
6. Add hot water to satisfy desired tea strength.
7. Milk and/or sugar may be added if desired.
8. Best served between 5 and 30 minutes.
Wrong.
This is a very potent tea. A very fragrant tea. It’s very much like a good Earl Grey, only a bit spicy — that’s the cardamom. Smooth and medium-bodied, rich flavor of good black tea (I can’t tell if it’s Chinese, Indian or Ceylon) and a lovely mingling of bergamot and cardamom. Had I brewed this my normal way, it would be too strong. No bitterness.
Rating: 95.
say use 2 (!) tsp for a 4-6 cup pot.I need to find Anisa Persian Tradition retail, some where in the greater San Francisco area…help!
They sell online, if this is nay help … http://www.anisatea.com/?page_id=13
1 TB for 450mL water @ 98C. Steeped 4 minutes. Rating: 98.
For years, the phrase “gray leaf” in the packet copy turned me off this tea. Since then, I’ve drunk some good Keemun, a lot of middling Keemun and a few cups of thin tar that were a travesty. This is the first Keemun where I’ve caught any of the “sweetness” or “floral/orchid” notes I’ve read about. The sweetness balanaces a gentle smokiness. The finish is mineral-clean, with, yes, some floral notes in taste and aroma. A very, very good Keemun.
Hey there! I’m making my first true online order .. Stash has a coupon code ( FALLETC ) this weekend, apparently for Canada only… (?)
http://smartcanucks.ca/stash-tea-canada-20-off-your-entire-purchase/
I think I’ll try Golden Monkey and the have one on there called “Fancy Golden Tippy Hao Ya Black Tea” , I assume something like Black Needles.. ? Any other recommendations? :D
The coupon is 20% off , by the way..
Wow. Nice discount. I just re-stocked, otherwise I’d pounce on that.
Lessee, what would I recommend … you’re thinking black tea, right? I haven’t tried the Fancy Golden Tippy Hao Ya, though I almost ordered it last time. Stash’s Black Needle Yunnan is excellent. They also carry an estate Assam, Kopili, which is great. The Keemun, above, is lovely. They were carrying a Darjeeling Wood Smoke OP, which I quite liked but really have to be in the mood for. Their Caravan is a good smoky tea without getting in your face like some lapsangs. In the Yamamoto line, they carry a bagged pu-erh that I really like, plus a chrystanetmum pu-erh. I know, bagged, but really good. I haven’t found a pu-erh yet that I like better, and I’ve given up trying, as most pu-erhs upset my stomach. I think you’ll really like the Golden Monkey. Their China Yunnan is a so-so everyday Yunnan, nothing great, but really nothing wrong with it, either. If you like Earl Grey, Stash does a double bergamot version that blows people’s minds. (I am not a regular EG drinker, so I’m not a good one to ask about it.) There are some very good Darjeelings in their Teas if India line; I prefer the second flush.
Awesome, thanks for the reply! Maybe I’ll hold off on the Fancy Golden Tippy Hao Ya for now since I’ve got lots of other choices. I think I trust your judgment on the Black Needle Yunnan so much that I’ll order buy 3 get one free (+20% off!!) as that’s the best deal I can even imagine on a tea like that – I really loved DavdsTea’s Black Needles so I’m excited for this. :D
I’ve been kind of “experimenting” with Keemun and I think I should try a really good one, so I’ll give that one a shot too.
I know I like the maltiness of Assam and if it’s as good as you and others say, I’ll give the Kopili a go.
On a side note, I love how Stash actually give volume discounts when you buy 100g or more :D:D
I might go out on a limb and try Guayusa and Black Tea, since it’s made with Yunnan and may serve to replace the morning coffee I’ve been making a part of my routine lately…
Caravan and Darjeeling Wood Smoke: I’m a little scared of smoky teas after I got a tin of Lapsang from DavidsTea …
I’ll try a few bags of the Pu-Erh and Darjeeling Summer, though.. (I found your review “Writer-chick” ;)
Well, that’s it, I think I’m ready to place my order!! :)
Ooh, let me know what you think of the Guayusa and Yunnan — another one I almost ordered. Really hoping you like it all and don’t feel that I steered you wrong.
(gasps) However did you figure out my pseudonym?
Hah, are you serious? You are a writer, n’est-ce pas? :P
Btw, I had to cancel my whole order because of an unexpected vet bill… damn animals, why do we have to love them so much… :P
No, not serious, just being a smart-arse.
Hope your pet’s feeling better.
1 TB for 450mL water @98C, steeped 5+ forgotten minutes.
Okay, I got distracted and FORGOT this tea as is steeped, so I can’t give a fair rating yet. I have no idea how long it sat there.
I can say it’s this seems to be an everyday Yunnan, versus them there fancy black needle varieties I covet. It’s a bit less expensive. This is smooth and mineral and — to my surprise — a bit smoky, like a Keemun, and a bit tarry, like a lapsang souchong. It’s also a bit bitter on the finish, but again, I over-steeped. Getting a faint bite of pepper.
The use of “illusive” in the packet copy makes me giggle. This is all an illusion? They must mean “elusive,” as in, hard to pin down.
1 TB for 450 mL water @ 98C, steeped 4 minutes. Rating: 100.
I really like Yunnan teas. They generally lack the maltiness and pucker of the India black teas, though Golden Monkey will give you some malt.
This Peregrine First Flush is a whole new experience for me. The leaves are wiry and go from copper to earth brown, with plenty of golden tips. The liquor is very complex, with layers and layers of taste. First I got honey in the nose. Then a slightly mineral and fairly typical Yunnan flavour. Then all this oakiness, which could get bitter if the tea is steeped too long, but the bit of astringency tailing the oaky notes brings out the final bits of honey and florals. It reminds me very much of a good malt whisky. No, the tea does not taste like scotch, and it didn’t get me drunk, just blissed, in my tea-dork way. It’s the nuances and complexities of flavour, the way each sip tastes different at different places in your mouth. Notes of oak, fruits, flowers and honey fusing with Yunnan smoothness: a really, really good cup.
1 TB for 450mL water, steeped 8 minutes and counting. Rating: 90.
I usually drink this one from a gourd, but that can get very rich and a bit sweet. Today I made it as a tisane. Earthy and sweet and packing a slow-burn buzz, Jumpy Monkey does it again. There’s no one ingredient that makes this blend so good; it’s all of them together. Really different and well worth a try.
1 TB for 450 mL water, steeped 4 minutes 15 seconds. Rating: 80
Hmm. Maybe making this one a bit stronger brings out more of the complexity I remember, but it still isn’t the same as the first batch I ever tried. Lots of creamniess and heft from the Yunnan and Keemun, and some smoke from the Keemun, but also a sharpness I’m not sure I care for, a “typical” bitterness I find in cheaper blends. The Uva maybe? Did I scald the Assam? It’s still a fine blend, but I am dinstinctly not in the mood for it this morning.
1 TB for 450mL water @ 90C, 4 minute steep, 100.
Bliss. And even better, now that I can get my water to the best temp. The packet recommended 94 degrees, but I’m quite happy with 90 degrees — major creaminess. Sometimes, when I was making this with a kettle and guessing at the water temp, I’d get a bitterness if the water was too hot.
What can I say about the Quangzhou Milk Oolong? It lives up to the copy. It’s soothing. It’s good for at least two steeps. I only steep it four minutes, as I’ve found anything longer invites a green flavour note that I don’t want. An expensive tea, but worth every penny. Creamy, floral — in a complex way — a tiny bit toasty, a very faint bit mineral. I love this tea.
