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I realized last night that it’s been forever since I last had a gong fu oolong session. I love my green oolongs and they have been sadly neglected while I dallied about with dazzling new flavors and alluring Japanese greens. I’m sorry oolong. You deserve better. This Sunday morning is all yours.

I snipped open my sample pack of Alishan from Canton Tea and was greeted with the most seductive aroma. Honey and green and flowers. Oh yum.

First steep: This was pretty light, as is normal. The color was a lovely bright yellow and the taste was sweet and vegetal. The honey note is making a shy appearance here. Not too floral.

Steep two: This steep! Mmmm… The leaves are smelling like cooked bok choy and the tea so honey sweet and brothy. It’s lightly vegetal but mostly floral honey. The after taste reminds me of a juicy ripe plum. Did I really abandon my green oolongs for the savory oceanic flavors of Japanese greens? I guess they both have their merits… but nothing beats the complexity of a good oolong.

Steep three: Oh my! How that small handful of leaves has grown! I’m surprised every time. The smell is so intoxicating. Forget those fancy designer perfumes. Just dab some of this on your wrists and you’re ready to go. This steeping is, at the same time, honey sweet yet fruity and crisp. This might be the honey-like green oolong I’ve ever had. I love how the vegetal flavors are staying the in background for now. By the third steep, many oolongs are mostly vegetal and only barely floral and fruity. So delicious.

Steep four: This steep is possibly my favorite thus far. It’s more balanced and the flavors are more subtle. It’s still floral and sweet. Less honey. vegetal only in the after taste. It’s got a very crisp finish, yet a lovely flavor lingers in your mouth. Like apple skin. Very fresh.

Last cup for now. I’m getting quite hungry, and I’ll be needing more than tea to sustain me, I think. What a shame. :) I am very pleased with this oolong though. It’s invigorating, yet also calming. Gong fu brewing and tasting often puts me in a meditative frame of mind.

I finally purchased some honeybush blends from 52teas because of that promo code. I had barely the restraint to stop myself as it is. The promo just broke through my self-control. hah! Now I DEFINITELY have more tea than I need. More so than before.

Mint chocolate has long been a favorite flavor combo of my, much to my husband’s dismay. He seems to think that mint is vile except in toothpaste. Weird guy. Lucky for me though because it’s the only flavor of chocolate I can leave around the house and take my time to savor without worrying that it’s going to be gone the moment I turn my back. :D

This tea definitely delivers on the promised flavor too! Peppermint and dark chocolate pairs wonderfully here. Both take on a prominent role, though the mint is easier to find. The chocolate’s darker flavor tried to meld with the honeybush, but doesn’t succeed. Like the Grasshopper honeybush, I sort hoped for a creamier mouthfeel. Maybe some added chocolate chips would have done the job. I am grateful that it wasn’t added though since it would only be extra weight when I can easily add my own chips to the brew. Next time… :)

I think I may try this as a latte at some point. It tastes great as it is though.

Traveled for work again. This time I had different colleagues and the trip was much better. Much longer flight though. It’s a trade-off I guess.

I brought only this tea with me. Matcha is so easy. You just stir it into whatever water you have, be it hot or cold. Most of the time, I just added a some into my water bottle and shook the heck out of it. Frothy and delicious. I would have liked it better hot, but it’s still tea. Can’t complain. :) I also love the color of matcha. It’s such a lovely green. It makes you feel positively healthy. :)

Took the puppies out for a walk. Marveled at the budding greens of spring. Nibbled on a bit of wild garlic growing on my lawn. Came home with pups bounding before me only to notice a package by the door. Holy cow! It’s my Den’s Tea package! That was quick! And I was just getting thirsty.

I can smell the toasty cereal. There’s a hint of rice crackers. The brew is a brown and not beautiful to look at but comforting and familiar.

The taste? Hm… definitely roasty and honey sweet and a little grainy. It reminds me of a darker oolong and medicinal tea. It is also, very warming and soothing. Smoother than other houjichas I’ve had but not necessarily better. Unique and interesting, but not really that delicious. I may need time to adjust to this one. Hmmm…

THis time, I followed directions to used boiling water, but I think I might prefer it at green parameters. I’ll try that next time.

ooh, wow. It’s got one of those caffeine kicks that start you shaking.

I got a sample size of this and it was quite pricy. I mean, anything you buy in British currency is going to be pricy, but I guess this is also a yellow tea. Rarest of the rare. :) Still not entirely sure what makes this different from a white tea, though it doesn’t taste quite like other white teas I’ve had. This taste is very crisp and clean. Like salad. Yes, this reminds me of salad. Spring mix sans dressing. The flavor is also quite light, but it’s possible that I simply didn’t use enough leaf. Though with a caffeine kick like this, more leaf would probably have been a bad idea. Next time I drink this, I’ll have some food first.

This tea went for three steeps with me.

I think it’s crazy how my tea cravings change from week to week. Sometimes I want something fruity, other times, only dessert-y will do. Sometimes, I want pure and unadorned tea. I want to taste nothing but the leaf. Not too long ago, I would have told you that green oolongs are by far my favorite. These days, I’m having a renewed love affair with Japanese greens.

This particular tea tastes like grass and minerals. It’s full and brothy and also a bit drying, but not astringent. Sweet. The taste reminds me of summer somehow. I think I’ll cold steep the used leaves. Too tired for another cup now. :)

Mmmmm… this is delicious. I think this might be my favorite of the samples Teavivre has sent me. And of course it serves me right that this is currently out of stock since I took so long to get to reviewing this one. This will come back on stock soon, right? right??? Puppy dog eyes

I’m always surprised how flavorful the teas from Teavivre can be even when the liquid is so lightly colored. It’s a lovely light color though. Pale yellow-y green. Like new spring. :) The smell and flavor is like a cross between gyokuro and chun mei green. This brew is sweet and green and nutty with a overall sense of savory goodness. It’s completely smooth with no drying sensation whatsoever. It also complements my homemade spicy shrimp fried rice amazingly well.

Yum. So smooth and sweet and savory… Time for steep 2!

After my delicious experience with the Coconut Pouchong, I had high hopes for this one.

The dry leaf smelled amazing. It reminded me of the crust of a creme brûlée, one of my favorite desserts. After brewing, the tea seemed less like toasty caramel and more like roasty oolong with a hint of caramel in the background. I wanted a stronger caramel flavor than I got and the oolong was a bit darker than I preferred, but it was still pretty good. There’s definitely a nectary sweetness and roast flavor. I wouldn’t necessarily want this again, but it was enjoyable.

This tea is very tasty! And that’s high praise from me, a black tea novice. I’ve loved every other variety of tea, but black has mostly been meh for me. this one though! Tasty! I drank it without additions and loved the sweet buttery flavor. The rum is pretty apparent as well. It just reminds me so much of the holidays somehow. And the coconut is there in the background rounding out the flavors. I added a bit of almond milk and sugar at the end and it was meh. This tastes better straight. I’m thinking about ways I can bake with this though.

The tea leaves were surprisingly large. I loved the coconut peices and flower petals. Pretty! The tea base was unobtrusive and drying but not astringent. I wish I could say more but black tea is not my forte. This would be good with a sweet breakfast though! Like crepes! I haven’t made crepes in forever! Crepe party! My place. Sunday. Bring your favorite topping. :) I’ve got some speculatius spread and homemade kumquat marmalade!

I also want to add that the caffeine here is gentle but invigorating. I’ve had teas that kick you in the face with caffeine but this one comes up to you and gets to know you like a friend.

Erm, I’m horrible. I forget who sent this to me… I’m sorry! This tea is so delicious! The spices are well balanced and not too much fennel or anise or any of that licorice flavor. Bleh. The roastiness sort of gave this a caramel-like flavor. I need more of this. Better than rooibos or black base. There should be more kukicha blends out there.