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My god, is this really Tie Guan Yin? I just brewed the 2015 Teavivre Tie Guan Yin and if you had asked me in a blind tasting, I would have sworn this was a Jin Xuan Oolong. The leaves are green, not darker roasted like traditional Tieguanyins I’ve tasted, and it smells super buttery and fresh like popcorn. (Update: I now realise after a bit more tea experience that this is what non-roasted Tieguanyins usually taste like.)

It’s also strange that this green oolong is brewed at 212˚F.

1st infusion: Beautiful, buttery, fragrant, clear.

2nd infusion: Still smells and tastes buttery, but subtle and a tad bitter.

3rd and 4th infusions: As the Chinese saying goes, 三道四道是精华。No bitterness this time, just a subtle floral butteriness.

This is such a gorgeous tea. It’s only my third Bai Mudan, but I’m in love with its floral perfume and elegant sweetness. Either I brewed it really precisely this time, or it’s more forgiving than the other White Peony I’ve tried.

Compared to the White Peony from Lupicia, Teavivre’s Premium White Peony has greener (fresher) leaves and imparts a lot more flavour and brightness to the tea. Both have the same delicious floral and plummy taste.

Pro tip: When preparing tea for a movie night in, brewing it gongfu style adds too much complication.

I received two sachets of these Dan Cong oolong leaves from Teavivre. They’re beautiful long, whole rolled leaves and really potent, only requiring 10s of brewing at 203˚F and then adding 5 seconds with each subsequent brew. (Then again, this is my first time brewing with 7g of leaves.) Hopefully I can give the second sachet the brewing it deserves.

First infusion: Slightly bitter, as to be expected from the first infusion of a darker oolong / black tea, but very fragrant with a smoky, woody scent.

The second infusion, unfortunately I burnt it but I could still taste the underlying fruitiness despite the charred astringency.

Fourth infusion has a nice earthy, fruity flavour like smoky cherries along with the perfumed wood.

The buttery, almost oily popcorn fragrance lasts through three infusions –– what a high quality tea! Absolutely gorgeous.

Note: The correct brewing temperature for this tea is 195˚F, in my experience, instead of the 200˚F specified on the packet.

Had this brewed at 205˚F and it was pretty astringent, had the smoky roasted and metallic quality but flat like the dull peal of a bell. At 200˚F it was also burnt, the leaves smelled like they were on fire.

At 195˚F it tasted like an earthy freshwater well, elegant and subdued. Very nice everyday dry (not sweet) tea.

Had the 2014 Heritage Golden Buddha at Sons and Daughters restaurant at the end of a 6-course tasting. Drank it out of a cast iron teapot so it’s going to taste different from brewing in a gaiwan.

Very smoky, dark-roasted tea, a serious demeanour housing an inner kindness and serenity. Not sweet at all but a perfect complement to desserts, presenting no bitterness against the bright young sugar, but instead calming it with sage groundedness. I tasted notes of smoke, toasted rice, nuts, and some undefinable iron earthiness.

Precision, precision, precision. I’m a big fan of the 2-degree temperature accuracy. This kettle makes life so much easier for a tea drinker, and I love the dainty gooseneck spout too. It looks singularly minimalist and beautiful compared to almost every other temperature-control kettle on the market.

I make sure to empty out the kettle every night and remove the cap so that it doesn’t rust. Also, I got a faulty base with the “Hi-Err” message but filled out the form and they are shipping me a new base, so hopefully the new one works flawlessly.

Finally brewed it correctly. 5g / 185˚F / 45s and wing it from there.

Enjoying. Increasing rating.

Seriously, despite all the stems and bits of broken leaves in it, this tea smells and tastes fantastic. Even when I probably broke some tea rules by combining parts of 4 separate steepings into my Thermos, it keeps beautifully throughout the day for hours of pampering.

This tastes pretty terrible on its own. It’s a little better with milk, but nevertheless leaves this weird aftertaste that clings to my tongue. Like an artificial orange candy.

I was hoping I could find some good non-caffeinated teas for night sipping at DAVIDsTEA but it’s not really working out so far. All their flavoured teas need to be rinsed –– maybe rinsed twice. Sticking with Lupicia and Alice’s Tea Cup from now on.

Tastes super buttery with that fresh green tea taste. Surprisingly similar to the Pre-Rain Dragonwell, but apparently this is easier to brew. I’ll buy this when my 雨前龙井 runs out.