Green Terrace Teas

Finally broke down on this crazy restrictive diet and said I’m having a tea or else I’ll blow the whole diet and have something else. So a tea it was. Brewed this in my teeny tiny yixing teapot. At least with the pot being so tiny, it reduces the amount of caffeine I’ll be getting. I remember getting this teapot and thinking “You’ve got to be kidding!”. Now I think I prefer super tiny pots!

I brewed for 30 sec on the first steeping. Noticed the wonderful floral notes. My breathing is getting a bit better from the diet so I’m smelling and tasting more. Although I smelled floral notes, nothing came through floral in the taste. This oolong is very clean, clear tasting oolong. That may sound contradictory since it also has a buttery, milky flavour. It’s a bit lighter than other milk oolongs I’ve had. I noticed from other reviews that most prefer a heavier milky taste & aroma with milk oolongs but I think this one has it’s place depending on what you prefer or feel like.

2nd & 3rd infusions were still good at 45 sec each. The milky , buttery flavour seemed lighter.
I think next time I have this tea, I might play around a bit with the steep times to see what different tastes come out.

What a piece of heaven in my day. Since it’s been awhile since I’ve had a cup of anything but peppermint or rooibos, it tastes like heaven to me. I think this tea has make me calmer instead of feeling a rush of caffeine.

I’ve never had a Roasted Dong Ding Oolong before. I always see them on websites but I figure I have enough roasted oolongs as it is.
Since this was a sample option I figured now would be a good time to try.
Even though it was expected I still felt glad to see/taste that this one wasn’t floral or vegetable at all! XD Definitely roasty!
Since I haven’t had many other Dong Ding Oolongs to compare it to I can’t really rate it. It’s not bad. Definitely roast-y. Definitely my favorite out of the three samples.
Thanks so much for the free samples, Green Terrace Teas! ^^

So I know I started out with drinking oolongs wrong when i first got into tea. My dad has a worker in China who has stayed at our house a few times over the years. She always used to just put a bunch of tea leaves in her cup and then keep adding water. Over-steeping did not exist in her world. And neither did it in mine till I found this forum. xD
Sometimes I like to still be a bad tea drinker and drink tea like that, without a strainer. I’ve been tempted to do that with these Green Terrace Teas. They are too light for me it feels like. Perhaps I am used to drinking strong and sometimes bitter oolongs, so when I drink the vegetable, floral kinds they’re too light for me.
The steeping time on Steepster says a minute, but after doing it for a minute I wanted it to be stronger so I steeped it for a bit longer.
Was hoping for a stronger Li Shan like I’ve had in the past but like the other sample I tried it’s light and floral-y. I mean, it is a bit stronger than the other of course. But not strong enough for me I suppose.
I’m hard on teas. :P

My last sample from Green Terrace Teas.

Method: gongfu session with gaiwan. 5 second rinse. Steeping times: 5, 5, 10, 15, 20, 30, 45, 60.

The aroma of the dry leaf is like a freshly baked pie with an unusual mix of fruits, which I picked out in the following order: plums, Granny Smith apples, lemons, limes, and orange rinds. The wet leaf aroma is sweet with just a hint of tartness, and is dominated by plums and apples. It’s as if the leaves were asserting, “I’m a FRUIT.” Speaking of the leaves themselves, they’re surprisingly smaller, and their colors are interesting and lovely when they’re completely unrolled. Many of them are army green with rusted red patches.

By golly, what a liquor! The color of white grape juice, it is smooth, medium-bodied, bright, and energetic. I can taste every fruity note I got a whiff of and even a hint of lavender. And it’s so incredibly sweet that the sweetness clings for minutes and minutes after the last sip of each cup.

This tea is one of those that gets one thinking, “Is this really tea??” Wow, so sweet. Very fruit. I am happy to have saved this one for last. I’ve never had a Gui Fei oolong before let alone even heard of it, and although I have no other Gui Fei’s to compare this one to, I still think it’s amazing. I just finished the last infusion at this moment and I feel energized!! A final and a very big thank you to Green Terrace Teas!

Finally getting around to trying these samples. Only took me forever. But I’m doin’ it!
I’ve always wanted to try a Four Seasons oolong. Teavana had one that I’d been interested in, but I didn’t wanna spent like 17 bucks on tea that I don’t even know I’ll like. xD
So when I saw that this Four Seasons was a sample I figured I’d try it, so I can maybe get an idea of what other Four Seasons oolongs might taste like…
I don’t know what I was expecting from this tea, but the initial veggie flavor didn’t really thrill me too much. But as I continued to drink a floral, almost jasmine taste came out. Which was quite nice.
I think I’m mainly just used to roasted oolongs than veggie/floral kind, so this one seemed weird to me. Glad I tried it though!
Thanks for the samples, Green Terrace Teas! :D

This is my last sample from GTT.
I love it . Super tasty
Gongfu
4g 100 ml gaiwan 200F
Rinse/10/15/15/20/20/30 etc
This tea is so flavorful, smell is amazing. Plums, longan, honey and chestnut( I think) or some kind of other nuts(?)
Delicious. Lingering aftertaste long after finish my tea.
I am so glad being able to try, thank you so much Green Terrace Tea.

The scent of this tea reminds me of buttered corn. It smells very rich and creamy! I can’t wait to see what this one tastes like… always eager to try a new milk oolong!

Sipping… this is so weird, but what I’m tasting is really buttered corn. It has that rich sweetness that corn kernels have, but a nice buttery background as well. What I like about it is that it’s on the sweeter end of things and not the savory. It’s not sugary like some other milk oolongs out there, but still retains enough of that sweetness to make the cup delicious. The entire sip is smooth and gentle. This is really tasty. I wouldn’t say that this is my favorite milk oolong in the world, but it’s buttery, unique and very enjoyable.

Thank you so much, Green Terrace Teas for a sample of this tea!

oh yeah… there’s a reason this one is on my wishlist. Must make a purchase! Thanks you kimquat for sending this one my way and letting me revisit it. Still love it, still want it. noms!

GCTTB

I pulled this one out of the box to try today because it’s been a while since i had it and i wanted to see if my first experience with this one was repeatable. Turns out, it was. This is an excellent tea from GTT and one that need to go on my wish list now for a future purchase! Honey notes are really tasty in this one!

this was another sample from the Green Terrace teas and the one i was most looking forward to. Let me tell you, THIS is where it’s at. I much prefer this one to the honey black. While the honey black is nice, this one is much more bold in it’s deliciouness! matly cocoa, sweet delicious cup of yum. I’ve only done one steep, but i’ll be resteeping this so wee what happens with the other steepings.

thank you again green terrace teas! love this!

This is the second bitten-leaf tea I tried from Green Terrace, and I loved the other, Eastern Beauty, rating it one of the best teas I’ve had. Not so much a fan of this one, though. Brewed aroma is a nice honeysuckle that somewhat carries through to the flavor, however I am finding the flavor to be somewhat thin. Plus it has a fair amount of astringency.

Writing this review in exchange for Green Terrace’s “Tea for Reviews” sample offer, so I regret not being able to write a more positive review but have to be straight with my fellow Steeps. I did also love the 3rd sample I tried, Li Shan Black, review forthcoming, so overall I am definitely glad to have had the sampling opportunity from Green Terrace.

Thank you so much for sending me a generous sample of this, Green Terrace Teas.

Method: Gongfu session with gaiwan. 2 second rinse. Steeping times: 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 45, 60.

The dry leaf aroma naturally smells roasted, and I also caught candied caramel. After the rinse, the aroma drastically changed – toasted rice, kale, grilled zucchini, and – after the leaves aired in the bowl a bit – banana chips. The wet leaf aroma was different following the fifth infusion: a mixed juice, or maybe fruit salad, with strawberry, banana, and blueberry.

The liquor throughout the session was light gold and full-bodied, and had a wonderfully silky smooth texture. This is one of those teas you just have to let sit in your mouth. There are mostly notes of cooked dark green vegetables, notably collard greens and kale. Underneath these notes was a fruity sweetness – specifically banana at some point. Towards the end of session, when the leaves were beginning to give, the fruit disappeared and a floral quality took over.

This is my first Dong Ding oolong ever. I’ve had very good experience with it. I tend to be most affected by an oolong between the second and fourth infusions, during which, for this one, I felt like one of Dali’s melted clocks (I originally thought melted chocolate but that brings up a totally different taste when one thinks of roasted vegetables). My rating is based not on my experience – rather, lack of experience – with Dong Ding but instead on my overall impression with this individual one.

Argh. Steepster ate my review.

I’ve been steeping this grandpa style all day. Let me walk you through the progression: Honey, sweet black, apricot, plum, malt…. at this point of the day I added some actual honey and it was sweet honey black the rest of the afternoon.

This tea makes me honey obsessed. I’ve been looking up teas with ‘honey’ in the name with the search bar. Any recommendations?

Thank you Green Terrace for this sample!

Today was not such a good day for me. I was having such horrible abdominal cramps that I actually left work early, I think it was probably a food reaction. Either that or I’ll be having a very unpleasant week. I came home and napped the afternoon away and then woke up to make tea. =)

Usually the honey tea I’m familiar with is from Milk tea shops. In which case I doubt it has the same type of ‘honey tea’, usually I think of it more along the lines of milk tea+honey+tapioca pearls.

Color me very surprised when this tea brewed actually reminded me of that taste, although thankfully without the sweetness. I set to brewing it, and then forgot about it for awhile as I took out the trash and watered the plants. I brewed at about 190*, which is lower than normal for a black tea, but the result was a really smooth and beautiful light black tea with honey notes. A touch of floral and a touch of creaminess was laced throughout the sip and it wasn’t at all drying. I’m really glad this is a pretty big sample, but even if it wasn’t, this would be on my ‘buy’ list. I can’t wait to try the other two samples.

The last of my samples, another Green Terrace chose for me. It smells nicely floral (maybe orchids). The flavour is light, buttery, and green. Teas like this are trying to make me prefer green oolongs (which I do like, but usually after lunch.)

Free sample from Green Terrace – thank you.
Gongfu method
4g 100ml gaiwan 200F
Rinse/ 10/10/15/15/20/30 sec etc
Taiwanese teas are perfect for gongfu method. Lots of steeps, some flavors show up and disappear in next steep.
This tea is flavorful and malty. Apricots, plums, cherries and nuts detected. Some steeps I combined in one cup.
Thank you so much Green Terrace for letting me try this tea. It was fun.

This is a free sample from Green Terrace – thank you
I received my samples yesterday. They are very generous. So exciting.
Prepared gongfu method
4g 100 ml gaiwan 190F
Rinse/10/10/15/20/30/45/60 sec etc
I love Taiwanese teas, they are so resilient and perfect gongfu style .
The color of the brew changed from pale yellow to yellow-orange. Smells fruity and nutty.
I’ve noticed longan fruit, apricots and chestnuts. It’s slightly malty, some honey and some spice at the end of the sip. I have to admit that some sips I combined in one cup, but tasted all of them before combining. Now I’m thinking maybe I need to use more leaves. I want it bolder but not bitter.
Thanks Green Terrace for sending a huge sample to try multiple ways. Always a plus in my book.

This tea was a surprising experience. It was an honest to goodness explosion of flavor that provided an adventure for your taste buds. The oolong leaves gave a rich flavor that was full-bodied with a light astringency. It was sweet, it was sultry, it was an oolong that is hard to find elsewhere.

I didn’t want the first steep to end. So enjoyable. I think CameronB nailed it with golden raisin, and to that I’d add cooked golden raisin, maybe simmered in a very light rum then baked into one of those slightly custardy raisin croissants, only not that sweet. A bit of malt and very faint dried apricot. But not that sweet. Almost umami. Smooth with just the faintest passing astringency.

2nd steep (Western) is quite a bit weaker and picks up a bit of fresh apple.

Started off today with yesterday’s abundant leaf. Approx 3 g and it filled the water in my crystal teapot. You could not see through the pot. When I poured I noticed the tea is neon yellow. Looks cool. Tastes nicely sweet and mellow floral. If I were to become a regular oolong sipper it would be one like this. I don’t really care for the dark roasted oolongs, except occasionally. The green ones that are overly geranium/latex also only appeal rarely. This one is just lovely with sweet creamy notes and mild floral. Me like.

This is creamy with floral notes that lean towards lavender without crossing the line into perfume or overwhelming. As it cools more typical green oolong flavors mix in with the unique floral notes. Also present is a nice cooling sensation. Cup two raises the bar a little by adding on to the first with a light butteriness and hints of mint. This is a very lovely cup. I wiil be steeping this leaf again tomorrow.

Thank you, Green Terrace Teas, for a sample!

Gongfu method. Two 5 second rinses. Steeping intervals 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 45, 60.

The dry leaf is wonderful: beautifully rolled, lovely shade of green and brown. Its aroma has a summer air feel in that it’s both floral (lavender, peony, day lilies ) and grassy. The wet leaf aroma is intensely more vegetal, and also creamy and buttery. I could also smell squash.

At the first infusion the leaves have barely unrolled. The liquor has a very pale yellow color. It’s overall feel is medium-bodied and clear, and has sweet corn and floral notes. Second infusion aroma of the wet leaf smells of plum and rhubarb. The liquor itself is full-bodied and flavorful, even more buttery and creamy, and only a little floral. By the third infusion, the leaves have really begun to unfurl. The color of the liquor has turned to neon yellow (against a white porcelain cup). Again, creamy and floral. No more buttery note. I could taste spring, as if I were sitting on my front steps one sunny afternoon and breathing in the early blooming flowers.

The 4th, 5th, and 6th infusions – in which the leaves are totally open – are similar – clear in texture, floral, with a fruity aftertaste. The seventh infusion is still floral, but smooth. I narrowed down the aftertaste to peach. Lastly is eighth infusion, in which the leaves now begin yield a weaker floral note.

This tea sighed “Aaaaah spring!” throughout the session. It’s my first Ali Shan oolong and am delighted at that!

Short review, but so worth it.

Oh, this is honey sweet and so good. Bug bitten oolong goodness, rendering liquified pastries.

Cookie dough.

Floral mouthfeel, with a touch of spice, clove mostly.

I’m using a GIGANTIC 320ml yixing clay pot, so I went all in with the large sample I got from Green Terrace.

Zero astringency, so smooth and delicious.

I am impressed, thank you Green Terrace!