Tea Source

This was my breakfast tea this mroning. I was going to try something new, but I just wasn’t in the mood. I wanted something black with caffeine. Again, I enjoyed it for a plain, good black tea in the morning. I love that this one came in its own tin.

Had this one this morning for breakfast. I liked it. No bitterness, although a slight astringent note when it was very hot. When the tea cooled a little bit it was smooth. I wish I could smell! The package says it has an amazing aroma. A very nice tea in the morning.

I ran out of peppermint tea last week while I was sick so I decided to pull this out of the back of my cupboard. I’ve tried it several times, but don’t really care for it, which is why it’s been hiding in the back of my cupboard for over a year now. I don’t really think peppermint and keemun really work well together, so the last of this is going in my swap box.

I’m not crazy about this one—not a surprise. I’ve had mixed reactions to China Blacks and especially the ones from Anhui. I do love Black Bud and Hunan Dark and Keemun Mao Feng, which is an Anhui tea. But hated Empire Keemun, and this is more reminiscent of that one. Just a bit too earthy, too smokey for my tastes—especially unadulterated with milk—a little dairy or almond milk does make this more drinkable, but hardly a favorite.

Tired some 2012 sheng last night. Bought a 200 gram brick for 8.99.
New brick not sure of any of the specifics about it.
All I know is using a puerh knife is mint I am getting way better taste since the leaves are generally more intact.

Used a small amount of leaves 4.5 grams to my 6 oz gaiwian, did a 10 second rinse followed by 30 seconds rest for the leaves.

First flavors noted were a Mellon like vegetal taste with a slight smokey aspect.
Very smooth for the first 5 infusions. Almost like water in a good way. Didn’t want too much buzz before bed sometimes tea gives me the most intense dreams if I over indulge before I fall asleep.
After around 7 infusions I noticed a minerally aspect to it with very little bitterness but some astringency found.

Not too much qi with this small amount of leaves but this morning I ramped it up to 8.5 grams of leaves to my 6 ounce gaiwian.
Same rinse and rest of the leaves but I found this is where I find this tea shines.
the taste was smooth just as last time but more flavor in each steeping.

The Muskmelon taste is back and more predominant.
I found a rather notable vegetal smokey flavor to take over the majority of the infusions.
I find the lingering taste to be more apparent but still no dryness to this puerh.
Took it to 20 steeping’s before I wanted to try something else.

Gonna experience this one a few more times before I age it.

I did really like this—and maybe I might like it even more iced. If I don’t rate it that high—well, I’m actually not a huge fan of herbals. I decided to get some hibiscus tea because I’d read it could lower cholesterol—so why not give it a try? But I found the pure stuff way too sour to tolerate.

I got Peach Paradise from TeaSource to see if I could enjoy it with a mix of things. It may be there’s too little hibiscus here or the Orange Blossom Special to be therapeutic, but at least I can enjoy them, and the hibiscus, though still apparent, is not overwhelming. I got the Orange Blossom Special to see if I might like it more than the other blend with Hibiscus offered by TeaSource—the answer is no—it’s enjoyable, but I do like the Peach Paradise more.

Received this from a TTB. I’m liking it quite a bit more then I thought I would. In fact, the longer I let it steep the better it is. Maybe it’s just because all the other flavors come out more to settle the hibiscus. Speaking of hibiscus, when I first steeped the tea it was super strong _. But the flavors have now melded into a wild and sour mix. I like! It could also be that I kinda accidentally dumped a table spoon full into the brewer that is bringing out such an intense flavor…

I had this tea at the Bad Waitress this afternoon- my friends and I don’t usually make it to brunch before noon haha. This tea smells AMAZING- like the blueberry smell from blueberry muffins. It tastes just as amazing too! I added some sugar and the blueberries just popped. Yum. If you like blueberries, you will love this tea.

This is a tea to play with for sure. The dry leaf looks like a crushed mix of all the different white teas. Different hues of green, a silver needle thrown in here and there. It looks a bit like Shou Mei and it smells creamy like it too only it’s wilder and has more colors to the mix.
I brewed this Western style checking at each minute and stopped steeping after 3 minutes at 165F.
The wet leaves look like crushed up leaves from an Autumn leaf pile and smell like potato peels.
Liquor is golden champagne color and smells like honey and spices.
The flavor is sweet, cream, honey, a very light light cinnamon and nutmeg.
Overall, a fun potpourri type of tea with lots of different colors, flavors, and scents going on because it seems to have lots of different styles white tea leaves all mixed together.

I brewed this one at a lower temp but next time I will try a few degrees hotter to see how this one changes.

Thank you darby for this sample. Unfortunately I don’t get much flavour neither tea taste.
Tea Source says this tea is perfect as iced, so this is how I will use rest of the sample.

I had a very different impression of this tea than that in the other tasting note. I don’t taste the vegetal/broccoli note—which for me is a good thing. I did find it astringent, even bitter, and I steeped it at a lower temperature than the other reviewer, at 160 F, the low end of what was recommended, rather than 190, which is the temperature more for an oolong or Darjeeling. But really, a higher temperature and longer steeping time should make it more bitter, not less. It’s drinkable, and my aunt liked it, but among the several green teas I’ve tried from TeaSource, thjs is no favorite and not one I’d order again. Among their unflavored Green Teas I prefer Houjicha, Iccha Kariban , Clouds and Mist and Pi Lo Chun Imperial.

I was expecting the dark, musty, barnyardy qualities that I’ve experienced with other puerh teas, so I was surprised at how light colored, thin bodied, and delicate this tea was. Now for the tea itself, it is fantastically interesting, with a host of aromas and several layers of flavors entertaining your whimsy. But I really would have to characterize it as an experience more closely related to that of a dark oolong. I would have trouble justifying the price on this, but if someone made me a mug of it and said “there you go” I would thank them and enjoy it quite a bit.

Katiek sent this to me over the summer in her incredibly generous mystery tea box and I’ll admit, I left this one to sit for awhile. I’m just not a huge fan of hibiscus, but it does have its uses, it is great for clearing all the mucus that builds up when your sick (sorry, kinda gross, I know.)

I pulled this out today because between the Vitamin C from the fruit and the hibiscus I thought it would be a great tea for when I’m sick. I’m not sure how much Vitamin C I’m really getting with my cup of tea since the heat process used in drying fruit decreases the amount present in the fruit (Vitamin C is heat sensitive.) I just figure some is better than none and nothing else is doing me any good.

On the plus side, since I can’t taste anything right now, I don’t even notice the hibiscus #winnerwinnerchickendinner… sorry, that’s the cold medicine talking… I should probably go back to bed.

No rating for now, I’ll rate this when I can actually taste again.

I like first flush Darjeelings, and always buy them where ever I go. This one offers a good standard of what you can expect. A little too green for me, it still had nice notes of fresh spring peas. Would have liked some added complexity though.

A review of House Green by Tea Source

Company: Tea Source
Tea Name: House Green
Tea Type/Varietal: Green
Region: China
Steeping Vessel/Amt. Leaf: cup/ loose leaf
Liquor Color: light green
Leaf Characteristics: leaves are fuller when steep and smells very green/broccoli like; so very yummy aroma.

1st Steeping:
Water temperature: 190 Fahrenheit
Time: 3 minutes

I am enjoying sampling of these green teas and this is by far the best of the teas that I have sampled. After steeping the tea for a few minutes the tea’s aroma is so green and yummy/veggie like of steam broccoli. Tea’s color is lightly green and when I sip of the tea it is very nice and cleanly refreshing.

I don’t find it to be astringent but good for me kind of tea. So I sip and sip until done and fix myself another cup of the tea using same tea leaves.

2nd Steeping:
Water temperature: 195 Fahrenheit
Time: 2 minutes

Note: With this next steep tea is very mild and again I must say there does not seem to be any astringency. It is a freshly aromatic tea smelling very much of greens and pleasantly sweet aroma. Overall this tea is smooth, cleanly with no after taste. I find that I like this tea best in what I have sampled to date. Thank you to the folks at An International Tea Moment for sending me these samples to enjoy and experience.

This puerh is a sheng style, or uncooked tea. The leaves are twisted and with a brownish green hue. The dry leaf has smokey aroma with hints of leather and “forest”. Puerh tea has an unmistakable and hard describe flavor I sometimes think of as “dank”, like the smell of exploring an old barn or a slightly damp basement.

I rinsed the tea and for the first infusion I used about 4 grams of tea with about 3.5 oz of water at 200F, and brewed for about 2 minutes. I rarely am exact with tea…I think that is part of the fun.

FIRST STEEP: The leaves opened up immediately, producing a deep amber liquor, somethig similiar to a darker oolong like Red Robe or Oriental Beauty. Like the dry leaf, the first steep had dominant notes of leather, dry smoke (think fall leaf burning in the countryside), a lingering dry/grassy sweetness and a touch of minerality (like you put a pebble in your mouth!). If you like smokey scotch, you will appreciate this tea. I happen to love Scotch…

Steep time on second infusion was about a minute.

SECOND STEEP: After steep 2, the leaves are almost completely open showing their slightly reddened edges. The dominant aroma continues to be smoke. The subtle sweetness has backed off and the “dry” flavor has become more dominant. The slight astringency is on par with a fairly dry red wine. Still a nice herbaceous (think vegetal) after taste.

THIRD STEEP: Less dry, slightly more sweet.

FOURTH STEEP: all flavors have diminished, but a sweetness continues to develop. Interesting!

Nice tea, especially for multiple steeps in the Gaiwan. Lots of dry, smokey flavors reminiscent of autumn. Not the most complex tea in terms of it developing over subsequent steeps, but a nice tea non the less.

Music listened to while tasting: Keith Jarrett “Live at the Blue Note”

Good general white tea. Nothing mind-blowing, but it will do.

At first I wasn’t too impressed with this tea, especially when I compared it to Silk Road Teas delicious Darjeeling. I’m fairly new to tea.

But after having it a few more times, I’ve fallen in love with it. It’s very complex and musical, with hints of grapefruit and smoke. It’s like Jazz on the tip of your tongue. It’s also very good iced with some raw honey and lemon.

Very nice full bodied black tea.

Thank you to TeaEqualsBliss for sending me some of this tea!

This is tasty. The strawberry flavor is a bit lighter than I expected it to be, and the pepper isn’t a strong taste either, but it is just enough to bring out the strawberry notes just a little. It’s tasty, not my favorite strawberry tea but it’s nice.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1DeWkUzycZw
Kenny Rogers Buried Treasure…haven’t heard this one in YEARS.
I actually forgot about it to tell you the truth.

I was pleasantly surprised with this one! Meghann M sent it to me and I am so grateful! This has a medium black tea base with just enough berry notes to liven-it-up! The peppercorns had be concerned but they work well…there isn’t much pepper flavor but just enough to add a little zing to the berries! Very nice!