Teabox

Aromas of chamomile, tofu, mixed greens and unripe mango, wax apple.
Fairly brisk on the palate. Green mango initial taste gives way to celery and general vegetal
Later steeps give a slight tickling in the throat

light honey vegetal aroma
lower astringency
lingering citrus finish
later steeps the honey and vegetal reduced with the citrus left standing

Thought I’d review this again as we are tasting the 2016 vs the 2017.

Wet leaf
2016: peppery and vegetal
2017: more intense aromas. creamed corn, floral and mild pepper

liquor and aroma
2016: bitter vegetal.
again very vegetal and peppery. high astringency

2017:
floral
high astringency, but not as noticeable due to the creaminess/umami. bit of a lactic quality like a sour sausage

Overall, the 2017 is more floral, mouth-filling and balanced. whether this is merely due to being fresher rather than vintage variation unknown, but fun to compare.

This is for the 2016 spring:
Full bodied with strong nutty umami mid-palate. This umami note really fattens it up in the mouth. mushy peas, buttered asparagus, pepper, peanut butter, rubber, orange.
full flavoured, more asparagus later steeps

2016 harvest

Apparently, I am going through a Darjeeling thing these days. I am not quite sure how or from whom this tea landed in my sample box, so my apologies to the lovely soul who sent a couple of spoons of this tea my way. Though you shall remain nameless, I appreciate you because this is a fine, yet unexpected, cup.

Here, I am picking up an appealing combination of custard, jasmine, and orange blossom on a light base, light as in black but veering in the direction of oolong green. Lovely.

A very interesting mild chai. In the dry leaves, the primary aroma is cardamom. The smell of the steeped tea is soft and woody, while the taste is that of a standard green tea with a very subtle background note of spice. The almond and saffron don’t particularly come through for me, but it’s nonetheless a very nice tea which would go with most foods or times of day.

The dry leaves have a woody, malty aroma. The tea itself smells of dates and wood, with a slight smoky/nutty/earthiness. It very easily becomes bitter and tannic if oversteeped, or if the water is too hot, but if you manage to brew it just right, it is a lovely, mellow, rounded version of the typical “breakfast tea” flavor. I’m not generally a fan of breakfast teas, but I do have to say that I like this one is better than most.

The dried leaves really do have a strong aroma of dried cherries, which is incredible. That disappears in the tea itself, though. The steeped tea has a woody/nutty aroma, and a strong but not unpleasant wood taste. There’s a very faint note of rose to it, not enough to really distinguish on its own, but just enough to soften and round out the wood. Overall it’s a generic but very well done oolong. It would go with any meal or time of day.

A really interesting tea. It’s most unique note is a grilled/toasted/smoky flavor, much more mild than lapsong souchong or genmaicha, but still definitely present. Under that is a green vegetable flavor, most reminiscent of sweet corn or fresh peas. It’s a very mild, light tea overall, but quite pleasant.

However, a warning: it is EXTREMELY easy to oversteep this tea, in which case it becomes almost undrinkably bitter. Be very careful with the temperature of your water (not yet boiling!) and the time of steeping (3 minutes AT THE MOST, preferably 2). The tea will still be very pale and look unfinished, but trust me, don’t risk it.

I liked this tea much more than I expected to. I’m not a fan of tulsi in tea, but the basil flavor is so mild as to be almost unnoticeable. The ginger isn’t too harsh or overwhelming, but has a warm, rounded flavor. The strongest note is cinnamon. Very mild on the spice-level for a chai, but an excellent tea.

2016 harvest.
Not very fruity, mostly wood with a bit of aromatic sandalwood, vanilla. touch minerally
Medium bodied with slight astringency. I steeped it in a gaiwan, but it didn’t develop with steeps.
First indian oolong and i’m not that impressed, but curious to try more. Purchased on sale

uniform green leaves
rubber, hay, melon, courgette and orange peel aromas
medium bodied with fine astringency and a radicchio pungency

sample included with order. steeped in gaiwan

palate and nose quite consistent with lots of dark flavours: malt, chocolate and amaretto and fig newton.
medium+ bodied with a lingering dusty tannic grip
good, but lacks some complexity

This leaf has an intoxicating fragrance. First, some freshly plucked lilies, then its fresh greens, dried apricot, and orange zest, lastly, its hot hay as a base. I poured my handful into the pot and prepared to brew. The steeped leaf is strong with wood and musk with a sweet floral character. The mix comes out smelling like ginger beer. The taste is sweet and soft with light floral tones and rock sugar. A woody base balances the light tones out; however, I note a viscous grassy undertone that creates a roasted green and burnt sugar aftertaste. The tea is moderate, and I believe this leaf smells so much better than it tastes.

This is the 2016 harvest.

The leaves give off a nice light citrus scent along with a base of corn husk, sweet potato, and candied mango. I can also hint at very light notes of tamarind, papaya, and some floral. I placed a fair amount inside and began steeping. The taste begins strong with papaya and this descends into a chestnut tone towards the base of the tongue. The brew moves with smooth watercress tastes. This brew is fruity and bold with a sweet, tangy, orange (somewhat) aftertaste. However, I would learn more towards grapefruit due to its acidity. The drink is smooth and lasting with a nice green nutty base along with brief astringency towards the end of each sip. I liked it, and I thought it to be decent.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BHQiImig_RR/?taken-by=haveteawilltravel

Typical oolong flavor, sliding a bit towards a ‘green tea’ taste. Very mild. Feels like a good tea to drink in summer, to me.

This is the 2016 spring harvest.

The tea is very vibrantly green and carries a fantastic aroma. The small green curls give off scents of fruit, lemon zest, and light grass tone. I can also pick up some fragrant florals in the mix. I pulled out my cast iron and filled her up. The brew is slightly thin with a smooth sweet tone. A next sip brings a slight spiked and sweet taste on the tip of the tongue along with a moderately floral body. The brew is very light and gives a nice sweet lingering taste on the pallet. The texture is interesting. This is a great lazy Sunday warm weather tea, but it is a bit too thin for my preference.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BHf-Jr5AYWm/?taken-by=haveteawilltravel

First smell was creamed corn, butter and grass, which turned to custard and hay after infusing.
The tea is delicate with aromas of strawberries and a mild nuttiness that is hard to pin down. All very subtle.
Went very well with a Persian frittata

initial vegetal nose. evergreen, mung bean, wood
Infused leaf is heady with lots of flowers, trees, sap and apricots. Stronger infusion yields more of a ‘pledge’ type aroma (teabox mentions citrus oil, so i suppose that’s a better term for it). Mild sweetness throughout
A very gentle grip of astringency holds this all together. very enjoyable

palate is light with a pleasant

Dry leaves: honey and strawberries. Washed leaves are very worty, malty and floral.
I used a gaiwan to steep.
Again this grainy wort aroma on the infusion, along with rose, peaches, strawberries and slight plastecene.

It’s rich on the palate with the aromas following through. medium- fine-grained astringency.

Robust and tasty

I had received this sample from nishnek a while back, but I’ve been slowly catching up on sampling teas from previous swaps.

I didn’t dwell on this one too long last night, for it was late and I had a long day of processing shipments at work. I’ve been trying to accomplish new steps at the job; to which I’ve received many compliments from the boss. He hadn’t realized that I was catching onto the work so quickly, but I simply suggested that I have had an abundance of help from my coworkers, so the work is less tedious all thanks to them. My job isn’t too difficult when understanding the processing aspect of the job; however, there are so many tiny steps and issues that arise, that it can get overwhelming and extremely tedious. Fortunately, I’m willing to learn and take many large steps to obtaining such information from the help of others.

With that whole monologue past us now….

Notes: The dry leaf has a sweet pine aroma; while the wet leaf reminds me of dandelions. The tea is extremely astringent, and it leaves you with the dryness in the back of the throat—with that dryness, there is a pine nuttiness lingering too. Overall, it’s a nice tea, but nothing I’d write home about ( << who says that?).

It has a lot of rich, deep notes, but alongside that are coppery, bright sparkles. If I were to liken this to music, it’d be like a cello accompanied by a lovely child’s voice. Like something that one would play in a rustic church.

Full review at http://sororiteasisters.com/2016/11/02/mission-hill-black-teabox/