Tealux

Enjoyed this tea this morning. Brewed it exactly like I did before (1 tsp, 185F, 8oz) but this time I picked up some bitter notes. Still an amazing cup. It’s sweet, seaweed, umami, roasty, vegetal. I really enjoyed it this morning.

Has this one early this morning. It’s a tasty tea to have with breakfast. I found it had a very nice roasted rice flavour with a very light green tea base. There was a hint of sweetness in the green tea. Sometimes I find some genmaicha’s too strong caffeine wise but this one was mild. Perhaps because there seemed to be more rice to tea. The green tea was a very dark leaf which looked like sencha. I brewed only for 1 min at 185 for two infusions. Another great tea from Tealux!

The Tealux tour continues, sponsored by Virginia! This tea is an eclectic mix of small twists and flakes in shades of greens and browns that smell quite grapey. They brew up a very light sienna. The taste is not what I would expect from a first flush darjeeling. It’s way more grape-like than the first flushes I’ve had before in my limited experience, but it’s not as “dark” tasting as the second flushes I’ve had. There’s also subtle, almost hidden, notes of hay and florals. It’s kind of an interesting hybrid darjeeling.

This is a lovely spider leg tea, again courtesy of Virginia :). The leaves smell quite fruity and a bit malty, almost like a fruit beer or a lambic. The brew is a reddish brown, but the taste is mainly figs with apricot highlights over a solid malty base. Again, this really reminds of a fruity beer tea…or tea beer? It’s a really bright, fruity tea that really stood out for me. Yum!

Virginia hooked me up with this oolong as well! Thanks so much :)

This is a very dark oolong- almost black- with tightly rolled leaves. The aroma while brewing is strongly apple and the color of the brew looks much more like a strong black tea than an oolong. A strong burnt sugar note pops up first, followed by a distinctly apple taste. The combination is almost exactly like slightly overcooked apple chips, at least the way I make them (1/8 in slices dusted with a cinnamon sugar mix and baked). It was a very interesting oolong for me, but not one that I would purchase.

This sample came from the ever-wonderful Virginia! The leaves are quite twisty and a lovely green. They smell creamy and quite floral as well and brew up a light yellow color. First and foremost from this tea, I get a wonderfully creamy mouthfeel. Added to that are bright florals. I’m not great with differentiating florals, but I’m thinking lilac with hints of orchid. There’s also an unexpected pastry note underneath that is reminiscent of flaky pie crust. As the tea cools, the floral notes build. This oolong is quite lovely, but as far as Tealux oolongs go, my heart still belongs to the Gui Hua Osmanthus oolong.

WOW – this is one of the strangest straight tea’s I’ve ever drank. This is grape oolong, this is more grape than some flavored oolongs I’ve had. Weird, strange, interesting – in a good way. Wouldn’t say brandy, but this is fruity and GRAPE all the way.
It’s really dark, almost black, with just a hint of oolong woody and then the grape – wow – did I mention the grape?
Thank you so much Ubacat for introducing me to this one. Will pick more up with my next Tealux order.

TheTeaFairy included this sample with the very first box she sent me. That seems like a long time ago. So in my quest for cupboard organization, I’m trying to drink some of the samples that I still have lying around.
I’m not really into “drink tea because it’s good for you” – but I do have a guilty pleasure of these “wellness blends”. I normally like that they’ve just dumped a whole lot of stuff into a tea.
This tastes like a wellness blend, a little fruity, a little citrus, a little eucalyptus. I quite like it. Not something I would reach for all the time, but when craving something strange, this would quite fit the bill.
Thanks Fairy – I liked it.

This is a sample from TeaSipper. Thank you!

This cup is hitting the spot this morning, although I am having a really hard time putting my finger on the flavors I am tasting. This cup verges on the spaghetti taste for me. It is slightly astringent, but in a good way. There are hints of bread and then the slight tomato flavor. It is nice this morning! Not something I need again, but I am glad I got to try it.

Another sipdown! This one wasn’t a favourite. Not because it’s an oolong, for a change, but because it tasted of so little. I had high hopes for this one, so I’m a little sad. I love the name, and it’s nice to look at, but sadly it just wasn’t to be.

This is such a pretty tea. The spears are made up of what look like mulitcoloured strands — I can pick out light and dark green, mid brown, and a creamy yellow. I followed the recommended parameters and gave two large-ish spears 4 minutes in water cooled to around 180. The resulting liquor is pale yellow-green. The leaves have a mild grapey scent.

To taste, this is really fairly mild. It’s the second mild oolong I’ve tried so far today, so it just goes to show that not all oolongs are overpoweringly awful. I’m reminded most of all of champagne — there’s a deep grape-like flavour with a mild fruity/floral edge. It’s very easy to drink, although it’s another one that’s reminding me more of a white tea than anything else. I feel odd saying this about an oolong, but I’d really like a stronger flavour. Clearly my tastes are changing!

Another sample gone! This one smells heavenly :) Nice woodsy rooibos with soft, creamy vanilla bean. The flavor is nice. The rooibos is the main flavor with vanilla lingering in the aftertaste. It’s quite enjoyable, actually. The vanilla is creamy and blends well.

This lovely oolong came from Virginia. Huzzah, oolongs! (that’s me, every time I drink one). It’s a rolled oolong, which I enjoy for the presentation, with green leaves and some stems. The smell is very creamy and floral and the brew is a light yellow. It has a wonderfully thick, creamy mouthfeel with a creamy, almost buttery taste to match. It’s naturally sweet and you’re thinking, “oh this is nice, sweet cream tea” until halfway through the sip when delicate florals surprise you and lead to a clean, refreshing finish. You get the best of both worlds! I don’t like this one quite as much as I liked the Gui Hua from Tealux, but it was a fabulous oolong.

This IS the assam you are looking for waves hand. I’ve only tried 4 assams, all thanks to awesome swaps with Ost and Virginia, but this one is where it’s at for me. Thank you to my TFF Virginia for sending it along!
The leaves of this assam are in the spider leg family, but not quite so spidery as the classic TWMB. They brew up a cheerful reddish brown and smell delightfully fruity! This tea is malty, because it is an assam after all. But I’m also getting lovely apricot and maybe a hint of peach?The fruitiness melds into a grain-like flavor with a honey sweet finish. I really love how smooth this tea is! This one definitely goes on my Tealux wishlist and will be the assam I stock!

Have you ever had a tea that smelled so good you had considered using it as potpourri? This is one of those teas for me! The aroma is muscatel (grape) with a hint of currant. The description on Tealux notes the crispness of this tea, and I have to agree. DT’s Grape Expectations with a green base is similar, but the white base of this tea is a bit more mellow.

I saved my leaves from yesterday morning to resteep today. I require more of this tea, which means a Tealux order in my future :-/. I don’t need another company that I regularly place orders with! But this oolong is fantastic. It calls to me.

This oolong came from Virginia in the last box o’awesomeness she sent me :). On the label, she wrote “SO GOOD” and I must say that I agree!

The smell of this tea is just lovely- lightly floral and sweet. It really does smell amazing! The taste does not disappoint either. There’s a delicate peach flavor that comes through, wrapped in beautiful floral and cream notes. It’s no where near the creaminess of a milk oolong, but it works perfectly with peachiness. Nothing about this tea is overdone. It’s just so dainty, graceful, and alluring. I love it :) Thank you Virginia!

Love this tea. I’ve reviewed it before but this morning I’m almost getting a slight carmel note from it. Caramel/Nutty? And so smooth. Nothing astringent about this tea. From Tealux “Unlike other green teas this is not rolled and the leaves and buds stay largely unbroken”.
Anyway, this is a tea I would definitely get again

I had this tea today but I was chatting with someone so I can’t remember everything about it. First it’s very similar to Bi Luo Chun. The dry leaves are very fluffy like white with many variations of green. This is a first flush Mao Feng. Brewed for 2 min – 1 tsp. It’s delicious like Bi Luo Chun but a lighter version. Buttery, nutty, slightly mossy.

The price is excellent too. This is from 2014 spring crop and it was only 4.00 for 25g. With the sale 20% , I got it even cheaper and my order at the time was large enough so I got free shipping. I would definitely order this one again. Love it.

This is a sample from TeaSipper. Thank you!

Holy kick in the pants! This is a strong tea. The color of the cup alone made me quiver in my shoes a bit. This is brisk and a tad astringent, but for a morning cup that can be a good thing. There is a hint of vanilla and an sweet undertone to the tea. There are hints of caramel and bread. This is a nice breakfast blend. I am digging it this morning.

Side note: This reminds me of Adagio’s Eleven. There are tad hints of coconut.

More of the woods….
This is not my day for trying new good teas haha!
I think I’m gonna go back to Persimmon Tree Tea’s Periwinkle for a bit before trying anything else new. xD

dexter sent this one my way with her mini brithday package for me so i figured i’d give it a whirl asap since it’s a small one to drink up and i wanted a few straight teas this morning before i get in to some of my other samples.

This tea is delicious! It’s god a good heft to it – thick and malty while also having a sweetness to it. i am a fan! I may need to add this to my eventual tealux order if i ever get my cupboard under control. No spending this month!