TeaSource

So far we haven’t had a keeper among this order from TeaSource—not even close. The best my aunt would say of this was that she would drink it—which is more than she could say for the white tea (Silver Bud) or green teas (a Chinese Sencha and the Organic Clouds and Mist). She likened it to a flavored tea, which she doesn’t like, saying it tastes too flowery to her. This is definitely on the green side of oolong, and there is a flowery or stone fruit flavor to it. I don’t dislike the tea, and that’s reflected in my rating, but I have a lot of strong favorites among the TeaSource Oolongs, and I admit this doesn’t taste distinctive enough to rank among my favorites such as Big Red Robe, Oriental Beauty, Sweet Silk, Rare Orchid or Brandy Oolongs—especially since this is one of the pricier teas.

Yes it is very soothing and tranquil to sip and enjoy

We really liked the Clouds and Mist Supreme tea—one of our favorite green teas, that got us to like that kind of tea. This organic version? Not so much. It’s drinkable—which is more than I can say about how we felt about more vegetal green teas such as Sencha and Dragonwell. My aunt thought she detected the taste of pineapple. It is slightly citrusy—a bit buttery—but honestly I found it too bland for my tastes to order again when there are alternatives I like much better such as it’s (alas) pricier Supreme Grade cousin.

My introduction to green teas were a Sencha and Dragonwell—and it wasn’t a happy one. I found both teas too vegetal—almost undrinkable, reminding me of spinach water. If a green smoothie makes you go yum, maybe for you, but not for me. Now since I have found green teas to love: Iccha Kariban, Hojicha, Clouds and Mist Supreme, Pi Lo Chun Imperial. This particular Sencha from China was described on the TeaSource site as “a little sweeter than most Japanese senchas, with a little less taste of the sea.” Unlike the Japanese Sencha Uji, I didn’t find this undrinkable, but I didn’t care much for it and won’t be ordering it again. My aunt who I share my teas with like this even less—if the white tea we tried recently tasted like “hot water” to her—well, she described this one as tasting like “dirty water.”

The description on the package calls this “very tart and a little sweet.” I’d call that truth in advertising. I actually ordered this because I read it’s good for cholesterol and thought I’d give it a shot. Well, it’s strong medicine and a bit hard to take. Very sour, a little fruity—reminds me a bit of cranberry juice. It might work better iced or mixed with juice or blended with another tea. I found it too strong and tangy for my tastes, although a little in an herbal blend might be quite nice indeed.

I received this one in a swap a while ago. I wanted something stronger this morning after all of the hustle and bustle this morning. The dry leaf smells awesome! Just like apple cider. The flavor of the tea is similar to apple cider with a touch of the black tea base. Very satisfying :)

Hello Steepster!
I’m back from my trip to Minneapolis but we were so busy with my boyfriend’s family that we didn’t get to visit ANY tea shops much less do much sightseeing. Oh well. I’m bummed to have missed both Verdant and Mandala but maybe I’ll be back there someday.

This is from one of the Steepster select boxes, I think from March. I can’t say I’m a huge fan of these yabao type teas. The other one I had was from Verdant a while ago. I steeped according to the package directions and I’m getting a slightly sweet type of drink that reminds me of clover and/or hay. I wish this had more flavor to it… I’m definitely not getting the notes that other people seem to, but I will finish the cup.

Small Big Traveling Tea Box

With a name like precious eyebrows, how could I not try this tea? :P I mean, all I can think of while preparing this tea is a man sitting in a rocking chair softly stroking his eyebrows and muttering to them how gorgeous they are…tehehe:P Oh, man:P

This tea really could be better. It tastes only slightly grassy like you would expect but the rest is really quite astringent..for some reason the after tastes is a metallic and reminds me of how I would imagine sucking on a steel pole or a penny would taste. I’ll let the man in the rocking chair have his eyebrows back now:P

Small Big Traveling Tea Box

Ehh, this is just a decent oolong, I’ve had much better. It has some bitter toasty notes and is a bit earthy. Just a bit ho hum about this tea- but I shall finish my cup.

Not bad. I don’t think I like oolong too much in general because of the floral taste. This one is not too strong though, so it’s alright. Nice, mellow, warm… but not something I would need more of.

I have to admit, I was intrigued by this one, & I’m grateful to Stephanie for sending a sample my way. Although I’m not a huge fan of ‘flavored’ teas, I do tend to always want to try novelty shaped teas, made from just natural ingredients. (I really want to try the Anhui Basket tea too, & Stephanie also sent me a sample of that one!).

I don’t really have much to say about it, other than I enjoyed the cup. I like heicha, & my understanding is it’s like Shu puerh kind of, but seems to me to be somewhere in between black tea & Shu. Flavors I was able to pick out: Wood, Leather, & light Rose.

(1st steep: 4 min) There is a nice floral aroma to this tea that makes me glad I saved it for an end of the work day tea. There are some subtle fruit notes in this tea. I want to say it is close to melon due to the subtle flavor. It could be because it is summer, but I am thinking watermelon. Additionally, there is a honey flavor which pairs nicely with the fruit. All in all a great tea for a hot summer day.
(2nd steep: 4 min 30 sec) Almost no floral notes from before are present in the second steeping. The fruit and honey are actually stronger in the second steeping of this tea. There is a lovely watermelon flavor when you first taste the tea. This changes to a subtle honey flavor as the tea cools and remains for a short time after the tea has swallowed. I will be coming back to this tea in the future when I have more time to do additional steepings.

I got this in one of the Stepster select boxes and I thought it was supposed to be a wuyi oolong for some reason so I steeped it up in my xiying I have dedicated for wuyi oolongs. Whoops, I was wrong. So I don’t really think I can do a proper tasting note on this at the moment. It really does smell very flowery and has a nice sweetness about it. I do have another sample left, so I think brewing it in the proper pot or in a gaiwan will give me a better sense of this.

In other news, I can’t get myself motivated to do much since I found out I was losing my job due to my injury. It would be a good idea for me to get more exercise, but my gym is downtown near where my former office is. It takes me longer to get there and back than I would spend exercising. As Nike says — I just need to do it. I think perhaps I have a case of the blahs.

Not keen on these teas as they are so subtle I basically need someone with experience to walk me through. Mostly flavors of oat-grass and a faint hint of sweetness but that’s all I got out of it. Heading off to my local tea shop (Tea Drunk) for instruction.

Damn, love me my ooooo-longs. Used a small pot and this tea just didn’t quit with the flavors. Each sip bringing the florals and the honey. There is also a faint hint of almond in there as well. Started to fade after 7 steeps but I’ll take what I can get from this excellent sample.

Backlog:

Here’s my full-length review on this one: http://sororiteasisters.com/2014/04/16/hunan-dark-tea-tea-source/

My first infusion: I could taste notes of fermentation. In my tasting notes, I mentioned that it tasted a bit to me like a grape-y balsamic vinegar that has been thinned with wine. Earthy, but not as earthy as a typical pu-erh. There is a sweet, creamy note to it, I compared it to a vanilla frosting sort of taste. Honey and molasses. Remarkably smooth and mild.

My second infusion: Sweeter than the first cup, but not quite as creamy in taste and texture. Honey notes remain, and I’m noticing mineral and vegetative notes emerging.

A really lovely tea experience.

A bitter smelling tea. Luckily the taste is not bitter like the smell. Its very mellow. Slightly grassy, which is weird because I find most green teas have a heavy to medium grassy taste. And I don’t want to steep it too much longer because of those bitter notes in the smell.

Not quite what I thought it was going to taste like. There are some toasty bitter notes that just don’t sit well on my tongue. I feel like this oolong is missing something. Its eartuy and overall not bad but just not a te that makes u want to come back for more.

I received this tea in my March Steepster Select. Let me preface this by saying that I am partial to oolongs!

Opening the packet revealed dark brown, thin and almost wiry leaves that had a gorgeous floral, malty and almost muscat scent. Wow, I love dark oolongs. It is as if they hold special secrets. I used the guidelines written on the small brown packet to brew this tea. After steeping, the liquid was a nice golden honey brown. This one was a complex and absolutely delicious flavor. There is honey. Enough said. Well, there are also darker florals (as in not like gardenias or peonies), malt, butter, and slight vanilla and cocoa. Best of all, there is no astringency whatsoever. This tea withstands multiple steeps, which is another aspect of oolongs that I love. The taste evolves with each steeping.

I received this in my Steepster Select in March. First, this tea is not like other teas. There are actual large, yellow-white, downy BUDS in this tea. Out of the package, it smelled very fresh and moderately floral. Can I say love at first whiff?

Brewing in my glass vessel, the liquid was a very, very pale yellow-white. Initially I thought that I hadn’t brewed it long enough; however, I decided to just follow the instructions and try a cup! Wow! It was flavorful despite the tea looking so much like water. The hints of peach and floral and green tones in this is delicious. I cannot wait to try the second packet. I have a feeling this will make its way into my wishlist.

I got a sample of this through Steepster select. It has a very mellow flavor, similar to silver needle. It has a light sweetness and is a bit citrusy as well. It’s almost impossible to oversteep. I don’t normally go for white teas and this one didn’t give me any reason to feel inspired. It’s just not interesting enough in flavor for me to want to actually buy some, though I would recommend it to someone who loves white tea.

An earthy tea, greeting with a light pucker in the front and relaxing into a woodsy finish. Some trace notes of bitter chocolate deep in the undertones adds subtle body. Second steeping reveals a creamy texture and sweeter, fuller body. An enjoyable path to explore as the tea develops over multiple steeps. 7.5/10