Ten Ren

[A Note on Brewing: I now steep my Chinese blacks (or earthies) for a bit longer and sweeten with either 1 packet Stevia or Splenda. Today it’s a Splenda. In this new brewing system I use a David’s Tea drawstring sachet and the David’s Tea perfect teaspoon to measure. Thanks for reading!]
THE RUNDOWN
1) This pu erh gets dark fast, but I like my earthies a bit darker. There’s a great clay scent, like earthenware. Perhap this is harvested somewhere near soil rich in clay. Now to taste.
2) First taste: Yum! It’s almost akin to an oolong but less “dry” in the aftertaste, if that makes sense. Great mouthfeel. A bit nutty. Very long lasting flavor.
3) Second taste: I’m tasting a bit more earth, but also a bit of pine? This isn’t a science, but this is what I’m getting. I’m ready to start drinking it and stop writing about it.
4) Final thought: I haven’t had this tea in a while (and not with my current brewing system). I should really drink it more (and try steeping it even longer) since it is delicious and not bitter like some of the oolongs I’ve had recently (which I haven’t reviewed since they were free tastes at someone’s home). Would definitely recommend.

Definitely the perfect Chinese tea that needs minmal tweaking. Good for the afternoon when you want to drink something mild. Did you know that studies have shown that Pu erh has been linked to the suppression of fatty acid and cholesterol in the body? Pretty cool.

Sweet and minty. Light like a Qi Hong black but with so much more character. So aromatic it tastes like it’s been infused with Indian spices and fresh blossoms. The second and third infusion are still just as potent. At four infusions the flavors begin to mellow and I feel more of the dry back-of-the-throat effect.

Super earthy and “rooty”—like fresh from the ground roots! I feel like I can taste the topsoil in this! Rich, loamy, fertile topsoil.

Woodsy, earthy, bitter (in a good way), herbaceous-tasting tea.

I think this is a pretty good pu-erh blend—if pu-erh is what you’re craving, this will do in a pinch!

Good, “standard” genmaicha taste. Satisfyingly toasty. There’s a hint of salt (like soy sauce) in the taste. Not bitter even when steeped (and re-steeped) several times. I emptied out two tea bags in my 12.85 travel tea mug. Surprisingly flavorful, for a tea bag!

I got a box of this tea filled with tea bags that contain whole leaves. The bags they are in are pretty dense paper and allow very little room for the leaves to expand, so I’m planning to try this again in the future by opening the bag and steeping the leaves as though they were never contained (since they are definitely whole leaves).

The steeping time was longer than I usually would for a tea like this, but it was required with the bag containing the leaves. By the time the tea was ready for consumption, the leaves had expanded in the bag completely (as in, the bag was absolutely packed) but they clearly were not fully unfurled.

Despite this, I believe I steeped them long enough to achieve a decent infusion. The liquor is a very light hay color and the aroma is quite nice as well. It smells almost malty or oaty. The flavor is very mild, slightly roasted in flavor. There is almost no astringency at all and it is very smooth to drink. I think it will have a bit more flavor with the second round of steeping (despite the bag it’s in). So I’ll give it a shot as soon as I have the opportunity!

I also look forward to trying and logging again once I try it without the bag at all.

Woo hoo! Talked the wife into going back today! The promise of Panera didn’t hurt ;)

Yum yum yummity yum. Sooooooooo grapey and oolongy and goooood.

Oh my goodness, this was amazing. My amazing wife drove me to work at Square One yesterday and while we were there, she ran to Ten Ren and got me this, complete with tapioca pearls. Yesterday was insane at work, the poor doctor didn’t even get a lunch break and ended up leaving an hour and a half late. This tea kept me going, though it took me two and a half hours to squeeze in enough time to drink the whole thing. But oh man, it was good. I didn’t get to see this one made, but I know the Watermelon Oolong is made with real watermelon, so I’m going to assume this was made with real grape. My co-admin could smell it from across the room, it was so deliciously grapey. And the oolong was very present too, even if they do steep it for longer than I would like.

All in all, this was a delightful way to help me power through a stressful workday. My mouth is watering now, maybe I can convince my wife to drive down for lunch at Panera and a Ten Ren stop! yum yum yum.

My overall impression of the DHP is that the roasted-wood flavor of the tea, is always present in the tea, although it diminishes over time, it is quite pleasant, and drinks very smoothly, from start to finish, with minimal astringency. While immediately pleasing with how smooth it is, it rewards the attentive drinker with sweeter floral flavors in the background.

See full review at :
http://mug-life.tumblr.com/

I was just given this tea from a friend who went to Flushing, NY. It appears to be heavy roasted and my tea doesn’t fit the flavor profile. I’m getting a darker liquid with fruits such as peaches and oranges. I’m enjoying it to say the least. Luscious

After hearing some discussion on Osmanthus Oolong, and a small gift from QuiltGuppy, I was able to have a cup of this today. It has all the qualities I like in an oolong. Silky feel, yellow liquor, that in between black and green flavor, joined with a very subtle hint of floral. The oolong base in this reminds me of some of the Milk Oolongs I have tried.

Thanks again QG, for allowing me this new and somewhat different tea experience.

This came to me through my son via an exchange student. Very little English on the envelope. A quick web search of the company name led me to believe this was a whole leaf tea. Alas it is definitely not whole leaf. It is a 2g bag of tiny pieces. It is at least a fair amount of tea. Directions say to use boiling water and steep 3 minutes.

I got distracted at work and the first bag steeped more like 12 minutes. It was very strong and astringent. My main oolong is Yamamotoyama (YMY) it doesn’t care how long it is steeped. Obviously Ten Ren is a different animal.

The second bag was carefully timed at 3 minutes with boiling water. It was much improved and just a little harsh. I don’t drink coffee but that is what the flavor brought to mind. The aroma of the Ten Ren is very similar to YMY in that it smells, as one reviewer described it, like bad pot. Neither admitting nor denying a misspent youth, I must say that description amused me enough that oolong has become one of my favorite unflavored type teas. The two teas taste quite a bit different. YMY is smooth. Ten Ren had a breakfast tea bite and attitude about it. Knowing what I like but not having the tea expertise to back it up, this could be an Assam based oolong.

The bag of tiny pieces plumped up so nicely I decided to attempt a second cup. The brew remained dark but the taste was slightly weak and lacking in the full depth of flavor. It was much smoother. If I had more of this I know I could find the sweet spot where this teas shines. I believe if on the first steep the water was cooled and the steep reduced to no more than 2 minutes, it would allow a second cup of equal taste and depth from one bag. A worthy, not too shabby tea. I need some munchies.

Thanks, Indigobloom, for swapping with me! :D It’s amazing how much a tea can vary from one company to the next.

This tea is really nice. It reminds me of TKY, with the medium flavor, the floral notes and the yellow clarity of the tea. It’s really a great everyday tea. The oolong is clean, medium in strength, not overly toasty, only slightly.

I wasn’t certain if this was the 1st grade Osmanthus Oolong, or the 2nd grade. There are tiny, yellow osmanthus flowers sprinkled throughout the tea, which is pretty and adds interest. The floral notes in the tea are nice, but if oversteeped, can produce a plastic tasting tea.

Hmmm, I’m not sure which version of this tea they served… so I’ll pick one of the three listed at random.
The tapioca was a tad mushy, but the tea was fabulous!!! and with the milk (after my previous dairy free experience) it was better than I had dared to hope :)
There was a distinct floral aspect, almost jasmine-ish in my opinion, but I didn’t mind because of the milk.
I think I enjoy the osmanthus more though, I wonder if they would serve that with milk as well?? oh and I found out that the osmanthus I purchased not long ago from their store is not the same as what they use for the bubble tea! She showed me the tin it comes out of, and the price tag said $38, which is double what I paid! and my bag had double the content… sheesh, that is some expensive tea.

A box of Dragon Well teabags came as a free gift thrown in with my last order of Ten Ren loose teas. Like before Ten Ren teabags hold up to being a lot better than one would expect for a teabag to the point of beating some cheap loose tea. The Dragon Well has a nice sweet medium green tea taste without any signs of bitterness or smoke. While I do not see myself paying money for this, it is good enough that I will probably drink it as a travel tea instead of giving it away.

I tried this at my other job today, and of course, since I have no Steepster access there, forgot to add the agave as I had planned in my previous review! agh!!
Oh well, I’ll have to try this again sometime soon :)
—oh and this was left out in the open by accident, so I fear that some of the flavour has wafted away. Silly me…

I didn’t have much time to savour today… but overall, I was pleased! not thrilled mind you. The black tea, though light, comes out first, but I get the impression that the Lychee, which I get in the aftertaste and background, would be more present with some extra sugar. I added agave, but only a few drops. Even still, it is very refreshing and not at all astringent (yay!)
I’m curious as to what I can find in this tea when I play with the sugar/concentration/steep time etc. I’m at work so have no control over the water temp. I don’t think it is at boiling when it comes out of the tap/coffee maker. Such a shame… I wish the David’s was closer to my work so I could have a proper cuppa more often.
Anyhow, I’m hoping I can up this rating next time :)
Maybe I will even add some milk. Daring, I know… (that was sarcasm btw. I’m so funny… haha not… )

For the amount of scenting Ten Ren claims for this tea, the scent is incredibly mild- negligibly so. It is also a very flat green tea. Today we are using what we have left of it to make a green tea lemonade with honey.

Better!!! than the last time I tried this…
I divied up the bag so that my friend could have her share, and I was right, all the flowers had shimmied to bottom :)
It tastes much better, and smoother for some reason, esp the second and third steep.
I tried some with milk, and some without, and my first cup with a stevia tab. All of them were pretty decent!! however the best was with just straight up sugar.
I had to add more sugar than I usually do to really taste the Osmanthus, or else it just sorta hides in the background and tastes more like a note of the oolong leaf rather than a separate add to the tea.
They still make it better in the shop of course, with all their fancy equipment and simple syrup. *sighs
I’m a little sad that I seem to have Osmanthus’d myself out for awhile. There was a point where this was all I could drink, and now, well I’m a little over it. That won’t last long though, I’ll be back at it again in a week or two! :P
One more thing: In my opinion, this tastes better iced!! and with sugar.

I received this tea as a gift not long ago and decided to give it a spin today. It’s good, but for some reason it seems to taste better in the store.
There weren’t many osmanthus petals at the top of the bag, so I suspect they may have migrated to the bottom. I’ll have to investigate this…
As of now, it’s pretty much a standard oolong, edging on green(booo!!), with a hint of flowers. Almost like jasmine, which I find scratchy (it’s never done that served cold with tapioca and loads of simple sugar. Ok now I wish I had some tap!)
After adding a spot of sugar, I could taste the flowers a tiny bit more, but certainly not enough for me to identify it as osmanthus. I’m using the tea master so am on the third steep now, with the second and third going to mum and dad on this beautiful, sunny, Mother’s Day :)
—who knows, maybe the fourth steep will reveal something special.
If not, my friend who gifted me this tea was hoping I would share the package with her, so when I divide it up hopefully I can see about a better distribution of contents (it’s ok, we’re like sisters and there is wayyyyy to much in the bag for me to consume over a reasonable time-frame)
As for the rating, I’m torn between how good I know it CAN be, and how it’s presenting itself at the moment.
Well, here’s to second chances. Drink up :)

I had this in the store today, served cold with tapioca. THIS is my happy place.
In fact, many of my friends would say that it’s bubble tea, specifically that of Ten Ren’ s which started my love affair with looseleaf (I would disagree)
This particular tea, Osmanthus is one I come back to time and again… and for years was the only flower base tea that I ever savoured. It has such delicate notes that draw me in… so much so that I don’t even realize half the cup is gone until someone points it out to me.
I love how it smells like a floral bouquet, yet tastes more like candied flowers instead… not all sharp, pungent, or bitter the way I find Jasmine and Lavender can be. It reminds me of magnolias, which also happen to be my favourite flower.
Funny how memory can link things like that together dont’cha think? :)

This tea has a nice round upfront flavor and a very mild aftertaste.