thepuriTea

I found this tea to be gorgeous I just wanted to keep looking at but then I realized if it looks this good I wonder how it tastes and it doesn’t disappoint. I felt It had depth of flavor and a touch of cocoa. It was delightful.

Thank you ThePuriTea for sending me this wonderful sample.

Leaves unfolded quickly, and were very full. Color is a green-gold. Aroma is slightly buttery, a bit nutty. Flavor however was very disapointing. Too earthy for an oolong. Something vegetal, but I can’t place it. Slight bitterness on only a 3 minute steep.

Steep Information:
Amount: ~6g
Water: 8×3oz filtered boiling water
Tool: Swivel Teapot
Steep Time: 3 minutes
Served: Hot

Tasting Notes:
Dry Leaf Smell: black tea, fall leaves
Steeped Tea Smell: black tea, sweet, reminds militiajim of orange pekoe
Flavor: crisp, clean sweet black tea
Body: medium
Aftertaste: fall leaves, in a good way
Liquor: translucent orange brown

It’s not remarkable, but is it a crisp clean black tea that reminds me of fall.

Pictures: http://amazonv.blogspot.com/2010/07/thepuritea-loose-leaf-black-tea-red.html

Steep Information:
Amount: 2+ heaping tsp – one whole sample bag – it was hard to measure by the teaspoon these long, wide, flat leaves
Water: 2 Zarafina cups
Tool: Zarafina green-loose-medium
Served: Hot

Tasting Notes:
Dry Leaf Smell: nutty, vegetal
Steeped Tea Smell: nutty, vegetal
Flavor: ICK, hmm, at first I thought it was bitter, but it isn’t bitter (as MilitiaJim pointed out) it’s bold, bold in this vegetal prickly way. It prickles my tongue. Tangy. Astringent.
Body: Full
Aftertaste: Almost a citric acid feel.
Liquor: translucent yellow-green

This tea was one of 5 samples I received from thepuriTea. It arrived well packaged in pretty pillow boxes (see pictures for a side angle of the pillow box if you are unsure what I mean) with packing peanuts and business cards.

I felt bad for thepuriTea and for the Dragonwell when it arrived. I keep trying to like green teas, but I rarely do enjoy them.

So here goes, I probably used too much leaf, and the tea punched me in the tongue. It’s strong, full bodied, no nonsense, earthy, savory green tea. Now that I cautiously sip at it I find it savory, and not unpleasant, but I do not plan to finish the other half of the sample. MilitiaJim seems to be enjoying savoring this tea, so he can bring it to work.

Post-Steep Additives: Honey – it added a sweet layer to the earthy vegetal flavor, it didn’t chance the flavor just added another layer of flavor.

Resteep: Zarafina green-loose-medium now this time it is bitter, astringent, vegetal, bold green tea with a roasted not fresh nut flavor. Nope definitely not my kind of tea.

Iced: Less tingly and more refreshing, but still a strong earthy vegetal tea.

Pictures: http://amazonv.blogspot.com/2010/07/thepuritea-loose-leaf-green-tea.html

Steep Information:
Amount: ~8g
Water: 1,000ml filtered water 180°F
Tool: Breville One-Touch Tea Maker BTM800XL
Steep Time: 3 minutes, 4 minutes
Served: Hot

Tasting Notes:
Dry Leaf Smell: not much of a smell
Steeped Tea Smell: nutty, vegetal
Flavor: silky, vegetal, nutty
Body: Light
Aftertaste: slightly bitter, vegetal, smooth
Liquor: translucent yellow-green

3 minutes was too weak, 4 was a little bitter, perhaps 3:30 would have been best?

It’s a light, clean, smooth tea. This would be a poor choice as a breakfast tea, but is nice for afternoon supping.

Good but not irreplaceable.

Pictures: http://amazonv.blogspot.com/2010/07/thepuritea-loose-leaf-oolong-tea-ali.html

I was surprised by this tea. Lately my Yunnan experiences have been flat and boring. But this tea reminded me of what Yunnans could taste like. I guess it reminds me that Yunnan is not my favorite, but it sure ain’t bad either. So I am rambling at this point, it must be my mood today. Anyhow, I did enjoy it.

A golden brew with a subtle floral aroma and a slightly sweet taste. A mellow Ti Kuan Yin, without the complexities of some of the other varieties. A very nice, relaxing tea.

4g
12oz water

This is a decent ti kuan yin. Nothing special about it, or overly strong. A good candidate for an easy daily drinker.

4g tea
12 oz water

The steep looks almost as if the water didn’t change color. However there is definitely an aroma and color to this. It is woodsy and has quite a sweet finish that lingers gently in the aftertaste. This tea inspires a taste similar to its aroma. Its not bad.

4g tea
12 oz water

The tea was surprisingly weak in aromtics and flavor. Maybe i didn’t steep it right. I get a faint sweetness on the nose. The flavor doesn’t delivery much, besides the slight aftertaste seems like warm water. Will have to retry this for a longer steep to see if its repeatable.

Second steep

Jasmine smell is less pronounced. Taste is a bit more bitter than the first steep. A much less strong jasmine and malt aftertaste as well.

Jasmine flavors are much more subdued with the second steep, need to reevaluate since this is quite a bit better.

First steep

Medium jasmine smell. Medium bitter taste. Somewhat lingering malty, flowery aftertaste.

Unusual tea. Tastes like a literal mix of jasmine and malty black tea. Not half bad, but could use a little less jasmine and maybe a less malty black tea.

Doesn’t effect the taste, but was a bit unusual looking as well; was dark like a typical black tea, but with a distinct yellow-green “halo” around the edge.

The leaves do have a distinct aroma. Abundantly apricot, and subtle cocoa. The dark gold brew aroma is reduced, more of a roasted apricot. Flavour is woody and sweet. As it cools, woody taste dominates, and astringency increases.

4.4 g tea (1/2 of sample order size)
12 oz water

The aroma from opening this tea immediately smelled rich. It steeped to a dark golden yellow. This tea flavor wise does not seem to pack a punch. It is complex. There seem to be some woodsy elements. I can sense the nectarine in the description a bit. There is a slight astringency on the tongue that i felt tighten. Then It carries a pleasant aftertaste for a bit.

After a few drinks, i’ve paired with a blueberry scone (wegmans) and it has paired nicely. The scone has completely cut out that bit of astringency. Overall this was a pretty good cup.

Clear yellow-green color, slight nutty aroma, taste also had a hint of a grain, maybe rice.
Two steeps. Second steep slightly more astringent.
Edit: As the tea cools, the grain flavor becomes more pronounced. Definitly rice.

12oz water
4g tea

The leaves are dark green. Some are broken, they seem to have a jagged edge. Golden infusion. The aroma smells roasted is really all i can think of. There is just a bit of astringency on the tongue that you can feel tighten up ever so slightly. It has a lingering sweet aftertaste.

When I opened the package, I was a bit weirded out by the glossy/greasy look of the leaves. In past experiences, this basically implies leaves coated with artificial flavouring – bleh. Steeped two cups for two minutes. With the amount of bitterness I got from the first sip, it was as though this was two minutes too long. Great smell….fail taste. I splashed a bit of milk into the cup after having one cup straight. That helped to cut the bitterness, but the bite was still there.
At least it was better than Bigelow’s French Vanilla.
I didn’t bother resteeping the leaves.

I also tried this tea today. It reminded me of pi lo chun. It is a delicate tea with a sweet note. I enjoyed it a lot, and would recommend it to anyone who loves mellow Chinese teas.

This is my first Dan Cong, so I do not have anything to compare it to.
When opening the package I was blown away by the aroma. I was worried that it might be too overwhelming in tea form, but it was very nice. I can see why so many people are drawn to this tea. I would recommend this one to any oolong lover.

Made a cup of this for my boyfriend this afternoon. It is his favorite tea. I love that he likes some of my teas now. Yay for tea converts.

I made a pot of this tea iced over the weekend. It is the perfect summer tea. Fruity and bold and delicious!

First off – thanks thepuriTea for the opportunity to try some of your tea!!!

This tea smells heavenly. I have no idea what a passion fruit tastes like but I hope it tastes like this tea smells. This teas smells deliciously tropical and fruity and it makes my stomach growl. This is the type of tea that you just want to eat the dry leaves!

The tea smells just as good once steeped and tastes delightful too! I am usually not a fan of fruit flavored teas because I find them sour but this one is not in the least bit sour. It is sweet and refreshing but not overpowerly so! It also has a nice black tea base that shines through beautifully.

Sadly I only have one serving of this tea left. I may have to invest in some more.

Wow what a sensation. This is the first Milk oolong I have tried. Aroma is a warm milky almost almond milk or aroma of a rice porridge I make. Flavor is a fresh floral with a nuttiness. Very creamy in texture and very pleasing. I will be purchasing more of this. No bad aftertaste to speak of. Final notes of cream only stay on tounge for 5 to 10 seconds.