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So I found an deliciousssssss hard iced tea! I’ve been drinking it since halloween. The boyfriend came home with it as a surprise for me and I was in heaven! Beer and tea in one?! Its called Twisted Tea. Oh man its the typical original iced tea flavor I love it! Just thought this was a worth sharing:)
Oh and if you haven’t tried signing up for the Steepster Select subscription here’s a coupon for $10 off :)
( I love the tea that I get from Steepster Select. You can get $10 off when you click here to sign up!
http://steepster.com/select/refer/DQCOQDEo )
So my tea of the morning was an interesting blend from ashleyef. It is part Butiki strawberry oolong, part David’s banana oolong, and part David’s vanilla orchid. I love oolongs. I was originally interested in a different oolong from her and have been dying to try vanilla orchid so she suggest this blend she combined. I have to say…it smells lovely. And the leaves are beautiful. I loved watching this steep. As it cools it gets better. The different oolong bases are amazing. Indescribable. You can taste the after notes of banana and the creaminess of the vanilla. There are slight floral notes from the orchid. The tart yet sweetness you usually find in a strawberry come at the very end. I have to say… BRAVO ashleyef good blend. I would have never guessed to put them all together. And thank you for sending me an exceptionally large amount of it:) I hope to share it with stephanie and others soon!
You’re welcome! I’m glad someone else could enjoy it. I only put them all together because none of them worked for me on their own, but they definitely work well together:)
They definitely did surprisingly!
Wow interesting!
I’ll have to send u some!
Butiki strawberry oolong was disappointing to me :\ Thanks for the idea on making use of it!
yeah, have to agree with yappaychappy….. i have these insanely high expectations of our Ms Lim, so when she’s merely ‘really good’ (by comparison to others) i find myself let down.
When I went into work yesterday and this was sitting on my desk:
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bcvzs1sBY4w/?taken-by=dex3657
I love my work experience trainee. She is just an amazing young woman – insanely intelligent – learns quick – nice, friendly – works hard. She is studying at the university here on a student visa from China. Her mother sent her some tea, she would rather drink coffee – so I ended up with a care package. We won’t be able to keep her as an employee – she will continue her studies, improve her English and probably go on to cure cancer, or CEO a fortune 500 company. I just think she’s awesome.
But I digress…..
Tonight I’m drinking the tea labelled “black”. I thought this was just going to be some generic Chinese black until I opened the package. This looks beautiful, it has some really nice golden tips to it. Hmmmm maybe I should treat this with a little more respect. I put away my mug and pulled out a proper tea pot and steeped it as modified gong fu. About 30 seconds first steep. That wasn’t quite enough, it was a little flat. I added another package to the pot and did about a minute. This is awesome. It’s not starchy/yamish like I would expect from a Yunnan black or a Dian Hong. This is more like a Bailin – it deep and dark, with just a little bit of chocolate notes, there are some fruity notes but really is just a great black tea. I’m really happy with this – her mom has great taste in tea.
This makes me happy. This is totally a Chinese mom thing: pack your child up to a foreign land with tea to drink and tea to give as tea gifts. I have been blessed to have been given such tea gifts and it is just lovely, especially when you know enough to appreciate what you are getting.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BEXBH2BOEy7/?taken-by=dex3657
Having issues entering a tea on my tablet, so this is just getting posted here.
http://www.imperialtea.com/Aged-Wild-Tree-Puerh-p/loose-leaf%20puerh001.htm
I’m in San Fransisco and spent a frusterating day trying to buy tea in China Town. On the way back to the hotel I stopped at Imperial Tea Court and finally got some real tea, served correctly, from polite knowledgeable staff.
I spent a pleasant hour drinking an aged wild tree shou. Pretty earthy, some fermentation, but all in all a decent shou. Ended up buying an oz of several blacks.
I was in several tea stores today and this was by the the best experience. If in SF, worth a visit.
Western Steeped Jin Jun Mei + American Honey (Wild Turkey Bourbon) is making Dex a very happy girl tonight. (who knew honey bourbon was a thing? this is something I really need in my life…..)
Honey Bourbon is a good thing!
I need to try a different brand – this is too harsh for me to drink straight….. it’s really sweet and almost fruity in the black tea – it’s been suggested to me to try it in iced tea – will need to do that soon.
You can always stir in a little more honey. I think being warm can push the Bourbon hit to the front a bit more. My fave is Meyers Dark rum with a couple of cinnamon sticks and honey stirred and just warm.
Sorry that might not have been clear – this brand of honey bourbon is too harsh to drink as straight bourbon….. it’s fine in the tea – there is a sweet fruity note that’s unexpected and interesting. Awesome hot toddy.
Cinnamon and dark rum is interesting….
I got you. Wild Turkey brand. And yes rum and the evil concoctions are good on cold winter nights.
This is like my biggest weakness of the past meets my biggest weakness of the present. If only I had known they could be combined.
O’Connor’s cream with jamieson and honey was really good when I had it. Basically, tea and booze. A++. ;)
OMGsrsly sent me a couple Black Pearl tea balls (she got them from from MissB) – thank you ladies. These are the larges black pearls I’ve ever seen. They are tied like a flowering cone and the leaves are just beautiful. The tea is nice and malty. This is one of the better pearls I’ve had. Really like it. Thank you so much for sharing.
Honey Black Tea Premium Small Yellow Tips – shrug, dunno but sounds good – so I ordered some. It was REALLY cheap.
OMG!!!! and it’s REALLY GOOD!!! Yep honey, sweet, black tea. Not your typical cocoa – malty Chinese black. This is a little lighter, but it’s a fantastic black tea with a hint of honey. Western Steeped – just off boil for about 2.5 minutes. Soooooo yummy. Can’t wait to try this one gong fu….
ETA: Ok there is some chocolate/cocoa notes here as it cools. It deepens – get bolder as it cools. This is a great tea!!!
Couldn’t find it in the data base…
2011 Organic Premium Yunnan Aged Tree Pu’erh Streetshop88
Fricken Fantastic!!!!
https://instagram.com/p/8zHsOwuEzJ/?taken-by=dex3657
https://instagram.com/p/8zHzwHOEzX/?taken-by=dex3657
GCTTB
Monoucha GenMaiCha – Kashima Tea Garden
Considering I don’t drink much green tea, I’m a pretty big fan of genmaicha. This is a really good one. Nice roasty flavor from the rice, just a hint of vegetal in the back. It’s a bit sweet, not at all bitter, and there’s lots of flavor. I reaaly like this.
GCTTB
Shangri-La Oolong – Majesteas
I couldn’t find this on their web site, or in the data base – so I’m nit sure what I’m drinking. I’m going with Sangria. A little grapey, a little fruity, a little wine ish – or maybe it’s nithing at all like that and I’m just experienfing what I think it should be. Either way, I really like this and would be happy to have more of it. Reallynice fruity oolong.
GCTTB
Sencha Guava Pineapple – House of Tea
I cold steeped this one over night, and wasn’t really happy with the results. There is something in here that I don’t like. Definately fruity, definitely green, and then something odd. I’m thinking that I’m not fond of the guava flavoring that they are using. Dunno but this one isnt for me. :(
GCTTB
I couldn’t find this in the data base, so I’m just going to log it here.
Sencha Tropical – House of Tea.
I cold steeped this for about 6 hours with 2 tsp in a pint mason jar. It’s really nice. Tropical fruity, I’m getting quite a bit of pineapple – but what I really like is that it’s not drowning in coconut. In fact I’m not really getting any, that makes me happy. The sencha is present but not overwhelming. For me this is a really nice fruity green.
Moonlight comparison two. This time looking at loose leaf.
http://www.esgreen.com/yue-guang-bai-moonlight-white.html
vs
http://www.jkteashop.com/imperial-pure-old-tree-yue-guan-bai-tea-p-294.html
https://instagram.com/p/268QwyOEwa/?taken-by=dex3657
The esgreen leaves are huge and a nice white/black contrast. The jk tea shop – not so much. Smaller, not as black white.
I used the same teaware as the last comparison. 7g 80C 30 seconds.
https://instagram.com/p/26-V5PuEzU/?taken-by=dex3657
This isn’t really fair. These teas are not in the same league. The jk tea is closer to what I was drinking earlier but with a hint of pu’erh mustiness. The esgreen is was more refined, interesting, deep. Lots of honey notes, sweet, a little grassy.
I’m going to continue to drink them both through a couple more steepings and will edit in anything interesting, but this isn’t even close. ESGreen all the way.
I got the lost of my moonlight teas in the mail today, so I’m starting the quest to find my favorite. Or at least favorite of the ones that I have. I’m starting with two cakes that I got from different Aliexpress dealers.
http://www.aliexpress.com/item/GRANDNESS-2012-YR-Chinese-Yunnan-JISHUNHAO-Moonlight-white-Pu-Er-Puer-Pu-Erh-RAW-tea/896777300.html
I’m calling this Grandness for simplicity sake…..
http://www.aliexpress.com/item/White-moonlight-puer-raw-tea-100g-yunnan-pu-er-sheng-cha-organic-chinese-puerh-brick-qizi/1883686482.html
And I’m calling this Teatime….
https://instagram.com/p/26pBIAOE-7/?taken-by=dex3657
The grandness leaves look larger and have a more distinct black/white quality to them. Both though do look like what I would expect from a moonlight cake. The Teatime cake isn’t as compressed and breaks apart easier.
I’m going to try to keep the parameters as similar as possible. For theses ones, I’m using 7g in my glass teapots – 80C water – rinse – 30 second first infusion.
https://instagram.com/p/26pQA5OE_S/?taken-by=dex3657
Interesting – both leaves don’t seem whole once they are steeped – broken mush is how I want to describe them. They looked so good in the cake but not once steeped. I don’t think I mutilated them that bad when I was breaking the cakes.
The teatime is significantly darker than the grandness.
Grandness is a little sharper, almost bitter – but does have the sweetness that I associate with moonlight. I’m not getting any earthy/musty pu’erh at all.
Teatime is smoother, gentler, sweeter and I’m not getting any pu’erh at all from it either.
At this point I’m calling both of these WHITE rather than PU’ERH….
2nd Steep – I upped the water temp to 85C and kept the time at 30 sec.
Same result the teatime one is still darker than the grandness.
Upping the water temp might have been a mistake, I don’t think it improved either of them. Both have some bitterness now and the sweetness isn’t as obvious. Putting it back down for next steep.
3rd steep
80C 45sec
80C is for sure a better water temp
These are both mellower at that temp.
I’m not getting much of a difference between them. Teatime might be just a hint deeper more flavor but not enough to notice unless drinking them side by side like this.
4th Steep
80C 1 minute
Both are getting more grassy, less sweet – disappointed should be getting more honey notes.
I’m quitting on both of these. I’m sure you could get a couple more decent steeps out of them, but they just aren’t changing enough, aren’t interesting enough to continue. Both are ok but neither is special. I’m forcing myself to choose a “winner” and that would be teatime, but it’s not going to win this contest. Interesting experiment, but I have more to try so I’m moving on.
https://instagram.com/p/262hvYOE3N/?taken-by=dex3657
interesting!
What will you do with the remaining cakes once you find your winner?
Christina – I actually believe that I’ve found the winner but need to go through this process to justify the cost. What will I do wit these? Drink a bit, share a bit, age a bit, toss a bit?
heh poor ex..too many teas!
I think my favourite was the very first one I tried GoShopStreet on Ebay.
Ubacat – I have the loose moonlight from Streetshop, it’s due for review tomorrow. :)
I wrote a tasting note earlier in which I asked “what is wrong with me” – I think I need to start this one the same way.
What is wrong with me?
Anyone who knows me, anyone who follows me, knows that I’m a dark tea kind of girl – Chinese blacks, dark oologs, shou pu’erh that’s my comfort zone – so why am I researching/buying moonlight white and why am I about to write this tasting note?
Soooo I spent the evening with a hexagon sheng coin I picked up from O5Tea while in Vancouver. About a week ago I drank and wrote about the shou version of this and basically that note reads – not for me. I really didn’t like it.
This one I like – this is a pretty nice sheng. Just a touch of bitter/astringent/dry your mouth out sensation. It’s pretty light – doesn’t really have any earthiness – it’s not grassy. Ok that’s what it’s not, but I’m not sure what it is. Savory – not really sweet – sorry back to the nots – not smokey. Whatever it is I like it, was a pleasant evening with this tea.
So what’s wrong with me that I’m liking a sheng better than a shou and why am I buying white tea? I’m afraid – I’m very afraid that my tastes are changing………. again.
https://instagram.com/p/08yn2yuEy9/?taken-by=dex3657
https://instagram.com/p/08zbI1OE0H/?taken-by=dex3657
But isn’t that the beauty of tea? That tastes change? I do try to drink a little of everything, and my favourite is still Assam… but there are other things I’m really loving now. Some of those yunnan blacks you sent, the moonlight whites, some softer shengs. I think I gave you some from Cultivate Tea as well – that one is also quite soft.
I like the exploration part of the journey, but taste changes are expensive and bad for cupboard control….
I say go with the flow and listen to your body.
change of taste happen from time to time, the first year I drank pu’erh, I basically was only drinking and loving shou puerh. In those times I sampled sheng a lot, nothing actually struck me… until… one day… I drank some New Amerikah by white2tea… well now I love both of them but yeah it’s bad for cupboard control :)
on the upside… when your tastes change and you need to start again…send your cupboard to me… hahaha mine haven’t changed yet! and we’re almost done yr 3!
Dexter, I was totally on a shou kick, until I tasted the sheng you sent my way, now I’m finding myself looking up sheng cakes on ebay and adding them to my ‘watch list’. lol
It might just be seasonality as well. I do drink black teas year round but lately I’m on a jade oolong phase where I drink it almost every day. On the other hand I so far have preferred sheng to shou. I find that whites, greens, and Oolong’s are teas ?I tend to drink through phases.
But you can like ALL the teas.
Dinking a shou coin from O5Tea that I picked up in Vancouver.
Disclaimer – it poured rain the day I bought this and spent the day walking around getting soaked. That included these coins. They got “blow dried” back in that hotel room. The wrapper was not stained so I’m not thinking it wasn’t too badly damaged, but who knows.
The first couple of steeps were really mild, flat, not much going on. I significantly upped the steep time and found some astringency. By steep four it’s better but still not wowing me. It’s good, it tastes like shou – I would drink it again, but I won’t be buying more at that price. I don’t mind paying good money for good tea. This is pretty expensive to be just OK tea.
https://instagram.com/p/0wAaFeuE7q/?taken-by=dex3657
https://instagram.com/p/0wBuP0OE99/?taken-by=dex3657
Tooo lazy to put this into the data base.
This was a free sample from The Chinese Tea Shop – the label says: Aged Pu’erh Loose Tea years 1995 (green) – so that’s all I know.
First – if you are ever in Vancouver you HAVE to check this place out. Fantastic hospitality. Wonderful couple in the shop – she made us tea, he recommended tea, we drank tea and talked tea and yes bought a ton of tea – but it was just an absolute amazing experience. This is not how I buy tea in my world.
LOL having said that – I don’t like this tea. I rinsed twice and flash steeped. EWWWW it smells like dirt – not clean earthy – dirty swap….. It tastes dirty too – maybe not as bad as it smells, but dirty…. rinsed again and made two more steeps – better but no thank you.
Love the shop – hate this tea. :((
https://instagram.com/p/0oPo5TOE08/?taken-by=dex3657
https://instagram.com/p/0oP5IWOE1R/?taken-by=dex3657
You didn’t give me this one. :)
If I were you I wouldn’t be disappointed about that…. I’ve made about 8 steeps so far and haven’t really drank any of it… like two sips and dump…
Oh, that is sad. (I’ve been doing that with the O5 shou tuo though. Umm. It’s bitter.)
so jelly. i got yixing from them and its fantastic
I’m not quite sure what tea I’m drinking – this was in the amazing box that Sil sent me – thank you….
The package says “Temi SFTGFOR1 First Flush Black Tea Rep. of Tea” but I think it might be:
http://steepster.com/teas/rare-tea-republic/22809-temi-sftgfop1-first-flush-sikkim ?
Anyway – whatever it is – I went conservative with the steeping. There was about 1.5 tsp in the sample so I used all of it in my glass perfect mug, used 90C water for about 2 min.
That resulted in a golden (almost orange) liquor – this is probably a little under leafed and a little under steeped but I was afraid of the astringency. I’m still getting a little astringent but not as bad as I was expecting. This is a little straw ish (that’s my interpretation of somewhere between grass and woody) there is a little sweetness in the back. I’m not really familiar with this style of black tea – I had some bad experiences early in my black exploration and pretty much moved on over to the Chinese blacks. While this still isn’t to my tastes it’s not as bad as I remember them being….. interesting and happy to have tried it.
Tonight I ‘m drinking a pu’erh sample that I got with one of my Mandala orders. All the package says is “Personal Stash 2006 Ripe from Yong DE area” ?
Steeps 1 and 2 were pretty harsh – not bitter but in your face pu’erh – earthy, musty (not fishy) but strong pu’erh.
Steeps 3 and 4 were a little better but still quite strong. There was some sweet, woody, fruit tree something starting to come out.
Steeps 5 and 6 were starting to mellow – getting smoother..
This one is the type of shou that could turn off non pu’erh drinkers. While I find this interesting and really appreciate the sample this isn’t my favorite. Thanks Garret.
http://instagram.com/p/yk63GGOE8I/?modal=true
http://instagram.com/p/yk6dFduE7T/?modal=true
Zheng Shan Xiao Zhong of Wu Yi Fujian Black tea Spring 2014
http://yunnansourcing.com/en/wuyimountainrockoolongs/2939-zheng-shan-xiao-zhong-of-wu-yi-fujian-black-tea-spring-2014.html
vs
Spring 2013 “Zheng Shan Xiao Zhong” of Wu Yi Fujian Black tea
http://yunnansourcing.com/en/wuyimountainrockoolongs/2442-spring-2013-zheng-shan-xiao-zhong-of-wu-yi-fujian-black-tea.html
I got both of these in my recent Yunnan Sourcing order. Why did I order two versions of the same tea? I don’t know, I don’t think I meant to, wasn’t really paying attention. That’s ok, I LOVE Fujian black teas and I’m sure I will enjoy both of them, but are they different… Sil asked me to compare them – so here are my thoughts on that.
Again – same as before Davids baskets, Noble cups. I decided that since there are no steeping parameters on the packaging, I’m going to do this MY way. This is how I normally steep black tea.
1.5 tsp/8 oz 95C 5 min
Dry – the leaves are small twisted and BLACK – I think the 13 are slightly larger than the 14 but only SLIGHTLY. They are beautiful and both smell amazing.
Steeped – Both smell the same and both look the same to me. I can’t tell the difference between them.
WOW!!! This is interesting!!! I was fully expecting to write something like – I can’t tell them apart, they are the same tea. These are NOT the same tea.
2013 – WOW!!! hit me in the face with semi-sweet chocolate. A little sweet a little bitter – fantastic!!! This is everything I LOVE about Fujian black tea. This is a lot like Laoshan Black – maybe not quite as good (but then I’m not drinking LB so what do I know) but it’s along that flavor profile. I would be perfectly happy crawling into a corner with this tea and beating the world off with a stick – leave me alone to enjoy my tea..
2014 – This is good – don’t get me wrong, I will drink this. It’s not as chocolaty, more malty, more sweet potato, almost a little grainy, maybe even a hint of grape. I like it but it pales beside the 2013.
That’s my story – this is just my impressions, but in my world 2013 ALL THE WAY , no comparison. But that’s because I adore the chocolate notes, some of you may like the other version better it’s all personal taste.
ETA – I just did a second steep of both of these (95C 7 min). The 2014 is more chocolaty with the 2nd steep, but I still prefer 2013. Both are milder with the second steep but totally drinkable. These are good teas.
I also have both, but haven’t opened the 2014 yet. I’m thinking the 13 is from fall. Aren’t fall teas fuller tasting than spring, in general (I might be totally wrong on this…lol)
I have no idea if fall teas are fuller than spring teas – I’m barely at the point to recognize the difference between Yunnan and Fujian. Both my packages say SPRING, they are spring 2013 and spring 2014. A quick look at the YS web site and all the Fujian teas available are spring – does that mean the fall ones are more prized and sell out? or they don’t exist?
Awesome review. Every harvest is different. Another reason is 13 could age nicely. I wonder if you could take small amount of each harvest, set them aside and taste them next year.
I know I prefer fall harvests to spring harvests but as dex said, both say spring hahaha. Of course this just means I need a YS order sooner…. Since I adored the 13 Terri sent me
Golden Snail Yunnan Black Tea – Whispering Pines Tea Co.
http://whisperingpinestea.com/puretea/pureblack/golden-snail-yunnan-black.html
vs
Pure Bud Bi Luo Chun Yunnan Black tea Autumn 2013 – Yunnan Sourcing
http://yunnansourcing.com/en/yunnan-black-teas/2603-pure-small-bud-bi-luo-chun-yunnan-black-tea-autumn-2013.html
I haven’t drank either of these teas before so I’m going into this with no preconceived notions on what to expect.
I am again using Davids steeping baskets in my Noble Cups. Yunnan Sourcing doesn’t really give steeping instructions so I’m going with WP recommendation.
1 tsp/8 oz 95C 3 min
Dry – The YS version is more loosing rolled (less snail like) and has more golden leaves in it.
Dry – The YS version is more fragrant and smells a bit chocolate. WP is more subtle and I want to say fruity.
Steeped – the WP version is lighter in color but more transparent (clear) – YS is darker richer but more opaque.
This is really interesting to be drinking them side by side. These are completely different teas. YS is deeper richer but with less defined flavors. WP is lighter and sweeter, but has definite chocolate notes, smooth creamy, buttery is a good word.
I’m going back to my last comparison – YS is more adult not as sweet, somehow you think this is black tea – WP is more kid friendly sweet, what this black tea?. WP is easy to drink, really tasty, easy to pick out the flavors. The YS is deeper, more complex (in that you need to hunt and think about what you are drinking). I’m on the fence right now – like them both for different reasons. I’m going to re-steep the leaves and see what happens….
Second steep – water still 95C but upped the time to 5 min….
WP is darker this time – that’s interesting, not lots darker but some.
I think that WP re-steeps better – less flavor loss than the YS. Don’t get me wrong, the second steep of YS is still very drinkable, but it seems like a second steep – I’m not noticing much difference between the first and second steep of the WP. The YS has taken on some slight fruity notes – WP is still full of sweet chocolatey goodness.
IMHO – I like WP better. It’s just wins on the yummy factor (I don’t think I’m enough of a connoisseur to appreciate what is probably lurking in the YS version.) YS is bolder, more of a standard Yunnan black tea. It has some punch and would be my choice for a kick in the morning to get going. WP is more desserty – sit down for a quiet moment and enjoy some special tea.
Some people think that price doesn’t belong in reviews but unless you have unlimited funds it has to factor in somewhere. WP is about 3 times the price of YS. Is it fair to compare a Chevy to a Mercedes? Dunno – but with that thought in mind, I think YS is inexpensive enough to drink everyday, nice solid black tea. WP would be more of a special occasion tea for me. It’s not SO EXPENSIVE that I would never buy it again, but it’s a little pricey for every day drinking.
Both these teas could find a permanent home in my cupboard for different reasons.
Nice note! I like that sometimes I end up finding ‘new’ traits that I wouldn’t have noticed if wasn’t doing a side by side comparison.
Thanks – it’s always interesting to drink similar teas side by side and I agree you often find notes that you may not have noticed drinking them alone.
I would be really curious to see a comparison of the Spring versus the Autumn harvest of the YS. :)
I don’t have both of those :(( but I did just do a spring 2103 vs 2014 of the Zheng Shan Xiao Zhong – those are completely different
We almost had the exact same impressions Dexter. You did a much nicer job at comparing than me though :-)
I love the comparison notes! I haven’t tried any YS teas but I do love WP’s golden snail (aka wee snaily yums)
I absolutely concur. To me the YS is a completely acceptable substitute for the WP on a daily basis at a fraction of the price. I received my first order from YS this week and haven’t had a chance to sit and review, but after trying the YS I was happy I wouldn’t find myself breaking the bank to have Golden Snail/Bi Luo Chun as often as I liked. Happy!
Harney & Sons – Soba Tea, Roasted Buckwheat
https://www.harney.com/soba-tea-roasted-buckwheat.html
vs
Yunnan Sourcing – Himalayan Black Tartary Buckwheat Roasted Tea
http://yunnansourcing.com/en/flower-and-herbal-teas/2508-himalayan-black-tartary-buckwheat-roasted-tea.html
I adore H&S Soba Buckwheat tea. H&S is a bit expensive to ship to Canada. Was looking for another example of this tea. I’ve looked for roasted buckwheat at local health food store but haven’t been able to find any. So, when I saw something that looked similar at YS I was quite excited.
I’ve made a cup of each using the same steep parameters. 1 tsp/8oz 100C 5 min
I used Davids steeping baskets in my Noble cups, so each tea was steeped in the same vessel and I’m drinking it out of the same cup.
Dry – the H&S nuggets are a little smaller and a little darker in color than the YS version.
Dry smell – really they both don’t smell like anything.
Steeped – Again the H&S is slightly darker in color.
Smell – the H&S smells more toasted, the YS is similar but not as strong.
H&S is for sure more toasty/roasted. The YS is sweeter and more grainy. I’m not sure I’m going to be able to articulate how I feel about this. I like them both – if I weren’t drinking them side by side, I’m not sure I would think there is much difference. But I am drinking them side by side. H&S is more flavorful – I think it’s more fun, like a kids cereal. YS is more subtle and more natural – it’s more adult.
I think the YS version would benefit from a longer steep time – I think the bigger nuggets need a bit longer steep time.
All and all I am really happy with my YS purchase, I am going to be perfectly happy drinking this, and considering how cheap it is – that’s just a bonus. Do I like H&S better? yes I do, but only marginally better. I’m not sure what I rated H&S – but right now I’m thinking H&S 95 – YS 92.
Both these teas make me happy.
Awww, thanks for doing this dexter…I will now purchase in confidence the day I finally order from YS! I just can’t live without soba cha :-)
I love my noble cups! :)
Glad that you enjoyed them!
I’m so glad you did this. I wondered myself. I just ordered some of the H&S (because I needed TINZ) and then I saw the Teavivre one. Thanks Dex
Oooops, I mean YS, I was thinking about the Golden Monkey I just recently compared. But yes, I ordered the H&S soba and I’m looking forward to it. And I’m afraid YS might become a new addiction
Thank you Dexter. I love side by side reviews. I like that you made it in the same vessels. I see YS addiction in a near future, haha
Awesome!
Oh, that’s good to know! I like Soba Cha, but don’t have any plans to order from H&S. Alternatives are always nice. Thanks!
I saw the buckwheat tea on YS website last time I ordered but having a bad experience with some local buckwheat tea at the Korean/Japanese market , I was very reluctant. Thanks for testing them. Next time I order from them I’ll be sure to add some buckwheat tea.
I usually choose a tea in the morning and take it to work. Today I decided that rather than choosing ONE tea, I would take a few of the samples that I have lying around. I tossed a few in my bag and off to work I go.
Ont of them was this little red individual package that Sil had so generously sent me.
I’m at work, I’m not really paying attention. I rip open the package, dump the contents into my steeping basket, pour hot water over it, put the lid on, and go back to my desk. A few minutes later, I take the lid off and am immediately hit in the face with the unmistakable scent of fishy pu’erh. Oppps, This package was all in Chinese, and I just thought that Sil had sent me all black samples. Nope, this was a pu’erh – and I mistreated it BADLY. No rinse, over leafed, over steeped.
Sorry sil this was probably a pretty decent pu’erh – I drank about half the cup then added more hot water – but the damage had been done. Even the resteep didn’t really didn’t come out that good. It was ok, but not what it would have been if I had treated it right.
Moral of the story – if you don’t know what a tea is, drink it at home when you have time to watch, smell, investigate what you are drinking. :(((
I have never tried hard iced tea! I’m intrigued! Also I’m mailing you something tomorrow!
Awww! I’m getting yours together (verdant blend club, steap shoppe and a few extras) tomorrow or Friday and sending it out by Saturday (I hope) :) I wasn’t expecting anything :O :D
It’s just a little something :)
How sweet!