Daylon R Thomas Send Message

This is a solid one. It had the marigold lemon loaf flavor that I loved in previous Yu Shans with some pineapple notes. It was very creamy, a little bit savory and sweet like corn bread. It also had a floral vanilla in the hints, and it had a little bit of spinach notes that are so slight to give the background some body. It was more cake-ish than I expected, however, and more savory.

$13 bucks an ounce is a little much for this, however. That’s the only reason why I’m not rating it in the 90’s.

Warning: the next few notes are primarily oolong based.

This was the next sample, and the notes were keen. Orchid and lily were prominent, although this tea was light in the first steeps gong fu using these three grams in 5 oz. I was going to use less water, but used the standard 15 sec rinse, and 30 second beginning with 15 increments. Clover and honey became more prominent in steep four, and the tea became sweeter. Clover flower is a little bit more apt. After long 4 minute brews in the eighth brew, some fruity notes popped through like fruit loops in cereal, shifting my evaluation from regular to above average.

So I can safely recommend this one for its subtlety, but it is a little bit expensive for the varietal. It’s worth a try for those who are curious about the company.

This is the first time this company’s on here, so I went with the Facebook marketing machines and decided to check this company out. They got a collection of most go to’s for Chinese, Indian, and Taiwaneese teas, and their oolong was dominated by gaoshan. The sampling was limited to three grams, with the lowest price being 99 cents, so hopefully, going through a small sampler will pan out and be its money worth.

It’s nearly been four years since I’ve had a Butterfly oolong, and this tea was a pretty good example that did not want to die. I thought that this tea was just another version of a Tieguanyin, but apparently, it’s a greener Wuyi oolong. Their notes are pretty spot on since orchid and a little bit of honey dominated the flavor and aroma in every cup, and it had a caramelized edge to it that you only get in some oolongs. They describe it being like toffee and hinted by peach, which I can see. I got eleven brews of it gong fu, but the flavor did not change that much. Orchid lead the rinse, and the toffee and peach became more prominent in brew 3 and 4. The later brews became a little bit too floral and grassy.

So, this is a good tea with a good mouthfeel. I would have gotten a lot more in the days before I was converted to Taiwaneese oolongs, but now, I am just satisfied that I tried it and will not get more. It’s also a little too pricey for me in my opinion.

I’m going to be cliche and rate it in the 90’s but in terms of how often I drink it, it’s an 88. The mouthfeel is great, and this tea is great for the spring on a rainy day, or better yet, on a sunny day as rays of light warm the lingering wisps of winter. My previous note pretty much details the tastes of this one, and it really does resemble a japanese green more than a typical oolong. It’s got the roundness of a great Sencha or Mao Feng, but it’s thick and slightly fruity enough to barely be oolong. Either way, this is for the snobs who like to reflect on the seasons and meditate. In short, it’s high quality, refined, and shway…

(Yes, that is a D.C. universe reference. I was religiously devoted to Batman Beyond.)

Now, to splurge on Rivendell, or not to splurge on Rivendell; that is the question. Whether tis nobler in the purse to budget the slings and arrows of a teachers fortune, or impulse buy against a sea of troubles, and by opposing, end them. To buy, to wait—No more and by buying to say we end the heartache, and the thousand natural shocks
that we are heir to. ‘Tis a consummation devoutly to be wished. To buy, to wait—
to wait—perchance to dream: ay, there’s the rub, for in that purchase of tea what dreams may come.

This is what I do in my spare time: drink tea, write, Ham out-repeat.

Back to why this tea is good. Again. This tea is kind of unexpected, and then after a few cups gong fu, you might have something like this stuck in your head.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gte3BoXKwP0

2018 Fall was pretty awesome, and my favorite so far. I’ve yet to try the winter. Either way, I recommend this company yet again and the seasons are improving. Supposedly, winter is a great grandpa tea. This one has yielded well western with some note variety. It’s got a bit more vanilla and flowers to its mineral edge compared to the previous seasons.

It’s been a little bit since I wrote about the club teas. The Long Feng that was from the beginning of this year is frickin’ amazing and durable. The Red Oolong and the Qing Xing black, I felt mixed about. The Red is too heady and overpoweringly sweet, while the Qing Xing black has some honeyed prunes, fruit compote, and blackberry spice notes I like from Taiwaneese blacks, but just a little too much fruit compote for my personal preference. It may grow on me, but for now, I’m still experimenting with it while my mom enjoys it for what it is.

Now, for this one. It’s basically a more refined Meishan Alishan oolong that compares to an Alishan Qing Xing. I would not have noticed that it is a bug bitten tea drinking it straight, because the honey note is something that I’ve usually tasted and preferred in the Alishans I buy. The unctuous honey notes and roast are more prominent with more leaves and longer brew times, retaining more of the bug bitten quality. I’m glad that they kept the roast light because the notes could have been heavier with more roast. I also deeply enjoy the fact that it has very little vegetal qualities to it, which is kinda refreshing. The body is a little bit thinner, so it does require a bit of leaves to get going gong fu, but it does do better western and it does not have any real astringency. The honey notes may be more pronounced and then border on lemony, but it is a flexible and durable tea with some nice florals like violet. I also have not tasted the roast notes yet, though they are a little noticeable in the dry leaf.

Despite how straightforward this tea is, I do very much enjoy it and will be sad when it’s gone. I’m not raving yet, but I know it will grow on me over time.

I SWEAR I’ve added this one before. Anyway, this is one of the more nuanced and smoother Gui Fei’s I’ve had…that can kick your butt.

The overall flavor is not bold at first gong fu, but it can ramp up it’s sweet honey and resinous peach notes up pretty high amidst an earthy background through every salivating, viscous sip. The taste is much sweeter than the dry leaf aroma, which is immensely earth, and a little bit like raisins, but also a little bit like cookies in the roast and a bit of a cinnamon note for a little kick. The later sips can get especially sweet and thick as well, even in the thinner eighth brew. This tea does respond well to both Western and Gong Fu, but I personally have to go 2-3 grams for western because these leaves can get pretty strong. It’s like drenching raisin bread with so much honey and butter that it becomes a sugary fructose wet dream. When I’ve done it right gong fu, it’s like sampling refined honey from the honeycomb next to a fruit and nut platter.

So in short, this is a very good example of a gui fei that you can make overly pretentious descriptions about. It’s sweetness is the appeal and detractor, but its mouthfeel is awesome no matter what being flavor forward with some delicate nuances. I’d be interested to see some one else’s opinion about it. I highly recommend it since it is has more development compared to some others on the market.

Your typical Alishan-soft, floral, creamy, and just a hint fruity and nutty with a floral aroma amidst a vegetal body. This responds well to both western and gong fu, though it is a little more nuanced gong fu. It is very clean, refreshing and not badly priced, so I would recommend it as something to try. The exquisite version is better because the body is more rounded and zesty. I do like this tea, but I’m not sure what I can further add other than its good quality and worth a try.

Thank you for this sample!

I quite enjoyed this one, and the orchid, peach and almond aroma are apt descriptions. I originally got the regular Alishan from this company since I already had the tea bagged version of the Alishan. This one worked gong fu or western, but I’ve had better luck gong fu using the recommended 40, 20, 30… and so on. It is fairly standard for good quality Ali Shan’s, but it’s slight nuttiness is better enhanced with its fruity edge and its floral and creamy almond quality. It’s still a little vegetal, but almond and orchid are the more prominent notes. I would recommend this one a little over the regular Alishan although they are extremely close in flavor. This one just has a little more zest, and I think it has a little more oxidation making it more rounded overall. I may raise the rating eventually, but it stands as something good for the price it costs.