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I think this might be the last of the teas from a swap with Mastress Alita.

I had been brewing this one grandpa, both in a 10oz mug and a typical paper coffee cup, using 3-4 pearls and 200 to 212F. When brewed in a mug, I could get one good top-off and a second if I was jonesing. The resulting liquor was thick and oily but light in taste with dominant notes of cocoa and leather with faint vanilla, no hint of bitterness and only a slight astringency, perfect for a warming cup before my night classes. The fog at night has been brutal lately. I love it.

This morning, I finished off the sample by brewing western and paying a little more attention. 4 pearls, 8oz, 212F, 3 steeps at 3/5/? min. The dry leaf had scents of cocoa, sweet potato, leather, spice and orange. The brewed liquor was fragrant with cedar, leather, smoke, oak, faint malt and orange. Surprisingly, the cocoa I tasted when brewed grandpa didn’t show up for me brewed western. It tasted mostly of leather, orange, cedar, mineral and a complementary smokiness. The astringency was a little more pronounced, the mouthfeel was thinner but the tea still produced a long-lasting oily slickness on the tongue.

I love the convenience and versatility of this tea and the change in palate when brewed grandpa vs western. For me, though, it’s missing a bit of depth. Still a good tea regardless and definitely a great tea for no fuss, on the go brewing.

Thanks again, Mastress Alita :)

Gone gaiwan. 5g sample, 100mL, 212F, 10s rinse followed by 10 steeps.

Spring 2017. Dry leaf smelled of roast, honey crystals and cocoa. Warmed leaf became brown toast, coffee and honey. A 10s rinse brought out a whiff of orchid with an undertone of orange. The tea started off very fragrant, thick, oily and strong in the mouth with tastes of roast, wood, orchid, vanilla, honey crystals, cocoa, unplaced spice and savoriness in an alkaline mineral way. Verdant claims this to be a very fruity tea with a note of juicy orange. The orange seemed more like an impression, a bright base note with some sourness that carried through all the way to the end. By the fourth steep the flavors really mellowed out, leaving a smooth brew that was still bright in the mouth with some fleeting maple and caramel, and butter and popcorn showing up on the finish. Reminded me of the Jelly Belly buttered popcorn jelly beans though obviously not as in-your-face.

The roast is still strong at the time of this review, so the tea would benefit from longer resting. After the initial delivery of all that sweet orchid, the tea mellowed out nicely. The liquor had a great fragrance, mouthfeel, minerality and level of astringency but there were points mid-session where I felt something was lacking. It’s a good tea but the price doesn’t justify a larger purchase.

Received this a freebie with one of my many What-Cha orders over the summer. Thank you.

November 2017 harvest. I prepared this sample western style, using 1.5 tsp to 6oz of 205F water, 2 steeps at 3 and 5 minutes. I regret not having the time to sit down with this tea because it is certainly worthy of contemplation. Its subtleties were beyond my abilities and time. I can say, though, that it was incredibly enjoyable. I remember tastes of malt, almond, brown toast, mace, muscatel, black raisin, black cherry, orange blossom, lemon oil and cocoa, but I couldn’t tell you which were the most prominent of point out the handful of other fleeting flavors that were present. The light- to medium-bodied liquor was refined and smooth, a little sweet with no astringency or bitterness. Warming with a slight spicy bite. It has a lot of similarities to the Gopaldhara 2nd Flush China Muscatel Gold I polished off recently, but I think the additions of black cherry and a clear, bright lemon oil to the flavor profile really nailed this one home for me.

I have a lot of black teas to work my way through over the coming months, but if this darjeeling is still available when I’m ready, I’ll definitely be purchasing a larger quantity to spend some time with.

I’ve been so hopped up on Chinese and Taiwanese teas for the past few months, it was nice to take a break with a good blend. I received this tea in a swap with Mastress Alita.

Went with 2tsp in a teaball, 10oz mug, first steep of 3.5 minutes, second steep of 5. This tea has been calling to me for a few weeks. I’ve been opening the bag for a good whiff every so often. It smells so good. I enjoy both lavender and earl grey, neither of which overpowered the other. They were backed by a slight creamy flavor which made this tea taste like an herbed black tea orange creamsicle. The base tea worked well with the flavors. The only thing I took issue with was a thin mouthfeel. I suppose, then, that this tea would be good for people who like to add milk or cream to their blacks and that’s where a fuller mouthfeel would come in. I bet it would make a killer lavender London Fog, but I don’t have the ambition nor the tools to make one. The taste of this tea makes me look forward to California winter… that’s a good thing. Thanks for sharing, Mastress Alita!!

I got this as a freebie with my very first White2Tea order. Thanks :) Just now getting around to it.

Gone gaiwan, 150mL, 212F, a prodding steep of 30s, followed by 11 steeps at 30s/10/15/15/15/25/30/35/45/1m/1m30. Strong beginnings, it requires some attention because it does oversteep easily. Anything less than boiling seemed to decrease the mouthfeel.

I could tell by the smell of the dry leaf that this was going to a fairly floral experience. The ball opened up quickly following the initial soak and I was greeted with a fragrant airy white floral, white rose and maybe cherry blossom, all drenched in honey. The smell of the liquor remained fairly strong throughout and was also prominent in the bottom of the cup. The golden liquor produced tastes of honey, airy white florals, hay and straw, faint apricot and mango with a vegetal undertone. It started off strong, thick and viscous with sweetness up front and edged into bitter in the back. The bitterness later moved forward and left my tongue numb. The texture thinned respectably into a light-bodied brew. Minimal astringency and sourness, though it didn’t sit too well in my stomach and a full belly soon became a requirement.

After the session when I took off the lid of the glass gaiwan to customarily poke through the leaf, I noticed impressions of saponin bubbles left behind which might not be visible using a brewing vessel made of different material. I’m guessing the saponins are what caused a slightly queasy stomach. I could quickly tell what made the liquor so thick in the beginning – most of the leaves had hairy, rough undersides. The leaves all appeared to be of the same region source material (Lincang, they say). I love little quirks in my tea and in this one, I found a leaf with its tip cut off that was 10cm long and 4.5cm wide. I’m a little bit of a builder so I sometimes like to measure :P

Given all that, I’ve recently concluded that honey-forward teas aren’t my style. But for someone with that kind of sweet tooth and who doesn’t mind, or even wants some bitterness in their brews, I think this would be a good choice and a good intro to puer for the adventurous who already have some experience brewing with loose leaf.

It’s been a while since anybody has left a review for this tisane! Seems like Mountain Rose Herbs has updated the game with some fair trade, kosher and organic certifications. Added some elderflowers to the mix, too.

Picked this up from the local co-op. I rarely drink rooibos but I do get a hankering a few times per year. 1 tsp to 8oz with boiling water is perfect for one glass. This tisane is pretty good, not too rooibos-y. Soft on the vanilla and smells and tastes like a cross between vanilla pipe tobacco and apple hookah tobacco. Thirst-quenching. Not much more to say. I’ll probably restock a small amount of this once per year.

I revisited this tea finally and I have to say it was quite different brewed with the longer high mountain oolong gongfu timing. It tasted less sweet and more vegetal like zucchini, had more minerality and less bamboo shoot sourness and there were additions of wood charcoal and walnut/tannins. Something like banana leaf was pronounced in the aftertaste, mixed with some kind of floral like ?violet?, something vaguely ?fruity? and a faint sweet almond oil. Orchid showed up later on the swallow.

I feel like the tea was a little too mellow and it lost a lot nuances in aroma and flavor that were present when I brewed with shorter steeps. I think it’s safe to say I like this tea but will stick to my usual short gongfu infusions for the remainder of the bag.

This tea invokes an imagery association within me more than it pushes me to analyze its aromas and flavors. I feel like a butterfly recently metamorphosed and sipping wildflower-scented dew in the sun. I don’t put any stock into that feeling, meaning this tea is no better because of the imagery. It’s definitely the lightest of the three Lishan I’ve tried recently. More lemon mineral water that induces salivation, asian pear and honeydew. Some very light vegetal, nothing pronounced. Thick but not very sweet. Florals are present, stronger in the nose than in the mouth, like I can smell them on the breeze but don’t have my face buried in a bouquet. Barely any astringency. Could be a good daily drinker due to its lightness and it performs well both gongfu and western. I can’t say I’m inclined to purchase more. Somebody with a more refined palate might appreciate more than I do.

I think it’s Spring 2018 harvest based on website info but the envelope has no date.

Blergh.

Cold brew 4g to a liter was nutty-bright honey yum but had an off-putting gritty texture. Four grams to 20oz brewed in a thermos, unremarkable and again with the grit. Going to finish this tea brewed western. Dropping the rating – it’s just lacking for my tastes in so many ways.

This dragon ball lasts forever – so long, I had to break it up into two sessions and could’ve gotten away with three. I imagine if I had done flash steeps after the initial 30s, I would’ve gotten 20+ infusions.

I was surprised how dark the liquor was – a nice, clear, medium amber. This is a texture-heavy puer – one of the thickest I’ve ever had. Sits like a ball in the belly and time releases itself from there. Very savory and alkaline; a little sour and honey. Slight dark-honeyed stonefruit aftertaste taste early on. Has a light bitterness that becomes prominent when cooled. Astringency is there, not in my face but sneaks up on me. The liquor brightens up near the end and gives a moderate buttery flavor. The energy was of a zoning out but the caffeine kept me focused. Spent leaf looks good, I can tell it’s no longer a baby. If somebody told me this tea was older than 2017, I’d believe them.

I’m glad I brewed this gongfu over chilling with it grandpa style. I think the thickness and savoriness would’ve been overwhelming that way. Seems like a good puer for playing video games on a cold, dark winter night