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I almost never buy rose scented tea. Not because I dislike the flavor but rather I can usually achieve the same thing by blending in a dried rosebud to any tea. This tea basically confirmed it.

The smell out of the bag is very faint with the barest whiff of rose, cherry, and almond. The brewed tea has a soft rose flavor that’s nice but also very similar to my Teavivre dried rosebuds. Can’t taste much of the underlying oolong. Where this tea really shines is cold brew. Here the greenness of the base oolong comes through complemented with a gentle touch of rose.

This could be a good tea for those who are into rose or floral scented teas that aren’t overpowering. I personally would just add a rosebud to regular oolong tea to obtain the same result but this is a nice option too if you want a pre-blended rose tea.

[Spring 2020 harvest]

Here’s another Yunnan Sourcing green tea that I rolled the dice on this spring. This one turned out to be my least favorite of the bunch.

The leaf appearance reminds me of eyelashes. Extremely thin, delicate pale green leaves covered with small flecks of white. Dry leaves have a pine and tree sap aroma that becomes pungent when dropped into a heated vessel.

I steeped it grandpa style using 180 F water in an 8oz mug with 1.3g of leaf initially, then upped to 2g as the flavor was too light. The brewed tea had some pine and eucalyptus aromas but tasted fairly nondescript. Light vegetal notes which were overpowered by the accompanying bitterness. Flavor was slightly better gongfued but more or less the same. Once again, more bitterness than flavor. Resorted to cold brewing it to finish up what’s left and it does okay as long it’s blended with a flavored tea. On its own, the cold brew isn’t great. Stubbornly bitter, drying, and tending towards astringency.

The cheapest matcha at Yuuki-Cha. I bought this one specifically for lattes as I don’t care much for straight matcha. Opening the pouch revealed a slightly yellow tinged fine green powder with a creamy spinach aroma. A few whisks of the chasen is all it took to whip up an incredible froth. Much frothier than any matcha I’ve ever tried. Adding milk turned the matcha bubbles into a velvety microfoam like a skilled barista would produce.

Even though it later got doctored with milk and sugar, I did the obligatory tasting of the straight tea. It had a bright, rich forest green color. Smooth and creamy with a thick mouthfeel. Notes of sautéed asparagus and a little spice. Sweeter and less earthy than matcha can sometimes be. And more importantly, it made an excellent matcha latte.

It’s nice to be back on Steepster again after a short layoff. Admittedly I’d gotten a little bored of this site and frustrated by all the spam and 503 errors. But news of the site’s sale has sparked my enthusiasm for Steepster once again. I know there are many questions surrounding Adagio’s takeover, but I, for one, welcome this small glimmer of hope after being stuck in a death spiral for so long.

Anyways, even though I’ve been away I’ve still been drinking tea and taking notes which I’ll be posting in the days to come. This was a tea I had raved about when I reviewed it on Steepster a few years ago. I remember it being incredibly fruity and sweet. This time though it wasn’t as impressive. It has the scent of fresh steamed spinach and a pleasant oceanic, grassy flavor that becomes murky and more savory on resteep. Enjoyable but lacks fullness and goes flat by the 3rd steep.

Instagram shot: https://www.instagram.com/p/CBiyIyygsPM/

2020 harvest. 1.8g / 13oz @ 185 F.

Last year’s Anji Bai Cha was a tea that was so good I used to dream about it. This year’s harvest is good but not as nuanced. It’s got that crisp freshness of romaine lettuce combined with a green pea sweetness, a lima bean like vegetal flavor with a slight peppery hint. Less grassy and more delicate than typical green teas. However, I do miss the subtleties of last year’s tea. Still an enjoyable tea though and a good one for throwing in thermos or brewing grandpa style which is how I like to brew it.

Instagram shot: https://www.instagram.com/p/CBD0TvkgGAf/

Spring 2020 harvest.

Spring is my favorite season for many reasons. The blooming trees and flowers, the freshness in the air, and everything awakening and coming back to life. Being a green tea fanatic, spring also means the arrival of fresh picked green tea which to me embodies the season more than any other tea.

The first greens of the year arrived from Yunnan Sourcing a couple of weeks ago. Laoshan tea has been my favorite Chinese green tea for a long time but I finally got sick of it and vowed to expand my horizons this year. This is one of the teas I picked up. I had never tried nor heard of Melon Seed green tea but it sounded cool so I bought it and fortunately, it did not disappoint.

The handsome, dark forest green blades have a pleasing aroma of matcha, mochi, and buttered beans. They unfurl beautifully in hot water into wide lime green leaves. I grandpa steeped 1.5g of leaf in 8oz @ 180 F. First sip tasted similar to dragon well and Anji bai cha. Not exactly the same but the flavor is somewhere in between the two. Full bodied, grassy, and vegetal with notes of asparagus, kale, and snap pea. It reminded me of sencha in appearance and taste. Greener liquor than typical Chinese teas and has that strong grassiness and bitterness of Japanese green teas. However, it turns bland once topped off with hot water so it’s not one that can sit in your thermos all day.

This is an exquisite high mountain tea. Exotic tropical fruit flavors that evolve into elegant florals and sweet pastry through steepings.

Dry leaf has a light floral and green apple fragrance. Following a rinse, intense aromas of mango and pineapple emerge.

The first steep tastes like biting into a juicy, fresh nectarine. Super thick and sweet with a luscious mouthfeel. The second steep brings out a burst of flowery goodness – notes of lily of the valley and jasmine – and a very satisfying silky texture with a distinctive aftertaste. Some light vanilla notes, creme brûlée, and orange blossom encountered as the tea progresses. The flavor begins dropping around the 5th or 6th steep but remains enjoyable.

I sampled pretty much every single high mountain oolong from Taiwan Tea Crafts and this was hands down my favorite from this winter’s harvest. Note that while Long Feng Xia is an amazing tea, it’s sensitive to water temperature. You need to use slightly cooler temperature than what normal gaoshan calls for. It used to give me fits because I would end up scalding it by brewing it my usual way. This time I kept temperature around 185 F, never letting it go above 195 F and it was perfect.

This is my second time trying this tea and it’s pretty much how I remember it from before. Greener than a typical dong ding with such a subtle roast that you might think you’re drinking a green oolong. The baked bread and caramel popcorn aromas are the only clue that this is a roasted tea. It’s fruity with light mineral and butterscotch undertones. Notes of apricot, osmanthus, and tangerine when steeped at cooler temperatures. Higher temperatures will bring out slightly more toastiness. Very refined and delicate with a smooth texture. Doesn’t become bitter no matter how long it steeps. I left it steeping for a few hours in my tea thermos yesterday and it still tasted great.

Drank this one at work. Didn’t bother measuring or timing anything and just winged it for a change. This is almost a year old but it has kept well in the fridge. Slight fruity with vegetal notes of zucchini, soybeans, and aloe.

With this sip down, I’ve officially cleared out my once massive stash of Verdant green tea. I’m now down to just a few teaspoons of Japanese greens and a YS green tea that hasn’t aged well. As someone who drinks green tea daily, I’m a little nervous about running out soon. Looks like I’ll have to reach for my oolongs, whites, and blacks more frequently until new spring greens are available.

This was a yummy Ali Shan. Juicy, fresh, and clean all around with big floral bursts and a rich buttery flavor. Finishes smooth and bright. It peaks a little early but good while it lasts.