Featured & Popular Tasting Notes
This tea courtesy of Doulton!
I am very excited because I’ve been wanting to try this tea ever since I read about it. The leaves are absolutely GORGEOUS! Long, dark and handsome! It’s so hard to believe they are not blended with chocolate!!
This tea is ridiculous, and I mean that in the most highly complimentary way possible! It’s deliciously tea-ish and a chocolatey roasty flavor. Not hot chocolate, not coffee, not chicory although all these things come to mind. It’s something all it’s own and simply sublime!!! I want to wander the streets and go up to random strangers and say “Taste this tea! It is simply pure camellia sinensis, but have you EVER tasted anything like it!?!?!?!?”
!!!!
Now that it is cooling a bit I am tasting a caramel note joining in with the tea/chocolate/coffee/chicory. Wow. This is one of the highlights of my tea tasting experiences thus far!!!! THANK YOU DOULTON!!!!!
EDIT: Great resteep! 6 minutes, more roasty chicory chocolate. Lighter but so delicious. Better than many teas first steep! but steep #1 is the best one.
Preparation
Ahhh. It’s been one of those mornings. Had a lot of stupid nightmares last night—of the very stereotypical variety—someone is chasing you or finds you and they want to harm you and you can’t run or scream and then your own unintelligible pre-historic cries wake you up and then you a) are happy to be awake; and b) laugh at the stupid noises you actually just made out loud. Thank heavens for snuggly bed buddies, because there’s nothing quite like being cuddled after a stupid nightmare, especially one that sounds really ridiculous when you try to explain it.
“It was just really scary, ok? just trust me.”
“So who was chasing you again?”
“I don’t even know if I was being chased! there were just these bad people…and they were like everywhere and I couldn’t get away!”
ha.
Sorry. So then I fell back asleep again and fell back into the same stupid nightmare! so dumb. But towards the morning, I slept like a normal person again and it was lovely. Slept in until noon which felt amazing, and then had a breakfast of French toast and this delicious tea. I didn’t put nearly as much sugar in it because it’s fairly sweet on its own, plus I wanted it to be less sweet than the French toast I was eating. It tasted like a deliciously decadent hot blueberry latte, and I’m pretty sure I’ll be getting more when this runs out. You can even smell and taste the “crumble”, so it isn’t a straight up blueberry tea. Dellaterra knows what it’s doing in the pie/cake/crumble department, straight up, yo.
I had a dream the other night where someone was keeping me hostage. Then I escaped with the help of someone else, then that person held me hostage. I kept escaping over and over again. (Not sure what that means). The worst part is I knew I was dreaming but couldn’t seem to wake up. Haha.
Those dreams are awful! LOL
I had the hollow teeth/teeth falling out dream – it’s usually a final stages of grief dream for me, which seems about right.
I love that half-awake stage where you can control the dream; I get that a lot. It’s really liberating, like directing your own interactive action film.
I don’t have those dreams nearly enough, although they would have with them a redeeming quality, that’s for sure.
Also, I’m sorry that you’re grieving, whatever the reason. Regardless of how much a loss can make sense on an intellectual level (we all die/people move on/whatever), our hearts are often so much slower to grapple with it and make sense of something that feels so unbelievably heartbreaking. I can only promise you that it won’t always hurt this badly.
My recurring nightmare is that of water. I’m swimming in the ocean (sometimes I’m in a boat but usually at the beach swimming) and then a terrifying Tsunami-like wave forms out of nowhere and crashes over my head. I go under but wake up just before I get swept out to sea or drown. Pretty awful.
Oh, they definitely do – there’s always this moment when something absolutely horrifying is about to happen to me in the dream, and right then I come awake just enough to take control. The look of surprise on the faces of whatever spectres are dream-haunting me never fails to delight.
And thanks – but I have no problem with grief. Like you say – it’s a logical process. Grief makes sense. Besides, to me, feeling is being alive.
It’s a logical process, but I dare say you’re better at it than I am! :).
nxtdoor, that sounds absolutely terrifying!
I had strange dreams too. Don’t recall much but I remember watching someone fall to their death :(
Nxtdoor, I have a recurring nightmare that’s similar if not identical—I’m on a beach and having a great time and then suddenly there’s a sea change (heh) to the whole mood and abruptly the lighting changes and there’s no more crowd of laughing happy folks, the tide starts to ominously come in fast and suddenly there’s a monstrously huge tsunami in the distance and I’m trying desperately to climb up the sand dunes to safety but it keeps eroding and I try and try and can’t get to the top and the wave engulfs me. It’s one of my least favorite nightmares, blugh. Sorry you have an awful one. :(
i have a history with night terrors, but a few years back i had one where the cat curled up on my feet, the dog on my knees, another cat, few more dogs…. i was feeling very squished but loved! but i couldn’t move except for my head. suddenly a dark figure was coming towards me with a needle aimed at my forehead. NOT OKAY! it was one of those huge ones.
anyway, in my struggles to twist my head away i managed to crack my head into my partner’s and give myself a concussion? sigh. i had this giant lump. i looked like a unicorn.
What a nightmarish thread!! ha
LOL JustJames, I bet you can laugh at it now, but man…a concussion! At least you had enough strength to have a real-life reaction
Now I will always picture JustJames as a unicorn.
oh man. first i was all “aw cuddly” then terrorface then lol.
james is rather unicorn like, actually! a bit magical in his writing. Lots of deep feelings. I can see it!
it was so bad. i was crazy bruised.
This was so good. I’m so exhausted but I made buttloads of money this week, and once I can cut my commute down from 80 minutes I’ll be much happier.
Things are good.
So is this tea.
You gettin a car? :)
Yay for money!
Joy of public transit in the GTA. It used to take me 60-90 main to get home to from one if my jobs. Luckily I went to the end of the route on most of the buses, because we were often so tired at the end of shifts that it wasn’t uncommon for people to have accidents in the parking lot.
Glad things are otherwise going really well!
I’m going to get practice on my bf’s standard. Stupid stickshift.
Yyz- yuck. That sounds really awful, but it is nice having a bus that goes to the end – then you can nod off or watch TV on a tablet or something. Right now I’m terrified I’ll miss my stop.
Generally that’s what happened:). I know what you mean about the stops though especially now with slush covered buses whose windows you can barely see out of. Good luck with the standard!
Yay for money squared!
semi sipdown! finished up my bag from august this morning so now i just have the ounce left from my december order :) I might have to pick up a few more ounces if i make a verdant order this month, just to keep a decent sized stock of this in the house :) Such a good cup to wake up with in the morning!
The leaves of this tea are beautiful. Rolled and all golden and black, amazing to look at.
I’m not educated enough to understand what is going on in this one. It has the right mouth feel of a rich, thick black – but it also is lighter in flavor than I normally prefer. It’s smooth and gentle – zero astringency, but has a bit of the “dry mouth” thing that I’m not fond of. I’m not sure how to classify this. There is no doubt that this is a high end tea, but I don’t think it fits my favorite black notes.
Thank you so much ifjuly for sending me some of this. I feel like I don’t deserve to be “wasting” this beautiful tea.
Just enjoy! :-)
:)
yeah, what caile said. (:
What caile and ifjuly and stephanie said: :)
Hmm… I have to try mine still. I feel like I’m saving them for a treat once I drink some of these samples!
I LOVE Mandala Tea, and as much as I think this is a special tea – it’s not really to my tastes. I think others would appreciate it more than I do – this tea deserves to be loved, and I don’t love it.
OMGsrsly – I have lots that I’m saving for the right day…
I don’t think you wasted it. Trust me it will “grow” on you.
I got an ounce with MissB. :) So excited. I got some of the cones as well! Once my sample box doesn’t spill onto the floor when I look at it, I will indulge.
Ok, confession time! I’ve always enjoyed this tea, but it’s never been a knock me off my socks sorta tea. You know what I mean, right? But I wanted to really like it because I like Sil and ButikiTeas.
Anywyas,this has gone from a 78 to an 88. I figured out what I needed – a longer steep time. Maybe 5 minutes? I want MORE flavour and this is just great now. Lovely rhubarb, slightly tart, slightly sweet and a bit of graham in there to weigh it down. YES. FINALLY I GET IT NOW.
Preparation
I’ve heard so much about this tea – wish I could try it!
Yay!
If you ever place an order with Butiki, she will throw in a few samples and you can request which ones. Her teas rarely disappoint.
That’s so funny-a longer steep time pretty much ruined this tea for me yesterday! Although I’m guessing it was steeping for more than five minutes, but still. Funny what works.
It’s been awhile since I drank this one. I picked up an oz with my last butiki order, just for fun. :)
haha a 78 is a perfectly reasonable score for a tea :)
:) Well 78 means I like it, but not that it’s completely irreplacable. :P Anything over 85 means I need to buy at least 2oz of it when I order.
Keychange – yeah there’s probably a very narrow margin where oversteeping makes the flavours better before it makes it infinitely worse. I didn’t mean to steep it so long but my cat wanted some attention before I left the house.
Oh yeah, cats can do that to your tea anyday!
and they do it on purpose!
NIce, maybe that was the “problem” I had with this tea too. I was afraid of steeping it too long because I thought the base would only get stronger and cover up the other flavours even more.
Another sample in my swap from TerriHarpLady :)
I love “pearl” teas. I love watching the agony of the tea, as it writhes and unfurls in the hot water.
This one is super malty, so obviously I am going to love it. It is bold and creamy. No astringency but there is a bit of a creamy aftertaste. I am also getting hints of a metallic earthiness, or something like that. There is a natural sweetness to the tea, and I almost think I get of a hint of spice, maybe like clove or something, but not sure. I used 4 pearls for this steep but I think I would like to use more next time.
Preparation
Haha “agony” is a great word choice here.
Very poetic word.
I can’t take credit for it, it is a real tea term. I read about it in a book about tea. Here is a link to a definition: http://coffeetea.about.com/od/glossaryofterms/g/Agony-Of-The-Leaves-Definition.htm
Agony of the tea…nice!
I love this one, but am hoarding it – heard a rumor that Garret might not be getting more. :((
Hi gang!!! The producer that I source these from decided last year to turn his leaf into something else other than pearls. With any luck, he will do pearls with his spring-picked leaf again this year. Trust me, I’m working on him!!!! We got our best black pearls from him.
Crossing fingers – happy to hear that there is hope for more of this. It is soooooo good.
It appears I’m the first to taste this, and sadly, it appears I may be the last.
I went to look for this tea on The American Tea Room site, and I can no longer find “Berry Noir” available for purchase. There are other berry teas available from ATR now, but not a single-flavor blackberry.
Which is a shame, because the first thing I noticed when I opened the sample packet was the big honking dried blackberries among the tea leaves and a singularly amazing blackberry smell.
Alas, the poor blackberry. It seems to get short shrift in the berry world, taking a second seat to its more popular cousins, the blueberry, the raspberry and the strawberry. I will admit to putting it in my grocery basket as an afterthought when I’ve been berry shopping. And yet, I’m always very happy when I eat a really juicy blackberry. Though I can’t conjure the taste of blackberry in my mind in the same way I can with its little friends. Perhaps that explains the fate of this tea.
Would that it were not so. The tea’s steeped aroma is a deep, luscious blackberry peacefully co-existing with a mild tea base that I suspect is Ceylon. The liquor, in any case, is very similar in color to the other single fruit blends I’ve tried from ATR.
The taste is remarkable. Really, truly, like having a mouthful of sweet berries with each sip. And since they’re not blue, rasp, straw, or any lesser known berries I’ve tasted, I’m comfortable with the idea that they’re blackberries.
This would definitely go on the shopping list if only it still existed.
Le sigh.
Preparation
damn! i love blackberry! ah well, i have a ton of tea…. =0)
James, I know, right?
Aww, too bad they took it away from you. I like blackberries, but I’ll admit that I prefer more sour berries such as raspberries.
Fjellrev, I like raspberries a lot, too. This tea was really awesome though.
I’d send them a note; I’m finding them really easy to work with, and they’ll tell you if it’s a temporary or permanent removal.
Thanks, MissB, that’s a great suggestion.
We can tell you – we now offer two teas – Blushing Berry (which has all the red fruit – currants and strawberries) AND Black & Blue (which has all the black and blue fruit – blueberries, blackberries) SO my guess is you would like the Black & Blue – sorry we no longer have your favorite but we think these two are awesome as well.
Thank you. I’ll be sure to try them!
Sad sip down. I wish I got more but I was skeptical about the bazillion different fruits in here and thought it would be too sugary. Nope. So freakishly delicious. I’ll probably grab 100g next time I order from Zen.
Hopefully you can snag a sale! They seem to have great sales.
Oh, they have new blends?
That’s the plan, Cavo!
TheTeaFairy, they did add a few blends to their collection over the past couple months, it seems. Makes ordering more exciting now haha.
Yay I have some of this – I’m always happy to see positive reviews for teas I own but haven’t tried.
Hmmmm, Reeeealy?? (I.did.not.need.to.know.that.)
(TheTeaFairy – hiatus – remember the hiatus – shop in my cupboard instead…. Yay I have some of this means – yay you can get some of this – and whatever other ones I might happen to have) LOL I’m suppose to be supporting the hiatus. :))
Oh, but, Dexter, I was just making conversation…
(Cough, Icantbetrusted,cough, cough)
:-) :-) :-) thank you!
Oh hey, I have this one too. Is this one of your cold brews?
Yep! I don’t really bother trying fruit blends hot anymore. Straight to the jug and into the fridge. :)
I ended up doing a mish mash of random leftover bits. I hope it’s good! I’ll make this one tomorrow.
For some reason I had it in my head that green rooibos would not be as rooibosy as red. This cup is proving that not to be the case. Though it is not immediately recognizable as rooibos it is definitely there. And there is a tint of caramel but it is not sweet like I anticipated it would have been. Honestly, I am not sure what I am tasting. It is like really weirdly artificial. Mostly it just tastes like something is missing. This won’t be a restock and I think I will send the last 1-2 tsps to Roswell Strange so she can try it out.
Preparation
I’m sorry you didn’t enjoy this. :( I actually liked it when I got it to go with a bit of agave.
I think sweetener would help but I don’t sweeten my teas.
I hardly do unless it’s a bit of honey when my throat is sore. In any case I was thinking of picking this up but maybe I won’t now because I can’t be bothered adding things.
Haha. I think I wanted more sweetness so it would definitely be an easy remedy for someone willing to sweeten their teas. But if you don’t want to add anything, I don’t recommend it.
I may go for the chocolate mint rooibos instead. ;D
I was not a huge fan of that either (in fact I am selling mine now because I stupidly bought 50 g) but I think that is more because I am not a huge lover of chocolate and mint.
I handle green rooibos better than red, but yeah, this one doesn’t benefit that, iirc.
I actually kind of like this one! The odd person out. :) It’s good with a bit of coconut cream. Mmm.
Green rooibos is awesome, but it kind of defeats the purpose if they’re going to mix it with the red variety.
I like this one with a bit of milk… hmmm… never tried coconut milk, I think that would be quite delicious too
Now THIS is a roasty oolong that i would seriously consider getting more of. I like that there’s a hint of that charcol note, but it’s not overly coming through and what IS coming through in the taste is smoother and less…charcol like than others i’ve had? This is a really smooth tasting cup of delicious. I pretty much made it, sat down to start thinking about it and writing something, and it’s already all gone. Thank you ever so much for sending this one to me Ysaurella I think i really DO need to place that theodor order soon!!
That sounds delicious.
We’re all so ridiculously spoiled by Ysaurella. She’s like the fairy godmother of tea. <3
yeah…i always feel like our swaps are one sided…so much deliciousness coming from her
Let’s send her a PONY.
bwahahahahaha oh man just totally imagining that
haha too funny
lol I imagine the face of my cat…ding dong…opening the door and find a Pony….
This tea is wonderful, I love it very much and surely it would become a staple in my cupboard.
I’m very pleased you like it so much
This is one of the teas I got in my latest Nina’s Tea order. (To tell the story again, I was in Florida, and Laurent and Sophie from Nina’s Paris USA shipped my order to my hotel. This saved me a whole lot on shipping. Laurent stayed in contact with me the whole time until I received and was satisfied with my order). I had been wanting to try this one for a long time. It was only available in a tin but the tin is beautiful.
The dry tea is beautiful. The black tea leaves look nice, dried orange peel and bright blue and red flower petals are mixed in with the tea leaves. It smells super delicious. Like sweet candied orange peel. Almost has a bubble gum quality to the smell.
The smell of the brewed tea smells a little bit flat. Still candied orange but not as strong or as sweet and with a bit more pepper.
The brewed tea, like I find most Nina’s Paris Teas, is delicious. The tea base is just bordering on bold. There is a sweet, candied orange peel flavour, it is delicate and not overpowering. There is a slight pepper from the orange rind but it is very light. It almost tastes like there is a bit of orange juice in this tea. There is a slight sweetness, I would maybe add a bit of sweetener next time I have this tea. The flower petals give a thickness to the tea with a bit of a bread-y flavour.
The sweet orange flavours become much more prominent and bright as the tea starts to cool.
I am really glad I picked this up. I would like to know if there is a story behind the flavour of this tea and the name.
Preparation
I think my next order of Japon I will go for the tin. They really are beautiful.
I think the tins would not be so great for stacking, but they look beautiful. The one I have has the name of the tea on the front (It is a white tin with a design on it, not the red one). And the lid appears to fit tightly but not so tight that I can’t get it off :) And they are so cute.
I agree. I think eventually I will collect some of the basic H&S tins for stacking, but sometimes pretty tins are nice for a few teas. :)
I believe this was a special tea they brought in for Christmas and so it has a specialty tin. I saw it when I went to their office and I think it is so pretty but I don’t like citrusy teas.
I think I might pick up the Marie Antoinette in a tin because I like the pretty pink tin. Plus I have one of their baby tins and it is so cute but actually fits a fair amount of tea.
By the way Lala, I LOVE your profile picture/avatar change.
Thanks Courtney. I figured I could use a yearly avatar change. And who doesn’t love the chesire cat. Even when he is creepily portrayed.
That’s the best part about it haha. The Cheshire cat is awesome.
That’s such wonderful customer service.
This was my 3rd order from Nina’s Paris USA and I have to say I have had excellent customer service with all 3 orders.
They truly set the bar for customer service in my opinion. I went to their office in Florida and had such an amazing experience with them. It helps that their teas are delicious as well.
Great customer service tales from tea companies warm my heart, and make me wanna order all the tea LOL
I splurged on 50g of japon in a tin…because, if nothing else it goes with my black MF tin :)
NOPE! a ‘little’ clove my…. backside! i get no orange, no vanilla- not even any tea…. all i get is clove!!!.
a lovely thought MissB, maybe my sample was just out of balance. that said i am not finishing this cup. )=0(
man, this seriously made me laugh out loud.
i like clove too! but HOLY COW!
I think you mean ‘holy clove’ there, batman. :)
holy SMOKIN’ cloves, batgirl! lol.
Awesome! :D
i could also go the route of gollum: ‘it BUUUUUURNS us preciousssss!’.
Ha!
Smokin’ cloves. Smokin’ cloves?! Methinks Upton slipped in some crushed up Djarums into the mix.
OKAY, not going to lie, had to look up ‘djarums’, lol. could very well be. i would concur.
It’s ok, unless you are/were a goth or hipster, or associate with them, or are so clove-obsessed that you need to get that clove fix to your bloodstream more quickly than ingesting, no one really does know about them.
the most i know about cloves is that they are used naturopathically to deaden nerves in the dermal layer (as well as the tongue apparently) in tiger balm. =0) and that it burns like a very rude word if you recklessly scrub your eyes after you apply it.
Oh yeah, I’ve chewed on whole cloves in the past to soothe a sore throat. Do they ever numb EVERYTHING.
yeah, apparently clove oil is good when you have a toothache…
Fjellrev, djarums! that takes me back. warm fuzzies thinking of my reckless early 20s.
I think that’s why David’s Sugar and Spice kind of weirded me out. As much as I love clove, it reminded me so much of the experimental whole clove lozenge days.
ifjuly, seriously! Especially Djarum blacks. Like smoking four cigarettes at a time. Whew, are they strong.
ifjuly and Fjellrev…. so outside my experience, lol!!!
your dialogue makes me wonder: who would make a djarum tigerbalm cross tea and call it ‘orange spice’?
Oh wow, Djarum…I haven’t heard that word since my goth days in high school, err, a while ago.
Holy Crap. This tea is BLACK. Like my soul. :p
Method: I followed MzPriss’s instructions. But I did just do 1/2 a batch to start because I wasn’t sure I could handle the dark side. So it was about 1.5 tsp Special dark, a small pinch? of Black Beauty, 8 oz water, 208 degrees.
Aroma: This smells like a cave of mystery
Flavor: Well. It turns out that I am not quite ready for the dark side. This tastes a little burny. Not like the burninator or anything, but a wee bit smoky perhaps?
Luckily, I know I’m kind of a weenie when it comes to the ultra darks, so I brought along the bottle of maple syrup. 1 tsp later and this is like a dark heaven. This has an amazing mouthfeel, heavy and thick. It’s surprisingly not overly bitter.
I know this flavor. My Nana used to make these sugar cookies for Xmas every year, and they were super thin. Ribbon cookies? Anyway, she would always burn them because they were so thin that it was impossible to get the temp and timing just right in an old oven. That’s what this reminds me of! Nana’s cookies!
I never say “No” to anything that reminds me of my Nana. Except wooden paddles!
Edit: I did a 2nd steep of this. At this point, the teas are already mixed together in the strainer. I steeped for 5 minutes and wow, I like the 2nd steep even better. I still did the maple, but the 2nd steep is much milder. What was already just a light burn/smoke is now a whisper. I can taste a little cocoa and more bakery notes. Less like Nana burned cookies, and more cakey?
BTW: Nana’s burny cookies were famous and everyone was actually excited to get them. They were only every lightly burned around the edges, and the contrast of dark and sweet was always kind of pleasant. So it’s not a negative thing AT ALL!
Preparation
Whenever something has a smoky or burny flavor, I want to sign the Trogdor song. BURNINATING THE COUNTRYSIDE, BURNINATING ALL THE PEOPLE. Even though, this one was very mild in that area, I can’t help myself
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7gz1DIIxmEE
And the trogdor comes in the niiiiiiiiiiight!!!!
Lol, “this smells like a cave of mystery.” So win! And don’t forget about the beefy arm! :P
Coming out of the back of his neck… :p
Cave of Mystery! Dang… now I gotta come up with another pu’er blend just so I can give it that name :) Puerfect!
Only with your permission, of course, Sarsonator. If it happens, I’ll credit you with the name!
Now you really have to name something “Cave of Mystery” because if you don’t, I will be super sad. :)
Since you being sad is not an option, then it shall me made manifest! I just gotta get the right leaves together. With a name like that, I really think it has to be a ripe style pu’er, don’t you think? Heck, I’ve already got a poem going for it in my head. Oh boy, that tea will have to live up to its name!!
Yes, ripe for sure.
This is so exciting!
I like black, smoky and caves, can’t wait for the cave of mystery! I’m still waiting for the day I can place an order to try the special dark, looks like I’ll have to add black beauty to the wish list!
biz: Please do. I had purchased the Special Dark, but when MzP started talking about this, I knew I would want to try it. So I bought the black beauty the next time around. I really think she came up with a heck of a mix here.
I’m glad it reminded you of your Nana. It is pretty strong, but I love the dark side :) and your should is not black – you are one of my rays of sunshine <3
I’m making a big fat cup of Jabber and pondering dinner…
Oh, thanks. I like being sun shiney! :)
I had muesli for dinner because sometimes I eat breakfast for dinner.
I had scrambled eggs and toast and bacon last night for dinner
What a lovely review sars…and I too vote for a “cave of mystery” mandala tea!
Thanks, Pookie pie! I’m glad my unintentional pu’erh name is gaining a following. :p
It is a challenge sometimes to say the flavor, often a story or memory comes instead. Nice read…
My name is Kristie, and I’m a sheng addict.
It started innocently enough. I just tried a few, because my friends were doing it. I wanted to fit in. To be cool. It just escalated so quickly.
I was even scared of the tightly packed cakes at first. But now… I can’t keep from busting them all open. I say things like: “Come here, you little cake of yum yums! I am going to poke you with a pointy stick and make drinks from your tasty flesh!”
Some days it’s hard for me to concentrate on other things. I think about sheng in the morning, all through the day, and then again when I go to bed at night. Sometimes I sheng 4-5 times per day. I’ve already shenged twice today and I don’t show any signs of stopping.
The other day, I looked into my boyfriend’s eyes and said: “I love you, Sheng. I just love you so much.” My boyfriend replied, “my name is Brian, you crazy tea fiend!” Then he called Teahab and asked if he could have me committed.
The End. Or is it….
Also, this tea tastes like smoked apricots. Is smoked fruit a thing? Because it totally should be!
Preparation
I smell it when I am at work. From nowhere.
I’ve tried smoking fruit, but it just wouldn’t stay lit!
Cwyn: Maybe we should start a support group. :p
G: Maybe you need a totally different kind of support group. Just sayin’ :)
little chunks of tightly compressed puerh can look like weed
All I can think about is teeeeeeaaaaaa!!!!
Hey, we do nothing wrong here…it’s all legal. For now.
Ans sarsy…that was hilarious. Really.
Thanks, my little croissant!
Tea had better stay legal! I need my sheng. Precioussssss….
I am going to end up living alone in a cave, with 8000 cakes of sheng, a kettle, and a pu pick, aren’t I?
It’s a possibility sarsy. i might be around in a cave near you. We’ll both have our durable mandala picks to carve some pupu cakes on the cave’s walls….and in a million years from now they’’ll know we were there…and they will wonder about those flying saucers carved on the walls…only us will know they were pupu cakes… The end. (I am totally tea drunk)
Hahahahaaaa!!!! That actually sounds like a pretty decent life to me.
I am just afraid of kicking the bucket and someone stealing my stash. Or my son throwing it out. I will haunt him from the grave if he does.
Oh my. Well I hope you have many years to come, but you could always bequeath your tea to Steepsterites, just in case!!!
I think we should all be allowed to live as long as we have teas in our cupboards!
In this case we gonna live forever, we keep buying tea almost everyday or swap
Exactly!!! :p
I am the official bail you out of puerh jail man. I will only as for a small portion of your tea to do this for you. I will let chairman meow decide which ones.
LOL. Worth it! Chairman Meow is real, BTW. He’s my boyfriend’s cat. :)
I am still in the intimidated by pu phase :(
Oh Marz… Jump on in. Join us !!!
Chairman Meow, AKA The Most Interesting Cat in the World says: Pu’erh yumz!!!
Queued post, written May 25th 2014. This was supposed to have been posted yesterday but I kept getting the kettle page when trying to pull up the tea. Seems like I’ve chosen a good time to take a little step back from Steepster, kettle pages having been rampant lately. Reading Steepster is something I would like to do regularly, but started to feel rather like a chore that I must do combined with a general feeling of detachment. So I’ve stopped. I’m still posting and still writing and still drinking. I’m just not going to be reading much for a while.
Another one from the EU TTB 2. The problem with these French names is I have to look them up to see what they are. To a French speaking person it may be blindingly obvious from the name, but not to me. Therefore I must have looked this up when I had the box and decided it was interesting. Afterwards, however, it often takes me a fairly long time to get around to them because by then I’ve forgotten what they are. (In general, I don’t actually much like those blend names where it doesn’t say anything about what’s in it regardless of language. I don’t even like it in Danish. I’m sure it’s all fanciful and poetic and what not, but I still don’t know what’s in it.)
Following the raspberry hibiscus mint fiasco, however, I figured any was as good as another, so I just pulled something out of the box. This is what I ‘won’.
Unlike the other, this smells lovely. It’s all sweet and caramel-y, perhaps even a bit nutty. After steeping it smells quite nutty and a bit honeyed as well. When I look at the blend, there’s something in it that looks like rooibos, only not red. People always say that green rooibos tastes vastly different, so that might be it.
I’m going to look up what this is.
It is indeed a green rooibos! With mango and citrus. …what? Knowing that it’s there, I can find both. A touch of lemon in the flavour and a smidge of mango in the aftertaste. But before I knew it I wasn’t even anywhere close to identifying either of those two things. It’s quite subtle to begin with. As the cup cools, though, both become more clear.
This is oodles better than the raspberry mint concoction.
I’ve been getting the kettle page a lot too. It’s a bit frustrating, and probably just as well that I do not have a lot to post lately.
Yeah, it was part of what led me to ask myself ‘is this really worth it?’ So I went elsewhere. Have actually done some useful things in the garden today. I’m not a mad keen gardener and I get bored fairly quickly, but I’ve discovered to my vast surprise that there are some small things that I can do.
This is really refreshing iced! Even my non-tea drinking husband likes it that way. ;)
I read that as Sausage at first lol
LOL! I will always think of it as sausage tea now. :D
Sausage Garden tea, mmmm … :)
I now have a deep wish to own a sausage tree! :9 I can just see it in my head now. It would grow right next to my money tree.
Yes, I need both of those. I could plant them next to my bacon tree and my ham bush.
Oooh, a bacon tree! How exotic. :)
mmmmmmmmmmmmm
Just when I thought I was getting all organized, I found a big flaw in my system. If you are going to put tea in baggies and then into tins, not only do you need to label the tins, but you also have to label the bags. I grabbed a bag out of a tin on my way to work today, and then didn’t know what I had grabbed. I had a bag of tea at work, and I knew it was a Teavivre black, but I didn’t know which one it was. Anyway, came home, found the empty tin and it was this one.
This is a nice Yunnan black, it was pretty much what I would expect from a Yunnan black, but I’m not sure it was really anything special. Nice, pleasant, fine for work – nothing really to complain about, but nothing really to get excited about. I have a lot of this one, really need to be working it into my rotation more often.
I need to start drinking mine regularly too. So hard when I have a bunch of blacks that I like better! >.<
Yep – but I should be taking the “like don’t love” blacks to work because I don’t really appreciate them at work, and drink the LOVE ones at home when I have tine to really focus on them.
I think I’m going to try some of them iced. Are Yunnan and Keemun teas good that way?
It depends on what you like. I quite often cold steep Yunnan black with a some fruit tisane to make my own cherry black, or blueberry black (etc) iced tea. I don’t like the ones that are REALLY chocolaty cold steeped – but this one would be ok for my tastes and purposes.
Dexter, I think I may adopt your system. I don’t really appreciate the teas I drink at work either. I can’t savor them like I do at home.
Did you ever decide if you are going to make a trip to Minneapolis? Just curious :)
Ah I’ve done the baggy thing, I’m sure I’ll remember but I never do
Yes, dexter! That’s exactly it. Drink OK teas at work, drink really nice teas at home. This means I need to drink more teas at home!
I’m very pleased to present a multi-morning review of No. 49 Assam FTGFOP1 from Steven Smith Teamaker, Western style without sweeteners, milk, or cream.
Intro: I confidently ordered this tea based on LiberTEAS excellent recommendations 2 years ago:
- http://steepster.com/LiberTEAS/posts/104708
- http://steepster.com/LiberTEAS/posts/135003
After placing my order, I saw that boychik cautioned 7 months ago that the recent batch of this tea maybe on the bitter side: http://steepster.com/boychik/posts/211831#comments. I then began to wonder … Does this Assam have a consistent taste profile from year to year? … Should I have blindly ordered 4 oz.?
Per: http://www.smithtea.com/shop/black/assam
“Preparation
For best flavor, bring freshly drawn filtered water to a boil. Steep five minutes. A good time to practice the sitar.”
Note: The incomplete instructions do NOT specify how much tea or water. Is one supposed to assume 1 tsp. (level, rounded, heaping?) and a 6 oz. teacup, an 8 oz. cup, or something larger?
Given boychik’s warning and the incomplete brewing instructions, I was now less certain how much I would enjoy this Assam.
Leaf: Thin twisted dark chocolate-brown leaves 1.5 cm long or less with many golden tips.
Fragrance: Rich high-quality pipe tobacco
Liquor: Clear brilliant copper
Aroma: Malt, caramel & sweet potato – ah!
Flavor: Malt, caramel, honey
1 tsp. (2.6 g) / 8 oz. / 212F / 5 min:
Aroma: Robust and malty.
This is a smooth, rich, malty and satisfying Assam. However, the malty flavor overshadowed any hint of caramel and there was woodiness at the end of the sip.
Having not yet achieved the same results as LiberTeas, I then looked at previous tasting notes for this Assam and tried the following brewing recommendations:
Scribbles: 1 tsp. (2.6g) / 8 oz. / “just off boiling” (I used 208F) / 5 min:
To my taste buds, the bold malty Assam still overshadows the caramel. Near the bottom of the cool cup, the sweet caramel was more obvious. There was a dry finish with some astringency near the front of my tongue. Fortunately, the woodiness was no longer present with the lower temperature.
Resteep:
6 & 7-min. – not yet. 8-min – ? 10-min. produced a light-bodied cup with a similar flavor profile.
Nicole: 1.5 tsp. (3.5 g) / 10 oz. / 205F / 2.5 min:
Aroma: Malt with hints of both caramel & sweet potato – ah!
This preparation provided a bold, rich, and malty with a definite caramel sweetness and a dry finish. The cup was very invigorating.
Terri HarpLady: 1 tsp. (2.6g) / 8 oz. / 212F / 3-4 min:
3 min. produced a rich, smooth, full-bodied malty Assam with a yummy caramel sweetness. There was no hint of bitterness and minimal astringency. As the cup cools there is a honey-like sweetness. Very satisfying! Now we’re talking!! Terri’s experience reviewing this tea 12 times truly paid off!
Resteep: Not recommended.
Impression: I’m very pleased to have finally found exactly what LiberTEAS so accurately described in her tasting note. No. 49 is apparently consistent and definitely Carmalicious!
Thanks to all who contributed detailed brewing tips in their tasting notes or the comments of the No. 49 Assam FTGFOP1 thread. Your guidance was very helpful for this tea especially given the incomplete brewing instructions.
Recommendation Not having to discover the optimum brewing parameters through “trial & error” would be very helpful and greatly appreciated. Having to do so is very inefficient, wastes valuable tea, and IMHO impairs the progress and joy of tea exploration. In retrospect, it’s a very good thing that I ordered 4 ounces!
My favorite tea suppliers evaluate each crop / batch of tea every year to determine the optimum brewing parameters. This insures the best possible first impression of their tea, greatly increases customer satisfaction, and thus increases word-of-mouth advertising – the best form of advertising that money can’t buy. You never have a 2nd chance to make an Outstanding First Impression.
Method:
RO water re-mineralized with an Aptera filter http://steepster.com/teas/teaware/39532-puregen-aptera-alkamag-water-filter
http://steepster.com/teaware/teavana/39311-perfect-tea-spoon
http://steepster.com/teas/teaware/37731-my-weigh-durascale-d2-660-digital-scale
Brewed western-style conveniently in a tea mug with a brew basket http://steepster.com/teaware/royal-albert/45581-old-country-roses-afternoontea-mugs
http://steepster.com/teas/teaware/29177-finum-brewing-basket
http://steepster.com/teaware/teavana/39312-perfect-preset-tea-timer (for 212F brewing)
http://steepster.com/teaware/davidstea/36677-thermometer-and-timer
Flavors: Caramel, Honey, Malt
Preparation
I’m glad you have managed to achieve satisfactory results with this tea. I really love Steven Smith’s teas. I realize that I’m not at all precise with my eyeballing of the parameters … I guess after having brewed tea for as long as I have, I just … sort of get a feel for it, and that’s where I work from. I’m not good with timers, scales, measurements or anything like that. That said, I am happy that you found some satisfaction from this tea because it’s a good one!
Wow, outstanding review!
Great review! My grocery store sells the bagged version of this tea, but I think I want to give the loose leaf version a try.
LiberTEAS, Agreed, SST No. 49 Assam FTGFOP1 is a good one! Thanks for your recommendation!
I would be curious to know how many tsp. or Tbsp = one bamboo tea scoop?
Since you use a Breville One Touch, it provides the brewing temperature and time. Per the owner’s manual, the “glass jug” has markings for 500ml / 2 cups, 750ml / 3 cups, 1000ml / 4 cups, & 1200ml / 5 cups and a max of 41 oz. of tea.
Adding any of the known brewing parameters to your reviews would helpful. Thanks again!
Thanks Nightshifter!
Thanks Veronica! The SST bagged and loose tea should be identical. However, the bagged version probably more $/oz. for the convenience. Also, with bags you can’t fine tune the amount of tea per cup unless you cut the bag open.
Great analysis!
Thanks Doug F!
I didn’t like it. I don’t think Assam should be so complicated to find best parameters. I didn’t find mine. it was either too bitter or too weak. I had 2oz, maybe 1 or 2 tsp left
“I don’t think Assam should be so complicated to find best parameters.” Agreed! That’s why I’m a big fan of companies like TeaVivre that provide complete brewing instructions which are optimized for each crop year.
I was annoyed when I called them up to ask what am I doing wrong, the lady was keep telling me same thing over and over 5 min 212F. I love Lord Bergamot and Fez, but I’d rather buy my Assam fr Harney. Mike Harney is very helpful
I agree, there’s no substitute for great customer service.
@looseTman – I don’t think I had the breville back when I had this tea. I could be wrong, in which case, I would say that for an Assam I probably used 205°F water and 500ml for approximately 2 bamboo scoops of tea. I would estimate that the bamboo scoop equals approximately 2 tsp. So yeah, I probably use more tea than I need … but then it’s always been my own personal preference to want a tea strong and as fully flavored as possible.
@boychik – I’m sorry that you encountered poor service from Smith Teamakers. I usually shop in their Portland tea shop, and I’ve always encountered very good service. But, yeah, it can be frustrating when you encounter poor service and I don’t blame you at all for your frustration.
Thanks LiberTEAS! I too like strong full-flavored black teas. I’ll give your brewing parameters a try.
Oh … and with an Assam in the Breville … I always brew for 2 minutes. The reason is that the Breville does keep the water warmer than the process of pouring hot water into the tea pot does, even if you temper your tea pot and cover the tea pot with a cozy to keep it warm. This is something that I did learn from Trial and Error because my Assams would always come out bitter after steeping for 2 1/2 minutes, I realized that it’s because the Breville temp doesn’t drop the way that steeping in my tea pot did.
After making tea just now, I took a step to measure how much tea fit into my bamboo scoop. I would say it’s closer to a generously heaped teaspoon than 2 teaspoons. Of course, this also depends greatly on the leaf itself. Which is why I suppose the most accurate way to get the right amount of tea is a scale. Unfortunately, my stubbornness won’t allow me to get all accurate when it comes to tea measurement. Tea should be simple. No scales.
Excellent review! I’ll have to try Terri’s parameters next time.
LiberTEAS, It’s always good to know what was learned from someone else’s Trial and Error experience. Why reinvent the wheel?
OK, 1 one bamboo tea scoop = 1 generously heaped teaspoon. does this = 1.25, 1.5, or 1.75 tsp.?
Any thoughts on this one? http://www.theteamerchant.net/teaware/accessories/tea-scoop/tea-scoop-and-tong/. How does it compare to yours?
Thanks again!
Thanks Nicole! Yes, Terri’s parameters were a big help! Steepster is a definitely wealth of info!
@looseTman – my bamboo scoop is very much like that one.
I think it would probably be closer to 1.5 tsp.
The tasting note from KS reminded me that this is almost a sipdown…so I decided to brew up a giant mug of it. Ahhh, bliss.
I didn’t appreciate this tea enough while I had 50 g’s of it, and was kind of looking forward to it being gone. Now that I have enough for only 1 more cup, I feel a little bit panicky. Perhaps a Teavivre order is looming sooner than I anticipated.:)
I don’t think I have had this. I need to put it on my next order.
It is a good one.
Ditto – it’s a good one. :))
When I first tried it, I was in love. Then somewhere along the line, I became sort of ‘meh’ about it. But now that it’s almost done, my appreciation and love has been renewed.
Nom, nom, nom.
Oui…tres delish (on mobile…no accent)…
Hehe! You’re doing great, c’est parfait :-)
Merci belle dame (no accent: pretty lady, correct translation?) :) please advise is grammar wrong…
Oh! Merci :-) A+ on translation!!
Merci…again…you are far too kind re poor en francais/en englais…I see why you are so adored…very patient/understanding/loving
Awww…now I blush…please, YOU are way too kind scribbles!! <3
Nooo!!! No blushing!!! :)
You kind and thoughtful. You bring out good qualities in people. I am grateful for people like you…very rare.
Thank you Brian and 221tea for sending me a sample of this one. It sounded so amazing, but I was hesitant to spend $12.50/oz without know if it was REALLY worth that much.
Yes. Of course it is. It really, really is. Where’s my credit card? :O
(Oh, I’ll wait a little bit. So much to sipdown first, including the rest of the Whispering Pines samples those 2 sent me!)
It’s like decadent fudge – the chocolate notes are just that strong and with a bit of depth/weight to them. So amazing. I also get honeyed vanilla with this as well. I’m going to resteep this for the rest of the afternoon. I WILL!
Thank you, again.
Yum! This sounds delicious :)
Everyone is making this sound so good!
Eii! Even more excited to try my sample of it now :)
…yes but would I like it…. cough
Hahah. I can send you the second half of my sample!
Corrected: I AM sending you the sample!
I’ll give you 2% off your next order if you put this review on this tea’s product page at www.whisperingpinestea.com :)
Glad you liked it! It is currently my favorite morning tea. :)
I’m happy to spread the love there! I forget about reviewing retailer sites more often than I should. /0\
Right? There’s such an amazing community here that it’s easy to forget that not every teadrinker reads these reviews :P hehe. Thanks! Sending your code now! :)
Also, anyone interested in this tea has the chance to win some! ;) http://steepster.com/discuss/7515-prepare-yourself-for-the-flash-sale-d
I had this tea twice yesterday so I will include both reviews in this one note, as they were made differently and I had a different companion each time.
My first cupping was Sunday morning. I had a gong fu session with my dog, Sam, and a wheel of Camembert. It was my first time having Camembert, and when I first opened the package I kept looking for the broccoli in the garbage can, wondering who had cooked broccoli without me knowing about it, and noting how remarkably clean the can was and oh my goodness was that smell coming from the cheese???? Yes, yes, it was. It smelled like Panera’s broccoli soup and since I love broccoli soup I figured I would like the cheese. I did. Sam did.
Hubby stumbled in about thirty minutes later, all stuffed up. As far as I know it was his first time having a sheng puerh. It was also his first having Camembert, but he loved it.
The tea was quite yellow, a really lovely color, and we made about a liter all told. It really could have gone longer but we couldn’t drink anymore and hubby had to leave. We were drinking from Teavivre’s double walled glass cups. I love them! A friend saw them and handed me money and said, “Get some for me!” Next I want to get the bat cups!
It paired nicely with the food. My first steep was short and the golden liquid was smooth, lively, and had nice woodsy flavor. The second steep was left a bit longer and was brisk, but pleasantly so, and was perhaps a better steeping time considering how strongly flavored our cheese was.
The second time I had this tea was with my bestie who came over for tea and cookies. This time it was prepared western style, using a 22 ounce Beehouse pot. We made two steeps. Again, the liquor was golden-amber. I am pretty sure it was my friend’s first sheng, although she has had a lot of shu and loves it. We were having this time instead of savory but the tea was quite good paired with cookies. There was not a terribly noticeable difference between the first and second steeps. I saved the leaves and will most likely be making a third lot western style later today.
Thank you, Teavivre, for the opportunity to try this tea!
I have Gongfu sessions with my dog as well :-) Sometimes the tea smells so good, I see his nostrils going like a radar!
LOL! Sam was very intense about the cheese but he really freaks out when I offer him tea. I don’t know why. (I fostered his family from the time he was one day old.) His sister got to some of my shu puerh when she was about nine weeks old and just lapped it up!
Aww, puppies and tea, adorable!!!
TeaFairy: does your dog drink the tea or watch?
Not only does your significant other like your tea and cheese, your hubby does, too. ;-) Lucky girl!
Oh, Carol Who, that is too funny! Last weekend I was looking in an antique shop that has a section for spoiled dogs and the lady asked me in front of my husband who I liked snuggling with more, him or the dog. My husband said, “No contest, definitely the dog!” (I can force him to cuddle!)
Hubby used to drink only cheap black tea with tons of sugar and milk, but joyful, joyful, now loves green, white, and oolong tea sans additions and doesn’t even touch black tea anymore except iced!
Teavivre’s double walled glass cups +1
“… smooth, lively, and had nice woodsy flavor.” – Sounds good!
Raw Pu-erh Western style? I only read about pu-erh Gongfu-style.
Ashmanra, yes he does drink it, pu’erh being his favourite it seems…probably due the smell!
An antique shop with a spoiled dogs section, awesome :-)
LooseTman: we frequently go western for puerh! Bonnie taught me one of my favorite summertime ways to drink it. Make one western style pot hot to drink, save the leaves and put them in cold water in the fridge for a day or two, and drink cold. Delicious and ultra-refreshing! I have only done this with shu thus far, but might give it a try with sheng.
This tea is NOM.
I had some for breakfast. Well after I drank something else. What was that other thing…..OMG. I have no idea. I’m losing my mind.
Maybe it was a resteep of something leftover from last night?
Or maybe this was my first cup of the day?
I woke up
Fed baby
Played with baby
Made an omelet
Drank this tea
I feel like I had something else after I fed the baby but before the omelet.
Oh well. It’s gone.
THIS tea, this tea is NOM.
Chocolatey and delicious.
Who woke up first you or baby?
We both woke up then went back to sleep. Then I woke her up! :)
Dude your reviews rock. So glad you use the word nom the way it should be used :)
I made up a word last year that I use in everyday conversation: Phenomable. Phenomenal and Nommable. Phenomenally nommable. So. Good. :)
That word is amazing haha!
It really is!!
Though this is a bad day for me to learn this new word…..my Facebook feed is blowing up with people posting Maya Angelou’s poem “Phenomenal Woman”
:/
Hahaha :) Glad you like the word….use it in your reviews! ;)
Beware this tasting note is a big one. I wanted to compare all of Teavivre’s Keemuns within a week, since they have some of the best Keemuns and I will definitely be buying at least ONE of them. I have written individual tasting notes for these teas in the past, but this review is to compare the four. I have acquired these samples within the last six months, so I’m not sure if they are the same harvests now. All of them will be steeped at the same parameters: two tsps // 10 minutes after boiling // 2 min steep #1 // 3 min steep #2
Premium Keemun Hao Ya $15.90 for 100g/3.5 oz
First steep: I knew that the leaves of my new sample were definitely going to be different than the sample that I had from around the time Teavivre started out (I can’t believe that was only three years ago!) Sadly, I think I liked my previous sample better. The only difference in steep sessions was that last time I waited 18 minutes for the water to cool after boiling rather than ten minutes, but I have since learned that ten minutes is closer to 194 degrees. This sample is slightly more astringent (maybe it would benefit from only using 1- 1 1/2 teaspoons), it loses that hint of smokiness, it has less of that deepness of flavor that translates to a dark chocolate. There is still a hint of plum or cherry though. And this is still a very nice tea. Previously, the Premium would have been my favorite. We shall see!
[[I also tried to recapture the magic of the previous harvest and tried a cup with 1 1/2 teaspoons and 18 minutes after boiling. This time the astringency was gone that the first cup had but I also wasn’t able to find the flavor depth and the chocolate that the first harvest had. The second steep a couple minutes after boiling for a three minute steep and that cup was pretty good too – not oversteeped at all. I’m sure all harvests will be different though, so I’d keep trying samples of the Premium once in a while to see if it’s one day the same.]]
Organic Superfine Keemun Fragrant $12.90 for 50g/1.75oz
First steep: The dry leaves are short, mostly black with touches of gold. This cup tastes similar to the Premium Keemun Hao Ya, but everything about the flavor is lighter. The fragrance of the cup has a hint of plum, but less plum than the Premium. It also has an astringency that translates to the chocolate flavor, but the astringency is much less than the Premium, therefore there is less chocolate flavor than the Premium. No hints of smoke are to be found in this cup, but I like my keemun to have a bit of smoke. There is a flavor to this one that isn’t found in the others that I can’t place – something like wine or muscatel. It isn’t a strong muscatel, not like a darjeeling. Very unique.
Second steep: This cup is also very nice but it has that hint of flavor like it’s oversteeped: the tree bark-like flavor. I probably shouldn’t have steeped this cup for three minutes. Not astringent at all though, just the tree bark flavor. So the Superfine Keemun has less of a bite than the others, if that is what you’re looking for.
Keemun – Grade 2 $8.90 for 100g/3.5 oz
First steep: I expected a CTC leaf, very low quality, very astringent. This tea is NONE of those things. I’d say this one is closer to the astringency strength of the Organic Superfine Keemun (the Premium and Grade #1 seem like a stronger tea). It just lacks the little hints of flavor that make the Superfine special, what I call the wine-like flavor or the muscatel. This had the same level of chocolate as the Organic Superfine. A nice burgundy cup while the dry leaves look like the same shape as the others, but they don’t have that hint of gold.
Second steep: This cup loses a lot of flavor and its replaced with that oversteeped tree flavor I don’t like. Maybe the second steeps shouldn’t be steeped for three minutes. But I guess I’m judging by first steeps anyway. An amazing cup for this price – much better than I expected.
Keemun – Grade 1 $11.90 for 100g/3.5 oz
I’m trying this one again last of the four. Even though I had it recently, I vaguely remembered the flavor and I had the feeling it would be my favorite of the four. It just happens to be the keemun for me though, it’s probably different for everyone! The dry leaves are all black. I guess the Superfine is the only one with the hints of gold leaf. For me, sometimes the astringency/ strength/ briskness/ bite / whatever you want to call it is the most important thing. This one to me could win just on the strength of the flavor. The Superfine and the Grade #2 have a lighter strength. The Premium is probably closer to this one in strength. But I know that others that have more knowledge on tea would appreciate the lightness and the special flavor hints that the Superfine has. Not me, not right now though. Maybe one day. This one has a depth to it that I love, but it’s also very sweet and chocolatey.
Second steep: This one has less of the “oversteeped leaves” flavor on the second cup, so I also like it for that. It was a bit more astringent though. If the new batch of the Premium keemun still had more of the hints of plum, I’d probably buy that one, but I think this one is currently my favorite.
OVERALL You can’t really go wrong with any of these. Any tea collection should have a nice keemun and any of these would do nicely. I can say I like them all. I have no idea how they figure out the grades for these four teas. They are all similar, but there are little things with all of them that make them slightly different. None of them really have any smoky flavor, so if that’s you’re thing, you should be safe with all of these. I do like to have a keemun I have in stock to have a bit of smoke, as I feel like that is the main characteristic of keemun. These are all amazing for a black tea anyway. I can’t live without at least ONE of them. I think all four of them are unique from any other tea I’ve tried yet. I’m very appreciative that I was able to try them before buying!
Also, anyone know how the harvest of Teavivre’s Bailin Gongfu from a couple years ago compares to the new harvest? I haven’t tried it since then!
Haven’t tried the new harvest, either!
Wow! That was some note Tea Sipper, thanks for doing that.
I remain partial to Superfine Fragrant, but that’s because I’m not a fan of smoke…
Well, I was going to compare all of the Teavivre keemuns anyway and I had to write everything down to remember it anyway. Then the Teavivre review contest happened. :D
Yes, that contest is super exciting. I need to see if I have anything else laying around from them I can review ;)
haha! I usually review everything from them asap but luckily I just happened to get a pouch of samples from them last week. :D
Tea Sipper, do you ask for the samples? Last time, they just approached me on Steepster. I was just wondering if you can get more after a first sample pack for reviews.
Teavivre is so generous, they are always asking to send me more samples and I can’t resist. Some of these samples came with my last order from Teavivre. I’m sure you could ask them, TeaFairy.
http://www.teavivre.com/contacts/free_tea_tasting/ Here is the link to request samples for review TheTeaFairy :)
I’m not big on asking, i am already grateful for what I got so far. I will just accept if they approach me again. I just finished reviewing the huge sample pack Angel sent me last time. I love their teas anyways and been buying for years.
Thanks for answering my question though :-)
Thanks Stephanie :-) will keep that in mind, didn’t know they add an official ongoing offer.
Yeah, I’m the same way. I won’t ask for samples but I really appreciate it if they think to ask me again.
Excellent tasting note!
thank you! It is probably (hopefully) the longest I will ever write. :D
Wow, I found this really helpful. I’m a Keemun fan, but I haven’t been able to take the time and sit down with them (or all me new pu either) and I want to try them all until I find the Keemun of my dreams. I have a pile of Upton ones I need to try also. This is a great note. Thanks. I’m gonna point looseTman over here too – he will be interested in this.
You picked my fave of the 4!
I’m glad it can help, but I don’t want everyone taking my word for it. I hope everyone gets a chance to try all four of these if they are looking for a good keemun. I wouldn’t be surprised if all four of them had an equal number of people saying one of them was their favorite.
Okay, for all of you that have ordered this tea in the past and loved it, please beware…you may not want to read this for the sake of your wallets.
Now shipping with Grade A Madagascar vanilla beans. The level of depth and richness in this is beyond words…but I tried :)
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Pure decadence, this black tea blend is packed full of deep creamy cocoa notes! My goal for this tea was to bring the ice cream shop on Mackinac Island into your cup! I began with North Winds – our black tea with dessert notes inspired by the island’s famous fudge. The next step was to seek out the highest quality vanilla beans in the world, hand chop them and blend them into the base tea. Blended with a careful hand and the utmost respect for letting all of the flavors shine, this tea exceeds all expectations!
Golden Orchid carries a rich and exceedingly smooth body with a perfectly balanced flavor profile. Unlike many other vanilla black teas, our base tea shines through the vanilla, creating a mouthwatering synthesis of bold and smooth dessert notes. While the vanilla is noticible by the trained palette, it does more than just add the depth of vanilla notes. Our premium (grade A) vanilla beans sourced from the island of Madagascar accentuate the deep fudge and cocoa notes of the base tea as well as add a thick creamy aspect to the tea, reminiscent of masterfully-crafted dark chocolate. The fruity notes of the tea are ever present, too, with light notes of plum and a mouthwatering layer of dark-chocolate covered Michigan cherries! This tea extends far past the last drop, with the flavor of melted chocolate and sweet vanilla lingering for hours. We recommend enjoying Golden Orchid with shortbread cookies or breakfast pastry’s for the ultimate experience. Click here for our gluten-free shortbread recipe!
Over time, the tea will absorb the vanilla notes and smooth out. We recommend drinking this tea once or twice a week to taste the way it transforms over time. Also note that mixing up the tea prior to scooping out your desired amount of leaf is recommended due to the tendency of the vanilla beans to sink to the bottom of the bag. Enjoy!
Notes
Fudge
Dark Chocolate
Dried Cherries
Vanilla
Pluot
Honey
Malt
Looking Forward to it :)
Can’t.wait.for.this.to.be.in.my.cupboard.
That just sounds amazing…ugh..need to wait to buy it though. >< Why must self-control be so hard!? >< Oy.
It sounds fantastic!
Ive already ordered mine…
Everyone that has ordered Port or Golden Orchid and has NOT received a shipping confirmation email yet will be receiving their teas with the new vanilla! :)
I just went to add this to my wish list and it was already on there. GIMME.
:) Get it! Haha
I’m so glad I ordered 2 oz! I just had a sample before. :D
:D so excited to hear what people think about it with the new vanilla! I think theres a HUGE difference!
Stop! You’re making me drool! o.O
The info on Steepster doesn’t seem to say, but do you know anything about where it’s from? It’s kind of reminding me of my Tan Yang with the natural cocoa notes.
This is interesting actually! It’s from Arunachal Pradesh which (from wikipedia):
Arunachal Pradesh is a federated state of India, located in the far northeast. It borders the states of Assam and Nagaland to the south and southeast, and shares borders with Burma/Myanmar in the east, Bhutan in the northwest, and Tibet (part of China) in the north. The majority of its territory is claimed by the People’s Republic of China which regards the claimed area as South Tibet. The current border is the McMahon Line agreed upon by Great Britain and the then de facto independent Tibet in a 1914 treaty. The Chinese government of the time had not been party to the treaty, resulting in a dispute over the treaty’s legitimacy. Itanagar is the capital of the state.
Arunachal Pradesh means “land of the dawn lit mountains”1 in Sanskrit. It is also known as “land of the rising sun”2 (“pradesh” means “state” or “region”) in reference to its position as the easternmost state of India. Most of the people native to and/or living in Arunachal Pradesh are of Tibeto-Burman origin. A large and increasing number of migrants have reached Arunachal Pradesh from many other parts of India, although no reliable population count of the migrant population has been conducted, and percentage estimates of total population accordingly vary widely. Part of the famous Ledo Burma Road, which was a lifeline to China during World War II, passes through the eastern part of the state.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arunachal_Pradesh
Interesting. Also strange that it sounds like it’s so similar to the Tan Yang, because that one’s from the Fujian province, so it’s not even remotely in the same area! I think you would enjoy the Tan Yang. Sadly I don’t have enough left to share, or I’d have sent you some. :(
Once I get a proper size of this I will send you some!! I’ll PM you when I order, probably in a month :)
Aw, that’s sweet of you. :)
Okay, that’s it! I’m getting this now. I’ve put it off long enough, but that is totally happening. Mentioning chicory to someone who grew up drinking coffee from New Orleans…yeah. Done!
My students would say that the tea is “sick”. I’m glad you like it.
this one is on my list as well. I just cannot resist chicory…
oh the romance of it – “land of the dawn lit mountains” – doesn’t that inspire one with images of beauty and serenity and peaceful graceful tea drinking?
I love this tea! I love this tea! It’s amazing!!!
‘…that the tea is “sick”.’
I giggled. Doulton, I love reading your notes and comments.
Dude, this tea is definitely sick! In the best way possible! It’s rad!
I can’t believe it’s not blended with chocolate either! It’s totally amazing. But have you noticed that the sides of the bag look like they’re dusted with cocoa?
Tubular!
Stephanie – I got it as a sample from Doulton but once I order I’ll take a look!