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First of all, I really decided to baby this tea, brewing at a pretty low temperature and for a rather short period of time to prevent any astringency. This is my first time trying this tea, so I’m be extra careful until I have time to experiment a bit with it.

This was a very different tea than I’m used to, with a very unique aroma and taste. The first infusion I had was very good, with a nice nutty flavor and a very pleasing warming sensation when drinking it. The taste of sweet nuts lingers on the hard palate of the mouth for a few seconds after swallowing, making this a very interesting tea to drink.

The second (and unfortunately last) infusion was also delightful. It was sweeter than the previous infusion, which complemented the nutty flavors very well. Other than that, it is pretty much the same as the first.

The final verdict on this tea is that it’s rather nice, but not particularly special. There is nothing that says “I’m unique!” about this tea, so I can’t justify giving it a higher rating. Also, I have no experience with this type of tea, so even though I like it a lot, I need to be a bit conservative here. Regardless, I’ll keep this tea in mind, and if I don’t find anything better, I might buy it again.

Alright, I’m doing an experiment today by brewing this tea Grandpa Style. Give how long the leaves can produce good tea, this should turn out pretty good. I also used an extra large helping of tealeaves, to get a stronger and longer-lasting tea.

The first infusion was great, with fruity flavors peeking out amidst the flavor of a medium-strength Oolong. There’s also a hint of sweetness in the taste, but it’s mostly being overpowered during this infusion. There is also a bit of an aftertaste that clings to the hard palate, but it’s kind of a generic medium-strength Oolong taste (a.k.a. – a bit hard to describe.)

The second and third infusions were pretty much identical, with the harsher flavors of the first infusion giving way to a sweeter and fruitier tea. The tea is much more balanced now due to the sweeter flavor, but it still has to mellow out a bit more before it reaches its peak.

The forth and fifth infusions were interesting in that they were very nicely balanced between sweetness and more complex flavors (notably fruit), and that an interesting mouth-feeling appeared. The mouth feel was similar to a Wuyi Oolong, but not as strong and more metallic than mineral. Regardless, this was something that was not present when I brewed the tea with my tea ball, but it was certainly interesting.

So, the end result of this little experiment was a bit disappointing. The tea did not turn out as well as when brewed with my tea ball, so I doubt that I’ll do this again. That being said, it was still above average, but it just didn’t measure up to the high standard that the traditional brewing set.

Thanks to Teavivre for the free sample of this tea! I accidentally oversteeped the first infusion, so it had a bit of astringency in it, but it was a surprisingly small amount when compared to some Jasmine tea that I’ve had. The aroma was a very nice jasmine scent, but it wasn’t overpowering. The taste of the tea is hard to discern underneath the astringency, but I do taste something flowery, which suggests that that taste will be fairly strong if I don’t oversteep the next infusion.

Okay, I was REALLY careful with the second infusion, using degree water and steep for exactly two minutes. The result was a cup of tea with a nice sweet flowery flavor, with not even a hint of astringency. This is the second be jasmine tea I’ve had to date (after the jasmine pearls that I got from Teavivre back in November).

Interestingly enough, the third infusion with this tea was exactly the same as the second. I don’t often find green teas with this type of longevity (they usually only last for four steepings), but I figure that I will get at least five infusions out of this tea, which is a pleasant surprise.

I lost track of what steeping I’m on, but rest assured it is at least number six. I brewede this infusion at a low termperature, like 140 degrees, and the resutl was pretty goo. I actually forgot about the tea, so it was infusing for somewhere between 6 and 10 minutes before I took the leaves out. The resulting tea is still a bit flowery, but the generic green tea taste is beginning to seep in. Interestingly enough, there is no astringency, even though it was a VERY long infusion, most likely due to the low water temperature and the high number of previous steepings.

All in all, this is a very good tea, and certainly better than a lot of Jasmines that I’ve had. I’m seriously considering using this to replace my Yamamotoyama jasmine, given that this has a better taste and lasts longer.

This just arrived, and I was very excited to try it out. The first thing to note is the strong aroma of the tea, which does in fact smell a bit like grapes and apricots. I’ve never had a tea that smelled quite so fruity, but I find that it is very relaxing. The color of the tea is a few shades darker than amber, which was interesting as I didn’t expect it to be quite that dark. The taste of the tea was very interesting, as it was sweeter than I expected, with very prominent flowery notes and subtler fruity flavors being the most prominent.

The second infusion was exactly like the first. Literally, everything was the same (at least, as far as I cold tell). Not that this is a bad thing, as I do like teas that are good for a lot of infusions, but this tea is actually holding up better than any other tea I’ve ever had!

The third infusion looked the same, but the taste had mellowed a bit. The fruit flavors tend to dominate the taste, bu the flowery flavors linger longer in a pleasant aftertaste. Even more interesting, the aftertaste has a hint of a mineral taste that lingers on the hard palate, a bit like a Wuyi Oolong. This has really turned out to be a fascinating tea.

The forth, fifth, and sixth infusion were characterized by a slight weakening the the strength of the aroma and a mellowing of the flavors of the tea. Honestly, the color stayed the same, and the flavors have only decreased ion potency, but otherwise the tea is unchanged. I think it’s rather amazing that it has managed to retain its flavor for so long.

I decided to stop here, as I cannot have caffeine later than 10:30 tonight, but I have to say that this was an exceptional tea, which I truly look forward to having again.

Ah, this was just what I needed today. I had class from 9 until 4:15, and this really hit the spot. The first infusion was a pale golden color typical of lightly-roasted Oolongs, and aroma smelled strongly of orchids (kinda obvious, but it smelled REALLY good after suffering through hours of class without caffeine). The taste of the tea was sweet and flowery, but I expect that to change during the next few steepings. There was also a pleasant aftertaste that lingered on the tongue, which also tasted like flowers.

The second infusion was almost identical to the first, except that the flavor as started to get a bit more complex. The flavors are still a bit muddled, but there is definitely something else present now.

The third cup was oversteeped, because I forgot about it while doing a reading assignment (Hiroshima by John Hersey, an absolutely riveting book despite its short length). It was a shame that I did forget about this infusion, becasue it was still rather good even though there was a great deal of stringency present, overriding the flowery flavor. On the bright side, the aroma was rather strong, still with the characteristic orchid smell.

The forth infusion looked the same as the others, but the aroma and taste have really started to fade. The aroma is more of a generic weak green Oolong, and the aroma has mostly lost the orchid scent. It’s still okay, it’s just lost a lot of the qualities that made it such a great tea.

See previous notes. I might update this later, when I’m not as busy.

It’s really cold today, and I needed something strong and dark. Luckily, this tea fits the bill perfectly. Brewed with near-boiling water and steeped for longer than usual, the resulting tea is a very dark brown, which was surprisingly easy to distinguish from a black tea. The aroma smells like light to medium roasted coffee beans, with hints of something sweeter and a bit nutty. The taste is also exquisite, featuring strong roasted flavors with nuts and fruit notes supporting. More important than just the flavors present, it is a very smooth tea, with no harsh flavors present. In this respect, it’s a bit better than some of my other Oolongs, because all of the flavors are completely dominated by the roasted flavor during the first steeping.

The second infusion is very similar to the first, but it is more muted. The aroma isn’t as “roasty”, and instead features more of a nutty and fruity character. The color of the tea is only a few shade lighter than the first infusion, leaving it a nice earthy color. The taste of the tea is less roasted than previously, and the fruit flavors have become very prominent, which leads me to believe that this was made from a spring picking.

The third infusion was the best so far, with a color that was a few shades darker than honey and an aroma that was a nice balance of sweetness and nuts. The flavor of the tea was sweet and fruity with hints of nuts.

The forth infusion was similar to the third, but it was weaker in all aspects. The color was several shades lighter, the aroma was greatly weakened, and the taste was beginning to become bland. Sure, there was still a sweet, indistinct fruity taste, but the nut flavors were very hard to taste. It’s still very good, but it’s lost a lot of the things that made it an excellent tea.

More to come later.

First of all, thank you Teavivre for the free sample pack! This was my first time trying silver needle white tea, which is supposed to be even better than White Peony, so I was a bit excited. I’ll admit that I babied the tea just a little bit, brewing it at a very low temperature to avoid astringency, but the result was exquisite. The color of the tea was a very light tan, but it leaned a bit toward peach. The aroma was very pleasing, with lots of flowers and something sweet dominating. The flavor of the first infusion was delicately flowery and sweet, like a more refined version of Bai Mu Dan. There was also a nice aftertaste that lingered on the hard palate and which tasted flowery as well.

The second infusion was steeped for about 25 seconds as this tea seems to steep quicker the second time. It also was a bit darker, and had a stronger aroma. I also used warmer water, about 165 degrees. The taste of the tea was very good, and was a bit stronger than the first infusion, with the flowery flavors dominating the sweetness. The aftertaste was the same, but it lingers for a bit longer.

The third infusion was pretty much exactly like the first, so I’m not going to repeat everything.

The forth infusion was similar to the third, but everything was muted. The taste wasn’t as pronounced, especially the flowery flavors. The aftertaste that had been present in the earlier infusions was almost nonexistent, and the aroma was greatly reduced.

All in all, this was a very good tea, something that would probably be good during spring or summer, and I’m seriously considering buying more of this in the future.

Just moved back into my dorm, and I’m in need of some caffeine. I accidentally oversteeped the first infusion while getting my laptop set up again, but everything turned out alright. I was using relatively cold water (65 degrees centigrade), so it didn’t turn out too astringent. The aroma reminds me of freshly cut grass and asparagus. The taste of the tea was also superb, with delightfully sweet grass and vegetables being very prominent.

The second infusion was done as a flash steeping, which has previously resulted in very good tea. This was no exception, as the tea had a delightful light green color and a sweet, yet subdued, grassy aroma. The Tea was a bit milder in that the grassy flavor has become subdued, yet the sweet vegetable flavors still remain.

The third infusion was steeped for 45 seconds to try and get some more flavor out of it. The resulting tea was the same color as the previous infusion, but the aroma had faded further. The taste of the tea was very mild, bordering on generic. Sure, it retained its sweetness, but the vegetable flavors were starting to become indistinct. It’s still a very good tea, and is well above average as far as senchas go, but I think that I will only get one more infusion out of these leaves.