Joshua Smith select Send Message

This is the first of my second shipment of samples from Teavivre, and I have to say I’m pretty excited. The first infusion is a nice deep red, but not so dark that I can’t see the bottom of my cup. The aroma of the infusion is interesting and hard to describe, but it’s not as strong as I expected. The taste is also very interesting in that it is sweet. I think more complex flavors will develop later, but for now it is a bit generic. The aftertaste of the tea is a bit like very dark chocolate, and lingers on the hard palate of the mouth.

More to come later.

I brewed this Grandpa style in my large mug again, using a bit more than the usual amount of tea leaves, and the results were very interesting. The color of the first infusion was dark amber, but not really dark enough to be categorized as red like more heavily roasted Oolongs. The aroma was dominated by the roasted character of the tea, but with hints of something sweeter. The flavor of the tea is very interesting, with a medium-strength roasted character and hints of honey. The aftertaste is currently dominated by the roasted flavor of the tea, but the characteristic mineral aftertaste is still present, lingering on the hard palate for half a minute.

The second infusion turned out pretty well. The color only lightened a few shades, and the aroma was characterized by a declined in the roasted aromas, leaving behind something a bit sweeter. The taste also lightened, with the honey flavor becoming more prominent, and the mineral aftertaste gaining a bit more prominence.

The third infusion was better than the previous two. It achieve a perfect balance between the roasted flavors and honey/sweet flavor. It’s a bit hard to describe because of how simple the flavor of this tea is, but I guess that is part of its charm. That being said, the aftertaste again asserts itself, but it doesn’t linger for as long any more. Regardless, this was a very good cup of tea.

More to come later.

This is the third and final Da Hong Pao that I have, and I’m a bit sad to say that it doesn’t really match up well against the other two. The color of the first infusion in a nice deep red color, and the aroma is the nice roasted smell that is practically the signature of a Wuyi Oolong, but the taste seems to be missing something. The tea is very bold, but it doesn’t have the same kick to it. It’s like it’s missing something essential. The other problem is that I don’t taste the mineral aftertaste, which makes me question whether this tea is actually from the Wuyi mountains.

The second infusion was milder, but it just wasn’t good. I just keep comparing it to higher quality teas, and it just doesn’t measure up. The taste changed for this infusion, but it is now merely a milder bland flavor. The aftertaste is nearly nonexistent, without even a hint of mineral in it. I’ve decided to stop now, and I’m probably going to put this tea in the very back of my small collection.

I decided yesterday to go through my three Da Hong Paos, so here is the second installment!

Like yesterday, this is brewed grandpa style in a large mug. The color of the first infusion was a nice deep red color, and had a surprisingly light roasted aroma. The taste of the first infusion was interesting, with a very bold roasted taste, with dark chocolate notes that linger along with the typical Wuyi mineral aftertaste. Also, the aftertaste really lingers with this tea, somethings hanging around in the tip of the tongue and the hard palate for up to a whole minute! This is definitely better than the last time I brewed this tea.

The second infusions was surprisingly dark, a nice dark amber instead of a deep red. The aroma also changed so that while it retained its roasted quality, it began to smell a bit sweeter, possibly fruit or caramel. The taste definitely has more of a caramel taste to it, and the aftertaste has mellowed out, and now only contains hints of the chocolate, which linger for about 15 seconds.

The third infusion is a lighter shade of amber, bordering on caramel. The aroma is now definitely caramel and hints of fruit. The taste has really mellowed, with prominent caramel and fruit notes. The roasted flavor is still present, but not nearly as strong as it was. Also, the aftertaste has become purely mineral flavored now. All in all, this was a very balanced and pleasant infusion, and much better than the first and second.

The fourth infusion is actually better than the third. The aroma was pretty much unchanged, and the color was only a little lighter, but the flavors was more balanced. The sweetness of the fruit and light floral notes contrasted well with the weakening chocolate and roasted flavors, resulting in a very nice cup of tea. It wasn’t too sweet or too bold, but it doesn’t have the same variety of flavors that the Big Red Robe from Verdant did during its peak infusion. Regardless, is is a very good cup of tea.

Given how well the tea leaves had been holding up, I didn’t expect this cup to as weak as it was. The color and aroma were greatly reduced, and the flavor had degenerated into a rather bland – yet still surprisingly sweet – generic Oolong. Granted, the tea still retains the Wuyi aftertaste, yet even that has been greatly reduced in intensity.\

The final verdict about this tea is that while it is very bold early, it very quickly loses its flavor after its peak, and becomes quite bland. Still, it is much better than average, and I wouldn’t mind buying this again in the future.

I decided to brew this grandpa style in an extra large mug, and the results were amazing. The aroma was the signature roasted aroma that Wuyi teas are famous for, the the color of the tea was a deep red characteristic of a heavily roasted tea.

The first infusion was very strong, with flavors of dark chocolate and a metallic taste (kind of like the description of the tea posted above). The tea finishes with the characteristic Wuyi aftertaste, but because the tea was so strong, it also has a hint of something else present.

The second infusion was dark amber in color, and the aroma wasn’t as strong. The taste of the tea had also changed a lot, and wasn’t as bold as in the previous infusion. Instead, fruity flavors began to assert themselves, and the tea was significantly sweeter. Also, the aftertaste was purely mineral, without even a hint of whatever it was that was lingering during the first infusion. I find that this was a much more balanced cup of tea, which leaves me to wonder how the third cup will improve (given that in my experience, the third cup is usually the best for Oolong teas).

The third infusion is lighter than both of the previous ones in terms of both color and taste. It is sweeter than the other two, and tastes of caramel, fruit, and flowers. Truly a unique balance which results in a superior Big Red Robe.

The forth infusion is noted by the flavors all starting to fade. It is like the third infusion, yet sweeter, and the more delicate flavors are harder to distinguish.

During the fifth infusion, I noticed that the leaves were really starting to get broken up
into small pieces, which suggests that I am nearing the end of the session. Also, the tea was very mellow, with none of the boldness that characterized the eraly steepings. It has become very difficult to distinguish individual flavors, leaving behind a kind of general sweetness and a mineral aftertaste.

When it’s all said and done, it is a wonderful Big Red Robe, easily the best of the three different one I’ve tried. I’ll definitely consider buying this in larger quantities in the future.

To be completely honest, the 4 minute steep was completely accidental. I stared this tea while I made lunch, and forgot about it after I started to eat. Luckily, the results are in way unpleasant. To be completely honest, the only difference is that the flavors are more intense than usual. See my previous notes for more information, and I promise I’ll update this note if the tea deviates during later steepings.

EDIT-
Just to comment on this tea, the aftertaste lingers on the hard and soft palate of the mouth for a god thirty seconds. I don’t remember this lasting for so long last time I made this tea, but it rather pleasant, so I might brew the tea for this long again.

I’m not actually sure what the water temperature was, as my dad had just recently made tea, and the water had been sitting for a bit by the time I got there…

Anyway, The only thing to note so far is that the tea isn’t as sweet as usual, and the grassiness is surprisingly subdued.

Again, my dad has been monopolizing the teapot today, so the water was most likely too warm for the second (and last) infusion. This time the tea was a bit astringent, where normally this tea does not demonstrate this flavor at this stage. Regardless, it’s still a very goo tea, and better than two of my other senchas.

For more information, see my previous notes on this tea.

I was going through my box of Oolongs, and realized that I hadn’t had this tea in over a month. Needless to say, I corrected this oversight.

The first infusion had a wonderful aroma, and the coloro of the tea suggested a medium-roast Oolong. The aroma of the tea reminds me a bit of honey, and be wvery sweet (if that makes any sense). The taste is very interesting, with light wood and floral tastes mixing together. The aftertaste of the tea is the distinct Wuyi mineral aftertaste, but it was a bit overpowered by the other flavors of the tea.

The second and third infusions were noted for incremental decrease in the strength of the flavors of the tea. Because of this, the mineral aftertaste became more prominent, which was really pleasant. I love Wuyi Oolongs more than other types because of that aftertaste, and this tea was just a bit shy of my Da Hong Pao in terms of the balance between the more overt flavors and the aftertaste.

More to come later, if I have time.

I really felt like having strong tea today, so I let this steep extra long for maximum flavor (and caffeine). The only real change that I noticed is that the first cup isn’t as sweet as previously, but it is still exceptional. The caramel flavors are still present, but they are overwhelmed by the other flavors.

The second infusion was even better than usual, as the caramel flavor became much more prominent, and the tea had exactly the right amount of natural sweetness.

To be completely honest, I brewed my third cup, and forgot about it for several hours. Needless to say, it was rather cold when rediscovered. I didn’t want to waste it, so I cheated and put it in the microwave for 25 seconds to warm it back up. T?he result is tea that isn’t as sweet, and isn’t as flavorful as I expected, but it was still decent tea.

If I make another cup, I’ll tell you if the above was because of the microwave or if the tea was just starting to wear out.

This is truly one of the more interesting tea I’ve ever had, not because of how great it tastes (Don’t get me wrong, it’s a really delicious tea) but for how many great tastes it has. wonderful tea that note quite a white tea, but not a Sheng either, it is a tea that breaks down stereotypes with its complexity.

The first infusion is very complex, with spice flavors competing with flowers an cedar for dominance. The flowers are particularly strong in the aftertaste, which reminds me of White Peony. The second infusion was noted by and increase in the “spiciness” and a sharp decrease in the magnitude of the flowery tastes. By the third cup, the spiciness is very pronounced, and is the very first thing that I taste, with the flowery notes being very hard to find.

Later infusions tend towards spicyness, and finally start to fade arround the 6th cup.

To be revised tomorrow, when I’m not sleepy.