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I only ended up having one infusion of this tea due to all of the spur-of-the-moment events that happened, so see my previous note. The only thing that I changed was how I brewed it, and this in no way changed the flavors present.

I got this tea for Christmas after it finally cleared customs, and I am happy to report that it was worth the wait. This is a fukamushi sencha, which means that it is steamed for a longer period of time, and it’s the first one I have gotten to try, so I was very excited.

I brewed it at a rather low temperature, and for a relatively short amount of time because I’ve found that Japanese greens can be very unforgiving if you aren’t careful. The first infusion had a very pleasing aroma of grass and vegetation, but it was not overwhelming. The taste of the first infusion was superb, with just the right amount of sweetness. The tea is also a very vibrant green color, with a good deal of tea dust floating in the tea. The only other tea I have that looks like this is my Mellow Monk Top Leaf, but that tea tastes very different in it’s first infusion.

The second and third infusions exhibited a very rapid decrease in the grassiness of the tea, leaving behind a balanced and sweet tea. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still very good, but it borders on being generic.

The forth infusion was mostly notable for being sweet, but having very little flavor. Regardless, this tea is still fantastic, and truly deserves a high rating.

Merry (belated) Christmas! I just got back from my relative’s house, where I suffered from both caffeine AND internet withdrawal, and this is the first tea I’ve had since Friday.

I prepared this tea Grandpa style, using the normal amount of tea and water that was just off boiling. The first infusion was a nice dark amber color, with a typical “roasted” aroma. The taste of the first cup was a nice honey flavor and fairly typical for a Shui Xian. The second and third infusions were pretty much the same, except that the color started to lighten, and the tea became a bit sweeter.

The fourth infusion was noted by a more significant decrease in aroma and flavor, and becoming a bit sweeter. Other than that, nothing important happened. This was my last infusion of the day.

I did a bit of an experiment today, and brewed this at a really low temperature to see what happens. The aroma of the tea was softer than usual, and it was actually more pleasing as it wasn’t overpowering.

The taste of the first infusion was perfect. There was no astringency, no bitterness, and only a hint of grassiness in the taste. Truly this is a prime example of a Sencha.

The second infusion was a flash infusion, steeped for 30 seconds, and was very similar to the first, but the taste of the tea was a bit mellower, with the grassiness fading further. The third infusions was actually bordering on being sweet while still having a touch of grassiness. This was also a flash infusion, but it still produced excellent results.

The fourth and fifth infusions were very mellow, with no grassiness and were sweeter than previous infusions. The taste became very generic during the fifth infusion, which signaled the end of the session.

I think that the bottom line of this little experiment, is that this tea benefits greatly from brewing at low temperature and with short infusions. This resulted in a fantastic tea, which was even better than I remembers, and which certainly earned it’s top place among my teas.

First of all, thanks for the free sample Teavivre!

This tea turned out pretty much identical to last time, so look at that note for more information. If anything interesting happens, I’ll update this note later.

This tea is very hard for me to describe. The aroma has a touch of Juniper, but I’m not sure what the othe aromas are. Likewise, the taste o the tea is very good, but the only thing I can make out is a touch of walnut. That said, it is a very good tea.

EDIT (1 am)

When it’s all said and done, this tea still defies my ability to describe it. It continued to change in interesting and subtle ways throughout the day, but I only had time for four infusions, so I can’t say what the end was like. Each cup was just a bit different, and each was delicious in it’s own way. I honestly prefer Oolong, but this tea was so interesting, I actually feel like getting more of it just to see everything it has to offer.

Also, I apologize if this is a bit incoherent, as it’s late enough that I can’t have any more caffeine ( D: ), but not late enough for me to actually fall asleep. I’ll look over this again in the morning to make sure that it’s okay.

I decided to brew it at a lower temperature and for a bit shorter period than usual today, and the results were interesting.

The aroma was pretty much unchanged, but the tea was sweeter than previous. Also, the “flowery” taste didn’t detract from the taste as much. Even that aftertaste was affected by my small changes, and was also sweeter than in previous brewing sessions.

As with last time, I got 4 cups of tea out of one set of leaves. The aroma faded pretty quickly, and started to smell like a generic lightly-roasted Oolong. The taste mellowed out, and the flowery notes faded to a generic – albeit rather sweet – Oolong. The bottom line is that the first two cups were much better than I remember, and the tea is delicious while it lasts. I was also happy because I was using a larger cup than usual (eight fluid ounces as opposed to six), and the fact that it lasted for the same number of cups was interesting.

This is my second lightly-oxidized Tie Guan Yin, and it was very different from my Spring picking. The aroma is very subtle, with hints of grass and orchid. The taste of the first steeping was very interesting, with a touch of grassiness and something a bit spicy.

As the infusions continue the grassines that was present in the first infusion quickly dissipates, and a certain spiciness (as in peppercorn or perhaps cardamon) starts to assert itself a bit. The flavors gradually fade, and around the forth infusions they harmonize perfectly to create a unique and interesting cup of tea. I got seven infusions out of the tea, which was a bit unexpected from a light Oolong, but was still a wonderful surprise.

In the end, this is a very unique tea and it upholds the high standards of Verdant tea. I’m really considering getting more of this tea, as all I have is a sample pack.

I am by no means an expert when it comes to Puerh, but even I can tell that this tea is something special. The first infusion was truly amazing, with a smoky yet slightly sweet aroma that was astounding. The taste of the tea was also exquisite due to spicy flavors and smoky undertones.

EDIT:

Sorry it took so long. Anyway, as the infusions continued, the smoky flavors diminished, and the other flavors becam smoother and more harmonious. By the third infusion, I was very impressed with the tea, and was getting ready to order more. What was better was I got seven infusions out of the tea, and that infusions had enough flavor for me to guess that I could have gone for at least three more. Truly an excellent tea.

Once again, thanks to Teavivre for this tea! I only used half of a packet the first time I had this tea, so this was finishing that off. Luckily, It’s been less than a week, so the tea has lost none of it’s flavor!

The first infusion was stronger than before, as I let it steep for a full five minutes. This resulted in a very dark color, but did not negatively impact the aroma or taste of the tea. The aroma was a intense, and the flavor was sweet with a hint of caramel. Clearly this tea is a cut above normal black teas, especially because I don’t need to sweeten it just to make it drinkable.

EDIT #1:
Something rather interesting happened as I reached tht end of the first cup. The tea had been a bit broken up, and there was quite a bit of tea dust at the bottom of the cup, which usually results in a very bitter taste. When I got to the bottom, the taste was initially a touch bitter, but with an aftertaste that was a bit like semi-sweet chocolate. Never had anything like that before.

EDIT #2:
After four infusions, this is what I’ve observed: The color of the tea has gone from a rather dark brwo, to an almost caramel color. The taste of the tea has become much sweeter, and the flavor is much more balanced. The sweetness mixes with the other mellower flavors very nicely, and creates a very pleasing cup of tea. Honestly, I’m rather glad that I have three more packets of this stuff.