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“This smells like a fish tank!”

That’s what my boyfriend exclaimed after he opened up the little Gladware takgoti sent me containing Ryokucha. I laughed at the time, but I couldn’t shake the idea that it kind of DOES smell like a fish tank.

Anyway, Ryokucha, Samovar’s version of the popular genmaimatcha blend. It’s neon-green from the matcha, filled with powdery-ness, with little bits of puffed rice and sencha. Certainly one of the more bizarre teas that I’ve come across, but I’m pretty much up for anything. If I lean in a bit closer, I can pick up traces of nuttiness and a buttery note. I got some of the matcha on my fingertips while trying to clean my teaspoon, and those were definitely highlights of the scent.

Anyway, steeping this up was a memorable experience! It looks like an explosion at the fields surrounding a nuclear waste facility. Cloudy neon-green murkiness, random leaves, bits of rice floating at the top. The entire thing is really bizarre.

The pour is pretty weird too. Now I have radioactive liquid in my cup, and there’s all the sediment left behind. The wet leaves smell a lot like puffed rice cereal. Very toasty and delicious smelling. I was tempted to eat the rice out of the pot, but I didn’t think that was such a good idea.

The tea itself smells really, really good. Very roasty-toasty buttery notes. Mmm.

So how does it taste? Very, very complex, for starters. I guess the best way to describe it is if your morning cereal got invaded by marine life and grass. I should probably explain that a bit further. There’s the toasty component of the puffed rice, which adds a delicious nutty note. There are hints of a milkiness that come across a lot in the aftertaste and sweet taste that lingers on the palate after every sip. The forefront of the flavor is an almost oceanic taste, with a slightly grassy component. Maybe like kelp. But in a good way.

As it’s cooled, the milky taste becomes more prominent, overtaking the puffed rice taste. This tea is thick and silky. It definitely has a mouthfeel, and it’s almost making me feel full. I haven’t felt that way about a tea before – it is like a meal. And for the sweetness in the aftertaste, you can almost certainly pick out very savory components as well. I could see this making an excellent foundation for soup, as they prepare it at Samovar.

The very bottom of the cup is a tiny bit astringent, but the rest was silky smooth. I usually drink my tea with a spoon at the beginning, that way I can sip it when it’s very hot. I used that spoon to continually stir it, so I don’t have any dregs at the bottom. And yay, you can finally see the bottom of the cup! Cause this stuff is MURKY. SWAMP MURKY. SWAMP THING IS IN MY TEA.

I think I’m already starting to feel the effects of the caffeine, even though I haven’t finished the entire cup yet. This one is kind of more than a tea. It’s more of an experience. A foodie experience. A radioactive foodie experience.

Yeah, I think the caffeine is definitely kicking in. I’m hyper-concentrated, but at the same time, prone to just random tangents of nothingness.

Okay, I think it’s time to end the review now, before I start jumping around and breaking out in song and dance.

And this was such a rational review before, too!

Backlogging from yesterday.

It’s difficult to even remember a lot about this one, since I was drinking it while I was packaging up some teaswaps for Auggy and takgoti. I was more concerned about the ratio of tea to bag, and how I was going to fit everything in a box, than I was about the flavor of this one.

Anyway, it’s a rooibos blend, and it actually smells very pretty when you stick your nose in it. There’s a strong berry scent, but underneath those berry tones is a warm, comforting twinge of vanilla. The entire tea looks very pretty as well, with the red of the rooibos contrasting against the deeper reds of the currants and hibiscus, and the white shavings of white chocolate.

So I steeped this one up, and the flavor is a bit disappointing. The tart, berry flavors completely overwhelm the vanilla here. The only thing that works out well is that I think the vanilla does tame down a lot of the tartness, and allows for flavor elements like hibiscus to be muted (which is always a plus, in my opinion). The white chocolate, I couldn’t taste, and the rooibos has its typically woodsy-sweet flavor. None of it is particularly aggressive or assertive. If anything, the blend is a bit bland.

But the tea wasn’t bad enough to distract me from the wonderfulness of getting prepared to share tea with some awesome ladies, so I guess that’s a point in its favor!

I’m actually really enjoying this one this morning.

When you bust open this package, lemme tell you, this tea smells delicious. I kept inhaling. There are some cocoa notes overlaid with honey smells, and a dash of a floral component as well. It smells three-dimensional and it beckons you out of that awful stupor upon waking up.

And the dry leaves themselves? People have mentioned this before, but they’re absolutely adorable! Very wiry with golden and brown hues. So pretty! Little curls, some in almost an eyelash shape. So I put a tsp. of this in my IngenuiTEA (which I just marked with a Sharpie in increments for 6 oz. and 8 oz., so I feel pretty special) and watched it steep up. I figured that the leaves wouldn’t do much and… they didn’t. Just sort of floated around.

The wet leaves smell more like a regular black tea with some honey blended in. And the infusion smells just as good as the dry leaves. The cocoa is a bit subdued, but the honey and floral scents are still there. Now, I’ve never had lotus or sandalwood anywhere near me, so I can’t speak from experience of those two scents/flavors. But I’ll try and explain how it tastes.

It’s fairly light with a bit of spice. I’m not getting any bitterness, but many floral and honey components, melted into a traditional “default” tea taste. This almost tastes similar to the Keemun Imperial I had by SpecialTeas the other day, if you tripped out the smokiness and added floral/honey components instead. At points I’m thinking this is full-bodied; at other points, it feels a bit watery. My cup doesn’t really have any astringency; Ancient Emerald Lily had much, much more than this. There’s a subtle sweetness underneath it as well, and some spicy qualities. I can’t pinpoint what spices, exactly, but it’s that feeling of warmth that comes from some of the more comforting spices out there.

Overall, really enjoying this cup. I’d rate it higher, but I don’t think the flavor profiles and components are really going to stick in my mind. It’s like that one acquaintance that you have that always remembers your name. They come up to you and say, “Hi, teaplz!” And then you feel awkward because you can’t for the life of you remember theirs. So you stand there and go, “Hi…. hi.”

And then the rest of the night you’re trying to deduce their name. You’re eavesdropping on their conversations with other people just on the sheer chance that someone might say their name. And if someone does, you’ll remember it that night. But after that night, it’ll be gone. That’s sort of this tea. I bet two weeks from now, I’ll probably forget I even tasted it.

What a cute name.

Anyway, this was the only holiday tea that I ordered from TG, and when I opened the package, I immediately fell in love with the smell. Mmmm. It smells like almond pastries, specifically anything made with marzipan. It’s delicious. Like pignoli cookies. It’s really strong and assertive, with a hint of cinnamon and maybe something citrus in the end note.

So I steeped this at 194 degrees (yeah, it’s that specific), and the infusion was a lime green-ish color. The cup smelled absolutely mouth-watering. Seriously almond pastry. Not almond cookie, like SpecialTeas’ tea, but a more robust marizpan-ish smell. The wet leaves have a similar flavor.

There’s a lot going on in the taste! The tea is there as sort of a grassy note, but it’s not really assertive. In fact, it’s a little bland. That’s probably my main complaint about this. But the other flavoring in here… mmmmm. We’ve got some citrus that comes up. It’s sort of similar to the flavoring in a sfogliatelle, an Italian pastry made with phyllo with an orange-flavored ricotta-style filling. It’s that sort of orange flavor. Not the tart quality of the citrus, but the orange-ness. This probably comes from the orange blossom.

The other flavor that’s the most dominant in the aftertaste is that almond pastry taste. Pure pignoli cookies (which are made predominantly with almond paste). There’s a teeny creamy component, but it’s barely noticeable. It’s almost an almond extract flavor, or a scented flavor. It’s very subtle, and doesn’t overwhelm the rest of the flavors. If you concentrate, you might get a bit of cinnamon. I only got it on a few sips.

The tea base of this definitely isn’t the greatest. If it was better, this rating would probably be higher. It doesn’t taste fresh and doesn’t play well into the balance of the other ingredients. But the flavoring is definitely spot-on. The flavors aren’t as strong as the smell (thank god, or else I’d be pretty unhappy). Very nice for a holiday blend, though!

takgoti sent me this tea, even though I had bought a canister of it for myself! So I figured I’d try her batch first, since it’s “older” than mine.

Yay! Anyway, the dry leaf is absolutely gorgeous. Green and silvery and long and wiry. The dry leaves have a sweet leafy smell. Like sweet hay, in a wonderful way. Not a barn-y, old way.

Anyway, I dumped a tablespoon of this into my pot, and let the steeping begin! The leaves unfurl very prettily, expanding. They’re all completely full leaves, gorgeous and green. I couldn’t wait for the pour. The tea itself smells absolutely delicious, let me tell you. Buttery and a bit of nice vegetal. Like buttered peas, maybe? A bit floral too.

I actually liked this tea a lot better as my cup cooled. On first sip, when it was pretty hot, the flavors didn’t come out as much, and the slight vegetal notes were a bit strong. But as the cup cooled… mmmm. The buttery notes came out as an aftertaste, delicious and creamy. A bit like buttered corn on the cob, maybe, but it’s very subtle. With more of a veggie taste than a white tea.

The upfront of the flavors are highly complex. I doubt I can even begin to put them into words properly. There’s definitely a floral note. It’s very light. There’s also faint nuttiness if I swish the tea around my mouth. Maybe that’s the chestnut? Then there’s the lingering sweetness on the palate, which makes you almost want to eat your tongue. Yes, that sounded bizarre.

The only complaint that I have is that it’s a tad bit astringent. Not anything overwhelming, but there is a bit of dryness to the tongue that comes with each sip. I found that I liked taking breaks between series of sips to almost “refresh” my palate.

But boy, is this tea pretty damned complex. In a wonderful way. It boggles my mind that the tea plants these leaves and buds are harvested from are ancient, and still producing wonderful and delicious teas such as this.

Absolutely NOM NOM NOM. Thank you, takkerz, for sending me this! So yummy!

This tea is warm. And I don’t mean temperature-wise!

takgoti sent me this in the huge box of tea she gifted me, and I was eager to try it from the first time I smelled it. First off, the tea itself is quite beautiful, with the varying shades of reds. The honeybush and rooibos are specked with little pieces of cloves, cinnamon, licorice, and ginger. The whole thing is extremely aromatic and spicy.

I used 3/4 of a teaspoon (Samovar’s little video said 1 tsp for 16 oz., so I halved it). Looking back on it, I should have used more. Anyway, I steeped it up, and the color was very typical of rooibos. Deep scarlet with a wonderful smell coming off of it. Spicy. You can’t pick out every spice in the scent, but it’s complex and incredibly warm.

On first sip, I was surprised how light this was! I think I’ll definitely steep it for a longer time next time. You can’t really taste all of the spices separately unless you concentrate very hard. Then the cinnamon comes out with some warmth. Then there’s a bit of kick and bite from the ginger, and the warmth of cloves (and I’m happy about the clove not being overpowering, because I’m not the hugest fan of cloves). The rooibos comes through with that signature woodsy sweetness. The licorice is a big hit here, not in licorice flavor, but in sweetness. This baby is sweet and spicy at the same time in a delicious way.

What a great herbal! Sometimes herbals are a bit medicinal or cloying. I thought I might have this problem with this particular one, but Ocean of Wisdom is an ocean of awesomeness.

I’m a big fan of white tea, so I couldn’t wait to try Harney’s version of silver needle. This is actually my first silver needle (everything else has been white peony/bai mu dan, which is absolutely delicious), so I was REALLY psyched to steep this up.

I used a heaping tablespoon in ~6 oz. of water, but I had to stop to admire the leaves. HOW pretty. The sample I received from Harney was full of unbroken, beautiful needles. So downy and soft and fluffy! And a beautiful silvery down over bright green. Gorgeous. The smell was a bit woodsy and vegetal. I’ve learned that whites aren’t exactly the best-smelling teas.

I anxiously awaited the steep. If you want something that unfurls and dances around in the pot, then this isn’t for you. The leaves barely budge. But still. Gorgeous. The infusion that came from the pour was a light yellow, a very pretty white color. And the smell coming off of the liquid was similar to the dry, but more concentrated. Very woodsy, a hint of sweetness, an a lot of planty goodness.

On the first sip, I was pretty disappointed. This lacked a lot of depth of flavor that I’ve experienced with other whites. And I really do enjoy subtle notes. But this one was mostly vegetal. As Steepster’s description says, this is definitely the most vegetal white I’ve ever had. It almost tastes like edamame, or the water that would result after boiling some of those nom-worthy beans. Edamame tastes wonderful, but I’m not sure I want my tea to taste like that. It’s nearly savory, in a very bizarre way.

There’s not much sweetness hitting the palate, which is a shame. That nectar-like love from white tea is one of my favorite things about it.

There are plenty of better whites out there. Samovar’s Bai Mu Dan, for starters, has to be one of the best whites I’ve ever had. I’m sure there are better silver needles out there as well, that will give me the sweet and yummy cup that I so crave.

Well, I’m certainly not tasting orchid!

Auggy sent this to me with fair warning that it was going to be merely average. I pretty much love trying all tea, so… this one was quite fun to dig into!

The smell of the dry leaves was black tea with a hint of something deeper… maybe cocoa accents? I really didn’t sniff them for long. This one is chopped into somewhat tiny pieces, a pretty standard black size. It isn’t anything to look at.

So I brewed this up in 6 oz. of water (per Auggy’s suggestions), and the resulting cup was very dark and beautiful. The scent off the cup reminded me of raw cacao, deep and powdery (don’t ask how I got powdery from a smell), with a chaser of a tart-like smell that I often associate with the Keemun taste. As for the taste… it’s pretty smoky, actually! Not a smoke like a lapsang or a gunpowder, which taste of actual smoke. More like a quality. There’s flashes of a cacao-like taste, and an underlying tart quality that gives way to a bit of astringency in the mouth. In the aftertaste (and in the flavors that linger on the palate after the sip has been swallowed), there some sweetness. Orchids? Hell no. Not even close. It’s just a general sweet. I couldn’t distinguish a flavor from it.

Even though Auggy advertised this as a “meh” tea, it was definitely serviceable. And as I described, very flavorful! I really liked that this wasn’t weak or lacking depth. Is it stellar? No… it’s a bit rough around the edges. I feel like the flavors don’t extend and lengthen. They’re stunted a bit. But that’s okay, because the ones that manifest are pretty good. I could see myself craving something similar to this. Of course, the only Keemun I’ve had in comparison is Adagio’s English Breakfast, which tastes very different from this. This is more full-bodied and interesting than that EB, which tastes more “default” and more along the lines of a variation on a Ceylon.

That was a pretty awful tea day, and it’s probably my fault, cause I poured boiling water over my green oolong. Oops.

Anyway, I decided to go with something basic and tasty, and opened up my Decaf from TG! The smell of this is AMAZING. It’s identical to caramel corn. Cracker Jacks. Mmmmm. The dry leaf is sorta small, and interspersed with little caramel pieces. It’s mouthwatering. I promise.

So I steeped this one up and on the pour, the wet smelled just as wonderful as the dry. The infusion is a dark copper color, and the smell coming off of it is creamy and caramelish. On my first sip, I was actually pleasantly surprised. This one tastes like a nice brisk black. There’s only a slight hint of bitterness and astringency, but it’s pretty pleasing. The black flavor gives way to a sweet caramel taste. Not burnt or overdone, just mellow and lingering in the aftertaste. Like when the sugar from caramel corn lingers on your tongue after you’ve eaten a mouthful. It’s less of a cream and caramel taste, and more of a united flavor. It’s pretty subtle overall, which is nice. The black tea base might be a little more watery than normal (due to its decaf nature), but it’s nothing to cry over.

This is a great little tea to calm down with after a stressful day. Which is what I had, with my oolong debacle. Ouch. Here’s hoping tomorrow brings better tea experiences!

First Infusion (2:30, boiling)

So today is Oolong Day! Why? Because I said so. I’ve picked out an oolong and I’m pretty much going to be drinking it all day. This is my first non-flavored oolong in loose leaf, so I’m pretty excited.

So I opened up the little packet for orchid temple, and the smell that comes out of the dry leaf is … toasty. In a black tea sort of way. The leaves here are rolled, in a very schizophrenic, oolong sort of way. Not quite little pellets, very asymmetrical… but a pretty green. When I poured the water over them, there was a bit of a frenzy, and a verifiable forest grew in my pot. I can see why people want to brew oolongs in glass, because the leaves are quite beautiful, and they expand very nicely.

The wet leaves smelled a bit vegetal, but the medium-gold infusion… oh. my. gah. Seriously. It smells delicious. Buttery and warm and a bit bake-y, like shortbread. Or butter cookies. With a bit of a floral undertone. Very, very mouthwatering, indeed.

My first sip, as a result, was very disappointing. This oolong, on first steep, tastes absolutely nothing like it smells. The taste is actually pretty toasty, and vegetal. A similar profile to a Chinese green. There is barely the vaguest hint of the smell (but I’m probably imagining it, because I want it so badly!), and a fair bit of astringency. My mouth feels pretty dry. Even as it cools down, there’s really nothing to write home about. The flavors are very bland and unpronounced. Sad panda face.

But I know that oolongs tend to get better on their second and third infusions, so I’m giving this one the benefit of the doubt. I’ll be drinking lots of it the entire day, and recording the results, right here!

Second Infusion (3:00, boiling)

So I steeped this again, and the infusion was a bit darker this time. The smell from the wet leaves was completely veggie-like, and it had creeped into the smell of the juice this time. There was still a buttery component, but it was balanced by a very cooked green smell.

So the taste has evolved a little bit, but nowhere that I wanted it to go. The aftertaste is now really sweet (the flavor hasn’t left my tongue since I stopped drinking it 10 minutes ago), but the taste on the forefront of the sip is pretty vegetal and slightly bitter. The astringency has definitely smoothed out, but it certainly doesn’t taste like it smells, which is extremely disappointing. Even when I slurp the tea, and run it along the different parts of my tongue for taste sensations, there’s no fireworks. Funnily enough, I swallowed the wrong way and ended up coughing a lot. Only then did I taste buttery goodness. Bah. We’ll keep going, though…

At this point I’m feeling that boiling water might not have been the best idea for this tea. Golden Moon specifically states boiling, but this oolong is definitely on the greener end of the scale. Most of the flavor profile is kind of like a weedy Chinese green. Not the most pleasant taste in the world at all, but we’ll see what happens.

Third Infusion (3:30, boiling)

Here we go again… I’m seriously starting to get more and more disappointed. This steep was around the same color as the other two. The smell, however, was almost completely green. And there was a metallic tang of an undertone that made me wrinkle my nose.

The taste… the taste is bizarre. I think I might be getting a bit more of a creamy taste now, but it’s mixed with a very oceanic, briny taste. Like it’s been steeped in water where crustaceans have been frolicking. So strange. As it cooled, the marine component became more pronounced. The sweetness is still there in the aftertaste, but it’s a bit muted, and the astringency is back. I threw out around 3/4 of the cup. Now I’m just curious to see what subsequent steeps will taste like. If this is oolong in general, then I don’t think I’m a fan, and I’m starting to get discouraged. :(

Fourth Infusion (4:00, boiling)

Last steep for me. Just dumped the leaves, because I’m really sick of this, and it’s not getting any better. At all. I want to give a shout out to the leaves here, because they’re beautiful and complete once unfurled. If only the taste matched it!

So on this last steep, the leaves actually smelled buttery again! And when the tea was piping hot, it too shared that buttery quality! I was pretty surprised, so I was excited to try it. Annnnd… the taste is really strong bitter. I thought I might have tasted that butter for a second, but it was completely gone once the tea cooled. Not good. So these leaves are being dumped.

Overall, I’m really disappointed with this, and I’m sad that my first oolong had to go this badly. Hopefully my next one will be better!