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Mao Fengs are a love-it/hate-it steep affair, but I mostly find them “okay”. They were the quintessential green tea that I use as a barometer for others – smack dab in the middle. This is a middle-of-the-road green tea. It has a good smell and taste, but it doesn’t really stand out from the crowd. Slightly vegetal, partially creamy, and all around “eh, it’s there.”

Full Review: http://www.teaviews.com/2011/02/14/review-teavert-mao-feng-green-organic/

This is as innocuous and inoffensive a green tea as you can find anywhere. It’s not too spinachy, not too grassy…and…well…not too anything. Although it does have a pleasantly grape-like taste on the forefront and only a slight vegetal/creamy finish. Not much to be said about it. It’s about as metaphorically vanilla as some pop stars out there. I find it a rather catchy tea tune.

Full Review: http://www.teaviews.com/2011/02/12/review-silk-road-teas-tongyu-mountain-green-2/

Not a whole lot to say about this one. It’s a Ceylon with vanilla flavoring. The dry scent is all vanilla bean, the wet…same. Taste-wise, it’s like liking a French vanilla-creamed carnation. Not that appetizing an analogy? Well, it’s the only one I’ve got. A very decent desserty black blend.

Full review: http://www.teaviews.com/2011/02/13/review-friday-afternoon-vanilla-ceylon-black-2/

I LOVE Darjeeling white teas. They’re about as resilient as a Chinese Bai Mu Dan but with a grape-like character that Himalayan teas are known for. This is one of the poorer examples I’ve tried, though. It doesn’t yield much in the way of taste on only a three-minute steep, requiring at least four to give it the muscatel lean and floral finish. However, by “poor”, I mean by Indian white standards…that still makes it kinda great. Glad to have it in my arsenal.

Full Review: http://www.teaviews.com/2011/02/15/review-golden-tips-tea-namring-upper-white-tea-2010/

One of these days, I’ll have a Joy’s tea that I just won’t like. Today isn’t that day. I actually didn’t know what “mahalo” meant until I did some digging prior to reviewing this. It’s Hawaiian for gratitude…and grateful I am that this tasted like it was supposed to – like tropical fruit. There aren’t any subtleties to speak of with this blend. It is what it is, a tropical and annoyingly chipper blend. It’s a morning green tea.

Full Review: http://www.teaviews.com/2011/02/10/review-joy%E2%80%99s-teaspoon-mahalo/

This is a Tie Guanyin that doesn’t lend itself well to a gaiwan prep, which is odd considering MOST oolongs do. At four infusions between thirty and fifty seconds, the palate profile was pretty much the same – pear-like, slightly cottony, and leafy. While I liked it, there wasn’t anything that stood out beyond the first infusion (which was the best). If one were to have this, it works best as a one-shot for four minutes in 190F; the “A-MURR-ican” way for oolong prep.

Full Review: http://www.teaviews.com/2011/02/09/review-tao-tea-leaf-supreme-anxi-iron-goddess/

I had the urge to try something gut-bomby without the guilt. Why not a black tea blend with a double-dose of chocolate? This here blend possessed chocolate chips and cocoa nibs to create something that tasted like an unrefined French pastry. With sweetener, it really shined. And I’m sure it could latte well. No subtleties here.

Full Review: http://www.teaviews.com/2011/02/05/review-tiesta-tea-creme-au-chocolat/

Been awhile since I’ve cupped a Mao Feng. Last one was a Keemun type. Before that, a couple of years since my last Mao Feng green. This was a crisp, wonderfully vegetal (but not spinachy) and creamy green with a pine note somewhere in the mix. I could easily draw comparison to pre-rain Long Jings as a flavor-sibling. Quite decent.

Full Review: http://www.teaviews.com/2011/02/18/review-life-in-teacup-pre-guyu-huang-shan-mao-feng-2/

Still new to the world of Assam teas. Aside from “MALT!”, I usually fail to find nuances. Although, some have varied in their floral or astringent leans. This one reminded me of a Yunnan black in its caramel and honey-like taste. Sure, it was robust, malty, earthy…yadda-yadda…but there was something more to it. A bit of character beyond its caricature. Third best Assam I’ve tried to date.

Full Review: http://www.teaviews.com/2011/02/11/review-friday-afternoon-rembeng-estate-assam-3/

Like a certain Jim Carrey movie (that I’m sure had something to do with the naming scheme) this exceeded my preconceived pu-erh notions. I had no idea how to identify the scent of this – just like Joy’s Schnozberry blend – but the end result in taste was something like chocolate oranges mixed with lemon. I think? I dunno…

Point is, I liked it a lot.

Full Review: http://www.teaviews.com/2011/01/31/review-joy%E2%80%99s-teaspoon-eternal-sunshine/