Received as a free sample from my last order. Brewed grandpa style.

I like that the packet says extract. I know exactly what’s in here. I’m used to seeing “natural flavors” at best. This has a pleasing dry leaf aroma. A strong strawberry scent emerges from the packet. Perfect for spring. The strawberry complements the floral base tea, which is a lower quality light-to-medium oxidized oolong, resembling (as it seems to me) Tie Guan Yin. The balance is so balanced that the liquor tastes as if the strawberry were a natural note that the leaf gave away. It reminded me a Taiwanese high mountain oolong.

I enjoyed this, but I wasn’t struck. The base tea didn’t impress me, but it makes sense to use it for a flavored tea – it’s ok quality at best. Maybe since it’s late summer, I’m ready to depart from this kind of oolong. Maybe next spring… I recommend this for those who love flavored tea, or for those who don’t but might be interested in the more natural side of this genre.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 7 g 12 OZ / 354 ML

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

People who liked this

Login or sign up to leave a comment.

Profile

Bio

I began drinking tea because its complexity fascinated me. I love learning about its history, its manufacturing processes, and its place in various cultures.

Japanese greens were my first love and gateway into the world.

My favorite teas are leafhopper oolongs, pu’erh (shou and sheng), and masala chai. My favorite herbal tisanes are spear/peppermint, lavender and chrysanthemum.

I’m currently exploring pu’erh, and any Chinese and Taiwanese teas in general. I’m not much into flavored teas, unlike when I first started. The only teas I truly dislike are fruity tisanes and the ones that have too much fruit. I do like hisbiscus, especially iced.

I like to write nature essays. I’m a birdwatcher as well as a tea enthusiast. The kiwi is one of my favorite birds. I also like Tolkien, Ancient Egypt, and exercising.

IMPORTANT NOTE, PLEASE READ: After two and a half years of having an account here, I will no longer will provide numerical ratings as an addition to the review because the American school system has skewed my thoughts on numbers out of a hundred and the colors throw me off. Curses! My words are more than sufficient. If I really like what I have, I will “recommend”, and if I don’t, “not recommended”.

Key for past ratings:

96-100 I adore absolutely everything about it. A permanent addition to my stash.

90-95 Superb quality and extremely enjoyable, but not something I’d necessarily like to have in my stash (might have to do with personal tastes, depending on what I say in the tasting note).

80-89 Delicious! Pleased with the overall quality.

70-79 Simply, I like it. There are qualities that I find good, but there also are things that aren’t, hence a lower rating that I would have otherwise like to put.

60-69 Overall “meh”. Not necessarily bad, but not necessarily good.

0-59 No.

If there is no rating: I don’t feel experienced enough to rate the tea, or said tea just goes beyond rating (in a positive way).

Location

Westchester, NY

Following These People

Moderator Tools

Mark as Spammer