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Zero idea where this extra bag came from, but here it is. Sent out some as well, because I know this is okay… nothing like the name… still tasty enough however for me to sip some to get closer to the end of the bag.

Had this quite a few times over the past few days. I really wish there was more chocolate in this. The tea is nice, it’s just… lacking choco. Phooey.

Color me confused. I know I’ve had this before, drank it, rated it even. And yet, this is the only entry (that I can find) on Steepster for this tea, with only one rating. Huh? Regardless, this is pretty close to chai perfection for me. Creamy, a hint of chocolate, with all the requisite spices (albeit a bit subdued). I can taste both the base tea and the spices, and it’s sheer bliss. Wish I’d grabbed more when I could!

I’m a bit surprised mine is the second review of this tea; it’s billed as one of T2’s bestselling blends, and I understand why now. It’s a subtle chocolate, more dark chocolate or unsweetened cocoa than anything, and the dryness from having a mouthful of cocoa comes through quite well (with zero astringency). It’s a lovely blend, a bit surprising in fact, as I was expecting ooey-gooey chocolate, and this is more of a connoisseurs blend. Lovely.

Smells faintly of cocoa-heavy chocolate out of the bag, and tastes faintly of it too, although more so when it’s hot. It’s a hearty straight tea, with a hint of thickness to it that makes it satisfying. While not blow-my-mind amazing, this is still a pretty solid tea and one that I’m happy I grabbed from this New Zealand company.

So… this is one weird tea. It brewed up a really light orange, and I wondered if it was a black. It is. I smell something apricot-ish, yet my tastebuds tell me it’s more strawberry than anything. My lips are burning from I-don’t-know what. It’s got a hint of creaminess to it, and there’s a definite floral edge as well. I wish the burning would stop so I could figure out if I like it or not, but I suspect there’s some sort of strawberry flavoring and thus my reaction. Refraining from rating this one.

Bought this on AliExpress, via YOYO Tea Company. The tin however says, “Pin Wei Ren Sheng” which when I Google it, says is a tea house in Chongqing, China. So I’ve listed it where I purchased it, but… well… This is so tricky, adding teas to the database. Any suggestions welcome.

As for the flavor: this is a beautiful tea, and it reminds me of a few others I’ve grabbed from AliExpress. Peach/apricot notes with something very floral in the background, much more so than any of the similarly-labelled teas I’ve had. I may have steeped it a bit too long as well, as it’s ever-so-slightly bitter and has an odd aftertaste, almost earthy metallic.

http://www.aliexpress.com/item/150g-Top-Grade-biluochun-Spring-2013-green-Tea-Chinese-health-Care-Weight-loss-Bi-Luo-Chun/1412979198.html

TeaSipper had some sticky rice puerh a while back, and I was so curious as to how that works, especially since I need to avoid all grains, that I wanted to try it. Because, for those in the know, sticky rice tea is actually an herb-based flavoring, instead of actual sticky rice. Cool!

As I’m reviewing this however, I discovered I ordered the sheng (raw) puerh instead of the shu puerh that TeaSipper tried. Bah! My bad. I’m usually not a huge fan of sheng, but I’ll still try it.

Honestly, this just wasn’t my cup of tea. Now, it smells SO strongly of sticky rice I did a triple-take… it really is identical to the real thing. Steeped, the smell stays about the same, and it lingers in my mouth and nostrils. It’s incredibly pleasant. The flavor however… I like the first seconds of the sip, it’s a very smooth puerh with little astringency. Then, within about 10 seconds, it gets bitter. Bitter beer face is what I’ll call it, and while it’s not… .bad… it’s just not something I want to try again. Perhaps I steeped it incorrectly, I’m unsure.

Yes, recommend for the flavor (if you like sticky rice). No for the rest, or at least until I can figure out what I did wrong.

I moved from Qualicum Beach – where this shop is located – almost four years ago now, so this is definitely an aged puerh. Ha! I wanted to try it again before I sent some off, and I’m glad I did. Brews up super dark, almost purple-black, and smells earthy and fresh. Tastes mushroom-y, and like cane sugar – the kind that crunches and has a hard time dissolving… it both feels and tastes like that to me, whatever that’s supposed to mean. I see it as a pretty standard tea though, and oddly, this came in tuo cha form, not loose as the picture shows.

Funny, I’ve had this for a while in teabag format, and have yet to drink it. As I grabbed some to send off to someone else, I decided it was high time to brew some up for myself. Yay for treating myself to expensive tea!

The flavor surprised me. When it was still piping hot, I got more fruit marzipan than anything, and now as it cools it’s more of a super creamy macaron with a slight stone fruit flavor to it. Could be all manner of fruits, I’m having a hard time picking out which over the almond.

A lovely, surprising tea, and one that I’ll savour.