Pureleaf

This tea took me completely by surprise! The sweet creaminess along with the full body makes for a very enjoyable cup. I thought for a moment someone had slipped some sweetener into my cup. It’s shocking how smooth and tasty this tea really is, and the fact that it lingers in the mouth is a very nice bonus!

First of all, I love pecans and there are plenty of large pieces found in the darker colored tea leaves. The first impression I got was something entirely different than I anticipate – deep tones of dried berries or fruit, in the range of dates or raisins. The taste in the mouth is one of a good quality granola bar that has plenty of raisins. This slowly changes to the milkier, almost ice cream-like. In fact, for all of you that dairy doesn’t bother the conscience, it takes almost exactly like Butter Pecan ice cream! Of course it’s only a tea, but you’ll have a tough time convincing your taste buds otherwise!

It’s plain and simple – this is a delicious tea! This is saying a lot coming form someone that typically stays with straight or traditional teas. There is no question, this tea can easily replace a desert. It is very satisfying. Thanks, Stacy from Butiki, for this great quality and palate pleasing tea! Job well done!

Thank you Stacy for including this sample. What a treat!

Great looking long black whole leaves. There is so much flavor coming from this tea. This may be the mellowest bold tea, with its green fruity character. I know, seems contradicting. How can it be this full in the mouth, yet mildly cleansing of the palate?

This tea is refreshing and clean. Reminds me of the mist after an early spring shower. Invigorating and engaging. It’s as if you can smell the beginning of new life from the fresh blades of grass, springing up from its underground death during the winter.

There is plenty of the sweet peachy notes with a touch of creaminess. I like the way this tea smells and taste. It has a lingering good astringency. What a true treat and delight, found in this tea. Completely in a class of its own, amongst the other black teas. Glad I had the opportunity to enjoy this tea as my last cup of the day.

I love the compact, perfect little size of these Mini Tuochas! You would have thought the holidays had already come, and a little boy was opening a carefully wrapped gift. You find the same care and attention to detail of the wrapping, as you find in the larger tuochas. The paper used for these tuochas, seems like a perfect idea for a collection of some sort. Surely, there are already ideas out there. This may require a little more research, now that I think about it.

There is plenty of body with this tea – very full, green puerh. You will find quite a bit of astringency that lingers, however you can control its bitterness in the mouth by holding it towards the middle of the tongue – back of the throat. I found the tea to deliver more flavor after it had set for a minute or two.

This is a very young tasting sheng and certainly reflects its green qualities. It is green along the lines of older dandelions, that have been simmered and stewed down – without the mouth puckering bitterness. This bitterness is much drier and feels quite nice around 20-30 minutes after you finish drinking the tea. The liquid is more green melon in color.

Overall, you can’t complain about this tea not matching the total investment. These small broken leaf mini tuochas are great for a small pot of tea and are good enough for multiple infusions.

This English Breakfast is really hitting the spot right now! I would have to say that for a Keemun there is not a noticeable amount of smokiness. I guess if tea were tobacco, then this would be a smokeless. :) Sorry, couldn’t resist.

The brew is semi-bold, more of a stronger medium fullness in the mouth. Very smooth, with very little bitterness. Has a lot of Ceylon qualities – taste more from a region in India than China. Still very satisfying!

This tea has a lower astringency with a medium boldness. The aroma is an excellent balance between the mint and pure Ceylon black. The spearmint is clean and the honey brings an extra sweetness.

This is my first tea from Dilmah Exceptional and found this to be a very nice tea. They even provide a small tri-fold brochure, stating the company’s dedication to single origin from Sri Lanka and it’s quest, along with commitment of seeing “the return of real tea.” Not completely sure of it’s proclaimed, “world’s first fully vertically integrated family tea company” and “the finest tea on earth…also the world’s first Ethical tea”, however I love how that all the profits flow back to the community as they share with their workers. Sounds like a lovely company.

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Thank you LiberTEAS for this nice sample!

There are some very interesting characteristics with this tea. Plenty of mixture in the dry leaves, even noticed some smaller broken green colored leaves – looked like an oolong.

Now to the fragrance of the infusion. Immediately, there was a familiarity with the flavor and boldness of this brew. It was more intimate and brought me to my southern coastal roots. It wasn’t the cinnamon brown colored liquid that spoke faintly, then more pronounced between each sip. It was the aroma and the salty oceanic presence that drew me in the most. There was a medium astringency, however this wasn’t the most noticeable of all note.

Warning: This next reference will seem odd and over-dramatic.

I am not kidding when I say that there was the taste of – steamed crabs! There, I said it. Get over it! :) Yes, there’s a few very strange people that will drink a tea and compare it to a decapod crustacean, more specifically – Callinectes sapidus, better known as the blue crab. And yes, I’m strange. Now, before you chalk me as a complete idiot, let me make the connection of where I’m coming from on a taste standpoint.

There is a certain strange sweetness and almost indescribable flavor that one discovers while consuming the body meat (not claws) of a freshly stewed blue crab. Look up Crab Etoffee and you will be headed the right direction in understanding my experience. I had to add sugar and milk to test how this taste held up to the additions and found it added a creamy, buttery depth to this broth, I mean brew.

I found that you could taste more of the black tea if you help the liquid a moment longer on the tongue. This was definitely a nice experience, although I simply wasn’t in the right mood for this particular tea. I was searching more for a bold treat, even an option to make a chai-like drink. This tea didn’t quite match my mood this time. Maybe better luck next time. It was good nonetheless.

Thanks to Epi Tea for this sample!

Personally, I found this tea to be very smooth and only a small amount of bitterness towards the end of the sip. The boldness that I expected, really wasn’t present with this tea. That’s not saying it was weak, it was only more subdued than anticipated.

The leaves were very dark and had plenty of room to infuse in the pyramid sachet. It seemed the leaves turn more golden during the infusion and the liquid color seemed to mirror this slightly parched honey wheat tone.

I must say, this was more of a treat than expected. Plenty of sweetness and malty thickness – nice and mellow.

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Special thanks to TeaEqualsBliss for sharing this nice white in her very bountiful envelope!

First, I must say that my tasting note on this tea may seem a little different than others that have posted. It may be because I chose to add a little extra leaf in the pot, nonetheless the result is very tasty!

The aroma of the dry leaves are sweet and enticing. There is a certain floral undertone to the wet leaves, similar to blossoming honey suckle. Even though there is sweetness at its base, there is certainly much more. I found the liquid when first poured, to have a distinct aquatic flavor. Only one word that I know how to specify exactly – seaweed! I tried several smaller cups (87ml) to confirm this detection. Yes indeed!

As the cup cools, the grassy pelagic notes soften to a smoother, thicker malty sip. With the body of the tea, there is a certain coppery cocoa-like flavor. One last thing, you also find a touch of astringency towards the end, but your palate is left with a clean, ginger-like taste that lingers nicely.

Very nice cup of tea!

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Definitely a very nice clean and refreshing raw pu’erh!

The tea is much sweeter than I anticipated. I found an underlying charcoal smokiness to the liquid, enhanced with roasted vegetal notes- more like olive-oil brushed & grilled asparagus. The jasmine is very muted during the first 3-4 cups, but then there’s the awakening of great synergy in the steepings that follow! What a very nice treat!

The wet leaves are broken large leaves. Nice quality – no noticeable damage or defected leaves. These leaves produce a green amber liquid, with a small amount of bitterness. More medicinal, very dry sensation to the tongue – no moisture. Almost a cottonmouth feeling, then trying to eat salty crakers (this feeling is only on the tongue – not whole mouth) This is a nice characteristic though. Obviously, the only way to counter this, is to have more tea! :)

Thank you Angel and Teavivre for this terrific sample!

What a thick and full black tea! I really like the maltiness. There is also some creamy notes that add to the deliciousness of this tea. It differs from other smoker Keemuns that I have tried. This one has a faint smokiness to it’s sweet liquid. It taste more of a charcoal seared or toasted leaf, than a smoldering embers enhancement (no gaming or adult story reference here – thought I should clarify)

I’m very pleased with this light medium bown colored tea. This is certainly not a medium quality tea. It matches what you would expect to get, from an excellent company as Teavivre – tasty!

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Thank you LiberTEAS for this sample.

The leaves are smaller, yet whole. They slightly resemble longjing in their medium green coloration, however they are not quite as flat in form. Not a noticeable amount of smokiness to the dry leaves, mainly grassy with a faint fruity fragrance.

The liquid is a pale yellowish-green and is very clean and smooth. There is no detectable astringency, only a small amount of tartness at the end of the sip. There is some sweeter, even a peach/plum blossom type of undertone.

Plainly, this is a very nice green tea and could be used for an everyday type of tea. There would not be much fear of it becoming common.

Thank you Fusion Teas for this sample!

The dry leaves have a strong artificial smell. It’s almost like a strawberry car air freshener. Thank goodness, this is not what you get from the tea. The liquid is not as synthetic in the sip. It taste more like a light strawberry soda. I’m pretty sure this would be an excellent cold brewing tea. Even chilled on that note.

There is other nice flavors that emerge with this cup as well. You almost can taste a touch of peaches, with a little extra tanginess. Also, a hint of something that reminds me of jasmine. One thing is for sure – this tea leaves a very refreshing taste to the mouth. Not a bad drink for a long humid summer day.

Yet another great sample provide by LiberTEAS

This tea totally caught me off guard. There is a nice creaminess, thicker body to this tea. The flavor seems toastier than other whites I’ve tried in the past. I could not find any bitterness, only a little tartness if the leaves are left to continue steeping with the pot as you drink.

There is a certain wintergreen taste, or maybe its more spruce pine needles. Whatever it is, I’m really liking it! One other note I’m picking up is a little spiciness as well. Can’t really tell exactly. Almost reminds me of some sort of chai mix. Nonetheless, this was a great tea and hope to enjoy more of this soon.

Thank you LiberTEAS for this sample!

This has taken me much more time than planned to finally add the notes to this wonderful tea. At least that’s what a journal is for, to keep my thoughts recorded. This tea is too special to forget.

The aroma that rises from the pot, immediately reminds me of stewed tomatoes. The taste of the cup is mellow and tame, which I really like. Not exactly what you expect from a shu. The liquid is slightly acidic, yet minty – especially towards the front of the mouth. I’m also picking up some likeness of peppercorn. This is a very nice tea, that stays with you the rest of the day.

Thank you LiberTEAS for this sample!

There is some nice tanginess going on in this cup of tea. At first you taste what you expect, grassy – more of a raw cabbage flavor, then it turns sharper, more acidic in tone. This tartness develops into something much sweeter, peachy even. I thought I was mistaken, but yep, its there again – like homemade peach preserves!

Need I say any more? There was a lot of enjoyment in this cup! I’m very new to yellow teas, however this one is nice no matter the process phase. Can’t wait to continue steeping this one, there’s bound to be more goodness waiting!

Thank you Angel at Teavivre for this nice sample!

This tea really through a curve ball to my taste buds. The dry leaves smell really good – like fresh cut sugarcane, dripping with liquid honey. When you take your first sip, there is a certain pungency,slightly bitter, very direct and distinct , but not unpleasant. The feeling to the tongue feels medicinal, almost overwhelming.

Then, there is a pause in the tornadic winds of taste, to a gentle breeze of sunshine and sweetness. It brightens just as quickly as it was dark, now there is something special. A rainbow of smooth oolong with a very minty, lingering aftertaste. The sensation in the mouth is clean, pure and tranquil peace. Exactly what one wants and NEEDS after a long week.

I’m shocked by the multitude of flavors found in this oolong. No wonder why it’s a popular choice of tea!

This is a nice shu pu’erh tea, and stayed full in the mouth, even after multiple steepings. The aroma of the leaves resembles Nori, of which I don’t mind. The liquid is a reddish brown color, even at 10-15secs steepings. I’m not sure that I would steep this one much more than 15secs, however it would probably hold up pretty good against becoming bitter. This tea has a medium boldness – not overbearing. It fit perfectly for my day to give me the extra little Get Up & Go!

The dry leaves have the aroma of steamed sticky rice when you first open the pot. This is not detected in the flavor until after you sip the tea, towards the top back of the throat. I really like how this taste of rice lingers.

After infusion, the smell of the wet leaves are much more similar to a spring bud green tea – certainly vegetal. There may be a real light cucumber undertone. It definitely evolves as you finish the first cup. There is this feeling in the mouth and stomach that leaves you full, as if you just had eaten a piece of sushi – California Roll, maybe?

Even-though there isn’t a noticeable sweetness with this tea, the liquid is smooth and no detection of bitterness. With what I see so far, I’m glad there are many more encounters to come!

Edit:

I want to give props to Tommy the Toad for pointing me to this tea! Great suggestion.