QuiltGuppy

Another ashmanra gift… (You can’t imagine how lovely the package she put together was.)

Chinese Flower is not only a delicious green, but it’s absolutely lovely to look at as well. The tea is interspersed with flower petals of yellow, blue, white and pink. It’s beautiful! The scent matches the visual aesthetics as well. It’s a crisp scent, like freshly picked flowers from a garden infused with citrus.

I steeped very lightly and quickly with this one, not wanting to have a veggie/floral combination. The scent is predominately citrus now, but the floral aspect is still somewhat present. The taste is really nice. Yes, very lemony, but it’s a sweet tasting lemon flavor. The floral scent isn’t really in the flavor so much. The green is perfect with this one as there is no bitterness in my cup. It’s slightly grassy tasting, making a fresh pairing with the citrus.

Thank you, ashmanra, again!

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The other day, I brewed a cup of this, but forgot as I was rushing to get my kids ready for day camp. Packed them up, buckled up in the car and we took off with a huge list of to-do items that needed to be done without children… and halfway to camp, I realized I forgot my tea. So, naturally, as I’m driving, I’m neurotically thinking about all of the reviews I’ve read about this one. I’m weighing the cost of driving 15 minutes back to the house to pick it up and then another 15 minutes back to the freeway. My long list is looming on the passenger seat, and I turn back toward home.

It turns out that it was one of the best decisions of my day! (My sunglasses ended up being made with the wrong prescription; I got lost on the way to a new knitting shop, then found I’d have to hike a while to get there as the entire street was closed for construction.) But, I had finally had the chance to try Golden Monkey, and I have the lovely ashmanra to thank for this experience! (Not the forgetting, wrong prescription and getting lost and finding construction experience, but instead the tea experience.)

Golden Monkey is an appropriate name for this one. It’s a beautiful tea to look at. Dark, black tea leaves intertwined with golden, curled leaves. Like guilded curlicues found on the frames of beautiful artwork. It has a mellow scent that belies its strength. The tea itself smells lovely. Of course, I didn’t get to smell it immediately after steeping, but it still had a nice, sweet aroma to it. Upon tasting, I was surprised at the vegetal taste that I normally get with greens. It is earthy, but not in a pu-erh way. Instead, I would say it’s almost mossy. The element that really makes this tea, though, is the caramel taste that unfurls just after sipping and develops gradually on my tongue. It’s amazing! Sweet and full. This is one tea that should be taken without any additions. It’s very, very lovely and I can now see why Harney & Sons is always sold out of this one.

Thank you, ashmanra, for this wonderful tea! (Now I have to try the new crop, too, as I read your tasting note yesterday.)

Merci beaucoup to Dinosara for this lovely French tea sample!

The dry aroma smells sweet and fruity, not floral. Somehow, with a name like 7 Parfums, I was expecting something more perfume like, but it certainly isn’t.

Again, I steeped lightly, however, for me, it was somewhat daring. I went with a 2.5 minute steeping time. The fragrance is wonderful, light and fruity. It’s very reminiscent of Marco Polo, as is the taste, but lighter, and fruitier. It’s more complex than Marco Polo, but not as full tasting. I’d say this is more of an afternoon tea with its liveliness. The red berry flavor is what comes to the forefront. It’s followed by a light citrus taste, which is anchored by a smooth black base that isn’t astringent or bitter at all. This has soared to the front as one of my favorites.

Thank you again, Dinosara!

I’m in one of those not-paying-attention modes today. I started with this tea, courtesy of LiberTeas in the HoppiTea tea exchange.

It clearly says 180/2-3 min on the package, but I steeped it at 205(96C)/1.5 min. The funny thing is that this tea, instead of being wretchedly bitter, is amazingly good. It’s a really vegetal, really creamy tasting tea. It’s not a sweet tea by any means, but it’s very complex nonetheless. The tea starts out slightly bitter (probably my fault), but then blossoms into this intensely creamy, vegetal flavor that mellows out and lingers for a while. I wish that I hadn’t used the entire sample for this one, but it’s too late now.

Thank you, LiberTeas!

I woke up early and spent some time looking through the tea bins. I didn’t set up the tea maker for this morning, so I was trying to find something that caught my fancy. When I came across this sample packet from American Tea Room, I thought, “Hm. It’s poufy, so the tea must be fluffy… and I just happen to be in a fluffy tea mood today.” (Sleep deprivation will do that to you.)

So, I took my fluffy tea and popped it into the Breville. I brought the temp down slightly from my normal oolong steeping temp. 190F(87C)/2.5 min.

The aroma that emanates from this tea is amazing! I can smell it as I lift it up. The taste is equally amazing. It’s as if I’ve added cane sugar to it, that kind of deep, syrupy sweetness that just fills your mouth. The oolong has a slightly woodsy taste to it. It’s nice, tasting a touch of cinnamon, but with fruitiness, too. I can’t quite pinpoint the fruit flavor, kind of like a very ripe lychee with maple syrup. All in all a complex and delicious fluffy tea.

Morning tea time and I’m eager to solve the mystery of this tea. Harness’s reviewed their tea and wrote, “A blend of three Chinese black teas: Keemun, Yunnan, and Panyang Congou. A great afternoon blend.”. It’s interesting because I don’t normally associate what I’m tasting with any of these teas. Well, mostly, anyway. So, what am I tasting?

First and foremost, and I think mostly because I’m so sensitive to it is the smokiness that stands out to me. Next is the deep maltiness that dries my mouth a tad. There’s also a thicker taste to it, which I’m thinking is probably a honey like flavor. I am picking up on slightly astringic notes. It’s not too prevalent, though. The finish is smooth and flavored more of raisin. I don’t taste any floral notes. All in all, an excellent morning tea.

Mariage Frères are masters at creating teas that smell heavenly, to which this tea attests. It’s phenomenal! Berries and fresh, green sencha. Lovely!

165/1.5 min – Still, the aroma is strong and enticing. From the first sip, the berries are forefront in the flavor. This is followed by the fresh, grassy green of a buttery sencha. The finish, however, is all vanilla which lingers for a while. (Disclaimer: I do not generally enjoy vanilla.) So, it starts out wonderfully and finishes so-so. Still a great tea and probably outstanding for those who enjoy vanilla in their tea.

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This tea smells delightful when dry. It’s floral and smooth.
195F(90C)/3 min
The orchid scent is literally wafting into my kitchen. Yes, it’s a very floral tea. The taste is nice. The oolong itself is fresh and pairs well with the orchid. I think this was an enjoyable tea, but the floral flavor is really intense. This oolong requires a certain level of tolerance for floral tea.

Logging yet another lovely milk oolong on my quest to try them all. :) Thank you, Indigobloom, for this delicious swap!

Dry, the tea smells slightly milky. It reminds me of the caramel with the cream center. It’s a pleasant aroma. 195F(90C)/4 min. Mmmm… now the aroma is a bit more pronounced. When I smell it, my mind clicks on that this is a milk oolong. The taste is really pleasant. It’s interesting the variety of milk oolongs that are out there. Some are fruity, some are floral, some are nutty, and some are a combination of multiple flavors. This milk oolong is a nutty one. The oolong is very pronounced, which is nice as it’s my favorite type of tea. It’s very slightly bitter due to my unintended oversteep. It’s smooth and definitely creamy. Definitely an enjoyable stop on my milk oolong tasting tour.

This tea was a surprise from out of the blue for me. I really didn’t expect to like it, which is a bit unfair to the tea. Even more unfair is that I willingly chose and paid for a sample of this tea, only to think mean thoughts about it.

On ATR, the description says, “An earthy blend of Organic Pu-Er, Figs, Dandelion Roots, Coconut Flakes and Fennel.” The big turn off to me is the “Pu-Er” part. The rest sounds interesting.

So, today I decided this was the tea for me. I opened the packet and smelled the tea. It smells like brandy. Like a holiday fruitcake. It has that thick, syrupy, molasses-like scent. Pu-er. Fruitcake. It’s all feeding into my aversion, but yet I’m going through with it… and thank goodness I did! 195F(90C)/1.5 min.

Once steeped, yep, fruitcake scent, although less now. I take a sip. And another. It’s really, really good! (Lesson learned.) I can definitely taste the figs and now that I have the flavor in my mouth, I can completely identify the aroma as coming from the fig component. Yes, there is still that brandy taste to it, but it’s not very strong. (I’m very thankful I took such a light approach to steeping. I’m a black tea sissy.) The pu-er, I have to say, does not, thankfully, taste like dirt. Yes, there is a slight earthiness to it, but it’s not at all offensive. I think it’s a fine example of how a pu-er should taste. I can still get a sense of this being a tea and not a chunk of mud. The coconut is nice because instead of making it taste tropical, it lends a creaminess to the flavor. It’s a fine mix of tea and other ingredients. I’m very pleased with it and happy that my tea fairy didn’t let my preconceptions get in the way of tasting it. I think I’ll be ordering more to keep in my cupboard to share with guests, too.

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I’m sampling this one thanks to Indigobloom. Thank you! :)

Dry, the tea is unremarkable. I don’t pick up any hints of anything out of the ordinary to remark upon. Instead, I find it calming and it reminds me of smelling the tea my mom would make. 200F(93C)/2 min. Interesting… a darjeeling. It’s not my favorite tea most of the time, but I’ve had a few knock my socks off and I’m hoping this is one of them. Now that it’s steeped, I’m able to pick up a syrup scent. With the first sip, this is confirmed. I can taste a syrup like sweetness, but it’s not overly sweet. The tea is good and solid. It reminds me of tea from my youth. Plain, yet strong and slightly malty. The strength of this tea surprises me as it’s a medium brown color, yet it packs quite a punch in the flavor department. As it cools, it becomes bitter quickly and I find that I’m unable to finish the cup. (Shouldn’t have filled the entire travel mug!) Hot, I really enjoyed it!

Thanks again, Indigobloom! :)

I received this as a sample with my latest ATR order. It seemed very interesting, very citrusy. By far, the strongest scent in the dry tea was the orange. It wasn’t a pleasant scent, but instead reminded me of orange flavored cough syrup. I was a bit worried…

165/2 min. – Definitely the orange takes center stage. (Reminds me of the liqueur Cointreau.) The taste mirrors the scent. Orange, orange, orange… and lemon. The citrus flavors are so overpowering that I cannot taste the bai mu dan at all. I was worried that the flavor would be a lot like Cointreau or orange cough syrup, but it is very smooth and not medicinal at all. As it cools down, it becomes quite nice. Frankly, this tea would make a great tea for those who are nursing a cold. It screams comfort, but in a sick way. (Now that didn’t come out correctly. Hm.)

Thanks, Ricky, for this tea in my Hoppitea surprise! (And after reading your review for it… gee, thanks a lot.) ;)

Dry the tea smells slightly tart. It’s a fresh green, with a hint of ginger. 165/1.5 min. The steeped tea is somewhat cloudy. I can definitely pick up on the lemon scent. It’s the most pronounced flavor in the taste as well. The ginger is there, but it’s very light. It would be nice if it were a bit stronger. The green, however, is really good. It’s a leafy taste. The lemons pairs well with it. This is a terrific afternoon pick-me-up tea. Very nice.

This is an interesting tea. It’s made up of flowers. They’re a deep yellow color. They smell like black tea with that savory aroma of an assam. I’m a bit confused about the actual tea, though, because they are flowers and on the website are listed as a non-caffeinated tea. However, on the package, it’s listed as a green tea. I wonder if this is just a packaging issue. (EDIT: To clarify, it’s not a green tea; it’s an herbal infusion as it’s made up of the flowers from the tea plant. Thanks, American Tea Room, for the quick response and clarification.)

At any rate, 165F (73C)/2 min, now the tea smells kind of smoky. It’s not the smoke of a Lapsang Souchong, but rather the smoke of a campfire. More fresh, lighter as the breeze catches it. The taste reflects that smokiness and I’m left with a taste of smoked honey in my mouth. I don’t taste any sour notes, as the description implies, just a nice tea with strength. It’s very unique in terms of flavor and if it’s truly a non-caffeinated tea, it’ll be making its way into my tea cabinet… somewhere. (I’ll make room!)

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Thanks, Indigobloom, for swapping with me! :D It’s amazing how much a tea can vary from one company to the next.

This tea is really nice. It reminds me of TKY, with the medium flavor, the floral notes and the yellow clarity of the tea. It’s really a great everyday tea. The oolong is clean, medium in strength, not overly toasty, only slightly.

I wasn’t certain if this was the 1st grade Osmanthus Oolong, or the 2nd grade. There are tiny, yellow osmanthus flowers sprinkled throughout the tea, which is pretty and adds interest. The floral notes in the tea are nice, but if oversteeped, can produce a plastic tasting tea.

I bought this with a summer sampler from Harney & Sons. It came already brewed in a glass bottle. Now that the hot weather is here, I thought this would be perfect to have on hand.

It’s nice when chilled. The first thing that I noticed is that the flavor is very muted. It is, as they advertise on the bottle, a soothing green tea. The ginkgo is pronounced and has an earthy quality to it. The green is quite grassy, but not vegetal. Overall, it’s a refreshing, thankfully NOT sweetened green tea that is very enjoyable.

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