278 Tasting Notes

100

First: thanks to Garret for the sample.
Second: This week has been rough, and on Thursday I received my Mandala order with a handwritten note. Things have been overwhelming me all week at work, but when I read this note, I had this amazing sense of serenity. It just reminded me to take a step back, look around, and smell the roses (if you will). It was exactly what I needed to hear. So if you see this, Garret, THANK YOU!

Now, onto the tealiciousness.

Method: 3 grams, 3 oz, 200 degrees, 10-15-15-15 seconds, ru kiln gaiwan and Dr. Who mug

Dry Leaf Aroma: This isn’t like some stinky pu’erhs I have smelled! It’s overwhelmingly pleasant, even though I can’t put my finger on the exact aromas.

Brewing Aroma: This has a mineral smell and then something else… what IS that? HOLY CRAP, it’s dried apricots. It’s so specific. Not apricot from the tree, but dried apricots. AT this point, I’m pretty excited.

Flavor: I did my regular gongfu thing where I steep 3-4 times and add all the tea to one large mug, so all the tea is blended, then I can sit, relax, and enjoy the tea.

Normally I try not to read reviews before I try a new tea, but I really wanted to get the steeping times right on this one, so I did check steepster and used Jamie Groth‘s times as a guideline. I may be influenced by that note, but I can absolutely taste fruit here, and it really does come through as a very natural grapey flavor (as opposed to artificial grape. I’m sure you know what I am talking about). There’s also a woodsy note at the end of the sip, and then a lovely, but quiet sweetness that lingers for a moment.

This tea is making me feel all warm and fuzzy. I am chillin’ on the couch with my pups, enjoying the slow Sunday AM, and looking forward to a hike with my boyfriend (if he gets his lazy behind out of bed :P ). All is right with the world.

I need to get a cake of this and take it to work, I think. Then, when I am having a bad day, I can drink some and find my tea happy place.

Edit: I did 3 additional infusions at 20 sec each and blended those into the mug. Still yummy! A little less fruity, but the grape is still quietly there. There’s a mineral note, and a bare hint of bitterness on the tongue.

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 0 min, 15 sec 3 g 3 OZ / 88 ML
SarsyPie

Oh also: I did do a rinse first, and I adore the name of this tea!

MzPriss

Nothing like sheng for the happy feel. I’m going to do some Wild Mountain Green this morning myself

SarsyPie

It’s just a lovely feeling. Make some and join me in the tea happy place! :)

TheTeaFairy

Amazing review! So sorry you had a rough week…Makes me happy that Garret’s zen note helped you find your centre again….Once you experience the benefits of the sheng buzz, you want so much more!!!

SarsyPie

Aaawww thanks, TTF! Work has just been a bear, but the note cheered me immensely! I suddenly want all the sheng in the world. :p

mrmopar

Good stuff!

SarsyPie

Thanks, mrmopar! I hear that you’re the resident pu’erh expert around these parts. :)

TheTeaFairy

(mrmo-puerh)

MzPriss

I call mrmopar the PU-RU cause he i.

Cheri

Pu-erh is the next tea I want to try to get in to.

MzPriss

It’s a whole ’nother addiction Cheri

mrmopar

I am just an amateur drinker on this stuff. Still learning.

MzPriss

Pu. Ru.

SarsyPie

PuRu? That is awesome!!!! :)

MzPriss

As is mrmpoar

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90

I am drinking this little lovely while watching the super moon! I love the creamy vanilla scent of this tea. It also tastes a little spicy today. Weird!

I added a little maple syrup, even though I also like this plain. Saturday night yums!!!!

Edit: Now I added kirschwasser! I love tea!!!! Yay!!!

TheTeaFairy

Good tea habits ;-)

Whispering Pines Tea Company

This one takes wonderfully to a splash of Baileys, too :)

SarsyPie

I am in my tea happy place!!!!

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78

This review is for you, Cameron B!

Method: 7 g, 3 oz, 208 degrees, rinse and then 25-35-45-55 seconds, ru kiln gaiwan and Dr. Who mug

Aromas: milky, creamy, fruity and floral. Oddly the tea smelled a little different this time, but I did stick my whole nose inside the little sample package. Heaven!

Flavor: After a short rinse, I brewed 4 steepings at 25-35-45-55 seconds and poured them all into one taller mug. The flavor is stronger this time, but the tea also has an odd perfumey note. It’s like floral, but with a slight after taste. This tea has a nice body (ha!) and a substantial feeling in the mouth. But there’s an astringency on the end and it’s a little more than I like.

I think that maybe this was too much tea for 3 oz water. For me, anyway. Since the samples sent by TeaVivre were so generous, I have enough to try this again, but I am thinking that maybe 3-4g per 3 oz might be enough for gongfu style. I shall try that and report back once again when done. As it stands now, I preferred the western style brew that I did yesterday, so I am going to leave that numerical rating.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 0 min, 30 sec 7 g 3 OZ / 88 ML
Cameron B.

I still need to try gong fu! I was planning to do it this week, but I ended up being busy with cleaning and preparing the apartment for our new roommate. So it’ll have to wait until Monday! :P

TheTeaFairy

Oh my, yes I think you put a little too much…I usually do 1g per ounce of water. Question: why do you do gungfu and pour everything in a mug? Just curious :-)

MzPriss

mrmopar does that sometimes

SarsyPie

I know! It seemed like so much, but that’s what TeaVivre has on the website! So I tried to follow their instructions closely

Honestly? When I have tea, I like to sit and relax. I can’t relax if I am getting up every few minutes to steep the leaves again. LOL. I read about the brew/blend method on someone’s blog. Works great, usually!

TheTeaFairy

Well something new to try then :-)

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78
drank Golden Fleece by Verdant Tea
278 tasting notes

Method 1: 2.25 grams, 4 oz, 208 degrees, 30-40-50 seconds, ru kilkn gaiwan & Dr. Who Mug.
Method 2: 4 g, 4 oz, 208 degrees, 3-5-5 seconds, gaiwan/mug

Dry Leaf Aroma: Smells like slightly smoky tea. I think that’s where I was getting the campfire notes on my first try.

Brewing Aroma: Smoky and sweet. I get a very faint hint of cocoa.

Flavor:
Method one – 1 second rinse. Brewed in gaiwan for 30 sec, added that to the mug. Then 40 sec, and added that to the same mug. Then 50 seconds, mug. All 3 steeps were blended into one mug. I love the sweetness of this tea, but I just can’t identify many separate flavors. It’s not unpleasant. I can tell there is complexity here, but I absolutely can’t pick out any distinct flavors. I was really hoping to find that sweet potato everyone talks about! I’ve sipped and slurped this mug and while I like this tea, I just can’t say it’s as mind-blowing as the other reviewers. It makes me a little sad, but what can ya do?

Method 2 – one second rinse. Same brew/blend in mug method, but I used more tea and did 3-5-5 second infusions. Hm. I don’t think these ultra short steeps are for me. I don’t get the same complexity, and I don’t get the sweetness. Of the 3 attempts I made (western, 30 sec start, 3 sec start), the 30 sec start from above was the best. I do think that this tea has a lovely texture and aftertaste. It’s making my mouth water!

After all this, I took all the spent leaves and added them to my libre tea glass with filtered water, then put that in the ‘fridge. Maybe cold-brew is the way to go! I certainly don’t want an unusual tea like this to go unappreciated. If the cold-brew doesn’t wow me, I’ll be passing this on as samples to my tea friends!

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 0 min, 30 sec 2 g 4 OZ / 118 ML

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75

Method: 1.5 tsp, 8 oz, 208 degrees, 3 minutes, brew in mug strainer

Dry Leaf Aroma: rice, malt, also something familiar, like a sweet candy

Brewing Aroma: Smells like malt

Flavor: Toasty with a hint of rice. This has a stronger, dark malt flavor. It’s also got a little bit of harshness on the end of the sip. I like the tea, but wasn’t not wowing me. I decided to try this Terri-style, since I’ve heard that term several times today. LOL. I added about a teaspoon of maple syrup and there’s the wow! The tea smooths out and has a lightly sweet finish.

It tastes like something I’ve had before. Maybe something like a sweet bread or bun. The maple is obviously there, but it brings out a bakery note in the tea. Very interesting! I can see why the maple syrup is so popular with tea!

Update 7/13: tried again this AM and used 200 degree water. There’s a little less bitterness, but I’m still not finding those chocolate notes. Sometimes it’s just not meant to be!

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 3 min, 0 sec 1 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML
MzPriss

Could that sweet candy be……….chocolate???? This is soooo chocolaty to me. Ad Terri-style is magic.

SarsyPie

Hmmm. If so, it was subtle. I have enough left for one more cup. I’ll be on the lookout for chocolate the next time I make this. :)

Whispering Pines Tea Company

Interesting…so many people taste different things with this…this is the first note I think that hasn’t mentioned chocolate, and someone mentioned spice the other day which I had never heard either. :) It’s neat how different people taste different things!

SarsyPie

How odd! I wonder what’s wrong with my taste buds!

Whispering Pines Tea Company

Nothing’s wrong with them, they’re just different it seems! :)

Tommy Toadman

nice review :)

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78

Method: 1.5 tsp, 8 oz, 208 degrees, 3 minutes and 8 minutes, brew in mug strainer

Dry Leaf And Brewing Aroma: milky and buttery with a little hint of floral

Flavor: this tea is very light and “green”. I sipped it a bit and found the flavors to be pleasant, but quiet. I put the strainer back in and steeped to 8 minutes. The flavor is more present, but I could still use a little more, personally. Next time I’ll use more tea. This isn’t super creamy, but it has a nice milky flavor and has a hint of butter. I can taste some very mild florals as well. On some sips, I even pick up a slight roasty taste. This wasn’t my favorite of the TeaVivre samples, but I like it enough to drink more. :)

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 8 min or more 1 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML
Cameron B.

I didn’t feel like the milk oolong I tried western-style had enough flavor, either. I’m going to try them gong fu from now on, I think.

SarsyPie

You may be right. I’ll try this gongfu and report back!

Cameron B.

Honestly though, I feel the same way about all of the green oolongs I’ve tried. I think the flavor may just be a bit light for me in general. :P

SarsyPie

Hmmmm. I really like greener oolongs. I find them to be very versatile. I enjoy the floral aromas and flavors and they are usually forgiving with long steeps. I have come to find, after tasting many in a short amount of time, that there’s not a huge variation in flavors. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, just an observation. Also, maybe my taste buds aren’t refined enough to pick up more variation. I hope you’ll like them more when brewed gongfu!

Cwyn

Agreed, they taste okay but are a bit light for me too.

SarsyPie

I can’t argue with that. They definitely have a lighter flavor. While I do enjoy them, I find myself leaning a bit toward strong black and pu’erh teas lately. I never thought I’d like pu’erh LOL

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78
drank Golden Fleece by Verdant Tea
278 tasting notes

I’m not sure what to make of this! I was expecting something a little different based on the reviews and description.

Method: about 1tbsp (sounds like a lot, but these are small, pointy leaves), 8 oz, 205 degrees, 2 minutes, ForLife brew in mug strainer

Dry Leaf Aroma: This smells like a malted campfire.

Brewing Aroma: More campfire

Flavor: I think this tastes a little like dark malt. There’s some sweetness, which seems to be confusing my taste buds. On the one hand, it tastes a little smoky, but then there’s this lovely sweetness that comes charging through. I’m going to leave this note here for now, and then I am going to try this with a series of very short steeps, and compare. I didn’t dislike it… I’m just not sure exactly what to think!

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 2 min, 0 sec 2 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML
MzPriss

I’m so in love with this tea. Like deeply, seriously, meaningfully in love with this tea. I have a shitload and that makes me HAPPY! Keep playing with it and see if you find a happy spot with it. It was my second tea rapture after Special Dark and I <3 it

SarsyPie

Will do! I am going to try short steeps at 30, 40, 50, etc. I will update then

Hey… Was it you who has the lacy looking Gaiwan? I saw a pic and I’m wondering where it came from. It’s gorgeous!!!

MzPriss

YES! That is my pretty gaiwan! I got it on Amamzon – I will find the link and send it to you

SarsyPie

I would love the link. Thanks so much!!!

MzPriss

Here it is – and I’m pretty sure I didn’t pay that for it – I think it went UP – but it IS pretty:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IOINFVG/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

SarsyPie

Oh my. That is pricey. But it’s so gorgeous!!!! I put it on my wishlist. We shall see. :)

MzPriss

Yeah I think it went up from when I bought it some months ago, but yes – so pretty

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94

Whispering Pines is going to be the death of me, but at least I’ll die a very happy, tea-drunk death.

Method: 1.5 tsp, 8 oz, 203 degrees, 3 minutes, French Press

Dry Leaf and Brewing Aroma: light malts and honey

Flavor: Why, WP, WHY?!?!? Every time I think I’ve found my favorite tea, I end up with another beauty. And then I have to go order some. This was a sample from MzPriss(HoneyBelle) and I was dying to try it after her glowing review.

This tea is just lovely. Really wonderful. It has a very mild, smooth feel. It’s naturally sweet, and very noticeably so. It has a light malt flavor, but then there are these juicy fruits on top of that! I’m really amazed at how good this is. This is going on my list of teas that I want to drink every day.

I had a wonderful evening last night with dinner at the Macaroni Grill and then some RiffTrax Live Sharknado! I woke up in a great mood and this tea just enhanced my morning. I’m starting to think that MzPriss may be a Tea Secret Agent, writing amazing reviews and then sending out samples to make me buy more tea! LOL. And her co-conspirator is TheTeaFairy!!!

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 3 min, 0 sec 1 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML
Whispering Pines Tea Company

They are both registered Teacret Agents. That is all I can say on that subject, the rest is entirely confidential :P

MzPriss

Laughing extremely hard

SarsyPie

I KNEW it! I look forward to the day when I am recruited into the Teacret Society as a Teacret Agent. Wait, I mean, no. Not interested. You keep your Teacret Societies to yourselves. wink wink

MzPriss

All these people blaming my totally innocent self for their tea addictions. TeaTiff blamed me for her Golden Monkey problem this morning too.

SarsyPie

I call shenanigans on your innocent act! :p

In all seriousness, I think we all love you and TTF and your passion for awesome tea. My bank account doesn’t appreciate it, but I know I do. :)

You two make excellent Teacret Agents. I hope you’re well-paid! With extra tea hazard pay!

MzPriss

Well the thing is there is awesome all over the place. The one thing you won’t ever see is me being passionate about tea that isn’t spectacular IMO. So whether it’s this or the Golden Monkey or Special Dark or Golden Orchid or Wee Snaily Yums (I mean Golden Snail) or Wild Monk or Laoshan Black (etc, etc, etc) I will assault you with superlatives – but I will also share amazing tea :D

SarsyPie

No one will ever accuse you of being blasé about tea while I am around! Or else!

TheTeaFairy

Hahaha! Too bad i missed this post this morning :-)
Oh, this is so hilarious.

Thank god me and MzPriss have some kind of credibility here…at least I’d like to think we do:-) (we’ve both been steepster members for 3 and more years)

I have tried and seen many companies through the years, I’ve also been approached by a few to get “involved” with them. I can tell you that WP is at the top right now with just a few other places I order from, and I would NEVER say this if he was paying me to say it. I buy and pay my tea (except for the occasional teacret samples:-)) and the day I try one of his tea I DON’T like, I will not be afraid to say so (but really, I doubt that this will ever happen!!)

Like MzPriss said, if the passion isn’t au rendez-vous, than you will never read a raving review from me.

(Sarsonator, I will strongly recommend your recruitment!!! You seem to be teacret worthy…or i never said that…wink, wink,)

SarsyPie

I think it’s wonderful that you give totally honest opinions. And I know they are honest because when I later try those teas, they’re just as amazing as you said they would be!!!

Oh and thanks so much, TTF!!! I really want to learn the teacret handshake! :p

TheTeaFairy

Haha! Will be working on that :-)
And I forgot to say, I’m really glad you liked the tea…I start my day with this one almost every morning!

SarsyPie

I can see why! It’s really impressive. I may try this with a little maple syrup next time. Somehow I think it might be good that way!

TheTeaFairy

Maple syrup gets the seal of approval in EVERYTHING!!

SarsyPie

Yes, I have noticed that it seems to be the holy elixir of steepster! I assume that it is the official sweetener of the teacret society.

MzPriss

I call maple syrup in tea “Terri-style”

Terri HarpLady

Does that mean I get to be a teacret agent too? ;)

SarsyPie

Absolutely. In fact, I’m pretty sure that if a tea technique is named after you, you won’t even need to do the interview portion. Lucky!

MzPriss

Teacret Terri-style

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85

Method: 1 tbsp, 8 oz, 190 degrees, 3 minutes, French Press

Dry Leaf Aroma: This smells like sweetened malt, with a very pleasant hint of whiskey.

Flavor: This is a very good tea. I may try a bit more leaf next time, because I like a stronger flavor, but I was quite happy with this one. It has a very pronounced sweetness, with no bitterness. Astringency is very light. I often find that many teas are either not malty, or very strongly malty. This tea tasted malty to me, but it was a very quiet flavor that blended nicely with the natural sweetness of the tea. I picked up on some floral notes, but I couldn’t specify which ones. There was a little fruitiness on the end of the sip also. This tea has something for everyone!

Preparation
190 °F / 87 °C 3 min, 15 sec 3 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML
TheTeaFairy

I love this type of tea, might try my sample today!

SarsyPie

So, TTF… did you try any of the GTT teas? Nevermind, I’ll just go look at your page :p

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85

Method: 1 tbsp, 8 oz, 200 degrees, 3 minutes, Forlife brew in mug strainer

Dry Leaf Aroma: malty and sweet

Flavor: Oh my. Something seems amiss because this is very bitter! This was the sample I was most looking forward to, but I had to add sugar to drink it. I know the temp was exact, and I also have a separate tea timer. I tried this at 2 min, 30 sec and it already had a tinge of bitterness, so I stopped it at 3 min, instead of the 4 I had originally intended. It’s good with sugar, but it lost the maltiness from the dry leaf aroma.

I appreciate the sample, but this one just wasn’t for me.

Update: it seems the brewing instructions on the website were more general, and not specific to this tea. GTT has offered to send me another sample, so I’ll try again. I’ve removed my numerical rating for now. :)

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 3 min, 0 sec 3 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML
Cameron B.

Wow, I wonder what happened. :( Everyone has been having such good experiences with Green Terrace’s teas…

SarsyPie

I know! I tried an oolong yesterday. It was lovely. I still have the Eastern Beauty to try. I have high hopes for that one!

Cwyn

Maybe it should be a short steep black, I have a few that must be brewed like that.

SarsyPie

I think you’re probably right, but I don’t have any more. :(

I did check the website for instructions, but I think this may have been better with only 1-2 minutes.

Cameron B.

Don’t have any more, what? I have enough for like two more cups and I’ve already had two!

boychik

I went and looked at other ppl parameters . 1 tsp for 8 oz. if you were using 1 tbsp it had to be less than 3 min

boychik

I wouldn’t rate it.

Cameron B.

boychik I wasn’t really able to measure this one since the leaves are big and fluffy. I don’t think a teaspoon would be enough with the amount of air in there…

boychik

Don’t want to scream at ya but 1 tbsp is gongfu method haha
And you should get scale, it’s not expensive and you don’t have to guess
Just my 2c

SarsyPie

Not sure where you’re looking, but it says right here
http://www.greenterraceteas.com/pages/brewing-guide

Western Style, black tea, 3 grams (1 tbsp) 200 degrees, 3-4 min.

That’s what I did, and the review stands. :)

SarsyPie

Oh and Cameron: They were very generous samples, but I brewed 2 cups for me and my BF this AM (actually I let it go the full 4 min). I was having such a terrible morning and I left the mug at home! I was so upset. So I only had enough to make one cup when I got home. :(

boychik

I’m sorry you are having a bad day. I said I looked at other people tasting notes. I rarely trust generic parameters fr companies. Sorry if my comment made you more upset

SarsyPie

I’m not upset, that’s why I added a smiley face, so you’d know there aren’t any hard feelings, Boychik. I prefer when steeping parameters are on the package, but they weren’t here. So I went to the specific page for this tea on the GTT website. I didn’t see any info there, other than temp. So then I saw the link for their brewing parameters, and I went there for instructions.

I feel like a tea company SHOULD know the best way to steep all of their own teas. And to be honest, I don’t always have time or the inclination to check a bunch of different places for instructions, you know? If it’s not on the package, it should be on the tea page. I did the best I could with their instructions, and the tea was bitter. It is what it is.

boychik

That comment about scale was for Cameron. But I’m sending fr iphone so many times my reviews or comments are crooked. I only trust Stacy with her instructions. If you look at H&S website everything should be brewed 205F for 5 min.

sherapop

A good scale cost me $8 at Amazon.com. Just do it! lol

green-terrace-teas

Sarsonator – thanks for your honest feedback. It sounds like you definitely used too much leaf and oversteeped the tea. The samples sent were a total of 10g, so if you used all of the leaves for 2 cups, the recommended steeping time would only be 40-60 seconds. The brewing instructions on our website are general guidelines for steeping loose tea, and we take the blame for not being more specific. Generally, we always recommend our tea be brewed Gongfu style for the best taste. Per your feedback and the feedback of others, we will definitely work on providing more detailed brewing instructions for each tea and include it directly on the product page. Your review has been very helpful to us, but we don’t think a good tea should take the fall for our misguidance (we are sending you another sample as an apology). We hope you can try steeping this one Gongfu style for about 40 seconds, and adjust your review accordingly. Have a great day, and sorry you had a “bitter” morning!

boychik

That’s so nice Green Terrace Teas. Maybe it’s better not to have that general steeping page at all

SarsyPie

Thanks, GTT! It was actually 3 cups from one sample. 2 cups in the AM, and one cup that I tried after work. I used 1tbsp for each cup. I’ll absolutely try again. Thanks for the offer! How much tea should I use in the Gaiwan?

TheTeaFairy

Sorry you had a bad morning Sarsonator :-(
But very happy about GTT’S response, that’s great customer service! I will start tasting and reviewing my samples tomorrow, can’t wait.

green-terrace-teas

Brewing gongfu-style, you typically want to fill up about 1/3 of the gaiwan with larger, strip-style leaves (this applies to our black, green, and eastern beauty teas). If you brew our oolong tea, which is semiball-rolled style, you will only need to add tea until you can’t see the bottom of the gaiwan (about 1/4 or less). For our Honey Black, try about 40 seconds for your first steeping, and then add 10-15 seconds to each subsequent steeping. You can of course add/subtract leaves or brewing time to suit your tastes. Our general brewing table is coming down, and we are adding specific brewing guidelines to each tea. Thanks again for all the great feedback!

SarsyPie

TTF: thanks! I agree, GTT has been very helpful. I’m really looking forward to trying this tea again. :)

GTT: thanks so much for the additional tea and the instructions. I’ll update when I get the tea and try again. I am drinking your Eastern Beauty now. It’s really lovely, and I’ll be reviewing that soon. :)

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