Shinobi_cha

Their suggested parameters (170 for 1 minute) make for good flavors, but a very weak infusion. So was the 1st infusion.

On the 2nd, I wanted to see if I could bring the flavors out more strongly…
I did 190 for the same amount of time (1 minute)… I knew there was a chance it would be bitter, but thought it worth the chance…..

It was fairly awesome! Slightly bitter/sweet, like a sencha but without the vegetal qualities (which, I normally enjoy, but it was fun to have one that tastes more grainy, or like corn or barley tea). Definitely try this at higher temps, as it is really good!

Though the taste was muted for the first 2 steepings (2g tea for 2-3oz water; 140 for 2 minutes, then 160 for 1 min), it had a very smooth, sweet taste. I say ‘muted’ rather than ‘weak’, because the flavor was really good and seemed like it could simply be brought out if I steeped it differently.

I did the 3rd steeping with ice; the flavor was much more pronunced. There was a hint of grain, a noticeable (pleasant) texture, and it was even sweeter.
The brewed leaves were a neally nice shade of dark green and large (though, not all whole)… it was hard to dump them out. I think gyokuros have the most beautiful brewed leaves, this one was at the top. It is hard for me to dump most any leaves, but this one was all the harder.
I just have a small amount (maybe 12 more grams), so I look forward to a few more cups and seeing if I can bring out the flavor more.

The taste of this has grown on me, I do enjoy it more. The first steep has a very noticeable caramel flavor (as expected); but after that it fades a bit and blends with/gives way to a nice green butteriness.

I really liked this tea, but I’m not sure what to rate it yet. I’m going to have to have a few more cups.

I did taste the ‘maize’ flavor they describe, and there was another, very strong flavor present but I couldn’t put my finger on it…yet. I couldn’t taste that this was extraordinarily different than other senchas (with the ‘wood roasted’ finish they say makes it unique), but perhaps that will come out later.

Overall, it was a pleasant, comforting, yummy cup.

The first infusion is really incredibly creamy and sweet, not a hint of bitter at all.
The 2nd and 3rd are still good, but the distinctness of the first infusion disappears. I am trying to compare this closely to Den’s Gyokuro Suimei; so far I am more impressed by this one (Bird Pick, but again, on the 1st infusion only). Den’s seems to have a more vegetal/marine quality to it, which I like. After the 1st, both teas become very similar and hard to distinguish (but both very good). I will have to continue to try both and see if I can tell any other differences or if my tastes change.

Very nice fruit-like flavors, with a slight roastedness at the end.
I was expecting/hoping for a more houjicha-like roasted flavor, but perhaps that would have killed all the nice fruit flavors.
It can supposedly go 7 infusions, perhaps if one uses all 7g from the pack (I just had this 1 sample), but I split it so I could try it twice, using perhaps ~3g the first time and ~4g the second. It seems like after 5 infusions, it didn’t have enough flavor to continue (though I did go to 7).

I’m not sure whether I liked this or the modern green more, but it was very enjoyable.
Going to have to keep trying different Oolongs to see if I find one that I love as much as Japanese greens. So far the closest contender has been pricey – Phoenix Yellow Stone Oolong.

The biggest surprise is that out of 3 samples, I was really excited to try this TGY (charcoal) and the TGY (modern green), while the real sample originally offered was Yunnan Golden Bud…. However, in the end, the Yunnan Golden Bud was my favorite!!

A big thanks to Gingko for the free samples! (Btw, I realized that you DIDN’T duplicate the samples…. I originally thought the Charcoal Roast was going to be packaged in the Red bag, and the Modern Green II in the Green bag, but it was in fact opposite).

Good initial impressions. I need to use the rest of the sample and get a few more cups before I make a decision as to how I like it, but it smells nicely of cinnamon and home-made cookies.
Actually, it almost reminded me (in a good way) of caramalized carrots (with cinnamon and brown sugar).

Looking forward to giving it another try.

The idea of this tea is really brilliant, and it seems like it would be a great evening tea, as its little or no caffeine.
However, the execution wasn’t exactly as I’d hoped. The vanilla smell is present in the leaf, but not quite as strongly as I expected. Then, in the cup, there is a creaminess, and perhaps a little vanilla present, but again, not enough. The houjicha is of course delicious.

This tea is good, but it would be even better if the blend was more balanced (a good mix of both vanilla and roasted leaf).

The loose tea smelled like olives to me! It was very strange, but since I like olives I actually liked the smell.

I think this tea is a pretty good idea (as in, they came up with clever ingredients to achieve the flavor they were going for), and its probably as chocolatey as you can get without actual chocolate pieces in the mix. However, while I enjoyed the cup, I found myself thinking – "if I want something chocolate flavored, I might as well drink hot chocolate! Chocolate is just one of those flavors I don’t think can (or rather, should) be imitated.
To me, it’s like fake sweeteners – either drink real sugar (honey, agave, etc.) or drink/eat something else!

Anyway, this is an enjoyable tea, well made for what it is.

Unfortunately, so far, the taste of this tea does not live up to the smell.
You smell the open tin, and it knocks you back, it’s like fresh baked cookies.

But so far, each time I’ve actually brewed and tasted it, the tea itself seems mostly smooth with much less flavor than expected. Adding sugar/milk does make a difference, but without those, this tea has actually not tasted as strongly (vanilla) as I hoped, so I’m lowering it from my initial impressions.

I can’t taste the nutty flavor (that supposedly comes from the sesame seeds), but the caramel is definitely present. I’m not sure how well it blends with the bancha…meaning, it almost tastes like sweetened Japanese green tea.
However, it is better than if you simply added sugar to plain bancha. I really have enjoyed it, the butteriness and caramel-sweetness. It is a fun alternative to the fruit-flavored greens I’ve had.

Woah! I think this is now my favorite black tea!
I’ve had a lot of Keemun, sampled one kind of Darjeeling, and had other black blends, etc, but as an unflavored, single source black tea, this was delicious!

I thought I even tasted a hint of honey and chocolate (yes, it almost tasted like it had a hint of sweetness, but no, not the bitterness of chocolate, but something about the way it smelled) It was really smooth.

It’s not exactly cheap, but not terribly expensive, either. Definitely going to have to get more of this some day.

As opposed to my first trial of this tea, this time is it awesome!
Very sweet (but not at all sickeningly like fake sweeteners), but also has elements that remind me of sencha, the tastes that made me love Japanese greens in the first instance (steamed veggies, thick, lingering aftertaste, slight bitterness, etc.)… but this has no bitterness of course. It also has that marine/seaweed flavor that to me is really delicious.

As I drink this, I finally have that moment of, ‘Aha! Now I see why gyokuro is (typically) prized over all other kinds in Japan.’
Before this (and of course the sample of the Award Winning gyokuro I had earlier this year), I wasn’t really sure why it was considered better… rather than just different.

Very good; so far, after only 2 trials each, this beats Den’s Gyokuro Suimei….we will see after a few more!

I opened the free sample today, that I got from Life in Teacup, of my “An Xie Tie Guan Yin Oolong Traditional Charcoal Roast”. It came in a red vacuum-sealed bag, and had written in pin-yin on the side “Ou Nan Cha Ye” and “Hao Cha Hao Ren Sheng”.

Anyway, when I opened it, I was very surprised, because the color of the leaves was green, and not the brown roasted color I expected.
Not only that, but they smelled sweet and fruity, rather than roasted, smoky, etc. (more like a houjicha).

Going right along with that, after rinsing the leaves, I did the first steep…. AND it tasted very fruity, delicious, etc., but NOT roasted at all. It was delicious, but I assume this was actually the Grade II modern green (hence posting my note here). I still have more steepings left, but as of the 3rd steeping, this is awesome. It leaves a very nice taste in the mouth afterwards.

I also got a free sample of the Grade II modern green (at least, that’s what the package says), but I sure hope the charcoal roast is in there instead!

Gingko, is it possible that a sample could have been accidentally switched, or is it more likely that because of my inexperience with oolongs, this actually is the charcoal roast (though there are no hints of it having been roasted)?

Either way, this is delicious!

So after the first 2 steepings yesterday, I filled the 12oz kyusu with ice and let it sit all day. The resulting (room temperature by the time I got to drink it) infusion was delicious!
A little creamy, not overly sweet, just right!
I tried another steeping (4th) afterwards, 180 for 30 seconds. It was more subdued but good. I’m going to give it an initial rating, but perhaps I’ll adjust it up or down after more trials.

More vegetal and a little less sweet than the “Kotobuki no Tsuyu” Gyokuro by Bird Pick Tea. I enjoyed it more than the Bird Pick, but I need to try both a few more times before rating.

This was yummy though, especially after I increased the amount of water to 3oz (the 1st steep was good, but a little intense for me at 2g for 2oz water).

With the exception of the Award Winning Gyokuro that Den’s Tea had earlier this year, I’m actually having to learn to taste Gyokuro. I like it, but it hasn’t been the same eye-opening taste that my first Sencha and Shincha were. However, I’m still new to it, so I’m going to wait until I’ve experimented a bit more. I look forward to doing a real comparison between this and the Bird Pick one.

This tasted like a typical, good quality jasmine. Maybe not as good as a jasmine pearl, but delicious nonetheless!
Be careful not to steep too long; the 2nd steeping I also did for 1 minute, but used less water, and it was just a bit bitter. I enjoyed it still, but it IS delicate.
I’m glad to have some of this in my cupboard. Next time I’ll have to get the pearls and see how that compares.

I finished the tin up the other day. Overall it was very good (this was the first time I had Long Jing). I would definitely reorder it, and maybe some day I will. In the mean time, the thing that keeps me from doing so is that there are too many other things that I like also!

For those of you who’ve had mate, especially the traditional way in a gourd with a bombilla, you will find this to be very interesting.

Traditional mate looks very much like the tea you find in teabags – essentially a fine tea powder. Except mate also has larger chunks of leaf and twigs mixed in. In a way, it feels like a poor man’s tea. However, good mate is delicious, and because of the texture and the traditional manner of drinking it, it is a very fun experience. Who cares that it’s not first flush, hand rolled, or whatever!

This mate is very different; first of all the loose leaf smelled and looked like a dark oolong. We tried putting it in our metal-lined gourd and drinking it through the bombilla, but it didn’t work very well. Because it was mostly whole leaves, (so strange to see whole mate leaves, instead of the powder!), it didn’t have that same resistance when drunk through the bombilla, it didn’t actually steep very well. It did taste like mate, but wasn’t very strong and somewhat watery.

So we dumped the leaves in a normal teapot and brewed it as if it was a somewhat normal tea, 180-190 degrees for 5 minutes.
It came out with a very interesting taste. I actually think the H&S description (above) is fairly accurate in its flavors. It tasted more roasted than a normal mate, had some slightly sweet and fruity flavors, but is hard to describe.

This was a fun experience, but really a completely different product than typical mate. I bought just a sample, and I’m not sure I would buy more, but not because I didn’t like the tea. I just love the normal, earthy flavor of mate, and prefer drinking it from the gourd. The guy who had the idea to produce mate this way was very clever, I really love the creativity. Now to get him to try steaming the leaves and making it Japanese style!

I have a sample of this, and so finally wanted to try it out. This is Bird Pick’s more expensive gyokuro (out of 2 or 3 available).

I tried cold water brewing, first using near-freezing water (steeped for 7 minutes), then 140, 160, 180 steeps. (Not sure how long I let it steep at those temps, probably between 30 seconds – 1.5 minutes).

This had a nice marine-like taste to it, but it was sickeningly sweet; I thought about what the sweetness was like and I figured it out – it tasted just like fake sweeteners (not sure which one) – sweet n’ low, equal, or splenda. I HATE the taste of diet soft drinks or coffee with fake sweeteners. They have a very sickeningly sweet taste, and unfortunately, this tea reminded me of that flavor. I’m sure a gyokuro (or diet soft drink!) lover out there would find this tea delicious, but I didn’t particularly enjoy this first trial.

I am going to hold off on rating this one, as I want to try a regular brew first. Perhaps one reason I didn’t enjoy it is because it was very intense – not only cold-brewed, but 4g of leaf to 4oz water.

I don’t have much experience with gyokuro, so hopefully as I try more I’ll get an idea if I just don’t like gyokuro, or if it was simply this one. And perhaps I’ll even enjoy it with a regular brewing. I really want to like it.

Have a sample of this; seems unique to flavor a Darjeeling, but I think its a cool idea. (At least, I haven’t seen many flavored Darjeelings).

The lemon is a very pleasant, noticeable addition. I didn’t taste caramel, but I think it sweetened/enhanced the lemon flavor. This almost smells like Earl Grey, but tastes nothing like it. There is nothing floral, perfumey, or bitter in the tea, just a smooth lemonyness. (Is that even a word?) I find it a bit hard to give a rating, but I think it’s not quite as good as their straight up DJ blend.

This is a fun tea, and really good iced, too.
I don’t like it as much as the regular houjicha, but it is a nice change. I noticed the dry leaf has a lot more kuki (twigs) in it than regular houjicha.

I’ve never had Darjeeling before, and I would have chosen a more premium variety (sample) if I could have (I wanted to sample first flush), but H&S didn’t have such samples available.
However, out of all the standard classic (black) teas I’ve tried, this is probably one of my favorite. It isn’t as bold or strong as the Keemun, EG, or other black tea blends that I’ve had, and for that reason I think I like it. It is more fruity?, lighter, smoother… more like green tea almost (though, it doesn’t really taste like it).

I detected almost a bit of spiciness (like pepper) in the cup for some reason too.
I’d really like to try a high quality Darjeeling now, but don’t really want to buy a whole lot. Maybe someday I’ll buy a sample from somewhere else…
Compared to the EG by H&S I had recently, I like this a lot more.

The smell that emanated from the bag was so scrumptious! It has the effect that bacon does when you wake up smelling it in the morning. You just want to eat it all up. Except, it smells like fresh-baked cookies. And you can’t eat tea bags.

The tea itself didn’t taste as powerful, but was still yummy. I tried it with and without milk and like it both ways. It seems almost smoother without the milk, but with it brings out the vanilla flavor more. Nice to have a simple (where I don’t have to pay attention to steeping times, amounts, etc.!), decaf, bagged tea that is also delicious and easy to make for a larger group.