VeryPisces

My first impression of these long blades, after their distinctive appearance, came from the aroma: strong and… citrusy? A dried out bouquet? This is the first loose leaf to remind me of Lipton tea bags. That might not be a compliment.

The flavor is nondistinctive. Not bad but nothing special. It’s smooth, though, which I like. This is a good backup tea for when I run out of the good stuff. I wouldn’t buy it again, but I won’t throw it out.

I’m sitting in my dining room with my bread dough rising and a couple of hours to relax, trying the first of two Upton senchas. I must say something about the packaging: while Harney & Sons is my favorite, I really like these personalized round labels from Upton that can be placed on your own tea tin.

I heated the water to under boiling and have brewed my first mug for almost two minutes. The dry leaves have a hay-like aroma, but the wet leaves have that lovely vegetal scent with a little added essence that, for some reason, makes me think of salt and the ocean. The liquor is not at all green, but a goldenrod hue.

The flavor? Well… This mug is rather bitter. I’m not sure if my brewing technique is the problem but the bitterness is strong and unpleasant. Lets try a second steeping… No… In trying to lessen the bitterness with a lower temperature, the flavor is weak. Steeping it longer brings out the bitterness.

I’m going to have to give myself some time to learn how to brew this or to let the flavor grow on me. It’s a bit harsh, with none of the sweet finish I’m told should be there. Maybe this tea will pair well with my grain teas (a la genmaicha).

By the way, I hated to do it but I added the tiniest bit of stevia to cut the harshness, and it helped. Oh, I’m soooo disappointed! What am I doing wrong? Is it supposed to taste like this?

WOW!

I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to tell my five Tea From Taiwan samples apart, but this one woke the part of my brain that likes that roasted flavor from fired teas. This tea has a bright, floral aroma alongside a buttery toastiness. When the toasted aroma hit me I immediately (albeit briefly) thought of popcorn maybe its the butteriness! I’m making my second mug now.

Mmm- is the second steeping of oolong always better than the first? So far they have been for me. I spent about a minute just enjoying the aroma. This might be my favorite after Tie Guan Yin!

I don’t own any fancy tea making equipment and had a hard time finding instructions that made sense for my simple mug and infuser. I decided upon 3 gm of the rolled oolong “pearls” and about 8 oz of water, and steeped for almost 2 minutes.

I was very pleasantly surprised by this tea. It’s such a light, pale green and the aroma is so subtle that I figured I hadn’t steeped enough leaves or hadn’t steeped it long enough but no- this is awesome! The tea is buttery and smooth, with a medium body. I can detect the light firing.

I brewed a second cup for a bit over 2 minutes and this time a distinct floral aroma developed. These leaves are quite large and have half-filled my infuser now. The flavor is still mellow but definitely more complex with the addition of the floral notes. A very satisfying oolong.

What a fun tea- so different from my previous experiences. The longest leaves were as long as my index finger and impressive upon first sight. I brewed about 8 leaves in about 10 oz of water at 170F or so and found the flavor to be light with a subtle baked and vegetal undertone, and quite enjoyable, although a little weak for my taste. I added four more leaves and brewed the next round at 180F. This created a more assertive brew, although still mild compared to other teas in my cupboard. Whenever I come across a light tea that forces some concentration it becomes a meditation tea for me and reminds me to take the time I need to be mindful and aware.

I read that leaves from the true Taiping Houkui cultivar have a red vein down the middle of the main leaf, and a vibrant color when wet. I cannot say that these leaves possessed those qualities. I don’t know if that means Harney has a lower-quality houkui, but I do know I’m gonna buy some from hojo.com, since they are the ones making the statements. This will give me a little compare-and-contrast opportunity.

The previous writers have already described the appearance. I want to emphasize the aroma- it really hits you when brewing with an awesome “green”, vegetal aroma much like my very favorite greens. I was surprised that the flavor was much more muted than the aroma suggested. As the tea cooled, however, I was able to detect more and more flavor. This was a very enjoyable experience of a lighter green tea.

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This is an herbal tisane containing apple, coconut, peppermint, blackberry leaves, and the ubiquitous artificial flavoring. This attractive mixture of colorful ingredients has a strong aroma that brings to mind a York Peppermint Patty.

I brewed this tisane at a temperature just under boiling for 5 minutes, per the instructions. The resulting golden brown liquor is not nearly as aromatic or minty smelling as the dried pieces. Many of the tiny leaf and dust particles made it through the ceramic strainer.

Had I tasted this blindfolded, I would not have easily detected the coconut. Even concentrating, I get more of the floral/fruity undertone than the coconut. When I added a little bit of stevia I detected another underlying flavor, but I can’t identify it. The tea itself is satisfying, with a nice, smooth body, so I guess the “cream” part is apropos.

This isn’t bad. I might drink it after a meal or when I’m feeling chilled. Let’s just say that though I wouldn’t buy it myself, if I received it as a gift I would find time for it.

The tea filters I’d ordered from DavidsTea arrived, along with three samples. I’m not big on these kinds of sweet, dessert teas, but DavidsTeas is very creative and the teas are popular, so I was intrigued by these samples. This is a white tea with cocoa, almonds, walnuts, caramel, chocolate, and “artificial flavoring.”

My first impression was Wow wow wow! This is quite a concoction. Chunks of walnut in my teaspoon? I ate one- it tasted like it had been doused in the Artificial Flavoring.

The aroma – good Lord! Very pronounced and sweet, like entering an ice cream shop, or more like a Yankee Candles store. This is chocolate mint cookie dough with a hint of caramel.

I drank this first without additives. It was smooth and slightly sweet, and quite flavorful, with a weak nutty undertone overlaid with caramel and almond. Not sure I taste chocolate or cocoa. A little vanilla almond milk could turn this into a chai reminiscent of a caramel-colored milkshake.

So, after two mugs I feel like I’ve had a decadent dessert. This tea is a bit over the top, much like the holiday season. I guess that makes it perfect for a cold evening this time of year.

I thought Matsuda’s sencha would spoil me for this standard, more affordable Japanese sencha, but no, I love it! I would describe it as buttery and vegetal with some sweetness to the aroma. The flavor is strong and that first mug easily becomes bitter when brewed over a minute (which I did. Sorry, Sencha). The liquor is clear, vibrant green-yellow, with lots of little particles at the bottom of the mug. Yummmmmm.

I love this tea! The dark green blades open up to slick leaves with stems, and the pale green liquor is very attractive. The fragrance is sublime, for those who love strong, fresh, vegetal aromas. There’s even a popcorn-like background scent to the freshly-poured cup, which is the roasted “nori” that Harney detects. I like this tea as it cools as well. I steeped the first cup for about one minute. The second, about three minutes, which was probably a minute too long as it was slightly bitter (but not ruined).

I got a sample of this yesterday and am enjoying it greatly. This is a light tea, both in color and flavor, and the pale liquor has the faintest floral aroma- so faint I thought at first that I was imagining it. I like the subtle flavors- they force me to quiet down and pay attention to fully enjoy it. This will probably become my “meditation tea.”

My sample, purchased in October, 2012, cost $4.00.

I have had genmaicha from three different retailers now. I find Harney & Sons to have a more mellow and smooth version than others I have tasted. The toastiness is there, but it blends well with the green tea- I find both the vegetal flavor of the tea and the roastiness of the rice to be well balanced. It’s kind of nice to see popped rice in the mix- makes this a unique tea.

I am so excited about trying malt teas! I got the sampler pack because I had no idea what to try. I wish I could show you the cute packages that arrived today- I put the image links below if you want to check them out. Cute, reusable balsa wood boxes tied with string. The sachets inside are tied together with the string and have little typed labels. I forgave them for being somewhat late with my order because I was so thrilled with my treats.

Anyway, enough with the cuteness. I tried the Roasted Corn w/Roasted Barley because the description of sweetness balanced by bitterness sounded like a good start. I really liked the toasted, mellow character of this reddish brown liquor. The sweetness is subtle on the tongue, and fun to detect. I really didn’t notice any bitterness.

Is it the grain flavor that makes me think I could drink this with anything you’d drink beer with? Is it the toastiness that makes me want to drink it in the morning while others are drinking coffee? I wonder what it would be like with milk. It’s a very satisfying tea with a lingering flavor and aroma. It’s hearty!

By the way, I love blending roasted grains with teas. I don’t know what it is about oolong but I liked formosa oolong with soba (roasted buckwheat) and also like it with this. I’m looking forward to trying it with other teas.

I must add that this beverage is enjoyable hot, room temperature and cool. I’m not sure I’d like it iced, but it’s still in the 90s here- I may check that out!

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This is another hojicha/houjicha that will likely need to grow on me to really appreciate it. If found it to have a bit of a woodsy flavor and a lightness of body. It also has a vague, floral aftertaste that I can’t really place- almost like a subtle osmanthus.

Hmm… I can’t say I’m a big fan of this hojicha. The toasty flavoring is weaker than I anticipated from my previous experience with hojicha. I find this to be a mild tea with a little body and smoothness. While the finish lingered, it was weak.

I really, really enjoy Zen Tea’s Sencha House. It tastes fresh and green, like I’m lying in an early Spring garden or on a freshly mowed lawn.

When I opened up my package of GenmaiMatcha was excited to see a couple of soft white popped rice kernels- I always see them in photos but never got any before. That was fun. It’s the toasted flavor and aroma of the rice that draws me to genmatcha, so I figured I was in for a real treat. I hate to say that I was disappointed that the rice’s lovely toastiness is muted in Zen Tea’s GenmaiMatcha. Not that this is a bad tea; I suspect that those who like a more subtle influence from the rice would be a fan of this version. My rating is therefore based on my need for a stronger influence from the rice.

I looooooove genmaicha, so when I saw the soba I thought, hmm… I wonder what this would be like paired with a green, oolong or white tea? So I took the plunge.

I wouldn’t drink this alone- it is not that kind of flavor for me. I’m going to use its toastiness to give new life to teas I’ve stopped drinking. First, I tried it with my new Harney & Sons Lung ching and I really like the results. Not like genmaicha, really, but obviously in the same category, adding a toasty, roasted dimension to a slightly sweet green tea. The soba doesn’t have the drama of toasted rice but subtlety doesn’t make it bad or uninteresting. I can’t wait to add it to some other teas in my collection.

I must say: I’m one of Harney & Sons’ new fans. I read up on them before buying from them and liked what I found- they are real tea experts who care about their product. I like the quality of the items I purchased- fresh and nicely packaged. Good job!

I’m so new to tea that I didn’t realize that I already had Lung Ching because I learned about it through its other common name, Dragonwell, which I’ve bought a couple of times from Teavana. I love Dragonwell as a mild, forgiving (hard to ruin!) green tea. Dragonwell is like that basic article of clothing that looks good on you and goes with just about anything you own- something you can depend on to complement your wardrobe. Dragonwell complements my tea cupboard. It is a comforting tea that doesn’t have to wow me to be thoroughly enjoyed.

And I say all of that because when I opened up the lovely Harney & Sons tin (my first purchase from them) I thought hey- that looks like a slightly paler version of Teavana’s Dragonwell! I steeped it and loved it immediately. A hint of sweetness and a vegetal flavor and aroma. The flavor is more robust than Teavana’s Dragonwell, though both teas are nice -and pretty to look at, too.

I’m going through a toasted/roasted tea thing right now so I was excited to try this. I am thoroughly enjoying my sample package from TeaFrog, which arrived yesterday.

This tea definitely has an overtone of roastiness from the rice that takes me back to my Puffed Rice cereal/rice cakes days. While those two foods annoy the heck out of me (as Styrofoam should) the rice in this tea doesn’t. Instead, it adds an interesting dimension of aroma and flavor, along with a pleasant lingering aftertaste.

I was thinking this tea came along because someone, long ago, wanted roasted green tea without roasting the actual tea leaves, but the story I’ve read is that it was accidentally created when monks roasting tea leaves in cauldrons that already had rice in them ended up liking the combo. I like it too. Time for cup #2.

Whoa- I love this stuff! I’m a big fan of Dragonwell, so I was intrigued with this roasted tea sent to me by Bonnie. Now I want MORE- and was disappointed to find that Happy Lucky’s is apparently all brick-and-mortar, no online sales. Drats. I will definitely be looking for Japanese roasted greens to try now. I love the strong steeping aroma, which reminds me of a forest during a rain, dense with humidity. The roasted quality is what I really relish, but I don’t have the vocabulary to describe the dimension it adds to this tea. I truly look forward to stocking my shelves with this wonderful addition.

This is a fun tea I got from Bonnie as a sample. I don’t buy a lot of these flavored teas, so it’s a treat to try them. This one reminds me of the winter holiday season, for some reason. I detect an undertone of the deep, sweet flavors of serious, home made ice cream- nuts, caramel/vanilla. I love the nutty aroma. For me, this would be a dessert tea. I’m very happy as I drink it- maybe it’s raising my serotonin levels!