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Some days I seem more sensitive to caffeine than others. Okay, I’ve had 6 cups of tea today already but some of them were re-steeps. :-P

Anyway it’s time to go for something herbal for a while. I’ve gotten a bit enamored of tulsi lately but this is really not the best blend. It doesn’t taste too chai like to me, more like a mix of straight rooibos and tulsi. It’s a little bit better with some soymilk but not my favorite from this company, oh well. I’m drinking it anyway!

Shui Xian is definitely one of my favorite everyday oolongs and this is certainly a nice one. Someone in my office remarked on how good this tea smells! It’s very roasty and aromatic – if you like houijicha this would be a good one to check out. A traditional Chinese restaurant type of tea.

I did a slightly longer steep at around 2 minutes for my first cup. The flavor is that of burnt sugar, caramel and charred plums. Norbu claims the tea is bittersweet but I’m not actually picking up on much bitterness, I get a sweet honey like finish. This would be a great one to have with meals or for simply just relaxing. I definitely plan to get a larger size of this soon, it also resteeps nicely.

Tea of the morning here. Good morning, Steepster! I am glad the work week is drawing to a close! It’s been a long week, it seems like.

Anyway this is still delicious, smooth and malty. I’m lucky they have these teas in bulk at the local Whole Foods. See previous notes for more info.

Thanks to Russel at Harney & Sons for sending me this freebie sample to try!

I got it today in the mail and immediately wanted to try it. It’s just what I was in the mood for today.

I was not able to gong fu this, so am trying with regular infuser mug method for 2 minutes. I got a very light greenish infusion and the wet leaves smell very fresh and yummy.

I do like these types of taiwanese high mountain oolongs in the afternoon, they seem relaxing and refreshing. I’m getting a light butteriness in my cup, along with a delicate floral – perhaps orchid? The description on their website says honey and cream, I’m not getting much honey but it is a bit creamy. A mild sweetness lingers in the back of your throat. Very nice!

Second steep: I used a little less water this time and got different results. Tea is a bit darker in color and less buttery but more floral.

Third steep: it is amazing how much these leaves have opened up! Sticking my nose near the cup, I’m reminded of a meadow with flowers. The flavor has more subtlety than some other Li Shans I’ve had, but it’s still very nice.

Green oolongs are my favorite thing to cold brew so I already decided I’m going to make a cold brew batch of this for tomorrow – I can hardly wait!

This is one of the strongest and most assertive gunpowder teas I have ever had. I tried cold brewing it with some loose leaf spearmint from Upton Teas (about 18 hours).

The result is potent! The smokiness is definitely present with an assertive wallop. The spearmint is hovering in the background but doesn’t really stand a chance against the gunpowder here. I ended up adding some sugar to make it slightly more palatable. I’m not totally in love with this creation, however.

This was a free sample kindly provided by jing tea shop in my latest order.

hmmm, I am pretty biased, Chinese green teas do not generally thrill me unless they’re bold like gunpowder or chun mee, I’m more of a Japanese green tea person so keep that in mind as you’re reading this review.

I steeped this tea for around 2.5 minutes at 180F. I must say the leaves smell wonderfully fresh. I got a very light tea liquor. The flavor is slightly vegetal with a bit of nuttiness, similar to a dragonwell. It has a really nice mouth-feel with a tiny bit of astringency at the end. Other people noticed smokiness – where? I am not finding it!

I wish I could think of something more exciting to say about this. I definitely did not hate it, but it also doesn’t make much of an impression on me. I think I will take the rest of my sample home (about 3.5 grams) and see what happens when I gong fu it.

Tea: 4/4 of the red tea sampler set
I’m really not such a huge fan of keemun, but this isn’t bad at all.

I broke my glass teapot last night, what a bummer. As much as I love glass teaware I have to admit it isn’t very practical. I guess I have an excuse to get one of those “For Life” teapots I’ve been eyeing.

After two minutes, this steeps up to be a nice reddish-brown. It isn’t smoky at all. I’m getting some nice chocolate notes with a gentle sort of pungency that reminds me slightly of red wine. This is quite a bit softer and milder than other keemuns I have tried, and tastes very clean to me.

I’m pretty impressed with jing tea shop so far, everything I’ve tried has been delightful. I would probably rate this higher if I were a true keemun lover.

I really liked this blend and I’m finishing off the rest of my sample today. I think it could have used a bit more tulsi, of course I could always add some in. I wish more tea companies would offer free shipping promotions sometimes. I know Fusion Teas shipping cost is $5.95 for me and the costs of shipping do add up over time…. of course I know that it is expensive for the company.

Anyhoo, this is a nice blend to check out!

My feet are feeling a bit better since I had my shoe inserts adjusted, which is good! I’m hoping for the best.

Today is a beautiful day in San Francisco, the sun is out and shining. I had cold brewed this overnight and am having it after lunch today. Mmm, there is nothing quite like an iced Moroccan mint tea to perk me up.

This is my last bag of this and the Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf that’s near my apt. has just closed! I am going to try making my own with the gunpowder I have from Red Blossom and loose leaf spearmint. We’ll see. I might look for this blend again someday, it’s mighty tasty.

Here we go with the last of the Teavana gift set…

I brought this to work with me today and managed not to spill it – yay! It’s very smooth, green and slightly sweet. Definitely a bit spinach-y, but I like that. I want to drink more of my Japanese greens so I can justify buying something from Mellow Monk when their new teas come out. See how crazy I am… always thinking ahead to the next purchase. :-D