2816 Tasting Notes
These days I mostly gravitate towards japanese green tea but this quite an excellent Chinese green tea.
When I first tried steeping this I think I left some soap in my cup because I got a mouthful of dish soap and green tea – bleah!
When I finally got rid of my soap I steeped this at around 190F for 2 minutes per the instructions on the package. I just noticed another thing I like about Upton tea is they put the date on the bag of when the order was processed so at least you will know roughly how long you’ve had it.
When these leaves are steeped they are curly and turn shades of green and brown. It yields an amber liquor with a nice floral nose. The taste is nutty with a bit of spicy note. I can see why this is described as a green tea that has some of the flavors of black. It’s pretty unique, at least to me. I’m sure I will have no problems finishing this off. Mellow and earthy. If you’re not a fan of “grassy” green tea you would like this one… it also resteeps quite nicely.
Preparation
ooh! I had to break down and buy this after so many posts from JoonSusanna and others about it, I really wanted to try it.
I used water at about 205 and steeped this for around 4 minutes. The tin recommends 3 minutes but I lost track of time. I really like this a lot! It’s very robust and malty and yes, it does have a slight bit of “briskness”. I’m drinking this with soymilk and this has transformed the flavor into something caramely… I’m not sure if I could ever drink this plain, it’s pretty intense and BOLD. Of course I could also try lowering the steeping time which would probably help.
It’s one of those teas that reminds me of coffee. This is going to be great for foggy mornings or whenever I need a boost. Tasty! Yum!
Preparation
I bought this tea many years ago (ten?) and loved it. A great tea. :))
Amy, if you bought this tea at Upton’s website, they also have Finum glass mugs:
It does include the filter and the mug is only 6 oz.
it’s too bad I placed my order before the mug broke as I really do NOT need any more tea for a while! :))
The Jenaer glass cup & saucer I have is 10.5 oz. Perfect for me because I don’t have to fill it up full, but I can if I want to. I may buy the Finum glass mug at some point.
YAY!! I’m SO glad you liked it!
I really like this with milk and sugar, but my boyfriend somehow drinks it plain and prefers it that way (I think it’s too bold when plain, as you said). I usually steep it for 4 minutes because of the additives, but it might be drinkable plain with that minute less on the steeping time. You’ll have to update me! :)
I’ve never had a green tea from Nepal before – evidently this is my week to try all things from Nepal and so far I am loving it!
This was steeped for 4 minutes at around 180 F according to the package instructions. I’m totally with LIberTeas on this one, it’s a very unique green! Definitely lemon-y and vegetal with a bit of astringency but thankfully not bitter… I would describe it as clean and zippy. I then decided to resteep the leaves at around 160F for 3 minutes. It got a lot lighter and more delicate so I was for sure more a fan of the first steep. Very cool!
Preparation
hmm. So I guess I have some mixed feelings about this one. My first steep was at 4 minutes with boiling water and I should have known that was too hot because the package says 190 F. It got too bitter and astringent for me. I am used to treating darjeelings more or less like a black tea but I think I need to start treating them more like oolongs. My mistake for sure.
So in my second steep, it got steeped more like a green tea for 3 minutes with around 160 F. Now I’m getting some more pleasant apricot jam like notes in addition to floral & vanilla. But yeah the astringency is still lurking there. I might need to start all over again with this one or perhaps this is a gateway into a learning experience that I might want to avoid first flush darjeelings in the future? I suspect it needs a more delicate tasting perhaps in the gaiwan. Stay tuned…
Preparation
I did the same thing yesterday with a FTGFOP1 and my tea was so bitter I literally spit it out. What’s odd is that I followed the brewing instructions, but I will definitely brew it like a green next time.
I find that once a tea gets bitter (over-steeping, too hot water, etc) that bitterness remains in future steeps of the same leaves, even if they are handled more delicately the second time (or third, or fourth, etc). Maybe a new set of leaves will yield better results?
Live and learn, so they say. Uniquity, yes I have a little bit of the sample left so I’m going to try again armed with my new knowledge. :)
Darjeelings (esp FF’s) do not resteep well. Lower the temp and Amy, try steeping no longer than 3, or even 2.5 minutes.
will do!
I’ve had a few that have steeped really well the second and third time. Not so much with the lower quality ones. I’m looking forward to your review of this at a lower temp!!
Indigo…….what do you consider lower quality ones?
Sometimes I will brew a second time, but I usually add more leaf to the 2nd cup.
Hmmm probably the ones that don’t resteep well!! lol
my spice exchange darjeeling brewed even better the third time. Sweeter and fruitier than the first!
I guess I could, but I’ve never steeped a Darjeeling more than twice.
how long do you brew for? I tend to do shorter steeps
This came in a small tin as part of a white tea gift set I got from Amazon.com with a gift certificate someone gave me. It comes in a nice little wooden box covered with plexiglass which is a nice touch.
I drank this at work so it was steeped in an infuser mug. I tried to follow the instructions pretty well, they said 190 F for 3 minutes. I also did a second steep at about the same temp for 2 minutes. I’d like to try steeping this at a lower temp too.
I was pretty happy about this tea – as far as white teas I’ve tried it is more on the vegetal side and very nutty. The flavor profile said chestnut but I actually felt it was more like macadamia nut, nutty with a bit if butter. I didn’t pick up on the smoke but I did think it was a little “salty” – smoked salt? I dunno. There also just seemed to be a marine type of quality going on with this… a bit seaweedy perhaps? In any case it was very flavorful and delicious. I never knew there were so many different types of white teas – they are fast becoming an obsession!
Preparation
It’s funny to me how you say it is nutty and the profile refers to chestnuts. It just seems that most descriptions refer to “chestnut” nutty, and not usually another kind of nut. Personally, I guess I’ve never distinguished between types of nuts when noting the nutty quality of tea. All this talk of nuts is making me nu…….crazy! :)) Speaking of crazy, white teas do bring out an obsessiveness in me too, but I tend to drink whites more in the spring and summer for some reason.
Sounds like a great tea and another tea I’ll have to add to my Tao of Tea order later this year.
this is the tastiest fruit blend Teavana makes in my opinion. I think it must be the rosebuds and the cinnamon, as well as the lack of hibiscus. I must have decided I loved it at one point because I bought 3 bags! Nice for after lunch…
I don’t know how I missed this review, but it turns out I have this tea. I think it is in my tea box in the basement, so I haven’t gotten to it yet—-but I will!!
Ah! You must have some and let us know what you think! :)
You probably got the sale price. :)) I did not. :// I hopefully will order more Pre-Chingming teas in the Spring.