Amy oh

We are having this tea for breakfast and I am quite liking it. It’s a very smooth black tea with good flavor. Others have remarked on the smokiness but I am not getting much, especially compared to some other Keemuns I have tried. It is very English breakfast-y. Fruity but without the astringency of a darjeeling. A bit pungent. Fairly mild for a Keemun IMO. I like this enough that I might want to keep some around for morning time. I also drink a lot of pu-erh on a regular basis so you see where my tastes lie… heh

I am revisiting this again tonight. I am brewing this in the gaiwan and with short infusions. I am using a LOT of leaf vs. water. The lilac aromas are coming up very intensely. It is difficult to believe this is not scented in some way! I do think this tea is quite a beauty. I am also getting a bit of the vanilla flavor coming up here. I was scolded a bit the last time I reviewed this for eating it with a mango and I can see why. Tea is a very personal thing and we all enjoy different flavors. Mostly I like darker/roastier oolongs and I don’t really think this is a personal favorite, very high on the flowers, but I’m happy for those of you that are loving it. :-D

Another Tea from Taiwan sample being brewed up in the Gaiwan. It does not seem to have been a real favorite with the Steepsterites but it’s hard to imagine how badly you could mess up a Taiwanese oolong so that I would rate it low… ha ha

Infusion #1 : ooh, this IS very green. I definitely am getting a strong smell of spinach from the wet leaves here. It is more vegetal than buttery at this point. The tea also smells very floral and almost vanilla.

Infusion #2 : curious. Still very green but this is consistent with my experience of ali shans in the past. Reminds me of a bit of the shade grown Japanese green tea I have here. A bit grassy, I wonder if I have oversteeped it here.

Infusion #3: Steeped with less hot water, around 160 F. Butteriness is emerging a bit and this tea has a fantastic smell.

Infusion #4: Still very fragrant but a bit short of flavor. I am losing interest in this a bit so will end my dissertation here. :-P

Prognosis: It’s a good tea but not good enough for me to want to buy it. Definitely seems more ali shan than milk. I’m not a big ali shan fan but if you are you would probably like this.

I am brewing this up in the Gaiwan this afternoon with short infusions of around 30 seconds each.

I’m finally done with all the $4 sample packs I tried from them which is actually a great deal. If I place another order with Harney and Sons this will be going on my list of things to order again. I am such a fan of these style of oolongs. A delicious darker brew with chestnuts, peaches and and a hint of marmalade. After infusion number 3 the tea is getting lighter and also more sweet with a caramel like flavor. It also is very reasonable in price which will make it a good candidate for cold brewing. Very enjoyable. Bringing a smile to my face!

Peet’s is really the only chain where I can go and reliably get a decent tea – forget about Starbucks or that other place, The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf. I didn’t even know there was a Peet’s pu-erh until I went in there this afternoon nosing around.

This maybe not the best tasting of this tea, after all it was with a paper cup and a paper tea sac. It is very smooth, rich and dark. The thing this really reminds me of is chocolate milk, I was thinking that the entire time I was drinking this tea, weird. Also it seems a bit metallic and with a smoky aftertaste. Definitely I was hoping for something more/else. I should have saved the leaves to steep it again at home and see if I could make it any better. This is a $20 for a tin of tea and that is not a terrible price considering that’s a 4 oz. tin. But ultimately it just left me kind of unsatisfied.

I was pretty excited to try this unique tea and I do like supporting small local vendors who bring us offerings like this so that was definitely a great reason to try it.

I steeped mine with 180 F water for around 3.5 minutes in a glass infuser mug. This is such a curious tea with very interesting properties. I agree with TeaEqualsBliss that at first it reminds me of a sencha both in flavor and consistency but the color and strength are more like a dark oolong and it definitely has an astringent finish. That’s the only thing that bugs me a bit so I am going to try doing a few other things with it including steeping at a lower temp. and cold brewing so my rating may go up a bit soon. I am leery of astringent teas due to my issues with acid reflux but it doesn’t seem to bother other people. This is pretty unique so if you aren’t afraid of something unusual I suggest you give it a try!

I don’t work for the Red Blossom Tea company or own stock in them I just keep finding delightful treasures there and I usually only rate teas this high that I think I would be anxious to do without… this is one of them. :)

This was the boyfriend’s choice but he knows what I like. I had one infusion of 90 seconds and subsequent infusions of 20-30 seconds. I was drinking this last night and this morning I had to do a reality check to see if it was as good as I remembered.

If you’ve ever had a golden yunnan you know something about what this tea is like. It’s malty, chestnutty, sweet and creamy in addition to earthy! I do not detect much camphor here if any. It still has that pu-erh twang that comes with the aging process but this is now almost 15 years old and is delightfully mellow. For me this is a real treat that redefines my conceptions of what a pu-erh can be. Of course I am still newish to this sphere but if I had to pick one shou to keep on hand at all times this would no doubt be it.

I had the Emperor Pu-erh a few days ago and I am finding this one to be very different but the quality is there for both of them. I love the cleanness of these teas. I only wish they had small samplers so people could try the whole lot for a bit of a smaller price. Of course I am fortunate that I live in San Francisco so I can just go there. Yay!

I got gaiwans, cups and serving vessels for an early Christmas gift. So excited! I decided to brew this up again this morning using the gaiwan. I upped the rating a little on this today. The first steep I did for 90 seconds and that was a little harsh. Second steep for 20 seconds. Very nice redwood aroma, fruity and earthy, beautiful dark red color. Associations with ceylon seem on the mark.

sipdown! yeah I’m finally done with this one and am not too sad to see it go. I would love to find a good cherry tea if there is one out there that is not tart and smelly like this one. Hit me up with your recommendations if you have any.

I need to get more creative with my tasting notes. I’m trying to figure out what to say about this aside from: yeah, that’s a Taiwanese oolong, all right.. lol

This is part of my Tea from Taiwan sampler, which so far I have been very happy with. This is probably my favorite of the bunch so far. I was just told by my friend that Taiwan oolongs are very popular in Japan and you find them all over the place in vending machines. This is getting steeped in a small ceramic infuser mug.

1st infusion – my tea smells like a mountain spring and is very buttery, sweet and slightly vegetal like peas or corn. Rich and delicious. I can hardly wait for infusion #2

2nd infusion – orchid floral aromas are now coming through intensely both in the aroma and flavor, this is very pleasant and soothing and also getting a bit sweeter. nom.

3rd infusion – sweetness is giving over to brothy chicken soup type home-yness.

ok, no more infusions for now, gotta go focus some attention on other things, and yes I have the attention span of a gnat. This one was very nice!

Niiiiice! Thanks to Indigobloom for sending me a sample of this! I’ve been looking for a kenyan tea to add to my repertoire and this one looks like it will fit the bill very nicely.

This is rich with some beautiful floral notes but without the astringency or the tannins of a darjeeling. I’m getting a nice bit of malt here in my cup as well. I did decide to drink this with soymilk and it’s quite a swell morning cuppa! It’s a bit fruity too.

It would be difficult for me to top my sheng experience from last night but I was in the shop and before they managed to chase me out I decided to pick this one up also. It’s hard to imagine these people selling a really terrible tea so I did not think I was taking a big risk by buying this without tasting it first. They have so many gorgeous looking teas but I’m on a pu-erh kick for the time being it seems.

I infused this for 2 minutes the first time and then 30 seconds for each infusion after that (about 5). It’s very smooth with lots of plummy sweetness, deep earthiness and a malty roastedness. I am getting some camphor here in the finish which is not my favorite thing but fortunately the camphor is not totally overshadowing the other flavors so it seems somewhat subdued. It is quite a delicious mix for my morning here. I have a feeling their shan shou-puerhs may be more of my thing. This is a very tasty brew though, I am sure I will have no problems finishing it.

Finally I’ve had a sheng that makes me understand what shengs are all about and why anyone would want to drink one.

Dry leaves are so luxurious and smell of licorice and flowers. I want to bathe in this smell.

I’ve gone onto 7 infusions so far and they are all butter pecan delicious with a hint of creamy sweetness. Faintly musty and earthy but with a aftertaste that lingers. No sign of the flavor slowing down. No weird funkiness that make me wonder what this is and why I am drinking it. I love wild tea and this seems like a great showcase for it – a gorgeous mature and fully blossomed beauty that deserves my full attention and devotion. I wish I was better at describing these things. Bravo and A+. If I ever have a better sheng I will be amazed. I am seeing stars.

More accolades to come, I am sure….

A soothing genmai-cha. Very mild green tea flavor, this is very nutty and popcorny and is sitting well with me on this foggy afternoon. I can’t say I’m thrilled or excited by it but does anyone get that feeling with genmai-cha? There is matcha powder in here along with sencha… It works for me. :)

Strangely I’ve had this sample for a while and forgot to log it or finish the rest of it.

I am a fan of dark oolongs although I was a bit undewhelmed by some of the things I tried from Golden Moon. I thought this was very nice. It’s smooth and nutty and seems very clean with a lingering sweetness. I don’t know if I am getting orange blossoms but there is something slighty floral. The color and flavor are reminiscent of sugary toast. :) This is pretty tasty and I would definitely consider purchasing more if I was going to place a new order with GM.

I am drinking this again today. It really is one of the best shus I have had. I think pu-erhs are so specific to the individual that is drinking them. I upped the rating a point. I was feeling guilty for spending $25 on the brick but that will last a while and I really like it, so whatever. I am lucky to live in a place that has so many tea shops.

I am finishing off the last of this today. I raised the rating a bit from where I had it before. It needs to steep for at least 4 minutes. I am getting more of the cinnamon flavor now. I m still fairly new to drinking Yunnan teas like this. I suspect it might grow on me a bit more over time.

Thank you Teavvire for sending me this complimentary sample to try.

Very interesting how sticky this tea is upon opening the bag. I was also worried this would be too sweet for me. I did not drink the first infusion but went straight to #2.

This is a lovely oolong. light yellow color and smells very floral/buttery. Has a substantial amount of flavor like clover. I am wondering how much of the sweetness here is natural and how much the honey is contributing. Not overwhelming, you can still taste the tea here very prominently. Very well done and Organic is a definite bonus.

I’m still trying to find my way in and around the world of pu-erh. I just had a 21 year old wild tree pu-erh so perhaps it isn’t a good time to try something else. There is some interesting stuff happening here with this one. To me, this smells fishy but nobody else seemed to have remarked on it. For a shu it is coming up a bit on the light side in terms of color. I am trying to keep these infusions to under a minute. 3 so far. More on the fruity/berry side than others I’ve had as of late. I am not getting heavy brown sugar at all, more citrusy from the get go. It really has a nice personality which is kind of a bonus. Not thinking I will need to keep this around for the permanent collection but it would probably excel as a digestif. I will hang on to the rest of my sample and revisit it over time.

still an old favorite. I am pushing my luck but I figure white tea is gentler than green tea and this makes my afternoon very bright. :)

Some where out there a pu-erh snob has fainted. That’s right, I am drinking pu-erh out of a teabag. $6 for a box and you can get it even cheaper on Uncle Lee’s website.

I bought this just to check it out for experimentation. I wasn’t expecting much but I was pleasantly surprised. It has the nice brownish-red color of a pu-erh. For a teabag this has some tremendous flavor. It’s very woodsy, and roasty/toasty with a hint of smoke puffs. The aroma reminds me of the redwood forest groves in Northern California. This is reminiscent of the wild tree pu-erhs I like a lot. It’s actually quite pleasant and it’s organic.

Don’t tell the tea snobs but I actually think this is more flavorful and interesting than both the tuo chas I had earlier today. It will just be our little secret… ;-)

Thank you to Teavivre for providing this sample for me to try.

This is a very mild and mellow pu-erh so it is perfect for beginners. It doesn’t have much of a noticeable smell. Perhaps I am weird but this seems a little bit too sanitary for me. The wet leaves smell a bit like wet dirt. The predominant flavor I’m picking up here with the tea is chocolate. I steeped it for 3 minutes with boiling water. It is certainly pleasant enough and very low in acids/tannins which is just what I needed today. I am not dying to have more but I have enjoyed it.

My stomach still hurts this morning so I’m having a pu-erh which is supposedly known for its’ stomach soothing properties. This is one my boyfriend picked up in London. Rest assured it looks like most other mini touchas you have seen and it appears to be a shu.

I steeped this for around 3 minutes in the western style this morning. It is very dark, earthy and brothy now. I might try to do this one day with shorter infusions. It has a lot of camphor in it which makes me wonder. I hear often times it is put there artifically with shus. It does obscure the taste of the tea a bit for me. I am not a huge fan of the camphor.

Backlogging – This sounds like the exact same tea I got from Sereni tea so I am logging it here. Maybe they are using a common supplier?
http://sereni-tea.net/index.php/butter-truffle.html

In any event I agree this is a strange tea. It is kind of buttery but due to the cumin, corinader and pepper it actually comes off like an indian dessert. I did like the pistachio element here. I think I liked it a bit more than the other reviewers. It was okay but I’m not sure I’ll be craving anymore in the future. It was good with soy milk.