This tea makes me want to nap. it’s warm and soothing. love puer and having that little sweetness from the flowers makes a an herbal cherry to my tea sundae.
106 Tasting Notes
oh hello, Ya Bao, haven’t seen you in a while. these fluffy pine cone-like (tea?) leaves are remarkable. you can’t really brew this tea wrong. brew it cold, boiling, 80, it has slightly different flavoristics for each brew but it’s still close to that initial pineyness. it can be re infused many times as well. maybe it’s a puer? maybe it’s a white, maybe it’s just its own varietal. not sure, but i think it’s quite special.
This stuff is gold right now. this tea shines in your cup like no other. the dry leaves give off an aroma of a fall wind. when the leaves are put into my warm gaiwan, the smell is like a light roasted pinecone. as i take my first sip I am overcome with the sweet taste of fresh snowfall and a strong bouquet of mountain air. while the tea has some delicate tendencies like a fresh first flush darjeeling, I find the Kuwapani has a more nutty undertone and maybe even a slight butterscotch sprinkle on top. Perfect for pre-hibernation tea.
Dragon Eyes! these little balls are deceivingly sweet. as they unfurl in your cup the flavor broadens to almost a Dian Lu Eshan tyoe of smokiness. light, and refreshing even at it’s strongest infusion.
once again Jin Zhen has taken a journey in my gaiwan! the hairy tips are golden, the smells is like a caramel cake and the flavor is like a walnut muffin with a hint of brown sugar. a special tea that i’m glad is around for the long haul
a light golden color fills my cup as an aroma similar to trimmed hedges and roasted marshmallows. the flavor is a smooth, dried apricot with a little cherry tomato. the flavor doesn’t peak or drop off, it starts then lingers until you take the next sip. Thanks Lauren!
rather than using a CTC, I used Qi Hong, thus making a “Qai”. th chocolateyness of the tea makes this chai quite rich. a nice pick me up and lovely flavor!
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It’s a classic Dobra drink , one of the most ordered for sure. it can be really good and sweet in the summer. it’s a fun drink but not the best thing if you’re looking for tea.
Coming from a region known primarily for it’s dark Blacks and Puers, this green is quite unique. it has a strong, but delicate aroma and flavor, nutty, smoky, even a bit of parmesan in there. Even after 3-4 infusions, the tea maintains its integrity and keeps you going strong all day. the “euphoric effect” is that special “tea high” that serious tea drinkers know about. it’s also the sign of a really good tea. basically it means that the tea is so good that it will take you to another place inside your brain. forget about your troubles with a few cups of Dian Lu!
Most of the time when brewing black tea for myself at home, I tend to use my zhong and take as many infusions as I can get. I decided to just make a pot of this for two reasons. 1 being I didn’t have the time to sit around and steep all morning. 2 being I recently had a done multiple infusions with Qi Hong and the flavor died off really quickly after the first cup. So here’s the deal, this tea is very chocolaty. like a dark chocolate bar aromatizing your cup and the air around it. while not as dark as Dian Hong, this is dark enough for most and a nice tea for the afternoon or with a light snack or after a big meal.
The large leaves yield a surprisingly light but rich flavor. quite buttery but not sweet. somewhere between a baked potato, corn on the cob and maybe even a yorgurty complex
after watching the leaves dance in my cup, I took my first sip to discover a slightly vegetal taste at first, followed by a buttery flavor. as I await the second Infusion, the aroma of the tea lingers in the air.
I love puer and it blends pretty well with lots of things. I know there are many people that don’t like “tainting” their puer with flowers and whatnot. I am not opposed to it, especially with loose puerh cha. I think of it as the CTC of the puer world. The chrysanthemum adds a little florality to the tea without changing the power and flavor of the puer. I wouldn’t sit around all day infusing this 20 times, I would just make a pot and sip with a smallish cup.
the aroma is almost a warm cherry and cinnamon. like an early fall campfire, this tea warms the senses to prepare for the colder months. when winter does get here, Adam’s peak will surely lend a hand in keeping me warm.
this intoxicating aroma is reminiscent of steam coming off an old oak tree in a summer morning sun. very dark, not as dry as i would expect. I might prefer the ’68 but only slightly
5 mountains 2 pools. this light but memorable tea will stick with me for a while. one reason is that I kept forgetting the name while doing a taste test. I remembered the nickname but not Mao Jian. another reason I will remember is because it is delicious. not quite up to my dian lu standards but still pretty damn good
Quite a strange tea this is. the leaves are broad (it is made from assamica leaves) the color of the tea for the first infusion was almost a limeamber. the first taste was reminiscent of cheerios (just plain ones) flavor was subtle but lingered creating a fuller body overall. not bad, I’ll have to get some more and have it gong fu and see if I can take her 6-7 infusions deep.
I bought this at the asian market for three reasons. 1, it was cheap, 2, I needed more tea tins, and 3, I was curious of the quality of the tea these little asian markets carry.
this tea certainly isn’t bad, it’s actually far better than I would expect from a any place whose purpose isn’t solely dedicated to tea sales. the quality of the rolled leaves is uniform and the color is pretty consistent. the major flaws I’ve seen in my various infusions are finding a few stems and a slight chemically processed odor that I can’t tell if it’s actuall in the leaf processing or the container or the proximity to other weird asian market smells that permeates everything. the smell seemed to go away after rinsing.
While not as good as other Tung Tings I’ve had, not a bad tea to have lying around to brew for people and when you’re indecisive about what you want to drink.
The price is worth it just for the
I was experimenting again and followed the granita recipe in The New Tea Book. basically, make a pot of tea, sweeten it for a desserty flavored treat, freeze it, but check on it every once in a while so that it doesn’t just make a big ice tea block. use a fork or spork to break up the crystals so you have a nice shaved ice treat. I used the best syrup from my sisters farm and it came out marvelously. more experiments to come!
Fine leaves, more delicate than other Sencha. Rich flavor reminiscent of Yamacha, iced version tasting close to Aracha. Yum!
I haven’t had this in a loooong time, don’t know why, maybe because most of my friends didn’t like it and I often go to tea with them. I should get it more frequently though as it has always been one of my favorites. make sure you brew in a vessel that allows the rice to be poured into the cup so you can eat the tea-infused rice!
Wow! I have re-awakened my taste for Chinese blacks. Might have to get this again real soon!
Unlike any tea I’ve ever tasted. Not sure how to describe it, but it is quite delicious.
