Hide

Welcome to Steepster, an online tea community.

Write a tea journal, see what others are drinking and get recommendations from people you trust. or Learn More

7 Tasting Notes

2010 Winter Ali Shan High Mountain Oolong - 1,500m Elev. from Norbu Tea
94

I prepared this wonderful oolong “gong fu cha” style. Its taste is soothingly mellow and bittersweet floral, and the really standout quality is the lingering sweet spice aftertaste. The “hui gan” is long lasting. On the fourth steep, the overtones became less pronounced but the sweet finish remained clear.

Dan Cong Hong Cha - 2011 Spring Guangdong Black Tea from Norbu Tea
98

This tea is delicious and smooth. It possesses the honey orchid & woody flavors of (Norbu Tea’s) Mi Lan Dan Cong (it’s the same varietal) without the more bitter components, and also with a lighter astringency. Calling the mouthfeel oily hits the mark. This is an extremely pleasant tea to drink.

Ruby Black Tea - 2010 Winter Taiwan Black Tea from Norbu Tea
96

This tea is exceptionally fruity and sweet, and these flavors are not very subtle but are rather immediately apparent. The leaves are also quite large, beautiful, and twisted. The finish is pleasingly astringent. I hope this tea is available for a long time!

Jade Dragon - 2011 Spring Yunnan Green Tea from Norbu Tea
96

This tea has a very nice aroma. The initial taste is something like toast, then some grass flavors, and a very satisfying sweet finish that lingers for a long time. I tried it gong fu style initially, but I enjoy this tea more ‘western style.’ The first and second steeps (165ish degrees, 3 min) were both wonderful. I’m on the third steep, and the toasty overtones are less pronounced, but the lingering aftertaste is still very present. Definitely a great value!

Jade Oolong from Rishi Tea
Purple Bamboo from Rishi Tea
100

This tea is wonderful. Very complex. I honestly can’t describe all the subtleties and flavors going, but there is a lot of goodness going on. This tea can do lots of steeps. I’m going to keep drinking this one and refine my understanding of the tastes for a while.

Golden Assam from Rishi Tea
83

I originally tried brewing this tea just under five minutes (following Rishi’s suggestions), but it was too astringent and a bit bitter. After reading some about assam teas, I now steep it just under 3 minutes, and it brews strong, has a sweetness to it (raisin/date), and an acceptable amount of astringency. I enjoy this tea a great deal.

Profile

Location

Florida