Joseph Wesley Black Tea

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drank Darjeeling by Joseph Wesley Black Tea
2170 tasting notes

I’m trying this Darjeeling again for National Pinot Noir Day after completely botching the cup a couple of weeks ago. Before, it was so incredibly bitter and cloudy. Today, it’s absolutely bright and floral and fruity!

Flavors: Floral, Fruity

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 5 min, 0 sec 1 tsp 6 OZ / 177 ML

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drank Darjeeling by Joseph Wesley Black Tea
2170 tasting notes

Oh goodness, this was awful! I’m not sure what I did, maybe (probably) overleafed, but the liquid came out cloudy and had this strange bitter taste. It wasn’t even the bitterness that threw me off, it wasn’t that bad honestly, but it was something about the flavor. Maybe this one’s gone bad, but my other Joseph Wesley teas seem to be holding up well. I’m not really a huge fan of Darjeeling anyway, but this was a different kind of yuck.

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 5 min, 0 sec 2 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML

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drank Darjeeling by Joseph Wesley Black Tea
2170 tasting notes

No notes yet. Add one?

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 5 min, 0 sec 1 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML

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87

I’ve been hoarding this tea along with many others. I guess that is what happens when you are in the “must try all the teas” mode and you obtain a large swath of tea. But I’ve also been hoarding this tea because it is delicious.

Though I may have found another reason. I think Joseph Wesley tea is no longer a thing? Which is sad because I always really enjoyed everything I’ve bought from there. Can anyone else confirm that this is the case?

Either way, even a few years old, this white tea is subtle, slightly fruit on the upsip (which might be a word I just invented?) with a hay like note, and immensely drinkable.

Flavors: Fruity, Hay

Preparation
190 °F / 87 °C 3 min, 0 sec 2 tsp 12 OZ / 354 ML
Kittenna

Upsip. I like it.

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87

I purchased this tea as a part of my second order with Joseph Wesley Teas. In each order, I have tried some of the “special edition” offerings that are around for a limited time. And both times I have been very pleased.

In fact, I think that this changing/rotating specialty teas are really some hidden gems and help make this particular tea supplier stand out. That is not to say the regular teas he offers aren’t good. They are and very solid at that.

This tea stood out for the crisp clearness of the flavors imparted by the leaf. A subtle hay and fruity sweetness. The leaves themselves are vibrant in green and silvery white and carry a mild floral scent but not in a perfumed way. Very natural and earthy. Really nice example of this style of tea.

Preparation
185 °F / 85 °C 0 min, 30 sec 4 g 3 OZ / 100 ML

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Damn, the chocolate notes and fig are coming nicely. This is a sad goodbye, and one in which I’m dangerously high on caffeine. I am having such a huge euphoria right now. I need to keep in mind to use less leaves if I ever drink this again ‘cause hot damn it’s smooth.

This is why it is so highly rated. I was happy with it before, but now I deeply enjoy it. The chocolate notes are super rich even into the later steeps. Sorry, tea snob vocab. IT IS A SMOOTH TEA THAT IS CREAMY AND ROASTY. I am so lucky to have another tea that is very close to this one ’cause damn I would be desperate if I did not have some. Talk about getting a quick fix. #caffeineaddictproblems.

Evol Ving Ness

:)

What’s the other tea?

ashmanra

Ditto: what is the other? My two favorite toasty smooth cocoa teas are sold out or discontinued!

Daylon R Thomas

It’s What-cha’s China Yunnan Pure Bud Golden Snail Black Tea. That one is maltier while this one is chocolatier, but they got some similar characteristics. They have the same type of sweet-potato chocolate note along with a slight smokiness, but that one is better brewed western whereas this is better Gong Fu.

Super Starling!

If you didn’t use tea vocab, how would newbs learn it? Keep snobbing!

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Man, hawkband1, you are helping me get through my wish list. I really can’t thank you enough. :)

This one was a lot like a Jin Jun Mei. It was a very leathery and smooth black tea with a distinctive sweet potato taste. I got some cocoa notes, but they were not as strong as the buttery sweet potato ones were. Very bready, too, like rye. I definitely enjoyed this tea and got six steeps gong fu starting off with 20, going on from 15 to five minutes at the end in largely increasing increments.

I was surprised that I did not get the vivid notes that are on here. Marzipan? Interesting. At the same time, I did write leather lol. Caramel I also get. I recommend this tea to for someone newly trying it and for Chinese black tea lovers. The leaf size is also great because they are medium, so they’d be easier for tumblers, metal tea balls, or disposable tea bags. The price for the tea is also not too bad considering the quality, though there are some I admit that I’d prefer.

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It’s so awesome to have a roommate open to trying tea…and listening to my lecturing about terroir. I got him to try a Bao Zhong and he really liked it. This was all the while we were watching Legend of Kora. He wanted to get through the series since he was a huge fan of the original Avatar. I liked the original more of course, but I warned him that Kora could have been better if the execution of its ideas were better. It infused so many political ideas central to East Asian “modern” history and had interesting dialogues about spirituality and industrialism, but they were not developed to their full potential. The true Iro, Andrew, had to listen to me rant about this on Facebook lol.

So with my roommate’s liking of the Bao Zhong, I used this tea to push him a little further in the world of oolongs. He liked it, but was satisfied with one cup. Fortunately I brewed the remaining leaves even better bringing out a little bit more of the honey floral notes. I saved the rest for this morning and put it in the fridge – which I should not have done to preserve flavor consistency- but the cup certainly was not bad for the sleepy morning. I’m at least alert enough now for a few push ups before the full morning workout. Arms, chest , or legs with a pinched nerve….hmm…

Evol Ving Ness

It’s so awesome to have a roommate open to trying tea…and listening to my lecturing about terroir.

omigosh, does he know what exactly he is agreeing to? :)

Daylon R Thomas

He has a pretty good idea. He’s seen my collection. I get tea to share so he’ll mooch off of me lol. He has more self restraint than the average American and is more strict with his caffeine than the usual business or finance major. He prefer’s fruity herbals for the most part, but the fruitiness would sell him to the oolong. He is well aware of my own problem with it, however, and I think he’ll just consider trying oolong with a roommate as another part of his college education.

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Thank you so much hawkband1! I’ve always wanted to try Joseph Wesley, but I’ve never had the courage to buy from them. And I agree with you on this one. It was very oily for an oolong. The dry leaf reminded me of a tropical candle. I did a western brew of half the package for the first time losing track of the minutes. It turned out pretty nice, emphasis on the green and florals. Buttery and thick with a little bit of sweetness like a honey or cinnamon sugar butter. Surprisingly crisp both in the first steep and later steeps. Very grassy, but very refreshing. Light color, heavy body. Nice sweetness on the roof of my mouth even after drinking. Yielded five solid brews western. The last one had a distinct vanilla and grassy taste.

Again, thank you so much!

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73

Sipdown. Backlog
This tea suffered from being open to air for a while.
190F, gaiwan
lilac, floral
I don’t think I drank that many steeps of this.

Flavors: Floral

Daylon R Thomas

I wonder if it’s gone the wayside with age. I loved it when I had the sample you gave.

hawkband1

I think so. My previous tasting note (& yours!) were so different.

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73

Backlog. floral, rolled oolong
7.1g, 100ml gaiwan, 190F
floral, slightly buttery, thick, oily, green
Benefits from slightly longer steeps 30s to 1 min.

Flavors: Butter, Floral, Green, Thick

Daylon R Thomas

A part of me kinda wanted to try it. Oh well.

hawkband1

This is one of their Limited edition teas. Curse my disorganization. Let me look for it. If I can find the package, I can send you some if you want.

Daylon R Thomas

Wow, really?! You don’t have to unless you want to get rid of it. I’d love some, thank you.

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Backlog. Sipdown.

I had a uneven session with this tea. I started with half the sample 5g in 100ml gaiwan and 200F water. Dry leaf smells malty and bready.
10s-fruity, little too light in body/taste
I decided to add the rest of my sample. I knew that I had probably overleafed at this point, but I didn’t want 3g floating around. Probably could have tried it westren, but I thought why not?
10s- fruity, now fuller bodied, bit tannic (the overleafing)
10s- dark fruit, strong
I ended up getting another 10 steeps out of it before stopping. It was almost too strong at 10g. 7g was probably the sweet spot.
I wouldn’t get this again. Have to leaf pretty heavy otherwise it’s thin.

Flavors: Bread, Fruity, Malt, Tannic

Preparation
10 g 3 OZ / 100 ML

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I gongfu steeped this and got this Dian Hong to produce some excellent sweet apricot, malt, molasses, and mineral flavors. The flavor is full force (though I did ratio on the high side), and got a nice silky texture. A little bit of astringency at the final 9th steep, but no bitterness.

Full review on Oolong Owl http://oolongowl.com/04-dian-hong-congfu-joseph-wesley-black-tea-tea-review/

Preparation
1 g 0 OZ / 13 ML

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96

YUM!

I haven’t had this tea in a while. It’s so tasty. Incredible aroma and taste.

I also haven’t written a review in basically a year. Ouch. It’s been a while. Sorry!!! (in my head, this was said with a Canadian accent.)

This tea is a little old, but I can’t tell as I’m drinking it. Just the right balance of malty in this one. I’m glad I broke it out this afternoon. It’s been a long time.

Preparation
175 °F / 79 °C 0 min, 30 sec 5 g 3 OZ / 80 ML

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86

I cold brewed this the other day. SO GOOD! A ratings bump is in order. I wish I’d known this over the summer. Even though it means forgoing multiple infusions, I say its worthwhile, for me. It all comes out at once. Syrupy molasses, with a lemon edge, but more intense than usual.
The only thing I dislike about cold brews is that the chill really sets in to the liquid. I’ve never been a fan of super cold drinks, even in summer. Yeah, a cold beverage is refreshing and nice, but I don’t want my throat frozen either. It isn’t a pleasant sensation. A lot of people I know feel differently, so to each their own!
Oh. and rating bump! just a tad

Fjellrev

Maybe try to let it sit for a while before drinking it so it won’t be too cold?

Indigobloom

I’ve done that, but I usually miss the sweet spot where its just perfect. And it takes a long time, longer than I expected it to. An hour should be enough, right? I wish it was haha

Fjellrev

Aww, that sucks. You’d think an hour would be enough! I wonder what microwaving would do to it?

Fjellrev

It makes me think of a former roommate of mine who disliked ice cream straight out of the freezer because it was too cold and solid, so she’d microwave it for like twenty seconds to soften it up a bit.

Indigobloom

I’m hesitant to microwave, as it has a few food smells (we’ve done everything to clean it… baking soda, vinegar etc and there are still residual smells).
I’ve been thinking maybe a mug warmer might work. I might ask for that as a bday gift or something, as it isn’t something I really “need” haha.
Or I could wrap a warm towel around it? Hmmm.

Fjellrev

A mug warmer/sleeve/towel may be the answer!

Indigobloom

Food (or tea?) for thought!! I need to experiment :)

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86

GAHHHHH!! I had a note all typed up and it disappeared. So I’ll make this quick as I need to sleep:
Mulled molasses. Aftertastes of lemon molasses candy.
Five steeps, but not much variation between them. Last and first were my faves.

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82

Almost to the end of this tea. Probably about two sessions left. I picked this one out because it has been dreary and rainy for the last 5 days. A covenant has been broken. A new ark needs to be built. But a slightly smoky black tea is just what the doctor ordered for a rainy fall day.

I do have to say though that this is enjoyable because it is such a lightly smoked Lapsang. I mean, honestly, if someone brewed this for me and didn’t tell me what it was, I wouldn’t guess Lapsang. It mainly tastes like an earthy black tea. A delicious one at that. I had ordered two other teas (3 in total for those counting along at home) from Joseph Wesley and they all have been fantastic.

Flavors: Earth, Malt

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 2 min, 30 sec 6 g 16 OZ / 473 ML

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This smells much better to me once steeped and brewed. The dry leaf smelled so overwhelmingly of tobacco (or rather, stale cigarettes) that it was a little off-putting. It wasn’t a good smoky smell either, just the smell of the tobacco itself. Usually I enjoy the tobacco aroma in teas, but not so much this time. It’s much tamer after steeping and I"m enjoyed the flavor, which has a slight chocolate note.

Flavors: Chocolate, Tobacco

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 5 min, 0 sec 1 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML

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Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 5 min, 30 sec 1 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML

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70

2nd sample from my order. I must say I tried to like it. Drank it several times, varying time, temperature and leaf.
Fruit, malt, thin body. Taste is front loaded. Tannic and astringent.

I like some assams. This isn’t one of them. 70

Flavors: Astringent, Fruity, Malt, Tannic

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77

Sipdown. 100ml gaiwan, 212F
Chocolate, fruity, and malt. Medium body. This tea is better westren as longer steeps bring out better more well rounded flavor. Good daily drinker. I’d consider getting more for mornings.

Flavors: Chocolate, Fruity, Malt

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77

Dry- sweet hay, malt
3g, 8oz, 208F, 2min
Taste – malt, chocolate, smooth and thick. 2nd steep very similarly tasting. Chocolate less strong than some other teas. Solid tea, good but not great. I’ll finish off my sample. 82

Flavors: Chocolate, Hay, Malt, Smooth, Sweet, Thick

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83

B is for… Bai Lin Congfu.

I rated this really highly last time I had it, but I can’t say I would give it the same rating today. I’m leaving my previous rating, because I’m sure it has something to do with the age of the sample, but I have to say that I didn’t enjoy this one as much today as I expected to. It tastes like dark chocolate but the flavor has faded over time. I’m guessing Joseph Wesley is no longer open, so I won’t be getting more of this one. I’ve enjoyed it though, so I’m glad I got to try it when I had the chance.

Flavors: Dark Chocolate

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 7 min, 0 sec 2 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML

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83

I finished up an overdue tea cabinet re-org a week or two ago, and in doing so came across several teas that had gotten shuffled to the back of the cabinet. Several of my Joseph Wesley teas were in the mix. This one has a lovely aroma – my favorite for a black tea – sweet, dark chocolate. This didn’t translate as well into the cup of tea after steeping, but there was a nice malty flavor I still enjoyed. Not as incredibly delicious as their Classic Chinese, but still a satisfying cup.

Side note – I really hope Joseph Wesley isn’t gone forever! Their teas are so good!

Flavors: Chocolate, Malt

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 7 min, 0 sec 1 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML

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