Nature's Tea Leaf

Last Sunday we had a silent auction at church. There was a tea for one set that I came home with for $5. So for my second cup of Silver Needle, I used the cute little cream colored tea pot to steep. I never use a tea pot and now I know why. It worked fine but I would need to get a tiny strainer from the kitchen to keep leaf out of my cup. I am not so inclined. I’ll probably just move the pot to the living room for tea bag use or more likely put it on a shelf as decoration.

The tea turned out fine. Much like the first cup. I just prefer my French press, besides I like to watch the leaf dance.

Soap box ahead and not tea related – I am sitting in my den surrounded by pictures of my wife and kids – two sons now grown. I sit here today reflecting on the joy and the beauty that surrounded me over the years and realizing how I did not fully appreciate the moments. I was so wrapped up in trying to get ahead and trying to please the boss who never shared the same loyalty and respect. As a laid off old fart I’m begging you, don’t waste the years trying to please your boss or be too devoted to your job in general, if it is keeping from fully enjoying the moment – start looking for something that will. I have 2/5ths the income I had a year ago, no insurance, and I am 100 times happier away from the rat race. I just wish I had my sons to raise over. I would be there more for them now. I am sure some of you older folks know exactly what I mean.

3:00 pm and my first cup of tea. sigh. Better than yesterday but not by much. Tomorrow is already set to be another busy one.

I used two heaping wooden spoons of leaf and let it steep the recommended 4 minutes. I am used to very subtle white teas. This is a little more pronounced though still light. Does that make sense? The main flavor I am getting is oats. There is also a peppery element. As it cools I get a fruity aspect along with a touch of earthy.

A nice afternoon cup.

This is a much needed cup of peace. I love white tea and this is a good one. Sweet, creamy, wonderfully fresh flavor.

The doctor at the disability exam was very nice and kept asking questions to bring things to my mind so he could write it down. After I answered his first question he said, well that pretty well explains it all. Then he added he would do what he could to fight the bureaucracy (his word not mine this time). We were three fourths of the way home when they called and said they just noticed I was supposed to have a pulmonology exam. I had to turn around and go back. Long day. I hurt all over now and am worn out. I am fully convinced the decision makers at the state level will deny my claim. Our state has one of the worst records in the nation. I will get it when it goes to the federal level but that may take a very long time and only the lawyer will make money off it.

The cup has really cooled off and is lightly peppery now. So good.

I had a horrible case of the dizzies yesterday due to an inner ear thing. Went to the clinic, got drugs. Feeling better so its time for tea!

The one ounce sample was provided by Nature’s Leaf Tea. The pouch is stuffed with beautiful white and grayish-green leaf. Not only does it smell so fresh and amazing but it also is the softest silver needle leaf I have encountered. I love silver needle. I am looking forward to this cup and trying not to get my expectations too high.

I used my wooden scoop to gather a generous portion of lovely leaf and placed it in my press with 12oz of water heated to a cool 175F. I steeped for about 2 1/2 minutes. The instructions say 4-5. This brewed up to the lightest of tinted liquors. The wet leaf still has a lot of white down in it. The smell of the leaf makes me think of a field of grain, maybe alfalfa.

The sip is a light refreshing white tea with a lingering fresh aftertaste. This is a nice complex cup, much more so than a white peony. I find it most refreshing when it reaches room temperature. It is kind earthy, a little fruity with some oats thrown in for good measure.

Next I added a little leaf and a little time to see how that would affect the taste.

While the second cup is steeping, I want to comment again on the aroma of the leaf in the drained press. The whole time I was sipping, this wonderful scent was rolling out of the press and keeping me distracted. Wow, this is fresh.

Ok, adding more leaf and time makes for a darker and bolder cup. It does not bring out any new flavors. I like my white tea to be delicate, so for me the shorter steep is the correct one. Either way this is a very nice silver needle. I had three mugs and was still going strong.

I decided to cold steep this Iron Buddha Oolong.

A few hours in, I sampled the cold steep and it taste kinda seaweedy. I got distracted with weight lifting and crocheting stuff. Could hours later, I’m finally having this cold steep. IBO has this strong veg bite to it while going towards a slight bitter taste. I’m getting a lemongrass taste which is really refreshing. Actually, this kind of tastes like the skin of a roasted green pepper!

hmmm, I think I like this cold steeped more, but maybe I’ll go lighter on the leaves next time.

Another TY to Nature’s Tea Leaf for a sample of this tea!

DRY: tight chunky lumps of oolong, smells grassy and kinda sweet.
STEEPED: Golden tea, smells floraly veg.

TASTE: light floral sweetness sweeps through, kinda buttery, naturally slightly sweet and a veggie bite. Full of flavor, no bitterness of astringency. I could sense if this was oversteeped astringency would peek through.

COMMENTS: Not bad, I am enjoying the full flavor of this oolong. OIBO is a good earthy veggie oolong. I feel kinda picky, but I prefer my oolongs a little sweeter or more floral, so this doesn’t wow me, but still a decent cup of tea.

I can’t believe I’m saying this, being a Canadian in all, I’M FREEZING in Southern California! Maybe its we dont’ have the heater on.. I didn’t think we need it! Of course, back home it’s like – 3c and snowed.

Having this for breakfast – not bad black tea. Still wanted more sweet or floral for it to be more to my liking, but still a solid black tea.

TY Nature’s Tea Leaf for a sample of this!

DRY: Black tea – almost rosy floral smell with light raisin. (me and smelling raisins in black tea).

STEEPED: Woodsy brown tea, smells slightly raisiny again. I forgot to set my timer, so I think I steeped this for 2.5 minutes to 3.5 minutes.

TASTE: Earthy black tea, with smokey taste up front. Little bit of cocoa malt taste. Small hit of raisiny taste. No bitterness or astringency.

COMMENTS: The smokey malt flavor is interesting, however I think I prefer a sweeter more floral black tea. Still a good cup!

Thanks Nature’s Tea Leaf for such a generous sample!

I steeped this a bit hotter than the recommended time (since that’s what my zojirushi was set to for today). I used to not be such a fan of silver needle — I remember the first time I tried it I felt kind of guilty that I didn’t see what the fuss was all about, but lately I’ve done a 180 on that. I love how it can be vegetal and sweet, full-bodied and light, and stand up to my mildly abusive work-steeping habits.

Fresh and flavorful :)

So I am cheating a little bit because the next teas in my stash are a bunch of matchas, but I drink almost all of my tea at work except for matcha, so tasting through them is going to have to wait for the weekend or something. For now I am skipping over them.

I have given samples of this tea to a lot of people, but I rarely drink it myself. It’s not a bad tea, but like it’s name it’s a little generic, and there are other congou (gongfu) black teas from Fujian that I prefer. That said, I brewed it a little rougher today, and it’s got a lot more character. More grains, more molasses, more overall tastiness. I don’t have a ton of this left but I will have to remember to brew it this way with what I have left.

Last night I had a beer that was called “golden monkey,” which made me want a golden monkey tea this morning. Unfortunately, I have not a lick of golden monkey in my stash, so a somewhat generic “Fujian congou” will have to do.

This is a solid Fujian black tea, and could possibly be a good everyday tea (if you’re into having the same tea every day; I am not). It’s very malty and grainy, slightly honeyed, with a touch of raisin to it and a hint of cocoa. Very pleasant and a nice morning tea.

First of all I have to say thanks to Nature’s Leaf Teas for sending me these samples to review. I was also very impressed by the packaging of the samples—resealable, heavy plastic zip-top pouches with the brew instructions printed on them—and also the amount, a generous 1oz. I look forward to trying them all but today I had to jump right in with this one. I have a relatively newly-discovered love of fujian black teas, so I am excited to try this one.

The dry leaf has a nice look, pretty long with a few lighter colored leaves throughout, though not as long and spindly as some that I’ve seen. It smells grainy and alfalfa-y, which is what I would pretty much expect. Steeped, more chocolatey, molassesy aromas start coming out. The flavor is pleasant, a bit of cocoa powder, a bit of grain. When it was still a bit too hot for me to drink there was a hint of sweetness that made me think that the honey notes would grow, but alas, it seems to have faded as it cooled. I am thinking next time I will monkey with the steep parameters, but even so this is a tasty fujian and I’m glad I got the chance to try it. Thanks again!

2nd cup. This time with a salad of fresh greens, banana peppers, muenster, and chipotle dressing. Tea was a wonderfully cooling creamy accompaniment.

I’ve had this before and by the score, I really liked it. This morning I had it with a toasted bagel and cream cheese. Not the best combination. Really sucked the life out of the cup. Lesson learned.

I started to put together a blog post on this tea and thought I had lost my notes. So had to steep it up again today :) Of course as soon as I got the leaf wet I found the notes. Oh well. As I sipped the first cup I thought I would cold brew the second. I added a mug of water to the press and set it aside. It only needed to set an hour or so. It made a very nice cup. I could get used to this cold brewing stuff.

Dragon Pearls – the Sara Lee of teas. Who doesn’t like Dragon Pearls? As amazing as they are to watch once they unfurl, the leaf is large and fluffy. Dry this smelled a bit minty to me and it did leave a nice cooling sensation on the breath. There is no bitterness, no astringency. This is simply natural flavored Chinese green tea. It is very clean and fresh with a lingering sweet aftertaste. A very good cup. Actually, four very good mugs.

Nooooooooooo! I wrote out a nice, really long tasting note, and ended up with the “oops” screen the first time… ugh. :P

This is a nice light oxidation oolong at a pretty affordable price. I brewed it gong fu style and got nine steeps out of it. My oolong notes tend to be pretty long, so brace yourselves!

Dry leaves: The dry leaves are tightly folded and have a more linear shape than ti guan yin. The smell is nice and roasty.

Brewing: This tea brews up to a nice, light golden color. It has a strong honey aroma that evolves over the steeping process. The smell begins like fresh trimmed bushes, develops a more floral note, and slowly fades to warm honey.

1st: The first steep was very fresh and grassy with notes of nutmeg and lemongrass. It has a strong natural sweetness and moderate astringency.

2nd and 3rd: During the second and third steeps, the grassyness and astringency mellowed and were replaced by the warm, floral flavor of honeysuckle.

4th and 5th: In the fourth and fifth steeps, the former flavors were joined by fruity black currant notes. The flavor continued to grow smoother.

6th to 8th: Over the sixth, seventh, and eight steeps, the flavors continued to mellow and the honey flavor was greatly increased. The flavor was milky smooth.

9th: On the ninth steep, the flavors and smoothness began to fade, so this was the last, though it probably could have gone one more. Honestly, at this point I’d had more than my fix of tea. haha :)

This was a nice, grassy oolong that felt to me like a cross between ti guan yin, milk oolong, and a Japanese green. Once unfolded, the leaves were very large, some up to three inches. I definitely plan on ordering some of this when the sample runs out :)

Thank you to Nature’s Tea Leaf for the generous sample.

Like other reviewers, I just assumed this had jasmine in it, but when I looked closer I saw that it didn’t. Very neat.

Tea pearls are always so much fun to watch and these were no exception. Even for the 1 minute steeping I did, they unfurled ever so slightly and so beautifully. Very entertaining. 

The initial taste was very light. The package said 1 teaspoon, which I did, but I looked online and it says 2 teaspoons, which makes more sense. So, for my second infusion I brewed 4 oz instead of 8.

The tea has a nice smooth taste and it’s not too vegetal like some other greens. Maybe I’m crazy but I do detect hints of jasmine. This tea does get some astrigency if steeped for too long.

Overall a smooth green tea, especially for those that are turned off by more grassy greens.

First I want to thank natures tea leaf for the sample!!!

Dry leaf: The dry tea leaves are really pretty. They are tightly rolled and filled with light and dark greens. They have a very sweet yet vegetal flavor. They remind me of dark green vegetables mixed with celery and rock sugar.

Wet leaf: The wet leaf is deeeeelicious. It smells so fantastically sweet. It still has dark green vegetal smells but no more celery note. I can still smell something that reminds me of a rock salt. The leaves expand to be very large and full.

Taste: This is a really good tea. It has a nice, sweet, and light taste. It has a lettuce like vegetal taste, but it also has a nice sweetness. It is a lot sweeter than most oolongs I have tried and not nearly as vegetal. I really enjoy this tea and will definitely be ordering more

Used the last of this today. Sad to see it go but not just yet. There are a couple cups in these leaves and I will savor every moment with them. This is my favorite from Nature’s Tea Leaf and one of my favorites from anywhere. Cocoa, grain, a little malt. Just simply sweet and delicious.

I got up and stumbled to the den in an early morning grrrr. Tea, must have Fujian Congou tea! Where is it? Look again. Nooooo! One more time. Dig deep. It has to be here (panic). Ooooh, glorious morning! I knew I had some of this left.

The ratings are a bit scattered, but I guess it depends on how you feel about Fujian black tea. This is really a good solid one. Molasses, caramel, malt, hints of yam, cocoa, even a wisp of roastiness. This just hits all my buttons.

I’m off to attempt to register for a fall course in 3D CAD modeling. I got permission from the Prof. to skip the prerequisites based on past experience. I am a little nervous health-wise but also looking forward to learning something new.

A front passed through over night. By the looks of it on radar it probably hit most of you in the US from the plains to the east coast. The temperatures dropped back to early March levels along with a lot of rain. My head is about to explode today. Aaaack!

I needed something comforting with enough heft behind it to overcome the pounding. Excellent choice. Grain and malt, honey and cocoa, throw in some molasses for good measure, and you have this tea. This is an amazing black tea that is staple worthy.

I have been avoiding my premium stuff for several days. My taster is probably still on the fritz but I don’t care. I need good tea! I have a couple from The Persimmon Tree I really need to get reviewed but lets see how this goes first… I don’t think I have my full range back. I think I still taste orange from my morning tea and I brushed my teeth in between. Boogers! What I AM tasting of this cup is dark rich burnt cocoa. As first, really concentrating, I can picked out a woodsy taste. After catching it I don’t have to think so hard to taste it. From memory I know how wonderful this is but today it is a bit muted. Stupid allergies. I am really missing the subtle notes. Maybe I need to switch to Silver Needle until I can catch some cucumber and melon notes in it or just pick up a box of cheap orange bagged tea and ride it out. sigh.