Red Blossom Tea Company

grrrr steepster. Imma drop kick you.

I’m not going to rate this one, because I really don’t drink enough white tea to know what they should or can be. As I poured this one I could smell steamed sugar snap peas. The wet leaves had a astringent smell that I really only usually associate with black teas. There is a unpleasant lemony note note mid-sip. As it cools down a bit, this improves. The aftertaste is a bit metallic, but not in the worst way… :-/

I let this sit for a couple of hours and then made a fourth infusion. Now the floral notes are dominating the aroma.

No notes yet.

1 second rinse with tea infusing temperature water
1 tablespoon for 375 ml

Nice smooth flavour. Molasses-like sweetness. Leathery hints in the background. Lingering sweetness, reminds me of a ginseng-type sweetness.

Second infusion at 2.5 minutes with near-boiling water.

Third infusion at 3.5 minutes with near-boiling water. A lot of flavour seems to be lost by the third infusion.

Thanks to Sil for sharing this with me!

I figured i’d better give this a shot since it’s out to at least Kittenna from the weekend and i haven’t even tried it yet. I can’t remember what prompted me to pick this one up when i was in sanfrancisco as i wasn’t even really sure about my tea preferences, but pick it, i did.

I must say that i guessed on the amount of tea to put in this one since i don’t have a scale (shush kittenna!). Whatever the case though, it’s turned out quite nice. This tea is unbelivably sweet, but not in an artificial way. It’s not a strong, bold black…instead there’s a fruity, breadiness? to the tea. There’s no bitterness. I’m not entirely sure how to describe this…in part because we’re having system issues at work again and i’m focused on that. I’m looking forward to a few additional steeps tonight when i get home though. I also really want to do this in a gaiwan when it comes because i think this will be a much more interesting experience that way.

This is another sample that came with an online purchase. The first time I tried this tea I also did not taste apples/applesauce the company’s website speaks of, but this time, on the second steeping I did. It was not the juicy tart flavor of fresh apples, but the flavor of peeled and cooked apples. Interesting! It has strong floral vegetal notes, none that I found unpleasant or too strong. A very nice tea.

I had this today over board games and tea time with the girls, though to be fair they did all the tea drinking. I’m still suffering from stupid tastebuds being wonky so i got to drink a whole lot of water, juice and everthing not tea! But i did get a cup of this in since chai seems to break through the tastebud haze. really looking forward to the tea that everyone shared! Thanks for the great time guys! (and delicious cookies raritea!)

No notes yet.

This is another delicious Wuyi tea from Red Blossom. I prepared this gongfu style using a porcelain gaiwan. I would love to do a side-by-side tasting against come of their other Wuyi cultivars to find out why people consider it to be so special, but I only had a small sample and decided to appreciate it on its own and not to try to analyze the experience.

My adorable dachshund grabbed this sample off of my shelf the other day, and I took it as a sign that it was time to try it. I drank this from a tea bowl, as the company’s website says it was first served to them that way. The first aromas I noted were artichokes and green apples. I could also taste artichoke strongly. There are floral notes that I can’t put my finger on too. This tea is lightly creamy, and when all of the broth is gone, the leaves smell sweetly tart like citric acid. Very enjoyable!

This tea was sent to me as a sample. Very nice!

I’m having this again after not for a long time.

It’s still not a huge favorite, but it is definitely true to its description and quite pleasant. Good for an occasional cup/pot but I won’t be buying any more after this package is gone.

As I said before… zingy, raisin, and honey. If you are an oolong fan, I’d definitely point you in this direction!

I haven’t had this tea in ages… everytime I see it, I feel sad since I got it as a Christmas present from the ex last year. It really is an excellent tea though.

I’m also in no hurry to drink it since it doesn’t go bad. I steeped some up today in the koi teapot I have.

http://sanfrantea.teatra.de/2012/08/13/new-yixing-koi-teapot/

I really have come to enjoy loose leaf pu-erhs. After 30 seconds, I am getting sensations of fruitiness, nuttiness, in addition to a touch of sweet cream on the finish. I did write an extensive note about it months ago, so you can read that if you’re interested.

This reminds me that I need to pay a visit to Red Blossom Tea soon!

A tasty wuyi – a beautiful roasted taste.

Backlog!

I had this tonight as well as mom wanted to try a new tea. I didn’t brew it properly but that’s ok because there will be plenty of tea and games tomorrow while we cook and spend time together! I’ve been having a lovely time with my parents so far. This is a pretty good tea, though not my favourite now that I’ve had a bunch more :)

This straw-colored brew has an intensely floral aroma with assertive honeysuckle notes and an underlying boxwood musk. The liquor is lightly sweet with a jarring alkaline finish—not soapy enough to be disagreeable but leaving me wishing it were less so.

This was my first Pu-erh. When I first acquired it, I was slightly overwhelmed by its earthy intensity. I drank it with curiosity but not with gusto. Six months later, I have returned to it with very pleasing results. It brews deep tawny and emits a pleasing fug of damp earth and leaves. The liquor is slightly smoky and surprisingly clean with a suggestion of mushroom. A hint of sweetness lingers on the back of the palate. This is an acquired taste that is well worth getting used to. I look forward to trying other fermented teas.

This tea lends itself well to numerous infusions; the sweetness fades, but the aroma of autumn leaves further develops. I increase the time by thirty seconds for each subsequent steeping.

WHOOOOOOWHEEEEE!!!! Good morning friday! So i’d totally forgotten about the smokiness to this tea when i picked it this morning. I let this steep a bit longer than i meant to and hello! smokey delicious chocolate matly goodness :)

thank god for friday!

I’ll be quick, since I’m writing this note from a sample (which I usually don’t do) but it’s been a while since a tea literally blew my mind (and taste buds).

I brewed this using the tea bowl style, I usually never do but this one was calling for it. Unique candy sweet taste, with a thick and full texture that fills your mouth and a long lingering sugary sweet aftertaste. I am honestly in awe of how good this tea is. It subtle yet intensely flavorful at the same time. First three infusions were definitely the best (I just refilled the bowl with more water after running out of tea).

This is perhaps the only time I’ll get to taste this since $60 for 2 oz is just way over my budget in tea, but i’ll remember this one for a long time.

earth, rain, dirt, wood, slight butterscotch marshmallow…

this is a wonderful tea, need to take more notes to get @ precise lurking sweetness

Sweet, nutty, garden & wild grass w/ lemon finish.

Holy sneezes and running nose this morning! I’m not sick but it’s almost like i’m allergic (probably to work). Finished a glorious weekend of working all weekend and now it’s back to the grind. Looking forward to getting back to the gym tonight though so that’s something. I picked this tea today because while it’s a nice chai – there’s a hint of citrus going on with it that vaguely reminds me of mulled spiced apple cider. I’m hoping this, with my morning smoothie will help jump start my day.

Mmmm so i had this one this morning. After the incident with the tea yesterday I’m not confident in my ability to handle an open mug of tea at work anymore. Soooo the teas i’m drinking now have to be acceptable in larger quantites so i can put them in my sealed travel mug lol

I enjoy this chai quite a bit – it’s a little different than my others without being overly spicey.

One of my favorites. I steep this many times over (learned this from Chaikhana, presently Hidden Peak Teahouse), and the sweetness resonates beautifully. It is a complex puerh that has earthen notes. Hailing from 1997, this tea really is Grand! It’s a high quality puerh. One that you feel may have transcendental affects…like float out your window on a cloud…a tea that makes you glad to be alive. Ok, ok, it’s my favorite. I accept that now.