Steepster

I’m not into this at all. I should have read the tasting notes for this first, because I brewed this being relatively certain that I would like it. I don’t like smokey and I don’t like sour in my black teas, and those are the strongest flavors in this. Second cup I am dumping in a row. :-( If someone wants my other sample of this, message me!

This is a really nice oolong. Just my style. It has a roasted, nut flavor with hints of coffee. I really enjoyed this selection from my steepster select box!

I’ve noticed in my travels I prefer Chinese green tea to Japanese, but I still love that rich green flavour that shade grown teas have. That said this tea does not disappoint in that area. The aroma is fresh with a decidedly bright liquor, and that prominent vegetal taste of a Japanese tea. That said, it was pretty much like every other sencha I’ve tried and did not stand out to me.

Dragonwell is my favourite type of green tea. That said, I was pretty disappointed in this one. The smell of the dry leaves barely hit me at all. The liquor was like white tea, which I now notice from the photo is what was expected, and the aroma was lackluster. What makes Dragonwell my favourite is the nutty hints, and this one was seriously lacking that. Dare I say it, but it almost tasted stale. Alas.

I’m a pretty big fan of oolong so I was looking forward to try this one, especially since I tend to prefer Chinese oolong over Taiwanese. It brews as a very dark liquor with a smokey aroma, and tastes toasty and lingering hints of sugar without the sweetness. I never sweeten oolong and this is no different, not needing anything added at all. I’ve never had a red robe and I’m very pleased.

The dry leaves are dark brown, curled and twisted; they have a sugary & earthy scent.
Brewed, the leaves and liquor have the dominant scent of roasted nuts. The liquor is a pretty amber color and as it cools, I detect the caramelized sugar as the package suggests.

The flavor is all caramelized sugar!!!!! OHMY!! It’s like cracking the top of a crème brûlée !!! Amazing!!! This just became the type of tea I will devote to my first Yixing pot. Unicorns and Euphoria!!! So delicious!!!!

There is a caffeine high too—this is why I usually drink white tea because I don’t want a lot of caffeine high. I had to make myself stop drinking this after I had drunk it all and re-steeped it and was drinking that too all in a short time instead of my usual throughout the day.

I wish we could purchase this particular tea but I will definitely be purchasing more Da Hong Pao Red Robe type teas.

From the Steepster Select Box, January 2014

I’m not too fond of green teas that taste grassy, but this was in the Select box this month so I thought I’d give it a go. It is grassy without being bitter. I will sweeten with a bit of honey next cup (I normally don’t sweeten tea at all). I am not getting any of the other flavors besides minerality, and it tastes more grassy to me than pine.

With my first sip I realized that this tea is like nothing else I have ever tried. It has an earthy flavor to it, that reminds me of good quality pu-erh, yet still manages to be quite different. Once I moved past that I immediately noticed the deep smoke notes. They aren’t nearly as strong as Lapsang Souchong and instead remind me more of Keemun. I’ve moved away from drinking smoke teas lately, I just don’t enjoy them as much as I once did, but this one stands out from the others that I have tried. Behind the smoke flavor of this black tea lurks a tartness, almost reminiscent of sour cherries. It isn’t immediately noticeable, but every once-in-awhile the flavor peaks through followed up by a hint of caramel-like sweetness.

You can read the rest of the review over on my blog:
http://www.notstarvingyet.com/index/2014/1/28/tuesday-tea-wuyishan-black-steepster-select.html

Despite being a fan of Wuyi rock oolongs, this is my first Da Hong Pao, and it is amazing! I enjoyed the roasty, burnt caramel aroma. Prepared this the gongfu way in my yixing whilst indulging in my second addiction: pipe smoking. The sweet tobacco with the roasted aroma of the Da Hong Pao was enough to settle me in for the night for many more steepings. I would definitely like more of this one…

Wowzah!!!
I’m loving all these new teas that I’m falling in love with through steepster select!
I loved this one too!

This is my second encounter with Red Robe… But I am far more in favor of this one!

The chocolatey aroma is apparent at first steep! The taste of hazelnut and caramel are definitely apparent and as it cools the floral notes become more apparent.

The info card that is included with each steepster select box describes this tea perfectly!

“Quite possibly THE perfect winter tea. A gorgeous wuyi oolong with a deep rich liquor, big aroma, and a complex flavor that lasts steep after steep. A tea for snowy weather.”

That it is! The perfect winter tea. Complex yes… Cozy yes…. Do i love it?

YES!

I got 3 good steeps from this tea. The first steep was as directed (205 for 2 mins). By the time I got to the 3rd steep I was up to 4 mins.

Color: Brownish-red, dark like black tea
Aroma: More light floral than fruity with slight caramel note
Body: Medium mouthfeel
Flavor: Sour/tart note hits both front and back of palate, slight fruitiness

I added honey to the 3rd steep. What a difference! The unpleasant tartness was replaced by a lovely sweet cherry note and the caramel taste was much fuller.

Sipdown #32
I had planned to do short steepings with this one in my yixing, but I didn’t. I went with the steepster select suggested prep. This is a nice one, although not better than any in my collection.
Time to make some lunch.

I really enjoy my roasty Wuyi Oolongs, & I’m getting a pretty good collection of them going now. I have a yixing just for them, & usually I go with short steepings, but today I went ahead & following the suggested parameters. The wet leaf had great aroma, notably caramelized peach & incense, with a promise of dark chocolate & the tea was tasty: roasted hazelnut, wood, leather, tobacco. There is also some sweetness to it, but to me, this is a more savory one. The resteep left my mouth a little puckery.

I’ll give it the yixing treatment next time. :)

I love the aroma of the dry leaf with this one. I breathed it in & it is beautiful! The tea itself is delicious, almost like a trip to the Sushi bar. The flavor is a robust Matcha almost, with the additions of Nori & the sea. There is a rich umami to it, a smooth vanilla-like mouth (not taste), & the first cup was slightly tart too!

I don’t know why I don’t drink Dragonwell more often. I used to drink it, & various other greens, daily. I loved green teas so much that I included a line about them in one of my original songs, aptly titled “TeaMind”, from my CD “Zen Breakfast”. If you’d like to hear the song, here’s a link:
http://harpsinger.net/Terri_Langerak/My_CDs.html

Here’s the verse:

“Music
in this moment…
note by note
the whole of life.
TeaMind…
just this moment
sip by sip
this is life.
Drinking tea, like playing music
subtly alters both mind & mood
from the Sky Between the Branches to the Dragonwell
Journey within, return renewed.”

Of course, back then I was drinking green teas from Rep. of Tea. They were a new company, & the only interesting tea company available in the local stores. They were my first experience with loose leaf tea, & although IMO the quality of their products has declined, or maybe I’ve just developed more refined tastes, I’ll still be forever grateful because their teas were amazing to me back then.

OK…sorry to blather on about other things. This is a lovely Dragonwell, with a nice thick mouth & a ‘yellow’ flavor, & when I say that, I don’t mean it tastes like yellow tea. I’m just getting the color yellow in my weirdly twisted senses. I don’t why I see yellow, because the flavor is VERY green. It’s nicely robust, with a nutty earthiness to it. I don’t know that it’s any more outstanding than the other Long Jings in my collection, but it is satisfying, & there is a brightness, almost a metallic feel (not taste), but not in a bad way, that lingers on the tongue long after the cup is drained.

Steepster Select!

This tea was pretty unique! Smokey apple wood, smooth and cherry with a little astringency at the end. It seems like the perfect tea to sip on, while I watch my husband grill steaks. I’d drink this with a rare steak – the pairing would be lovely!

Ugg, reminds me how my husband eats his steaks blue now. I blame the cruiseship for spoiling him rotten.

Back to the tea, I found this tea to be highlight of the box as it was a unique black tea experience!

Full review of the Steepster Select Dec 2013 box on my blog, The Oolong Owl http://oolongowl.com/steepster-select-january-2014-teas-oolong-owl-tea-review/

Steepster Select!

If I was blindfolded, I woulda swore this was a houjicha I was drinking – similar roasty light flavor. The light tart grape and creamy coconut finish I found very interestingly mysterious, causing me to drink more and more to
solve the mystery.

Full review of the Steepster Select Dec 2013 box on my blog, The Oolong Owl http://oolongowl.com/steepster-select-january-2014-teas-oolong-owl-tea-review/

Dry leaf: ooh, that does smell nutty! And looks like what I’ve come to expect from a quality Dragonwell, large green leaves pressed flat and slightly shiny, with the dustiness you get from a Silver Needle or Yunnan Gold (not fannings). Nice color, a little yellower than the sencha from earlier today. Smells sweeter, and lighter.

Flavor: mineral, and a little drying with that. Crisp, and yes nutty. Very nice! Will update with later steeps.

1 sample pack, 8oz water

Long Jing and Dragon Well are the same thing? I’ll be damned.. Hm. Wish it hadn’t been so long since I had my last Dragon Well so that I could compare them more accurately.

This tea, like most I’ve tasted in Steepster select, is strong and bold. The vegetal flavor is dry and serious, and is accented by a nutty base flavor. The Long Jing doesn’t taste springy as some ultra-green teas do, but it reminds one of roasting vegetables to put in a slow-cooking soup. A great winter tea.

Mmm, it’s been awhile since I had a good Japanese green. From the bright green of the wet leaves and the rich spinachy smell this seems more like a gyokuro than a sencha to me (not that I’m complaining!)

The liquor is a lovely green-gold, and the flavor is surprisingly mild, not very bitter. Like dark leafy greens, lightly steamed steamed, or miso soup. This is very comforting on a winter morning

On steep 2, there’s definitely a sharp flavor that may be the sorrel? I don’t actually know what sorrel tastes like :P but I’ve been noticing this tang that’s almost fruity but not as sweet.