TeaSource

Mild rosehips, sweet mint and strong black keemun blend well together. The drink has some robustness without being bitter or astringent.

Have been experimenting with longer steeps on this one, and the flavor has deepened and become more interesting. Still pretty easy to drink and not especially exciting, but pleasant.

A sweet, very slightly citrusy, unchallenging tea. I get 3 good steeps out of it before the flavor starts to fall off sharply.

I think this would be a good tea to introduce someone gently to green teas.

This is a younger pu’erh, but it’s a reliably good one. An easy go to sheng pu’erh and one that I will be using at an upcoming brown bag talk to introduce co-workers to sheng pu’erh and other teas.

So I was wondering what it would take to steep this tea to the point that it would be to astringent. Well, I got pulled into a meeting and forgot about my little pot steeping for a couple of hours, lol. That finally did, but surprisingly it wasn’t unbearably astringent. Just added a little extra water and ended up with more flavorful pu’erh with a little dryer finish I like. Of course, I am in now way advocating steeping your pu’erh tea for hours. :D

Dry leaves have a sort of turmeric, pepper and straw aroma.
Wet leaves smell very much of hay.

Rinsed.
1st (20 sec): Very light sweet taste, smooth mouthfeel and a soft finish. Not a lot of flavor in the first steeping, but that seems common with pu’erhs.

2nd (15 sec): Very smooth, full mouthfeel. There is a wonderful sweetness that blooms into the finish. I don’t know if I’d call it plum, but it’s really nice.

3rd (30 sec): Wanted to push the steep time to test astringency, but 30 sec is the minimum recommended by TeaSource. Really smooth tea. Sweetness is still there with a dry finish

4th (30-40 sec): Really good pu’erh

The tea aroma is an odd turmeric and straw aroma not over powering, but so hard to describe that may be off putting to some. Whether you like raw pu’erhs as I do or are new to raw pu’erhs this one is definitely worth a try especially given the low astringency when not over steeped.

As stated by someone previous I’m really surprised that this tea is rated so low. It makes a great alternative to coffee in the morning for really waking you up and the flavor and aroma is amazing. I agree that it smells more of almonds than of chestnuts, but for an early morning tea it’s really hard to beat. My wife also loves this tea so this is one of very, very few teas that I buy by the pound. If nothing else try a sample.

I love most of the blends I’ve tried from TeaSource, but I’m not a fan of their rooibos. No matter what they flavor it with, I always mainly taste that sharp, medicinal rooibos base. This one is, unfortunately, no exception. There are hints of mild chocolate and coconut flavor, but not enough to satisfy me. Definitely won’t be re-purchasing this one.

Had this at Tiny Diner. It’s always nice to be able to get decent loose leaf at dinner. I chose this one not sure what it was, and could not quite pin down what it was supposed to be. It was sweet, floral ,and slightly fruity. I didn’t get much bitterness but then again I have no idea about how it was brewed other than that it was given to me with the infuser still in the pot. I was surprised to later find out there was cherry flavoring as I rather dislike it but it was subtle here, no cough syrup or cherry coke flavor. Still it will probably be enough to keep me from getting it again.

Here’s Hoping Traveling Tea Box

There was 1 cup left of this in the tea box so I figured I might as well finish it off. A nice, malty, black tea with a light peppery flair. Initially tasted similar to an Assam, but once I hit the third steep it showed it’s Yunnan heritage.

Strong, sweet notes of acacia and red clover, with a grassy bouquet. This ya bao is better than any yinzhen I’ve had and cheaper than most of them, too!

Brewed in a small gaiwan.

Another fantastic Chinese black tea from TeaSource! This one is very similar to Golden Snail from Whispering Pines: tightly curled black leaves with tons of golden tips that give off a rich, malty scent. It has a dense, chewy flavor with notes of baked bread and honey. It can be re-steeped multiple times before it starts losing it’s flavor. I don’t love it quite as much as their Golden Mao Feng, but it’s definitely a lovely option and very affordable!

Here’s Hoping Traveling Teabox – Round #5 – Tea #17
Interesting leaves here – they look like like a silky wiry Fujian but the leaves are very tiny coils with hints of gold. I haven’t seen a leaf like this before! I love the flavor – it’s a little like a Fujian black tea but more malty molasses. That is exactly the type of flavor I love. The brew doesn’t seem very strong either. It’s on the sweeter side rather on an astringent side. I feel like I’ve only tried a tea that tasted like this a couple times before but the leaves didn’t look quite like this. The second steep was a little lighter, which is a shame. This one is unique! Another tea company I’ve never heard of before. I love when those are included in teaboxes. :D Their site has quite the selection!
Steep #1 // 1 tsp // 10 minutes after boiling // 2 1/2 minutes
Steep #2 // just boiled // 3 min

This tea is absolutely divine! I already knew I loved TeaSource’s Black Mao Feng, so I decided to sample this one when I was in Minneapolis over the weekend. Oh my goodness! The leaves are super long and twisty with TONS of golden tips and the aroma is delicious: malty sweet goodness. Steeped, the liquor is a warm golden brown and the flavor is out of this world: notes of malt and sweet potato with a lingering honey sweetness and just the slightest hint of astringency that keeps you taking another sip…and another…and another. It’s also super smooth, with an almost velvety feel on the tongue. I didn’t have a chance to re-steep, but I’m quite confident from the quality of the leaves that this would hold up to multiple steeps. I can’t buy more tea right now, but next time I place an order this one will be at the top of my list!

Here’s Hoping Traveling Teabox – Round #5 – Tea #3
A solid black tea – malty and sweet, medium bodied. The leaves are crinkly, like a crumbled golden monkey. The brew color is a rusty red. A tasty tea but nothing that makes it stand out. (That might be the fault of the thin pouch here.)

This is a new blend that TeaSource came out with before Christmas and I just had to try it when I placed an order during their recent sale. Butiki’s Pistachio Ice Cream is one of my all-time favorite teas and I was eager to see how this one compared. As it turns out, there is no comparison! Despite the name, this tea doesn’t have much of a pistachio scent or flavor. Instead, there are strong almond notes, along with a rich, buttery scent that really does remind me of a shortbread cookie! Although it’s not at all what I expected (Spritz Cookie would have been a better name), this is a delicious dessert tea that I’m happy to have in my cupboard!

This is very spicy, but also very thin on the ‘black tea’. I feel like its probably 80-90% herbal with a few leaves of black tea thrown in. Even with that, I prefer it with milk. The spice is heavy scent-wise, but there isn’t any heat to it when drinking it. I would have this again for occasional drinking.

Here’s Hoping TTB R5 #7

I think the storage sandwich baggy has not done this tea any favors and has leached a good deal of the flavor from the tea.. its got a touch of maltiness left in it but none of the sweetness I was expecting… disappointing

I received a sample of this tea along with the infuser mug my sister gave me for Christmas. I’m thrilled about the mug (it will make drinking loose leaf tea at work so much easier!) and was excited for a chance to sample this tea as well. It was quite similar to the milk oolong I’ve had from Teavivre: sweet and creamy with a rich, silky mouth feel. It also stays smooth and flavorful through multiple infusions. Definitely one I’d consider purchasing in the future!

I absolutely adore this tea. I can see why it was the customer choice oolong for 2014. This tea resteeps incredibly well. I often prefer the 2nd or 3rd steeping over the first.