Teavivre

The Leaf: Very long and mostly unbroken with some stems present. The scent is light but is reminiscent of a green tea or oolong more so than a pu-erh. Almost a light fluffy texture to the pile, with no compression marks visible.

The Brew: The color is unlike pu-erh showing a fairly light brownish green hue much like a highly roasted green tea or oolong. The aroma is nice and apparent with a slight sweetness; woody and roasted tones mixed with dry grass. The flavor is overly bitter, making it difficult to distinguish any of the other characteristics. However, I can taste roasted straw, slight smokiness, and bitter melon.

I drink all of my teas cold.

Note: This was the first time dealing with this type of pu-erh. When I opened the package, I was very surprised as to how the leaves looked. Considering this, I decided to brew the tea according to the package instructions, 100C for 5 to 10 minutes. I feel this was too long, and resulted in the overly bitter flavor. For a better brew I think 2 minutes would suffice.

Tea of the morning. It was as wonderfully malty and chocolatey as the first couple of cups I had. I’ll be drinking the last of my sample this evening, as an after dinner treat. Black tea perfection!

So a little while ago, Angel of Teavivre invited me to taste some tea samples. This is the first I picked out to try from the selection she sent me. I was hooked from first sip. I’ve had one dragon pearl tea previously, but it wasn’t a patch on this one!

I used 4 pearls (which turned out to be exactly half the sample). The pearls themselves are really pretty — chocolate brown and cream — and the scent dry is of cocoa and hay. I added boiling water, and left them for around 4 minutes. The pearls completely unravelled in about two minutes, and I was left with a dark-ish liquor and the strong scent of chocolate.

To taste, this is really amazing. I was expecting something quite sweet, which I got, but it also has a real richness and depth of flavour. I get cocoa first, followed by a mellow nuttiness, and then an almost grapey, wine-like flavour to finish. I loved it so much I brewed the second cup straight away!

This tea has really made me reevaluate Chinese blacks, which for some reason I’ve always neglected. I’ve tried Chinese greens before, but I’ve nearly always chosen Indian teas when it comes to black. This one has made me think, though, and I’ll definitely be looking to expand my experience of Chinese black teas in the future!

Many thanks again to Angel and Teavivre for giving me the chance to try this outstanding tea!

The amazing TheTeaFairy sent me this one in a box awhile ago. Thank you so much.

This is a really nice everyday pu’erh. It’s everything that I think a pu’erh should be – a little musty and a little earthy. There isn’t anything offensive here, just a nice shu. I like it’s simplicity. Some of my absolute favorite pu’erh is more complex than this, but sometimes you just want something nice and easy. This works for those situations.

Thanks TheTeaFairy for sending this one my way – I didn’t find the leather, but was nice to spend a couple of hours with this one today.

This is another from my Teavivire sampler. It’s very dark and roasty—just how I like my oolongs. There’s a nice fruity aftertaste; after reading through some of the other reviews, I’m thinking it’s mostly peach. This is quite a smooth tea, and there’s a bit more sweetness than I’d expected too. There are some woodsy notes, and, although I’m never entirely sure what people mean when they talk about oolongs having mineral qualities, I’m guessing those are present as well. I’m really enjoying this; it’s definitely my favorite of the Teavivre oolongs I’ve tried so far. Thanks for letting me try this one, Angel!

I steeped this according to boychik’s suggestion (I think that was who sent me this…).

I did a short-ish steep for 1 minute, then another minute, then another.

First impression is butter? Shortening? Not texture, but taste. Ah, got it – pie crust! Or a croissant. Not bready but simple pastry-ey. Lightly sweet, very lightly. Smells very strongly of pie crust. This is very light. The second minute it became a little sweeter and much more strongly pie crust. At 3 minutes it is still pie crust but becoming somewhat watery, though I haven’t added any more water to the cup.

This is an interesting oolong and maybe my first Oriental Beauty? Can’t remember. I wish our tealogs were sortable by name, not just most recent and most popular. Thanks for the sample, boychik!

Happy May Day! Or Beltaine if that is your Holiday of choice, regardless, ‘tis the first of May and the weather is wonderful. Though I celebrated a day early and did not go out frolicking in the morning dew like I should have today. I did my nature-ing yesterday, over-did it a bit, so today I just lounged in my comfy clothes tasting teas and reading fellow tea-blogger’s posts. Alas, I have only scratched the surface, having lagged behind on my reading.

Today is the final day of my little Teavivre Spring 2015 Green Tea feature, and I am wrapping it up with the delightfully fuzzy and curly Bi Luo Chun (Pi Lo Chun) Green Tea. This Green Snail Spring was harvested on April 8th, 2015 on Dong Ting Mountain in Jiangsu Province. The plantation this tea is grown on is peppered with fruit trees, in theory imparting the tea with a fruity aroma and taste, and maybe the fruit tastes more like tea? The aroma of the curly leaves is indeed a bit fruity, with notes of lychee, but there are also notes of water chestnuts, sesame seeds, tomato leaves, and a finish of gentle lettuce notes. Subtle sweetness with hints of vegetal and nuttiness, a mild aroma overall.

Brewing the tiny leaves, really they are quite delicate and fluffy, I am afraid a strong breeze will carry them away! The aroma of the soggy (and less fluffy) leaves is a blend of tomatoes, lima beans, okra, and with an undertone of sesame seeds and lychee. The liquid is very faint, not a ton of aroma notes wafting up with the steam, just gentle notes of lychee and honey, and a tiny touch of sesame.

First steeping! My favorite part of drinking fuzzy teas is of course the trichomes, I love those ticklish fuzzies on my tongue, such a delightfully fun feeling. Some people insist on always straining out the fuzz, but I never will. The taste is super mild, but with very strong notes, specifically notes of lychee and sesame at the first, moving on to okra and snap peas, and a gentle finish of sesame seeds at the finish that lingers on for a bit.

For the second steep the aroma is still pretty mild, with notes of snap peas and lychees with a gentle not of sesame again. The taste starts off with sweet peas and lychees and then pretty quickly switches to the savory with notes of tomato and green beans. Lastly the tea finishes off with a lingering note of okra and snap peas. I steeped for a third time, but it was much diminished, which was tragic, just finishing notes of okra and snap peas. Bi Luo Chun is a very mild tea, one that is perfect for drinking on a warm day, which is a thing with all of the spring greens I covered this week, they are iconic for this time of year not just because it is when they are harvested but because they match the season so well!

For blog and photo: http://ramblingbutterflythoughts.blogspot.com/2015/05/teavivre-bi-luo-chun-green-tea-pi-lo.html

Another beautiful day in the Midwest, really, spring time out here reminds me of the things that I like about this are, it turns out though that most places are pretty in spring. I have a busy weekend ahead of me: big family gathering, candied violets to make, British flapjacks to cook myself, and of course some sort of art project. I am feeling inspired to do something crafty, just not sure exactly what yet.

Today’s tea is a delightfully fuzzy green tea from Teavivre, Bi Luo Chun (or Pi Lo Chun, depending on dialect) from Mt Dongting in Jiangsu Province. The translation of this tea is Green Snail Spring, referring to the curly shape of the leaves. The aroma of the dry leaves is sweet and fresh, blending artichoke and lychee with a delicate hint of floral at the end. This tea smells like nature in springtime, bringing in the notes of fruits, flowers, and vegetation. It makes my nose happy.

Into the basket the fuzzy little leaves go for a nice bath. Sadly this means the fuzzies go away, such is the fate of tea leaves. Holy Lychee, Batman! The wet leaves are so sweet and fruity that it is nothing short of mouthwatering. There is also a touch of artichoke and hay, giving the tea a more vegetal quality at the end of the sniff. The liquid is mild with delicate notes of artichoke and sweet lychee, floating on the top of the tea are the fuzzy trichomes.

The taste is quite delicate (that seems to be the key word with this tea) with a sweet citrus taste reminiscent of lychees. There is also a very mild hint of nuts that fades to a green bean vegetal taste. Of course the trichomes tickle the inside of my mouth making me giggle when I sip the tea. This tea is very mild and refreshing, it reminds me of spring rain.

Giving the tea a second steeping (we meet again curly leaves!) and I notice the aroma of the liquid is much sweeter and heavier of lychee. The taste is also sweeter, instead of being reminiscent of lychees it actually tastes like lychees. There is also a surprising note of violets, and almost no vegetal taste. As the tea cools it gets even sweeter and floral. This tea did not really wow me in taste, but it certainly wowed me at how delicate and nuanced it is. I find this is a tea for special occasions with nuanced tasters, sadly I served it to a bunch of non-tea drinkers and they thought it had no taste. Tragic. At the time of writing these tasting notes in my tea-journal I did not yet have a gaiwan, I am curious to try this tea again with a gaiwan and see how much of a difference it makes.

For review and photos: http://ramblingbutterflythoughts.blogspot.com/2014/04/teavivre-bi-luo-chun-tea-review.html

Mmmmm, still drinking some of these samples Angel sent me. So happy to be enjoying this right now, and wondering whether this one should have been included in my last order. It’s so delicious, it’s making me into a green tea drinker!

We just got back from a weekend trip to Salt Lake City to see my sister’s graduation from grad school. Pretty great, and I liked Utah too! Guess we’re going to have to go out there more often. :) I brought a “travel bag” of teas with me…pretty much just Lupicia newsletter samples, which come in handy on travel, since they’re in sachets. I didn’t really drink any tea except for the one full day we were there, and I had Cookie, with some sugar and half and half I grabbed from the hotel complimentary breakfast. Ha! I also had Momoko, which I think I oversteeped, because it was a bit bitter. Despite that, it was really nice to have tea from home…it’s like bringing a little bit of home with you. :)

Mmmmmm, this tea is so fresh tasting! It’s like tasting Spring! This is another sample Angel sent me. Thanks, Angel! It really makes me rethink green tea. I’ve had a hard time really enjoying green teas, except for toasty genmaicha, but this is really hitting the spot!

It’s so fresh, like the leaves were just plucked from the farm. Amazing! I had a cup directly after another dragon well from another company and this one was noticeably fresher. It could be that the other company’s sample was probably sent to me about a year ago, though, which proves the point that green teas should be enjoyed as soon as you get them. Good to know. ;) I’ll have to make sure of that in the future!

And yet another generous sample from Angel at Teavivre.

I think I may have overleafed this slightly, but the jasmine in this particular tea is a bit strong and one-note for my tastes. I’ve had jasmine dragon pearls in the past with a hint of sweetness underneath almost like orange or honeysuckle, but I’m not experiencing that in this blend.

I steeped the leaves twice, both for 3 minutes: once at 85C and the second time at 80C. Both times the tea was palatable, but I believe that this tea might be better at a slightly lower temperature than indicated on the label.

Maybe this will really blossom if done gong-fu style. I’m withholding a rating for now.

Sipdown!

This tea met an ignominious end: I brewed it, but something about it tasted off so I poured it down the sink.

I remember when I first had this tea that it seemed like the most miraculous thing ever. I may restock it in the future, but for now I’ll just let it be, since I have other teas out there to try, including some other Bi Luo Chuns.

Oh my god. You cannot imagine the audible sense of relief I feel now that I have this back in my cupboard. Thank you a whole bunch, Teavivre!

I ordered a package of this in their BF sale, and have split it in half so I can give the remainder to my aunt for Christmas. She has no idea what a privilege this is – if I had less tea in my cupboard, I’d be squirreling away the whole thing for myself!

This is quite possibly my favourite green tea. Low astringency, no smokiness, no sharpness, a little savouriness and butteriness… just perfect. Bumping up the rating, as I think this is one of my “can’t live without” teas.

Sipdown!

I can’t thank Angel enough for giving me such a generous sample of this tea to try. I loved it. This is a definite contender for restocking (once I go through a bunch more of my cupboard).

I’ve found that slightly overleafing works well for this tea, as it’s so fluffy and fuzzy. And again, the second steep of this is my favourite – it’s so sweet.

Thanks again, Angel!

I’ve really been craving straight greens in the mornings, and this is another good one.

Remembering my previous experiences with this tea, I overleafed this a bit today, since it’s so fluffy.

The result is lovely. Sweet, still vegetal, and very very soothing. I’m gonna bump up my rating a bit.

I was sipping this one throughout the afternoon, but I think after my gyokuro this morning followed up by the jasmine pearls later on in the day, I got all green-tead out today. I wasn’t paying much attention to it, and it’s still sitting around, half-finished, a few hours later. My heart just wasn’t in it, I guess.

I’ve also been contemplating a new, disturbing theory: could it be that I’m actually getting tired of green teas, and that my taste has been gravitating towards black ones? That would be really unexpected.

Needed something simple and unfussy this morning. This worked, but the leaf was so fluffy I still think I underleafed it.

Thanks very much to Angel from Teavivre for this (extremely) generous sample!

Dry, this leaf is quite attractive – it’s very tippy, with stripes of white leaf visible against the green background. There’s also a lot of down/pekoe (fuzz) with the leaf – an indicator to me that this tea was picked when very young. Nice! The smell is very marine and vegetal – I sense a lot of seaweed.

Brewed, this produces a lovely green-amber liquor. The flavour is quite delicate – it’s light, but not weak. A little bit buttery and vegetal, with a hint of seaweed on the back of the tongue.

However, the second steep is where it really shines. This is the second Bi Luo Chun tea I’ve tasted, and both this one and my first had really lovely, sweet second steeps. There’s still the vegetal taste, but it’s lightened a bit and made more floral.

I can definitely see this as a good, everyday sort of “comfort” green tea. Mmm!

So I did this one pseudo gongfu, after having it Western before.

That was really nice. This is better.

The green is stronger, and the aroma is out of this world. It’s still really light and drinkable, an easy sweet green.

This tea is getting me through the end of the work day. I’m not sure how much more of this I can take. My BIL is coming into town this evening and I didn’t finish the laundry so he does’t have sheets or towels yet. Oops! I hope my spouse realized this and took care of things for his brother.

I opened the small sample size pack of this and loved the faint scent that rose from it; it smelled like an early spring day, when things are just starting to get green and grow. (My nose is working mostly now. yay.)

I added water and I was immediately surrounded in this green envelope of aroma. I could taste it in the air.

I steeped this western style in my ForLife mug. I’m at work, so I think the water wasn’t as cool as it should have been. Fortunately for me, things seemed to have survived their somewhat rough treatment. The first sip…much lighter than I had anticipated from how strong the scent was while steeping. But delicious. I really enjoyed the light flavors of this, green but not overwhelmingly so.

This tea did remind me of spring with the lightness of the green flavor, just a touch sweet, very fresh.

I’m excited to try the other small sample pack of this gong fu style.

Backlog:

A really nice Pu-erh. The earthiness is more like a vegetal note, notes of mineral and a sort of savory/salt like taste that is an nice contrast to the sweeter vegetal notes. Hints of kelp. Each subsequent infusion delivered a deeper flavor.

Here’s my full-length review with more details about the multiple infusions: http://sororiteasisters.com/2014/03/14/fengqing-zhuan-cha-raw-puerh-brick-tea-2005-teavivre/

Drinking this one again just to make sure it wasn’t a tea mirage yesterday. Nope! Still amazing :)

I am feeling so incredibly lucky today to be one of the first to taste and review this SUPER FRESH amazing tea! Thanks so much Angel and TeaVivre!

I’ve only had a couple fresh spring teas in the past, but they are always some of my absolute favorites. I’ve tried a shincha and a fresh spring twist green tea. This one is no exception…As soon as I opened the packet I knew I was in for a treat. The dry leaf smell…SO INTOXICATING! Check out the dry leaf http://twitpic.com/e1e8le is that not gorgeous? Stubby baby BRIGHT green dragon well.

Anyway, steeped up this tastes amazingly sweet and crisp and fresh and so very alive. I really need to seek out more fresh spring teas in the future since they excite me so very much. Very glad and honored to have tasted this one!

This is for the 2016 tea. Thank you Angel for the sample.

Opening the packet this has a savory malt aroma. The flat leaves are smaller than I remember so I checked out the website and learned the tea is made of a bud and tiny leaf. The color is a soft spring green.

I couldn’t decide how to prepare it. I don’t really enjoy gaiwan brewing but I didn’t want a long 3-5 minute western steep either. I decided to use 8oz of water heated to 175F and steeped the leaf for 1 minute. The aroma as I removed the lid was a wonderful umami and steamed veggies. The brew color is very light – someone called it straw, I think that is close enough. Its clear and bright.

The taste is somewhere between nutty and creamed corn. It is very smooth and without bitterness. The aftertaste trails off into a lingering grassiness with just a mild bite.

This is really a light tea. If you enjoy the subtle nature of silver needle white tea (as example) you would enjoy this one. Not because they are similar because they are completely different, however both are subtle and mellow.

I personally prefer the taste of the more robust premium version for its bolder presence. That said, what moves me with this tea is the inner warming glow I get from drinking it. This one has possibly the strongest Qi I have experienced. I don’t feel buzzed or euphoric. Instead it gives me a strong sense of alertness and calm. Very few teas have this affect on me. A pot of this and I think I could snatch the pebble (the elders of us will get that reference).