The Tao of Tea

Thanks for sending me some of your stash, Batrachoid, I’m glad I got to try this one.

It’s an interesting-looking green, loosely rolled a bit like a gun-powder-style tea although the similarlity to those types of teas ends there, really. The leaves almost resemble an oolong’s as they unfold in the water – green mottled with bits of reddish-brown. It’s a rather full-bodied tea (for a green) with a nutty, slightly savory, slightly sweet flavour that dosen’t overpower the palate and leaves a hint of smoke and tannin in the aftertaste.

Yum! Chai!

I have enjoyed two cups of this today – the first was non-latte, the second, latte. I like it served either way but prefer this one as a latte. The milk makes it a creamy treat. This one is well spiced, but the tea is definitely the star of this chai. It is STRONG!

The spices in this blend are in good balance. It is not a raging rampage of ginger and cinnamon. The cardamom and cloves are also represented well here and it is a delicious combination.

Attempting to backlog this one for the…fifth time? Somehow I write a note and it won’t save for several teas. It was probably the connection at my old house.

This is my favorite white tea to date and a baffling lesson in proper tea storage. Somehow I accidently order this online wile trying to look at the tin art in addition to purchasing it at two stores. One sample sealed up since processing, one sample from a bulk jar that saw many sudden breezes and one bizarrely stored sample. This one was in a small tin, purchased from a big sore with no bulk section, taken home and upon inspection- someone had already opened it. They opened it and shoved in the back for who knows how long. Ye-ah. Not nice.
Sample three looked beautiful, fluffy white pea pods with few fannings and smelled faintly like leaves and mushrooms. It steeped up four umami ladden cups of honeyd mushroom broth that gained citrus notes for the last cup. I drank this even when over steeped it was so amazing.
Sample two was largely fannings and a free apologee for not having many teas for a long time. It was almost black ans shriveled and had no aroma. The tea was slightly bitter and only a tinge of honey in the first steep. It was still better than a lot of teas even with that stale aftertaste!
Sample one was just like three, honey, straw, mushroom and refreshing. It makes me cry that Tao won’t have this for weeks at least. The little I have left must be hidden in a box out of sight to deter consumtion.

This is a smooth, very tasty cup of tea! Sweeter than other green teas I’ve had. Still has a slightly crisp finish, but it’s so smooth! Thanks to Batrachoid for letting me try.

Double Yum Happiness!

So I’m trying this one again in the studio using a method I have dubbed as Joboo’s Studio gongfu: using 2 cups, a strainer and a butter knife. On a side note now I’m going to have to break down and purchase a gaiwan. So as I have previously mentioned I’ve been formally put off by the aroma of “rose” teas…..however I think I have changed my thoughts on this.
30 second rinse.
First infusion: 1minute. Whoa! Hello Rose. And yes I think Rue Mcclanahan talking to Betty White in the Golden Girls. The rose over-shadows the earthiness of the Pu-Erh almost mellowing it. More orangish hue. Not very dark but very good.
Second infusion: 1 minute. A lot darker. Cup of coffee dark. There is more earthiness. The rose is a little astringent, and it reminds me of the autumn leaves. Fall is definitely my favorite season. Very smooth though.
Third infusion: 1 minute. More of an amber color. I wouldn’t describe it as earthy of rosey, but still very smooth. I am really enjoying this. You might even describe it as giddy.
Fourth Infusuion: 1 minute………I think the rose garden is dead and it’s time to plant tulips. I’m upping my rating on this one. I had just a wonderfull experience with this tea….and I have to clean up my mess in the air studio. :)

Thanks to joecool for sending this to me in a swap. So I have smelled rose black tea at the market and was somewhat turned off by it, but I was keeping an open mind since I like my Pu-Erh. First of all I love the tin it came int to see the little Tuochas. So I’ve tried one other Tuocha. I got it at a place called Special Teas ect in Volant, Pa and liked it a lot!
So it’s smells a bit sweet in the paper like sugar in the raw. I used too big of a cup for the first steep. Second steep was dark like coffee…..this is how I like my Pu-Erh! Very smooth and earthy. Third steep more orange-ish. Tastes kinda like mushrooms but still pretty good.

Infusion 3 – 2 minutes
color – that of a darker oolong (lighter brown)
aroma – rice-like
taste – Mossy, heavier floral, Grass
Aftertaste – bitter floral/grass

rating specifically for this infusion: 75

2nd infusion – a little less than 2 minutes
color – same as first
Aroma – Mossy Mushrooms
Taste HOT – Grassy-Grass
Taste as it cools for a few minutes – I prefer over the HOT, actually…it’s grassy but a hint of sweet.
Aftertaste – Sweet-Grass-floral
Rating on this specific infusion: 79 HOT and 80-81 Cooler

Batrachoid – thanks for this! I will be doing an infusion test with this this afternoon!!!

Infusion 1- 1 minute
Smells like hay and lemon with a mushroom-like muskiness to it.
Color is a light green tea color you might expect.
Taste…green tea with lemon and hay flavor
Aftertaste is that of raw mushrooms and maybe a little like a mossier green tea.

This is really different. I think I like it tho. It’s alright!
Rating for this infusion specifically: 79-80

2nd Infusion…not as aromatic or WOWing – it’s more flat yet still florally-sweet…and I mean that in a good way! This is special!

Where have you been all my life?
Ahhhh! This is AMAZING!

I received a bit of this from LiberTEAs and I’m considering placing an order already!

This smells floral but also sweet and sugary and fruity! Almost like a combo of Apricots, Apples, and Grapes! LOVE the aroma of this!

There is a smooth-sweet taste and gentle floral notes on the tongue. A nice nutty/buttery aftertaste that makes me crave more!

A wonderful Oolong!

This is such an awesome tea. It is one that I will definitely be watching the Tao of Tea’s website for availability because I want more (and I’m not even completely out of it yet).

It has a creamy texture to it and a delicious sweet, somewhat nutty taste. Absolutely divine!

Second infusion is just as delightful as the first! These little spirals are magical!

This is SO – GOOD!!! OMG! Amazing! Every time I try a new tea from the Tao of Tea, I think I’ve found their best of the best … and then I try another one and it is just as good (or perhaps better, it would be hard to say!)

But what I can say is that this is absolutely delicious. The buttery flavor is there – and it astounds me that this is a black tea with that kind of note, because I’m used to finding it in a green tea or an Oolong, but, I not many black teas possess this kind of buttery taste. It smells delightful.

This is definitely one I need to spend a little more time with! It is so awesome!

Thanks LiberTEAs!
This is terrific – it REALLY is!!!

Slightly roasted and slightly chewy but not like you would expect. Very creamy! The description says hints of apple and peach flavor…at first I could relate to the peach hints but not really the apple…it was more of a date type hint. Regardless I really enjoyed this cuppa!

This is a very unusual tisane. The hibiscus is not overly tart, but it does provide a good deal of body and color to the tisane. I can taste the hibiscus flavor, but not so much of the hibiscus tart.

It is a very interesting combination of flavors – it tastes familiar but unlike anything I can ever remember tasting! I like it though!

I was surprised to find that this tea had not yet been entered here at Steepster.

This is a delightful Earl Grey! The bergamot is skillfully flavored, it is a very fragrant tea but not over-flavored. I can taste the black tea – in fact, it dominates! Not always the case with Earl Grey, but I am happy it is the case here.

I don’t know that this is my favorite Earl Grey, but it is awful close!

Revisiting this one before shipping off a swap to a new friend. I had to increase the rating a few points from comparative awe. Yesterday I turned on the furnace for the first time and immediately needed oolong to speed the defrosting process. Enjoying the stone fruit flavors, it felt like an admission of autumn’s unwelcome presence. This tea seems infinately lighter and agreeable but I’m not sure I’ll want it much in winter.

With the recent purchase of amazing apricot and plum jams this oolong will get a lot of love this week. Today it was showered with seven cups worth and the eighth is steeping along now. I tried it at 200 F today for the first few and it came out very much like a toasty TGY with a dollop of peach preserves. I dropped the temperature to 190 and it swung back to light nectarine with plum in the background. It’s so easy to pair this oolong with a certain fruit or be careless and let it run wild while multitasking.
Ah! There’s the timer.