Vicony Teas

Rummaging through my box of samples and found this one. Looks like I last logged this 9 months ago. The leaf is long for black tea and dark. The dry aroma is of grain. The brew scent is light smoke and malt. It is fairly sweet and lightly smoked. It reminded me of Bailin Gongfu when I last had it. Today I would say it doesn’t have the chocolate notes. What ever. This is a really nicely smooth satisfying cup. Two thumbs up.

Thank you Vicony Teas for the free sample!

Leaf Quality:
The dried leaves were dark black with some bits of gold showing on some of the tips. They were very thin and smaller than other black teas. Their scent was of malt and perhaps like cinnamon. The brewed leaves smelled floral, malty, chocolaty, and savory.

Brewed Tea:
The brewed tea was amber brown. It tasted floral and malty with a chocolate finish. The flavor was very light and delicate. Each sip had a very long lasting aftertaste.
Second Steeping
This brew brought on notes of grapes and wine. This steeping was also floral and fruity.

What a delicate Hong Cha. This tea would go great at any time of day.

Thank you Vicony Teas for this free sample!

Leaf Quality:
The sample was comprised completely of tea buds attached to another leaf or two. The flat, green leaves were very fragrant and delicate. The brewed leaves smelled sweet, vegetal, and fruity. Their color didn’t change much even after the second brewing.

Brewed Tea:
The leaves created a very light, pale yellow brew. It tasted sweet, delicate, and perhaps a bit nutty in the finish. The first brew beat other dragon well teas I’ve tried by far.
Second Steeping
The second brew was sweet as well. The nutty finish transformed into a more fruity one. I noticed a tiny vegetal flavor underneath the more floral notes.
Third Steeping
The flavor had not changed much since the second steeping. In fact, the only difference was that it was slightly mellower.

This was a really good Longjing tea. I haven’t had a great one in a while.

Thank you Vicony Teas for this free sample!

I’ve heard quite interesting descriptions of Tunlu tea; some prefer it as an “every-day tea” while others choose not to drink it as much. I suppose I’ll see which party I belong to.

Leaf Quality:
The yellow-green leaves were rolled into small, floral gems. The scent was a bit strong for a green tea, which hinted at its flavor. The brewed leaves smelled very sweet and astringently floral.

Brewed Tea:
The tea’s color was light yellow. The flavor was milder than I suspected, but the aftertaste lasted a while. Upon my first sip, I noticed the great floral qualities of this tea. My last sip ended with a pineapple-like finish that I hadn’t noticed in the previous sips.
Second Steeping
The second brew was sweet, fruity, and astringent. It already seemed like a good tea to relax with.
Third Steeping
The third steeping was quite delicious. Fruity, sweet, and floral. The aftertaste was still quite astringent.

If I had enough of this tea, I suppose I would drink it as an “every-day tea” in the evenings. It’s quite enjoyable.

This is the third tea cake I ordered from Vicony Teas. The others tasted pretty good so far; I’m hoping this one will too.

Leaf Quality:
The leaves of this tea were loosely compacted in the usual Bing shape. These were some of the whitest leaves I’ve ever seen from a White Peony. Almost every leaf was covered with downy, white fur. Even the leaves of a richer green color had a whitish hue. The initial scent was rather sweet and reminded me of dried roses. The Brewed tea leaves turned slightly darker, were more green, and smelled lightly floral. I could already discern what the liquor would taste like.

Brewed Tea:
The leaves produced a light yellow liquor. It’s scent was very light, as was the flavor. Though light, it sure was delicious. It was sweet, floral, and fruity. It was like a hummingbird drinking nectar. The first brew was excellent.
Second Steeping
The second steeping reminded me of a Ti Kwan Yin Oolong. It was smooth, quite floral, and sweet.
Third Steeping
This brewing was even better than the first two. All the qualities of the second steeping were present, but were more pronounced. Each sip finished with a melon aftertaste that evolved into a citrus one quickly before disappearing.
Fourth Steeping
This steeping was more mellow than the third. However, it was still just as good. The delicate tastes mingled together in this cup. It could easily last 2 or 3 more steepings with longer steep times.

This was a wonderful tea. I’m very glad I bought this, and can’t wait to try the samples they sent me.

This is the second white tea cake I’ve tried from Vicony Teas Company. I ordered this along with another tea.

Leaf Quality:
The leaves in this cake were quite loosely compacted, and showed a variety of colors. I was able to pull apart most of the leaves whole; the majority were brown, others white or melon green. There were a few buds mixed in with the generally larger leaves. They were quite fragrant as well. The scent reminded me of a mildly floral Oolong. The brewed leaves were floral as well, and some expanded to be even larger than I had thought. All leaves retained the same color after brewing.

Brewed Tea:
The tea yielded a golden-yellow liquor which smelled floral, sweet, and fruity. It tasted much more like an Oolong than a white tea, bringing melon qualities with every sip. The flavor was also fuller than most other white teas I’ve had.
Second Steeping
The second steeping was as sweet as the first, and the melon qualities were more pronounced. It didn’t taste as floral as it smelled, but it was still quite delicious.
Third Steeping
The third brew was light and floral. The melon notes were only present with each finishing sip. The aftertaste was sweet.

It will be interesting to see how this tea will change in flavor over time.

I put all of my Vicony samples in one big resealable pouch for storage. I think it had unintended but pleasant results. This starts light green then mid sip I am getting smoke. I never noted smoke before so I’m pretty sure this is cross contamination but it is exactly what this tea needed! late sip it turns creamy. The aftertaste is bitter but not offensive.

I had a rough day today so this was a pleasant distraction.

Back in my heavy tea bag use days, I drank mostly flavored Ceylon or Assam blends. I never really cared much for straight black tea. I still find most breakfast teas to be beige. They have bite. They leave you with bad breath. I usually don’t remember what they taste like. I did really like the Paisley breakfast tea – it was a good different.

I find I really like Chinese black teas. I generally use the same descriptors – cocoa or chocolate, malt, grain, maybe a little smoke. Yet the combinations are different so they all taste different.

This is a lapsang souchong tea. Before I tried it the first time I thought LS always meant BBQ like highly smoked leaf. Nope. This one is not smoky. The wet leaf smells like cocoa toast. The sip is one of the richest malt, grain combination I have tried. It feels thick. No bitterness. No astringency. Kind of like golden monkey but darker. This is what breakfast teas should taste like. The aftertaste is nice too :)

Thank you Vicony Teas for the free sample!

This is a very peculiar Oolong. It’s aged from 1993, and was refired about a year ago.

Leaf Quality:
The leaves of this Wuyi Yancha smelled substantially different than that of the others Vicony Teas sent me. I detected a faint smell of licorice root with a tiny bit of smokey fruitiness. It was very intriguing. The leaves were a mixture of brown and black. The brewed leaves smelled a bit earthy when I was pouring the tea, however they lost this quality when they were fully separated from the water. They began to smell like muscatel and a bit leathery.

Brewed Tea:
The liquor was a yellowish-brown. The scent was unexpected for an Oolong. It smelled a bit earthy, and toasty, and tasted similar. There was one flavor which stood out: smokey chocolate. The chocolate and smokiness combined reminded me of a Pu-erh. This brew had very interesting qualities I’ve never tasted before in an Oolong.
Second Brew
This cup was a very nice red-copper color. The first sip brought on a sweet nuttiness. The smokiness carried itself on to this brew.
Third Brew
Great floral notes appeared for this cup. Toasty, sweet, a bit earthy, and floral.

I’ve never tasted an Oolong like this before. I’m glad to have tried it, especially since the company ran out of stock.

Thank you Vicony Teas for this free sample!

I decided to try this tea while listening to D. Scarlatti sonatas. Tea always makes listening to music more enjoyable for me.

Leaf Quality:
There were no stems, only long, dark leaves. They smelled of sweet fruit. Like the other Wuyi Yancha teas I’ve tried, the leaves themselves remind me of little charcoals. The brewed leaves smelled of cherries and wine, and were a bit toasty.

Brewed Tea:
20 second steep times for this tea.
The brewed tea was a light brown, and smelled very buttery with a hint of toastiness. My first sip was smokey, buttery, and sweet. Very nice.
Second Steeping
This cup was very floral, and much sweeter than the first. Some smokiness showed through, however it was not as noticeable as the first.
Third Steeping
This was nice, silky, buttery, and floral. The characteristic smokey flavor from the other brews was still present.

I really liked this tea, and am happy to have tried it- especially with great music.

Thank you Vicony Teas for the free sample!

Leaf Quality:
The leaves were long, dark green, and smelled toasty; there were a bit of stems in the mix as well, though not too much. The scent was more of a black tea than an Oolong. The brewed leaves smelled chocolaty, and a bit acidic. I noticed a minute floral quality to the leaves in my last sniff.

Brewed Tea:
I got an immediate scent of buttery coconut from the 20 second steeping. The color was amber, and looked very nice. The flavor was very toasty as well, and had some muscatel notes with a bit of sweetness.
Second Steeping
The second cup was more floral than the first, but was still very toasty, and something new showed up: earthiness. This cup was a bit earthy. However, the coconut also decided to show in this brew.

This is the first sample that Vicony Teas supplied for me (Thank you Vicony Teas!).
It in’t sold on their website, so I’m glad the company let me try it. They also supplied a number of other oolongs for me.

Leaf Quality:
The leaves of this tea were large and dark black to dark brown. They smelled of caramel and were toasty and floral. In my hand, the dried leaves felt as if they were wood charcoals; they were very light for their size. There was a slight hint of fruit in the handful of tea leaves.
When brewed, the leaves took on a peachy aroma. Some of the leaves revealed themselves to be a very dark green rather than black. After the second steeping, the toastiness had escaped the leaves, leaving behind a very fruity scent.

Brewed Tea:
I brewed the tea for 20 seconds with splendid results. The color was yellow-green and almost peachy in complexion. Toasty and sweet- those are the first two things that came to my mind when I took the first sip. The Oolong was surprisingly robust with flavor even with the small steep time. Toasty, sweet, and a bit peachy.
Second Steeping
The floral and fruit notes were enhanced this time. There wasn’t much toastiness in this brew. The tea finished with the slight taste of Jasmine, or another flower. However, the last sip is the only time I recognized the specific floral quality. Though not as toasty as the first, this was just as robust.
Third Steeping
This steeping smelled of roses. Very floral and a tiny bit of nuttiness.
Fourth Steeping
This brewing was even more floral than the third. However, the robustness of the first three brews had left a bit. The sips ended with a nice peachy finish.

I’m glad I had the opportunity to try this tea. It could have easily withstood further steepings. Thanks Vicony Teas!

I just received this tea today. I ordered 3 cakes (1 to try and two to age). They also sent samples along with this for me to try. This is the first Moonlight White tea I’ve tried.

Leaf Quality:
The tea cake was very beautiful. There were nice browns, black-greens, whites and yellows. The dry leaves had a very faint scent that I couldn’t fully discern. The wet leaves, however, smelled very fruity, sweet, and floral. There was a slight hint of banana among the floral aroma. The leaves didn’t change color much in the short brew time.

Brewed Tea:
The brewed tea was very light in color; clear golden-yellow. The scent was also light, and smelled floral, sweet, and a tiny bit earthy. The taste was much the same as the scent, with a very nectar-like aftertaste. What a silky-smooth tea!
Second Steeping
This was more sweet and fruity than the first steeping. It was absolutely delicious. The fruit was more of a peach or plum now.

I really liked this tea. I hope the other two will age well. It had great character. Hopefully soon I’ll get better, as this cold is lasting a while.

This tea was a former top 10 China tea. Today is the day I figure out how to properly prepare it. My first couple attempts were less than spectacular. I used a healthy handful of leaf in my press. I heated the water until it started steaming and then turned it off. I let it set until the kettle grew completely silent. Opened the lid and let the steam escape for several seconds. Then poured it over the leaf. I went about one minute on the steep.

The leaf smells of buttery vegetables. That is a good start. The cup is cool enough I can sip immediately. The water temperature seems correct now, but the steep time needs to be increased. There is nothing off tasting, it is just not strong enough. As it cools a little more, it takes on a sweet creamy light vegetal flavor. I am on the right track as this isn’t bad.

For cup two, I used the same method on the water but steeped two minutes. Ah ha! This cup I can say I enjoy. It starts light green, then the taste switches to a memory. I can’t describe the taste, I can only tell you, it tastes like water from a fountain in a near by state forest from back when I was a kid. We would stop our bikes at this fountain every time we passed it, just to get a sip. As this moment in the way back machine ends, for Mr. Peabody and his pet boy Sherman, I notice the aftertaste is a light bitter flavor reminiscent of, but not exactly, dandelions.

This is not likely to become a favorite, however with some work, I have learned to appreciate it and even enjoy it.

Upping the rating.

This is the last sample supplied to me from my first order with Vicony Teas. Thank you Mr. Richard Zhang for the free sample! This tea is not a smoked Lapsang Souchong, but still carries a small smoky hint in the leaves.

Leaf Quality
The golden color of these leaves told me that it was made of buds. The dried leaves themselves smelled floral. When I first saw these leaves, my first thought was that they were thinner than Angel Hair Pasta! The brewed leaves smelled chocolaty, as did the other Lapsang I tried from this company.

Brewed Tea
The chocolate aroma of this tea was more pronounced than that of the previous one I tried. It also had a great floral aroma. The color of the brew was a dark amber. What a wonderful tea!

The taste was also sweet, and had a slight smell of tree bark. I really liked this tea.

Overall, I’m very happy with the teas supplied by Vicony Teas Company. I will be ordering from them in the future.

Thank you, Mr. Richard Zhang, at Vicony Teas for this free sample! I’ve only one more free sample to go.

Note: I edited this post due to a slight error with brewing instructions, on the Vicony Teas website. Thankfully, they corrected it.

Leaf Quality
The dry leaves are a dark black. One of them had a golden hue to it, however. They smelled malty and sweet. The brewed leaves were very leathery in consistency. Some were a dark brown, others as black as before. They smelled muscatel, and almost acidic (in a pleasant way). They were very aromatic, and had a different appearance than other black teas (the length in particular.

Brewed Tea
The color of the brew was a hue of copper-brown. It smelled smooth, light, and chocolaty. It tasted slightly malty, woody, and was very smooth. In fact, it was silky smooth- a really nice feature of this tea. There was a slight sweet after taste, and a floral finish with each sip.
Second Steeping
The second steeping had a much more light, and brassy-brown color. This cup smelled very floral- much more than the first. A honey-like sweet aftertaste followed my first three sips. After that, the malt made a return. I liked the second steeping better than the first. It enhanced the more subtle flavors.

I am very pleased to have gotten to try this tea (thankfully it tasted better when steeped longer than the original 20 seconds). This is also my first Lapsang Souchong that has not been smoked. A pleasant experience overall.

This is the first of three free samples supplied by the Vicony Teas Company. Thank you Mr. Richard Zhang for the sample!

Leaf Quality:
Only the top two or three leaves were used for production. The leaves looked very much like a Dragonwell tea. There was a nice floral scent emanating from them. There were no lone stems, and the leaves were medium-sized. It smelled very fresh. The brewed leaves smelled very toasty and vegetal.

Brewed Tea:
The very first smell I got was of peanuts- Honey roasted peanuts. Then, I noticed a slightly toasty smell, similar to Genmai Cha. I was expecting the leaves to fall to the bottom of the glass, like Dragonwell, but this did not happen. As the tea cooled for 20 seconds, I began to smell a honey-butter aroma, without any grassy or vegetal hints at all. The brew was a light yellow complexion. It did not lose the nutty aromas. The taste was also slightly toasty, but not as nutty as I had expected. I did notice a very tiny hint of buttery-goodness towards the end of the sip.

This tea was pretty good. I would recommend this tea for late morning to evening.

This is the very top quality of Taiping Hou Kui. It is not sold on Vicony Tea Company’s website, and had to be specially ordered. I understand that only 10kg of this tea was produced for this company. Taiping Hou Kui is one of my favorite teas, so it will be nice to try some in the top quality.

Leaf Quality:
These leaves were 100% hand-plucked, and hand made. They are more dark green than the ‘Superfine Hou Kui Tea’, and have more prominent grate marks on one side. The other side does not have as much grate marks, but shows the leaf’s veins near the stem. The leaves are very thin, but not as flat and brittle as the ‘Superfine Hou Kui Tea’, which was almost transparent. There were slight variations in height, and all of the tea consisted of the top two leaves of the plant. The dried leaves smelled very floral, and very sweet. It reminded me of honey suckle. This was much different than any other Taiping Hou Kui I have tried before; it was a stronger floral smell. The brewed leaves were very elastic, and smelled vegetal, but floral as well. The stems were more red, and had a reddish-green hue to them.

Brewed Tea:
The brewed tea was an extremely clear, medium-yellow color. The brew smelled vegetal, and was actually hard for me to detect. The initial taste was sweet, but turned into a floral, honey suckle taste. Nectar; there was a light vegetal flavor, overcome by nectar. This tea is very sweet, and has a very floral aftertaste. It was a very nice tea.

Second Steeping:
This steeping yielded a very floral cup. I actually found this steeping to be more sweet! This one retains all of the characteristics of the first one, but more pronounced. Very good.

I could tell that much care had gone into making this tea. It was not pressed by machines, as other Hou Kui teas are. I love the look of the leaves when they brew in a tall glass, and love the delicate flavor. I can see why this is classified as a rare, and ‘’Luxury” tea. I’ll be ordering my Nie Jian Hou Kui from this company again.

This is the first of 2 teas I bought, and 3 samples I received from Vicony Teas Company. This grade is the second highest for Taiping Hou Kui (Bu Jian), however I also bought the highest grade of Taiping Hou Kui (Nie Jian) which has to be special ordered. When ordering, I was very impressed with the company’s assistance, and customer support. They had some of the best customer-company communication I have ever had while buying a tea.

Leaf Quality:
These leaves were very long, and paper-thin. They had a nice, light green color, as well as darker green parts. They were very delicate, and the slightest movement would crack the sweet-smelling leaves. Some leaves were as long as my forefinger, while others only as long as my pinky finger. There were not any pronounced grate marks on this Hou Kui, but I assume they will be on the Highest grade. After brewing, the leaves they smelled very vegetal. They were very elastic, but still delicate. They danced around the inside of the tall glass I brewed the tea. Only the top two leaves had been chosen for this tea. Very good quality leaves.

Brewed Tea:
The color of the brew was a very clear yellow-green. It was not in the least bit cloudy, despite me having brewed the leaves in the tall glass without a filter before removal. The brewed tea did not smell floral, unlike what I had expected. Instead, it smelled more sweet, like a sugarcane. As for the flavor: it was very light. The flavor was lightly sweet, and also floral (which was a surprise, because the scent was not floral at all). It had a very faintly vegetal finish.

It had a sweet and floral aftertaste, and honey notes could be picked up in the back of my throat while sipping. This is a very nice tea to introduce me to Vicony Teas.

I made the fourth steep as soon as I got up this morning. There is still so much flavor, and I think I may like this cup best! I don’t know if it is because I am having it with my English muffin or some other reason, but this is really hitting the spot.

This fourth cup is tasting more like a white tea, but after the sip I am getting that little tingle of sheng.
This is quite a tea you have discovered, K S – thank you for sharing!

At last, the moment I have been waiting for! I wanted to taste this one when I could concentrate on it, treat it with careful attention, and squeeze every last possible steep out of it. This is a gift from K S. Thank you!

The leaves seemed to have a sweet, fruity smell. Either that is the melon K S was referring to, or the bag picked up a little of the scent of the Superfruit Sencha. If the latter is the case, I am pleased to say that I believe the taste is unadulterated. As I pour the hot water over the leaves, there is foam, like suds, but I didn’t use soap on this pot and as usual I rinsed it several times before using it tonight. Each steep got a new little froth at the top of the pot. Odd thing to happen, but this doesn’t taste soapy at all, so I have no idea what it is doing.

I have only had one or two shengs. This one is smoother than Ziyun Puerh Maocha, but has that same top note of brash youth one finds in shengs. It is in the aroma only, not in the taste. It really looks and almost smells like a sturdy white tea, but the sheng flavor is there for certain. My first impression was that this isn’t quite like anything I have tried before. As I tried to come up with descriptors, broth came to mind. I could really see using this a soup base and adding some spring onions and chives and soft wonton wrappers and sweet crunchy vegetables. Yes, it would make a wonderful spring soup base!

There is a strong grain flavor, too. I think it is oats that I taste most here. I am not getting cucumber right now. We’ll see if that comes up in later steeps!

Steep two: this is heartier, and I taste the maltiness more. The tea seems dark (in character, weightiness) and oaty as I sip. Now in the aroma, if I Inhale really deeply, there is a fruitiness. That must be the cucumber. They always seem so fresh and crisp and that is mixed with the salty oat flavor.

Steep three: The color remains strong, this tastes salty! Lovely oats and broth, warm white bud or silver needle flavor, mixed with sheng.

Thank you, K S, for a really neat tea experience and for the opportunity to taste such an unusual tea! When I stop sloshing, I may go for another steep!

Pale yellow brew. This is a gentle quiet tea. As the cup cools it developed a buttery sweetness. A light bitterness underneath the flavor to cleanse the palate. The second cup was the most amazing. Copying from my blog – The smell of the wet leaf in the second cup was more like the fresh air at the lake. Nice and refreshing. The second cup is even lighter in flavor. This is new. I am getting a sticky lip feel at the front of the sip with this green tea. Normally, I associate that trait with sheng puerh. Interesting.
Ok, this is really messing with my head and fascinating me at the same time. Now that the second cup is cooling it tastes and feels like I am drinking a warm cup of milk. This isn’t a milky oolong. How is it doing that? The sip starts a bit sheng like, then to lightly bitter green, and on to milk late in the sip. A beautifully complex cup.

Vicony will send out samples to reviewers for those interested. http://www.viconyteas.com/

10 second steeps on this one! Malt, honey, sweet potatoes, and light smoke. This is an amazing tea. The first day I had this I could smell it the rest of the day. I had to brew it again right away. I had four 12oz mugs. It would have gone more. If you are interested I have a longer review on my blog.

Think Bailin Gongfu and you will know exactly what this tastes like – chocolate, malt, and wheat. This is so very, very good! Bohea and Bailin Gongfu appear to originate on different mountains but apparently they both produce excellence.