What-Cha

Here is my last review of the day. This was another recent sipdown of mine. I finished the last of this tea Monday afternoon. For the most part, I am a huge fan of Georgian black teas, but I quickly came to the conclusion that this one was never going to be one of my favorites. Though it was a good tea for the most part, I did not feel that it compared favorably to some of the other Georgian black teas that What-Cha has stocked in recent years.

Rather than gongfuing this tea, I opted to brew it in the Western style. After rinsing the leaves, I steeped approximately 3 grams of loose tea leaves in 8 ounces of 194 F water for 5 minutes. Normally, I do not resteep black teas that I brew in this fashion, but I opted for a second infusion with this one. The second and final infusion was 7 minutes, and 194 F water was again used.

Prior to the rinse, the dry tea leaves produced subtle aromas of raisin and pine. After the rinse, I found aromas of roasted almond and malt that were underscored by a faint smokiness. The first infusion brought out aromas of cream and steamed milk along with subtler scents of cinnamon and orange zest. In the mouth, the tea liquor presented notes of raisin, malt, roasted almond, cream, steamed milk, butter, pine, toast, cinnamon, oats, and nutmeg that were accompanied by hints of date, smoke, pear, and orange zest. The finish was very smooth, emphasizing cream, raisin, malt, oat, and toast notes. The second infusion offered steamed milk, cream, malt, roasted almond, toast, butter, raisin, pine, and petrichor aromas. The liquor was thinner and slicker in the mouth, as softer, subtler notes of pine, malt, cream, steamed milk, roasted almond, toast, butter, and raisin flitted across the palate. I also noted some subtle mineral impressions, hints of petrichor, and touches of brown sugar and vanilla here and there on the finish.

As stated above, this was not a bad tea. Unfortunately, it was also really nothing out of the ordinary for a Georgian black tea. Just about everything one would normally expect to find in such a tea was here. If you’re a fan of Georgian black teas, then you will probably like this tea to a certain extent, as it would be the sort of tea you could always fall back on when you need your Georgian tea fix. If, on the other hand, you are just getting into Georgian black teas or are looking for a more unique Georgian tea experience, there are teas out there that are considerably more interesting and appealing. In the end, I would very likely pick something like Natela’s Gold Standard Black Tea over this one if given the opportunity.

I am so happy to be back on Steepster. Work and class have been crazy lately, and quite frankly, I just haven’t had the time or the energy to do any reviews. Fortunately, I am still working my way through some of my larger tea purchases, so the backlog isn’t huge these days. I finished what I had of this tea a week or so ago. Prior to trying this tea, I did not have much familiarity with Hong Shui oolongs, so I did not really know how to score it. Overall, though, I found it to be a very nice yet challenging tea.

I prepared this tea gongfu style. After the rinse, I steeped 6 grams of dry tea leaves in 4 ounces of 203 F water for 10 seconds. This infusion was followed by 17 additional infusions. Steep times for these infusions were as follows: 12 seconds, 16 seconds, 20 seconds, 25 seconds, 30 seconds, 40 seconds, 50 seconds, 1 minute, 1 minute 15 seconds, 1 minute 30 seconds, 2 minutes, 3 minutes, 5 minutes, 7 minutes, 10 minutes, 15 minutes, and 20 minutes.

Prior to the rinse, the dry tea leaves produced aromas of raisin, prune, pear, cinnamon, and roasted almond. After the rinse, I detected new aromas of vanilla, cream, roasted peanut, butter, and roasted pecan as well as a subtle scent of old leather. The first infusion introduced aromas of cedar, smoke, candied ginger, and nutmeg. In the mouth, the tea liquor presented notes of raisin, prune, honey, cinnamon, roasted almond, vanilla, cream, and butter that were chased by hints of cedar, nutmeg, candied ginger, and pear. There was also a little leatheriness in the mouth after the swallow. The subsequent infusions introduced aromas of blackberry, toasted rice, chocolate, roasted barley, pine, straw, black cherry, and blueberry. Stronger candied ginger, pear, and nutmeg notes came out in the mouth alongside roasted pecan notes. Impressions of minerals, straw, toasted rice, roasted barley, black cherry, oats, chocolate, caramel, blackberry, blueberry, red apple, grass, baked bread, and pine also emerged with hints of licorice and smoke in tow. As the tea faded, the liquor began to emphasize notes of minerals, cream, butter, vanilla, honey, roasted almond, and roasted peanut that were balanced by softer notes of raisin, blackberry, cinnamon, pine, baked bread, toasted rice, grass, and black cherry.

This was a very interesting oolong. Its aroma and flavor components were constantly shifting, rendering the experience of drinking it very difficult for me to accurately describe. In terms of aroma and flavor, it struck me as being almost like a cross between a lighter roasted Shui Xian and a traditional Dong Ding oolong. Anyway, there was a lot going on with this tea. If you are looking for something a little more challenging, this would definitely be a tea to consider.

I have my personal computer back! Yay!

So short note. I love this tea. It resembles a creamy Alishan with some nuances of the Jun Chiyabari terroir, which surprised me. It’s predominantly creamy, but green enough to resemble green tea ice cream. I got hints of violet in the florals, and some macademia in its character. It’s my personal favorite of the limited edition teas.

Thank you Derk for this great Da Hong Pao. I began loving Jin Xuan right away but now I think I prefer a good Da Hong Pao these days. Not sure though, it’s just been a while since I drank the former. I’m fickle. I just love good tea. This is a good tea, and it’s also been sold out so I’m glad that Derk sent me this sample off my wishlist!

The texture is nice, very smooth and thick as described. I prepared it as their website suggested. I should’ve done gongfu style to get a full flavor profile but either way, it’s a good one. I’ve been distracted by work and have missed some timed infusions so hence my choice for longer infusions. I did three steeps: 3m, 4m, and 5m.

It is heavily and heavenly roasted :) and it has such a wonderful sweet roasted and minerally taste along with fruits and nuts. Lately, I prefer heavily roasted teas over green teas and this was just right… Not smoky nor campfire-like but perfectly roasted and toasted.

This is another tea I received in a swap with derk. Many thanks!

Last night was our writers’ group meeting and I try to serve tea and a little something to eat or snack. Yesterday I ground some hard red whear, which has a nicem nutty flavor, and made chocolate chip pecan Tollhouse cookies. I usually serve a mild green tea or a jasmine tea to the group as they are not necessarily into tea like I am, but I really thought this would be a much better choice.

Even though there were only four of us last night, we finished off two large tetsubins of this. I think it is safe to say that it was a hit! It has a nice nutty flavor, and I would call it a medium roast. We were steeping western style of course.

Since we were reading, eating, and listening, I didn’t give it all the attention it really deserved, but I can say that it was delicious and I would definitely order this, and would also try it gong fu to see how it changes.

Excellent tea. Thank you, derk!

May 2022 harvest

Going to into my personal Steepster Wayback Machine with this Korean green tea. Thanks for the opportunity to try this again, What-Cha.

I have a cold. My sniffer is not defunct but I don’t feel like sitting with a tea. I’d rather stay here in bed.

Mostly a mild, toasty-nutty corn/cornsilk and crisp cucumber flavor with creaminess like vanilla and oats. Pungent nori note in the aroma smooths out very well in the taste. Leaves the mouth only a touch dry. Dewy sweetness gives way to a refreshing lemony tang. This is a good tea for the moment :)

Thank you M. What-Cha for the May 2018 sample! I’ve never had a Korean tea outside of glutton-sessions at the KBBQ.

Nice, light green tea made for a quick polishing off of this sample. Brewed western, 2 tsp to 8oz at 160F for 3 short steeps was a little drying with corn/husk, an oat creaminess and a lingering, superficial almost stevia-like sweetness in the back of the mouth.

Gongfu brought out the nuances. 4g, 150mL, 160F, no rinse and didn’t keep track of steeps (6?). Leaf after first steep smelled of anise, almond, seaweed, toasted corn. In the mouth, I could taste the oat creaminess again, grass, lettuce, minerals, nectar sweetness, white pepper (strangely well defined), corn, blanched almond and a hint of malt. Faded away pleasantly throughout the steeps and was less drying than western.

Somewhat delicate and easy-sipping that would make an excellent palate cleanser.

Guys, I don’t know what happened with this tea but I have never been so tea drunk in my life. That feeling usually passes pretty quickly for me but I lay in bed for the longest time just kind of sighing and happy and warm and fuzzy.

It started with the first steep. The taste confused the heck out of me. I was expecting white tea but this was…something else. It had a high sharp edge like maybe kale or spinach and then….flowers. The taste lingered. Second steep had less edge and more flowers. My eyes start feeling like someone is pulling on them. Gave hubby a cup and he said it was good. I keep drinking steep after steep. I am getting more and more hippie happy mellow.

Finally it hits me! Sheng puerh! It was reminding of a really great sheng I had once from Wymm Tea! Incredible! And somewhere under the greens and flowers, a hint of the taste of Sun Moon Lake, just a whisper of the black tea version of this.

Maybe I overleafed but I would sure do it again to feel that way. The leaves are large but so light and so fragile that I decided to weigh them on my Upton Tea scale and went with 2.25 grams. Holy cow this was some potent stuff. I loved it. What a ride!

Thank you, derk, for the tea experience of the month! I won’t forget that session anytime soon!

Thanks so much again, Kawaii433! I had this one a couple weeks ago but it was a tough tea to describe. I see little rose petals in the oolong, but I wasn’t tasting it much. This time, it was a little more noticeable. The oolong wasn’t my favorite, it was a little harsher in flavor than I’d like my oolong. The flavor was very vegetal. Maybe like salty seaweed. So not the best pairing with rose notes. But possible also, the idea was to distract the not-so-tasty oolong base with some rose? My steeping parameters were all over the place though, so maybe it’s my fault. I also think I forgot a rinse. And little crumbs from the oolong liked getting through my porcelain infuser on EVERY steep (even with making sure the mug was clear of them on the next steeps… I have no idea how so many crumbs get through this infuser on every steep.) So I’m sure it didn’t help the flavor at all with the crumbs that kept steeping. Sorry, rose oolong, you just didn’t get a fair chance.
Steep #1 // 1 teaspoon for smaller mug // 30 minutes after boiling // 1 1/2 minute steep
Steep #2 // 12 minutes after boiling // 2 minute steep
Steep #3 // just boiled // 2 min
2019 Sipdowns: 19

Brisk and medium-high astringency. I would lean towards brewing 2 minutes. Reminds me very much of an Assam. Malty, strong, bold. Leaves appear like orthodox cut. This is my first experience with Colombian tea, only have had coffee from there. It’s really interesting when you find out Lipton and a lot of grocery store Japanese tea grow in South America.

Sipping on this now that I have some breakfast in my belly. Blueberry waffles topped with a spiced mango compote and a drizzle of maple syrup.

This tea was kindly provided as a sample from M. What-Cha in my most recent order, thank you!

SFPTPOEIOPFDOD I’ve seen these letters so many times and know what they stand for but now I forget. I do know it stands for some top grade chit. Opening the pouch, I was hit with a very strong rose, maybe some orchid, and the classic black tea aroma. Hesitancy crept in because of the strong florality. Though what a fine looking leaf! TIny, twisted multi-colored tippiness was oh so fluffy in the palm of my hand.

Gone western: 2tsp, 8oz, 205F, 2 steeps at 3 and 5 minutes.

I brushed aside most of the hesitancy and skeptically sipped the first cup. The aroma was still very floral rose with red berry and citrus midtones and undertones of malt and perhaps cedar. It took several sips for both me and the tea to open up. Like eyeing somebody as you approach each other walking down the sidewalk but then realizing it’s one of your neighbors in the building, so you smile and open the front gate for them (city living in a rough neighborhood). Most of the tastes presented mid-mouth and back for me with malt, cedar, citrus, rose. After the swallow, I noticed a woody tannin drying on the tip of my tongue and some light tingling throughout the mouth. Then all of a sudden a bloom of red berries like raspberry-strawberry-cherry, citrus and butter opened up in the back of the mouth. This aftertaste persisted for a long time. I feel like there might also be a cooling quality in the mouth – eucalyptus? It all made me smile and feel content. It’s quite a body warming tea.

I don’t have much more to say about it. I don’t necessarily find it complex tastewise — it’s a fairly straight-forward black tea but the aromas and tastes are well played. A strong floral aroma, a good balance between darker malty and woody notes, citrus tang, fruitiness and some umami butter and the way it lights up different areas of the mouth all make for a pleasant experience. This SFHGORODFDK is good chit.

Edit: I’m now noticing some returning sweetness that seems to be coming from the depths of my chest and is tickling the back of my tongue. The tea is a hint bitter, but smooth and light-bodied.

Such happiness to have a straight tea through the day after a few days of strong and distinct flavoured teas. This tea is a delight. Very much enjoy it.

First, this leaf is about three and a half years old.

Quite enjoy this. Yesterday, I took it with me as a travel tea for all day sipping. I get the sense of muscatel, raisin, but apparently, that is not supposed to be here.

To borrow from derk, this is an old ass tea. Perhaps three, moving on to four years old. That said, the packet had been unopened and reasonably well stored.

I steeped it with slightly cooled water to attempt to coax all the things.

Malt, a bit of citrus, and a bit of muscatel. A beautiful cup. The apricot is not showing up for me. Perhaps it has left the building altogether.

This was my first sipdown of the week and a tea I had kind of been planning on trying for some time. I know I mentioned in a previous review that I am not usually a huge fan of dragon pearl teas, but I am a huge fan of Feng Qing black teas, and this was a dragon pearl black tea from Feng Qing. Naturally, I couldn’t pass it up. I wasn’t really sure what to expect from it, but ultimately, I found it to be a very good, very solid Feng Qing black tea.

I prepared this tea gongfu style. After the rinse, I steeped 6 grams of balled tea leaves in 4 ounces of 203 F water for 10 seconds. This infusion was followed by 17 infusions at the same temperature. Steep times for these infusions were as follows: 12 seconds, 16 seconds, 20 seconds, 25 seconds, 30 seconds, 40 seconds, 50 seconds, 1 minute, 1 minute 15 seconds, 1 minute 30 seconds, 2 minutes, 3 minutes, 5 minutes, 7 minutes, 10 minutes, 15 minutes, and 20 minutes. After this series of infusions was completed, I steeped the mostly spent tea leaves in 212 F water for 30 minutes just to shake things up a bit.

Prior to the rinse, the dry tea balls emitted aromas of malt, cream, sweet potato, honey, and pine. After the rinse, I detected aromas of roasted almond, roasted peanut, vanilla, and sugarcane. The first infusion introduced aromas of chocolate and baked bread. In the mouth, the tea liquor presented notes of malt, cream, sweet potato, vanilla, sugarcane, and pine that were balanced by hints of roasted almond, chocolate, and baked bread. The subsequent infusions introduced aromas of fennel, eucalyptus, black pepper, caramel, and marshmallow that were accompanied by subtle scents of clove and cinnamon. Stronger and more immediate roasted almond, chocolate, and baked bread notes emerged in the mouth alongside belatedly emerging honey and roasted peanut notes. Impressions of minerals, butter, fennel, eucalyptus, marshmallow, caramel, black pepper, clove, and orange zest also emerged along with hints of cinnamon. As the tea settled and faded, the liquor started to emphasize notes of minerals, malt, cream, chocolate, caramel, orange zest, marshmallow, fennel, pine, butter, and baked bread that were backed by hints of eucalyptus, black pepper, clove, vanilla, and sweet potato. The final infusion brought back strong, muddled woody, spicy, and herbal flavors that were balanced by cream, malt, and chocolate notes.

This was a very nice Feng Qing black tea that was missing the pronounced earthiness and distinctive vegetal characteristics of many other such teas. On the one hand, I missed these characteristics, yet on the other hand, I greatly enjoyed the smooth, silky, and long-lived tea liquor these dragon pearls yielded. One issue I had with them, however, was that I could not get the pearls to completely crumble on their own. Prior to the final infusion, I noticed that there was what appeared to be white thread running through the middle of each pearl, so I picked them up to investigate, and sure enough, there was thread holding them together. I then pulled it out and went back to work, but I was surprised by this because I had literally never had dragon pearls with thread still in them. And I should also note that I was at least somewhat familiar with Feng Qing dragon pearls and had some experience with them prior to trying this tea. Oh well, the thread surprise did not take away from the tea. It was very nice overall, but I think this tea would probably work best for grandpa brewing on the go or as an introduction to Feng Qing black teas since it was missing some of the more challenging aspects that a number of other such teas bring to the table.

Look and taste like tieguanyin with less sourness. Heavier roasted Oolong. Pleasant aftertaste and aroma; roasted nut palate.

My new schedule is killing me. I made the decision to take a master gardening course with my parents, and it really sucks. Actually, I enjoy the course, but it meets every Monday night, and well, Monday used to be my long, slow day at work. Now, I have to get everything done by 5:00 p.m. so I can hop in the shower, get dressed, and make it to class by 6:00 p.m. I don’t make it back home until sometime between 8:30 and 9:00 p.m. I figured, however, that I would try to get a couple of reviews posted before I left. This was one of my sipdowns from last week. Though I tend to love teas produced from the Si Ji Chun cultivar, this one was a letdown. It was not terrible or even really bad in any way, just more or less mediocre and kind of forgettable.

I prepared this tea gongfu style. After the rinse, I steeped 6 grams of loose tea leaves in 4 ounces of 194 F water for 10 seconds. This infusion was followed by 15 additional infusions. Steep times for these infusions were as follows: 12 seconds, 16 seconds, 20 seconds, 25 seconds, 30 seconds, 40 seconds, 50 seconds, 1 minute, 1 minute 15 seconds, 1 minute 30 seconds, 2 minutes, 3 minutes, 5 minutes, 7 minutes, and 10 minutes.

Prior to the rinse, the dry tea leaves produced aromas of raisin, plum, cedar, straw, honey, and plantain. After the rinse, I detected new aromas of malt, cream, and cherry that were accompanied by hints of vanilla. The first infusion brought out stronger vanilla scents as well as an oat-like aroma. In the mouth, the tea liquor offered notes of plantain, honey, raisin, cream, malt, vanilla, and straw that were framed by undertones of wood, baked bread, flowers, and cherry. The subsequent infusions introduced aromas of baked bread, toasted rice, rose, and pear as well as subtle scents of roasted barley, orchid, and violet. Cedar, plum, and oat notes came out in the mouth alongside stronger and more upfront impressions of baked bread, wood, and cherry. Clear impressions of rose and violet were also present along with some very subtle hints of orchid. Furthermore, I detected impressions of minerals, caramel, pear, toasted rice, and butter along with some subtle hints of roasted barley and cinnamon. As the tea faded, the liquor emphasized lingering impressions of minerals, plantain, cedar, raisin, plum, malt, and cream that were balanced by hints of cherry, vanilla, butter, oats, and baked bread. At the very tail end of my review session, I also caught some suddenly amplified pear and cinnamon notes.

This was a pretty standard roasted Taiwanese Four Seasons oolong in just about every way. I will note, however, that it did possess respectable longevity, a smooth body, and a very nice, creamy mouthfeel. Unfortunately, those were the only qualities of this tea that stood out to me. Taken on its own, this tea wasn’t bad, but it also just wasn’t anything out of the ordinary. If you are at all familiar with roasted Si Ji Chun oolongs, I doubt this one will surprise you. In the end, I suppose I would not caution others to avoid it entirely, but if one were to choose to skip it, they would not be missing all that much.

Thanks SO MUCH for sending these, Kawaii433! I’m very happy I get to try these. It might take me a while, while also drinking other teas, but that is the insanity of my cupboard. :D This is a lovely jasmine oolong. The dry leaves have a slight jasmine scent but also a vegetal scent. The flavor is great, though I’m noticing these What-Cha ‘flavored’ teas don’t have too much flavor to them, other than that awesome sticky rice oolong which might have the most flavor of any tea ever. But I am noticing the jasmine here. Somehow the flavor is not bitter at all, though I feared these leaves might have been after the third steep for three minutes. I’m not saying anything mind blowing about this tea. Not an extensive tasting note, but I did want to write one before this tea was gone gone gone from the cupboard. All teas need a tasting note once, at least to say you enjoyed it!
Steep #1 // 1 teaspoon for smaller mug // 16 minutes after boiling // 1 minute steep
Steep #2 // 14 minutes after boiling // 2 minute steep
Steep #3 // just boiled // 3 min
2019 sipdowns: 11

Oooh, first jasmine oolong! Thanks, Kawaii 433 :)

Brewed western for 3 steeps. Same base tea as the Rose Oolong I had a few days ago. Plenty of jasmine and I love the way it blends with the Jin Xuan milky taste. Dominant jasmine and green grass aroma carries through into the mouth with other flavors of cucumber, lettuce, scalded milk, a hint of toasted rice, butter on the swallow. An immediate butter and jasmine aftertaste fades into tart apricot-osmanthus. Oily, medium-bodied, lightly mouthwatering with minerals. Sugarcane returning sweetness. The spent leaf smells like seaweed.

I like the creaminess that the Jin Xuan brings to jasmine. Less heady than most jasmine greens I’ve had.

A sample of Spring 2021 harvest. Thank you for your generosity, What-Cha :)

This is now the third harvest I’ve had of this tea. Heavily roasted oolong isn’t my favorite, save for well rested and highly oxidized yancha. But this is nice, nicer than the 2016 and about on par with the 2020.

Sweet and sparkling honey-graham and cardamom taste mixed with black walnut and twigs. This roast is obvious here and lends alkalinity yet it is unobtrusive and allows for the perfumey floral aspect of the lower-oxidixed leaf to come through. At one point, the aftertaste had a playful, fleeting moment of peanut butter mixed with honey crystals. Becomes woodier and tannic as it steeps out. This will likely age into something much like the 2003 Aged Green Heart Oolong https://steepster.com/teas/what-cha/67645-taiwan-2003-aged-green-heart-oolong

Cool to see how much my impression differs from beerandbeancurd’s for the same harvest :)

Alright! I have another harvest of this thanks to M. What-Cha’s kindness. April 2020. The other experience with this tea was a Spring 2016.

The aroma of this tea is sweet, nutty, floral and cool with notes of peach, walnut, sesame, honey and alpine air. As I pull away from the cup, a scent of wintergreen trails away with me. The brew is at first nutty to an extent that I don’t find enjoyable (I’m not a fan of nutty flavors as a result of roasting) but that note mellow within a few infusions. The tastes are of sweet mineral water, nuttiness like macadamia, honey, balsam wood and strangely peppermint. An aftertaste of peach skin and pit comes quickly. The tea is surprisingly clean; there are no lingering strong roast notes. As the session progresses, the brew retains its honeyed, nutty and balsam flavors as the minerality drops away and cream/creaminess become dominant.

The Spring 2016 harvest was probably my gateway into heavier roasted Taiwanese oolong and it didn’t leave me with a favorable impression. This time around, even with a such a fresh roast in comparison, I came away satisfied. While not as complex as the 2016, this 2020 harvest was overall mellow, cooling, nutty, honey-sweet and gently floral. It also had great longevity and oversteeped without complaint. Good oolong for daily drinking.

Thank you Alistair :)

Finished off a bag of this recently.

I believe it was a Spring 2016 harvest. Prepared with both short steeps in a gaiwan and longer steeps in a teapot. The dry leaf had some fantastic scents: vanilla, macadamia, coconut, cream, peach, lemon, white florals and light butter. When warmed, there were notes of peanut butter, wood, orange, chocolate, lemon and pomegranate. Rinsing brought out a more savory tone with wood, cooked greens (more kale/chard, not spinach), tomato, brown sugar along with violet and orchid florals.

I preferred this tea brewed with short steeps so this note is based off what little I jotted down about those, which isn’t much because this tea didn’t really capture my attention beyond the first few steeps.

The first steep brought out sweet notes of peach, rock sugar, caramel, light vanilla and cream, steamed milk, light brown toast, grass and flower stems with a slight butter finish. The aftertaste was floral with orchid and osmanthus, long-lasting. Mouthfeel was mineral and oily. As the steeps progressed, the tea exhibited a stronger brown toast quality but very smooth in its delivery. It was rounded in with peachy, caramel, nutty, grassy, herbaceous and floral tones. The mouthfeel transitioned into a feeling reminiscent of eating a green banana, producing an itch in my throat. Some slight bitterness came out along with menthol. The tea maintained this character for at least 7 steeps, but I didn’t take notes beyond the second one.

I think this tea helped me affirm that I prefer some sharpness in roasted oolong. It might be better suited for somebody who appreciates very rounded, toasty oolong.