Yezi Tea

This is a sample tea I’m having from Yezi this morning. I am very tempted by their Black Friday sale!!!

I think I’ve only had one Jin Jun Mei before and that was Verdant’s version. This is a very smooth tea with an exceptional mouth feel. The dry leaf smells like cocoa but there is something floral about it too. As far as flavors go, it reminds me of orange & malt. I’m getting a bit of a kick in the finish with a slightly tannic, peppery note. This is definitely a nice, cozy tea for the blustery weather we hare having.

I am still more tempted by the Ming Hong than anything else I have tried so far… I am not sure how to rate this. I think it is an excellent tea but something about it doesn’t quite appeal to me as much as some of their other teas.

Ooof, I am getting out of bed late. I was woken up this morning around 4:30 by my noisy steam heater and finally went back to bed for a nap I am just getting up from around 10.

So it’s tea to the rescue, and here is a lovely sample by Yezi. I don’t know how long I steeped this for because I forgot the timer, but I think it was around 3 minutes.

The tea liquor has an aroma of cocoa which is really nice. It has fruity elements, and smoke just like the description says. The smoke isn’t overwhelming but it’s enough to give a slight tobacco flavor to the tea which I am not really loving. It’s also a smooth tea and devoid of astringency but I definitely prefer the ming hong over this. If you’re a fan of keemuns, you might want to try this.

High-quality White Peony tea is known for its downy, gray-green leaves and abundance of unopened buds known as tips. (Lower grades contain thinner, brownish-green leaves and fewer tips.) So, right away, I can tell why this White Peony sample from Yezi Tea is ranked at Master Grade. Each teaspoonful contains twists of fine, sage green leaves and strong, silvery tips. Many of the leaves have a soft, downy underside that’s velvety to the touch. White Peony is also fluffy and well-stretched, so fewer leaves will fit on your measuring spoon. This explains White Peony’s higher leaf-to-water ratio compared to other teas.

When dry, White Peony’s aroma suits its delicate appearance. A subtle floral aroma with hints of plants and almond drifts out of the package when I open it. I think I even detect a whiff of caramel. Once brewed, the liquid carries a mild floral fragrance with a trace of seaweed. I’m not crazy about the seaweed undercurrent, but it’s still a pleasant-smelling tea. Not a permeating jasmine-like perfume, but gentle and fresh.

Despite the tea’s high leaf-to-water ratio, 1 teaspoon of dry tea for every 2 ounces of water sounds like a lot of leaves. So, I decide to steep 2 teaspoons of White Peony in 8 ounces of 185-degree water for 1 minute. The infusion results in a faint yellow-green – almost colorless! The flavor is there, though: a mellow blossoming of floral, seaweed, and almond. Again, I could do without the seaweed note, but it’s quiet enough that it doesn’t overpower the more attractive flavors.

To my delight, White Peony improves with each subsequent brew. With Steep #2 (1 minute 15 seconds), the liquid turns a brighter gold, and the seaweed tinge dissipates to let the floral and almond notes shine through. As it cools, the tea develops a slightly sweet aftertaste that reminds me of the caramel I thought I’d smelled earlier. Yay! Steep #3 (1 minute 30 seconds) introduces a buttery texture that enhances the flavor combination even more, especially once the tea’s down to room temperature.

My fifth and final cup of White Peony steeps for about 2 minutes. The flavor bouquet is mostly floral and plant now, but still mellow. No bitterness, no astringency – simply soothing from sip to finish. The ambiance this tea creates reminds me of floating down a river: peaceful and serene, with the soft trickling of water, the flicker of sunlight on the surface, and a touch of mist. Ahhhh, yes. I can see myself meditating or relaxing with a good book while savoring this.

Read the full version of my review here: http://bibliophilesreverie.com/2014/11/18/yezi-tea-white-peony-master-grade-white-tea/

Errp. Well, thanks to Raritea for sharing this, and Yezi for originally sending it… I guess I drank it and failed to make any notes whatsoever. How terrible of me. I have no recollection of it, but given that I don’t remember it, I suspect the flavour was super light, and I wasn’t overly fond of it. Otherwise it probably would have made an impression. Fairly standard reaction to a white tea, for me.

Saved this from a TTB in the summer, for my pu-erh tasting adventures.

Honestly I can’t really recall any difference between this and any other. I’m quite sure though that I prefer the Mandala ones I’ve tried. Even though they still just taste like pu-erh to me, no delicious chocolate notes or anything of the sort.

This was strong, I brewed it western style for a minute or so for a few infusions, and always with milk. I’m not a SUPER puerh fan yet. But i’m trying!

Sample from Yezi Tea I am trying this morning…

I was tempted to gong fu this but am running a bit short on time to get more caffeine into my body! I decided to steep it Western style for 2 minutes.

This is a really lovely red (black) tea. It definitely reminds me of a dark, hearty bread like pumpernickel. Then there is a nice sweetness in the brew, the sweet potato taste some people have picked up on. Chocolate notes are also present. This is really good when you drink it plain, but I also liked it a lot with soymilk added. The creaminess of the milk seemed to enhance this toasted grain quality. Overall this is a really delicious tea and I am adding it to my wishlist. Most of the black teas I have from China are from the Yunnan region, and this is a delightful Fujian tea, I’d love to have it in my evergrowing stash but it is not an inexpensive tea for sure.

This has more of a mellow, soothing energy than a get up and go type of energy. Good for a relaxing morning.

What an incredible jasmine tea! If I haven’t made it clear by now, jasmines are one of my favorite kinds of teas. I love floral flavors to begin with, but there’s something about the taste and smell of jasmine that I just love. This one is absolutely wonderful; light, just on the edge between floral and sweet, and not bitter at all. I was actually concerned that I had oversteeped this or brewed it too hot (it’s so hard to tell with jasmines), but this is so smooth! I would love to have it in my collection.

This is a nice Dragonwell. There are some vegetal notes—snap peas are the closest I can think of—with a sweet, smooth finish. It’s buttery and light, with no bitterness. Not the best Dragonwell I’ve had but very drinkable. So far I’m impressed by this brand and would love to try more.

Sipdown and backlog from last night:

I’m having a really tough week right now. I’m still sick (ear infection), on medicine that’s making me jittery, and working on a group project in one of my classes. Unfortunately, it’s one of those that only gets more complicated as you get further into it. My mother was nice enough to offer to make me dinner and tea last night, and when I asked for some kind of plain oolong she brought me a pot of this.

At first this seemed lighter than I usually like my oolongs: slightly earthy, some hay notes, and a touch of greenness. Then as it started to cool the sweet, almost melon-y aftertaste asserted itself and completely changed my mind. This is a very enjoyable tea, and a nice companion for a rough night. I would gladly drink it again (but sadly, it’s all gone).

I was thinking of having a Yezi tea this morning.. or should I say I was thinking specifically of the flavor of a Chinese black (or red) tea? No, I knew Yezi wouldn’t fail me. I’ve been holding onto this one from the Butiki traveling teabox so I thought I’d try this one. The Yezi black teas I’ve tried seem to be variations on a theme when it comes to flavor… especially if you happen to be able to steep them with exactly the same parameters. Yezi suggests a teaspoon for each three ounces of water, so I steeped the entire sample: three not-entirely-full teaspoons. The black and golden leaves have exactly the flavor I was looking for: not quite chocolate, not quite sweet potato (it’s a nice middle ground that only Yunnan seems to have), with something in the flavor that reminds me of wine. There is something about teas like this one that it seems like I’m actually chewing food – very rich and satisfying. Three amazing steeps with this one. Perfect every time. It’s hard to tell which Yezi red/black tea is the best, but I’d sure love to try them all to find out.
Steep #1 // 3 tsps for 12 ounce mug // 10 min after boiling // 2 1/2 min steep
Steep #2 // 5 min after boiling // 3 1/2 min
Steep #3 // just boiled // 4 min

Got a sample of this from the lovely Albertocanfly.
I usually love Li Shan Oolong, but this one doesn’t have tons of flavor. I even steeped it for longer than it said, but still not much flavor. So I’m kinda bummed out about this one! :/
It’s wayy too light for me. It’s lightly roasted, but mostly just kinda tastes grassy….
Kinda hard to tell. xD Definitely not something I’d get more of. But always glad to try another oolong. Thanks, Albertocanfly! [:

This tea has a roasted, clean aroma and taste to match. The sip opens with a natural sweetness then grows deeper with a roasted stem taste, then lightens up with a clean grassy finish. I actually found myself stopping and sighing, thankful that I found a tea that I enjoy drinking! It really is a quality tea & you can tell. Such a relief from some of the teas I’ve been trying recently that have been bland or unbalanced.

This is a sample that was included with my last Yezi order. Thank you!

I am working from home today and after my wonderful experience with Mandala’s Fancy Big Red Robe I wanted to try another version today gong fu style. I think the difference between last nights teas and today’s tea is the roast level. I think I was drinking a darker roast last night that brought out more of the malt/chocolate notes. This is more of a peachy fruity flavor. What I did learn today is that I do not like the first 2-3 infusions of DHP. Once the leaves opened up I fell in love though. The bitter quasi roast flavor went away and the it became a beautiful juicy oolong which is a completely different experience than I I have ever had with a wester style DHP. More exploration is needed, but I this was a great tea to sip on this afternoon.

EDIT: Umteen infusions later I am back to the roasty side of this oolong, although a much nicer roast, not with hints of bitter. This has been a really nice experience.

So the description on Steepster for this tea is:
“Baked Bread, Caramel, Cream, Malt, Raisins, Smoke”.
Didn’t taste smoke or caramel at all. But I definitely tasted the other four!
It tasted strongly of sweet potatoes too. And the creaminess took off the earthy edge.
I would buy this again in another really good Yezi Tea sale!

This is the last of my Yezi Tea samples also. Glad I got to try so many of them! And my tasting notes with Yezi ended on a good note! :D Would definitely recommend this one!

Guess who didn’t feel the need to take pain killers right after her shower this morning!? This girl!!
Which means that I get to drink black tea until my pain gets so bad that I have to give in!
I’m so excited! I feel like I don’t drink black tea enough these days…well at least this week. So I’m excited to be able to wake up and drink more of it! ^^
Bought 2oz of this one at the Yezi sale last week. I remembered that I had liked the sample, so figured their sales were a good time to pick up more. (:
I totally forgot how bready this one is! I love the natural sweetness, and I love how creamy and bready it tastes! I’m really happy that I bought more of this one! :D

So far I haven’t been too impressed by the Yezi Tea samples, but this one!
This one surprised me!
It’s creamy and malty. Hardly any earthiness at all! Definitely something that I would buy again if they had a really good sale or free shipping!
The win of the night! :D

So. The description for this tea is: Cream, Honey, Smoke, Vanilla.
Least according to Steepster.
This tea is nothing like that description. Perhaps it’s because I steeped it for three minutes instead of two, but…doubt it’s that.
For me this one is strong and earthy. The bready-ness made it drinkable, but…there’s just so much earthiness. Makes me not so much of a fan, to be honest.
Would rather not feel like I am mainly drinking dirt. xD But it’s not horrible. Just not what I expected or hoped for.

This pu-erh from Yezi was just what the doctor ordered. Strong and yummy.

Watching this tea bloom in my gaiwan was quite a treat. This is a tea that made me remember why I love oolong the most. Each steeping was a transformation on the last.

Oolongs are one of the most enjoyable teas to watch when brewing. With Da Yu Ling, the dark green leaves are curled tightly into tiny, crooked balls when dry. By tiny, I mean smaller than a button. As the tea brews, the leaves unfurl to reveal their full, beautiful almond shape about the size of your thumb. That’s huge, compared to other tea leaves! This visual surprise is one of the reasons why I love oolong tea.

Also, oolongs have a distinct orchid fragrance compared to other teas. It’s lightly floral, with more exotic and regal hints than a typical floral or green tea. From there, the oolong scent spectrum expands, ranging from vegetal to sweet to slightly fruity. When dry, Da Yu Ling lies on the vegetal end; but when brewed, it exudes an enchanting mix of orchid, grass, and butter. I don’t detect the tangerine notes described by Yezi, yet the richness of Da Yu Ling’s bouquet is exactly what I look for from a good oolong.

Apart from Teavana’s Monkey-Picked Oolong, Da Yu Ling Oolong is the first tea I’ve tried that the vendor recommends to steep multiple times. For the first cup, I brewed about 1½ teaspoons for 1 minute. The water turns a pretty pale gold, with a minty green tinge. Of course, there’s no mint whatsoever when you sip it. In fact, the first cup of Da Yu Ling tastes like green tea – fresh, grassy, natural. Maybe that shouldn’t surprise me, since the dry leaves gave off that scent. Yet it did.

What makes Da Yu Ling a star is its additional steeps. The leaves release more flavor as the brew time increases. The steep I savored the most is at 90 seconds. Here, the liquid takes on a beautiful gold hue, and the orchid current starts to weave itself through. The tea also develops a smooth, buttery texture and a delightfully sweet finish. Whenever the 90-second brew is gone, my heart flops with disappointment because I enjoyed it so much – but then my mood flips to excitement, because the empty mug means I can make a new cup! I’d advise against brewing Da Yu Ling past 4 minutes, however. Beyond that point, a mild bitterness replaces the sweetness and eventually overpowers the floral notes.

Read my full review here: http://bibliophilesreverie.com/2014/09/17/tea-time-at-reverie-yezi-teas-da-yu-ling-oolong-tea/