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This is a really nice Lapsang Souchong. Not completely overpowering, but not one of those wimpy Lapsangs either. It’s beautifully smooth with some subtle sweetness. My favorite way to take it is to chop up some crystalized ginger and add it to the infuser with the leaves. It makes a lovely sweet and slightly spicy drink that is absolutely perfect for cooler nights. Not too shabby chilled with some bourbon either ;)

Oh, thank goodness! This is leaps and bounds better than the last one I tried (and subsequently dumped). It’s a really lively smelling tea, I can’t stop sticking my nose in the bag. Heavy on the lemon myrtle which makes it nice and bright. Often times I find citrus flavored teas to be bitter, like the pith has been added along with the zest. This one, thankfully, is not bitter in the slightest. The bergamot seems a bit lost, but overall it’s a solid citrus blend with a bit more oomph than Twinnings Lady Grey. I bet it would be delightful iced.

This tea smells like wet dog. And while I’ve never licked a wet dog, I’m going to go ahead and leap to the conclusion that this is also what wet dog tastes like. No thanks.

This is one of the teas I picked up during Tao Tea Leaf’s incredible Christmas in July sale (special thanks to Marzipan) and I am absolutely kicking myself for only picking up 25g of it. It is hands-down one of my favorite teas ever. A beautiful mix of malt, cocoa, and deep sweetness with next to no astringency. It has a mouthwatering scent of baked bread and rich chocolate, and tastes similar with a sweetness that lingers. Even the liquor is a gorgeous deep clear amber.

The leaves are quite twisty and wiry and it was difficult to even separate them let alone measure properly. So I ended up just dumping a couple pinches in my teapot. In retrospect I should have weighed it since it ended up being perfect. I brewed Western for a little over two minutes with about 7oz of water and it ended up lovely even though I thought it would be too weak. Definitely recommended!

This is an interesting oolong, I don’t know that I’ve tasted anything quite like it. It smells like honey and apples and tastes quite the same, mixed with a bit of floral. I can’t put my finger on what exactly the floral flavor reminds me of, sort of a mix between honeysuckle and rose. It’s really light and lovely. I personally prefer darker heartier oolongs, but I still really enjoy this one. I think it’s a nice summer tea.
These are also some of the loveliest looking leaves I’ve ever seen. Just a beautiful rainbow of colors that unfurl into nice large leaves.

So far: Rinse, 35s, 35s, 45s, 60s…

I get a little worried when there’s Lapsang Souchong in blends because it can be completely overpowering. Thankfully it’s used sparingly in this blend with just a hint of smokiness in the back of the sip. The star flavors here are clove and orange. With the lemon myrtle and bergamot adding a bit of brightness. It tastes like Christmas to me, I can’t wait to serve this around the holidays. I usually don’t add sugar or milk to my teas, but I think I’m going to try with this one, I bet it would be delicious. I also have to add that I love when you can see the flavoring in teas. There are full cloves in here, big chunks of orange peel and pieces lemon myrtle. It’s lovely looking.

I brewed for 3 minutes at 200º but next time I’ll go for 4, it could stand to be a bit stronger.

I was surprised by this one. Yezi describes it as “bitter yet sweet” but I happily get absolutely zero bitterness in this tea. It is beautifully sweet and very strongly reminds me of Bailin Gong Fu. It’s a nice hearty tea with a lovely body even though I under-leafed it. The first 15s steep was a little light, but the second is just lovely. Smooth with notes of sweet cream and a touch of malt.

Rinse, 15s, 30s…