EU Travelling Box - (ROUND FOUR - SIGN UP NOW).

So far I had:
The sheng pu 2008; I like bitter sheng and this was fuller than other I had. My flatmate found it too bitter.
The Jin Xian from Eco Cha is a good buy. Starting from $8 (38g) definitely a good deal; savory, but missing on delicate notes. A strong tea, typical taiwan oolong, but without nuances (at least to my palate). I would say a good start to enter the world of taiwan’s oolong.
The aged white tea balls from Fuding are the best I tried so far from the box. At the first sip you recognize that is white, from Fuding and, with a little background, also that is aged. The color of the open leaves points clearly towards a aged tea (dark and dull). No buds and wide leaves, so probably a shou mei or lower grade. Despite that an outstanding tea, specially if compared to the appearance of the leaved, that would not really point towards a top-grade.
Kayleigh, where did you buy it?
I also brewed the Assam 2nd flush. In a gaiwan, just to compare it to the Chinese blacks. The first gut was timid and a little bitter (despite just 90°C and 45’’ steeping time). The second cup was much better, but I still prefer Chinese blacks. The third cup was steeped to long (my fault). Pungent bitter. It was an interesting degustation for me, as I haven’t drink Indian blacks for quite a while, at least a year.

Tomorrow evening I will prepare the box to send it further to Scheherazade.

The white ball are really cheap; they are worthy every cent!
The name is misleading, as they are not “ancient,” but harvested in 2013. Neverless the brew is quite dark and intense. I would have bet for a few years older.
I wonder how I can sell it for such a low price. They don’t even cover the shipping cost!

Today I had the Tie Guan Yin. Not bad, not bad at all. Another tea worth having. I had better roasted TGY, but not for this price.
It is not bitter at all, even if you forget it in the gaiwan, like my 4th brew. It has a clear sweetness, reminiscent of liquorice root and honey.
The Xigui was also interesting. Light and not as harsh as other fresh pu’er. Kayleight was generous and there is quite some TGY and 4 white balls left.

Btw, no worries for the next guys.

I tried the Darjeeling tonight. Clearly floral and full in taste. A little bitter, but definitely worth drinking and, for me, ways better than the Assam. As far as I remember, this is the second best Indian tea I had.
If you have to choose between the two, go for the former.

Today I tried the greens and the keemun. The Xin Yang Mao Jian reminds me to the taste of Bi Luo Chun (from Jiangsu), slightly fruity. An interesting tea!
The Bi Luo Chun from butikiteas is quite strong and intense, but neither bitter nor aromatic. Typical green, I would say. If you like strong greens, that’s the right for you.
I was expecting more from the keemun, maybe because Teavivre mark it “Premium Hao Ya,” an indication for top-quality keemun. I will send you one of my keemun so that you can judge yourself.
In sum, the winner is the Fuding white tea. Even without looking at the price (very cheap!), it is the tea I liked the most. To the podium I’d also place the Tie Guan Yin and the Darjeeling.

I will send the box tomorrow to Sarah. I added the following teas:
– Ye Sheng Hong Cha (wild-grown black tea by Mener, tea shop in Hangzhou)
– Qi Hong Maofeng 2014 (by nannuoshan). Compare it to the keemun.
– Bai Mu Dan 2008 (by nannuoshan). Compare it to the tea balls.
– Xingren Xiang (phoenix oolong) (by Guanghou HuiRu Tea Co., Ltd)
– Shui Xian Gong Fu (by Länggasstee)
– Tie Luo Han 2012 (by a Shanghai tea shop; I didn’t wrote down the name). Superb tea!

The box arrived with me today. I’ve opened it and had a quick peek, but I’ll sit down properly with it later. Very excited!!!

I’ve agreed with Nattie that I’ll post the box on to her tomorrow. Many thanks to KittyLovesTea for making this happen – it’s been a thoroughly enjoyable experience. Notes for each of the teas I tried are in my tealog, but in summary:

Tried:
Exotica – David’s Tea
Supreme Fuding Aged Dragon Ball – China Best Tea Store
Candy Cane – Destination Tea
Pistachio Rose – Tea Horse
Shui Xian Gong Fu – Langgasstee
Puerh Orange – Nothing But Tea
Tieguanyin Spiced Orange – Verdant
Eight Treasures Yabao Winter Blend – Verdant

Kept:
Qi Hong Maofeng 2014 – Nannuoshan
Ye Sheng Hong Cha – Menet
Honey and Melon – ETS
Organic Ancient Bi Luo Chun – Butiki
Sweet Pumpkin Harvest – Celestial Seasonings
Cinnamon Roll Honeybush – 52Teas
2nd Flush Assam – Tea Horse
The Black Cat – Della Terra
Caramel Spice – David’s Tea
Mom’s Apple Pie – David’s Tea
Graveyard Mist – 52Teas

Added:
Nut and Honeybush Crunch – Della Terra
Potato Pancakes and Applesauce – Butiki
Pu’erh Tuo Cha – Butiki
Midsummer Night – River Tea
Dolce Vita – River Tea
Yunnan Golden Tips – Andrews and Dunham
Peanut Butter Marshmallow Treat Genmaicha – 52Teas
Cherry Cheesecake Genmaicha – 52Teas
Fuding Shou Mei White Tea Cake 2013 – Teavivre
Jasmine Silver Needle – Teavivre
Organic Silver Needle – Teavivre

The box is officially on its way to Nattie!

The box arrived yesterday! I’m currently working through it while writing an essay. Notes will be posted after my essay is due in (Monday night) and the box should be on its way midweek.

Slight delay on the box, but it’s packed up and ready to go. It will be heading back to KittyLovesTea tomorrow!

I tried (and shall soon post notes on):
Potato Pancakes and Applesauce – Butiki
Pistachio Rose – Tea Horse
Peanut Butter Marshmallow Treat Genmaicha – 52teas
Rose Lotus Leaf Herbal – Jerry Tea Trade
Dolce Vita – River Tea
Midsummer Night – River Tea
Power – Higher Living
Candy Cane – Destination Tea Co.
Tie Luo Han 2012 – Unknown origin (a teashop in Shanghai)
Exotica – DAVIDsTEA
Jin Xuan Oolong – Eco Cha
Cherry Cheesecake Genmaicha – 52teas
Darjeeling SFTGFOP – St. Martin’s Tea and Coffee

I kept:
Nut and Honeybush Crunch – Della Terra
Supreme Fuding Aged Dragon Ball White Tea – Chinese Best Tea Store
Yunnan Golden Tips – Andrews & Dunham
Bai Mu Dan 2008 – Nannuoshan
Chamomile Rose Silver Needle – Teavivre
Xingren Xiang – Guangzhou HuiRu Tea Co.

I added:
Three Friends – Butiki
Organic Iyerpadi – Butiki
Lychee Tea – Ten Ren
Dreamsicle Darjeeling – 52teas
Blooming Chinese Tea – Unknown origin (in red wrapper)
English Toffee Matcha – Red Leaf Tea
Cream – Adagio
Dozy Girl – Bluebird Tea Co.
OYGFIB?* – 52teas

Enjoy! (:

I have decided to start round 4 of the EU TTB box. I imagine sign up’s will be open for 1-2 months unless we receive a quick and overwhelming response. So perhaps around the start of summer or just before I aim to have this box start it’s journey.

If you are new to EU TTB then please read the first post as it has the rules and instructions.