E Alexander Gerster

E Alexander Gerster drank Osmanthus Silver Needle by Samovar

I was really leery of tasting this tea after the box arrived covered in dust and a dead bug between the inner bag and outer box. But my love of osmanthus, and curiosity got the better of me. I brewed a small gaiwan, and enjoyed it so much that it was soon followed by a large pot to share with a friend. Light, beautiful and really pleasant. A nice balance between the tea and the flowers. Like drinking dewdrops of honeysuckle nectar. Truly one of the best teas I have tasted from Samovar.
And BTW, customer service at Samovar online was fantastic. They responded quickly to emails and wanted to make sure an experience like this didn’t happen again, sending me samples of some of their other teas. Very friendly and very professional.

2011-10-06 10:48:29 -0400

185 °F / 85 °C

2 min 15 sec

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Cole 2011-10-11 11:07:07 -0400

Glad to hear this tea exceeded your expectations. Everything tastes better with a little osmanthus!

CHAroma 2012-05-13 13:49:53 -0400

Holy --!! You’re brave. I definitely would not have tried the tea after a bug incident like that. At least Samovar tried to remedy the situation.

E Alexander Gerster 2012-05-13 15:53:37 -0400

I’m too frugal to let a tea go to waste…especially when the osmanthus smelled so good! :)

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I have been drinking tea for most of my life, and enjoy learning about Tea Culture from all around the world. I learned early about Russian and British traditions first, since my parents came from Europe, followed by the teas and culture of Ceylon/Sri Lanka and India. Since I have been a practicing Buddhist for the better part of 25 years, I have strong ties to Asia, and have slowly been learning about the teas from each part of the world I encounter. It is a wonderful and interesting journey.