J.C. Bouvier

I have gone through about an ounce of this wonderful green, which I like a bit stronger than my usual steepings. There’s a smokiness to it that kicks the AM off well, and then falls off as I continue to refill my tumbler…In my opinion, a fine tea to begin one’s journey into the world of lose leaf.

An almost citrus-y nose, steeps dark and earthy from the medium round cake. Multiple steepings each better than the last. Very even, no distractions, just pure pu-erh.

I’ve become a big large leaf pu-erh drinker, and this particular tea is growing on me quickly…A wonderful earthy aroma pre-steep, almost chocolate-like in its depth gives the Jing Gu Da Ye varietal a bit more gravitas. The steep is excellent, with some care to clear the stems. Nice color and very even.

This is a very earthy, even tea, with a bit of tartness up front, which obviously wains as you continue to steep it. Wonderful color, and a bit of the Chinese countryside in the steeped aroma. For a seven year old tea, the Zhi Ran holds its flavor well.

This surprisingly fragrant green from my pal David Lee Hoffman at The Phoenix Collection has a bit of a tartness on the nose, and the fuzzy stiff-grassyness you see in its raw form unfurls beautifully as the tea steeps. This makes the Golden Dragon one of the prettier teas to drink with people who see it in my cup asking what it is I’m drinking… The Golden Dragon drinks about as well as any green I’ve ever had with a fine even finish. Good for at least four steepings in a 16 oz tea tumbler.

This is a wonderfully earthy and hearty pu-erh, I like to drink it in the late afternoon…

My go to day to day steep, of all my greens, this one is the most drinkable. Trying to conserve my Pu-erh reserves.

I sourced this tea directly from The Phoenix Collection (http://thephoenixcollection.com) and find it to be the strongest of the pu-erh stock I currently have…Earthy and fragrant, only a few leaves are required to brew a dark and dirty flavor.

I sourced this tea from The Phoenix Collection directly (http://thephoenixcollection.com) and it has been a wonderful morning cup. Steeps well, the pack is tight in the bamboo section…Which makes extracting the tea a bit of work, ask David about his tea awl for use in this pursuit. The process does lead to fragmentation of the leaf…Which clogs up my Teas, Etc. glass filter…but it’s worth the cleaning time.