Jim Marks

The free sample explosion continues.

I have to confess to always preferring Japanese shaded green teas to most Chinese varieties. Some of the pan fired options bring an interesting, roasted note, but otherwise I tend to find them very flat.

Dragon Well are always the exception to this trend. In fact, I find that most Dragon Well taste very similar to a Japanese shaded green tea — bright, green vegetal notes, a hint of ocean water tang, and high mountain air. Nothing brown, roasted or floral going on here and that’s the way I like it.

Once again, Teavivre is providing exceptional value for money with the quality of what they have on offer. I have to say that so far I am extremely impressed with the amount of flavor in the cup for what their website tells me they charge for these teas.

Blessed Feast to everyone of the Western Rite this morning of All Saints Days!

Another one of my free samples from TeaVivre.

Oh how I love Yunnan golden teas.

We made homemade pizza last night, and of course I burnt my mouth eating it (how is it so impossible not to do this?) so my taste buds are a bit dull this morning and even so, all those great citrusy notes are popping through followed by warm, round, soft, sweetness. This variety is a bit more citrusy and a bit less warm, round, soft and sweet than some, but without having that kind of lingering bite that makes your throat tense up late into the cup.

Given TeaVivre’s fantastic pricing, this is probably my new go-to Yunnan golden.

It is “cold” in Houston this morning, by which I mean high 50’s, and this is the purrrrfect cuppa for a morning like this.

For some reason I stopped buying pu-erh teas.

Probably because for some reason I stopped ordering tea online and the local merchants mark their pu-erhs WAY up.

In the wake of this, probably temporary change, I have realized that this Wuyi oolong has become my default, go-to tea.

It is a classic yum cha/dim sum type toasted oolong and while my local premium grocer charges way too much for it, this Republic of Tea variety is very much center of the road.

I usually get 3 steeps from these leaves, but with a fresher supply I could probably get more.

Second steeping was much the same as the first, but a bit softer. I dare not attempt a third.

(Realized I had this on the organic, but my package doesn’t indicate mine is organic, so I’m moving the rating over here where it belongs)

When we lived in Chicago and I had ready access to the Tea Gschwendner retail shop, I got into the habit of drinking a lot of bai mu dan. Their premium Edmond’s Collection featured a truly magical pair of white teas, one of which had leaves so untampered with from growth on the plant to steeping in the cup, so whole, so intact, so unshriveled, that you could barely get 100 grams of them in a full sized tin that would easily hold a kilo of flour. These teas were shockingly perfect to drink on brutally cold days, and on the very rare occasions that I allowed myself to indulge in a criminally over-priced to-go cup from the TG shop, it was always in bad weather, and it was always these white teas I went for.

But I’m not reviewing those teas, here. I’m reviewing a tea from TeaVivre. So why did I bring all that up?

We have a tendency to think of white teas as light, floral, sweet, fruity and the kind of thing you’d want to drink iced on a hot day. But in my experience, peony/bai mu dan style white teas are quite the opposite, and this one from TeaVivre is no exception. Notes of fresh hay, autumnal leaves, roasted squash and sun warmed cabin wood.

Exactly the kind of thing to warm you up on a brisk, winter’s day.

This leaf in particular is soft, almost buttery but not at all sweet. There is a suggestion of astringency at the finish that warns you to never, ever over steep this tea. Given that this is nearly 1/10th the price of what TG would charge for a similar leaf, this is fantastic value for money.

Except that right now in Houston it is 80 degrees, humid and we’re having an apocalyptic mosquito infestation.

Not the tea’s fault at all, though.

I have been drinking a lot of golden Yunnan lately, so I’m having to let my tongue adjust a bit, here.

And yet, perhaps not as much as you might think.

I would describe this as a more subtle, more gentle golden Yunnan. Very similar notes of roasted fruit, citrus zest, caramel and molasses… just less so. A much more gentle way of easing into one’s morning than a full bodied Yunnan would be. Or a great way to settle into a quiet evening’s repose, perhaps.

The third cup is showing a bit of fade. A perfectly good cup, but it suggests I should not go for a fourth.

And this has always been my gripe with the tuocha teas. When I buy pu-erh that’s loose, I can frequently get upwards of a dozen steeps out of it, but tuochas rarely get past three.

The second steeping has lost that glimmer of sweetness.

But let’s face it, as much as such a thing is an unexpected and enjoyable quirk in a pu-erh, you aren’t exactly going to fault the cup when it isn’t there, are you?

This cup is just as dark and full flavored, just a bit more peaty and less molasses.

You know, a cup of pu-erh.

Full disclosure: This review is based on a free sample provided to me by the distributor. If you suspect me of being the sort of person who can be bribed with free tea, now would be the time to disregard my opinions.

For a start, these are the most perfect looking tuocha I’ve ever seen. Perfect half spheres with a dimple, expertly wrapped in moisture wicking fabric paper. If you are into the aesthetics of your tea drinking, these are well worth looking at.

There is an enticing and unexpected sweetness to the smell of the dry leaf.

I’m always amazed at how quickly pu-erh steeps. 90 seconds and I have a cup that looks like coffee. Regular readers will know that I don’t go in for this business of “rinsing” pu erh teas. Given how fast it steeps it just seems to me like you’re throwing away the first good cup in the name of tradition.

The aroma off the cup is a reassuring swirling of damp soil, cave rock and rainy days.

But the flavor on the tongue brings that unexpected hint of sweetness again. Like someone was storing barrels of molasses in that cave, or perhaps the paper wrappers for the tuocha had been painted with caramel. But don’t worry. This isn’t like drinking vanilla strawberry roiboos or something. This is a soft, round, hint of a suggestion. Not even a wink and a nod, more like a knowing glance, at sweetness.

I tend to find the second and third steepings of a pu-erh to be the best, so I’ll be getting back to you shortly, I suspect.

OK, a little experimenting.

If you radically shorten the steep time and try not to breathe in while pouring the tea off the leaves, the floral bouquet is actually not all that strong. Most of it seems to end up as odor during the steeping procedure, after which point it becomes fairly subtle.

The second steeping, with just a bit more time, is even less offensive.

Maybe I need to take a whole second look at hand rolled, green, scented oolongs.

Nah.

Even after a few months in a metal tin, being opened and closed every few days, this tea is still holding up very well. One has to be very careful not to over steep, but when the temperature and timing are right you get a wonderfully soft, round, almost buttery cup.

This is better on the second steeping. Those sharp, bright green notes soften up quite a bit, and the resulting cup is mellow, round and not at all floral. I’m still not getting this sense of Earth that so many others have, but given how much Yunnan golden and pu-erh I drink, my idea of “earthy” may simply be a lot further down the spectrum than others’.

I think if my leaves were fresher, or this were a higher quality tea over all, this would have that slightly thick, sticky, brothy kind of mouth feel that marks truly excellent lighter teas such as this one, but because of where and how my leaves were sourced I cannot make any statement about whether this tea was one that good or no.

I’m not getting the earthy notes other reviewers got. Maybe I need to use cooler water.

I am getting bright, sharp green and just a hint of hay. There is more than a bit of a floral bouquet to this, as well.

Oh dear.

Rolled oolongs, you torture me.

You never smell floral when you’re being all coy, dry, rolled up and green.

But the minute hot water hits you, and enormous bouquets of flowery evil assault me.

What am I going to do with all this tea, now?

I can’t help but wonder if the flat quality of this tea and the inability to get a second steeping has more to do with Central Market’s system of keeping loose tea in glass jars that get repeatedly opened and closed (and possibly sit a long time with old stock in them) and less to do with the quality of the tea.

I should probably stop being lazy and start ordering tea online again instead of buying it at the grocer. Even bulk, loose tea from the grocer just isn’t ‘good enough’ anymore.

Cold barley tea really is just about the perfect thing for scorching hot weather if you can’t be drinking mint juleps, and better for you. Like pu-erh, barley tea is supposed to help cleanse the organs.

This particular variety has a much more roasty/toasty sweetness than the varieties I’ve purchased in large, Asian import grocery stores here in the USA.

Just steep an entire pitcher of it for at least half an hour in tepid water, then move to the fridge. No need for ice if you keep the whole thing cold.

This is much better than genmaicha I have purchased stateside, but I believe that is largely because I tend to get genmaicha in import grocery stores, not tea shops, in large, cheap quantities.

This was an absolutely shocking shade of green when I poured the first cup. But it began to fade and darken almost immediately.

The flavor is both darkly vegetal and brightly toasty. I start to get a sense with this of what genmaicha may be all about.

The brew also has a sticky thickness in the mouth, almost like a broth. Which is not unpleasant, but… unexpected.

I don’t think genmaicha will ever be my truly favorite favorite of green teas, but this is very tasty.

OK, Japanese green tea snobs, it is time for the rubber to hit the road. For years I have been having people tell me that “every day” green tea in Japan is better than even the best teas available in the USA.

Well here it is, a bag of green tea so authentically Japanese, I can’t read anything on the bag except the “4”.

Now, this is a truly fantastic shaded green tea. A perfect balance of sweet and bitter greens, soft mouthfeel, and vibrant color even after an hour or two in the pot.

But I have had just as good, or even a bit better, purchased through shops in the USA.

I think it is time for the Nihonophiles to accept that the Internet and international shipping and distribution has eliminated the barriers that once kept all the best teas in the domestic markets.

Don’t get me wrong, this is top shelf, and I will savor every cup. But it is time to put the myth to bed.

Further proof, I think, that Yunnan golden teas are on the whole a fairly superior varietal.

By and large I am not super impressed with Republic of Tea brand loose teas. But this one is much better than the others I have on hand or have had in the past.

My only disappointment is that an attempt at a second steeping has produced a darkly colored, but essentially flavorless cup.

There’s just something always a bit “flat” about these Republic of Tea steepings that I can’t quite put my finger on.

No notes yet.

No notes yet.

To quote Randy Jackson “It was just a’ight for me”.

I was on the road for a whole month, and spent the time prior to using up tea in the house and haven’t had the free time to place an order since I got back, and so I am stuck drinking Republic of Tea from the bulk bins at Central Market.

There is almost nothing left in my cupboard right now, after a long Spring of many teas. Gone soon will be the lapsang, gone already are the Taiwanese oolong, the golden teas and all the other deep, dark flavors. Gone even is the decaf English Breakfast. I’ll probably replace them with bright, Japanese greens for the Summer months.

But I ordered 500g of this pu-erh and I’ve been making it in increasingly smaller and smaller pots as I’ve gone to these much shorter steeping times. So… this is gonna linger a bit. If I had it stored in ceramic instead of aluminum, I’d just put it up until October, but I don’t want it to taste like tin.