1719 Tasting Notes

85

2nd steep. 30s, boiling water. Now I detect the aroma of spinach in the leaf. The brown is gone – all green now. There is a slight film on top the cup. The flavor is more even, pronounced, and complex. Still very smooth with a heavy dose of earthiness. No grass. No bitterness.

Preparation
Boiling 0 min, 30 sec

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85

The first of five samples provided by China Cha Dao. Ok, I am going to do my typical American thing while brewing, but I will compromise on the steeping times. I am using a healthy spoonful of leaf in my press and a 10oz mug. The dry cake smells slightly grassy. Did a 10s rinse with boiling water. The wiry looking dry leaf immediately started coming to life. Let it rest a moment then did my first 30s steep with boiling water. The steeped leaf varies from brown to bright green. The smell of the leaf is rich and earthy. The brew itself doesn’t have a detectable scent. The cup is a light amber color. The sip is thick almost syrupy. There is a heavy earthiness that rises quickly and just as quickly passes. I detect no grassiness and no bitterness in the first cup. I have a cheap cooked version (by another seller) of this tea that I have to mask its’ overwhelming flavor with chocolate mint. This is slightly pungent but I did not feel the need to mask or add anything to this tea. I am a newbie at puerh so I can’t tell you if this is good or bad. I can only tell you I liked it. Also note that the cheap version with mint is one of my favorite everyday teas – so after I road test this on its own merits I will add mint to it and see if I have a new favorite. I am going to list the rest of my steeps separately.

Preparation
Boiling 0 min, 30 sec

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85
drank Butterfly Floret by Primula Tea
1719 tasting notes

It still bothers me there are no real brewing instructions on these teas. H2O + pod = tea are not real steeping instruction in any language. I continue to experiment one 36oz pot at a time. This is a green tea so boiling water should probably not be used. The however is, the first blooming green I tried was very slow to open. So boiling water it is. Didn’t make the tea the least bit bitter IMO. The pod bloomed beautifully. I haven’t had any problems with the pod coming apart. Not sure why others would have problems. The display is so pretty I almost hate to pour it… almost.

This is another very mild Jasmine. It is the predominate flavor but not overwhelmingly so. It blends well with the green tea. I can’t tell that the flowers are adding anything to the flavor of the cup. If they do it is very subtle. Very pale amber brew with a natural sweetness. Honestly I can’t tell the difference between this and the lovers leap I brewed a couple days ago. That’s ok with me because I like it.

The second pot I steeped long and strong on purpose. I was curious to see what would happen. The brew, of course, was much darker. The scent of jasmine was present wafting off the cup. Still no hint of bitterness. Interestingly, the flavor of jasmine seems to have moved to the background and I get just a hint of the flowers now (that could be my imagination). I am also noticing a dryness in my mouth. I prefer the way I steeped the first pot.

I am always leery when someone who does not like Earl Grey recommends an EG to me. So let me make clear, I do not normally like jasmine tea, but I am enjoying these blooming teas by Primula.

Preparation
Boiling

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75
drank Earl Grey Black Tea by Primula Tea
1719 tasting notes

The friend that gave me this said he really liked it for the bergamot and some kind of berry notes. That sounded excellent. The dry pod does smell nicely of bergamot, not overwhelmingly so, but in a pleasant way. The display opened up nicely. It is a bit drab compared to the colorful Lovers Blossom. Still it is cool.

The clarity is good. The brew a golden amber. In the sip I get the berry notes my friend mentioned. I can’t quite put my finger on it. I will call it plum for now, maybe a little grapeish. The bergamot takes a major backseat here. It is more on the level of bergamot in Ahmad’s No 1 tea, its there, but way in the background. As an EG this is more than a bit disappointing. If the package only said London Fog I would not have a preconception that is a bit hard to overcome. Ok, if this is not EG, how is it? It is not brisk, bold, or astringent. It is very smooth like Prince of Wales but to my tastes, with the fruitiness, it takes on a Keemun/Ceylon afternoon blend quality. Works well with a little sweetener, which gives it some depth. This is really not bad. While I doubt I will buy this one (cause its not EG), I would definitely drink it if it were offered to me. One pod made two 6 cup pots (36oz each) or 7 medium strength 10oz cups.

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85
drank Lover's Bloom by Primula Tea
1719 tasting notes

My first blooming tea. This was a most thoughtful gift from a friend.

There are no real instructions on the packaging. I looked on the website and could not find a statement on how large a cup/pot to use. The canister said 12 blooms, 36 infusions, over 250 cups. Doing the math that is about 7 cups per steep. How big do they think a cup is? Is it 4oz, 6oz, – 8oz? I am sure it is not the 10oz I normally use. My kettle came with a 6 cup pot, or roughly 36oz. I figured that was close enough.

The bloom opened up nicely with minimal debris. The broken off leaves were due to me pouring the water over the pod in a bit of a brutish manner. The artistry in these things is truly amazing to behold. There is a beautiful tiny red flower at the heart of the bloom. A wonderful conversation piece around a table with friends. Highly recommend for the visual appeal.

Now I have always heard blooming teas are less than spectacular in the taste department. That may be true, however in this case I must say I was thoroughly surprised. You see, I don’t or didn’t like Jasmine. I have never liked the smell, the taste, or how it settles on my stomach. This tea has the Jasmine smell but the taste is very mellow and subdued. It is so sufficiently sweet on its own that even I was tempted not to add the yellow packet.

I made two pots out of this. Didn’t try the third Primula claims. I suspect it would have worked. If you like an in your face Jasmine, this is not a tea for you. If you think you don’t like Jasmine, you may well enjoy this. I poured and finished 4 cups myself. That’s more Jasmine than I have been able to finish in my whole life. A pleasant cup. Looking forward to more.

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96
drank Ti Kuan Yin by Empire Tea Services
1719 tasting notes

Figured out what the taste I couldn’t place was… Last night I had some apple pie with a little nutmeg in it. So Ti Kuan Yin has a hint of apple, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Just a hint.

I mixed this tea with the earl green. It tamed down the bergamot flavoring of the earl and added its own oolong touch to the cup. My new everyday cup, worthy of the 95 I suggested in my original review

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96
drank Ti Kuan Yin by Empire Tea Services
1719 tasting notes

A semi oxidized Chinese tea rolled using a traditional method. Another sample given to me at the shop. I was told this is their most popular oolong. The dry leaf has a faint vegetive sweetness and is rolled pretty tight. The liquor is very light green, almost clear. The brewed leaf is large generally complete pieces. Poured into the cup I can see the bottom. I am so used to bagged tea, which turns the cup black immediately, that this is still freaking me out. The brew has only a slight scent. First sip is very light and semi sweet. It doesn’t taste grassy yet reminds me of a sencha. There is a kind of fruity taste, that I recognize but can’t put my finger on, lingering after the sip. The oolongs I normally drink are dark and earthy. This is very light and airy. I was in a hurry for tea this morning and did not let the water cool so there is a small amount of bitterness that is entirely my fault. Further showing my novice approach I shamefully added sweetener. The tea reprimanded me most severely until I promised never to do it again. This tea will do multiple steeps.

I am not going to assign a rating to this for a few reasons. First, it is so unlike anything I normally drink I don’t have a reference point to compare. Second, I didn’t follow proper steeping protocol and further desecrated the cup by adding sweetener. My gut tells me the quality of this product is very high but my taste buds won’t commit. Maybe they are still upset for being reprimanded? I will say this makes me want to try one of their oolongs on the black end of the oxidized scale or this tea with maybe lemon grass. Yeah, I could see me giving that a 95.

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96

Temple of Heaven green tea with peach and apricot flavors. According to the helpful guy at the shop/warehouse who gave me a sample, this tea was just freshly blended. It smells insane of peach and apricot, to the point I was a little nervous. The dry leaf is very black and very tightly rolled. Not having much experience with gunpowder I wasn’t sure how to measure it. I used about 1/2 tsp. It was maybe a little light. The liquor has a light green / amber tint. It appeared clear in the pot. After pouring, there was some residue in the bottom of the cup. The aroma is so delicious. It’s like holding the fruit in your hands. Still nervous. First sip – amazing. The flavor is much less outrageous than expected. It is like biting into the real thing with the added bonus that there is tea in the mix and I can taste it. With the second steep, the green tea jumps out even more. The flavors became even more enjoyable as the cup reached room temperature. Well balanced. I am generally not a fan of fruit or flower flavored teas. I do, however, have a weakness for peach. I have had many, many, bagged and bottled versions. This is way better than any I have tried. I will be ordering more of this.

Preparation
180 °F / 82 °C 4 min, 0 sec

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90

Premium Keemun teas from China blended with high elevation Ceylon teas. I drove 70 miles to pick this tea up at the warehouse. I am not disappointed. This is a loose leaf rotovane tea but it is not dust. This is quality tea blended to perfection. The leaf smells very rich and sweet like fruit and reminds me of a good tobacco. I don’t smoke – that is not the point. It smells so good I could inhale it all day but then I would miss drinking it. The brew is a very clear medium dark and there is no sediment in the bottom of the cup. I am not a big fan of straight black teas. This is one of the few I could drink everyday. I haven’t tried it iced but it would probably be great. There is no bitterness. There is no heavy aftertaste. The Ceylon is a solid foundation for the Keemun to build upon. It adds a fruitiness after the sip. I can chug this or sip it. I can drink it hot or let it reach room temperature. It is just good. Highly recommend especially if you think you don’t like unflavored black tea. You can get two cups from 1 tsp by steeping the first cup 3 minutes and the second for 6 minutes, with only a little flavor loss on the second cup.

I have to add an addendum. I went looking for this particular tea because I had a box of Twinings English Afternoon I really liked. It’s a bagged version of Ceylon Keemun blend. I wanted loose. After drinking two cups of ETS loose, I brewed a cup of Twinings to compare. It is kind of like chimpanzees and humans. We may share 97% DNA but that 3% makes all the difference in the world. The Twinings dust colored the brew almost immediately. It lacked the fullness and range of flavor but left an aftertaste. It had an annoying bite felt on the sides of the tongue and roof of the mouth. I poured out about half a cup. Just couldn’t finish it. This is a bit of an aha moment. For about the same money, Empire Tea Services blew the doors off Twinings.

Preparation
Boiling

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91
drank Earl Green by Empire Tea Services
1719 tasting notes

Emperor’s pride leaf & whole bud green tea from China with bergamot and orange peel. The dry leaf smells of bergamot and tea. The leaf varies from tannish to dark brown. There are bits of orange peel in the blend. According to the website this is good for multiple steeps. I used 1tsp of leaf – approx 2g and I use sweetener. My mug holds about 10 ounces.

First steep – 3minutes. The leaves did not appear to have completely opened but this is a full leaf tea. The clarity of the brew is amazingly crystal clear with only a mild amber color. I thought maybe I had not used enough tea or needed to steep longer. Tasting says otherwise. The bergamot is more flowery than citrus and very strong. I couldn’t separate the orange from the bergamot in this or any of the subsequent steeps. I want to be careful with the wording of this review as this is obviously a quality tea. For my tastes the bergamot is overdone. As a reference point, I like my bergamot a little less bright than say Twinings. This tea is more along the lines of Republic of Tea Earl Greyer in taste. I can’t pick out the tea in the brew on the first steep.

Second steep – 4 minutes. The leaves have opened all the way. The brew is still crystal clear and very light in color. Bergamot still strong.
Third steep – 4 minutes. Starting to taste tea. Bergamot is less intense. This is the best cup so far. A little sediment in the bottom of the cup.
Forth steep – 4 minutes. Surprised how much the flavor is still present.
Fifth steep – 5 minutes. Very light color. Still flavorful.

Empire tea says 1 tsp will make six cups. I am fully convinced this will go another steep but my bladder is not up to the task.

Conclusion: 100g of tea will make 250 cups of quality tea if you want to take it that far. That’s like 4 cents a cup. Now since I think the first two cups are too overly flavored I plan to cut this with another earl green I have that lacks enough flavoring and settle for two cups (maybe 3) more in line with my tastes.

Preparation
180 °F / 82 °C
K S

For the last few years I have used Ahmad earl green. It is a loose leaf of very large broken pieces. 500g (a little over a pound) can be found for around 6 USD. That’s cheap. Lately the quality has been hit or miss (imagine that, its 6 USD!), with one pound having great flavor and the next simply tasting of a pleasant green tea. I decided to cut the Ahmad lacking bergamot with the Empire tea in equal portions. The result is really good. The excellent quality of the Empire tea with a greatly toned down bergamot. It will still produce multiple steeps – at least 3 – and I like the flavor of all of them. I am going to bump up my rating with the qualifier that when I reorder the Empire tea I will order a equal portion of green tea for a custom blend.

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Bio

K.S. passed away in late April. There will be no more postings from him. Thank you.

My Rating System

90-100 Love it enough to keep around
80-90 Like a lot, would drink often
70-80 Above average
50-70 Average – take it or leave it
0-50 I don’t like it and don’t want to like it

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Indiana, USA

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