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Short review – Wow!

Long review for those who like more -

Today I finally got to slow down enough to give this tea time for a proper review. This sample was generously provided by Fong Mong Tea Shop. Again, I am impressed with the packaging. The pouch is heavy duty, the sample is vacuum packed, and inside is an oxygen absorber to help maintain freshness. There is 6 grams of tea inside. It all fit in one spoon. I was tempted to use all of it but just in case I mess up something I decided to save half for a later steep. Turns out, 3g is a lot of tea. The leaf is rolled into very tight tiny dark green balls that really expand. The dry leaf did not have much aroma to me.

I brought my water up to temperature and poured over the leaf. Immediately an amazing floral scent began to fill the room. Fong Mong recommends a six minute steep. I could not bring myself to steep it that long and went only three. The liquor is extremely clear and a pale yellow.

Since my reaction and following review are a bit different than the others, let me state up front that I added sweetener at this point. I usually wait until I have at least tasted the tea straight. Today I knew I was going to add it eventually so I just got it over with.

The first sip is electric, with a lot going on all at once. When I say electric I mean it literally. There was a numbness and a feeling of shock at the very beginning that I have never experienced before and it was not in later sips. The sip was very floral and sweet. At the same time it struck me as salty. Again this was only an initial reaction. The press and cup were both cleaned and well rinsed just prior to the tasting so it was not something left over from a previous brew. This has the lingering aftertaste typical of green oolongs. One Steepsterite describes this as a latex glove taste. I can make that connection but it is far more pleasant and green than it sounds. To me it is more like the taste of the white part of a watermelon rind.

As the cup cools I am getting a better sense of the flavors. It remains intensely floral at the front of the sip. Mid sip there is an underlying earthy quality. The floral notes pick back up towards the end and this dissolves into the lingering aftertaste. I am not sure this qualifies as milky but it does flow smoothly across the tongue. Another thing I am noticing is a dusty sensation on the throat and a tingling in the checks. I would normally associate this with astringency but it does taste astringent.

As the cup reaches near room temperature I get a mineral taste. I hear that description used often but this is the first time I have felt compelled to use the term myself. Interesting.

With the second cup the leaf is still not completely unfurled, yet it hangs in the press making it look full of leaf. It looses the earthy note and the dusty feel on this cup, and settles in at smooth and lingering. By the third cup, the leaf has completely unfurled. It makes for a lot of leaf. I stopped with the fourth steep, making 48oz and it could have gone more. Still a lot of sweet flavor. I am glad I had the time to spend with this one. It is quite complex. It is also quite tasty. This is a very good tea.

This has a production date of 2011. I heated the water in my usual way – 12 oz heated until the kettle got loud. Turned it off. As it stopped roaring I opened the lid and listened until the kettle became silent. Then I did something different. I poured the water in to my press, then added the leaf. O My Goodness! The flavor coming out of the press was like being in a fancy kitchen. Buttery asparagus, maybe squash. I don’t know my veggie smells well but it was incredible. The taste is just as fresh as the day I opened the sample. I can’t imagine that the superfine can be better than this. How do you improve on perfection? Buttery green goodness that flows like cream across the tongue. It has a nice bite at the end of the sip and a lingering fresh green aftertaste.

Funny, when I drink jasmine pearls, I think this is the best tea ever. Then I have this one and think this is my absolute favorite. Let’s face it, if I had only these two teas (and an Earl Grey) in my tea drawer I could be very content for a very long time.

I am not going to rate this as I didn’t prepare it and it was mostly ice. What I do want to comment on is how nice the mint in this tasted. I am not a big mint fan but this did not overpower the tea. The ice however gave me brain freeze.

Sip down :( I spent the day with this most marvelous of teas. I remember when Angel first offered it to me. I almost turned it down. In fact I did turn down another jasmine green she offered. I hate jasmine. Or I did. Or I still do, if it is that over-perfumed icky stuff in a bag from the grocery store. Its even been true of the few other loose leaf jasmines by other companies I have sniffed. But this, oh this, is so different. It is flowers and sunshine. Its’ taste reminds me of grapes. It is nectar. No it is Ambrosia. It is light and refreshing with a lovely green aftertaste. It is multiple steeps of delight. Oh sadness. After today it will be gone….. sigh. I must have more. The shelf life is three years. Jubilation! So what if I have 50 other open samples.

I finished my work day with the tea I almost started with. This smells so luxurious. Wonderful vanilla, bergamot, and orange pieces with a smooth Ceylon base. The vanilla tastes like it has been caramelized, and the flavor flows right into the bergamot. I like the bergamot Empire Tea uses. It is a little different from most I’ve tried. I can never really pick out the orange flavor or maybe that is what gives the bergamot the unique twist. A delicious desert drink. When the sample is gone I plan to order this one.

Sip down. For my last time with this sample I thought I would play a little by adding lemon balm and orange mint. I have to say I am not crazy about what I did to this cup. The lemon balm is kind of a Lemon Pledge scent. It isn’t horrible. It just isn’t exactly lemon. The orange mint adds something that I can’t identify. It isn’t orange and it isn’t mint – other than a slight cooling feeling in the aftersip. The Keemun kind of got lost in the mix except for the hints of chocolate in the aroma.

After the first cup I removed the herbs and gave this wonderful tea the proper goodbye it deserved :)

So I start the morning and the week in a blurry fog. I swear I grabbed the wrong glasses because I can’t focus on anything. I opened my tea drawer looking for a slap upside the head. Darjeeling, that should do it. As it is steeping I start to question my decision. Fusion makes awesome balanced blends but… in my awake state I don’t think of them when I need a caffeine jolt. Oh well, the deed is done. The timer goes off. I pour. I sip. Tastes like peaches. Instead of a slap, this is more of a pat on the head saying it is going to be ok. The taste is more peach, honeybush, ginger. The Ceylon and Darjeeeling teas are obvious in the leaf but distant in the taste. A great afternoon tea, and apparently a great wake up slowly tea. If this is English it must be working.

Last night I had multiple glasses of iced decaf Lipton. Mom and Dad love the stuff. Today I had slow brewed (what does that mean)iced tea at Texas Rodhouse. It was actually pretty good for restaurant tea. So this evening at home I am finally getting back to my tea. Happy times.

Sip down. Yesterday while I was sipping the Lishan high mountain oolong, I kept thinking it tasted a lot like this tieguanyin. So today I steeped this to confirm. I was wrong. They taste very dissimilar. This is much lighter in flavor with a heavier aftertaste. They do share some characteristics, both are milky, buttery, floral, and freshly green. It’s kind of like different types of apples. They share some basic traits, yet they are vastly different. I can’t say one is better than the other. They are each unique. What gives the high Mt. oolong an edge is the knowledge of how rare it is and how it is grown. This one is still very tasty.

Had this last night. I got the mugs out of the dishwasher just after it had run its cycle. They were really hot. They stayed that way a very long time after filling from the kettle. I can see how those who like it really hot would want to preheat the cup before using. Personally, I like my cup only warm. That meant I sat all sad eyed looking at the cup for a while. The smell while I waited was really nice though.

This has become a bit of a nightly ritual with my wife and me. The bag is half gone already. She asked if we could order this and have it mailed to us. Which should I use? Ummm… no… I think we need to drive an hour and a half and pick it up ;) Or, Sure and the gas money we save by paying shipping we can use to order more tea and make it worth our while. Yeah, I think I am going with the second.

I used 3g – half the sample – 12oz water at about 85C for 6 minutes. The smell of the wet leaf is vegetal like steamed broccoli. The liquor in the cup is orange yellow in color. The taste is a bit sweet and floral. As I understand it this tea is grown along with pear trees so it will absorb the sweet fragrance of the fruit. This is a lightly oxidized tea with no hint of smoke or roastiness. It is slightly astringent but not bitter. I notice it is leaving my lips feeling numb and tingly. The aftertaste is very fresh and green. As I continue to sip, I notice the mouth feel has a light milky quality and the taste is mildly buttery.

I got three steeps. This is pretty tasty. I wish I had done my homework before tasting this as realizing the scarcity and difficult conditions in which it is grown would have enhanced the experience.

I traded presses with a coworker, giving him the black pearls, and getting this in exchange. We both get the second steep. The wet leaf in this smells very orange today. The Ceylon Yunnan base is solid and the French bergamot smooth. A nice cup.

This leaf was still in my press this morning and Bonnie is on my mind – praying you and your home are safe this day.

The jasmine is a bit softer this morning but the milkiness is still very solid. I find it very interesting that no one else commented on this aspect. I did add sweetener. That could be part of the explanation along with our hard water. The water is heated it in a kettle until it starts getting loud (far below boiling) then cooled it until it stops making noise. I use 12oz of water and 2 scoops of leaf in a French press for about 2 minutes. Still loving this.

I used 6 pearls today to see if maybe I just didn’t use enough yesterday. To me it appears like too much leaf after steeping. It does pump the flavor a little. This is a good tea, with hints of smoke, chocolate, and occasional malt. I would never turn a cup of it down. It just doesn’t move me like it has others. I am sticking with my initial score of 85.

This came as a sample provided by Teavivre. This tea is so light and fluffy it barely fit in the sample bag – seriously. When I opened the bag I was hit with the jasmine scent. I was a little afraid as it seemed very strong, like many of the jasmines I have tried and not liked in the past. Within moments the scent calmed down and mellowed into that beautiful fragrance I love so dearly in their Jasmine Dragon Pearls (my favorite Teavivre tea).

The leaf itself is gorgeous. So light in color and almost brittle looking. I kept spooning it out until it ‘looked’ like the right amount in the bottom of my French press. Heated 12oz of water until it steamed then let it cool until it stopped making noise and poured. I steeped this for about a minute and a half. The liquor had the faintest yellow tint in the press and looked nearly clear as it poured. The wet leaf gives off an intoxicating aroma somewhere between honeysuckle and grape. Love it.

The sip is jasmine, the good kind – note overwhelming and not medicinal or fake. In addition is something I did not expect. This tastes and feels very milky to me. It’s almost creamy moving across the tongue. Really nice. At first I was having trouble picking out the white tea. Then I realized it was largely in the aftertaste. Though the flavor profile is a bit different, this is every bit as delicious as the beloved jasmine pearls. Seriously good.

Thank you Teavivre for sharing this tea and for showing me again that jasmine (done right) can be a work of art.

Ok, looks like I love this way more than others but I am going to rate this one because I think it deserves it.

Opening the package and viewing the contents is kind of like journeying to another world and trying to figure it out. The closest comparison I have experienced to these pearls is jasmine pearls but these are much larger. They look like miniature flowering tea pods. I am looking at them and trying to figure out how many do I use? I went with 5 as that seems to be the starting point I have read in other reviews. While I am pondering, I notice these smell like unsweetened chocolate.

This is pleasant but not as full bodied as I was expecting. The amount of expanded chocolate brown leaf in the bottom of my press tells me I used a sufficient amount. So, either this is a very light bodied tea, or I need to increase the steep time.

I think the novelty of brewing this amazed me far more than the actual tasting. Don’t misunderstand, this is quite good. It just didn’t knock my socks off like almost everything else I have tried from Teavivre. Since others liked this way more than me, I am going to hold off rating (I was thinking 85) until I try it again.

Generous sample provided by Teavivre.

Meatloaf, mashed potates, corn on the cob, and White Earl Grey – could it get any better? The correct answer is no… oh wait, I could have had pie. Dang.

I had the bright idea yesterday that I would steep this up and pour it into glass bottles to be chilled. I poured the first over ice and the second I just drank out of the bottle. Maybe if I had added sweetener I would have liked the result better. This tea is surprisingly too light to work iced.

I love this hot, so I am leaving the rating alone.

It’s Saturday and that means multiple cups with breakfast. Simple but not too simple and delicious.

I had this last night. LiberTeas description of Tutti Frutti sounded kind of like this. I was reminded of it again this morning at the farmer’s market when I passed a booth selling lavender. The first few cups of this I couldn’t pick out individual flavors. Now I am used to it enough I am catching the spearmint (but it is not overpowering – I generally don’t like spearmint). It props up the rose and lavender. Again neither of which are strong in themselves. Sipping this without thinking it kind of comes off as grape Kool-Aid. I think that makes this a decaf grown up kid’s drink :)

Not likely to ever be my favorite, but after tinkering I have learned to really enjoy this. I keep the first steep at about 1minute. That is low enough to hold the smoke down to a pleasant level, for my tastes, and long enough for the wonderful black tea to bring forth its flavor. 2nd and 3rd steep I go 2 and 3 minutes respectively.

Sip down :( What a great tea! :)

When TeaVivre offered their latest round of very generous samples, I asked for this one specifically. This is the lowest priced level of the 3 Dian Hong black teas they sell. Even at the low cost this is still a quality loose leaf tea with a fair amount of golden tips mixed in with darker leaf. The dry leaf is a bit malty and has some tobacco leaf scent. I used about 3g (a healthy spoon) and just below boiling water, steeping for 3 minutes in my French press. The liquor is a dark and clear caramel. The wet leaf scent reminds me of brownies. Like baked caramelized sugar and chocolate. (yeah, I know – Yum! Right?)

Comparing this to Golden Tips or Sun Moon Lake is unfair, but I can’t help it as I just tasted tested the latter. So let me get this out of my system – This does not have the wonderful sweet potato notes of the Golden Tips, and it does not have the amazing honey and mint of the Sun Moon Lake. So in this unfair comparison it starts off sounding a little bland. Yet it is $6.90/100g compared to $16.90 and $29.00 respectively. This is a really good tea on its own strengths. It is smooth and malty. I don’t know how this is processed and fired but I detect a light amount of smoke in the cup. That adds character and depth. The cooler the cup gets the more the flavor pops.

At the price point of this tea, having a nice Dian Hong for everyday would be enough. Yet, I haven’t even gotten to the reason I requested this sample. I had a hunch about this tea that I just had to try. I brewed the second cup and poured it over ice. As I suspected, this made a refreshing light glass of iced tea. Where as the mighty Golden Tips faltered over ice, this frugal version took it in stride. No sweetener or lemon required. There was one problem with it – my glass emptied way too fast :)

One last thing, I steeped this 3 times and it was still going strong. Let’s see Twinings do that.

My rating is higher than the others based on the iced tea option.