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This morning, courtesy of Angel Chen & TeaVivre, I brewed Organic Superfine Dragon Well Long Green Tea Western style: 7g / 8 oz / 176*F / rinse, 1, 2, 3 min. without sweeteners, milk, or cream. (This sample packet contained 7 g.)

Intro: I’ve been enjoying black tea all my life. To date, my green tea experience has been limited to Gunpowder Green tea. This is my first ever cup of Organic Superfine Dragon Well Long Jing. Why have I waited so long to explore better quality green teas?

Leaf: Beautiful uniformly large – 4 cm long x 6mm wide & flat
Fragrance: A very pleasant green tea fragrance that is hard to describe given my experience as a black tea drinker.
Liquor: Light gold
Aroma: Moderately sweet
Flavor:
1 min.: Wow! TeaVivre’s Organic Superfine Dragon Well Long Jing is so smooth, rich and thick. It’s like a slightly salty, sweet butter with savory notes. There is no hint of astringency, bitterness, or off-putting strong vegetal flavors. I’m very impressed with this excellent green tea in just the first cup!

2 min.: The 2nd cup tastes like the first with just slightly less butter & slightly stronger savory notes. There’s no hint of astringency, bitterness, or off-putting strong vegetal flavors.

3-min.: A well-balanced cup that is both a little less buttery & savory than the 2nd steep, but still very smooth. Like the 1st & 2nd steeps, there’s no hint of astringency, bitterness, or off-putting strong vegetal flavors.

Impression: This buttery-smooth green tea should not to be missed – highly recommended!

Thanks to Angel Chen and TeaVivre for their gracious sample of this superb tea!

Method:
RO water re-mineralized with an Aptera filter http://steepster.com/teas/teaware/39532-puregen-aptera-alkamag-water-filter
http://steepster.com/teas/teaware/37731-my-weigh-durascale-d2-660-digital-scale
Brewed western-style conveniently in a tea mug with a brew basket http://steepster.com/teas/teaware/29177-finum-brewing-basket.
http://steepster.com/teas/davidstea/36677-thermometer-and-timer

“What’s in your cup?”
This morning, courtesy of John & Amanda of t leaf T, I brewed New Zealand Breakfast Western style: 8 oz / 1 tsp (2.5g) / 212*F / 2-5 min. without sweeteners, milk, or cream.

Introduction: My wife loves Earl Grey and t leaf T has a large selection of it: https://www.tleaft.co.nz/catalogsearch/result/?q=earl+grey. When I requested samples, this Assam caught my eye. Who doesn’t love a good malty Assam for breakfast? Where else, could I possibly find a true NZ Breakfast tea?

From t leaf T:
“Natural New Zealand Manuka blends perfectly with strong assam tea to make a special blend ideal for the morning and afternoon.”
http://www.tleaft.co.nz/black-tea-blends-1/new-zealand-breakfast-black-tea.html

For those of us from the “up above” (as opposed to the “down under”) you might be asking yourself: ”So what the hell is Manuka?”

1. Images & description: http://www.terrain.net.nz/friends-of-te-henui-group/table-1/manuka.html

2. It turns out that NZ Manuka flowers appear to be very popular for making honey: http://nzmanukadirect.com/

3. Manuka is also known as the Tea Tree:
“The English common name is derived from the fact that early white settlers did occasionally make infusions of tea from the leaves, which are aromatic.”
http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/1966/manuka-tea-tree

4. “The leaves contain Leptospermone, an antibiotic agent.”… “The oil extracted contains 120 elements and can be utilised medicinally.” … “This research has validated the claims made for this product with the Therapeutics Section of the New Zealand Ministry of Health.” http://www.purangi.co.nz/estate/tea/manuka.html

5. Manuka is also popular in NZ travel, tourism, & hunting vacations:
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g311324-d1440422-Reviews-Manuka_Lodge-Ohakune_North_Island.html
Great Barrier Island: http://www.manukalodge.co.nz/
New Zealand Hunting Safaris: http://www.manukapoint.com/new%20site/Home

And I’ve probably just scratched the surface! Who knew!

Leaf: Two kinds of Assam, 1.) twisted, short, dark chocolate brown, 2.) dark chocolate brown CTC granules, plus light green Manuka leaves
Fragrance: Moderately strong aromatic evergreen / pine
Liquor: Clear amber brown
Aroma: Moderately strong evergreen / pine
Flavor: Malty, aromatic evergreen / pine

2-min.: Medium-bodied, I then let it steep an additional min.

3-min.: Not quite, another min.

4-min.: A rich, smooth, full-bodied, malty Assam with the added flavor of aromatic Manuka, which is felt in the back of the palate in the 2nd half of the sip. There was no hint of bitterness or astringency.

Re-Steeping:
5-min: Not yet.
8-min: Medium bodied & enjoyable. The Manuka flavor is now less pronounced & is now mildly aromatic.

Impression: A truly unique and enjoyable breakfast Assam, especially those looking for a “down under” adventure.

Thanks to John & Amanda of t leaf T for their gracious sample of this very fine New Zealand Breakfast Assam.

Method:
RO water re-mineralized with an Aptera filter http://steepster.com/teas/teaware/39532-puregen-aptera-alkamag-water-filter
http://steepster.com/teaware/teavana/39311-perfect-tea-spoon
http://steepster.com/teas/teaware/37731-my-weigh-durascale-d2-660-digital-scale
Brewed western-style conveniently in a tea mug with a brew basket http://steepster.com/teas/teaware/29177-finum-brewing-basket.
http://steepster.com/teas/davidstea/36677-thermometer-and-timer

“What’s in your cup?”
This morning, courtesy of Natalie & DAVIDsTEA, I brewed Wild Black Yunnan Western style: 1.25 tsp (3.5g) / 8 oz / 208*F / 4-6 min. without sweeteners, milk, or cream.

Leaf: Fine, twisted, dark brown, mostly short, but some as long as 2.5 mm
Fragrance: Notes fine pipe tobacco
Liquor: Beautiful clear dark copper
Aroma: Sweet potatoes & caramel
Flavor: Cocoa & malt

4-min.: Moderately full-bodied, I then let it steep an additional min.

5-min.: A rich, smooth, full-bodied malty tea with potent cocoa and notes of sweet potatoes with a mild sweetness. There was no hint of bitterness or astringency.

6-min Re-steep: Too light so I let it steep another 4 minutes.
10-min. Re-steep: Light-to-medium bodied with a much softer cocoa flavor but still enjoyable with a smooth mild sweetness.

Impression: A very enjoyable breakfast tea especially for malty cocoa lovers.

Thanks to Natalie & DAVIDsTEA for their gracious sample of this very fine Wild Black Yunnan.

Method:
RO water re-mineralized with an Aptera filter http://steepster.com/teas/teaware/39532-puregen-aptera-alkamag-water-filter
http://steepster.com/teaware/teavana/39311-perfect-tea-spoon
http://steepster.com/teas/teaware/37731-my-weigh-durascale-d2-660-digital-scale
Brewed western-style conveniently in a tea mug with a brew basket http://steepster.com/teas/teaware/29177-finum-brewing-basket.
http://steepster.com/teas/davidstea/36677-thermometer-and-timer

“What’s in your cup?”
This morning, courtesy of t leaf T, I brewed Makaibari Organic ftgfop1s, a second flush Darjeeling, Western style: 1 tsp (2.3g) / 6 oz / 212*F / 3 min. without sweeteners, milk, or cream.

Leaf: short, moderately-wide, twisted, chocolate brown and green
Fragrance: Notes fine pipe tobacco
Liquor: Clear honey copper or light amber
Aroma: Hay, vegetal
Flavor: Vegetal

3-min.: When first steeped, there was a strong vegetal flavor. As the cup cools, it smoothed out nicely. About mid-cup, it then magically transforms into a rich buttery full-mouth feel with a strong vegetal finish that lasts long on the tongue. Towards the end of the cup there was a note of saltiness that also persists long on the palate.

Impression: A unique tasting experience better suited for afternoon tea.

Thanks to t leaf T for their gracious sample of this Darjeeling tea.

Method:
RO water re-mineralized with an Aptera filter http://steepster.com/teas/teaware/39532-puregen-aptera-alkamag-water-filter
http://steepster.com/teaware/teavana/39311-perfect-tea-spoon
http://steepster.com/teas/teaware/37731-my-weigh-durascale-d2-660-digital-scale
Brewed western-style conveniently in a tea mug with a brew basket http://steepster.com/teas/teaware/29177-finum-brewing-basket.
http://steepster.com/teas/davidstea/36677-thermometer-and-timer

“What’s in your cup?”
This morning, courtesy of Angel Chen & TeaVivre, I brewed Golden Monkey Black Tea Western style: 7g / 8 oz / 194*F / rinse, 1, 2, 3 min. without sweeteners, milk, or cream. (This sample packet contained 6.8 g.)

Leaf: Fine dark brown, tan, and golden twisted 2 cm long or less
Fragrance: Notes of hay & fine pipe tobacco
Liquor: Beautiful brilliant clear copper
Aroma: Sweet potatoes
Flavor: Sweet potatoes

1 min.: Oh my gosh! YUM! TeaVivre’s Golden Monkey is so rich and so velvety smooth! It has strong notes of sweet potatoes and provides a velvety sensation that gradually develops into a buttery flavor, which persists long on the tongue. I’m in love with this superb tea in just the first cup! Happy Dance!

2 min.:
Liquor: Beautiful brilliant clear darker copper
Aroma: Sweet potatoes with notes of Keemun
Flavor: Sweet potatoes & butter with a fuller-body! Some black teas I’ve tasted are lucky to maintain the same body on the 2nd cup. Many have a little less or significantly less body, but typically not MORE! The buttery sensation continues to intensify.
When is the next major TeaVivre Sale??? I am there now waiting in line …. waiting!

3-min.: A little less body.
4-min.: Liquor: Very dark clear copper. Nearly as full-bodied as the 2nd steep and still velvety smooth & rich.

Impression: This buttery, sweet potato-flavored tea should not to be missed! Highly recommended and a definite favorite!

Thanks to Angel Chen and TeaVivre for their gracious sample of this superb tea!

Method:
RO water re-mineralized with an Aptera filter http://steepster.com/teas/teaware/39532-puregen-aptera-alkamag-water-filter
http://steepster.com/teaware/teavana/39311-perfect-tea-spoon
http://steepster.com/teas/teaware/37731-my-weigh-durascale-d2-660-digital-scale
Brewed western-style conveniently in a tea mug with a brew basket http://steepster.com/teas/teaware/29177-finum-brewing-basket.
http://steepster.com/teas/davidstea/36677-thermometer-and-timer

“What’s in your cup?”
This morning, courtesy of KittyLovesTea, I brewed Keemun Congou Rose by St. Martin’s Tea & Merchants: 2 tsp (5 g) / 8 oz / 205*F / 2-4 min. without sweeteners, milk, or cream.
Leaf: Chocolate brown, uniformly short Keemun blended with obvious rose petals
Fragrance: POTENT rose
Liquor: Dark amber brown
Aroma: Floral, very mild Keemun
Flavor:
2 min.: It was not yet full-bodied so I let it steep another minute.
3 min.: Not quite yet, so I gave it another minute.
4 min.: This Keemun was full-bodied, rich and smooth. There was no bitterness and only a slight bit of astringency near the tip of the tongue toward the bottom of the cup. There’s a little tartness in the aftertaste. The flavor follows the potent rose fragrance: rose on the first part of the sip and a rich Keemun on the back half of the sip.

5-min. Re-steep: This cup was less tart and only slightly less full-bodied.

This Keemun is truly unique and should not to be missed by those who enjoy floral scented / flavored black teas.

Note: It also helps if you live in England or know someone who does. This tea is not currently available on St. Martin’s Tea & Merchants website. This unique tea tasting experience was only possible thanks to the kindness of KittyLovesTea who lives in Leicester, England. She surprised us by including it with a Tea Horse Keemun Orchid and some TeaVivre Keemun samples I’ve recently reviewed.

Method:
RO water re-mineralized with an Aptera filter http://steepster.com/teas/teaware/39532-puregen-aptera-alkamag-water-filter
http://steepster.com/teaware/teavana/39311-perfect-tea-spoon
http://steepster.com/teas/teaware/37731-my-weigh-durascale-d2-660-digital-scale
Brewed western-style conveniently in a tea mug with a Finum brew basket http://steepster.com/teas/teaware/29177-finum-brewing-basket.
http://steepster.com/teas/davidstea/36677-thermometer-and-timer

“What’s in your cup?”
This morning I brewed Organic Keemun Mao Feng by International Tea Importers:
1.5 tsp (3 g) / 8 oz / 212*F / 4-6 min. without sweeteners, milk, or cream.

– Leaf: dark chocolate brown, short, & uniform
– Fragrance: fine pipe tobacco
– Liquor: clear coppery
– Aroma: Very mild Keemun
– Flavor:
4 min.: it was not yet full-bodied so I let it steep another minute.
5 min.: This Keemun was full-bodied, smooth, & enjoyable with a classic Keemun profile. There was no bitterness. There is a mild sense of astringency but nothing objectionable. Perhaps 208*F might be helpful. However, it was not as quite as rich or as complex as TeaVivre’s Premium Keemun Hao Ya or Organic Superfine Keemun Fragrant.

Re-steep: This tea did not re-steep well at 6 min or even 10 min – a one-cup wonder.

Method:
RO water re-mineralized with an Aptera filter http://steepster.com/teas/teaware/39532-puregen-aptera-alkamag-water-filter
http://steepster.com/teaware/teavana/39311-perfect-tea-spoon
http://steepster.com/teas/teaware/37731-my-weigh-durascale-d2-660-digital-scale
Brewed western-style conveniently in a tea mug with a Finum brew basket http://steepster.com/teas/teaware/29177-finum-brewing-basket.
http://steepster.com/teas/davidstea/36677-thermometer-and-timer

“What’s in your cup?”
This morning I brewed Organic Superfine Keemun Fragrant Black Tea by TeaVivre:
6.5 g / 7.5 oz / 194*F / 1, 2, & 3 min. without sweeteners, milk, or cream.
The Western method directions call for 7 g & 8 oz. Since the sample package contained 6.5 g, I used 7.5 oz. In my eagerness to taste TeaVivre’s top Keemun I forgot the recommended rise before brewing.

Note: To TeaVivre’s credit, I understand their brewing recommendations are determined and optimized through tastings of each new batch and thus may vary from year to year. This sample was from the previous year. Thus, I followed the previous Western brewing recommendations: 8 oz. / 7 g / 194*F / Rinse 1, 2, 3 min.

The Western brewing recommendations for the current year are: 17oz / 6 g / 176℉ / 2-5 min.

– Leaf: dark chocolate brown, short, & uniform
– Fragrance: subtle Keemun & fine pipe tobacco
– Liquor: clear Medium-dark copper
– Aroma: Mild Keemun
– Flavor:
A rich, full-bodied, refined Keemun with notes of cocoa & caramel that is warm, mellow and relaxing especially as the cup cooled to ~150*F. I truly enjoy both this Keemun as well as their Premium Keemun Hao Ya. I would very much welcome samples of this year’s Organic Superfine Keemun Fragrant and Premium Keemun Hao Ya to brew with both the current Western & Gong Fu recommendations as I am completely out of Keemun and need to order more. Typically I stock 500g to 1kg as Keemun is my favorite breakfast tea.

Re-steep 6.5 g / 7.5 oz / 194*F / 2 min.: This cup is nearly identical to the first one.

2nd Re-steep 6.5 g / 7.5 oz /194*F / 3 min.: This cup is a little less rich than the previous one.

A truly elegant and refined Keemun.

Thanks to KittyLovesTea for providing this free sample.

Method:
RO water re-mineralized with an Aptera filter http://steepster.com/teas/teaware/39532-puregen-aptera-alkamag-water-filter
http://steepster.com/teas/teaware/37731-my-weigh-durascale-d2-660-digital-scale
Brewed western-style conveniently in a tea mug with a Finum brew basket http://steepster.com/teas/teaware/29177-finum-brewing-basket.
http://steepster.com/teas/davidstea/36677-thermometer-and-timer

“What’s in your cup?”
This morning I brewed Keemun Black Tea – Grade 1 by TeaVivre: 7.1g / 7 oz / 205*F / 1, 2, & 3 min. without sweeteners, milk, or cream. The Western method directions call for 8 g & 8 oz. Since the sample package contained 7.1 g, I used 7 oz. The TeaVivre recommended rise before brewing was performed.
– Leaf: short, dark & unifrom
– Fragrance: winey & smoky
– Liquor: Medium-dark amber red
– Aroma: Classic Keemun – winey & smoky
– Flavor:
This Keemun has the classic Keemun full-bodied winey profile. The woodiness found in Grade 2 is absent in Grade 1. Grade 1 is also MUCH smoother than Grade 2, but not quite as smooth TeaVivre’s rich and creamy Premium Kemun Hao Ya. There was no bitterness or astringency. This Keemun is winey, malty and is somewhat sweet. After having enjoyed 1,700 grams of TeaVivre’s Premium Keemun Hao Ya since April 2013, Grade 1 doesn’t have the caramel-like sweetness and wonderful full mouth feel found in their Premium Keemun Hao Ya.

Re-steep 7.1g / 7 oz / 205*F / 2 min.: This cup is just a little less full-bodied but still very enjoyable.

2nd Re-steep 7.1g / 7 oz / 205*F / 3 min.:. This cup is nearly identical to the previous one.

An excellent cost-effective Keemun.

Thanks to KittyLovesTea for providing this free sample.

Method:
RO water re-mineralized with an Aptera filter http://steepster.com/teas/teaware/39532-puregen-aptera-alkamag-water-filter
http://steepster.com/teas/teaware/37731-my-weigh-durascale-d2-660-digital-scale
Brewed western-style conveniently in a tea mug with a Finum brew basket http://steepster.com/teas/teaware/29177-finum-brewing-basket.
http://steepster.com/teas/davidstea/36677-thermometer-and-timer

“What’s in your cup?”
This morning I brewed TeaVivre’s least expensive Keemun: 7.3 g / 7 oz / 205*F / 1, 2, & 3 min. without sweeteners, milk, or cream. The Western method directions call for 8 g & 8 oz. Since the sample package contained 7.3 g, I used 7 oz.
- Leaf: short & dark with a slate gray “nugget”.* (See below)
- Fragrance: winey & smoky – stronger/heavier
- Liquor: dark amber red
- Aroma: winey & smoky
- Flavor:
This Keemun has the typical winey profile but it’s more full-bodied. However, it’s not as rich or smooth as their Premium Keemun. It’s more woody & malty and doesn’t have a noticeable sweetness. There was a slight hint of bitterness. There was also some astringency towards the bottom of the cup. The TeaVivre recommended rinse before brewing should probably be followed.

Re-steep (7.3 g / 7.5 oz / 205*F / 2 min.): The additional 0.5 oz. helped to smooth out the 2nd-cup as there wasn’t noticeable astringency or bitterness.

2nd Re-steep (7.3 g / 7.5 oz / 205*F / 3 min.): This cup is less full-bodied but still enjoyable.

A good economical Keemun.

Thanks to KittyLovesTea for providing this free sample.

Method:
RO water re-mineralized with an Aptera filter http://steepster.com/teas/teaware/39532-puregen-aptera-alkamag-water-filter
http://steepster.com/teas/teaware/37731-my-weigh-durascale-d2-660-digital-scale
Brewed western-style conveniently in a tea mug with a Finum brew basket http://steepster.com/teas/teaware/29177-finum-brewing-basket.
http://steepster.com/teas/davidstea/36677-thermometer-and-timer

*Note: Slate gray “nugget” was 0.1g piece of rock found in the TeaVivre sealed sample packet: barcode # 200312090219.