nvnohi

Scent strongly reminds me of Da Hong Pao. Taste is lighter, I think… with a little less of that feeling you get in your chest when you sip a nice da hong pao. I may not have brewed it long enough, or perhaps not hot enough, as it almost looked greenish at first. Will revise this note accordingly if I find that makes a noticeable difference. A little chocolatey, slightly sweet, but with an almost watery aftertaste.

Yesterday I wrote about a strange smell in Shou Mee tea from the same company. Now I know where it came from. Apparently it’s from a blossom called “Lychee.” Lychee scent gets into everything. It tastes just like it smells. THIS is the tea I detest. It’s gross, tastes like some chemical but sweeter. Slight lilac finish, but… /I/ can’t finish. Sorry, Laichee. :\

Someone gave me this as part of a sampler set. The smell… VERY reminiscent of something, can’t place my finger on what. Kind of soapy, but that’s not it. Didn’t think I’d like it at all! The leaves are a hodge podge of things, mostly greenish in colour. I immediately went for a cooler water temperature, thinking this a green. When it brewed (30 seconds or so), it came out a medium amber colour. The scent was very different, more of a green, but heartier. Surprise! It looks and tastes more like an Oolong once brewed. It’s sweet, light, kinda complex… hints of mint, almost… A little like a Da Hong Pao meets mint and Ginseng Puerh, but far lighter. Hard to describe! I finally looked it up and… it is not an oolong, either. You go find out yourself what it is! :)

EDIT: The horrible smell of the canister is from Lychee, which is a black tea in the same sampler set. It tastes like it smells. Run away, run away… haha

The description is apt. Vegetal in a spinach sort of way, with a crisp, lingering finish, almost reminiscent of mint but not quite there (for me, even when it’s still hot). There is a hint of flowers but it fades quickly… more of a nasal aroma when first drinking. I like. The leaves, when unfurled, are larger than the smaller-leafed anji bai cha I had elsewhere. Pretty in a gaiwan. Does not seem to get bitter easily. I like that… So far infused maybe 5-6 times before it begins to lose flavour.

No notes yet.

I’d had ginseng green from Adagio once, and hated it, so this was one of those iffy things. This is nothing like that. It’s smooth, with a little spike of flavour. I inadvertently ate one of the tiny round balls of flower and figured out that that’s where the flavour was concentrated. Reminded me of those little mints where the minty liquid is in the ball. It’s ALMOST bitter (maybe I brewed too hot or too long) but comfortably so. Brews pretty dark.

Had this once or twice and loved it. It was the first puerh I actually did like. I remember it being mellower and having little floaty things on top of the water while I was infusing it. I thought they were petals and later confirmed it was this chrysanthemum variety of tuo cha. Recommend for newbies to puerh or people who think they don’t like the earthy, fishy sawdust flavour… this didn’t have that.

OMG This is one of two puerh’s I’ve tried and /liked/ let alone tolerate… It’s very smooth, mellow, velvety almost, with a dry finish. No fishy-fungusy-sawdust taste like other puerhs I’ve had. This one is certainly earthy, but very good. I had it with a dish of eggs on salad with shredded cheese and it “made” my breakfast. Kind of a metallic, watery aftertaste, if that makes sense, when the food is gone.

This has that usual “light” taste to it, with the soft, slightly flowery hints and a little bit of a dry finish. Quite nice, a little sweet. I like. :)

Not a good one to leave long, or to have very hot water for! Nonetheless, when made with proper water temperature and steep time, it’s a good little tea. Definitely vegetal. I prefer Sleeping Dragon over this one, but, that’s just me.

I recall /loving/ this when I first had it several years ago. Since then I’ve found new favourites, but I still love this one. I think it’s a very good “introduction” to looseleaf teas because Ceylon teas are so common that people are sort of familiar with their flavour. Being looseleaf makes it even better. Anywho… Sweet, ceylon scent, typical “bag” flavour but fuller and less astringent. Good all-around cuppa… I like mine with cookies. :)

Similar to a Feng Huan Dan Cong; a robust oolong that settles into your soul and makes you feel like you’re dancing in front of a fireplace. It does take a bit of coercing to get it just right, otherwise it’s a little watered-down-tasting. However, get it right and it’s a deep, awesome flavour that hits the back of your tongue with soft, roasted force. Mmm.

This is the dustiest tea I’ve ever seen. I like An Ji Bai Cha, but not from TeaCuppa. It didn’t even look like what I was expecting. Instead of thin, twisted strands of yummy goodness, it was flattened and dusty as if it were some sort of long jing or dragonwell. Surprisingly, however, I will say this – it tasted ok. It had some elements of An Ji Bai Cha, but honestly, I wonder if they sent me the wrong thing. Given the pricetag, it might just be a very cheap version of it or a fake. I won’t buy it again, though.

Tried this a few days ago. It was very similar to a decent An Ji Bai Cha, only far less expensive. It tasted “older” to me, and judging from the leaves, I’m guessing the leaves themselves are picked when they’re grown as opposed to the younger ones I am used to. It did not taste as “fresh” as a more expensive variety, either. Still, wonderfully light tea, not a hint of bitterness. Forgiving. I enjoyed maybe four steepings of the same leaves, then it was nearly flavourless. The leaves are pretty to watch but a bit brown-edged compared to the younger stuff. Oh, the taste is slightly (very slightly) vegetal, more nutty if anything. Would definitely buy again but I’d prefer the better stuff. (Who wouldn’t?)

First steeping: Mild, slightly vegetal, but sweeter than most greens I’ve had. Definitely requires cooler water (hotter and it gets VERY bitter). Reminds me of a greener version of Ali Shan, but not quite. Not sure if it was me or not but I had this last night and stayed up WAY past my bedtime. I am not usually so affected by tea before bed. Anyone else notice this with this tea? The leaves unfurled are beautiful. Subsequent steeps yielded a much smoother mouthfeel, sweet, and the leaves become prettier each time, I think. I never noticed the purported “smokey” flavour at all. I got about four steeps before the flavour faded. The third was best, in my opinion, for taste at least. Prefer Ali Shan over this. Rating is lower due to the easy-to-obtain bitterness of the tea. Taste-wise, I liked it just fine once brewed perfectly.

I’m saving the below since my first note stated 1min, and that probably had a lot to do with it. I actually do like this. Definitely vegetal as I mentioned, a bit grassy, but not bitter or death-like when brewed with a lower temp and shorter amount of time. Very touchy, though.
—-earlier note below (was 190F instead of 175F, 1min instead of 30sec; temps are estimates anyway)
First steeping: Smelled a bit like death and flowers to me in the bag but once brewed it was definitely floral. Taste: Slightly bitter. Very vegetal, a bit grassy. Smoother with a fuller feel. Bitter finish, moderately astringent. My water was likely still too hot, if that helps. This is definitely a green in the green sense. My rating reflects the fact I’m not a fan of most greens.

Multiple infusions permitted (I prefer three, maybe four). Good tea. I need to drink another cup of this. Later. LOL

Taste: Almost salty initially, fades immediately into a sort of “round up” (yes, the weed killer) taste/smell but in a good way, rich, satisfying, almost woodsy somehow. Astringency lingers a bit on the finish.

My preferred brew: Mesh infuser in 6oz porcelain gaiwan, not quite boiling water, rinse cup first, add 1 tablespoon tea, fill gaiwan with hot water, steep about 2 minutes.

On-the-go brew (tastes sweeter this way): place 1-2 tablespoons of tea into infuser in the lid of an Aladdin 12-ounce travel infuser mug (infuser drops down into container and you can also brew upside down for smaller batches). Fill mug with water and leave top off. Microwave water for 1.5 minutes. (Do not microwave this mug more than 2 minutes tops, it’ll melt supposedly.) Put lid on and drop infuser into water. The tea doesn’t seem to get horribly bitter so if you overbrew it’s usually OK, just stronger and more roundup-like.

I’m not kidding about the roundup… it’s really strange but I like it, sort of like Puerh drinkers like drinking fishy sawdust…

Smooth oolong… I tend to brew a lot of this in my 21oz personaliTEA pot by Adagio, maybe about 2 minutes. Typically oolongs don’t like really hot water but I use boiling water for this one, and rinse the pot first. 2 minutes. Not particularly good for a second infusion but I’ve done it occasionally since it’s a bit on the expensive side. Similar to Da Hong Pao (same source) but I think Da Hong Pao is a bit deeper of a flavour and, to me, better.

Very good tea with slightly malty assam notes, yet not really assam-like. Hard to describe. A bit expensive to me, since I like other teas better that are cheaper, but I’d drink it any time. Did mine in a typical mesh infuser, 21oz boiling water in Adagio personaliTEA teapot, 2 tablespoons of tea, maybe 3 minutes. I accidentally left it about 7 minutes the other day and it did NOT GET BITTER!! In fact it was better than I’d remembered…

I brewed this right the first time and could not get it right again until I was given a tetsubin (cast iron pot) with infuser. My method for a perfect cuppa now: Rinse tetsubin with hot water (this tea is very sensitive to temperature). Put 1 tablespoon jasmine pearls into infuser. Add 12oz hot (not boiling, definitely not boiling!) water. Steep 1.5 minutes. DO NOT oversteep… it will get bitter. Good for at least one or two more infusions, about the same time plus a few extra seconds for each subsequent infusion. Delightful tea when prepared correctly.

Best in a gaiwan, where it can unfurl and present itself to the eye. My favourite method is thusly: 6oz porcelain gaiwan, about 1/2 tablespoon tea, hot (not boiling) water, one minute for first infusion, a bit more for the second, and keep increasing time by about a half minute or to taste. Best taste around fourth infusion, maybe 2 or 3 minutes by then. Light greenish flavour but not grassy. I was very surprised at how large the leaves get during subsequent infusions… you do NOT want to use too much tea. Does not get bitter if you leave it in the cup for a while, so take your time and enjoy at a leisurely pace. Bring hot water water with you to refill several times. Well worth it, one of my favourites.

Definitely has slight hints of cocoa. I use about 3 pearls to 6oz boiling water for 3 minutes… 4 pearls for 8oz or for 6 if I’m in the mood for something stronger than usual. VERY good tea. I asked for more for Christmas in 2010 and despite having a large variety of teas, have already gone through one of the 4oz bags… Mostly at work. Note: Can be brewed in a gaiwan if you drink it within reason; does not turn bitter as quickly as some and can be rebrewed at least once or twice before it begins to get wimpy. I’ve also had luck brewing as I heat the water, in a microwave for 2 minutes on high using adagio’s ingenuiTEA, 4 pearls, and 8oz of water all at once. (You can also add the tea after heating the water, but whatever… I got lazy a few times.)