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Tightly twisted leaf. Some of it is dark brown while a few are that beautiful fuzzy light brown. The dry aroma has intense deep chocolate and deep woody notes. The liquor is a clear light amber. I decided to cold steep this one and it really benefits quite well from the lower temps. The chocolate notes are quite lovely. Milk and some dark chocolate notes with spices that finish with decaying wood, redwood, and a hint of varnish.

Hmm the dry aroma isn’t as strong as I remember. The flavor is the same. Though I also could have oversteeped… I will return to this one and do a gong fu session to see if I can bring something better out.

Gong fu: They want it steeped at 195. I’m doing 190 and wondering if it needs to come down to 175. It’s astringent and metallic. Nothing very pleasant present. Second steep at a few seconds yielded nothing so I tossed it back in. Now at a few minutes I’m getting freshly broken twigs and lots of greenwood.

The dry aroma is so good. I was going to watch some anime while eating my breakfast but I think I’ll sit here and sniff this instead. Just kidding. It us a dry woody aroma with hints of honey and bits of floral notes like rose. The steeping leaves smell somewhat like cream. ACHOO. Almost spilled my hot tea all over myself. Lots of lovely golden trichomes all over the bag and up my nose. Wet leaf is reminiscent of wet forest especially the wet logs and everything that surrounds it. The taste is full of different woody notes and some cream and honey to top it off.

Ah! Something new! I’ve found many new tea companies this trip and while I have low expectations, very low… I feel it is important to taste all levels of tea. There is a slight hint of coffee but it I don’t think it has to do with the fact that it’s a multi serve machine. More of a mind thing. However, the metallic notes are definitely from the water. Ah. Wrong I am. It’s from the tea. It is important to also try the water plain. The leaves are BOP. And oddly stored in two different compartments in the bag. Odd design. The flavor is more metallic then anything else. A bit earthy. Rotting woods. This might be more pleasant with a spot of oat milk. My mouth is left feeling dry. But not with the astringency I generally enjoy from BOP.

My mum in law has been having some health issues. Her blood platelets keep dropping and they don’t know why. She has been finding that Earl Grey helps calm the nerves and the bergamot is good for her. So when I found this organic one I had to pick it up for her. These leaves are leftover feom her session this morning so the punch isn’t quite as strong, however, all the citrusy goodness is still there. It’s lighter but very pleasant. With tropical fruit notes and sometimes it makes me think of fruit loops bit without the cardboard. A very smooth blend with just a hint of astringency.

Had a bit of a laugh this morning as I realized that this blend had no ingredients with Rocky Mountain influence. But it’s the taste that matters and the flavors in this one are quite nice. A mellow brew filled with creamy earthy notes. Oak, cedar, sawdust, and light creamy that intertwines with the woody notes. The wet leaf aroma is filled with much of the same. Very lovely. On a side note the tea shop is located in a mall. They have your typical blends and also plenty of really nice pure blends.

Another wonderful tea from the best tea shop in Las Vegas. There’s always a bit of mystery going into a tea that is wrapped, in a language you don’t know, and there is nothing on the website. I probably mentioned this before but I will do so again who didn’t read it in my review of some of their other tea. This is a mom-and-pop shop and they (when I met the lady) said that they can’t afford to have someone updating their website for it is just for presence. After contacting them I was informed that it is a Gu shu. The whole name means old tree single shoot.
Didn’t smell much at first but once broken up the aroma is very pleasant. Sweet and barnyard. Strangely, my son’s plastic cup worked nicely as an aroma cup and to help break up the ball without making a mess. Even my son liked the smell. The wet aroma is slightly creamy with lots of farm notes. Hay, dried pine, old farmhouse wood. The wet leaves are high in summer florals. Then we move to taste which is full of barnyard notes. Summer florals and creamy notes. Longer steeps are a bit unpleasant. Mineral and metallic.

Leaf olive green and fuzzy silver buds

What a fascinating tea. From the first sniff to the first taste it is a flavor explosion exploration all over the place. The dry leaf aroma starts out very perfumey but then you find a hint of campfire smoke and cedar wood. All very northern woods smells. With the first sip I am tasting some smoky notes along with perfume, woody highlights that dance with resin and lacquer, both become a bit unbearable the longer the tea steeps. Not quite sure I would call this … nutty. Wait. There was a mouth feel and an aftertaste of walnut. But the perfume is still overpowering everything else. The sweetness sort of reminds me of stevia. But not as overpowering. The mouth feel is soft with a slight bit of astringency. Though it is unique and good it is one I find that I wouldn’t buy again. It’s not bad just not quite my taste.

Found a new tea shop when we were in Frederick, MD for a family reunion. Decided to stop by to see what they offered. Ended up with an oolong and this one. The dry aroma this citrus heavy with side notes of cream and rooibos. It is a beautiful reddish color with the orange peel mixed sparingly. The flavor is a mix of orange and woody/cream rooibos notes. Quite delectable cold but also quite good warm when the cream notes come out more.