Joshua Smith

So, I opened up the bag of this tea, and was overwhelmed by the earthy smell of this tea, but in a good way. The smell was very distinctly earthy, something that I associated with my young sheng, but it was not as harsh. After the first infusion, the aroma lost the “earthy” quality, and started to smell a bit like cedar. The taste of the tea was rather interesting as well, as it had all the flavors that I associate with Sheng, but they were smoother and just better than I am used to.

I can’t wait until this tea makes it’s way back through the rotation so I can have it again.

No notes yet.

I opened my little sample bag, and was greeted by a very light ans subtle aroma of the loose tea. After I finished infusing it, the aroma changed dramatically, with very prominent orchid notes. It was actually rather nice, as it had a stronger aroma than my Qi Lan tea, which was one of the only things missing from that tea.

The tea its self was a very light Oolong with a very smooth taste. The taste is hard for me to describe, but it seemed flowery to me. The after taste of this tea was actually excellent, with a warming sensation in that back of the throat, and a more prominent flowery taste.

Unfortunately, like most light Oolongs, I only got five infusions out of this tea before it became too bland. The Aroma and the flavor decays gradually over these infusions, and the aftertaste starts to fade away, leaving behind a rather bland taste. Regardless, it was a wonderful tea, and one that I look forward to getting more of in the future,

No notes yet.

I opened up my tin of this again, after leaving it alone for a few weeks, and was greeted with the vivid roasted aroma with chocolate undertones. The aroma of the steeped tea is more subtle, but the roasted smell is still very prominent. The first infusion is rather dark, comparable to a black tea, but the taste is much subtler. There are nutty and chocolatey notes flavors present, which have really aged well, and produce a very smooth flavor with a hint of sweetness. The aftertaste of the tea is also really interesting, as it merely leaves a kind of tingling on the back of the tongue which is rather pleasant.

The only thing that I have to complain about is that it looks like a heavily-roasted Wuyi Oolong, and the taste is remarkably similar to a Wuyi Oolong, so I find myself comparing it to my Da Hong Pao, which is a bit unfair. Regardless, it is a rather nice tea, and I think it will enjoy it for quite a while.

The later infusions were interesting, especially how the sweetness that began to assert its self complemented the nutty flavors, and yet it didn’t affect the smoothness of the tea. As much as I hate to say it, this tea once again draws a comparison to Wuyi Oolongs, but it matches up better than some of the cheaper fares from that region. I got 6 infusions out of this tea, which is really a testament to how heavily roasted it was.

Anyway, the executive summary is that it’s a good tea, very smooth, nutty flavors, and something to look forward to drinking again.

I actually drank this yesterday, but didn’t end up having time to do a review (CURSE YOU PHYSICS LAB REPORTS!!!!!!!), but I figured, better late than never.

As usual, this was a very pleasant tea, but I did accidentally over-steep the first infusion, and that was a little unpleasant. Other than that, it was pretty much the same as my previous experience with this tea.

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This was a really interesting experience. So, I already tried Norbu Tea’s Yamakai Sencha, and I’ve had Mellow Monk’s Top Leaf, but this was an entirely different experience than either of those.

I opened the bag for the first time, and was a bit surprised by how astringent the aroma was. It was also interesting that it wasn’t as grassy as my other senchas, which was rather unexpected. Then, I did my usual 2 minute steep, and was pleasantly surprised by the complex aroma, with only hints of grass. I had a really hard time figuring out what it smelled like, but it was rather pleasant on a chilly morning like today.

The first steeping tasted very unique in that it had a very complex flavor, but nothing really dominated the taste. There was definitely some grass flavors, but they was subtle and a bit mellower than I would have expected. Also, the tea was a bit sweet, especially the aftertaste.

The next two infusions were done as flash steepings, leaving the tea leaves in for only 30 seconds, and produced tea that was virtually identical to the first steeping, but a bit sweeter. Later steepings (2 minutes each) resulted in the flavors becoming more subdued, and a general increase in sweetness, leaving behind a subtle tea with subtle notes of grass and a pleasant sweet aftertaste.

When it was all said and done, I’m rather glad the guys at Norbu Tea included this with my order, and I actually look forward to purchasing more in the future.

I don’t know why, but this tea was a bit disappointing today. I brewed it grandpa style, as I had a lot of free time, and was planning on a marathon study session. but for some reason, t was just…off. Everything seemed more subdued than usual. If I were to hazard a guess, I would say that the inconsistent water quality of my dorm was at a low point today.

EDIT:
Yeah, I talked to a few people in the same building, and they had similar problems today.
Let this be a lesson: WATER QUALITY IS IMPORTANT! Looking into getting a Brita pitcher or something, because I don’t want this to happen again.

I got this tea as a birthday gift, and I couldn’t wait to try it out. I saw that a lot of people had a lot of good things to say about it, so I must admit that I was rather excited.

After the first steeping, which was 2 mins. long, I found it interesting how it smelled grassier (is that even a word?) than my Yamakai Sencha. It also tasted a bit grassier, but that was restricted to being an undertone which enhanced the vegetative flavors. What was really nice about the flavor was the it was subtle, and I couldn’t identify the exact flavors (with the exception of the grass and a vague sense of “vegetable”), and it made for a nice tea to sip while stuck inside due to weather. All in all, I’m rather glad that I have a whole bag of this, as it is officially my new favorite tea.

This was a really exceptional tea. When I opened the tin it came it, it had a wonderful roasted aroma, with hints of something fruity. When I brewed it, I got tea that was almost as dark as black tea, or perhaps like my good Da Hong Pao. This tea also have a thick sheen of oils on the top, easily covering the entire surface of my mug.

The taste of the tea was also very similar to my Da Hong Pao, with a noticeable (but not overpowering) roasted taste, with subtle nutty flavors and hints of fruit. If it weren’t for the lack of the distinct yancha aftertaste, I would almost say that this was a heavily roasted Wuyi oolong.

This was actually my first time drinking Sencha, so I was actually rather excited going into this. After picking up the packaged that contained the tea this morning, I opened the resealable bag and was greeted by a wonderful fresh vegetable aroma, with a bit of grassiness mixed in. The first infusion was an wonderful balance of vegetative flavors with hints of grass and subtle hits of sweetness.

Unfortunately, this tea very quickly loses it’s flavor, and I only got four infusions before the taste became bland. On the bright side, it did not become bitter in later infusions, and it didn’t become overly grassy/vegetative like some green teas do. I’m really glad that I bought 100 grams, as this is a tea that I will definitely need to keep in stock.

No notes yet.

I have both this tea and the AAA+ version from China Cha Dao, and even with my low expectations, this still falls short. It seems to be missing something, especially in the after taste. The higher grade Da Hong Pao has a wonderful mineral after taste, but that is much more subdued in this tea. Also, the palate of this tea is much blander, and I find that I can’t enjoy it after having tasted the higher grade.

Don’t get me wrong, this is far from the worst tea I have ever had, but it is lacking when compared to my other Oolongs. I think I’ll let it sit for a few months, maybe a year, and see if it is better after a bit of time.

This was a very unique tea. The aroma was very prominent, and was almost exclusively toasted rice. The taste its self was also interesting, with a rather harmonious blend of rice and normal green tea. Multiple infusions saw a drastic reduction of the rice taste, leaving behind plain old green tea. It was also a bit disappointing that I only got 6 cups out of it, due to the rapid weakening of its flavor.

On a more personal note, it was a refreshing break from my normal oolong teas, and it is something that I honestly look forward to drinking again.

I once again decided to do an experiment with “Grandpa style” brewing, and this time I decided to use my Da Hong Pao. While I had rather lofty expectations after how well my grandpa-style Qi Lan worked out, I was really surprised at how this tea reacted to the alternative method.

The first two “cups” were very dark, with a very pleasing yet strong aroma of nuts and fruit. The taste was also pleasantly nutty, with a subtle roasted flavor that added to the delightful complexity of the tea. The aftertaste of the tea was a typical yancha “mineral” flavor, which was smooth and a touch sweet. Latter infusions resulted in the nutty flavor fading away, leaving behind a mildly sweet tea with a slight mineral aftertaste. The really nice thing about the later infusions is that the tea kept its smoothness, whic resulted in a long and pleasant brewing session.

I ended up drinking 12 cups of tea, but keep in mind that each cup was only 4 of the 6 ounces that were present in the cup. I would day that 8 would be the limit of this tea if brewed in a traditional manner.

This was a rather interesting experience for me, because I am used to milder green teas. This tea was like a sledgehammer of greenness. From the moment the hot water hit the leaves, there was an almost overwhelming vegetative aroma. The first sip was the same, except that there was a bit of a bitter taste as well.

I was once again brewing this in the so-called “Grandpa” style, meaning I added water to the tea when I started to get low. I am writing this review 3 hours later, and the only real difference is that the aroma and taste have mellowed. From how it tastes, I think the leaves haven’t yet reached the end of their life either. This longevity is something to be commended, and greatly enhanced the score I gave this tea.

In the end, this is an above-average tea, but not something that I would recommend for a new tea drinker, an not really something that I would go out of my way to purchase.

So, I recently read an article about “Grandpa Style” tea preparation over at marshaln.com, so I decided to try it out with this tea. For those of you who don’t know, this means I put the leaves in a cup, and add more hot water when I start to get low.

The results were truly interesting. Because there were not discrete infusions, I experienced the full spectrum of what this tea had to offer. It was interesting to taste the subtle transition to the slightly vegetative-yet-sweet tea that it becomes in the latter infusions. Truly a great way for me to finish my day.

I’m pretty new to tea in general ,so it is rather difficult to express how this tea tastes. The flavor was only a medium in terms of strength, and it had a pleasing aftertaste. The scent of the tea was also unique, which simultaneously reminded me of flowers and roasted nuts. All in all, it was a very pleasing experience.

This was a rating of the first infusion, steeped for 3 minutes at 93 degrees centigrade.

No notes yet.

A very pleasing tea. I actually had to brew it twice, as the first time the water was too hot, causing the tea to be very bitter. The second brew was great, and exceeded my expectations by a fair margin. used 180 degree water, and steeped it for 4 minutes.

I have to say, as this is my first foray into loose-leaf teas, everything actually turned out okay.

I bought this tea for one reason: To wake up for morning classes. I can assure you that there is sufficient amounts of caffeine for the task. The base Assam tea was better than expected, and it tasted great after adding a bit of cream and sugar.\

It also helps that I didn’t miss my 7:30 class, and even managed to stay awake through the whole lecture.