SimpliciTEA

_{Backlogging (so, based almost entirely on my notes)}

Experience buying from Life in a Teacup http://steepster.com/places/2861-life-in-a-teacup-online-easthampton-massachusetts

Age of leaf: advertised as spring 2011, received early fall 2011, brewed up weeks later.

Dry leaf: Tightly curled leaves, similar in appearance to Chun Mee; mild smoky aroma.

Brewing guidelines: _{Standard parameters for my green teas} Loose in glass Bodum pot. Stevia added. 7 grams tea, 3 cups water.
……….1st: 170, 1’
……….2nd: 175, 1.5
……….3rd: 177/185, 2’
……….4th: 190, 2.5’

Color and aroma of liquor: clear pale green; < no notes here on aroma of liquor >

Appearance and aroma of wet leaf: Moderate quality: lots of vibrant looking full leaves and some budsets, yet an appreciable number of medium-sized to small-sized pieces. Smells vegetal and roasted, yet almost stale (I am not certain what I meant by this).

Flavor: A good vegetal green tea taste. Little flavor on forth steeping.

Value: To me, a decent tea, but not worth paying $4 / OZ.

Overall: Nothing really stood out about this tea. I brewed it up on the same day I brewed up the Teavivre HSMF (which is a little less expensive), and they were both about as good.

_{Backlogging (so, based almost entirely on my notes)}

Experience buying from Teavivre http://steepster.com/places/2857-teavivre-online—

Age of leaf: advertised as spring 2011. Received fall 2011, brewed up days later.

Appearance and aroma of dry leaf: Looks and smells like quality leaf: deep green color; fresh, nutty aroma.

Brewing guidelines: 7 really big tsp, 6 cups of water. I went a little hotter than my standard green tea temps based on what they recommended on their website. Loose in glass Bodum pot, Stevia added.
……….1st: 180. 1.5
……….3rd: 190, 2’
……….4th: >190, 2.5

Color and aroma of tea liquor: Smells fresh and vegetal; standard Dragonwell color.

Flavor of tea liquor: Great flavor that any good Dragonwell seems to be known for: sweet and nutty. Little flavor on the forth.

Appearance and aroma of wet leaf: Looked and smelled fresh. Lots of budsets, a number of whole leaves and buds, and a few stems, and brown leaves, and two flower stem/buds (I don’t know what else to call them). Quality leaf.

Value: good price for the quality of this Dragonwell (less than $4/oz).

Overall: This is a great Dragonwell. It’s been awhile since I drank it, so I don’t know what else to write, other than I was expecting much from this tea (based on the reviews), and it met my expectations. If you like Dragonwell, it is worth buying.

_{Backlogging (so, based almost entirely on my notes)}

Experience buying from Keen Tea Thyme: < More later, but positive overall >

Appearance and aroma of dry leaf: Smells awesome, with notes of tobacco and chocolate! Small and medium sized broken bits of tea leaves and a few other lighter colored bits.

Brewing guidelines: Brewed in my largest tea ball (I do most, if not all, flavored teas in a ball/basket, to help keep all of the pieces together) in my glass Bodum. 6 rounded tsp, 6 cups of water. Stevia added.(I thought this was a black tea/rooibos tea blend based on how it looked and smelled, so I went with boiling temperatures).
……….1st: Boiling (unwarmed pot), 3’
……….2nd: Boiling (warmed pot); 4’
……….3rd: Boiling (warmed pot); 6’

Color and aroma of tea liquor: mild chocolate-y and tobacco-y aroma; a dark, chocolate-brown color.

Flavor of tea liquor: Roasted, chocolate-y, with notes of tobacco.

Appearance and aroma of wet leaf: it looks like what I would call ‘medium-grade’ chopped leaf.

Value: reasonable on Adagio’s website for a flavored tea.

Overall: When I emailed the creator of this tea inquiring as to the base tea used in this flavored blend, she stated that the base was an oolong with a bit of Lapsang Souchong; I was surprised that there was not any rooibos in it, as to me, this tea has aromas and flavor notes very similar to my experience with brewing up rooibos. I am guessing the vanilla oolong is what gives it that tobacco-y taste (which is a good thing; I happen to love that tobacco-y smell and taste rooibos seems to have). In her response to my query her recommendations were to use a little cooler temp (195 F) than the temps had I already brewed it in, so I may have slightly scorched the leaves (but it didn’t taste like it to me). I’m not certain whether or not it tastes like toasted marshmallow, but overall, I enjoyed it’s unusually—and tasty—flavor (and it still had decent flavor even on the third steeping); I think the things I liked the most about this tea were the aromas: chocolate and tobacco!

_{Backlogging (so, based almost entirely on my notes)}

Experience buying from American Tea Room: < More later, but positive overall >

Age of leaf: This is what I believe is called a fruit tea, and seems to have been blended at the end of 2011.

Packaging: I got this sample for free by ‘liking’ their post of this tea on Facebook (thank you American Tea Room!). The one ounce sample came in a very professional-looking package: colorfully labeled with lots of useful information about the tea displayed on it.

Appearance and aroma of dry leaf: A beautiful potpourri of different colors and shapes; unbelievably aromatic: reminds me of a flavor of bubble-gum when I was a child.

Brewing guidelines: In ceramic 16 oz cup, covered with a ceramic lid while steeping. Tea in metal steeping basket. Stevia added.
……….1st: Just off the boil (cup mildly warmed); 2’
……….2nd: Boiling (cup warmed); 5’

Color and aroma of tea liquor: Light peach color; smells fruity and like licorice.

Flavor of tea liquor: fun fruit flavors, and sweet, but it has an odd finish (even at room temp): possibly too much orange for my tastes (it reminds me somewhat of the taste of children’s aspirin. Anyone remember that stuff? blech).

Appearance and aroma of wet leaf: lots of great looking bits of fruits and spices.

Value: Currently on sale: $10 for 3.5 OZ.

Overall: This seems to be a classic case of the tea wow-ING me in appearance and aroma, then disappointing me with flavor. Lots of potential here, but I suggest going back to the drawing board with this one.

Experience buying from Adagio: < More later, but positive overall >

Packaging: This was a good sized sample that came in an opaque plastic package nicely decorated with their colors, the weight and the name of the tea on it, and information on the back about Adagio.

Age of leaf: I was not able to find this information on their website.

Appearance and aroma of dry leaf: smells fresh, vegetal, sweet. Like no other tea I have seen: large pale green leaves with a kind of pleat down the length of the leaf (or tightly rolled like a scroll of paper); some small bits.

Brewing guidelines: _{Standard parameters for my green teas} Labeled as 0.5 oz tea = 6 cups of water. Glass Bodum pot where leaves are free to roam. Stevia added.
……….1st: 180; 1’
……….2nd: 182; 1.5
……….3rd: 187; 2’
……….4th: < Although I probably did a forth, I do not have the data for this >

Color and aroma of tea liquor: pale green color, mildly cloudy: < no data on aroma >

Flavor of tea liquor: sweet, fairly tasty for a green tea. Not much flavor on the third.

Appearance and aroma of wet leaf: standard vegetal aroma, but not very fresh; large leaves (like many oolongs I have seen) that were varied in their shade of green, such that most had broken edges; there were also many broken bits; it was fun watching the leaves steep: when they were fully opened (on the third steeping), the pot looked like it was filled with an underwater forest!

Value: I bought this as a sample, and as they have been out of it since I bought it, I can’t get any data on the price (but I think this style of green tea is somewhat on the pricy side).

Overall: I bought this in large part to try some of the famed Melon Seeds. Although it was fun watching the leaves steep, I was disappointed as I had heard it is generally thought of as a quality green tea. There was nothing memorable about the aroma or the flavor. But I am glad I tried it. Not a great first impression for Adagio (but the impression of this reviewer towards Adagio’s unflavored green teas has turned more hopeful since trying their White Monkey). Here’s hoping their other green teas are more flavorful!

Experience buying from Golden Moon Tea < More later, but fairly positive overall >

Age of leaf: I purchased this as a sample; no information provided on the date of harvest.

Packaging: I really like the packaging for their samples: a simple long thin silver bag with a stylish looking label displaying their company logo, the name of the tea, brewing instructions and what the package actually contains (the tea and any flavoring).

Appearance and aroma of dry leaf: twisted white and green buds; very light fragrance.

Brewing guidelines 1.5 tsp, 1.5 cups water. Loose in glass Bodum; Stevia added.
……….1st: 165; 2’
……….2nd: 170; 3.5’
……….3rd: 172 5’
……….4th: 180; 7’

Color and aroma of tea liquor: Very light color, very sweet smell.

Flavor of tea liquor: What I remember another Silver Needles to taste like: light, sweet, fruity or floral, and buoyant (this seems to be an awkward word to use here, but it seems to be the best word I can think of for now to describe how it lifts me up, in a way); held up flavor through the fourth steeping (mild flavor, though).

Appearance and aroma of wet leaf: very nice looking buds (only a few stems);they were hanging vertically in my glass Bodum while steeping: very cool!

Value: Way beyond my budget when buying by the ounce, but worth buying and trying once as a sample ($0.99).

Overall: I expect that this is their version of Silver Needles, as it looks, smells and tastes like one sample of Silver Needles I tried last year. I like how the buds are twisted, as I have never seen this before. This one is as good as the one I remember having had before: it is light, and mellow; yet, it is not a tea I would want to drink (or could afford to drink) every day. As I have read in many books about tea, it is good to try this tea at least once.

Experience buying from The Puritea: < More later, but overall positive >

Age of leaf: I was not able to find this information on their website. : (

Packaging: This was a sample that came in three separate tiny, thin silver bags, that had the name of the tea on them (and nothing else).

Appearance and aroma of dry leaf: Similar to Adagios’s White Monkey I had tried the day before: spicy and vegetal, but not as strong smelling as Adagio’s; looks similar to Pi Lo Chun: light and dark green curly leaves.

Brewing guidelines: Glass Bodum pot with tea leaves moving freely about. Stevia added.
……….1st: 172; 1’
……….2nd: 178; 1.5
……….3rd: 187; 2’
……….4th: 187; 3’

Color and aroma of tea liquor: smells slightly sweet; yellow-green color.

Flavor of tea liquor: good: standard green tea taste, with a spicy note; had some flavor on the forth steeping.

Appearance and aroma of wet leaf: Not as many fragments in the water as Adagio’s when steeping. All of the leaves were floating on top for each steeping. Overall good quality leaf: few broken pieces and lots of full leaves and plump buds.

Value: very reasonable. $20 / 8oz.

Overall: Although the leaf looks to be of better quality than Adagio’s, this one is not as tasty. I do like the ‘spicy’ flavor in it, though (as I do with Adagio’s). This is a good tea for the price. Not much else to say about it.

Experience buying from Adagio: < More later, but overall positive >

Age of leaf: I was not able to find this information on their website. : (

Packaging: This was a decent sized sample that came in an opaque plastic package nicely decorated with their colors, the weight and the name of the tea on it, and information on the back about Adagio.

Appearance and aroma of dry leaf: vegetal and spicy; looks similar to Pi Lo Chun: light and dark green curly leaves; some broken pieces.

Brewing guidelines: _{Standard parameters for my green teas} Labeled as 0.4 oz tea = 6 cups of water. Glass Bodum pot where leaves are free to roam. Stevia added.
……….1st: 177; 1’
……….2nd: 178; 1.5
……….3rd: 187; 2’
……….4th: 187; 3’

Color and aroma of tea liquor: standard green tea aroma: vegetal, mildly sweet; yellow green color.

Flavor of tea liquor: very good: vegetal and spicy; mild flavor on the forth steeping.

Appearance and aroma of wet leaf: a number of fragments were floating in the water when steeping, but all the leaves were floating on top for each steeping. Overall OK quality leaf: a number of broken pieces with many full longish leaves and small buds, with a few stems.

Value: reasonable for the flavor you get from the leaf: $24 / 8oz.

Overall: I recently bought four samples from Adagio (all green teas). It’s still early (I have two more samples to try) yet to form any kind of solid opinion about Adagio’s unflavored green teas, but after being disappointed with their melon seeds, I have more hope for them after trying this tea. Although I am not impressed with the quality of the leaf (The Puritea’s White Monkey looked better), until I tried this tea I have never had a green tea that smelled and tasted spicy, so I am impressed with the flavor. I may buy this one if I can get it for a good price; who knew, a spicy green tea?!

_Backlogging

Experience buying from Sanctuary T blank">http://steepster.com/places/2940-sanctuary-t-online-new-york-new-york?visit=1642

Age of leaf: Unknown; received this as a free sample after a mishap with shipping.

Packaging: simple transparent bag with a thin cardboard top with the company name and the name of the tea.

Aroma of dry leaf: Very aromatic.

Brewing guidelines: In sixteen-OZ ceramic cup with metal basket strainer; stevia added.
……….1st: Just off the boil; 3’
……….2nd: boiling; 5’

Color and aroma of tea liquor: looks like the color of chocolate and smells like chocolate.

Flavor of tea liquor: Tasty, chocolaty, but some flavor in here doesn’t quite go well with the chocolate.

Overall: It’s, OK, but not what I was hoping for. I like their straight rooibos better than this. Still, not a bad tasting tea.

Experience buying from Verdant Tea http://steepster.com/places/2886-verdant-tea-online-minneapolis-minnesota

Age of leaf: Stated as harvested in autumn 2011; I received this sample of tea in late autumn and brewed it up not long after.

Appearance and aroma of dry leaf: Tiny, tightly-curled, wiry, dark-brown (almost black) leaves and buds, very similar in shape to the early summer Laoshan green. It smelled incredible: it reminded me of a few Wuyi Oolong teas I have had—which I guess I would characterize as roasted—but somehow better (possibly sweeter).

Brewing guidelines ~4 tsp = 4 cups water. Glass Bodum pot used with with leaves floating freely (I acknowledge that this particular thin glass pot is probably not the best to use for a black tea, due to it not holding the heat very well from more than a couple of minutes, but I wanted to watch the leaves brew and be able to see the color—which I really enjoy doing, especially the first time I brew up the tea). Stevia added.
……….1st: boiling, and slightly warmed pot, 2’ (I ended up only using 2.5 cups for the first steeping)
……….2nd: boiling, and warmed pot, 3.5’
……….3rd: boiling, and very warmed pot, 5’
……….4th: boiling, and if possible, even more warmed pot, 7’

Color and aroma of tea liquor: dark brown; < later on the aroma >

Flavor of tea liquor: Oh … my … goodness; when I first tried it, the taste—as with the aroma of the leaves—reminded me vaguely of a Wuyi oolong, but once I really started to savor this tea I realized that it tasted like nothing I have had before. I admit that I still feel like a child when it comes to discerning the various flavors and aromas in a tea, but amongst all the other flavors in here, I think there is some caramel (I really enjoy any kind of caramel flavor in my black tea). The leaves held up very well through four steepings with great flavor, and no astringency—even after having been steeped over 7 minutes. Based on my notes below, I think this could have yielded flavor for up to at least five steepings; alas, I stopped at four and composted the leaves before I really took the time to taste the tea liquor.

Appearance and aroma of wet leaf: Very high quality: very few broken pieces, and very consistent color throughout; about the same aroma as the dry leaf, but possibly not as sweet smelling.

Value: expensive for me, based on my current budget, but still worth having on occasion; and great to give as a gift.

Overall: For various reasons, I generally enjoy drinking green teas, and I brew up a black tea on occasion. So far I have been VERY impressed with all of Verdant’s green teas, and I had an opportunity to try a sample of this black tea from Laoshan, the same village where most of Verdant’s green teas are harvested. Once I opened the package, and smelled, looked over, and tasted the liquor that I coaxed from the leaves it didn’t take long for me to be impressed with everything about this tea. It is the most unusual tasting black tea I have ever had (I don’t just value good flavor, I also value uniqueness). And yet, I was not certain whether or not to buy any (especially after dropping some $$$ on Teavana’s sale teas). But something finally tipped the balance. _{stay with me, if you can} On the evening of the day I brewed up this glorious tea I remember absentmindedly (that’s kind of an oxymoron, isn’t it?) reaching for my cup, sitting half-forgotten on the kitchen table (do any of the rest of you have various cups just sitting around with different kinds of tea in them, ones you didn’t get a chance to finish, and then simply pick one of them up later and sip at it to see what’s in there?). And then, whilst sitting at my computer, I took a sip and, WOW! I was amazed at the flavor! It was the forth steeping, and tepid to boot! So I thought, “If it still tastes good like that, this is a tea worth having around!” Then I found myself thinking, “You already have enough tea, you dope.” And then my next thought was, “Shame on you for even thinking of denying yourself something this incredible (and for calling yourself a dope)!” That is what tipped the balance, and why I decided to finally dip into my not-so-deep coffers and buy this tea (I think my better part won out, don’t you?); the fact that buying from David, and knowing where the tea comes from, is more more rewarding for me than buying from some-big-chain-tea-retailer-that-largely-makes-it’s-home-in-malls helped make the decision even easier. Hurray! For small farms, small online tea retailers, the He family, Verdant Tea, and great tasting tea!

Experience buying from Verdant Tea http://steepster.com/places/2886-verdant-tea-online-minneapolis-minnesota

Age of leaf: Stated as harvested in autumn 2011; I received the tea in early winter and brewed it up not long after (I also included notes about their spring harvested Dragon Well style tea in this review). I slightly updated this on 6/5/2012.

Appearance and aroma of dry leaf: Looks beautiful! Light and dark green bud sets (or sparrow’s tongues), with some yellow color mixed in here and there. Very mild, but fresh, aroma.

Brewing guidelines About 5 tsp = 5 cups water. Glass Bodum pot used with with leaves floating freely. Stevia added.
……….1st: 175, 1’
……….2nd: 180, 1.5’
……….3rd: 182, 2’
……….4th: 183, 3’

Color and aroma of tea liquor: light amber color; good, fresh aroma.

Flavor of tea liquor Fresh, sweet, chocolate-y, tasty; it has what I think is called a full mouth/full bodied feel. It had great flavor up through and including the forth steeping.

Appearance and aroma of wet leaf: smells fresh and very aromatic; all whole beautiful looking leaves, buds and bud-sets; no broken pieces.

Value: expensive for any tea by my standards: (as of 6/4-2012) it is roughly $10 / OZ when you buy four ounces of it; but it’s worth having some around for special occasions, and great to give as a gift!

Overall: Although, as LiberTeas pointed out in her review of this tea, it is not technically ‘DragonWell’, it is by far the best ‘Dragon Well style’ tea I have ever tasted (it tastes as good as the Laoshan spring harvested DragonWell); and with one or two exceptions, I think it is the best green tea I have ever tasted. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but there was something different about the aroma and the taste of this tea than any other green tea I’ve had. The leaves remained on top of my Bodum for every steeping, which seems to be a good indicator that this is indeed a quality tea. I really like the contrast of the light and dark green colors of the dry leaf; it is clearly one the the highest quality teas I have ever seen. I love the complexity, the sweetness, and the unique flavor of this tea! You go, He family and Verdant tea!

Experience buying from Verdant Tea http://steepster.com/places/2886-verdant-tea-online-minneapolis-minnesota

Age of leaf: Stated as harvested in early summer; I received the tea in mid to late fall and brewed it up right away.

Appearance and aroma of dry leaf: Tiny tightly curled, wiry dark-green leaves and buds. Aroma is earthy, and my mouth started watering when I really started taking in the smell of the leaves; it was as if the aroma triggered some autonomic reaction in my body to remind me of the importance of eating healthy green vegetables! That was a very interesting experience! (I suspect this may happen with other quality green teas) It seems that there is a nutty note hiding somewhere in there, too.

Brewing guidelines I have taken information from more than two separate steeping sessions into consideration for this review (I list the parameters for only two). On the first steeping session I used my standard green tea parameters, including using one rounded tsp tea per cup of water; on the second session (below, in parenthesis) I used hotter water, steeped it longer, and I used a little more than one rounded tsp of tea per cup of water. Glass Bodum pot used with with leaves floating freely. Stevia added.
……….1st: 172, 1’ (182, 1.5’)
……….2nd: 177, 1.5 (179, 2’)
……….3rd: 182, 2’ (187, 3’)
……….4th: 185, 2.5 (190’, 4’)

Color and aroma of tea liquor: < Later on the color >; Slightly sweet and vegetal aroma, pleasant.

Flavor of tea liquor It’s funny that I can’t find any details in my notes for this, the most important detail! However, what matters most is that my wife and I both like it. And I ­*can* remember that it tastes fresh, vegetal, slightly sweet, and I think there is a hint of chocolate running around in there (but I may be thinking of the Laoshan Dragonwell).

Appearance and aroma of wet leaf: Smells of fresh cooked spinach.

Value: Good. This is David’s least expensive unflavored green and at his ‘bulk’ prices (or on sale) this tea is affordable for me.

Overall: The appearance of the dry leaves (and later, the wet leaves) impressed me right away, as I have never seen anything like it before. I like the aroma of both the leaves and the tea liquor. Yet, while I liked so many things about this tea, I was not impressed with the flavor in the first steeping session; not that it was bad, it was simply weak. So I emailed the owner, looked at the reviews on Steepster, and used the information from David’s reply and the reviews to make adjustments to my steeping parameters: go with higher temperatures for longer periods of time, and slightly increase the tea to water ratio; Lo, and behold! I got much stronger flavor! It does have a bit of astringency if brewed too long, but it doesn’t really distract from the enjoyment of the tea. I enjoy watching the leaves as they steep while hanging on the top and bottom of my glass Bodum pot; none of the lower grade green teas hold themselves in such high esteem! I really wanted to like this tea; and it turns out my perseverance—giving it a number of chances—paid off! I do really like this tea. Thank you David, and a big thank you to the He family in Shandong Province, China.

Experience buying from Teavivre http://steepster.com/places/2857-teavivre-online—

Age of leaf: advertised as spring 2011. Received fall 2011, brewed up days later.

Appearance and aroma of dry leaf: Characteristic Bi Lou Chun green tea look: a mixture of fuzzy, curly light and dark green leaves and buds; vegetal aroma.

Brewing guidelines: _{based on past experience, I used longer steeping times that my standard green tea parameters normally call for.} Loose in glass Bodum pot. Stevia added.
……….1st: 172, 2’
……….2nd: 177. 2.5’
……….3rd: 180, 3.5’
……….4th: 185, 5’

Color and aroma of tea liquor: cloudy greenish yellow; slightly vegetal.

Flavor of tea liquor: similar to other Bi Lou Chun green teas I have had: mildly vegetal, with notes which have a pleasant roasted flavor, or something else earthy or smoky; I don’t exactly know how to describe it, but I know I like it.

Appearance and aroma of wet leaf: the leaves were hanging on top and standing on the bottom of the pot during the second steeping: very cool! Fairly decent quality leaf: a number for whole leaves and buds, a few bud sets and fewer stems, and many smallish sized broken pieces throughout.

Value: This is the least expensive Bi Lou Chun I have tried (less than $3/oz); it is a great value for the quality.

Overall: This BLC has good flavor, which held up fairly well through the third steeping (there was a little mild flavor on the forth); even on the forth steeping there was no astringency what-so-ever. This seems to me like a decent grade Bi Lo Chun. I could easily drink this daily.

Experience buying from @Ashley: I bought this tea from Ashley when she was selling all of her tea. I received the tea quickly through the mail and my package was filled with many surprises. Thank you Ashley!

Note: I got this as a sample from Ashley and brewed it up not long after receiving it.

Appearance and aroma of dry leaf: looks like small nuts and dried pieces of fruit; smelled sweet, herbal, and fruity.

Brewing guidelines: 2 tsp, 2 cups of water; I used a metal basket strainer inside a 16 oz ceramic cup, such that I put a lid over the top to keep the heat in. Cup was warmed before steeping. Stevia added.
…………….1st: 195, 2’
…………….2nd: near boiling, 3’
…………….3rd: boiling, 5’
…………….4th: boiling, 10’

Color and aroma of tea liquor: beautiful pale red, reminiscent of the color of watermelon! Smelled great, too! One odd thing: there were very small green bits floating on top which must have been flavorings small enough to make it though the strainer.

Flavor of tea liquor: I iced this, per the directions, putting all four steepings together in a pitcher with ice, and chilling it overnight. The resulting flavor was on the mild side (expected due to the way I combined all four steepings), but sweet and flavorful: just like watermelon!

Overall: I was impressed with how it looked and tasted like watermelon. A great iced tea for watermelon fans!

_{NOTE: I am writing this review after having brewed it up many times since I first tried it.}

Experience buying from Jing Tea Shop http://steepster.com/places/2780-jing-tea-shop-on-line—

Age of leaf: I received this tea in early June 2011 and brewed it as soon as I got it and many times thereafter (the tea is listed as 2011 early spring harvest).

Appearance and aroma of dry leaf: lots of straight, dark green gently curved leaves and buds (which seems to be characteristic of HSMF green tea); vegetal, smoky.

Brewing guidelines: I used my standard green tea parameters: loose in glass Bodum pot; four 8-ounce cups of water used; Stevia added to compliment flavor.
…………….1st: 170, 1’
…………….2nd: 175, 1.5’
…………….3rd: 180, 2’
…………….4th: 190, 2.5’

Aroma: slightly smoky.

Color of liquor: light yellow.

Wet leaf: lots of bud sets, and a number of buds, whole leaves, and virtually no stems: beautiful.

Blends well with: other smoky green teas, like green Yunnans.

Flavor: fresh, vegetal, smoky.

Value: This tea is a bargain for under $3 an ounce.

Overall: Of the four HSMF teas I have tried, I think this one is my favorite. Although this one did not have very flavorful third and forth steepings, overall I like the aroma, the look of the leaves (dry, wet, and while steeping), and the smoky green tea flavor—-all which seem to be characteristic of HSMF. Although for various reasons I currently drink this tea on occasion, I could easily drink this tea on a regular basis.

Experience buying from @Ashley: I bought this tea from Ashley when she was selling all of her tea. I received the tea quickly through the mail and my package was filled with many surprises. Thank you Ashley!

Age of leaf: bought sometime in October, brewed up mid-November.

Packaging: 52Teas packaging is very professional: small silver zip locked bags with a clear front that has a 3” X 3” label on it which has the name of the tea, an ingredient list, and an expertly created picture of the food item that the tea replicates.

Appearance and aroma of dry leaf: CTC leaf with bits of banana; smells just like banana bread, incredible!

_Brewing guidelines: two tsp. dry tea for 16 ounces of water. I used a metal basket strainer inside a ceramic 16 oz. cup, such that I put a lid over the top to keep the heat in. Cup was warmed before steeping. Stevia added.
…………….1st: slightly off the boil, 2’
…………….2nd: near boiling, 4’
…………….3rd: boiling, 6’
…………….4th: boiling, 10’

Aroma of tea liquor: Spot on banana bread!

Flavor of tea liquor: hard to get the HBBB flavor on the first steeping when still hot, but when cooled I could totally taste it. Good flavor up through three steepings.

Aroma of wet leaf: I believe the aroma here was the same as with the liquor itself: spot on!

Overall: I do have to admit that I am not a big banana flavored person, and that is why I didn’t rate this tea as high I have a few other teas of Franks. Having said that, this one’s still a keeper, especially if you love banana bread as there is clearly banana bread flavor swimming around all over in this cup! Next time I will have to search for the butter, and I wouldn’t be surprised at all it I can find it doing the breaststroke right next to the banana bread. Right as I was in the middle of writing this up, I went to Steepster to verify something about the description of the tea, and I glanced at the number of ratings and at the overall rating of the tea itself (which I try not to do before I review and rate a tea); I noticed that there are lots of reviews, and the tea has a high rating. Wow. I may be a little tough on my ratings, but I am certainly with the crowd on the reviews on this one. You rock, Frank!

_{(These notes are a rough approximation taken from memory; I hope to update at a later time)}

Experience buying from @Ashley: I bought this tea from Ashley when she was selling all of her tea. I received the tea quickly through the mail and my package was filled with many surprises. Thank you Ashley!

Age of leaf: bought sometime in October, brewed up early November.

Packaging: 52Teas packaging is very professional: small silver zip locked bags with a clear front that has a 3” X 3” label on it which has the name of the tea, an ingredient list, and an expertly created picture of the food item that the tea replicates.

Appearance and aroma of dry leaf: CTC leaf with small fruit and other flavoring pieces; strongly aromatic, fruity.

Brewing guidelines: _{(again, this is a rough approximation based on what I have been doing with all of Frank’s teas)} two tsp. dry tea for 16 ounces of water. I used a metal basket strainer inside a ceramic 16 oz. cup, such that I put a lid over the top to keep the heat in. Cup was warmed before steeping. Stevia added.
…………….1st: 195, 2’
…………….2nd: near boiling, 3’
…………….3rd: nearer to boiling, 6’
…………….4th: boiling, 10’

Color and aroma of tea liquor: dark amber, fruity.

Flavor of tea liquor: tart, but good.

Appearance and aroma of wet leaf: CTC leaf.

Overall: I remember liking this tea, but I don’t remember anything standing out about it. I believe, as with all of Frank’s teas, it held flavor through four steepings and that the flavor in the tea at least roughly matched the name of the tea.

My second go around with this tea, and my impression has changed, slightly. I brewed this again using the same parameters as before, with the exception of using a little more tea this time—-about 2.5 teaspoons with 16 ounces of water. Although there was nothing special about the first steeping—-and this is still not my favorite one of Frank’s teas—-I found no ‘off’ flavor in it this time, and I did taste the the cinnamon roll flavor running around in the cup. We did enjoy the later steepings a little more this time, too. What was impressive is that the third and forth steepings held up with appreciable flavor. That’s why I am slightly increasing the rating on this tea. And strangely enough, I feel a little better about that; I think it’s because it’s not pleasant for me to have opinions that seem to differ from the majority (it’s the ‘people pleaser’ in me). For whatever it’s worth, I guess I’m no longer an outlier.

_{Updated on 1/4/2012}

Experience buying from Teavivre http://steepster.com/places/2857-teavivre-online—

Age of leaf: advertised as spring 2011. Received fall 2011, brewed up days later.

Appearance and aroma of dry leaf: similar in appearance and smell to other Chun Mee teas I have had before: small chopped and tightly curled leaves, with a grassy and somewhat smoky aroma.

Brewing guidelines: Based on two different steeping sessions; I used a little hotter temperatures than the standard parameters for my green teas call for due to Teavivres web directions. Loose in glass Bodum pot. Stevia added.
2 tsp, 2 cups of water (4 tsp, 4.5 cups)
……….1st: 180, 1’ (187; 1’)
……….2nd: 180. 1.5 (178 trying it cooler; 1.5’)
……….3rd: 185, 2’ (185; 2’)

Color and aroma of tea liquor: cloudy, light honey color, mild vegetal aroma.

Flavor of tea liquor: standard vegetal green tea flavor; minor astringency on the second steeping.

Appearance and aroma of wet leaf: Looks and smells fresh.

Value: Roughly a $1/ounce, and you can’t really beat that for fresh green tea anywhere.

Overall: My wife and I changed our mind on this one after the second session: the flavor is not as good as the flavor during the first session. I am not very taken by the flavor (too astringent, or something). It did hold up with the flavor it had through three steepings. Nothing else really notable about it other than that it is fresh and inexpensive.

Experience buying from Life in a Teacup http://steepster.com/places/2861-life-in-a-teacup-online-easthampton-massachusetts

Age of leaf: advertised as spring 2011, received early fall 2011, brewed up weeks later.

Dry leaf: Small, tightly curled leaves and buds; smells fresh and vegetal; reminds me somewhat of Verdant Tea’s Early Summer Green Tea.

Brewing guidelines: _{Standard parameters for my green teas} Loose in glass Bodum pot. Stevia added. 1.5 tsp, 1.5 cups water. I used slightly less water after each steeping. Two separate steeping sessions: < first >/< second >:
……….1st: 165/170, 1’
……….2nd: 165/180, 1.5
……….3rd: 180/185, 2’
……….4th: near boiling/< didn’t do >, 3’

Aroma: mildly vegetal.

Color of liquor: light yellow.

Wet leaf: fresh, vegetal smell; whole leaves and buds, a few were shriveled, and there were a number of long, thin, green ‘pieces’ that didn’t look like leaves or stems; they may have been buds, but I couldn’t tell.

Flavor: mild, vegetal, fresh, good.

Value: This green tea is as good as or better than any other green tea I have had in this price range.

Overall: this had a mild but pleasant taste that held up well through three steepings. This is clearly a fresh, mild and pleasantly vegetal tasting green tea. I would be happy to drink this on a regular basis.

Experience buying from China Cha Dao: In a PM I requested that Jerry send me samples of two teas I was interested in purchasing from his web store; he sent very generous samples of both (25g) and an additional 10g sample of a higher grade of one of them. Thank you Jerry Ma!

Age of leaf: stated as spring 2011.

Packaging: simple transparent bag with a label.

Appearance and aroma of dry leaf: Wirey, and some of the leaves are a little darker colored than the Jing Tea Shop HSMF I have; this tea has a fairly standard fresh vegetal smell.

Brewing guidelines: _{Standard parameters for my green teas} Glass Bodum pot with metal infuser/plunger. Stevia added.
……….1st: 170, 1’
……….2nd: 175. 1.5
……….3rd: 180, 2’
……….4th: 180+, 2.5

Color and aroma of tea liquor: very light green, vegetal.

Flavor of tea liquor: Pleasantly light, fresh and vegetal, not smoky as some Huang Shan Mao Feng teas can be. Held up well through three steepings.

Appearance and aroma of wet leaf: Smells and looks fresh, but this tea has more stems than I have ever seen in any tea; although there were a few bud sets, there were very few buds, and not very many leaves.

Value: this is one of the best priced fresh green teas I have found: under $1.50/ounce even when the price of shipping is included (which, for me, was almost as much as the price for the tea itself).

Overall: There are two notable things about this tea. Although it is not chopped—-and it seems fresh—-there are more stems in the wet leaf than I have ever seen before. Having said that, for the price it is still one of the best values that I have found for good tasting, pleasant smelling, fresh green tea. I hope to buy some of this to use a base, or everyday, green tea.

Experience buying from @Ashley: I bought this tea from Ashley when she was selling all of her tea. I received the tea quickly through the mail and my package was filled with many surprises. Thank you Ashley!

Packaging: 52Teas packaging is very professional: small silver zip locked bags with a clear front that has a 3” X 3” label on it which has the name of the tea, an ingredient list, and an expertly created picture of the food item that the tea replicates.

Aroma of dry leaf: Strong lemon-lime scent; good!

Brewing guidelines: I used a metal basket strainer inside a ceramic 16 oz. cup, such that I put a lid over the top to keep the heat in. Cup was warmed before steeping. Stevia added.
…………….1st: near boiling, 2’
…………….2nd: boiling, 4’
…………….3rd: spot on boiling, 6’
…………….4th: even more spot on boiling, 10’

Aroma of tea liquor: strong lemon-lime aroma.

Flavor of tea liquor: sweet, lemon-lime.

Overall: First off, I want to admit that I am a little biased here: I like the flavor of lime in just about anything, and I really like cheesecake. The flavor was a little odd at first, but once my taste buds and the tea got acquainted, we all got along fairly well. I don’t know if I taste any cheesecake in here, but I definitely taste the lemon-lime flavor, and I like it! It had good flavor right up through the forth steeping. It’s unusual, its sweet, it’s good. This is a tea I could drink often.

Experience buying from @Ashley: I bought this tea from Ashley when she was selling all of her tea. I received the tea quickly through the mail and my package was filled with many surprises. Thank you Ashley!

Packaging: 52Teas packaging is very professional: small silver zip locked bags with a clear front that has a 3” X 3” label on it which has the name of the tea, an ingredient list, and an expertly created picture of the food item that the tea replicates.

Appearance and aroma of dry leaf: smallish pieces of black tea, with a few marigold petals mixed in. I really like the aroma: sweet, almost syrupy, and somewhat like grilled flour: pancakes!

Brewing guidelines: I used a metal basket strainer inside a ceramic 16 oz. cup, such that I put a lid over the top to keep the heat in. Cup was warmed before steeping. Stevia added.
…………….1st: near boiling, 2’
…………….2nd: nearer to boiling, 4’
…………….3rd: boiling, 6’
…………….4th: boiling, 8’

Color and aroma of tea liquor_: ~_This time through I did not record these. Maybe next time.~

Flavor of tea liquor: at first not much different than any other black tea, then, the flavors started to come out of hiding (see below).

Overall: I think this is the first of Frank’s teas that caught my eye in the line up of the best rated teas in Steepster. I couldn’t believe that the image of the pancakes could seriously be replicated in a tea. Well, now I’m a believer. With the first steeping, it started out as just another flavored tea to me, nothing really stood out about it. But as I began to take more time searching for the syrup and the pancake in the tea, it finally came out to say, “Hello!” It’s strange, but it wasn’t until the third steeping that I could actually taste the maple syrup, maybe in part, because I allowed it too cool before I finished it. I could taste the syrup and the pancake—-although mildly—-even on the forth steeping. The next time I try this tea I will be looking for the flavors in the earlier steepings, and try it cooled, too. This is probably my favorite of the three 52Teas I have tried so far. I look forward to brewing this one up again. Frank _{(if you ever stumble upon this review)}, I have to say that I am impressed. And I look forward to trying your other teas, too.

Experience buying from @Ashley: I bought this tea from Ashley when she was selling all of her tea. I received the tea quickly through the mail and my package was filled with many surprises. Thank you Ashley!

Packaging: 52Teas packaging is very professional: small silver zip locked bags with a clear front that has a 3” X 3” label on it which has the name of the tea, an ingredient list, and an expertly created picture of the food item that the tea replicates.

Appearance and aroma of dry leaf: strong smell, almost overwhelming, but somewhat like cinnamon rolls.

Brewing guidelines: I used a metal basket strainer inside a ceramic 16 oz. cup, such that I put a lid over the top to keep the heat in. Cup was warmed before steeping. Stevia added.
…………….1st: near boiling, 2’
…………….2nd: nearer to boiling, 4’
…………….3rd: spot on boiling, 6’
…………….4th: even more spot on boiling, 10’

Color and aroma of tea liquor: Ruddy brown, very mild aroma.

Flavor of tea liquor: Somewhat like cinnamon rolls, but something tastes a little off (some as with the smell of the dry leaf): possibly too tart. The second and later steepings had no odd flavor, and so tasted a little better to me.

Overall: After all of the hype about this tea, I was initially disappointed with the first steeping. The second steeping was a little better, and it had good flavor up through the third (the forth had little flavor). I like to get multiple steepings out of any tea; I imagine this would taste differently if steeped only once for a longer period of time—but that’s not how I prepare my tea. Unfortunately I read all of the glowing reviews before trying this tea and got my hopes up about it. I have learned my lesson. With the remainder of Frank’s teas—-or any other, for that matter—-I plan to read only the data in the review first regarding how to steep it. Then, later, I can compare notes. Oh well. Maybe over time I will like this one more _.