120 Tasting Notes
This is my first Dan Cong, Quiltguppy to be praised for adding so many new tasting opportunities. This has a natural peachy/apricot taste and smell. The silky Oolong texture is there, but it is lighter than other Oolongs I have tried. Golden in color, it has a slightly intense flavor at first sip then fades to a mirage of it’s earlier presentation. I love that effect. A hint of nuttiness (flavor not goofy) comes through as well. The description by the company says cocoa but I have not found it yet. Maybe on a second steep. I would like to pair it with something to eat, it seems to have a complimentary profile.
First tea of the day. I really enjoy the hint of smoke in this one. It is just barely there, but no mistaking it. The color is vibrant green and gold. The flavor has a depth to it. Levels perhaps. At the beginning of the sip there is a silky richness of tea flavor, green and vegetal yet oxidized. Middle sip, this one really fits the Oolong description of lightly fermented, between a green and black. Some Oolongs are something else on their own, but this one seems to be right there in between with notes of both. The end of the sip gives up that hint of smokiness that I love. However, it is a small trace, so if you are not a Lapsang lover, give this one a chance. I purchased this with some other teas from White August during their Spring 25% off and free shipping sale for Steepsterites. I am SO GLAD I did. All their teas have been to my liking and when they have a sale, they really have a good one.
I needed something to clear my palate from my soil sample/divot experience earlier.
This is perfect. Rich, ripe plum and black tea. Simple, satisfying, and a pleasure to behold.
Reminds me of my younger days and liberating a few ripe red plums from the neighbor’s tree across the street. Steeped, the smell takes me back to my grandmother’s kitchen, waiting patiently to enjoy a spoon full of warm plum preserves she has just canned. Ahh, the good old days.
On a challenge from my benefactor, QuiltGuppy, I steeped a cup of this today.
The dry aroma is dusty, like the dirty actors in a Sergio Leone Western. While steeping, visons of gardening danced in my head. Freshly plowed soil with hints of fertilizer mixed in. The first sip was a perfect blend of the dusty odor, heavy earth notes and a touch of peat bogginess. A 1999 vintage, it is not as old as dirt. It does however, taste like it.
Thank you QG, for helping me reach a conclusion today. With so many fine Oolongs, Blacks, and Greens out there, I am giving up on Puerh. If I get the urge for some, I will simply move some furniture, collect a little dust, add a dash from a vaccum cleaner bag, and use a potting soil base. I think I could come pretty close.
No offense to you Puerh lovers, but to reuse an old and tiresome expression, this is not my cup of tea.
I would like to add, the texture was sans grit. As surprising as that may seem.
:)
I’m so glad I’m not the only one to have this result… as badly as I feel for your taste buds. It did receive some higher ratings, some very high, from other reviewers. I think it’s a situation of to each his own… Love the review, though! :)
I have a strawberry blended puerh (the My Name is Bruce blend) if you want to try it. I don’t think I’ve tried all that many and honestly they are mostly forgettable. I tend to like green tea anyway so something strong like this wouldn’t sit well with me either. Don’t feel bad! ;)
I agree with QG – love the description, especially, “dusty…like the dirty actors in a Sergio Leone western.” :)
I had this experience the first time I tried Pu-erh as well, but now, I have learned that proper brewing is essential with Pu-erh. What were your brewing parameters?
Just off the boil, about 3 minutes. Not much different than some of the higher ratings.
I can’t believe it is even the same tea some have described.
Love the vacuum cleaner dust analogy!
gmathis: thanks!
LiberTEAS: was that too long?
KiTT: Thank you too! I would try a blend, if you can spare some, but I doubt straight Pu-erh’s are going to be in my future.
Generally with this type I use 30 seconds at the most for the first steep. But I also use a lot of leaf, so it might not easily translate into anything useful for you. It is a type that steeps really fast though
Yesterday was too busy to log with Mothers Day and a few work hours mixed in. Major deadline Tuesday, so extra duty as needed… So, this morning I reached for a sample of this, my first experience with Dragonwell. I really like it. It is solid green in flavor, somewhere between sencha and Ti Quan Yin to me. The leaves are distinctly different in shape than other teas. They look like little propellers. It is very drinkable, each sip drawing you back to the cup as the aftertaste lingers on the palate. I think an oversteep would be bitter and astringent, it seems to have hints of those qualities at a short steep. The color is more yellow than green, but shades of green are there. I am going to max the score on this one to help the average. I don’t understand rating a tea low, if you don’t care for that type in the first place. I think this deserves higher than it has been given. If I don’t care for a particular type of tea, I don’t rate it.
Just saying. :)
And…happy Monday everyone!
Working my Saturday away so I needed the combination punch of green and black to stay on track. This is my third Harney and Sons tea. I am impressed with the refined, sculpted and artful feel all their teas convey. Every flavor and characteristic is there for a reason.
This tea has tropical island written all over it, (da plane boss, da plane!) but the aftertaste turns to strawberry for me. I sweetened it a little and drank it hot. I think I will try it iced later, just for kicks.
Thanks again to Quilt Guppy for another tea adventure!
(Update)
This is a corrected review from yesterday, I mistakenly listed this with another company, then created a new review for it. QG had to help me again to find “thepuritea” no spaces and shazam! there it is. The tea gods seem to be against me on this one…
I got a sample of this from QG, (TQ or TG) :) I selected this as my morning tea. the sample was large enough for a pot, some in the tumbler and the rest in the thermos. This is a dark oolong and very rich in flavor. No smoke, a hint of citris maybe, but overall just a deep full oolong tea flavor. I could drink this everyday. Looks to be resteepable as well.
I was not able to find it on the website.
Additional comment: This was still in my french press last night when I got home, I resteeped and drank it with dinner. Still rich, deep, and full on the second steep. I see Red Robes in my future…
I purchased a tin of this in a health food store. I wondered why it was not simply listed as Matcha. Can someone elighten me?
I made a latte with it last night, whisked some of the powder in a cup of warmed milk. A little sweetner was needed for my taste. I found it very green, not grassy. The taste was rich in sencha flavor, but not overpowering. This morning I added it to hot water with some sweetener and it dissolved much easier. Both the latte last night and the tea this morning were more like brewed coffee as far as texture goes. I got a little grit or undissolved leaf but not a problem with me as I used to drink my coffee like espresso…thick. This is my first Matcha or gound edible tea or whatever. I like it.
It is too costly for every day though. Now I am going back to the Clouds and Mist. :)
