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A few months ago I purchased these during a 50% off sale on tazo.com. I’ve used them a few times but I was not sure how I felt about them so I did not write a review.

I think I’ve finally worked out the right combination for me to enjoy them.
3 Dragon Balls in 8oz boiling water for 3.5 min; resteeps for 4m and 5m.
The cup was pleasant and I’ll do it again.

This yields a solid black tea – nothing fancy; not really malty. These are not my favorite Dragon Balls by any means. I have three others which I would rate higher; however, these are cheaper and without the comparison to the other three, quite acceptable.

I’ll probably use these to grab and take out to a restaurant meal. In fact, someone is coming over with Chinese takeout next week and I’ll probably serve this as one of our teas with the meal.

Continuing this week’s focus on shengs, I’ve been working on this Menghai over the course of four days. The aroma of both the dry leaf and the brew is at first a bit leather-like. The tea yields a clear golden broth. The sip is smooth and richly textured – complex flavors with some aged undertones leaving a pleasant robust mouthfeel. The brew softens with more steeps and sweetens a bit. Although I have really enjoyed this one, I feel that I have alot to learn about the finer points of shengs.

I’m enjoying my foray into the world of Dammann teas. This particular tea from their Christmas series fits what seems to be their favorite profile —– spice + caramel or vanilla + fruit + sweet + a light touch of floral. In this case, cinnamon and ginger and a tiny note of clove with almond and apple produce a soft well balanced sip. The spices blend nicely (cinnamon is the strongest)and the almond dominates the apple but it is definitely there. A pinch of sweetener serves to highlight the flavors. Not my favorite in the Christmas collection but a tea I look forward to drinking again sometime soon.

Spent the afternoon enjoying my first session with a 2010 Menghai Golden Age. One quick rinse then 7 grams with 4 ounces of boiling water for 5sec, another for 5sec, then 10sec – 3 steeps mixed into one cup for drinking. This sheng is quite smooth and sweetly vegetal with a nice swallow as it warms the throat. Leaves a nice aftertaste. Very good right now and it should be fantastic with a little more age!

Mellow and pleasant taste; nice aroma as it brews; dark red clear tea liquor; smooth and rich in flavor – this is a winning shou! The oaky sip delights the mouth and leaves a sweet aftertaste with a little pepper sensation on the tongue. I quite enjoy this now but I am very anxious to see how it develops after another year or two of aging.

The dry leaf scent is definitely FLORAL and I am not a floral person. As soon as the hot water hits the dry leaf, the aroma becomes more appealing to me – a little fruity and nutty along with the dominant floral. The sip is OK. I can drink this and it is rather pleasant – a little nut; a little caramel; a bit of floral. The tea is fairly well balanced now. I’ll pull this one out every now and then; probably serve to a guest or two; don’t think I’ll put it on the reorder list.

Toasty, roasty, chocolaty goodness all rolled into one cup. Delicious!! What else can I say? A new favorite that never fails to satisfy!

Fruity caramel – very nice! This one surprised me since I was not really liking the dry leaf smell. Boiling water for 4 min produced a lovely sweet aroma and the first sip was very good. An enjoyable tea to add to my tea cupboard!

Smooth and mellow flavor which maintains a bit of the classic briskness of the Assam. Unlike the other assams I drink on a regular basis, this one has a light and flowery flavor which is what I’ll note as the French accent in this particular tea. Not my favorite assam but one worth keeping in the tea cabinet.

Fruity, floral, creamy all rolled into one sip – a light cinnamon-caramel flavor with a tart apple-lemon accent. Nicely balanced. Not my usual type of early morning tea but an interesting cup nonetheless.