807 Tasting Notes
Throughly enjoying a couple of cups of this tea!
Full review on SororiTeaSisters.com on the 6th but here are some snippits:
It has a rich full mouthfeel yet a savory element in the flavor profile that boarders right on the spicy side of life. I can’t think of many unadulterated teas that have so much complexity. From sweet to savory, spicy to fruity. Zhu Rong Yunnan Black Tea from Verdant has it all.
The berry notes I detect are not listed in the flavor profile of this tea but I get a dark berry and raisin flavor when I swish the tea around my palate.
FINALLY! Me and Lupicia Sweet Potato Pie get to meet! I am sooooo happy to finally have this in my stash! I will covet it! I wish I could get more I absolutely love this. I was not very pleased with the aroma of the dry leaf but am relieved to find a DELICIOUS cup of Sweet Potato Pie!
Full Review on http://sororiteasisters.com/ on the 5th!
A lovely tea! Full review on http://sororiteasisters.com/ on the 3rd of January but here are my snippits:
The mouthfeel is slightly full, a tad but creamy, and heavy enough that I feel one could ice this nicely.
The peach flavor in this tea is not over done, although personally I can never get enough peach, but it is nice, subdued, and well mannered. I do get just a touch of the flavoring as being somewhat artificial like, but not so much so that it turns me off.
It creates a soft balance between a fruity tea, a floral tea, and a tea that whispers in your ear gently, yet is strong enough to stand it’s ground. Just like the Heroine in one of my favorite books. This may just have to be in my tea rotation to drink while reading outdoors this spring!
Tried mine for the first time today. Had some issues. I am not rating until I give it another go. Was not user error – I read the instructions – watched the video ….
Not thrilled but giving it more time and more usage.
Will do full review when I am not exhausted – plus need to go get the tea stains out of my pants from the earlier disaster.
MEH.
Yeah… I have washed some things twice, including an antique doily to try and get the tea out from my accident with the ingenuiTea…But at least I know mine was operator error. :) Hope you get the hang of it and like it.
I’m thinking of getting one of these so keep me updated Azzrian. I looked at the smaller one today. I want a decent glass travel mug.
Thanks everyone! Nicole – I hope your antique doily came out clean.
I read about your operator error – yikes I would probably do the same thing lol
Sweet Canadian – I will keep you posted … for the full price point I paid I am not too excited about it but it was recently on sale I would not get one at full price if you can grab one on sale.
I do have several issues with it though but as I said in fairness to the product I want to try it again.
But one thing is for sure, unless you like your tea barely warm, its not worth it.
I have a timolino I use all the time, so having one that keeps it super hot isn’t something that is a must for me. I usually end up drinking it right away. I want to get a bigger mug that I can use on days I want more tea.
I found a shop here that sells the large size so I went ahead and got one! I think it will be a great addition to my travel mugs, because I usually use a Timolino, so I can throw the timolino in my bag on days that I am at school long hours for later, and drink out of the Libre right away.
I am STILL steeping this tea! I am SHOCKED at how many re-steeps I have got from it! I lost track lol I think probably 6 steeps now! I have worked several hours on one project and this is the tea I keep resteeping! YUM still great flavor from it.
I LOVE this stuff but apparently have missed out on some extra steeps. Glad I have only had it once :)
Yeah I mean I had no idea either. Mainly the reason I was re-steeping at all was because I was too busy and tired to get more fresh tea out. But when I re-steeped the third time I was not expecting much from it lol but I was shocked to find this stuff re-steeps and re-steeps again!
Crazy! I find Della Terra teas generally don’t have enough flavour for re-steeps, although this one I did get one (and tbh, the leaves still had good aromas after that, but I threw them out). I’ll give more infusions a shot next time!
A very light green – perfect for those who want the health benefits of a green without the typical green flavor notes.
Not my personal favorite but I can see why some love this.
Full review on http://sororiteasisters.com/ on January 2nd 2013 but here are some review snippits:
Dragonwell Lung Ching as far as I can recollect is the first tea I have sampled from The Kiosque. Thanks to a Steepster friend I am getting to try this light, lovely, green tea, and a new tea company. The leaves look much greener in person than in the photo.
(note – Thank you to Indigobloom for this sample!)
For me, its a bit simplistic, and lack luster. Its not bad, please don’t get me wrong. It is good enough that I do want to try more teas by The Kiosque and I will, its not a turn off, just not something that is making me want to purchase a tin.
Now I will note that the mouthfeel of this tea is creamy, very creamy, and I like that – a lot. Yet I do miss the buttery, nutty nature that many greens have that this one is lacking.
A wonderful Daily Drinker Pu’er in my book! I enjoy it quite much. Full review will be on http://sororiteasisters.com/ on the 31st but here are my snippits:
This tea has a lovely earthiness to it without being too earthy. The mouthfeel does have a creamy texture which is quite nice. I get hints of notes of vanilla, and butter, but its not too intense on those notes. There is a nice woody taste to the cup as well.
To me, this is more of an every day pu’er – and that is not an insult by any means. Usually when I take the time to sit down and enjoy pu’er it is a process, an event if you will. To me, this is one of those pu’er that is not so complicated that you can’t just make some up and enjoy it every day, on the go, or while working. While it is quite good, very good, it is not so complex that I feel I need to do nothing else but sit down with my yixing pot and dissect it.
The notes come over as direct and are unassuming. Creamy, full, robust even, woodsy, perhaps a hint of mushroom, buttery, and warm. Simple enough to enjoy every day but delicious enough to savor and appreciate in the moment without it taking too much time to figure it out. I will not say it is my all time favorite pu’er, nor even my favorite from Mandala Tea, but for what it is, it is hardy, and delicious!
Hi Kashyap! Yes… the yellow mark cake is shu pu’er….
@Azzrian – I just completed a new blend that you have to try. I made 150 lbs of it in loose leaf and 400 cakes of it were also pressed. I am going to strike a deal with the producer of these leaves and do a yearly blend with the same proportions of leaf. It is not on website yet, but is called “Noble Mark” – 2011 material processed in 2011. Blend of 4 grades of leaf, majority smaller leaves balanced out with larger ones.
Delightful – as always from Stone Leaf Teahouse!
Full review on http://sororiteasisters.com/ on the 30th but here are the snippits:
Gui Fei Cha from Stone Leaf Teahouse is a more earthy tea but the honey note is one of the first things I tasted and the note that tends to linger along with the rose.
Gui Fei Cha has a wonderful note of bamboo, tropical rain soaked trees and plants, notes of honey and a slight spice note. And as for that bite as mentioned in the description, think of it like an astringency type of bite. Not bitter, but just this kick at the end of the sip.
With each sip I feel a little smile creeping over my face and by the time I am tasting the lingering notes that are left behind the sip, I am beaming.
Another real winner from Shang Tea!
Full review on SororiTea Sisters on the 28th but here are some snippits:
Bai-Lin Kung-Fu Classic Red Tea from Shang Tea is quite spectacular! The aroma is like a malty black tea with aromas of cocoa, hay, and maple. My first reaction when smelling this while steeping was Mmmmmmmm. A deeper inhalation of this tea brings forth some berry aromas as well. Yet there is also something savory about this tea. My mouth was watering while I patiently waited for my tea to cool just a tiny bit so I could indulge!
This is not a tea for the faint of heart, it is bold, robust, not shy at all. It wakes you up and perks you up as it presents itself with a hearty “Hey there! Bet you weren’t expecting me!”
Its a bit sweet, a bit saucy, and all attitude!
If I were going to take a trek through the country I think I would take this tea along with me.
Glad you like it :) We have been drinking this one a lot recently because it has a great warmth to it for the winter months. Hope to see you again soon
Thank you Shang Tea I do enjoy this one – sadly I only had a sample. I will have to get more soon!
Indigobloom – its not a berry tea per say but I did pick up some berry notes within it :)
Yum :-)