TeaSource

This tea is wonderful! I’m a big Oolong fan, and this particular Oolong made me a happy camper when I first tried it. It brews a nice, smooth cup. VERY smooth. I don’t know how to quite place the taste. It’s not what I would call sweet or overly floral (thank goodness!). It’s got an earthy (not grassy) tea leaf taste, which is very light. This basic taste becomes extraordinary with the aftertaste, where a bit of the licorice root comes through. It’s not strong, but it makes your whole mouth feel cool, and provides for a semi-sweet and very interesting finish.

Sorry I can’t be more specific with the taste… I can’t quite figure out a way of describing it. I fear I’m not doing this tea justice with my review. sigh
Oh well. It’s a great, relaxing cup. As I’m almost out, I’ll have to look into getting more!

NOTE: Don’t steep this tea for too long, and definately don’t use boiling water. The tea picks up an overpowering/astringent quality and loses it’s smoothness.

I’m not usually a fan of scented or flavored teas and Earl Grey has never been high on my list. But this tea is perfect when I want to fill my face with aroma and flavor (and a little milk and sugar to boot). It’s so bold and tasty. Great alone or with some cookies on the side as an after dinner snack.

A friend on Facebook did a swap with me a while back and she sent me Iron Silk Puerh from TEASOURCE along with some others, I enjoyed it and she sent me some more this time from INFINITEA, So I decided to compare.
Iron Silk Puerh is Puerh blended with peppermint, clove and licorice, I’m not sure whose blend it was first or if either of these are the “original” but they are both pretty consistent taste-wise, It’s a nice and interesting blend very tasty and smell wonderful, so wonderful in fact that after I tasted these in my tearoom we left for about an hour to have dinner and when I opened the door to go back into the tearoom
it was filled with aroma of peppermint(not the candy but the real deal).Like I said the flavor of both teas is pretty much the same nice Puerh that smell of mint with flavors of licorice and cloves which is very nice but the big difference
in these two aren’t the taste of smell but the Aftertaste and the Mouth-feel so I’ll talk about that. If you have ever put a clove in your mouth or chewed on a real licorice stick(again not the candy) then you already know this aftertaste and mouth-feel that I’m talking about, the numbing sensation of the cloves and sickly sweet bite of licorice that is the difference between these two teas. let me say that the appearance of these tea was very different Infinitea’s had sliced licorice root/stick that you could see nice perfect pretty little slices and no stems in the tea at all looks very
pretty while the look of the Teasource one has stems and the licorice pieces are more like shredded chopped up chunks and it’s just not as pretty as Infinitea’s.
Looks can be deceiving as they were in this case, I figured the pretty one would be the better one and I was Wrong. Tastewise like I said they are pretty same and good
but if ya like licorice or cloves or mint then you really want the one that gives you the feel of licorice and clove and taste and look because those two herbs are so much
more than taste. again if you have ever put a clove in your mouth or chewed a real licorice stick then you already know what I’m talking about and if you haven’t then honestly I’m not sure how to explain the taste or feel of it, I can tell ya that
cloves have a spicy sweetness too with almost numbing sensation in the mouth and back of the throat, Real licorice(forget the candy) you have to just try for
yourself because all I can say is sickly sweet lingering taste with different sensation. Ok anyways I’m crazy so I hope that made sense to somebody out there, TEASOURCE
Iron Silk Puerh wins over INFINITEAS because of the “real” sensations and mouth-feeling that INFINITEAS version lacked, That is NOT saying that the INFINITEAS one was bad or not good just TEASOUCRE is so much better.
I think it may have something to do with the “cut” of the licorice honestly because some things just steep better when they are more chopped up or shredded/grated rather than just sliced up, I’m not sure just my opinion, I feel kinda crazy on this one because I feel people won’t understand what I’m trying to say but I hope you can understand, I have trouble explaining or describing thing with words sometimes, sorry :)
Thank you Deborah from Facebook for providing this tea to me for this crazy post.
Steepster, Sorry this was so long it was copied from my blog :)
http://toadsteablog.blogspot.com/

I bought a Bamboo Tea Tray from Teasource.com and with it they sent me a sample of this, Ok I would have never,never bought this Tea on my own because I just wouldn’t but now that i was able to try it, it is not bad at all not too rosey/flowery but a very nice smooth flavor with a slight sweetness in the aftertaste, This one is prolly worth buying to have for company or something even, the little hearts are very tightly pressed and they expand into a good bit of leaves, 1st steep was not as dark as the next steep as usual but the following 3 steeps were very dark slighlty thick and very smooth by the 5th and 6th steep it was starting to look more like the first steep and i knew it was ending, I would recommend this one.

http://toadsteablog.blogspot.com/2012/10/dark-rose-tea-by-teasource.html

One of my favorite blends from TeaSource – delightful amount of body with the blend of black and green teas, and a subtle floral jasmine complementing the strength of the tea. Love this one. Thanks, Maggie!

This tea was too cherry-ish for me. I have found that if I brew it half & half with plain roasted mate, it mutes that flavor and becomes very pleasant. I would rate that combination at an 89.

I like this very much as an iced tea. I cold brew in the refrigerator overnight in the Bee House pitcher. It is sweet, but not overly so. I don’t really get a rhubarb taste, but a bit of fruity flavor.

I have not tried this yet as a brewed tea. It is my current favorite iced tea. I cold brew it overnight in the refrigerator in my Bee House pitcher

This is one of the loose leaf options available at our local coffee shop. When I go on a coffee “date,” this is regularly my choice. Normally, floral teas are not my favorite. However, this tea has a light aroma and smooth taste. I like to let it steep for at least four minutes, because of its’ light nature. The second steep is even lighter, which can be a turn off for many. My suggestion is to make this in a pot so that the taste remains as potent as possible.

Great afternoon tea!!

This was one of the first teas that I have drank an entire pot of before the tea became cool. It is one of my favorite black teas. The hints of smooth caramel are apparent but not over-powering. Black Bud would be an excellent alternative to a morning breakfast blend or everyday black tea, due to its’ drinkability.

Tea source never ceases to amaze me – wonderful company and so easy to work with too. When my husband and I travel to Minneapolis, MN area (where Teasource is located), we love to stop by local coffee shops that sell tea source teas. I am yet to be disappointed.

Very pleased with this tea. I would like some right now too!

This has the typical malty Assam taste, a bit tart, and I think the description of “berry-ish” is apt. At the same time, I didn’t find this matched in enjoyment my memory of other Assams I’ve tried. (Gingia Estate from TeaSource and the Meleng Estate “Assam Melody” from Adagio.) Those were just somehow… smoother, more mellow as best I can remember. My aunt thought this one a “nice” tea, and even asked for more. But I didn’t feel inclined to brew up pots more of it like I did with the Selim Hill Darjeeling a couple of days ago.

Edit: I tried the last of my Adagio Assam Melody (Meleng Estate) today, and it confirms my memory that it’s better—more of a “self-drinker” that works even without a drenching of milk.

The TeaSource site described it this way: “Dooars is a tea growing region between Assam and Darjeeling, so this black tea has the heartiness of an Assam black tea, with nuanced flavor notes reminiscent of Darjeeling black tea, and a dark almost cocooay note.” On first taste I couldn’t find much Darjeeling in this—it seemed much more reminiscent of Assam, bold and malty and yes, I’d say I could taste a rather chocolate-like note. There is a crispness, an astringency going down with a lingering aftertaste I’d describe as rather bitter. Maybe that’s why my aunt disliked it—and she’s a big fan of Assam and Darjeeling both—I can’t recall her ever saying before this she didn’t like a black tea. She might have been spoiled by the Selim Hill Darjeeling yesterday—our favorite tea, simply delicious with a very sweet, honey-like aftertaste. Still, not I think a tea we’ll reorder.

The description on the site calls this Summer flush Darjeeling, “full-flavored” and “bold” and I would say that’s the case compared to the Spring Flush Darjeeling we had yesterday. So far I’d say I prefer the summer flushes to the oolong-like spring flush I tried. However, I wouldn’t say this tops my memory of the two other summer flushes I’ve tried, a Sungma from Adagio and a Selim Hill from TeaSource. My aunt said something interesting—that this tea reminded her of “cake.” Certainly some descriptions of Summer Flush Darjeelings from Thurbo suggest it’s “raisin-y,” “chocolate-like,” and like “ripe apples” and I think there’s enough truth in those descriptions I could see why someone might be reminded of a freshly baked cake. This has a lingering honey taste and truly is a delicious tea I could easily see drinking every day. I’ll have to see when I try my new packet of Selim Hill if the Thurbo is the ultimate winner among Darjeelings I’ll be reordering.

The description on the TeaSource site describes this as “very fragrant with sweet, slightly crisp notes” that “has a sort of honey-oolong nuance with a sweet lingering finish.” I didn’t find it oolong-ish at all on the first infusion. Nor did I find it reminiscent of a Green Tea, which is how I’ve heard a lot of Darjeeling First Flushes described. It has neither the vegetal note of Green Teas nor the mineral-like note of Oolongs I’ve tried. If anything, it reminded me most of the Ceylon tea I tried yesterday—tasting like a very basic black tea. A bit mellower than the Ceylon perhaps, and a bit more astringent than the Summer Flush Darjeelings I’ve tried. This is a nice tea—my aunt liked it very much—but I prefer the Summer flushes I’ve tried to this one. This isn’t the favorite those were. On the second infusion for whatever reason it did seem more reminiscent of an oolong to me. I’d still give the Summer flushes I’ve had the edge.

This is the second time I’ve tried this tea, and it is revealing a little more character than what I found on first try, especially on its second steeping. My aunt thought she detected a citrusy note, I thought it tasted a bit spicy, as if I could taste a hint of cinnamon in it. So I’d amend my first impression that this is no more than a basic black tea.

This is the tea version of that little black dress. Very basic, and can go anywhere. My first sip made me think this was a very Tea, tea, most akin to a generic black such as you get from Tetley or Lipton—much, much better mind you, but the kind of tea you can drink alone with just a bit of sweetener, or add milk and it’ll stand up to it, or add ice and makes a very nice cold iced tea. It’s a tea that wears well, that I could imagine enjoying every day, yet I don’t quite put up there with the teas I consider a standout in taste or a treat such as White Peony, some Oolongs, Darjeelings and Assams.

The description on the TeaSource site described the tea as “thick, complex, velvety, with a little hint of a spicy/cocoa note at the end.” Some compare this to pu-erh, even describe Dian Hong as a kind of pu-erh, more “black” than “red.” This steeped up darker than any tea I’ve tried. Whites like Silver Needle barely color the water, while the Dian Hong is almost coffee-like—even cocoa-like in color. And strong, very strong in taste. If white teas are wimps that cower at milk, this one would lay milk on the ground with one punch.

It might improve for me on more acquaintance. Assam did—and this reminds me of Assam. Very malty, very complex. There’s something about the taste I don’t know how to describe. Earthy maybe? Not quite what I’d describe as smokey, but earthy might cover it. I can taste the promised peppery note—reminiscent of licorice. My aunt, by now practically a connoisseur of black teas, called it “different, very different” and though she liked it better than the “dirty water tea” aka Silver Peony, the white tea we tried a couple of days ago, wasn’t sure on first acquaintance what to make of it. She wants us to brew it again tomorrow, because she thinks she needs a chance to get used to it. I’ll reserve judgement—maybe it’ll grow on us, and even though TeaSource gives a minimum of 4 minutes of steeping maybe next time I’ll try 3 minutes and that’ll help.

I’m not sure what to make of this tea. I wasn’t crazy about it on first steeping. The TeaSource site describes this as a “greener” oolong. I’m fairly new to fine loose-leaf teas and particularly to oolongs, and it was quite a bit greener than the Iron Goddess of Mercy or Big Red Robe in my repertoire thus far. With a slight vegetal note it reminded me of Sencha, which I didn’t like, as well as having that rather astringent, mineral note I’ve found in oolongs. I didn’t think this was a tea that I was destined to like.

Yet I loved, loved it on second infusion! I’ve heard the character of oolongs can change a lot from infusion to infusion but this was quite different from the change I found in the other oolongs on second steepings. The vegetal and astringent notes were completely gone and I could now taste the silky, floral notes promised in the description. (Described by some as “honeysuckle” or “orchid.”) I’d rate this tea much higher if I could get this effect from the first infusion. I have heard suggestions that oolongs should be rinsed with cold water before steeping. Maybe that (or a longer steeping on first infusion) might help. Because it’s as if having two different teas here.

My introduction to fine and loose-leaf came several months ago in a box of teas from a friend that included a White Tea Sampler from Adagio. My aunt and I did like the White Symphony, it was described as a version of White Peony (Bai Mu Dan), but with more buds included. We found we liked it just a tiny bit more than TeaSource‘s White Peony—although the difference was subtle. So I ordered TeaSource’s Silver Peony next, described as a cross between Silver Needle and White Peony, hoping it would be analogous to Adagio’s White Symphony.

I can’t say I cared for TeaSource‘s Silver Peony. It was more reminiscent of Silver Needle than White Peony. Silver Needle is more expensive and more highly prized by tea connoisseurs it seems than White Peony, but my aunt and I found it hard to distinguish from a cup of hot water. Unfortunately, we feel the same about Silver Peony. I wouldn’t order this again. It’s drinkable, light, sweet, and I’m sure just chock full of antioxidant goodness—but just not enough taste for me.

Edit: I did like this more on second steeping. Maybe I just need to infuse this longer on first steeping than the suggested minimum of 1.5 minutes.

I love earl grey, cuppa of choice. This has a pleasant and smooth black tea flavor but it’s not very strong on bergamot. It’s enjoyable and tasty but not a Holy Grail earl grey. My husband likes it better than the powdered EG from supermarket-available brands but would like a little more bergamot. Overall; not as good as the EGs from Tealuxe (creme de la earl grey is my HG fave so far.)

I’m new to loose-leaf teas, having gotten hooked after a friend gifted me with a variety of teas. She wasn’t a fan of Oolong however, so I was on my own when I decided to order a couple. I choose Iron Goddess of Mercy and Big Red Robe because they’re popular varieties of Oolong, both names among the “Ten Famous Teas of China.” I liked Iron Goddess of Mercy, which tasted a bit astringent and metallic to me, but I loved Big Red Robe. My aunt loved this one very much right off from the first taste—and even asked for another cup which she rarely does. Described as “smooth” with “undertones of molasses” on the site and I think that’s an apt description.

A friend hooked me on fine loose-leaf tea when she gifted me with a variety of teas, mostly black, a few months ago. Among the teas was a White Tea Sampler pack from Adagio. To me the Jasmine Silver Needle tasted like perfume, and the plain Silver Needle and Snowbud tasted like nothing much at all. But I very much liked White Symphony which had a “buttery” complex taste, crisp but lovely and full bodied, sweeter and less delicate and more flavorful than Silver Needle. So I kept back one serving for comparison and then ordered White Peony from TeaSource. I found they were very, very close in taste—almost indistinguishable, and I really loved this tea. I think the Adagio has a slight edge, and I think they’re so close I wouldn’t want to keep both on hand. I’m going to try TeaSource’s Silver Peony when I run out of this one in my search for my “go to” white tea. I suspect it might be the equivalent of Adagio’s White Symphony. Meanwhile drinking this one is certainly no hardship. Very, very enjoyable.