Teavivre

Sample sipdown!

I used the last of the sample packet from Teavivre (probably about 2-3 tsp) in an extra-large mug and steeped for about 3 minutes. No resteeping as I just wanted to get rid of the leaf.

This last cup had more buttered vegetable taste to it, and it was slightly astringent, but still very mild. An ok cup, but I’m not sad to see this sample finished up.

It’s St. Patrick’s Day. I need green tea. The leaves of this tea are very green. So why not? I’m having another go of the Dragonwell this morning.

Last time I had it I found the tea was very weak. So this time I used double the leaf (probably 2 tbsp) and made sure to steep for a good 3 minutes. The amazing thing about Teavivre is that I still have a good pinch of leaves left over in the sample so I can brew up one last straight cup.

So, this attempt turned out much better than my previous one: lovely light amber liquor, stronger taste, with nice vegetal notes and little astringency. However, I still don’t think Dragonwell is the green tea for me. I think I like things to be a bit sweeter. I’ll finish off the sample some time and call it a day.

A sample from my first-ever order from Teavivre. Thanks, Angel! I’m sure there will be more.

I’ve never had a Dragon Well tea before, but I’ve often wanted to try. I’m going to hold off on a rating for now, because I want to see how the second steep goes. Anyways:

Dry Leaf: The leaves are long, flat, and thin, like feathers, and are a beautiful grass green. The smell is kind of like seaweed, though I do see what others mean when they mention buttered vegetables.

Steeping parameters: 3 tsp of leaf to 24 oz of water, 85°C, for 2 minutes. I think that was the problem – I think I should have steeped it for 3. Next time, though.

Liquor: A lovely light yellow-green that shades down to light amber as the tea sits in the cup. The wet leaf smelled surprisingly sweet and grassy (rather reminiscent of my Shincha Kuro from Capital Tea Ltd), and this transferred over to the taste. The taste is part seaweed, part sugar snap pea. Unfortunately, I think I understeeped this. I think I really should have gone for a steep of 3 minutes rather than 2. I’ll report back once I steep it properly.

Verdict: I like it, but I don’t want to give it a rating yet – I really need to see how this tastes with a 3 minute steep.

EDIT: I steeped the same leaves again once I got back home, and did an extra-long steep of 4 minutes. Unfortunately, the tea still tasted rather weak. Kind of sweet and hay-like, but nothing that really wowed me. However, I still have at least half of the sample left, so we’ll see if I can get it to work the next time I try.

I get this sample thanks to the lovely Dexter3657

This is my first Tea Vivre and first Golden Monkey I think.
After 2 minutes steeping I already get a very dark beverage. It is very malty without being strong.
I detect very nice notes of sweet patatoes, the most proeminent to me, and, behind cocoa notes, tasting more like cocoa powder.

Sadly I don’t get the honey notes promised and this is one of my favourite notes in plain black teas along with mature fruit notes.
This is a pleasant cup of tea, really but probably not my first choice for a black tea cup in the morning.
I can perfectly understand why it is so high rated here oon Steepster, it is just not among my favourites.

This is a sample from TheTeaFairy who writes this is “a really good straight black”. I had my doubts because up until now there was no such thing as a good straight black. But since tonight I’m not interested in the chocolate teas I’ve been guzzling like mad, polishing them off slowly, I thought I’d bite the bullet and have this. Steeled myself for great unpleasantness and followed the steeping instructions: 1.5 tsp, 2 minutes, 95C. Well, it was more like 203F but hey, close enough.

Cautious sniff, cautious sip… wait a minute, this … this is not bad. Does not need sugar or cream, in fact I find it vegetal enough at the back that I think it would taste weird with sugar added. I don’t know about malty, like someone said, to me this is more like a dark roasted oolong.

Thank you, TheTeaFairy I like this!

Very beautiful, tightly rolled little emerald green balls that smell like honeysuckle. The leaves unfurl to be pretty forest green and the liquor is a Spring green as well.
The liquor smells of honeysuckle as well.
The flavor is not as floral as the scent which is very cool. It has a cream and almond taste.
As it cools, a nice Angel food cake flavor comes thru. There is a touch of astringency but it is palate-cleansing and very very subtle.

The second steeping I timed at 4 minutes as well, as the leaves had opened up very large. The flavor was still creamy- tasting and honeysuckle-scented with the very light astringency.
This is a very beautiful tea!!!!!
Thank you to Teavivre for this sample!!!!!

Tea of the morning. I could not remember if I had logged this before. I couldn’t even remember drinking it before. Some one needs their Wheaties – not that I have any. I was expecting a big bold cup. This is rather mellow and easy to drink. The dry grain and grass scent is so pleasant. The tea brewed is fruity and floral. It reminds me of something I’ve had recently but obviously I need a hefty blast of caffeine to help wake up the brain. Despite my ability to articulate the most basic concepts this day, this was really, really, good.

I’m still running off my old Internet connection. Not sure why it hasn’t been disabled but I’m not complaining.

I stayed home this morning. I play guitar with the praise team and I never miss. I’ve even played with a broken arm. I’m tough and playing is something I have to do. Until I nearly suffer the fate of H.G. Wells martians as the tiniest of microbes plot their attack. But O’ happy day, I’m not a martian and I have an immune system and a walk in clinic. And now I have steroids, anibiotics, and albuterol. My head will probably not explode and I will get over this. My taste buds and sense of smell are dulled but they mostly work. My biggest issue is this allergy/bug/whatever has made my O2 levels uncomfortably low. I’ve dealt with hypoxia my whole life (told you I’m tough) but I find as I get older I have to stay on top of it more. Golden years my butt.

I grabbed this one because it is warm and comforting. The grassy malt of the dry leaf has me feeling better already. Mug method with about 3.5 g of leaf. It is sweet and smooth with wonderful malt and light cocoa/ caramel notes. There is just a slight bite to it that I appreciate. Excellent choice for an early cup.

Meant to comment earlier but kind of got distracted. After multiple cups of Taiwan Oriental Beauty I decided to switch to this one. I was amazed by really obvious notes of peach and cinnamon. I had not noticed these before. So another reason to love both teas.

I prepared this western mug style. This tea is not even close to what I expected. The dry leaf aroma is freshly dried grass and grain with just a hint of malt. This brews up lighter in color than anticipated. The taste is loaded with hints of fruit and flowers. The malt comes out late in the sip before the sweet fruity aftertaste kicks in. It feels thick and creamy, almost foamy. I found this to be an extremely enjoyable mellow tea. Western mug style did not produce a bold cup to me. I also detect no smoke, and definitely no bitterness. High yum factor.

Ashmanra’s sipdown challenge – July 2023 Tea #3 – A breakfast tea

One sample down, one more to go (but it’s from a different harvest year, so this one counts as a REAL sipdown.)  Keemun is certainly a breakfast tea, imo.   This sample is I-don’t-even-know HOW many years older that 2018 (when I started writing the years on my Teavivre samples) but the flavor is still very much there.   This is definitely a quality keemun.  Plenty of flavor, and not very subtle, which is usually what I might expect from an ancient “superfine” sample.
2023 sipdowns: 55

Additional notes:  I think this one was once considered Organic?  The site and the packaging no longer calls it organic.  It’s also very comparable in price to the Superfine Keemun Mao Feng.  The leaves here seem slightly bigger than the Superfine Mao Feng.  Also less of the fuzzies and more black overall, less gold, but still not that shiny black I associate with a keemun leaf.   The fragrance of the dry leaf is not noticeably “fragrant” enough to name it that.  But somehow the first steep is tangy like I mentioned the Superfine Mao Feng being very tangy on the second steep.  The flavor is like mixing summer squash with some sort of fruit — the only thing I can think of, having tasted it from a Butiki tea, would be tamarind!  I really don’t think stocking up on both this one and the Superfine Mao Feng is necessary, as they are the most similar and I can’t really tell the flavor apart.   The second steep gets a tad bitter, which is surprising.  None of these other keemuns were ever bitter.  In the lingering tail end of the sip, it tastes like raspberries or blackberries with a hint of dark chocolate.  Then I realize none of these have really tasted like chocolate at all. The rating now would probably be 88.
Steep #1  // 1 1/2 teaspoon for full mug // 20 minutes after boiling  // 2 minute steep
Steep #2  //  just boiled //  3 min steep
Harvest: 2018

Another sample from Teavivre! thanks so much, Teavivre! I REALLY wanted to try most of the Keemun teas from Teavivre, since one of them will definitely be ordered in the future. I love the Premium Keemun Hao Ya black. This one seems to be one point lower in the Steepster rating at the moment, though it is supposed to be better quality. Teavivre’s instructions for this one are two teaspoons at 194 degrees with a rinse and 1,2,3 minute steep times. The dry leaves are mostly black with tinges of gold.

Steep #1 // 20 mins after boiling // 2 min after rinse
The wait was accidentally a bit longer than I would have liked. But looking at my tasting notes for the other Keemun, it seems I get a perfect cup after waiting 18 minutes and steeping for two minutes, so I’m glad it ended up being closer in time to compare! Before I take the first sip, the fragrance is much like sweet potatoes with marshmallow on top, not really smoke. I must note that this is NOT like Teavivre’s lighter sweet potato tasting teas (Tan Yang & Yun Nan Dian Hong Golden Tip), it just has that particular fragrance. The flavor itself is brisk enough without being astringent. I wouldn’t say there is any smokiness in the flavor or fragrance with this one. The Premium has a hint of smoke. The flavor in this one is like melted chocolate chips. Not necessarily dark chocolate like the Premium Hao Ya.

Steep #2 // just boiled // 3 min
This one has a slight hint of flavor that says it would have been better with waiting for the water to cool a while. Teavivre has definitely perfected their steeping instructions… I will always follow their instructions as close as I can because when I do, the tea tastes better. It’s still a tasty cup though. I really like this tea, but I think my favorite is the Premium Hao Ya, because that one has a hint of smoke and dark chocolate, rather than the semi-sweet chocolate chips that this tea has. Either way, both teas are pure chocolate… and both are fantastic.

Tea for this morning!

Many thanks to Angel and Teavivre for this sample!

I am already a big fan of Teavivre’s Ripened Aged Pu-erh tea so I was looking forward to trying another selection from their Pu-erh collection. Pu-erh doesn’t seem to be everyone’s cup of tea (I confess that the pun was intended) because of its strong taste and smell, which some people liken to fish or leather. However, I like the exotic flavor very much.

I opened up the sample packet and pushed the tip of my nose inside to analyze the unbrewed odor. The smell was somewhat leathery (which I find appealing) with a twinge of sweetness.

I followed Teavivre’s recommended brewing instructions and steeped the long chocolate brown leaves and brick for eight minutes at 212 degrees. That seemed like a long time to brew (the packet listed the maximum recommended brewing time at 10 minutes!) but Teavivre’s instructions have never failed me yet.

The resulting liquor was dark brown in color (like other Pu-erh varieties). Interestingly, the brewed aroma was quite mild and unassuming. I had to place my cup directly below my nose to detect the faint earthy and leathery odor that I have become accustomed to with teas of this variety.

The taste of this tea is nothing short of excellent. The prominent Pu-erh flavor (you decide if it is fish or leather) is in the house but it is smooth, sweet, and exquisite without becoming overwhelming. The aftertaste is also rather wispy, floating on the palate for a few brief moments.

I thoroughly enjoyed this selection and am now in the process of wringing at least two more steepings out of this sample. I like this tea so much that I am tempted to have my wife (who gags at just the thought of anything Pu-erh) give this one a try.

In short, Teavivre has produced another sterling tea. If you LIKE Pu-erh, I am confident that you will LOVE this Pu-erh!

Had a cup of this yesterday and I’m nearing the end of my sample of it.

This is a nice smooth black tea that does well on it’s own, or with milk and sugar.. of course I had to try it that way.

I will be sad to see this one go but I look forward to trying more straight blacks to find one that works as that nice basic black tea that I won’t fret about adding things to because it’s “too good” a tea to mess with. Although it would be nice to have a small amount of a tea like this to fill that need too.

I’m thinking about adding things to a basic black like cocoa nuts, mint, coconut, and maybe some things I can find at my health food store … Might be fun.

I’ve been putting off trying this one until my cold was under control and I felt like I could get a true taste of it.

Looking through my samples this morning, I decided a basic black tea would be good.. after all, I was eating a rich chocolate chip cookie and needed something to pair well with it. Some breakfast, eh? Actually, I could see myself doing the same thing tomorrow morning :) Very enjoyable.

This tea is rich and very present black, not bitter, and not overwhelming in any sense. At smells faintly sweet when steeped and is smooth and almost has a bit of cocoa in the background.

I actually drank the whole first cup sans any raw sugar! That’s unusual for me. The next steep I will likely try with a touch of sugar and maybe a splash of cream to see how it compares to other blacks I’ve had that way.. since that’s how I grew up drinking hot black tea I think it only fair to try each one that way as well.

I’m tempted to try some of their other grades of Keemun to see how they compare. I’m on the hunt for a staple black for my tea cupboard for when I want a basic good black or something to add to another tea for depth and richness. This one is great, but maybe I could step down a price point and still be satisfied.

I could’ve sworn that I reviewed this the first time I had it, but I didn’t even find this in my cupboard much less find a review for it. Which is frustrating since I’m missing one packet and I know I drank it and could’ve sworn I reviewed it. huffs Annnnnd found my review. Apparently Steepster had either not registered that I put this in my cupboard or something. And my review was on the very last page of this tea listing. Lol.
OveralltThat’s just par for the course today since I’m missing another tea that my cupboard says I should have, but I can’t find it anywhere in my kitchen and I know I didn’t swap/sell it. _
In any case, I wanted to try this (again) to compare it to Andrews&Dunham’s because I’m so tempted to order their Spring Keemun, but I’m looking for excuses not to. XD
1 3/4 tsp (half the sample packet)/12oz water @ 193*
Dry this had a slightly smoky, woody sort of scent when I opened the packet.
Brewed…I’m wondering if I should’ve used 2 tsp since this seemed kinda weak/light to me. Or maybe steeped longer (though I did use right in the middle of their recommendations). Or maybe it’s just too subtle for me. XD I get a hint of smoky sort of taste and it’s vaguely fruit/winey to me when I roll it around in my mouth. And I get a bit of woodiness. Just a smidge of astringency and no bitterness. Maybe a bit of flowery/perfume-yness at the back of my mouth.
I’m not sure what I think overall. It’s not as heavy handed/potent as some of my other teas. I’d almost be tempted to say delicate even? It’s definitely good, and I’ll finish the other half of this sample plus the last full packet, but I’m not sure if I absolutely need this in my cupboard. /ponders/

So after drinking some Caramel Vanilla Assam all day I wanted something different and new. So this is the 4th tea I got as a free sample from Teavivre’s very generous sample offer.
Opening the package I get woodsy, malty, grain-esque smells. It actually made me think of really good iced tea. Lol. Or the first time I had black dragon pearls, which is strange because they’re totally different teas. Lol.
I used 2 tsp in 195* water for 2:30min (I write this down because it is nigh impossible to use the slider selector bars while on an ipad).
Smells the same brewed as dry. First sip is …..oh man. I think this is the sort of tea I’ve been craving without actually knowing what I was looking for. It’s slightly woodsy, and fruity and sweet. I get almost a gentle smokeyness from the sip too.
I get a touch of bitterness and a medium strong astringency from the end of the sip, but it might just be because I overleafed my cup. Next time I might just try 1 1/2 tsp just to see.
Otherwise this tea is absolutely delicious. It might even become a staple in my cupboard after I’ve given it a few more tries….and pared down dome of my cupboard. It’s certainly not going into the swap bin. Lol!
I’m also going to have to give this a shot iced, though I haven’t decided if I want to straight up cold brew it or brew it hot then chill.

Sipdown!

I’m bumping the rating downward on this (from 78 to 71) because while it was enjoyable, I’ve had a chance to drink more oolongs and get a better sense of what works for me. That said, this was a nice stepping stone along my journey. Light, floral, and with lots of resteep potential.

This time I used a higher water temperature (90-100°C) because I wasn’t feeling too fussy, and this still turned out well. Low astringency, sunny yellow liquor. Happy trails, little oolong buddy.

This is oolong #4 for today! Now I think I’m all oolonged out.

The first time I brewed this, I tasted the peach taste of the osmanthus fairly easily. However, today, since I’ve had so many other oolongs, I can taste only the oolong! Steeped it twice today, but didn’t feel like finishing the second cup. Lesson learned: only 1 oolong per day!

I drank this tea while having a phone interview for a job I applied for last week. New tea, new job perhaps? Anyways, fingers, eyes and toes crossed for good luck!

Dry leaf: The leaves were dark green-brown, tightly curled little nuggets. They smelled sweet, kind of like apricots. I’m guessing that this is the osmanthus talking.

Steep parameters: I steeped this 3 times, and each steep lasted between 1 and 2 minutes, with about 80-85°C water. I used a teaspoon of leaf and 8 oz of water each time. Before the first steep, I rinsed the leaves with hot water for 10-20 seconds to wake them up.

Liquor: The first 2 times the liquor was a nice sunny yellow with green overtones. The third time, it looked a bit more amber toned. The aroma and taste were fairly similar all three times, though I admit I haven’t developed a subtle enough palate to detect the variety of different flavours in different steeps.

There was a sweetness kind of like apricots, but it was very subtle. All three times, the steep was light and floral, with a hint of oolong nuttiness. I liked this much better than Teavivre’s Strawberry Oolong that I had a few days earlier – that one had a much muddier, earthier taste to it.

Verdict: I’ve still got two more oolongs to taste from the sample pack I ordered, but this is pretty satisfying!

By the way, the phone job interview went well, and I’ll hear back within a week about whether they want to interview me in person. Any and all good employment vibes from my fellow Steepsterites are appreciated. :-)

Additional notes: Trying this one again, since it seemed like it didn’t turn out the way it was supposed to last time. I went with three teaspoons this time (even though Teavivre says a tablespoon (I’m guessing 3 teaspoons? for 17 ounces and my mug is probably only 9-10 ounces.) I completely forgot the rinse though. The temp was supposed to be at 203 degrees so I tried waiting for five minutes which then turned into 6-7. Two minute steep: This tastes better, has fuller flavor than the last time, but that is to be expected with more leaves/hotter temperature. The second steep was with just boiled water for three minutes and it resulted in a similar cup. It still isn’t my favorite black tea from Teavivre. The flavor just isn’t what I wish it was, no matter how I steep it. I don’t get what the description mentions. Maybe this flavor just isn’t for me (it’s the most like Verdant’s Laoshan Black from Teavivre and that one just isn’t for me either.) It’s definitely a good tea, just not as good as Teavivre’s other teas, in my opinion (I think I’ve tried most of their black teas.)
Steep #1 // 6-7 min after boiling // 2 min
Steep #2 // just boiled // 3 min