Yezi Tea

I have never had a pearled/loose leaf Jasmine tea until I drank this tonight. That infrequency will soon change. This was an exquisite introduction to this style of tea and now has me on the Jasmine pearl bandwagon.

The scent upon opening the bag was heavenly. I was a bit concerned with the smell being overpowering in the taste but this was not an issue. The jasmine flavor is very delicate and balanced while the scent remains strong on the nose. I brewed this gong fu and was able to get 8 very consistently wonderful steeps. The flavor is never perfume driven. What else to say about this? I believe I mentioned the word heavenly and that is what I keep coming back to. I keep sticking my nose in empty vessels that this tea has recently vacated, bringing the lid of my gaiwan to nostrils in hopes of capturing the scent to access whenever I would wish.

I really want to order a large bag of this tea. It is now on my list to do so.

I’m really digging this little sample, So yummy.
Complex tasting notes, i NEED more of this one because I’d love to spend some quality time with it and get to know it better.
i’ll not rate it or put notes on it just yet, but I will very soon, i think i love it.

Bi Luo Chun is quite a delicate tea and I’ve often seen it recommended to be brewed with a top-putting method, that is placing the tea leaves into the vessel after you’ve already filled it with water. Perhaps this was my mistake, as I didn’t do that, but instead I tried to pour the water as gently around the edges of my gaiwan as possible so as not to damage these delicate curly green leaves. My first couple infusions of this tea were a bit on the bitter side, but my third infusion was really harmonious with notes of dew and honeysuckle interspersed with fresh grassy green flavor. There’s a good lingering sweetness, and the feeling this tea leaves in the mouth is very stimulating, a definite hui gan is there. The sensation that lingers in my mouth after drinking this is amazing, a clean, minty kind of tingle and sweet flavor.

I don’t feel the bitterness in this tea is an indication of poor quality. Rather it is simply not a very forgiving tea, and takes some skill to brew. Subsequent infusions of this tea were very sweet, mild, and full of flavor. Despite the clean, stimulating feeling on the sides and roof of the mouth, there’s a bit of drying sensation on the tongue.

Flavor-wise, this is one of the best green teas I’ve had. Getting the texture and mouthfeel to be as gentle as the flavors seems a bit of a challenge for me. Maybe if I had more than a sample amount to experiment with I could try using a lower temperature, a top-putting method, or less leaf. For now, I’ll just say this is an interesting green tea that is well worth trying.

EDIT: I tried what little I had left of this sample in a really small gaiwan and used a top-putting method, and it definitely made a much smoother first few infusions. The tea takes some finesse to brew properly, but if you can get it right, it’s rewarding. :)

Out of the bag this tea smells intensely of dark chocolate and malt. After the initial infusion in a small gongfu pot, the leaves have a cocoa scent with notes of hay and floral.

This first infusion has a really full dark-chocolate like taste with a lingering bitterness just like the chocolate. There are notes of floral as well, but the dark chocolate and malt tastes are the dominant ones. There are some woody notes as well. In terms of sweetness this is one of the less sweet red teas I’ve tried. It is bold.

The second infusion liquor smells like camphor, chocolate, and flowers. The taste is still quite bold with all three elements taking up part of the flavor as well. There’s a bit of apricot too. Further infusions yielded increasingly mild and clean tasting brews. Overall this tea has a bit of a kick to it, which is probably great for those who like their black tea to have bite. On the other hand, I like my black teas to have that little bit of zing but with some creamy or sweet undertones to help anchor it and make a more rounded infusion. This tea lacked those subtler qualities for me, and I found that doing a lighter brew to tone it down seemed to significantly decrease the flavor rather than just making it seem lighter. It seemed hard to avoid the tannic contributions in this tea without missing the flavors altogether. The quality of the tea was good but it falls outside the preferences of my palate. I might recommend it for people who like dark chocolate.

This was a sample with my Yezi order. The oolongs I have had from Yezi have all been so nice and complex. I made it through have a session last night with this tea. It was silky and buttery, yet very light and floral. I will have to add more after tonight, but it was a very enjoyable tea. I would recommend this tea too someone who likes floral light oolongs.

Thanks so much for the awesome tea package, Stephanie! More teas to try! That will never end. :D I had to dive into this sample. I could tell even from the fragrance that there wasn’t as much jasmine as I love and prefer. Those Teavivre jasmine teas are tough to top in that department. I used the entire sample – 1 3/4 teaspoons. It didn’t seem to be overleafed at all. But the flavor is lovely and sweet — candy! I guess enough jasmine to drown out the light green flavor. But then the second steep! Just perfect. Much more jasmine, hints of the amazing green tea flavor peeking through while not being bitter. It tasted like it would be a perfect green tea even without the jasmine. I should have went for a third steep but it was late.
Steep #1 // 1 3/4 teaspoons // 30 minutes after boiling // 2 minute steep
Steep #2 // 22 min a.b. // 2-3 min steep

Thanks to KiwiDelight for this! I think it’s a sipdown, but perhaps there’s another small package somewhere? I am feeling a little disorganized since I thought I sipped down Canal Street Carnival and then found a whole other bag of it.

This tea has a lovely cocoa scent. The dominant flavor is malt with a hint of cocoa. It’s a great fall/winter/cozy tea. I got about 4-5 steeps out of the leaf, gong fu style using boiling water per website instructions. And it didn’t make my stomach hurt like many black teas do! Huzzah!

I so enjoy unflavored black teas that taste like chocolate, and this is one.

The brewing fragrance is lovely – richly chocolate and enticing. The flavor bears this out, hitting a melody of harmonizing notes. Wouldn’t dub it an especially complex tea, but it is interesting. The flavor profile makes me think it should have a richer mouthfeel than it does, but that’s ok because it’s still very enjoyable.

I will probably rate this higher in the future, knowing to expect a lighter body.

Recommended for anyone looking for a naturally chocolate black.

Brewed with a glass gongfu tea pot . Steeping times: 45, 30, 45, 60, 90.

The dry leaf initially smells buttery and flowery, and when my nose becomes used to the aroma, sweet barn hay (maybe because the sample is almost a year old….). The wet leaf has classic dong ding aroma notes: roasted, much more floral, and chlorophyll-filled.

The liquor is slightly green gold, pale, clear. Full-body. Creamy texture. The first infusion is sweet and floral, an embodiment of mid-spring with a calming effect. Roasted vegetables are dominant in the second, and in the third – the peak of the session – they tone down, and a sugarcane sweetness appears, along with a honeysuckle note. Strawberry aftertaste. After a two and half hour break, I resumed the session. The fourth infusion is light and floral, and the fifth is roughly the same, although a little tangy.

I didn’t want to ingest anymore caffeine for the day, so I cold-brewed the rest for fourteen hours. Not…recommended. The leaf didn’t yield much. Not complex at all.

This dong ding didn’t give me a wow factor, but it was still lovely to drink, especially on a not-too-warm, sunny spring Sunday.

Oh god, I have had this sample literally forever. I was very good about my other, non-pu-erh samples from Yezi, but I could never bring myself to take the time and make this one.

Part of the problem is that pu-erh is kind of scary, and I’ve never really had one that I’ve liked yet. I chose this sample to stretch myself and try a new, higher quality pu-erh than I’ve had before.

Dry, the leaf smells sweet and slightly of hay. It’s very reminiscent of midwestern autumns.

I am using an approx. 75 mL gaiwan and about 1.5 g of tea, per the website’s suggestion. Water is near a full boil. I will also be following the website’s suggested steeping times.

Rinse: super fishy smelling. Wet leaf: Now smells like wet hay. It’s very strong, I can feel it at the back of my throat. There’s a sweet undercurrent similar to the soft innards of homemade bread.

30 sec: Auugh, I splashed myself with some of the hot tea! After cooling my poor scalded finger, I come back to a cup cool enough to drink. The upfront taste and smell is all hay. I am stuck on hay today, apparently. However, there is this incredibly chocolatey aftertaste that hits maybe 10 seconds after I swallow and lasts for quite a while afterwards. Wet leaf now smells of new shoe leather and wet autumn leaves.

40 sec: Not much development from the first steeping. It feels pretty thin, but the flavors are very similar to the first steep, down to the chocolate aftertaste hitting after I swallow. Wet leaf smells crazy like hay again.

1 min: I have lost the chocolate aftertaste.

I have probably steeped this a total of about 5 times now and the flavor hasn’t really changed. Overall, this is fine. A lot better than the pu-erh that I have had previously. It’s made pu-erh a little less scary. However, I don’t think I would drink it again; it just doesn’t do much for me. I will hold off on rating this tea, because as I said, I am not a pu-erh drinker. I would not want to affect its rating because of that.

Brewed in a glass test tube steeper. Steeping times: 20 seconds, 30, 45, 60, 120.

Complex aroma, changing as the leaves air. Dry leaf: malt, bread, sweet potatoes. After staying for thirty seconds in the heated steeper, still dry, pure fudge. Wet leaf: chocolate fudge cake, returning to sweet potatoes.

Amber-colored liquor, on the lighter side for a Chinese black tea. Clear, with the exception of fuzzies. Full-bodied.

The first infusion yields notes of sweet potatoes and malt. Quite light in flavor and thinly textured, though – the leaves would have needed to steep more. The ball gets rolling in the second infusion – thicker texture, with chocolately flavors – but the third infusion is the high point of the session. There was even more chocolate, followed by smoky sugar, then grains, and, lastly, sweet potatoes cooked on fire. All at once, though easy to pick out separately.

After a two-hour break, the fourth infusion tasted of sweet potatoes. The final was very smokey (not any kind in particular).

So, today I went to Venice. I had this tea with my breakfast. It has that nice, light malty scent I really like. The flavoured is bit stronger, with hints of dried fruit and cocoa. There is some yam and honey/ caramel flavour on the second mug.
Overall, good, and I wish I had more.

My tea with Harvest Moon today. This smells nicely like baked bread, and a little malt. The flavour is sweet, and makes me think of a light cocoa. There is a hint of fruit as well. Good to have will virtual farming.

I has never heard of Yi Fu Chun tea, but the appearance of the leaves was encouraging, with powdery golden tips reminiscent of Golden Monkey and cousins… The flavor of the brew, too, was similarly with a barely sweet, dark caramel facet…

Another sample from Yezi, this one the master grade Long Jing. I wasn’t that impressed with the appearance of the dried leaves, but the aroma was very good and the taste top notch!

By the dark color of the dried leaves and my previous experience of similar-looking wuyi oolongs, I was expecting a much darker and smokier brew. In fact, it’s rather green and silken in texturer—more like a high quality, lightly roasted TGY! Perhaps my experience differed in part because I used a much larger volume of water than anyone else did!

I like it, I do. All three steps were enjoyable, with plenty of succulent flavor all the way through to the end.

Sipdown
To my surprise there was enough Ming Hong for one last session. This time I was determined to follow the recommended brewing times.
Western style: 7.2g / 8 oz / 203*F / rinse, 20, 35, 50, 65 sec. without sweeteners, milk, or cream.

20 sec.: This cup was identical to the first cup from yesterday: http://steepster.com/looseTman/posts/295565.

35 sec.: This cup is identical to the flavor profile of the first steep, but it’s definitely richer . It’s very full-bodied without any astringency or bitterness. Wow, the second steep is a very satisfying morning cup! I suspect the rest period after the short 1st steep allows the wet leaves to produce a richer 2nd cup. As I near the bottom of this cup, the caramel finish now includes cocoa and persists long on the tongue. The final sip of the now cool mug has a hint of green beans.

50 sec.: This cup has the same flavor profile but is less full-bodied than the first cup and not as rich as the 2nd steep. As I near the bottom of the cup, the mild caramel finish no longer includes a strong aftertaste of cocoa.

65 sec.: The fourth cup had the same flavor profile as the 3rd steep, but was light to medium-bodied and definitely not as rich. As I near the bottom of the cup, the mild caramel finish no longer has a cocoa aftertaste. The leaves are now fully open, so I’ll stop here.

Comparison to yesterday’s results:
By following the recommended brewing times, the flavor of the leaves was better divided over the four cups. Additionally, the recommended times yielded the optimum balance of all the flavors, especially in the second cup. The dark chocolate didn’t overpower the other flavors of the second cup today as it had yesterday, which allowed me to fully appreciate the superb richness of today’s 2nd cup. It’s a shame that this is the end of my 4 oz. stash. I’ll be definitely watching Yezi’s sales.

Impression: A very complex-flavored creamy smooth tea that’s not to be missed!

Thanks to Boris of Yezi for his brewing recommendations of this superb tea!

Method:
RO water re-mineralized with an Aptera filter http://steepster.com/teas/teaware/39532-puregen-aptera-alkamag-water-filter
http://steepster.com/teas/teaware/37731-my-weigh-durascale-d2-660-digital-scale
Brewed western-style conveniently using a digital variable-temp electric kettle in a tempered tea mug with a brew basket:
http://steepster.com/teaware/bonavita/39130-1-liter-variable-temperature-digital-electric-gooseneck-kettle
http://steepster.com/teaware/royal-albert/45581-old-country-roses-afternoontea-mugs

I’m nearing the end of my 4 oz. stash of this very enjoyable complex Fujian tea. This morning, I brewed Ming Hong Black Tea from Yezi Western style: 7g / 8 oz / 203*F / rinse, 20, 35, 50 sec. without sweeteners, milk, or cream.

Leaf: Fine dark brown, tan, and golden twisted 2 cm long or less
Fragrance: Notes of hay
Liquor: Beautiful brilliant clear copper
Aroma: Sweet potatoes (as it cools)
Flavors: Baked Bread, Grain (barley?), Dark Chocolate, Sweet Potatoes, Malt, Creamy, Caramel, Green Beans

20 sec.: A wonderfully complex and very satisfying morning cup of Fujian tea with a wonderful sweet potato aroma! It’s a creamy-smooth, full-bodied tea without any astringency or bitterness. Notes of baked bread / grain (barley?), dark chocolate, malt, and sweet potatoes, are equally blended together with a mild caramel finish. It’s great to have one’s first 8 oz. cup of tea in the morning with so much flavor in only 20 seconds! Most black teas brewed Western-style require 3 to 5 minutes. Near the bottom of the now cool cup notes of green beans are apparent.

35 sec.: (Due to a momentary distraction, this was actually 45 sec.) This cup is very full-bodied without any astringency or bitterness. The same flavors as above are noted, but the dark chocolate is now stronger than all the others. Wow, this is a very satisfying morning cup! As I near the bottom of the second cup, the caramel finish now includes cocoa and persists long on the tongue.

50 sec.: Not quite, so I let it steep another 10 sec. This cup has the same flavor profile as the first cup, but a little less full-bodied.

75 sec.: The fourth cup was light to medium-bodied so I let it steep longer until it produced a medium-bodied cup, about two minutes. This cup had the same flavor profile as the original. Most of the leaves were now fully open, so I stopped here.

Impression: A very complex-flavored creamy smooth Fujian tea that’s not to be missed!

Thanks to Boris of Yezi for his brewing recommendations of this excellent complex tea!

Method:
RO water re-mineralized with an Aptera filter http://steepster.com/teas/teaware/39532-puregen-aptera-alkamag-water-filter
http://steepster.com/teas/teaware/37731-my-weigh-durascale-d2-660-digital-scale
Brewed western-style conveniently using a digital variable-temp electric kettle in a tempered tea mug with a brew basket:
http://steepster.com/teaware/bonavita/39130-1-liter-variable-temperature-digital-electric-gooseneck-kettle
http://steepster.com/teaware/royal-albert/45581-old-country-roses-afternoontea-mugs
http://steepster.com/teas/teaware/29177-finum-brewing-basket
http://steepster.com/teaware/teavana/39312-perfect-preset-tea-timer

I don’t have a lot to say about this tea except that it’s nicely balanced and extracts a lot of flavor in short steeps (15/25/35). The flavor was peachy sweet, but not too, balanced with just a bit of smoke. It was entertaining to watch the liquor go from reddish gold to dark, then darker orange.

I had high hopes for this tea that were not realized. The wet leaves were nice and earthy, redolent of warm spinach, and that first steep was pleasant, but clearly not developed. It woke up a bit more in the second steep, but still nothing to write home about. The mouth feel softened somewhat in the third steep, but there was still not much there. Either I underleafed or this is a very subtle oolong. Worth another try, but it didn’t do much for me. Hey, they can’t all be fabulous.

I didn’t know what to expect from this because I could have sworn that the dry leaves smelled a bit of rubber along with the floral. Each steep was pretty distinct. First had a mild astringency, soft mouth feel, and tasted a bit of almond husks. Second was soft and warming, but no nut or much of any other strong flavor. The nuttiness came back a very little bit in the third steep and there was an aroma of clean laundry. I was not blown away by the overall taste – it was not as nutty as I might have expected – but I have to say that the chachi was lovely after the second cup. I felt calm, full, and relaxed, and it made me sit up straight and smile.