68 Tasting Notes

90

Steeped this tea has slightly smokey characteristic oolong aroma, very gentle and pleasant. Liquor has a fresh grassy taste which immediately turns into a complex aftertaste, with familiar smokiness from smelling the tea. There is a slight bitterness that stays in the mouth. Cup smells like a very high quality brown sugar or honey based on different infusions. Color of the infusion is a very deep gold, I could get about 6-8 very flavorful infusions (gaiwan) from it with last ones being only grassier and fresher than earlier ones. Flavor stays very strong throughout all infusions. Definitely a tea I’d recommend.

Preparation
Boiling 0 min, 45 sec

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85

I was pondering for the longest time what this tea steeped smelled like to me and the best I came up with is lemony briar lollipop with a hint of black tea. Regardless of what it truly is it smells amazing, as a morning tea it just hits the spot.

It has very mild bitterness almost zesty. It’s a full flavored bold tea, yet not at all over-powering. There are very obvious grapefruit notes in it. Everything about this tea screams citrus to me, yet in a very subtle elegant way. It’s not so much of a taste that is citrusy, the tea rather wakes those tastes up in your mouth as you drink it.

Amazing tea, I will definitely check out more Darjeelings thanks to this one.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 8 min or more

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65

I would say it’s a good breakfast or all-day-round tea, it’s not overly complex, very light pleasant taste (I noticed a bit of a hay note to it) while drinking with a bit of astringent aftertaste, slightly bitter. I am not very knowledgeable of orange pekoes, it seems like they are supposed to be clean and easy drinking, I can definitely agree that this tea falls under this description. Not my cup of tea, pardon the pun, it lacks boldness and complexity to me. Verdict – something you’d drink as an all day tea, not to savor.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 6 min, 30 sec

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95

As much as I love stronger teas this one is a keeper. It’s a treat to your senses in all forms – dry, steeped and sipped. Spring is all over this tea – dry it smells like very light honey, steeped you start to distinguish grassiness and fresh spring flowers and on tasting it all of these nuances come together in a delicious beverage. This tea has a fresh aftertaste for a long time making you crave more. You’ll be smelling your cup long after you’re done drinking it. It really makes me think of sunny flower fields and light summer breeze.

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 6 min, 0 sec

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70
drank Three Wishes Tea by DAVIDsTEA
68 tasting notes

I definitely like black+green tea combinations and this one doesn’t disappoint. Very flowery yet strong brew. However, I am more into berries when it comes to flavored tea, so it wasn’t anything special for me personally ergo the lower score. Not something I’d stock up on or perhaps even buy again but no negative emotions either. Something like that.

Preparation
Boiling 6 min, 0 sec

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95
drank The Earl's Garden by DAVIDsTEA
68 tasting notes

Not a big fan of Earl Grey tea, but I like my berry teas. This tea was truly a revelation for me, amazingly delicious. You can definitely taste strawberries in it. I also love that you can still taste a high quality black tea among the fruitiness. I can steep it till it’s pure black and it won’t spoil it, just makes it richer and bolder. Highly recommended if you want delicious black tea with some non-intrusive fruitiness.

Preparation
Boiling 6 min, 0 sec

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90

I can’t help but try and defend this tea. It’s a very mildly flavored pu-ehr with amazing earthy aroma nothing short of mountain soil. On tasting it you can easily taste the young roots and meadow grass. Resteeps easily for at least 3 times keeping the flavor (getting milder and gaining more of a fresh hay taste). One point I must bring up is the “pu-erh effect”, this tea definitely delivers an amazing rush. The best I can describe it is feeling instantly refreshed, clear-minded and gathered. If you need a coffee in the morning to wake up and you are trying to find a tea that will match that I cannot recommend pu-erhs highly enough. No caffeine crash, no jitteriness, no thoughts all over the place – just pure clean energy. In fact try having a 3rd or later steep short time before bed, you just might learn something new about yourself or solve that problem that has been bugging you forever. This is my first pu-erh and I am forever in love with this sort of tea. I would definitely recommend this particular one to anyone who wants to jump into amazing world of Pu-erh.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 6 min, 0 sec
Ryan Freed

or try drinking it right before a meditation, will do that next

Daniil

Thank you, Ryan, I will definitely try that. This note is a little dated, I’ve had my share of puerhs in a mean time and I’d recommend trying a tuocha puerh if you haven’t yet had a chance. If you want to get more into straight Chinese teas try finding a dedicated store around you for that, David’s Tea is good for quick purchase but there is better tea out there definitely. If you’re in T.O. I could recommend a couple, let me know!

Ryan Freed

Would definitely be open to recommendations!

Daniil

Tea Dynasty – (http://www.tea-dynasty.com/) – Yonge/Bloor
Sanhe Kungfu Tea Shop – Yonge/Erskine
Tao Tea Leaf – (http://www.taotealeaf.com/) – Yonge/Rosedale

All three of them have an extremely knowledgeable people working so it’s always a lesson in tea for me any time I come :)

Ryan Freed

Thank you! Will definitely give them a call. Do you know any places in the NYC area you recommend?

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90

Dry leaves have an overpowering smoky smell, but don’t get fooled by it, steeped tea has a very complex and pleasant aroma with distinct black tea notes. This tea might not be something you’d drink every day; it’s one of those that you know absolutely positively you want to have. Other reviews of campfire in a cup are spot on, I can only add that a warm night spent outside with a cup of this will de-stress the busiest bee. If you ask me beats the hassle of camping any time. I can’t help myself but savor every sip I take, it opens up with new notes each time. Re-steeps well and it doesn’t oversteep easily first time, go bold or go home.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 6 min, 0 sec

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Bio

I was always a huge fan of teas but my tastes changed constantly. Lately I am on the path of discovering Chinese teas, but not limiting myself to that. I am, however, favoring straight teas at this point.

I love pu-erh, oolongs are always a treat, learning about greens is delicious, absolutely neutral towards rooibos or herbals and black is always a yes. Incidentally any combination of the above is ok in a blended tea, which I like to have time to time.

« The first cup kisses away my thirst,
and my loneliness is quelled by the second.
The third gives insight worthy of ancient scrolls,
and the fourth exiles my troubles.
My body becomes lighter with the fifth,
and the sixth sends word from immortals.
But the seventh—oh the seventh cup—
if I drink you, a wind will hurry my wings
toward the sacred island. »

Location

Toronto

Website

http://www.daniil.ca

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