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Better than I expected – I’ll give you that, Adagio, I’ll give you that.
I’m glad to see they didn’t totally skimp out of quality for the leaves. l can’t really gauge the quality, because I don’t think I’ve ever tried an amazingly superb white, but it was definitely better than the Peony I had earlier.
A smooth, mellow flavor. Went down very easy, and lacked the nastiness one often finds in cheap flavored/scented teas. While I can’t give the taste paragraphs of praise, I don’t have anything negative to say about it.
I love the scent. I’m rarely too excited by Jasmine scent, but this is just a gorgeous smell. I keep smelling my gaiwan lid… Wonderful. Like soap, or shampoo, or how you’d want your house to smell. Maybe I should use the spent leaves as a qausi-cologne. Would that bring in chicks?

Well, well, not disappointed. I got a sample tin of this (only because the five bucks would bring me to exactly $50, and grant me free shipping), so perhaps I’ll buy a 2 or 4 ouncer of this for treating guests. It’s pretty inexpensive, and a good sampler for people who want to ease their way into the world of white tea. And the scent alone… Ah!

Well, I wasn’t a fan of this before, but this brewing has softened my opinion a bit. I made it in a gaiwan while playing around on the computer. Oddly enough, after over two years of tea exploration, this is my first time picking up White Peony… It’s okay.
Though I don’t have a means of comparison to other Peonies, I trust Puripan’s selection, so I’ll use this as a base for a general idea of what White Peony tastes like until I get some more experience. It’s… okay. As far as white teas go, it’s better than many I’ve had, but it still gets blown out of the water by a good Silver Needle.
There were a lot of stray bits of leaves, so I had to use one of those little circular mesh strainers (is there a name for them?) while pouring it from gaiwan to decanter. In the vessel, the leaves didn’t seem to sink much, even after three infusions. This made rather obvious the presence of stems in this leaf. I guess the Imperial Method of picking wasn’t used…
Nice color, though. Okay, it looked a BIT like urine, but it was still a nice color. A bright, clean and clear, dark-yellow.
It tasted better as I brewed it – maybe that just because of successively better jobs at infusing. But, at the very least, it help up fine through three infusions, and that’s good. Perhaps I’m getting used to the white tea taste that turns a lot of people off. Maybe I’ll make some Silver Needle tonight… do I have any? I have Jasmine Silver Needle from Adagio… I guess that’ll do.

I was craving Ceylon tea, because I didn’t bring any with me. So, I bought a half-pound at this store, because they seemed to know tea, and, regardless, Ceylon is Ceylon. I can drink the mediocre stuff if I’m really craving it.
This tea turned out to be terrible. The leaves bits are tiny, practically what you’d stuff into a teabag. Every time I brewed this, it came out unpleasantly bitter. That has nothing to do with steep time – I tasted it as it steeped, and it was bitter from the start, and the rest of the flavor gradually seeped in. Water temperature also seemed to play a minor role in the astringency.
So, I figured, because I have most of it left, I might as well try icing it. So, I put a spoonful or two in a strainer, in a cup of water, and left that in the fridge for like 4 hours. It’s great – compared to the hot brew.
As a cold brew, it’s not bad. Not superb. Not something I’d crave. Weak body, and still even a little bitter, but maybe i brewed it too long.
At the very least, it’s drinkable, which is more than can be said about the hot-brew version of this.
What’s the lesson here? Don’t get Sri Lankan tea from a good Chinese shop. Leave it to the more generalized tea stores. Hmmm…. Maybe someday I’ll discover a Sri Lankan tea shop… how cool would that be???!!!

Did a light drinking of this puppy. Trying to keep myself up, and I wanted a tea to settle my stomach, which is still a bit a blahhh from the Jack D’s. Strong stuff. I skipped my 8AM class this morning. Gonna crash on the couch after this review.

So, I made it in a gaiwan. Didn’t bother with a cup, just drank straight from the vessel. A pretty simple time – just had my gaiwan, a small draining tray, and a woonsan (Korean tea cooling bowl). I guess that’s somewhat elaborate, actually… For me, I guess it’s really a middle ground for me, seeing as I usually either go all out Gong Fu, or I just drop leaves in the cup, and drink my tea that way.
On that note, quickly, and the one before it, I saw the cup I used last night to make the crappy TKY. I didn’t clean it out. The leaves are in there, all unfurled… It looked gross, and made me feel gross. I love the look of open tea leaves, but knowing how bad they taste… and just how bad they look.. They look bad. Ew.

Onto the tea – It’s good this way. I think I preferred it more when I was actually steeping it for specific amounts of time, and paying more attention to water temp. The tea from the bottom of each infusion, though, was really strong and unpleasant – but I guess that’s to be expected. I think this manner of drinking suits oolongs best… i love oversteeped oolong.

I’m rambling. I want Chinese food, really bad. I’ll get some after my nap.

Tea left my mouth kind of dry. It’s not a special tea, but it’s worth brewing properly. Nice smell on the lid of my gaiwan. The brewed leaves aren’t absolutely gorgeous, but oh well.
Tea time has passed. It’s couch nap time.

I’m probably embarrassing myself here, but I’m a bit intoxicated.
If not for the backspace button, this would be a VERY incoherent review.
At that point where my typing sucks, but I can correct it.
Jack Daniels!

This tea must REALLY suck, because I find it sucky even when drunk.
What does that tell you?
Yeah, bad tea.
End o’ story.

Hmmm
Steepster should have a way to address mixtures of multiple teas simultaneously.
This is a mix of Puripan’s Mugicha, and their Oksusucha (Corn). I never bother straining this tea – I just leave the kernels in the cup. No real worry about it oversteeping.
Things are tending to go awry today, so I felt I needed a reliable tea that wouldn’t turn on me. This brew was loyal as always, and so I’ll do it the favor of a good review.

As the corn and barley are both roasted, this tea bears a great resemblance to coffee. I can’t really say how it compares to finer coffees, but it’s sure better than the stuff we have in the campus dining hall. It definitely lacks the ickiness of coffee (I say, perhaps, with an underdeveloped tongue towards coffee), and it won’t leave your breath stinking, or your teeth yellow!
I can’t really say how this tea takes milk, cream, or sugar… I drink my coffee black, and I take my tea straight. (usually.) Maybe I’ll experiment someday, and come back to you on that.
The corn here gives a subtle, sweet base, while the barley brings in bitter complexity. I like having these two herbals separately, but they work best as a team – they bring out the best in each other, underneath the umbrella of roasted flavor. It’s good to keep the ingredients unmixed before brewing, of course, so you can tip the ratio of sweet to bitter to your mood – today calls for extra barley.
It makes an agreeable background cup, when you’re just relaxing at the computer, or you’re thinking and you need a pleasant drink that won’t distract you. Perhaps the only thing that wouldn’t pull an avid coffee drinker from their usual drink, would be the complete lack of caffeine in this. I tried mixing some mate in once, but… It’s too much work, and while it’s drinkable, it’s not as good. Maybe I’ll experiment with a base of black tea…

If you’re interested in this tea, you don’t need Puripan. From what I hear (and have yet to experiment with), any Korean market has roasted corn in barely, often in bulk. Also, if you’re visiting a Korean restaurant, there’s a good chance this mix, or one of the two parts, is the tea they’ll be serving. Keep an eye out – it’s a good drink.
Also a side note – it’s good iced, too. It’s a water substitute, apparently. Very refreshing, hot, iced, or room temperature. It’s the Rooibos of Korea!

So, I slept in late today – somehow my alarm didn’t wake me. Got up around noon – strike that, 12 exactly, I checked the time. I was an hour late for my class, so I didn’t bother going.
After wasting some time online, I felt like tea, and I thought about the unopened two ounces of Competition grade (3rd place) TKY in the tea cupboard.
So, the Iron Goddess and I sat down for a conversation, of the Gong Fu persuasion. She was a little touchy – I think the water was bad. I didn’t realize I had bought purified water that was “enhanced with minerals”. Left a bit of a sour taste in mouth.

Wonderful tea, though. The instant I added the water, her fragrances were apparent. If I may so compare the leaves and liquor to the goddess’ eyes, as I feel, poetically, not only effective but necessary – the darkness of the roast made of the tight-rolled leaves intense, black pupils, and the round iris in my decanter was the most gorgeous liquid amber I’ve seen.

ahem Purple prose aside, I think I initially approached this tea in the wrong frame of mind. I’ve been taking in finer Formosan teas for a while now, so I believe I’ve conditioned my tongue towards greener oolongs. I don’t remember the last time I enjoyed a TKY – the cheap one I had the other day doesn’t count.
So, upon drinking this, I noticed the lack of smooth after-nuance, and forgot to appreciate the boldness of darker oolongs. After an infusion or two, I started using hotter water, and bracing myself for the kick. Much better.
But still, I think my bad water left the tea with something to desire. I’ll go out tonight and by some clean water, and try her again.
Aside from that detail, the quality of this tea was undeniable. I can tell that simply by the feeling it gave me. I found myself floating a little in reminiscence of the beginning of my tea exploration. Back when tea was little more than a choice from Peet’s selection of oolongs (all of three teas), steeped indefinitely in a white beehouse teapot, and then served through a sake set from a San Francisco flea market. But I digress.

Being as Merciful as she is, the Iron Goddess let me finish off with a nice brew or two before I had to bike off to Sociology. I need to get back into darker oolongs – definitely a must for next time I visit China town. I used to be an addict to the kick of dark oolong! What’s become of me? Sheesh.

An old favorite. Very good for the cold weather, and I brewed this tonight for the first time in months. A bit of milk, a few spoonfuls of sugar, and this tea tastes like a gourmet hot chocolate. I recommend over-steeping it a little, to get the right amount of bitterness, and a good complexity.

Brewed this in my tetsubin-style tea press, in celebration of the cold weather. It wasn’t until I was taking my first sip that I realized I was missing an ingredient – sugar. Of course, there’s none of that in the dorm at all. Maybe I’ll buy some later.

I know I’ve mixed this with Lupicia’s vanilla black tea in the past, but I’ve forgotten how that tasted. I think I also mixed it with Teavana’s Matevana… could be wrong though. It’s been a while. Maybe when I go home, I’ll get some matevana (they still sell it, right?) to mix with this.

Another random question for the night: Are there any known tea allergies? Like, anything about the liquor or spent leaves that becomes airborne? My roommate is having sinus problems, and he’s trying to figure out what’s causing it. He says they usually come when he goes in the kitchen, which is where I brew my tea, and where I trash my used leaves.

Drinkable. Barely.
As prolific as I enjoy being in these reviews, I’ll just sum it up with
Blegh.

It makes me crave (good) Moroccan Mint tea, though. I’d make myself some, but I’m lacking gunpowder. Oh well, life goes on.

Unrelated question to anyone reading: What’s a GOOD brand for Earl Grey? I’ve never been a fan of it, as I’m not particularly fond of flavored/scented teas in general, but I figure I might as well give it a fresh chance. I’ve rather neglected the United Kingdom in my tea venturing. On that note, what’s a good English/Scottish/Irish Breakfast tea?

Thanks in advance if anyone offers up info.

Again, I have no basis for comparison with this tisane. But, compared to its flavored counterparts, I muchly prefer my rooibos plain. And iced.
Though it’s somehow cold down here in Southern California, I still drink it cold. I mean, it’s nice warm, but it’s really spectacular iced. I know I’m going in circles here, but… iced. This is a tisane to have iced.
It’s absolutely refreshing – more thirst-quenching than water. If I could have a pitcher of this constantly in the refrigerator, I could give up soda easily. But, unfortunately, I’m just too lazy to keep brewing and icing the tea… I need a tea slave.
This is also the only drink I’ll pay for at Teavana bars. Even though it’s way over-priced. But, if you know the people who are managers, or just old cards, you can generally coerce a free drink out of them through negotiation – “I’ll buy four ounces of this, if you hook me up with a free drink”. The trick here is that Teavana employees work on commission, and only make money for the product they sell, but not on the drinks they make. Sometimes you can spend less money on the leaf than you’d be paying for the drink.

In any case, this is a great herbal to ice up if you haven’t tried it before, though you might want to wait until the warmer months. Or, if you want to get some now, it’s also great hot, or even room temperature -a very versatile drink.