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Meh, this was a pretty lousy tea all around. It’s supposed to be a Pear Mountain / Li Shan oolong, something which I would never mistake it for. There’s none of those distinctive fruity and floral notes that Li Shan is known for. Instead, this is rough and vegetal with a washed out flavor that lasts for only a few steeps.

So far this has been the only real dud in my Tea from Taiwan sampler pack. It’s also a reminder of why I don’t like to commit to more than 25g of any tea, especially expensive high mountain teas that can be very hit or miss.

Now here’s a good example of a tea that’s all aroma and no flavor. I was super excited when I opened the bag and got punched in the face with intense perfume florals and tropical fruit. However the brewed tea was a different story. This is the mildest baozhong I’ve ever tasted, to put it politely. It has a very subtle, barely there flavor. Mostly vegetal throughout with faint hints here and there of jasmine, sweet pea, and violets.

This was my second time having a baozhong oolong from Baguashan and it just doesn’t hold a candle to the more prestigious Wenshan Baozhong. It’s got explosive aromas but tastes washed out. This is nearly half the price of Baozhong from Wenshan however as with most things, you get what you pay for. Hard pass on this one.

And the spring green tea marathon continues. I’ve been drinking green tea almost every day this month while my 2019 teas are still fresh and haven’t grown tired of them (yet). My shincha order arrived the other day and I wasted no time diving right in.

This is an asamushi (light-steamed) sencha that’s described as subtle and aromatic. The leaves smell like flowers and grass, not fresh cut grass but grass that’s been outside drying. Wet leaf smells like spinach and cruciferous vegetables. First steep produces a pale yellow-green liquor with floral and umami notes. It becomes brothy as the tea cools. Second infusion is a brisker cup with a greener color and a refreshing grassy flavor. By the third steep, the flavor lightens and has a faint citrus hint.

A solid but unexciting sencha. Mellow flavor and very drinkable, but nothing really pops out at me.

This is a newly offered Laoshan tea from Yunnan Sourcing. It’s a early first flush tea picked before their normal first flush Imperial Grade tea. Not sure what makes this one Competition Grade but the flavor has more in common with the Imperial Grade than Classic Laoshan green tea.

I steeped 2.5g in a 120ml shibo 4 times starting with 180 F water and then the temperature was raised to 190 F. The dry leaves have a pleasant aroma of cilantro, lima beans, flowers, and milk. Wet leaf smells like asparagus mingled with an oat like nuttiness.

First steep (25s): crisp and delicate with notes of soy and green bean

Second steep (30s): same but with more body. it has a nice, clean taste without the strong oat and fennel flavors that Laoshan greens sometimes have.

Third steep (40s): used hotter water than I normally do yet tea was unaffected. no drop in flavor, but it hasn’t really evolved either. still has a nice freshness to it.

Fourth steep (50s): mellows out a little bit. still smooth and tasty

As expected, this was on the softer side flavor-wise, a typical characteristic of early picked tea. It holds up very well to hot water and has excellent staying power. Though I steeped it four times, I could have easily gotten another infusion or two out of it. The flavor remained constant throughout which is both good and bad. Good because the flavor doesn’t drop so soon, bad because there’s no evolution of flavor. Although a great tea, I do slightly prefer the second flush for its less refined but more assertive flavor.

Man, if only this tea tasted as good as it looks. The beautiful long green blades of this Tai Ping Hou Kui are quite a sight to see but the flavor is just sorta meh.

I grandpa steeped about 3 or 4 leaves which is 1.5g in an 8oz glass using 180 F water. The smell of the leaves is briny like kelp and seaweed salad, and slightly marine. I won’t lie it’s a litte off-putting. Thankfully, the smell doesn’t make it into the taste. The liquor is almost colorless and has a very subtle, barely there flavor. There are some vegetal and light grass notes that appear after it steeps for a while but the taste isn’t really distinctive and almost feels like you’re drinking hot water. When it does finally develop some flavor, astringency appears shortly thereafter.

Honestly, I’m kind of annoyed by super delicate green teas such as this one. Huang Shan Mao Feng is another famous tea with a similar flavor. They might be better suited for occasional green tea drinkers who don’t like grassiness but I find them really bland.

I did have a Tai Ping Hou Kui from Teavivre last year that was decent so I’m sure there are better versions of this tea. This is my first time trying it from Yunnan Sourcing and unfortunately this one just doesn’t do it for me.

So I decided to take a break from all the spring green teas I’ve been drinking lately to brew up some oolong. I’ve been working through my Tea from Taiwan samplers and this has been the best one so far. It’s got a lush tropical flavor and amazing aromatics. Ali Shans are usually on the floral side while this one has lot more fruitiness to it. I got notes of mango, apple, and citrus in the brewed tea. There’s a nectar like sweetness and a faint hint of orange blossom in the finish. The scent of the tea is quite a treat for the nose. The dry leaf has an inviting aroma of honey, flowers, and butter. Wet leaves bursted with a myriad of shifting scents that smelled like a tropical rainforest. Pineapple, melon, hyacinth, alpine flowers, and citrus were amongst the notes that I picked up.

I steeped this low and slow 8 times at 185-190 F for steep times of 30s/1m/90s/2m/3:30/5m/7m/10m. Tea remained juicy and rich throughout without any bitterness even after long steeps. Unexpectedly good!

Lately I’ve had intense cravings for Japanese green tea and finished my stash in record time. With still a month to go until shincha season, I bought a 20g pouch of this as a stopgap. Yunomi teas in my experience aren’t that impressive but they are one of the few Japanese vendors who offer samplers which I appreciate since I didn’t want to be stuck with a 100g bag of last year’s tea.

For this tea, I used 2.5g in a 150ml kyusu starting with 140-145 F water and steeped for 1 minute. Leaves had the signature scent of warm grass and nori seaweed. In the warmed kyusu, I got new aromas of spinach and stir fried kale and swiss chard. The first steep is light and mellow with the taste of freshly cut grass, umami, and a little sweetness as it cools. A little reminiscent of kabusecha though not as earthy. Second infusion is with hotter water, anywhere from 165 F to boiling, and has a thick deep color and texture. Strong vegetal taste like broccoli with a bit of chalkiness. It’s like drinking a thin matcha. Third steep is flatter with a generic green tea flavor.

Though not a particularly exciting tea, it’s still quite serviceable and decent for a year old sencha. Doesn’t resteep well so it’s kind of a “one and done” tea.

Ah, good old reliable Laoshan tea. My default Chinese green tea because it’s always delicious and satisfying.

Familiar but intensely sweet aromas of edamame, fennel, and snap pea waft out upon opening the pouch. Creamed spinach appears as its placed in a heated shibo. The aromas come through nicely in the taste along with a toasted oats. This is followed by notes of green bean, sweet pea, and lemongrass in resteeps.

Although last year’s harvest had a little more oomph, this years Laoshan green tea once again exhibits many of the excellent qualities I love about this tea. A perennial buy for sure.

First spring green tea of 2019 and my very first Anji Bai Cha. This is a tea that can taste dramatically different depending on the brewing method used. I gongfu steeped it initially and got what tasted like a delicate vegetable broth mixed with fresh linens. Not bad, but not terribly exciting either. Today I grandpa steeped it and it blew my socks off.

The leaves are visually stunning. Bright pistachio green and shaped into elegant pine needles with a wonderful aroma of asparagus, matcha, and something vaguely floral. The wet leaf had more prominent vegetal notes of zucchini, edamame, chard, and arugula-like pepperiness. The taste of the tea reminded me of dragon well but creamier and not as nutty. It’s a thick, luscious creaminess that tastes like drinking soymilk mixed with a ray of sunshine. I also got hints of pistachio and what tasted like matcha powder. As the leaves continued to sit in the hot water, light vegetal and grassy notes appeared along with a little honeysuckle in the background. No bitterness whatsoever no matter how long I steeped it for. A great tea for throwing in the tumbler or thermos mug.

I know Anji Bai Cha can command ridiculous prices so I wasn’t sure what to expect with this one considering the low price price but its a really yummy green tea. A good value for the quality you get.

This was a good high mountain oolong though not the best representation of this highest grade Taiwanese tea. The dry leaf has the typical floral aromas of high mountain tea. I also smelled vanilla macarons, buttered beans, and hints of grass in the wet and dry leaf. The brewed tea has a flowery, nectar like sweetness with prominent notes of hyacinth and orange blossom. Pretty smooth through 8 steeps with some fruity hints of apricot and pina colada.

Though enjoyable, there was nothing about it that really stood out and tasted unique to me. It had the standard high mountain character and sweetness, but not much in the way of richness and texture. A nice Taiwanese oolong for sure, but not worth the price tag.