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Ok, like, what? The Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat of teas. They’re all there brown, green, yellow, and best of all purple. Received this as a sample. Not bad at all, very smooth, no roughness or in your face pu erh boldness. Pale in the cup but the flavor is not so pale. The smokey, earthy,flavors are all there just not so bitter. Aromas of fine leather hit me the most. A good introductory pu erh like Wild Qi;s Wild snow oolong I had before this.

Super long leaves, had a hard time getting them into my sampling gaiwan. Soft gentle oolong tastes and aroma. This is not a fussy, precise oolong where you’re punished for even a 3 second over-steep, no bitterness noted. The leaves once brewed opened up into bright green, long, tangled, almost seaweed like strands. It held up to about 6 steeps in 130ml each steep. I didn’t get the citrus as the description but there is a soft peachiness. I passed on chewing a leaf as I am sampling other teas this morning. The Qi is also not as bright as described, but this was a sample and I definitely would have used more leaf for myself. This should be everybody’s introductory oolong, smooth and dainty.

I especially like websites that describe their teas and my tasting is right in step. The flavor and aroma of honey cannot be missed along with the sweet malt tones and a special bourbon soupcon. As advertised absolutely no bitterness and a effortless smoothness from steep to steep.

I used a 4 oz teapot with 5 gm tea. Short steeps and it lasted forever. My brother-in-law is branching into teas so that he doesn’t have that overpowering caffeine buzz from coffee he takes in the afternoon and this tea will suit him just fine.

Finally a pu-erh I can understand. Prepared gongfu, in my Yixing serving my in-laws, teaching them about Chinese tea ceremony and the the different types of teas. Not the most captive audience, they need to get to Brooklyn with the NYC Marathon going on, so I understand. The standard brewing guidelines 2 quick rinses and short steeps.

The aroma is very floral, hints of jasmine, per mother-in-law, and the malty sweetness you come to enjoy when sniffing wet pu-erhs. The flavor is so well structured and smooth I had that aha moment of realization that I was having for the first time a well made and aged raw pu-erh. Yum, the flavor was smoky, malty with stone fruit undertones. The mouth-feel, enveloping and inviting, I couldn’t wait for the next sip. Steeps went out for about 10, could have been more, but I used a larger Yixing to accommodate the 4 of us.

The conundrum this tea has caused, is now I am going to have to buy more high quality raw pu-erhs to get to any even higher level. Whoa is me. As for the in-laws I think they enjoyed it, they were no longer thinking of their travel details and were focused on the soft gentleness the tea had to offer.

Had this in Tea Drunk shop with Shunan at the counter teaching me how to brew this tea. She used a clear glass faircup and showed how to spot a good BLC from looking at the leaves. The flavors were off the chain. Toasted pine nuts with a yellow cake flavor and a hint of herbaceous hay. The experience was great.

Free sample. Used a 180 yixing pot with 7g tea. My better half joined as well.

Rinsed quickly twice, then first steep 5 seconds, aroma of balsa wood and malt is what I smelled, with a smoky crisp creme brulee, buttery flavor. A bit of bitter that almost dropped my hubby out of the tasting, but he’s getting better with it since I’ve cook him bitter gourd.

Second steep 5 seconds had flavors of dried cherries, less bitter and a classic red tea profile. Slightly smokey. Smooth.

Third steep 10 seconds, just ripe banana came out as the fruit note with a noticeable dryness of a good Merlot.

Fourth steep 15 seconds and the sweetness is making a push through, the fruitiness is dissipating and the aftertaste is both dry and bitter on the tongue.

Fifth steep and we took a break with a few plain hot water sips to realign the buds. 20 seconds and the sweetness is forefront with a caramel hint. There is a noticeable chi starting to clear the throws of last nights slumber.

Sixth steep 25 seconds and the sugar is replaced by a slight sweet/sour you get from an unripe blueberry. The smokiness is also waning. Now it reminds me of standard red steeped teas. The color is still quite pronounced a clear burnt sienna.

Got a total of 10 steeps which made my day very pleasant, took hubby to the airport then off to flushing for more tea adventures.

I brought this with me on a trip to the Georgia mountains to visit a friend expecting her first. I knew her as a big tea drinker and thought she would have teaware for gongfu brewing. No luck there so I made due by converting a small sugar bowl into a gaiwan, worked perfectly.

Great bouquet of chocolate malt and dates. Tastes of malt, plum, fig and a decided oomph of my god this tea is fabulous. All subsequent steeps were equally as brilliant. I had this every morning for 4 days and it made my trip extra special being around a person I adore and a tea s well.

What an interesting tea. So beautiful to look at in its dry state, golden locks, light and fluffy, like a childs unkept hair. I get a nice whiff of choclate as I sniff the leaves. Into the pot, a new ru kiln 200ml, I eyeballed about 1/4 full with leaves. I kept the temp @ 200 fearing to scorch the pretty little things and did a quick rinse. The wash liquor wash so the typical color of most red teas that I knew to keep the first steep time short.

When I poured for that 1st steep I saw the color build right away and had a brief 5 seconds in the pot. The wet leaves have malt chocolate and a slight plummy smell. The taste is equal with the aromas, with the malt being predominate. By the time I finished the first tasting I got a pleasant nudge of energy, greatly needed. First impressions are best.

Second steep for 15 seconds and I took time to appreciate the beautiful apperance of the tea in its pot. The aromas are still strong and the flavor now has a bit of a bite to it. The malt is present but the chocolate and plummy flavors have quieted.

Third steep 25 seconds and I’m wondering if they use this in pu erh? It reminds me a little of a sample pu erh I tried made from an unspecified red leaf. The liquor now coats the toungue and the flavors are pretty muted, I am thinking of sweetening to help keep it together, but alas no sugar to be found. As I finish it off I felt a bit of sadness that the beauty this tea holds in its appearance and aromas in the first two brews didnt hold up in later steeps.

My second tasting and as I remembered the smells of this tea set your mind a spinning. I only had 3g left and used my smallest gaiwan with very little water. The aromas are equally represented in the flavors as well. Tons of flowers, hints of ground ginger and a bit of bitterness which oddly adds to the flavor profile. Subsequent steeps and a sweetness emerges along with that bracing bitter which is a kin to licking slate, all along with that sumptuous flower. There is also a great punch of energy that needs to be exploited with my day off today. May this single tree last many more centuries.

Cool gray morning, what better time for a Big Red Robe. This was a sample from my order I placed last month. Used a 130ml gaiwan and 5gm of tea. The dry leaf has hints of dried fig, tobacco and chocolate. Wet leaf abounds with scents of the tobacco and fragrant sweet flowers. After the recommended steep of 30 seconds the flavors are already in full gear. Caramel, fig, date, flowers all with a backbone of rocky goodness. Subsequent steeps showed a general waning of flavors and aromas, this is the first time I have had a tea where the first steep was the best. I think I need to do a concentrated BRR tasting with someone who is an expert to help dissect the teas nuances. I really do like these Wu Yi teas as every sip has something to say.