BigDaddy select Send Message

Definitely a great example of yancha sourced by this shop. Very expensive but it makes up for it in quality. Hand made of medium-high roast this tea from the foil package smelled so inviting, I literally drooled on myself. Brewed up a nice coppery tan with traditional gongfu in a thick walled gaiwan. Fruity floral aromas as soon as the first bit of water hit the leaves. The flavors are so perfectly blended that none stands alone, raspberry, chocolaty smokiness. Full bodied even after 7 steeps and a essence of the rock creeps in around that time. First class Tie Luo Han for those who want to pamper themselves.

Way outside my comfort zone with this sample from Teabox. I’m getting to the last 8 tea sample from Nilgiri and half are green teas. The dry leaves are drab green slightly twisted and large. There’s no perceptible scent other than hay. The wet leaves are bright green and waft of cooked asparagus. The soup is pale pale yellow green with flavors of muted fiddlehead, asparagus and a slight hint of white pepper when first on the tongue. There is a bit of sweetness that pops up in the aftertaste. Pleasant surprise for I had no idea India made green teas. Nice boost too. 2.3g/3min 180ml/180°.

Really decent cuppa. Followed guidelines which proved spot on to the descriptors once again from Teabox. I would add to those notes of spice (fenugreek, malt and barely clove) a hint of citrus as well orange upfront and lemon on the finish. Nice atringency with just enough bitterness to remind you this is a stand up black tea.

You really need to be able to mind read some of these Nilgiris. Label says black tea but its anything but oolong. Mega florals, citrus and as Doug F put it “fresh tomato essence” make for a very pleasing tea. I usually follow the brewing guidelines, I did for the winter version, but messed up with too much tea falling in the wet pot so I used 6g in 220ml, steeped for 60 secs then 50, 90, 120, 240. I wouldn’t recommend doing the brewing in this fashion as it does impart a bitter aspect in the soup that although it doesn’t bother me, it will to someone, so beware. Almost all of Teabox’s teas are brewed 2-3 grams in 180ml and 190F for 4-5 minutes, stay with that and you can’t go wrong.

This was a free gift sample from YSUSA. It was about 50 grams and other than the name, no other descriptors. Dry leaf aroma of hay, wet leaf of asparagus, grass and butter. The flavor profile is typically green with the requisite nutty vegetal butteriness with a slight bitter and astringency. I would definitely purchase this tea, but will have to see if it is offered on YSUSA next year.

Oh well, forgot I even had this tea.Broke out the old “Large Teavana Perfectea Tea Maker II”, since I had forgotten that I had that in the closet as well. Used quite a bit of tea ~10g since there is a lot of empty space in that maker. Brewed each batch for about a minute and was not that impressed. This 2015 dry leaf is a mix of green, brown and white with a slight hay scent, brewed you get the aromas of butter and pine nuts with a hint of floral. The brewed leaf showing small buds with 1-2 leaves and muted flavors of the butter and pine nuts, no floral but a presence of white pepper and astringency. In no ways a bad tea but I’ve been spoiled by some really good Liu An Gua Pian which is my gold standard.

Teabox is really a great vendor. Their tea descriptions are so spot on. This tea is no exception. I really can’t add or subtract from the narrative. I chose their website to try and get a better comprehension of India’s teas. The choice has been one of the best vendor experiences to date, both online and through sales. I purchased the sample bags which give you a bunch of teas in any category. I first had the all Nilgiri bag and then the all oolong bag. Once they are gone I’ll do the all black Darjeelings, and so one. Even the prices for the individual teas are helpful in telling the story for that tea. Lower price = good tea, maybe some complexity but just an every day drinker and higher price = excellent quality, mega complex and satisfying good for the special brews. Give ’em a try.

I don’t usually do whites. Occasionally when I’m at my favorite tea house (Tea Drunk) I get to sample other peoples white teas they are enjoying but I never really paid them much mind since I was having robust Tie Luo Han or any other bold oolongs on the shelf. That said I expected this sample from Teabox to be anything other than inspiring. Dry and wet leaves have little to discern other than light hay notes. This tea is more than inspiring. Beautiful flavors abounding with headiness of rose with touches of lemon and Thompson grape. The soup is velvety and of a heavier mouth-feel than I would of expected. At the end there is a nuance of cucumber. One thing that did impress me was how this tea differs when first poured and when cooled down, the latter being my preference, it seems more sultry on the tongue.
I did twice the amount of tea as suggested on the website but increased the water to compensate and kept the steep at 5 minutes. Really enjoyable.

Another great example of a well made tea that neither blows you away or makes you shrug, but the complexity and nuances of flavors and perfume provide a very pleasing tasting experience. Looked on the website to see how much it’s going for and lo and behold, it’s not available.

This tea has a nice nose of malt and wisps of rose. Brews up a nice deep amber and has subtle flavors of muscatel, marigolds and sweet grass all be it not pronounced but still leaves you wanting more. There is a pleasing astringency and sweetness along the way to round out its profile of a better than average, not over the top tea.