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For some reason I was just really set on ordering this tea! I don’t know if it was the name or what, but I had to have it. And it was really inexpensive, so that’s always a good motivator! The leaves are quite beautiful – they’re long and thin. There are large twisted leaves that are almost black, and then there are also silver tips which are smaller and thinner. I didn’t get much of a dry scent from this tea, just a vague sweetness and a bit of hay perhaps.

The brewed aroma, however, was very present! Definite dark, tart dried fruit notes, perhaps raisin or prune with some tart cherry. I also get a strong molasses scent – but it’s closer to black strap molasses, you know, the really strong stuff. Yum, the first thing I taste is molasses too, mixed with a bit of burnt sugar. It’s definitely a milder molasses, and super delicious! I also get the lovely dark, tart dried fruit note from the aroma. This tea just seems to be a lot of my favorite flavors from dark oolongs, all mixed together! As the sip progresses, I start to get a slightly creamy toasted nut flavor that really lightens it up. And behind it all, there’s that mellow autumn leafiness that I’ve found in every oxidized oolong I’ve had so far.

Really, a very lovely tea! My only comment is that as this tea cools, the molasses and fruit flavors start to wane in favor of the autumn leaf, and a little bitterness creeps up. So be sure to drink it hot. :)

Yay, my Butiki order arrived! This tea was sort of my “wildcard” purchase in my order, it just sounded too interesting to pass up. I don’t have a ton of experience with tamarind, but I have had tamarind soda before. The base tea is from Nepal. Someone explain to me, why is some tea graded and some not? I see it mostly in Darjeeling and Ceylon teas. Does Nepalese tea fall under one of the “usual” tea categories or does it have its own category? Basically, what type of tea would this be considered?

The dry leaves are a mixture of colors, which I’ve heard is common in Darjeeling. They are quite green after brewing, and I was surprised by how light the liquor is! The dry scent is kind of like powdered sugar.

Hmm! The aroma is quite pastry-like and creamy with vanilla notes. The taste is similar, yum! It’s quite buttery and creamy with obvious pastry connections. I can taste vanilla and caramel as well. The tamarind flavor is there, especially near the end. I expected this tea to be tart, since I generally associate tamarind with tartness, but it’s not tart at all. I’m unsure how to describe the taste of tamarind, to be honest with you… I suppose it’s kind of woody in a way? That’s the best I’ve got, heh. There’s a little bit of astringency in this tea, but I honestly don’t mind it much.

Overall, this tea is very tasty and not at all what I expected! I would very much like to try the Organic Guranse base plain. If anyone happens to have this tea, I would love to swap you for a sample! :)

Ah, the power of the palate cleanser… I was feeling a bit ugh after having a few heavier teas this morning in addition to that ridiculously sugary (and delicious!) chai mix. And I’m grumpy because the mailman is late and he has my Butiki order! Grr!

This tea is making it all better. I am reminded that I should always keep a simple sencha around, for this exact moment. Relaxing, tummy-calming, palate-cleansing sencha. Delicious! :)

On an actual “tasting” note, I did a 2-minute steep today. I’m getting an interesting smoky, mineral note that reminds me of gunpowder tea.

I got this one from Nicole. It’s a powdered chai mix, which I don’t think I’ve ever tried before. But it has maple and sounded so delicious that I had to request a sample from her! The sample was probably a couple tablespoons, but she just wrote to use the whole thing so I didn’t measure it. I made mine with vanilla soy milk because I don’t have any regular milk right now and I love vanilla!

Holy cow, this is very sweet. But I love it! Super delicious and creamy. It’s very mildly spiced and she’s right, you don’t taste much tea. The maple isn’t overpowering, just a lovely accent. Overall, this would probably be too sweet for most people, but I find it delicious and ridiculously indulgent. I wish this company offered a sampler of all of their different chai mixes. There’s a mango version which sounds amazing! :P

This came from Nicole. For some reason, I didn’t realize that this is a Darjeeling… Don’t ask me how, the fact that it says “Autumn Flush” probably should have been enough. I guess the fact that it’s called “Imperial Gold” just made me think Yunnan instinctively. And the leaves don’t look terribly different from a less-tippy Yunnan…

Anyway, long story short, I think I underleafed this severely after looking at Nicole’s note… The flavor is extremely light, too. But the flavor that’s there is nice! I don’t think I’ve ever had a Darjeeling before, so I don’t really know what the typical flavor profile is. This kind of tastes like a very light toast with some autumn leaves and a little bit of sweet floral.

Luckily, I have enough left to do another cup with double the leaf sometime. :P

Side-by-side comparison with Ai Lao Mountain Black Spring 2014 by Yunnan Sourcing

I remembered that at one point, boychik had mentioned that she’d like to see a side-by-side comparison of this tea and Ai Lao Mountain Black, so I thought why not? The Ai Lao was a single-serving sample, so I figured it’s now or never!

Visually, these two are nearly identical. The leaves are nearly black and they remind me of a smaller version of the “spider leg” Taiwanese Assam leaves. Same size leaves in both of these teas. I can’t comment on the dry scent, because my Ai Lao Mountain was in a zipper baggie and therefore lost most of its smell. Oh well! I brewed both teas in identical cups with identical infuser baskets. It was a 3 minute steep at 200 degrees with 3 grams of each tea (my sample of Ai Lao was 3 grams so I used the whole thing and matched the weight for Ailaoshan).

First, the smell-off! I found that both teas had strong dried fruit notes, but Ailaoshan’s were dark, syrupy fruits such as raisin, prune, and cherry, while Ai Lao had a lighter dried fruit profile (raisin still maybe, but paired with fig or golden raisin). Both teas had a strong molasses aroma, and an interesting herbal or spice hint that I couldn’t quite place. The biggest differences I noticed between the two: Ai Lao had a little wisp of floral dancing around which was absent from Ailaoshan. In contrast, Ailaoshan had an obvious dark caramelized sugar scent that was divine! So far, pretty similar but each with its own flair.

On to the taste-off! There is also similarity here: both teas have a nice bready quality, although I would say it’s stronger in Ailaoshan. Also, both teas have strong molasses-ish rich flavor and that same dastardly unidentified herb/spice note! Does it bother anyone else when they can’t identify a flavor? Harumph! Both are fruity teas, but in quite different ways. The Ai Lao has a tangier dried fruit flavor – think prunes, maybe with a bit of something tangier, like tamarind maybe? Meanwhile, Ailaoshan has a much sweeter, almost jammy cherry and blackberry flavor, which was a surprise to me considering the aroma! Just like the aroma, the Ai Lao has a (fairly strong) floral element, which unfortunately translates into a slightly soapy aftertaste for me. Ailaoshan retains that lovely dark caramelized sugar that I noticed in scent form, and it goes very nicely with the dark bread notes and the fruit. I noticed as Ailaoshan cooled, it developed a woody taste that was not at all unpleasant. The Ai Lao tastes almost the same cool as it did hot, maybe with a bit more of that soapiness at the end.

In conclusion… These two teas are far more different in flavor than I would expect. Yes, they have several similar notes, but the ones that are different affect those similar notes in a way that makes them taste dissimilar in the end. I would almost describe these as being the corporeal and the ethereal form of the same tea. The Ailaoshan Black would be the corporeal version, with its earthier dark sugar, wood, and dark bread flavors. Therefore, the Ai Lao Mountain becomes its ethereal counterpart, with its lighter and whimsical floral element combined with the mild tang of the fruits.

Hah, that probably makes no sense, but I’m sticking with it! Overall, my preference is for the Ailaoshan Black, but considering I’m not a fan of floral, I consider myself to be biased in that regard. :P

Side-by-side comparison with Ailaoshan Black by Whispering Pines

This sample came from Nicole, I think this is the last tea from the first box she sent me. I remembered that at one point, boychik had mentioned that she’d like to see a side-by-side comparison of this tea and Ailaoshan Black, so I thought why not? This was a single-serving sample, so I figured it’s now or never!

Visually, these two are nearly identical. The leaves are nearly black and they remind me of a smaller version of the “spider leg” Taiwanese Assam leaves. Same size leaves in both of these teas. I can’t comment on the dry scent, because my Ai Lao Mountain was in a zipper baggie and therefore lost most of its smell. Oh well! I brewed both teas in identical cups with identical infuser baskets. It was a 3 minute steep at 200 degrees with 3 grams of each tea (my sample of Ai Lao was 3 grams so I used the whole thing and matched the weight for Ailaoshan).

First, the smell-off! I found that both teas had strong dried fruit notes, but Ailaoshan’s were dark, syrupy fruits such as raisin, prune, and cherry, while Ai Lao had a lighter dried fruit profile (raisin still maybe, but paired with fig or golden raisin). Both teas had a strong molasses aroma, and an interesting herbal or spice hint that I couldn’t quite place. The biggest differences I noticed between the two: Ai Lao had a little wisp of floral dancing around which was absent from Ailaoshan. In contrast, Ailaoshan had an obvious dark caramelized sugar scent that was divine! So far, pretty similar but each with its own flair.

On to the taste-off! There is also similarity here: both teas have a nice bready quality, although I would say it’s stronger in Ailaoshan. Also, both teas have strong molasses-ish rich flavor and that same dastardly unidentified herb/spice note! Does it bother anyone else when they can’t identify a flavor? Harumph! Both are fruity teas, but in quite different ways. The Ai Lao has a tangier dried fruit flavor – think prunes, maybe with a bit of something tangier, like tamarind maybe? Meanwhile, Ailaoshan has a much sweeter, almost jammy cherry and blackberry flavor, which was a surprise to me considering the aroma! Just like the aroma, the Ai Lao has a (fairly strong) floral element, which unfortunately translates into a slightly soapy aftertaste for me. Ailaoshan retains that lovely dark caramelized sugar that I noticed in scent form, and it goes very nicely with the dark bread notes and the fruit. I noticed as Ailaoshan cooled, it developed a woody taste that was not at all unpleasant. The Ai Lao tastes almost the same cool as it did hot, maybe with a bit more of that soapiness at the end.

In conclusion… These two teas are far more different in flavor than I would expect. Yes, they have several similar notes, but the ones that are different affect those similar notes in a way that makes them taste dissimilar in the end. I would almost describe these as being the corporeal and the ethereal form of the same tea. The Ailaoshan Black would be the corporeal version, with its earthier dark sugar, wood, and dark bread flavors. Therefore, the Ai Lao Mountain becomes its ethereal counterpart, with its lighter and whimsical floral element combined with the mild tang of the fruits.

Hah, that probably makes no sense, but I’m sticking with it! Overall, my preference is for the Ailaoshan Black, but considering I’m not a fan of floral, I consider myself to be biased in that regard. :P

Hooray, my new Finum filter baskets came today! I left my other one at my mom’s house like a moron… I got the two-pack this time, and it comes with one green and one blue. I expected the green one to be the same as the one I originally had, which was opaque and a dark forest green color. To my surprise, this one is different! It’s a lovely jewel-tone turquoise and it’s slightly translucent, which makes it all the more beautiful. What a lovely surprise. :) And the blue one is very pretty too! Sorry, clearly I’m easy to please.

This is another tea from Nicole. It’s a black tea blend with jasmine. Now I’m not normally big on floral teas, but I do enjoy a jasmine tea every once in a while. The leaves of this tea are short and dark, and there are a couple of jasmine petals in mine. Surprisingly, the jasmine scent is not super strong, but it is quite sweet. I steeped mine for 3 minutes at 200 degrees.

The brewed aroma is much stronger in the jasmine department, and still quite sweet. Now, I was an airhead and added sugar to this for some reason… I’m not sure whether I was thinking “flavored tea” or what, but it was definitely unnecessary. The jasmine flavor isn’t too strong, which I appreciate. It also doesn’t taste like perfume, it tastes like fresh flowers! I don’t really get much black tea flavor out of this, but honestly I’m okay with that. It just provides a nice mellow base for the jasmine to play upon, and the two meld together well.

Off-topic! The taste of this tea with the sugar in it makes me wonder if there is such a thing as jasmine candies. If not, I think it could be a tasty idea! :)

This is an older sample, I think it’s from my first box from Nicole… Oopsies! The name of this one confuses me, hah! I thought Shou Mei was a white tea? But apparently Fu Shou Mei is the name for this specific tea processed with red cane sugar. The only other Feng Qing tea I’ve had is the dragon pearl variety from TeaVivre, and I wasn’t terribly impressed with it. Good but not great!

Anyway, long story short, I didn’t really know what to expect from this tea! The leaves are black and spindly, and quite long for how thin they are. I didn’t get much of a dry scent from them, maybe a little touch of sweet and malt. Did my usual 3 minute steep.

Ooh, aroma! The brewed tea smells strongly of raisins or prunes, with an obvious caramelized brown sugar scent. There’s malt there too, of course. I confess, on my first sip, it was totally an eyes-rolling-back-into-my-head moment. I love the strength of the dried fruit flavor in this tea! It’s dark and rich, with lots of raisin/prune and maybe a touch of fig. There’s a dark grainy flavor, not quite bready, more like raw grain but in a rich sense. I wouldn’t describe this tea as “sweet”, but it has a lot of molasses flavor along with dark caramelized sugar. It’s weird to describe a sugar flavor as not being sweet, I guess it adds more of a richness and almost toasty flavor.

This tea is so delicious, I’m now sad that I waited so long to try it. I’m sorry, little baggie that got lost at the bottom of my sample pile! This is the tea I would reach for when I want something dark, rich, and comforting. Definitely a reorder, and I would love to try the autumn harvest too!

This sample came from the lovely Nicole. I was unsure which teas are in this blend, so I looked it up on their website: apparently it’s golden monkey mixed with Assam. I don’t really have any experience with Assam, but it seems like (judging from other people’s notes) that it’s generally a very bold and strong type of tea. The dry leaf here looks similar to other less-tippy Yunnan teas – small, thin black leaves with just a few tips included. Normally, this would make me less excited to try it, as generally the less-tippy Yunnan teas have that heavy earth/mineral flavor, but since I know it’s golden monkey, I know this won’t be the case. Hooray! I don’t get a ton of dry scent from the leaves, just a sense of sweet stonefruit. I did my usual 3 minutes at 200 degrees.

Hmm, I can definitely smell the Yunnan here, the brewed aroma has plenty of malt with baked bread and apricot notes. It’s been a while since I’ve had Golden Monkey from Harney, but I remember enjoying it quite a bit.

This tastes chiefly of raw, chewy grain to me, which is not a bad thing! I’m reminded of all the Shang teas I’ve tried lately. There’s definitely malt and a little bit of a stonefruit essence. I get quite a bit of earthiness, but it’s not mineral or smoky, so it’s a nice mellow earth taste. There’s just a little bit of a rich molasses flavor that pairs nicely with all of that graininess.

Overall, I can’t really differentiate between the two teas, which I guess means they go well together. It’s been too long since I’ve had the Golden Monkey plain! Someday, I’ll explore Assams… ;)