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This is one of the very first teas that I tried when I started with loose leaf. I bought several green tea samplers from Arbor teas and from the Tea spot (having drank bagged green tea exclusively before, I wasn’t going to venture too far from my comfort zone). This was all about three weeks before I joined steepster, so most of these teas were never logged here unless I repurchased them later.

This was not one of my favorite green teas. However, it is one of my mother’s favorites. Her birthday is coming up so I ordered some (she doesn’t often order her own tea). 4oz is the first available size up from the sample size (which contains 5 servings), so I got the 4oz and decided to take some of it for myself, because why not? I didn’t remember hating it. I sort of remember that it had a citrus flavor, but I must have confused it with another tea, because it is not citrus at all.

The flavor is extremely mellow. It’s pleasant to drink for the sake of being a hot beverage. Sometimes, thats all I need. I’ve had a few cups since reordering it and I’ve tried 2 and 3 minute steep times as well as adding an extra teaspoon this time around. The flavor is only slightly stronger. It is a good tea when you don’t want to be picky about time and measurements, I suppose.

Besides the lack of strength, theres nothing to dislike about the flavor. It’s sweet, not very grassy (for those that have green-tea issues :) ) and doesn’t seem prone to bitterness. The sweetness is hard to describe exactly but it is different than similar non-grassy greens that I have had before and disliked.

Strange. . . I used same brewing parameters as last time, but I don’t detect the same bitterness. Maybe because its still pretty hot? Sometimes I notice bitter more as tea cools.

Some random comments about the “new” Steepster:
*I can’t put in decimal amounts for teaspoons. My “teaspoon” is one of those perfect cup kind that holds slightly more than your every-day kitchen teaspoon, so I like to say 1.5. . but I can’t. oh well.

*I noticed in the list of tasting note quotes that show up on a tea page, the name displayed below my note is my facebook username, not the one I use for this site (which is my real name). Not that I particularly care, but this may confuse some people who don’t recognize the different names. Anyway, that is all :)

I got a sample of this with my order-before-last but have been putting off drinking it. I requested different samples but mine must have gotten mixed up with someone else’s. I had this puerh before, having requested a sample last year when my family still lived near by. I brought it over to their house and we all sampled a tiny 2oz cup of the tea. My parents liked it, I remember. I wasn’t too impressed, but I never logged it. having this tea in my cupboard again, I wasn’t motivated to brew it. But today, I decided to give it another try. It isn’t so bad really. I don’t love it, but I like it better than I did the first time. It’s very very different from most (shu) puerh. Not as “heavy” to me. Not has fishy either. A lot of puerh-haters might even like it. It’s still earthy, like fresh soil and also has a sweet fruitiness (other reviews suggest plum or prune. . I guess that could be it). I would definitely drink it again, but probably won’t order it for myself.

You know one thing I love about tea? If I get too distracted to drink it right away, I can microwave it and it doesn’t come out all nasty the way coffee does. I can’t stand a cup of microwaved coffee. yuck!

I brewed this tea and proceeded to prepare my mother’s bday gift (inclusive of tea, of course! among other things). I get the package all ready to go and found a box to ship it in and then I take a sip of my tea that was siting nearby, neglected and found it barely warm. So in the microwave it went and it came out good as new! woohoo!
٩(^ᴗ^)۶

I had to get this tea to try it. And I can dig it. I don’t regret that I bought a bag rather than requesting a sample. I’m undecided about repurchasing though.

The leaves are black and the brew is a murky prune color as expected of purple tea. The flavor is vegetal, but not like my most favorite greens. It also has a slight bitterness that could likely get out of control with the wrong parameters. Asparagus is the flavor I pick up the most.

My Butiki order came in yesterday and this was one of my free samples (though mine is labeled golden paw, not golden lion. . .?.?). I also got a sample of a new oolong (baked anxi something. . .I forgot and I threw out the baggy already), but its not in steepster yet so I’ll review that one later.

This is a pretty good cozy cup of black tea. Not my favorite assam, but still pleasant. I seem to be out of touch with my taste descriptors today, so I can’t describe it very well. Sorry folks
¯\(ツ)/¯

This tea makes me happy. If I ever can’t get this tea anymore, I would be very very sad. It’s one of my comfort teas. I can’t explain exactly why, it just is. I love the way it looks, with the little twigs mixed in and it tastes so yummy. That is all. Now Im going to go enjoy my tea in a comfortable location. Bye now :)

This new Steepster setup has me feeling all disoriented. lol

As I said before, I don’t have any new teas to review, but sometimes its good to check in, say hello (I still exist!) and to confirm my like of a particular tea. And, yep, I still like this one. :)

I heard that Stacy will be gone for a couple weeks, so I had to get a Butiki order in this weekend. I have two new teas on the way so I’ll have something new to review. yay.

I really am quite set in my preferences now, and this is good for my budget. I’m hoping to spend half as much as I did last year on tea. I’m keeping track in the thread for tea spending here.

My new fun for this year is hanging out at Webkinztown.com because I love Webkinz! (yes Im a grown up, no I don’t have kids, don’t look at me like that! :p)

I received a free sample of this tea after my last tasting note, though I was and am still certain that the problem is me and not the tea. There have been a few teas I loved at first and then the second time around, not so much. Maybe the flavor of this one was affected by something I ate the first time I had it or maybe I brewed it ‘just right.’

There are at least three black teas I can think of that I liked originally, but then all of a sudden I noticed a woody flavor that my palate was previously oblivious to. I recognize this as a flavor profile that many people enjoy, so it’s certainly not a bad quality for the tea.

To be certain and fair I brewed a cup of the new sample. I can say that this tea is definitely affected by time and water temperature. I find it the least woody with a 2 min steep (at 195F), but if you like the stronger woodiness or a bolder flavor in general, 3+ minutes is best.

Mantra Tea offered me a free monthly sample of the Ruby Black because in my last tasting note, I said that I didn’t like it as much as the first time and they thought it might have been that particular batch. Anyway, I also ordered more of this Ti Kuan Yin. If a package was going to be shipped overseas, I’d feel bad if it was only a free sample.

I like this tea. It’s not one I’ll buy often because it is slightly over my budget, but I am happy to have it on hand once in a while.