Inkay Send Message

Got this along with a few other samples from the 2017 harvest of Kangaita teas from Kenya.
Decided to go gongfu with the first session and will probably try western next time. Dry leaves have a nice, golden needle appearance and a chocolatey, malty aroma. I found the flavor to be more mellow than I expected, as I often am overwhelmed by black teas, but this one had a nice strength and was distinctly fruity!

Though I describe it as mellow, it is not at all lacking in flavor, and I can see why it is likened to a stronger white tea. Definitely worth a try!

Followed Yunomi’s guidelines on steeping this one. This sencha has a sweet, umami aroma and produces a nice, golden liquor. The flavor profile is a light-tasting blend of sweet, beany and umami. I would characterize it as being similar to a kabusecha in flavor profile, but much, much lighter in terms of the actual strength of the flavor. For those who do like the tastes shaded greens have, this would make a good daily drinker between sessions of the high end stuff! Thanks for the sample, Hoálatha!

Another sample Hoalatha sent my way! Had a previous session with it and finishing up the last of the sample today. Dry leaves have a fruity aroma that becomes more mineral once the leaves are wet. The liquor is a nice, clear yellow and the flavor is a well-balanced blend of mineral, vegetal and sweet creamy notes. I get hints of salt, sweet roasted nuts that emerge and fade throughout the session.

The mouthfeel is very smooth and I don’t get any astringency out of any of the steeps. A
hint of creamy sweetness with light sweet florals briefly lingering in the empty cup between each pour.

The flavor profile of this one remains fairly consistent while growing more robust throughout the session. It’s a very mouth filling, super smooth and satisfying green!

Another green sample from a tea friend. First tea I ever had from Verdant, as I’ve never ordered from them before. I roughly followed their gongfu steeping guidelines.

5g leaf, 80C water to fill the vessel. The leaves of this tea were very dark when dry and quickly became quite green after the first steep. The aroma was enticingly nutty, salty, sweet and roasty, and the yellow liquor was sweet and light in flavor.

This tea had a very nice, mineral saltiness and a sweet nuttiness that developed throughout the session. I’ve only had one other bilochun green before, and I didn’t really like it, but I found this one to be enjoyable!

Received a sample of a tea friend’s own matcha blend. First and only flavored matcha I’ve ever tried, and most matcha I’ve consumed in a sitting (though some of that weight was from the sugar).

This was a pumpkin spice blend and tasted just like that—a sweet blend of pumpkin spice and matcha. It was a unique experience!

Almost caught up on backlogged notes! This is one of many teas I recently received from Hoalatha and I tried it a couple of weeks ago.

The dark green, dry leaves had a salty, minerally, umami aroma and have been rolled in a unique way, like a cross between a gunpowder green and a twisted sencha.

The first steep produced a very light, yellow liquor and released a very deep aroma from the leaves. The taste is light and refreshing, and has a sweet finish.

As is customary, the second steep is a quicker one. The produced liquor is more yellow and the leaves begin to quickly unfurl. The flavor is a familiar blend of umami, beaniness and sweet chestnut, with mineral notes on the exhale. I really enjoyed this sample and would definitely try more teas processed this way in the future. Thanks tea friend!

200x traditional qingbing from #white2teaclub

Finally, a tea I took some decent notes on! Would have really been a shame if I hadn’t!
Sniffing the dry leaves of this sample, they smelled a bit like sawdust, and after being hit with water, they smelled a bit like sawdust and basement. rhinkle thought they smelled like hot cucumber, and then hot salad. We agreed to disagree.

Anyhow, this steeped out to a red amber liquor and the wash actually did taste a bit like hot salad or warm cucumber water. Guess rhinkle was onto something.

The color became much deeper in the first proper steep, with a smooth texture and persisting flavors of warm, but fresh, vegetables with a sweetness hitting the back of the throat and the slightest hint of coffee trying to creep in.

The next steep became much darker, like as dark as I would expect shou to get, and it brought with it a hint of bitterness and deep, woody flavors. More sweetness and coffee notes emerged over multiple steeps, and the flavor must have evened out a bit more after that, because that’s all I got noted!

A very interesting session!
more sweetness and coffee notes emerge over multiple steeps

Grabbed myself a sample of the February 2017 harvest of this and tried it a few weeks ago. The dark, twisted leaves may not look it, but they have the sweet, vegetal, creamy aroma reminiscent of a sencha.

The liquor came out very light and violet-tinted, sweet and beany in flavor with a nice, mouth-coating smoothness. The sweetness really lingered, and after the first steep, the leaves took on an interesting aroma. Sort of a blend of roasty, umami and salt mineral.

The second steep also embodied sweetness, with indistinct fruit notes. All in all, I really enjoyed this sample, and I could see myself going to this (at least when fresh) as a daily over many of the senchas I’ve had.

Drank up the last of my sample of this recently. Got strong notes of earth and coffee to start, and it gradually smoothed out into something sweeter over the course of the session. This is one of the ripes that I did enjoy going back to multiple times.

Got this in w2t club. It tasted like flowers. Sweet, somewhat creamy flowers.