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Accidentally overleafed tf outta this tea yesterday… Oops! Little did I know how much of an oops it was. I drank perhaps 1000mL without really thinking about it – the brew was much stronger than I normally like it, but the subsiquent steeps weren’t too astringent or unbearable. In fact, despite the extra strength, those teeny little leaves were quite tasty. It was a robust dark molasses sweet cup of hongcha yummm. After drinking a bunch of it while just chilling and tapping away, I look up from my computer and whoosh… I realize that I am tea drunk at my desk with two and a half hours left of work. Perception out of whack, I was practically buzzing. I was so confused for a moment before I took one more sip of this tea and realized why I was feeling a little strange. OOPS lol. Thankfully it was a relaxed day and I didn’t have to panic, even if my thumping pulse was trying to convince me otherwise. Today, out of an abundance of caution I think I underleafed it a lil too much. The thick, astringent qualities were far too watered down. I will have to be more diligent with my measurements instead of my usual “eyeball it until you are satisfied” method of madness.

I guess that answers my question if tea can still have cha qi in it after a long time of just sitting in your cabinets. The answer is heck yeah, don’t under estimate a powerful tea, even if it’s around 8 years old XD

Every once in a while, my partner and I decide to kick our morning coffee and share a gourd of yerba mate as we get ready in the morning. I ordered a few different kinds from the My Mate World website, (Highly recommend if you want to find some quality mate) this one was the resounding favorite. It’s got a little bit of a smoky aspect to it compared to other brands we tried, like Amanda and Oasis. It’s an intense tea, compared to the gentle Chinese greens and even the deepest steamed fukamushi sencha. The astringency and tannins are mouth puckering, which is understandable for the amount of leaf that is traditionally used. I usually fill my little gourd about 1/4 – 1/3 full, pour some cool water to wake up the leaves for a minute, then tip the gourd to the side and fill it with hot water, around 80C/175F. Then we take teeny tiny sips off our gilded bombilla until the ratio of tea to water becomes undrinkably thick, in which we start the hot water process again. The passing of the gourd to one another is a very enjoyable dance, sometimes we even add some lemon to the gourd :)

This tea is still kickin’! I have been drinking this one in the evenings, sometimes with a splash of oat creamer, sometimes straight up. the dry leaf is like a sleepy autumn forest, with cedar and fresh rain. Each sip is a toasty dream that warms me from my toes up. I love how it just feels like a cup of autumn without relying on pumpkin spice. Unless I criminally underleaf it, I can reliably get a nutty, toasty cup of roasted gyo stems. I usually go with freshly boiled water for this one, but even down to 180F will make a delicious cup. If no one else got me, I know that this Hoji got me.

Woof. i remember really liking this tea when I got it eons ago in a Lupicia Fukubukuro bag. It has all the elements I tend to enjoy – matcha, genmaicha, savory elements, beans…. But this is one in my collection that has not stood the test of time. the matcha wasn’t the highest quality when i got this blend, but it was drinkable and arguably very delicious. These days, the color and fun of the matcha has all but faded away. What i’m left with is a marshy green cup of undrinkable swill. It’s a bummer, but there is no saving this tea. I put this down as a “Least Favorite Tea” in Ashmanra’s sipdown challenge, which is true only because this tea is old and gross now hehe. Maybe I’ll order it again and drink it in a timely manner LOL

Suprised that there isn’t a tasting note from my old account on here! This was an exciting find when I discovered it on Tealyra’s website. I mean, I had never even heard of white sencha. I wonder if it’s the cultivar that produces a ‘white’ leaf or if the processing is like white tea. I wanna say the former because the steeped leaves were a soft lime green with a few ghostly white buds sprinkled in. Much lighter than what is usually expected from a sencha. So far, the cups that i’ve had are lush vegetal green like a lot of trad senchas I’ve had, even if it’s hella old. Because it’s a little long in the tooth, I’m not going to be able to judge it too harshly. Hence no numerical rating. It’s nothing special at this point in time, but it does remind me that sincha season is coming up, and I am excited to get some fresh japanese green tea.

Got this as a sample when I was in SF earlier this month. I’m always on the lookout for something unique and lovingly made, so the description of this tea fit the bill to a T(ea). I wanted to give this sample a respectful try, and I am so glad that I slowed myself down and noticed the brewing instructions on the sample packet. I had the hot water freshly boiled when I noticed the recommended brew temp was 180. Not usually what i subject most black tea in my collection to, but I cooled down my water out of respect.

I instantly loved the smell of the dry leaf. Perhaps it was because I haven’t had a ‘fresh’ tea in a while, but the scent of raisin with a hint of nutmeggy spice was so loud, my mouth started watering. The first infusion was a hint at what was to come. the Second and third infusions was where it’s at. Sweet honey bug bitten deliciousness with a dose of fruity mellowness. I also got a dash of mineral nippiness to go with all the other goodness. Yancha? Is that you? This black tea from across the water is giving me some yan yun qualities that I would expect from a wuyi oolong. The cooler temp for sure had a factor in this tea. The long loosely rolled leaves furthered the comparison. This was such a fun black tea to drink.

I would really consider getting a full 2oz if i’m back in San Francisco, even if the $52 price tag has me going, “Daamn!”

Tried to get some more flavor out of this tea this weekend. Turns out it’s just a little masochistic :) I found that oversteeping it with freshly boiled water is the way to go. I used one teabag in 8oz of boiling water for 6 minutes did the trick. Feels wrong, but tasted right.

More clearance tea from T2! As someone who lives in NYC, I feel I am obligated to have this tea in my cupboard. And I really like the concept of breakfast flavorings in tea, however, this one is just ehhh. The black tea base is malty and fruity, but somehow doesn’t steep very strong. If have you ever had a third or fourth steep of a (better) tea and realize first thing into the sip that the tea is spent, yet drink the cup of weak tea anyway? That’s how I feel with this on steep number one. I feel like this tea could have some delicious potential if the flavor was punchier.

Not sure why a cinnamon pancake tea would be considered New York, NGL. Maybe for the brunch crowd? Now that’s got me thinking… Honestly, somebody has to make a mimosa green/white tea. That I would wait in an insane line for XD. No really though, pancakes are more of a sit down, Sunday-morning-contemplation-meal than something New Yorkers would have on a regular morning. A better tea to represent our breakfast would be bagel flavored for sure. Although, an everything bagel with cream cheese tea sounds so gross when I say that out loud hahaha…

Honestly, if you really like the sound of a pancake breakfast black tea, go pick some up from 52Teas. It lives up to it’s flavor name and more.

Sipdown! every pot I made at work was deliciously complex and satisfying. While i’m supremely bummed to say goodbye to this tea, i know that i can find some good quality non-smoked LS elsewhere. In all honesty, I would lean towards different types of Chinese black tea like Jin Jun Mei or keemun. Coincidentally, my last tin of tea from Joseph Wesley is a Keemun congfu. Very excited to be starting on that tea tomorrow :)

Snagged this on T2’s half off “We’re getting the hell out of the US market” sale (T2 wasn’t that explicit, but they are closing their retail locations and the US site). Maybe I am biased from other vanilla black teas, but this tea is missing some extra element to marry the vanilla to it’s base. I really like the slightly smoky Keemun and Assam base, and the vanilla flavoring is giving vanilla bean and no chemical tang. I have grown accustomed to a black tea base with a flaky biscuit, milk chocolate desserty delight to accompany a chopped vanilla bean. Perhaps you could say I’m spoiled by the lovely handcrafted blends from small biz tea merchants. That would be correct. For a breakfast tea on the go though, this is still a delicious choice. I mean, a vanilla black tea would REALLY have to work hard to suck XD