115 Tasting Notes

84

Thank you Vicony Teas for this free sample!

I’ve heard quite interesting descriptions of Tunlu tea; some prefer it as an “every-day tea” while others choose not to drink it as much. I suppose I’ll see which party I belong to.

Leaf Quality:
The yellow-green leaves were rolled into small, floral gems. The scent was a bit strong for a green tea, which hinted at its flavor. The brewed leaves smelled very sweet and astringently floral.

Brewed Tea:
The tea’s color was light yellow. The flavor was milder than I suspected, but the aftertaste lasted a while. Upon my first sip, I noticed the great floral qualities of this tea. My last sip ended with a pineapple-like finish that I hadn’t noticed in the previous sips.
Second Steeping
The second brew was sweet, fruity, and astringent. It already seemed like a good tea to relax with.
Third Steeping
The third steeping was quite delicious. Fruity, sweet, and floral. The aftertaste was still quite astringent.

If I had enough of this tea, I suppose I would drink it as an “every-day tea” in the evenings. It’s quite enjoyable.

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90

This is the third tea cake I ordered from Vicony Teas. The others tasted pretty good so far; I’m hoping this one will too.

Leaf Quality:
The leaves of this tea were loosely compacted in the usual Bing shape. These were some of the whitest leaves I’ve ever seen from a White Peony. Almost every leaf was covered with downy, white fur. Even the leaves of a richer green color had a whitish hue. The initial scent was rather sweet and reminded me of dried roses. The Brewed tea leaves turned slightly darker, were more green, and smelled lightly floral. I could already discern what the liquor would taste like.

Brewed Tea:
The leaves produced a light yellow liquor. It’s scent was very light, as was the flavor. Though light, it sure was delicious. It was sweet, floral, and fruity. It was like a hummingbird drinking nectar. The first brew was excellent.
Second Steeping
The second steeping reminded me of a Ti Kwan Yin Oolong. It was smooth, quite floral, and sweet.
Third Steeping
This brewing was even better than the first two. All the qualities of the second steeping were present, but were more pronounced. Each sip finished with a melon aftertaste that evolved into a citrus one quickly before disappearing.
Fourth Steeping
This steeping was more mellow than the third. However, it was still just as good. The delicate tastes mingled together in this cup. It could easily last 2 or 3 more steepings with longer steep times.

This was a wonderful tea. I’m very glad I bought this, and can’t wait to try the samples they sent me.

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80

This is the second white tea cake I’ve tried from Vicony Teas Company. I ordered this along with another tea.

Leaf Quality:
The leaves in this cake were quite loosely compacted, and showed a variety of colors. I was able to pull apart most of the leaves whole; the majority were brown, others white or melon green. There were a few buds mixed in with the generally larger leaves. They were quite fragrant as well. The scent reminded me of a mildly floral Oolong. The brewed leaves were floral as well, and some expanded to be even larger than I had thought. All leaves retained the same color after brewing.

Brewed Tea:
The tea yielded a golden-yellow liquor which smelled floral, sweet, and fruity. It tasted much more like an Oolong than a white tea, bringing melon qualities with every sip. The flavor was also fuller than most other white teas I’ve had.
Second Steeping
The second steeping was as sweet as the first, and the melon qualities were more pronounced. It didn’t taste as floral as it smelled, but it was still quite delicious.
Third Steeping
The third brew was light and floral. The melon notes were only present with each finishing sip. The aftertaste was sweet.

It will be interesting to see how this tea will change in flavor over time.

Preparation
Boiling 0 min, 15 sec

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92

I saw this cake on the Yunnan Sourcing website a few weeks ago, and it was very intriguing to me. This is my first review in a while.

Leaf Quality:
The tea cake is comprised completely of golden buds, and was very fragrant. The leaves were tightly compressed and looked very beautiful- I almost didn’t want to break up the cake. The brewed leaves smelled very malty, and also like a red wine.

Brewed Tea:
The brewed tea smelled very floral. It tasted malty, floral, sweet, and had no astringency. The color was a reddish brown, and the initial scent reminded me of White Peony.
Second Steeping
The second steeping was rather floral as well. The sweetness had gone down a bit, but the malty character was still present. This black tea was very mellow, and had a chocolaty finish.

This was a very good tea. I do not recommend it as a breakfast tea, but more of an “anytime” tea. This would be very good to enjoy in the afternoons. I’ve never had a black tea bing cha before, so this was quite an interesting experience.

Preparation
Boiling
Scharp

Thank you for reading! It’s a great tea.

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83

Thank you Nuvola Tea for this free sample!

Leaf Quality:
The dried leaves each had a mixture of yellow, light and dark green. They smelled sweet, and perhaps vegetal. The brewed leaves were very vegetal, sweet, and only minutely floral. They were very aromatic.

Brewed Tea:
I brewed the tea 20 seconds for the first two.
The liquor had a light green complexion and smelled vegetal. The flavor was sweet, and quite full-bodied for a green tea. Each sip finished with floral notes. Towards my last sip, I noticed a buttery scent, much like the one I noticed from the other sample Nuvola Tea sent me.
Second Steeping
This cup was again very floral, yet bold. It reminded me of a Gyokuro, and shared several qualities with one. The vegetal notes showed with every sip, as did the sweetness.
Third Steeping
This brew was more vegetal. A bit of sweetness finished each sip, but the floral notes were absent.
Fourth Steeping
I really enjoyed this brew. The sweetness was maximized here, and the floral notes were again present. The boldness of the first three brews had toned down quite a bit. I also noticed a new quality: fruitiness.
Fifth Steeping
This steeping was light and floral. It wasn’t as sweet as the last cup, and the boldness remained the same. The buttery notes showed up in this brew.
Sixth Steeping
Sweet, vegetal, and floral. This cup was a toned down version of the fourth steeping.

I found this tea to be quite bold for a green tea, and was also surprised that the scent and flavor differed as much as it did. I liked the sweetness and floral scent along with the vegetal undertones. Thank you Nuvola Tea!

Preparation
165 °F / 73 °C

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91

Thank you Nuvola Tea for this free sample! I didn’t expect this tea to be delivered this soon, so it was a wonderful surprise to find in the mail this morning.

Leaf Quality:
The leaves of this black tea were very long. The dried leaves had a texture that reminded me of charcoal. The brewed leaves were a reddish-brown, and smelled wonderful. They carried the aromas of malt, chocolate, and a slight spicy note- very different than other black tea leaves.

Brewed Tea:
The brewed tea was coppery-brown in complexion and smelled the same as the leaves. It tasted very mild, malty, and floral with a sweet, minty aftertaste. My second sip yielded a sweet and buttery taste.
Second Steeping
This brew smelled more savory, and tasted more floral. The malt had toned down quite a bit, and was soon overcome by a mild fruity aftertaste. The spiciness from the first brew was absent. I liked this brew more than the first.
Third Steeping
The color of this brew looked more like that of an Oolong. It was floral, sweet, and buttery. This was a very nice tea.

This is a mild, savory, and slightly floral black tea good for any time of the day. Thank you again, Nuvola, for the sample!

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 3 min, 15 sec

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89

Thank you Esgreen for the free sample!

Leaf Quality:
The leaves of this raw pu-erh smelled a bit mushroomy or fungal, and a bit earthy. Every leaf had downy white hairs on them. The leaves were green, white, yellow, brown, and others were black. The rinsed leaves smelled earthy, fungal, vegetal and smokey. Once brewed, they smelled more fungal and woody.

Brewed Tea:
The brewed tea smelled smokey, mossy, and had a light earthiness. The light yellow-green brew tasted floral, of mushrooms, and was mossy. I was very pleased with the first brew.
Second Steeping
This brew was much more floral than the first, and exhibited less mushroom notes. However, it was just as woody and mossy as the first. Each sip had a slight earthy finish.
Third Steeping
This brew was smokey, floral, and a little spicy. This cup tasted more like an aged pu-erh. Mild earthy notes crept into the last sip.
Fourth Steeping
I really liked this steeping. It was extra floral and sweet. A tiny bitter nut flavor followed. The fungal notes had gone.
Fifth Steeping
The steeps were still holding strong. It reminded me of the third steeping. Smokey, lightly floral, and a bit earthy.

Thanks again for the tea sample!

Bonnie

You’re the sheng lover. I’ve noticed that. You have to be slow and patient with shengs and really pay attention. Sometimes I’m too impatient.

Scharp

There’s just a different taste about Sheng pu-erh’s that I like. The aged shengs taste different than many of the shou pu-erh’s. What I really liked about this was that it had surprisingly floral qualities. And that’s a very good observation of me as it’s true! However I do enjoy a nice ripe pu-erh.

Bonnie

The more experience you have with shengs or shu’s, the more detail you notice. I’m walking through the shu forest’s now and spending my time there. That’s how I think of it. A nice bit of shu puerh has come my way so I’m learning all I can.

Scharp

I like the way “Shu Forest” sounds; it captures the mystery and new adventure of tasting pu-erh.

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94

I received this as a free sample along with my pu-erh gift order. Thank you Esgreen for the sample!

Leaf Quality:
This tea came in the form of compact tea globes. The leaves themselves were easy to separate whole from the ball for easier brewing. The scent was nice, earthy, and mellow. The short rinse I gave the tea globe got rid of all of what little stems there were. The rinsed leaves smelled very mellow as well, and had mossy and malty tones to them. After the first brewing, the tea carried the faint scent of barley and earth.

Brewed Tea:
The brewed tea had a mild mossy flavor with light smokey undertones. This tea has definitely mellowed out over the years. The dark amber brew was very smooth and left a sweet and malty aftertaste.
Second Steeping
The second brew was much the same as the first. Mellow, earthy, malty and sweet with slight smokey undertones. The aftertaste was a bit different. Muscatel notes shown through.
Third Steeping
The smokey undertones mellowed out quite a bit for this brew. In stead, it was replaced with an aftertaste similar to mushroom or fungus. The liquor is getting silkier with every steep, with about the same amount of earthiness thus far.
Fourth Steeping
This steeping had more body then the others. There was a heavier earthy presence along with a woody finish.
Fifth Steeping
This brew was very sweet and had a stronger essence of cooked mushroom.
Sixth Steeping
Though brewed longer, this brew was substantially lighter than the rest. The color was a pinkish-amber. This steeping was as sweet as the previous, but the earthiness had completely left. There were more wood tones.
Seventh Steeping
This was very mellow and sweet. Nice woody notes still held strong.

This was a great tea. This aged rather well in my opinion.

kOmpir

I like that one too, reminds me of hearty brew of coffee that my stomach forbids me to have.

Scharp

This was definitely a great sample.

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90

This tea came as a sample along with my Pomelo Pu-erh gift. Thank you Esgreen for the sample!

Leaf Quality:
The dried mini-bing smelled very light, and not very earthy. As I unwrapped it, I noticed a slightly nutty aroma. The brewed leaves smelled very mild and mossy. I could already tell that this would be a very mild pu-erh.

Brewed Tea:
This tea produced a very nice red amber color after the first wash. On the first sip, I noticed the tea was mildly earthy, nutty and sweet. I’m not used to such quiet pu-erhs. The earthy tones blended very well with the other notes.
Second Steeping
What a consistent tea. The flavors were much the same as the first, but much more developed. This tea was not bitter in the least, and actually very pleasant. I very much enjoyed this brew. The finish was slightly buttery.
Third Steeping
This tea has very even tones; each quality balances itself out with the others. This steeping was very sweet, and nutty.

I really enjoyed trying this tea. It was very mellow, but still a bit earthy with mossy and nutty notes.

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88

This was a gift from a friend which I am very thankful for.

What an interesting tea. First off, I’ve never had a Pu-Erh aged in a pomelo before; it’s a rather interesting idea. Secondly, I’ve been wanting to order this, so it came as a nice surprise to find it in the mail.

Leaf Quality:
When I opened the box containing two Pomelos, I immediately got a smokey fragrance like pinewood. It wasn’t too smokey however, and was rather enjoyable. I unwound the metal wire around the fruit and opened the top to find a dark brown bunch of leaves tightly compacted on the inside. Upon braking portions of the tea up, the smokey-pine aroma quickly transformed to that of a smokey citrus. There were some stems, and very compact leaf. Much of the leaves crumbled a bit, while others came out in tiny chunks. The earthiness was not as noticeable as other pu-erhs.

Brewed Tea:
I “washed” the tea for 15 seconds, but kept the liquid in a separate glass. The liquid was light, and mildly sweet with a smokey aftertaste.
First Brew
This brew had a dark tan color. The first steeping was not earthy in the least, which was quite unexpected. In stead, it was smokey and sweet, with a hint of citrus in the finish. The flavor reminded me of a Wuyi Rock Oolong, but less fruity.
Second Brew
The second steeping was again sweet, but more so than the first. The smokiness carried itself through lightly. Citrus notes only showed up in the pleasant aftertaste.
Third Brew
This steeping was very light, and the citrus notes were more prevalent. The sweetness seemed to increase from brew to brew.

This was a very interesting and wonderful pu-erh to try. I’ll definitely enjoy drinking the rest.

Bonnie

I’ve had the tangerine stuffed Pu-erh and the same thing is true how the citrus seems to cancel out the earthiness. Mine was mild and very light and slightly sweet like a dessert tea. I didn’t out any rind in mine but next time I’ll do that since it’s the way your supposed to drink it for good health. Yours was smoky and mine wasn’t.
Different fruit I know, but still citrus and I really like it.

Scharp

I brewed mine with the peel because the website noted it would add a little extra flavor. It tasted great, and the non-earthiness was quite different. I’ll have to try the tangerine stuffed Pu-Erh as well. Since I liked this one, I’m sure I’ll like that variety.

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Bio

Jared
I love drinking and reviewing tea. Green, Oolong, Black, White, Yellow, Dark, Pu-erh… It’s all great. In particular, my favorites are Taiping Hou Kui, and Aged Teas.

I’m currently in California, and started my interest in tea at a very young age. Ever since, I’ve looked for exotic, rare, and even newly-developed teas to try.

It doesn’t end there: I’ll try just about any tea new to me that crosses my path.

I typically brew tea in a traditional manner (different teas require different steeping times and water temperatures, ect…). Whichever directions are on the packaging or website, I tend to follow as well.

I’m also building a private collection of Pu-Erh teas and teas good for Aging. Hopefully, they’ll turn out nice.

Companies: If you are looking for a reviewer for tea, I would be happy to sample any of the teas you offer.

Message me for Sample swapping.

Location

California

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