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This is the first of 2 teas I bought, and 3 samples I received from Vicony Teas Company. This grade is the second highest for Taiping Hou Kui (Bu Jian), however I also bought the highest grade of Taiping Hou Kui (Nie Jian) which has to be special ordered. When ordering, I was very impressed with the company’s assistance, and customer support. They had some of the best customer-company communication I have ever had while buying a tea.

Leaf Quality:
These leaves were very long, and paper-thin. They had a nice, light green color, as well as darker green parts. They were very delicate, and the slightest movement would crack the sweet-smelling leaves. Some leaves were as long as my forefinger, while others only as long as my pinky finger. There were not any pronounced grate marks on this Hou Kui, but I assume they will be on the Highest grade. After brewing, the leaves they smelled very vegetal. They were very elastic, but still delicate. They danced around the inside of the tall glass I brewed the tea. Only the top two leaves had been chosen for this tea. Very good quality leaves.

Brewed Tea:
The color of the brew was a very clear yellow-green. It was not in the least bit cloudy, despite me having brewed the leaves in the tall glass without a filter before removal. The brewed tea did not smell floral, unlike what I had expected. Instead, it smelled more sweet, like a sugarcane. As for the flavor: it was very light. The flavor was lightly sweet, and also floral (which was a surprise, because the scent was not floral at all). It had a very faintly vegetal finish.

It had a sweet and floral aftertaste, and honey notes could be picked up in the back of my throat while sipping. This is a very nice tea to introduce me to Vicony Teas.

I wanted to pick some of this up last time I visited Peet’s. I finally did this time around.

Leaf Quality
The tea has a very high tippy concentration. Some leaves were completely golden, while others only had golden traces on them. The dry leaves smelled chocolaty, and like muscatel. The steeped leaves smelled leathery, like muscatel, and almost woody. The golden tips transformed into a dark brown.

Brewed Tea
The brewed tea was a dark coppery brown. It smelled buttery, slightly sweet, and slightly malty. It smelled very good. It tasted slightly smokey, malty, and brisk.

This tea was delicious. I wouldn’t use it as a breakfast tea, though. It was not as brisk as a breakfast tea. This tea would be good in the afternoons, or before lunch.

I didn’t try this tea at Peet’s, but I did buy it in SLO. I’ve never seen this tea in their shop before, and it wasn’t there with the other teas. This tea was advertised separately; I’m guessing that this is one of their newer teas, based on the fact that this is it’s first review.

Leaf Quality
This, as the name suggested, had mint in it. However, some mint leaves were whole, and most others were not. The tea leaves were completely whole, and some were rolled. Usually, gunpowder tea is used as the green base, but I do not know if it was Peet’s gunpowder, as I have never tried theirs. I do know that the leaves were dark, like gunpowder tea, and that some (but not all) the leaves were rolled in a similar fashion. It smelled very minty, and refreshing.

The brewed leaves smelled mostly of mint. They unfurled completely in the hot water.

Brewed Tea
I know Moroccan Mint tea is supposed to be brewed at a higher temperature. I did not add sugar, even though it is customary in Morocco. I do not like sugar in most teas. It smelled completely like mint. Not really any discernible tea scent. It was naturally sweet, and very refreshing. If it weren’t for the briskness at the end from the green tea, it would have tasted very much like brewed peppermint. This tea was good, however it was not the best quality I could have bought of Moroccan Mint.

I’m glad to be the first person reviewing this tea (there still aren’t reviews on their website!). I would recommend having this tea during the summer. It is nice and cooling, and would also be good after a meal.

I had this tea in San Luis Obispo today, on my little Avila Beach trip. I used my “Free Cup of Tea” card to purchase this, even though I still had to pay a small amount.

Leaf Quality
They brewed the tea for me in a mug, without me being able to see the dry leaves, as they usually do. Luckily, I got to see the dry leaves in a sample jar. They were a light green, with fur on them. Many of these leaves were definitely buds. I did not get to smell them dry. The wet leaves smelled sweet and grassy, but very faint.

Brewed Tea
The tea yielded a very light, yellow-green liquor. It was very difficult to pick up a discernible scent from the tea, however, I am sure I picked up some floral notes. The taste was also light, but pleasant.

*Note: I am quite sure Peet’s used boiling water for the brewing of this tea. This could have messed with the flavor slightly, so I would like to try this at home in the future.

This is the last tea from my trip to Colorado that I am reviewing. I was told by a worker that this tea is really good.

Leaf Quality
All of the leaves were either Broken grade, or Fannings (I think teas from two separate regions were used, based on the colors). The colors of the broken leaves and fannings were dark brown, and a more coppery brown. The sweet smell of lavender came through the nice Bergamot scent. The tea smelled really good. After brewing, the leaves pretty much smelled the same. However, they did have a different citrus smell to them as well- this was different than the Bergamot aroma.

Brewed Tea
The color was a nice reddish-brown, and it smelled very much like lavender. This tea is good. The employee was right, however, I oversteeped it. It tastes similar to other Earl Greys I’ve had, and added lavender to them. Some notes of this tea, like the malt, were more similar to an Assam. But this tea tastes great, despite the lesser-quality leaves.

I wish I would have bought their regular Earl Grey while in Colorado. This stuff is good.

When I found out that Harney & Sons had a 7-year old, compressed green tea, I had to buy it.

I know this tea is not a Pu-erh, so I am not expecting the characteristic earthiness of one.

Leaf Quality
The leaves were tightly compressed, and arrived in a tin, pre broken into medium-sized chunks. These leaves had lots of color to them. There were pale green ones with white hairs, dark green leaves, and light green leaves together. The unwashed leaves smelled very sweet, and very floral. The washed leaves smelled more brisk. Slightly earthy, but still sweet. Their color still showed through that first wash. The leaves after steeping expanded quite a bit, and were more uniform in color. They smelled nutty, grassy, and not sweet nor floral anymore. It had also lost its earthiness.

Brewed Tea
The brewed tea was a beautiful golden-yellow with a hint of green. There was also a honey-sweet, nutty aroma, similar to that of cornbread.
First Steeping
I thought that the earthiness had left, but it showed up in this steeping. It was welcomed, as it went well with the floral notes. This tea was slightly brisk, with a sweet finish. If a green tea and a Pu-er were blended together, I’m sure it would taste something like this.
Second Steeping
This cuppa was more sweet. Very sweet actually. Both the smell and flavor were light- no briskness at all. The aftertaste was very floral, and pleasant.
Third Steeping
This steeping was the most floral of them all. It retained all the sweetness from the second brewing, and still smelled a bit nutty. All earthiness was gone at this point.

This tea is wonderful. My favorite from Harney & Sons so far. It evolved greatly with each brew, and became very sweet. I’m going to save some pieces of this cake to age. I hope those pieces turn out good as well!

I’m not too impressed with this tea. Although the ingredients are not listed, I’m pretty sure this has Ginseng in it.

Leaf Quality
There were many whole leaves, and less broken leaves. There are little white squares (I’m not sure what composes them, but they are definitely organic). Also, there were white, leathery leaves, which were definitely not tea leaves. It smelled pleasant, but not very much like a typical green tea.

Brewed Tea
It smelled like Ginseng, and slightly like Bergamot. It tasted like Ginseng too. Maybe it was the combination of whichever green tea and Bergamot flavoring they used, but I did not taste very much Camellia Sinensis. The Bergamot flavor, which is supposed to make up the earl grey, was almost unnoticeable.

This tea did not impress me very much, and I would like to know the ingredients. This is the only undesirable tea that I have tried from the Durango Coffee Co. I would have preferred more Bergamot, and also more green tea flavor.

This tasted uneven, and to be honest, nothing like Earl Grey should.

Thank you, David at Verdant Tea for this free sample!

I’m really excited to try this tea. I’ve heard great things about he Laoshan Black tea from Verdant, and loved the Aged White Tea Cake I got. Now here’s another white tea for me to try.

Leaf Quality
The leaves are thin, curly, and an almost black-green color, with little strands of white in the mix. When I opened the sample pouch, I could barely tell what the dry leaves smelled like. After some time, I began to notice traces of Cinnamon and Vanilla. When I brewed the leaves for the required 20 seconds, they showed a beautiful color. Light and dark green leaves intertwined with pale yellow leaves. The leaves smelled grassy, sweet, and slightly vegetal. I’ve reviewed quite a bit of vegetal teas lately.

Brewed Tea
As quick as the steeping was, the brewed tea yielded a very nice, but very light yellow color. It smelled sweet, but it tasted much sweeter, and silky. It was a very smooth brew, with a very light flavor. I got a honey-like aftertaste.
Second Brew
Again, the flavor of this tea was very light, as was the color. The second brew did not have the same silkiness as the first steeping. The vegetal notes only showed in this second steeping. However, the vanilla notes I mentioned earlier also showed up.

I’m glad I got to try this tea. It’s character was complex, flavor light, and was very sweet.

This tea looks like Pine Needles! I am also told that this tea has a vegetal aroma and taste to it. If it tastes like Taiping Hou Kui, I’m sure I’ll love this tea.

Leaf Quality
The dry leaves are very thin, and deep green. They are also very delicate- the slightest touch of one of these leaves could brake it in 3 pieces. They smelled sweet, and floral. The wet leaves had the smell and consistency of cooked Spinach. I even noticed a very slight sulfuric aroma, as in cooked broccoli or cabbage. This tea, just by the leaves, was very vegetal indeed.

Brewed Tea
The brewed tea smelled of buttered Brussels Sprouts, which I happen to like (I know! How strange!) The color was a hue of lime green, but very clear. I could mistake this for a vegetable base in a soup. The taste was vegetal, and almost savory. However, this tea was also slightly sweet, and it reminded me of Sugarsnap Peas. How much vegetables have I mentioned so far?

This tea is very different in character to Taiping Hou Kui, which is more sweet, and less vegetal. Also, this tea is more robust. The taste does not change very much between steeps either. This tea still succeeds in pleasing the palate.

This was a free sample that came with my order, so thank you Harney & Sons!

Leaf Quality
This sample tea was in a sachet. However, I could still see the individual leaves. They were cut, so there were no full green tea leaves. Also, the picking and processing region in China was not specified. Upon opening the sample, I got a very wonderful Margarita-like aroma. It smelled like lime.

Brewed Tea
It smelled just like the dried leaves- like a margarita. The color of the brew was a yellowish-green, and bits of tea and herb dust fell to the bottom of the cup. It was very citrusy, and tasted as if lemongrass were somewhere in the blend. This tea wasn’t too bad, although I think I would prefer it as an iced beverage. There really isn’t a very green tea flavor in this tea. The typical green tea flavor is overcome by the Ginko and citrus. I would have liked more green tea, or perhaps a stronger one.

I’m glad I got this one for free, as I would not have been satisfied paying for it.