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I can now tell where the gorgeous Taiwanese 18 tea got a lot of its parentage from.

The malted sugar and cherry fragrance on this Assam black is lovely.

Unfortunately the tea liquor isn’t sweet at all so I guess I could add some honey to it. It is mellow and has the same slight astringency that I get from 18 which is actually quite nice. Not bitter (yet… I must make sure not to oversteep this).

I added milk to the second half of my cup and it goes very nicely; the milk adds a touch of sweetness that enhances this tea a lot.

Rating: 82

First infusion:
When I stick my nose into the cup, I get the scent of mushrooms, clear and bright and not too musty. Liquor is the colour of black coffee. Tastes slightly bitter on its own, but in a rousing way again like black coffee, or bitter chocolate. But it pairs well when drunk with my slightly sweeten black rice + grass jelly breakfast.

Second infusion:
It’s fine with milk, not revelational or anything probably because the bitterness clashes a bit. I think sweeter Pu ers tend to go better with milk.

This Pu Er might taste better with a savoury meal.

Third infusion:
Ate it with a banh mi sandwich. Really nothing special. I won’t be buying the full size of this tea.

Rating: 79

Not a big fan of this plain as the spices taste sharp, but it’s decent accompaniment for a meal when I add milk.

2.5g, 6oz at 192˚F.

Aroma is leafy and vegetal, like Chinese green teas, but also with a pleasant malted sweetness and hint of lemony citrus.

Liquor tastes of malt sugar, seaweedy umami. Very nice, I definitely prefer this to the MH Classic Black. Stands up nicely to my sweet yoghurt granola breakfast.

Brewed 2.5g at 190˚F in 7oz of water for 5:00.

Rating: 77

This is my first ever Darjeeling first flush black tea––I’ve only had Chinese black teas before this.

Lovely aroma, malted sugar and toasted nutty, reminds me of Golden Monkey black tea. The wet leaf itself gives off a divine floral bouquet. But the taste of the liquor is totally average. I used a bit too much water to leaf, but even so it’s slightly on the astringent side. I can see tea beginners enjoying this, and maybe it pairs well with savoury food but not so good with yoghurt and granola.

Brewed 2.5g of leaf in 8oz of water at 190˚F for 4:45. Next time I’ll try 6oz of water at 185˚F. Then will try adding honey or lemon.

Rating: 70

Super excited as this is my first single-estate Indian tea!

Intoxicating fruity, spicy, malted sugar, and floral aroma. More complex and beautiful than many of my Chinese oolongs! Most resembles a dancong oolong or a white tea in aroma.

The liquor tastes tangy and citrusy. It is sweet but not a caramelised malty dessert sweet, more a natural fruit sugar sweet. Great tea body and mouthfeel, pairs well with my sweet yoghurt breakfast. I might try adding sugar to the tea another time just for laughs but it doesn’t need it.

Steeped 2.5g of leaf in ~6oz of water at 183˚F for 4 minutes, as per instructions.

Once again, I owe this tea an apology for overbrewing it last time with way too much leaf.

This time I used 9g in a 190ml gaiwan and it tasted and smelled wonderful. It’s still slightly on the herbal, bitter side, but in an invigorating and harmonious way. Goes well with sweet peaches.

Second infusion:
Even more musty, with a lot of character like old furniture and a hint of salty seaweed. Maybe salty caramel / sugar, is that supposed to be the “sugarcane” on Yunnan Sourcing’s website description?

Third infusion:
Goes great with milk and paired with bread and butter pudding.

Rating: 86

9g / 190ml large gaiwan
Rinse smelled a bit fishy, so it probably could age for a while longer.

First infusion:
Fishy smell is gone. Lovely sweet aroma, smooth comforting taste. Don’t know how to describe this, but it’s almost like the best possible hot water, neutral taste but full-bodied and goes with everything. I’m eating it with fruit for breakfast and it pairs fine, doesn’t overwhelm the mild dragonfruit. Tastes good with milk too.

Second infusion:
Hmm, this infusion is not so sweet and I’m getting a bit more of that “plain water” taste, maybe due to very light mellow flavour and a slight astringency on the tongue (like when you drink too much warm water). Better than the first time I tried this (used too much leaf), but I probably won’t buy the full cake.

Increasing rating to 82.

Trying this again two years after my first tasting, I get a strong, spicy aroma of ginger on the first infusion (194˚F). Tastes good but not as potent as it smells.

Second infusion at 197˚F unfortunately seemed to burn the leaves, pushing it over the edge into bitterness and astringency.

Third infusion was when the seaweed, umami, savoury flavours really came out.

Downgrading my rating to 76.

Now that I’m measuring out my Pu Ers more consistently (5g in 130ml gaiwan), they are tasting much better––surprise!

I think I used way too much leaf the first time. This time it’s much less “bold”, just smooth and sweet. This is currently one of my favourite teas to drink with food. Right now drinking it with a bagel w/ cream cheese and tahini, and it goes well when I add maple syrup to the make it a sweet bagel too.