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It’s always tricky to review a tea that I didn’t brew myself, but here are some of my notes. The package says that this tea has notes of Magnolia, Sugarcane and Spring Water.

1st infusion: (205˚F, ?)
Tea smells buttery, this is a very light infusion. Leaves smell intoxicatingly sweet and floral.

2nd infusion: (200˚F, 1:00)
Tastes buttery, savoury almost salty. I half-suspect that the mug I’m drinking it out of came into a brush with some salt (but it’s the same mug as I drank the first infusion out of, so… very curious). In any case, this is a good tea.

3rd infusion: (200˚F, 1:50)
Too astringent probably steeped too long.

This is my first Bi Luo Chun, so I could be interpreting this all wrongly, but here’s my impression: The dry leaves are very hairy loose green spirals, look almost like hemp string, with white tips and a lot of tea “dust” or fannings. It smells really fragrant, though I wouldn’t call it sweet, it smells more like a vegetable grilled with flowers.

Frustratingly, there are no brewing instructions for gongfu style on the Dragon Tea House website or on the package. You can read the account of my attempts below. Perhaps this tea is only good enough for Western brewing (they recommend 2 – 3 minutes). For now I’ll just say I expected better from a “Supreme” label tea.

Rating: 52

3 – 4g of leaves, 5oz water, 176˚F
Verdict: I think I still overleafed.

1st infusion: (25s)
Fragrant aroma from leaves and liquor. Liquor tastes more clear and slight astringency, but less than from first attempt.

2nd infusion: (40s)
Astringent again. I probably need to use even less leaves.

5g of leaves, 4.5oz water, 176˚F
The leaves smell really fragrant, but the tea tastes disappointing. I probably am not brewing with the right amount of leaves or for the right length but the temperature seems correct.

1st infusion: (30s)
Tea smells really sweet, floral and longan notes. Tastes a little astringent though, and the liquor feels very thick and fibrous.

2nd infusion: (50s)
Fragrant vegetal aroma. But the taste is just more astringency.

3rd infusion: (70s)
Less astringency, but the flavour is gone. Surprisingly, the leaves still smell really sweet.

As far as gaiwans go, I don’t think this is very good but I got it because it was reasonably priced ($16.99 from Dragon Tea House on Ebay). They also had a $10.99 one but I decided to go with the slightly higher-range one haha.

First of all, the gaiwan dribbles down the sides when you pour liquid out, even if you pour swiftly and at a steep angle. I own two other gaiwans (a Jingdezhen porcelain from Red Blossom Tea Co., and a cheapo 100ml one from a travel set) and neither of them drip when you pour from them.

Secondly, the knob on the lid can be filled with hot liquid if you’re pouring too quickly, so the heat conducts through the thin glass and can burn your finger. My trick is that I use the nail of my index finger to hold that knob on the lid, while my thumb and middle finger hold either side of the gaiwan bowl. (The nail doesn’t feel the heat.)

This is supposed to be special heat-resistant glass, but it still gets pretty darned hot. I only brew my green teas and white teas in this. I wouldn’t use it with water above 190˚F. I just really wanted a glass gaiwan to observe some of the pretty teas in so this works for my whites and Dragon Wells, but I might still be open to purchasing another glass gaiwan if I found one that handled higher temperatures well so that I can see my rolled oolongs unfurl in the glass bowl at 200˚F or higher!

Dry leaf smells vegetal and slightly buttery. Again, omitting the rinse.

1st infusion: (25s)
WHOA. This is super buttery and milky and delicious.

2nd infusion: (35s)
Dry leaf smells more vegetal already. Hmm, the tea smells buttery but is slightly astringent even though I followed the brewing instructions to a T.

3rd – 5th infusions:
Astringency is gone. These are good infusions, buttery and mildly sweet with a nice substantial mouthfeel.

6th infusion: (75s)
The flavour is almost gone in this one, but it still pairs well with a sweet breakfast. I’m impressed these gentle green leaves have lasted this long.

Take two on this 2015 Phoenix 单丛 sample. I’m forgoing the rinsing step these days.

1st infusion: (10s)
Wow. What a beautiful rich chocolatey aroma, and caramel notes in the midst of this dark chocolate liquor. All that from only ten seconds of work!

2nd infusion: (15s)
I mean these leaves just smell like a saucepan full of melted dark chocolate––that’s how potent they are. The tea has that roasty, mineral flavour like a Fujian oolong.

3rd – 6th:
More of the same bitter chocolatey minerality. I’m really not getting any of this fruity or grape scent that other reviewers have talked about. The Da Hong Pao was more interesting in that regard.

Update: In future I might still buy this and try brewing this at a lower temperature like 180˚F, as mentioned in this Silk Road Teas guide: http://www.silkroadteas.com/how-to-brew-loose-leaf-tea-brewing-instructions/

This tea has such a beautiful fruity, juicy blackcurrant and floral scent. A black tea blend I actually like. Drinking this with milk it has a great velvety mouthfeel (maybe it’s from the milk but I’m loving it.)

PS: It’s always thrilling when I guess the flavours correctly. Seems like there really is a strong blackcurrant note in this tea according to other Steepsterites. It smells so much like Ribena (wonderful childhood syrup drink) to me.

Note: Brew this at 190˚F. This is my go-to pre-bedtime drink especially after a heaty dinner or desserts.

The flowers are ultra-perfumed, almost to the point of stinging. It tasted bitter when brewed at 195˚. They definitely need the half-teaspoon of sugar to counter the intense florality*.

*not a word, but it should be!

Dry leaves: sudden bright scent of passionfruit / mango.

1st infusion: (25s)
Leaves smell like a complex mixture including bitter chocolate and seaweed. Tea has that roasty, mineral flavour I associate with Fujian oolongs. Drinking this with toasted leftover dimsum now and it pairs alright with the oily sweetness, imparting chocolatey tones.

2nd infusion: (30s)
Liquor is still a beautiful reddish bronze. Flavour is mellowing out from the initial infusion’s harshness. This is growing on me.

3rd – 5th infusions:
More of the same goodness, the colour shows no sign of letting up while the flavour gradually lightens.

6th infusion: (120s)
The leaves are left with a fruity aroma like grape or plum. The liquor has finally turned a coppery amber colour, and tastes a very pleasing, mild flavour with the bitterness all gone––mineral and roasty with fruit aftertaste. Really like this infusion.

Next time: Try skipping the rinse and brew at 170 – 173˚F instead since their Nonpareil Silver Needle did so well at a lower temperature.

I am loving pretty much every tea from Teavivre so far. This Silver Needle is so fragrant in a similar way to the White Peony, but less sweet (I specifically wanted a less sweet tea this afternoon). Really happy I could brew this in my new glass gaiwan (which only takes well to lower temperatures like this 176˚F). Did a 2-second rinse.

1st infusion (45s):
The leaves are bursting with perfume reminiscent of a field or garden in summer––floral and dry grass. The liquor tastes floral, but with a refreshing twist like cucumber, and also a hint of soy milk with vegetable broth.

2nd infusion (60s):
Still that nice summer field aroma, but more subdued than before. Starting to taste a bit of that sweet “melon” other reviewers have mentioned, but also starting to get slightly dry and astringent. Still yummy though.

3rd infusion (90s):
Less fragrance now, but the tea is still full-bodied with nice round mouthfeel. Less astringent because I poured the liquor out of the gaiwan promptly (I might have oversteeped on the 2nd infusion).

4th infusion (105s):
I’m impressed that the leaves are still going, this infusion has mostly the dry floral and pine flavour. I could probably get one more steep out of this, but I’m not going to push the leaves any more because I want to move on to a different tea.

This is for people who have the time and inclination to savour a gradually unfurling tea journey. This Buddha’s Hand can last probably over ten infusions. It has some of the most tightly rolled leaves in Song Tea’s collection. It is also one of the most beautiful smelling teas I have had the pleasure of experiencing: a roasty chocolate that gives way to caramelized fruity notes. Unfortunately, the taste is blunter than its fragrance, so take care to brew with a light hand. Some infusions of this tasted like dark bitter coffee. Later infusions are brighter and fruitier. Overall a wonderful, complex, darker tea for a long afternoon in.