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I normally don’t buy David’s Tea because I find they mostly make novelty tea blends rife with sweeteners and added flavouring. With that said, my mother is a big fan of their products and informed me that they have an ongoing sale for 70% off discontinued blends. For that kind of discount I couldn’t say no to chipping in on an order.

The first product I’ve tried is called Seaberry Spa, which is a very fruity and fragrant white tea blend. In fact, I think there are more tisane and fruit ingredients than actual white tea in the pouch (does that make this herbal tea?). I’ve brewed this three times so far, both Western and gong fu, the former having a more desirable outcome (flavour didn’t evolve at all with gong fu), and once as iced tea as well.

The taste is actually pretty good, better than anticipated. For the longest time I was trying to figure out what it reminded me of until finally it hit me that this blend emulates classic fruity bubble gum, but with a hint of licorice and ginger thrown in. An interesting change from the pure/un-blended teas I normally drink, that’s for sure. It’s a very in-your-face kind of experience though, I think the added flavouring really adds a punch. As far as white tea goes though, this is nowhere close to as good as others I have in my collection. I think this really shines as an iced tea though, it’s just delicious and refreshing.

Would I buy this again? Probably not, but it’s certainly nice as a treat!

Spring has been late to start this year. This morning the temperature clocked in at a measly 8°C, but at least the trees are in full bloom and tiny baby leaves have started popping out. The perfect scenery for a day off work with a good long tea session if you ask me.

Since this tea has been sitting around since the turn of the millennium I gave it a decent wash. Happily, a concentrated honeyed raisin and fig aroma filled the air around me without even having to get my nose close to the teapot!

The first pot produced a lovely deep orange and caramel colour liquor, although it wasn’t as pungent as the wet leaves. The taste gave me a really good idea of the flavours to come in additional brews though. The fig and raisin becomes accompanied by a slight medicinal or herbal flavour (perhaps like ginseng extract), a very subtle smokey grass note, and a lovely pop of black peppercorn or nasturtium flower/spice on the sides of the tongue. It’s also just incredibly smooth. No astringency, thick mouth-feel, and a powerful wash of Qi over the whole body. By the end of the third pot I was definitely giddy and tea drunk.

Overall this has shot to the top of my list of favourite pu-erhs. Absolutely phenomenal, I could drink this all day every day. If you have never tried this tea do yourself a favour and at the very least grab a sample. It’s a brilliant example of how rich an aged sheng can be. You can really taste the love and passion that went into this.

This is the second tea I bought from Genuine Tea. I’ve never had an oolong that tastes quite like this one, but I can’t speak from much experience as this is the first time I’m trying Da Hong Pao. Can someone please chime in and let me know if this is a typical flavour profile for this style of oolong?

I’m actually half-way through this session while I’m writing this, so I’ll have to come back to update it at the end of the day with final thoughts. I’m using a 140ml teapot with 90°C water and 6.5 grams of tea, although I wish I had added maybe a gram more in hindsight.

Initially I was disappointed with the aroma and flavour, the first pot reminded me immensely of Houjicha which I already have a large supply of. There was a strong charred wood scent mixed with some vague fruitiness, but it seems that the flavour changes quite a bit as the leaves open up. The next few pots were far superior, the char turned into more of a wet asphalt note (like the way roads smell during summer rain), and the woodiness became sweeter, almost like how Palo Santo smells. Surprisingly the mouth feel is super mellow, literally no bitterness at all and minimal astringency. There is supposedly a honey/peach note to this tea that I just don’t taste at all, perhaps slightly as an aftertaste that lingers on the tongue (although I am a bit congested today). Will have to give it another go some other day. Update: I found the wet leaves in the pot smelled much stronger of peaches, but it’s more of an aroma than flavour

Interestingly I did find a very calming energy wash over me throughout this session which was nicely in balance with the higher caffeine content.

I do like this Da Hong Pao, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to buy it again, especially when I already have other teas in a similar flavour range. A quick google search tells me how that this is a very popular oolong, so for all I know this isn’t the really good stuff.

Yesterday I went to a massive biannual craft/artisan show downtown called the One of a Kind Show. Usually I find the few vendors selling tea there focus on blends and herbal teas because that’s what typically sells, but I managed to find a new player who had the good stuff and I shopped quite a bit with them! Many more reviews to come over the next week.

This particular company is relatively new, only in business for the last four years, but after speaking at length with the owners it seems they really know what they’re doing. Most importantly, the tea is good. I’ve always struggled with finding reputable local companies that sell tea as I don’t think ordering online from around the world is very sustainable as an individual consumer; I’m always thrilled to find feel good about my purchases.

This Imperial Golden Monkey that I was sold is just so nice. I was told the farmer whom they source this from experiments with cross-breeding typical Assam black tea and typical Fujian tea to create something unique. The leaves are very thin and long, and are blueish-brown with streaks of gold weaving throughout the bag. Pretty to look at!

In a 180ml gaiwan with 90°C water I started a typical gong-fu session. The wash was so aromatic and clean that I did end up drinking it, unlike some other black teas I come across. The first flavour notes that I recognised were of burnt caramel and cacao nibs. Very rich and almost bitter in the same way a very dark chocolate tastes. After a few more cups the caramel transformed into more of a classic malt taste, but interestingly some background fruitiness arises, perhaps rhubarb or green apples? I didn’t notice much sweetness though which was refreshing, I think most black tea I’ve had lately become sickening after a few cups, but it’s likely I’ve just been ordering the wrong stuff for my taste. The mouth-feel is great, medium thickness, low astringency, minor salivation, and no lingering bitterness! Only the good flavours stick around on my tongue.

Ultimately I don’t think I have anything bad to say about this tea. It’s well-balanced, obviously grown well, and it doesn’t make me terribly jittery from caffeine after a whole session. Excellent for a daily black tea, and something I think I will continue reaching for regularly.

As I’m sure many others are, I’m a sucker for milk oolong. I don’t even like milk very much, but there’s something about the sweet and creamy flavour and mouth-feel of this style of tea that makes me very happy. I have not tried any milk oolong from Yunnan Sourcing before, but I have high hopes.

I used a 140ml teapot with 6 grams of tea and 90°C water, short steep times.

The first thing I noticed is thankfully the pungent milk aroma coming off the wet leaves and soup. Buttery, sweet, and not too floral. From experience, a good milk oolong has the same pungent flavour as it does aroma. I can happily report that this does indeed have a strong milky/buttery flavour, however it was more “green” tasting than expected (umami and vegetal). This is perhaps due to its growing conditions though? It’s a high elevation Taiwan tea and reminds me of other “jade” Taiwan oolongs I’ve tried. Not my favourite oolong flavour profile overall, but it is well-balanced with the milk. What’s nice and most notable about this batch is that the milk flavour does carry along for multiple brews, eventually tapering off, leaving the tea tasting like something between a typical oolong and green tea. Many milk oolongs that I’ve tried quickly taper off into a normal flavour profile, so in that sense this tea is superior.

In conclusion, this is a lovely milk oolong overall, especially for people who prefer more subdued floral notes. Unfortunately, it’s turned out to not be my favourite simply due to the green flavour profile. I much prefer floral, fruity, or roasted oolongs.

My friend’s father died yesterday and I invited her over for tea and some down time between making funeral arrangements. Pulled this pu-erh out and it seems to have done a good job calming the nerves, or at least providing something else to focus on.

We used boiling water with 8 grams of tea in a 140ml teapot. 20 second wash was followed by short brews leading up to 1 minute long.

This tea is so lovely. The first thing we noticed was the aroma from the pot, very sweet and grape-like with deeper floral undertones. There’s a type of realistic gummy grape candy from Japan that actually tastes a lot like the aroma from this tea!

Even with the first pot or two the soup is a gorgeous dark caramel colour, you can just tell it will keep on giving with each brew. The mouth feel and smoothness in general is just awesome, viscous and creamy! Considering this was picked in 2007 I think it’s aged very nicely indeed. Mellow is the word. Hardly any astringency is present. I think it was stored very well as it seems to be incredibly clean. Didn’t notice much dust or sediment or weird tastes.

I think the flavour profile is quite rich and complex. Compared with the wet leaf aroma, you can taste the age of the tea significantly more. The grape mixes with notes of leather, honey, and sweet grass, and perhaps other fruit. It reminds me of drinking sangria actually. Strangely the floral notes seem to fade into the background which doesn’t bother me.

Overall I’m extremely impressed and pleased with this tea. My friend also loved it! I’ll have to buy a full cake as this was just a sample I purchased. I think it’s worth the price.

I’ve been painfully waiting for TWO MONTHS for my last order of tea, it got help up in customs for like six weeks which is just crazy. Happily, it’s finally arrived and I can’t wait to try everything out.

This white tea cake is the first one I’ve selected mostly because I haven’t drunk any white tea in a long while now and because it was the cheapest part of my order (save the best for last and such). The compression on the cake is quite nice and airy, very easy to pull apart, however the leaves are brittle and are dusting quite easily. I hope that doesn’t bring out the bitterness too much. The dry aroma is fruity and slightly floral with hints of balsamic vinegar. Very interesting nose for sure.

For this brew I used a 140ml teapot with 7.5 grams of tea (although I wish I had used a little more than that), and 85°C water. A quick wash was followed by steeps increasing in 10 or 15 second increments up to 1 minute long.

By the second or third pot the soup becomes a lovely sunset yellow/orange colour, and the flavour finally presents itself fully. I found the first couple pots to lack some flavour, perhaps this tea takes longer to “wake up”? Anyway, the taste is quite nice, but it’s not blowing me away or anything. There’s a bit of a raisin flavour mixing with peppercorn which is tasty. Not getting as many floral notes as I anticipated. The mouth feel is really what’s winning me over though, it’s very creamy and thick, thankfully with no astringency or bitterness. Nice. I think generally it’s a sweeter tea which somewhat makes up for a generic flavour profile.

All in all, a decent but forgetful white tea. The price definitely reflects the experience in this case. Also, as per the name, I did notice three distinct aromas between the dry leaves, the tea soup, and the wet leaves. Very interesting in that regard.

Wow, it’s been a couple months now since I’ve posted here, didn’t think it’d been that long. Usually at the end of the year I don’t buy any more tea and try to drink anything that’s been sitting unopened or about to go stale in my cupboard. Last week I found a sealed package of Kyoto houjicha that I had somehow buried and forgotten about! I purchased this maybe three years ago in Halifax, Canada of all places, thankfully it’s not stale yet. Anyway, that’s what today’s entry is about.

I used a new clay 140ml gaiwan with 7 grams of tea in 85°C water.
A quick wash was followed by a 10 second steep, working up to 1 minute brews.

I love aromatic teas, and this one doesn’t hold back. A pleasant char/roast scent hit me hard in the face before even sipping, followed by a subtle briny layer which I found was really unique. Definitely reminded me of being on an ocean pier or a beach bonfire. The flavour is just wonderful though, a typical umami roast is very forward in initial brews, but there are deeper undertones of wood, seaweed, and coffee to be coaxed out which just makes me very happy indeed. Wasn’t expecting such a complex flavour profile. The mouth feel is amazing too, the soup is thick and lubricating going down with a pleasant astringent aftertaste. I really like this tea, and will probably buy more as I only have 80 grams right now.

Blah I feel like crap today, currently taking a break from work and just so thankful I’m allowed to have a proper tea station set up at my work bench. It really makes a huge difference on days like today. Creature comforts and such.

Anyway, I’ve broken into this 15 gram sample of oolong and I’m quite pleased they included it. I like it significantly better than the jade oolong I purchased. Although it’s a rather green “high mountain” oolong, it’s super mellow yet somehow rich, fruity, and sweet. Not at all brothy and umami like some of the other oolong in this order. The citrus notes are enjoyable, but they’re actually not the flavours that stand out the most to me. There’s something like vanilla or white chocolate coming through, and a gentle floral sweetness too. The liquor is thicker than the other oolongs from this order as well. Amazingly smooth mouth feel, with some light astringency after a few cups. A distinct floral and vegetal aftertaste is present. Really quite impressed with this to be honest. I’m going to order more when I restock for an every day tea.

I’ve become entirely enamoured by oolongs. The range of flavours is outstanding. I love a good pu-erh too, but the majestic oolong has stolen my heart. Aside from flavour, I actually managed to brew the same gaiwan of Cape Jasmine two days in a row! Amazing.

I’m trying the third tea from that order today. Although this high mountain jade oolong was made in 2014, it has a very young appearance and overall tastes a bit closer to a green tea than a darker oolong (I suppose this is why it’s called “jade”?). It actually reminds me of another green tea I reviewed a few weeks back from Yunnan Sourcing, ironically called “Yunnan Jade Dragon” as well (although more brothy).

The flavour profile is a really nice balance of soup broth, spinach, cream, and gentle floral notes reminiscent of King of Duck Aroma, but nowhere near as in your face. I think I prefer the aroma better than the taste though.

In conclusion, I won’t be buying this again. I definitely prefer oolongs that are sweeter and more fermented, this is too green for me. It’s still a great tea, but I’m happy I only purchased 25 grams.

If anyone makes it this far down my review, please recommend me some of your favourite oolongs! Even if it’s a “green” oolong I will still try it, I’m sure many of them do not taste like this.