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This is a sample from TeaSipper. Thank you!

This cup is hitting the spot this morning, although I am having a really hard time putting my finger on the flavors I am tasting. This cup verges on the spaghetti taste for me. It is slightly astringent, but in a good way. There are hints of bread and then the slight tomato flavor. It is nice this morning! Not something I need again, but I am glad I got to try it.

This is a sample from TeaSipper! Thank you!

Hey Steepster it has been awhile. My wonderful husband planned 2 vacations very close together. It looked good on paper, but man it made for a very busy month. Vacation was great. I feel highly motivated and ready to take on EVERYTHING. I guess that is a good sign of vacation.

This tea, we are going to have to dance again. It is very bitter for me this morning. The first part of the sip is very very lovely. Bright, hints of coco, hints of fruity-ness, but the end of the sip is nothing but bitter for me. I am at home today so that means higher water temps. I will try this with a cooler temp and see what happens.

I received this sample with my last Verdant order. Thank you!

As much as I try to be super careful with green tea something ultimately goes wrong and the tea turns bitter. This was the case with this tea. I tried to brew this up yesterday to have with an afternoon snack with the little one. The first steep was great. Sweet, nutty, and vegetal. A very nice cup. Then second steep was so bitter I couldn’t finish the cup. I lowered the water temp and steep time for the third but it too was bitter. Was my initial steep what caused the following steeps to be bitter? I was brewing this at 175….

I received a sachet of this in my recent order. It was just ho hum. Nothing really stood out about this tea. It was light and I was expecting a strong breakfast tea. This is not one I would repurchase.

I bought a 2oz package of this back in Novemer when I ordered another travel mug. This is a green oolong with flavors of strawberry. The strawberry flavor just adds a bit of sweetness to the cup. With this cup I got quite a bit of bitterness as I sometimes do from green oolongs. I am not sure what I think of this one. I may try this iced tonight.

This is a sample from TeaSipper. Thank you!

Holy kick in the pants! This is a strong tea. The color of the cup alone made me quiver in my shoes a bit. This is brisk and a tad astringent, but for a morning cup that can be a good thing. There is a hint of vanilla and an sweet undertone to the tea. There are hints of caramel and bread. This is a nice breakfast blend. I am digging it this morning.

Side note: This reminds me of Adagio’s Eleven. There are tad hints of coconut.

I received a sample of this from TeaSipper. Thank you!

This tea was slightly fruity, but not as fruity as Ha Ya Black Keemun, it did not have much smoke. It was the middle road between the Ha Ya Black and the Grade 2. It was well rounded and smooth. (As a note for myself. this is probably my least favorite of the 3, I would repurchase the Ha Ya Black and Grade 2).

I received a sample of this from TeaSipper. Thank you!

This tea was slightly smokey, with a woody rich flavor. It was smooth and had a solid body. This was a great cup, and one I would repurchase.

This sample comes to me from TeaSipper Thank you!

I have been impressed with many of Zen Tea Life’s teas and this one did not disappoint. This was a tad fruity, with hints of smoke and chocolate. This was a little light in comparison to a few others I tried at the same time, but a little more leaf will solve that problem. This was smooth and pretty much spot on for what I would expect from a keemun. I am glad I had the opportunity to try this one.

I have recently become the owner of 5, yes 5 different keemuns. For a girl who barely knew what keemuns were a month ago this astounds me how they have gravitated to me. So here is a quick summary of how my taste buds viewed all of them in comparison. I will start by saying I actually loved all of them. There are a few I would pick over others to re-buy, but all were worth drinking again and again and again.

Teavivre – Ha Ya Black Keemun
– fruity, complex flavors, smooth, rich,

Teavivre – Grade 1 Keemun
– less fruity than Ha Ya Black, middle of the road as far as the taste profile went, not fruity, not smokey. well rounded and smooth.
– most like the Pine Peak

Teavivre – Grade 2 Keenum
– tad bit of smoke, woody rich flavor
– most like China Keenum from Zen Tea Life

Zen Tea Life – China Keemun
– tad bit of smoke, less body than the Grade 2 from Teavivre
– most like Grade 2 from Teavivre

Whispering Pines – Pine Peak Keemun
– less fruity, no smoke, good body, smooth
– most like Grade 1 from Teavivre

All teas were steeped per recommended instructions. They were all great and I can see lots of keemun drinking in my future. Thanks to those that contributed to my ability to do this comparison!

At the end of this comparison i dumped all 5 together and drank the cup. The resulting brew was also amazing! I can definitely say I am a keemun convert!