bozisuk Send Message

Exquisite. Light, flowery, and smooth with an unmistakable sweetness present throughout. From the time you open the package and examine the near perfect buds to the aroma coming from the dried tea to the last sip, this is probably my favorite tea. It is of a superb quality, and one of the best silver needles available. Just a perfect light cup of sweet and floral tea. Perfect for the summer, or any other time for that matter :)

From the Autumn 2015 stock…

I steeped this at 190 degrees with 5 grams of tea. The taste was very typical oolong, but very very good. The flavor was very buttery, full, and sweet. Strong taste of honey. Very smooth without a bit of astringency. I would highly recommend for any oolong lover.

I really enjoyed this sencha from NaturaliTea. It was well balanced and provided both notes of astringency and sweetness.

I began with 5g of tea steeped at 160 degrees for one minute. The initial infusion was quite sweet, while still not being overpowering. There were also flavors of green beans, veggies, and sweet wheat grass. It was both sweet, astringent, and balanced. Akin to a nice sweet and tart apple. Both flavor categories working well together.

The second infusion was steeped at the same temperature for about a minute again. It was slightly less sweet with an almost smokey astringency in the back of my throat. Overall, however, it maintained the flavor profile of the first infusion. Quite well balanced while tipping towards the sweet side.

I started off by steeping this per the instructions at 120 degrees for 1 minute. I was surprised by the very balanced umami flavor. There was a slight astringent finish and a bitter vegetal taste. Grassy. Fresh bitter herbs.

The second infusion was at 190 degrees for 5 seconds. It was much smoother, with less grassy flavor and more mellow.

First steep 5g at 130 degrees for 1 min. Very vegetal. Sweet. Strong umami. First steep is almost reminiscent of a gyokuro.

Second steep. 15 seconds at 175 degrees. Still quite vegetal. Green bean flavor. Slight bite but not too much. Very little if any astringency, however there is still a strong veggie taste.

I got this as a free sample from Yunomi. Very excited to try it… After sitting through it this morning, however, I’ve decided it’s not my cup of tea. I think that it is very good tea, but personally just not my favorite flavor profile.

I started this session with 5g of tea steeped at 140 degrees. The initial cup was sweet and grassy. There was an ever so slight hint of astringency and umami, but both were quite balanced. The overall flavor was of green beans.

The second steep was done at 175 degrees and was surprisingly similar to the first steep. It was overall still sweet, yet still had a strong “tea” flavor without the astringent bite. I realize that is not very descriptive, but it is very hard to describe. Almost the flavor of an astringent tea without the bite of astringency. Perhaps I simply mean a very vegetal tea. Not sure… :)

Finally, the last steep was conducted at 190 degrees. Finally, the tea was a bit more astringent. At the same time, however, it starts to lose its fullness and flavor. It was simply like a cheap astringent green tea. The wonderful flavor profile dissipated quite fast.

Overall, the quality of this tea was quite good and I did enjoy it. I just prefer less sweetness and more bold flavors in my Japanese green teas, or at least I did today.

Very happy to receive this sample from Teavivre. Upon opening the package my nose was met with a wonderful sweet smell. It is almost akin to a cross between a Silver Needle and Bi Luo Chun. After steeping it quickly, the taste was also very similar to both of these teas. There are floral, sweet, and light tastes along with a new almost buttery and nutty aftertaste. The second steep brought some earthiness to the taste. Not a dirtiness like puerh, but rather just some hints of earthiness—almost like dry autumn leaves. There is also an increased amount of astringency. However, there is still a hint of sweetness and floralness like a Bi Luo Chun. Overall I really enjoyed this sample though. Excellent taste and aroma, not to mention the beautiful dry leaves.

I started this one out with 5g at 160 degrees for about 45 seconds with a small mugs worth of water (perhaps not the most exact form of measurement). The initial cup was very strong. Full of astringency and bitter grass. The color of the steeped tea was a magnificent green.

As I continued to steep the tea the flavor mellowed while still being very grassy. The astringency was simply more balanced. I upped the temperature to 175 which brought out a bit more bitterness at the end.

This was another sample sent from Yunomi. This is definitely one I will be purchasing again. A very sweet gyokuro with a blast of umami to start you off.

I steeped this with 5g of tea and started off at 140 degrees for about 60 seconds. The first cup was a blast of umami with a wonderful sweetness. The cup had a very full flavor and had deep grass undertones overshadowed only by the immense savoriness.

The second and additional cups were steeped at 160 degrees for 10, 30, and 60 seconds respectively. The next cups were sweet, light, with a slight taste of honey. There was also a hint of flavor that reminded me of a Chinese green tea for some reason. There was also a very enjoyable sweet finish at the end of each cup.