Cultivate Tea

Harvest July 2022
From TTB that was around in 2023.

Yep, another one I just took to try later and today is the day for this tea.

Prepared gongfu, more or less as vendor suggests

High marks for this jasmine tea! Lovely, fresh and strong jasmine notes with great base tea, that complements the flowers well. The base is, as SkySamurai notices a bit melon like, I could not notice any of the earthiness which is, definitely, a good sign.
Intoxicating (a good used word by vendor) aroma with fruity notes of the base, smooth and velvety in the mouth all 6 steeps long; while the last one was somehow weak in jasmine indeed and more of the green (really?, rather I think white) tea. It was so nice in mouth and so enjoayble… that I think I need more of this tea from Canadian company.

TeaTiff TTB. One can tell from reading the reviews below that the tea has been around the block a few times. Though TTBs are a great way to discover a bunch of tea cheaply they also don’t truly supply you with each tea’s full-on flavor as each tea will diminish in aroma and flavor with each time the package is opened. Generally, I would not rinse a black tea, however, I feel doing so may help release some of the build-up on it. Or so I hope. crosses fingers The dry aroma is not pleasant. Not terrible but does not smell like one would expect. Hmm. The wet leaf is kind of musty like stale wheat bread. Also just slightly problematic is the fact that because this is the bottom of the package there is a mix of small and big leaf. Meaning each will steep differently and affect the overall flavor. The first infusion at about 20 seconds is seemingly weak. A bit of barley and damp wood tones. Second infusion at about one minute is ashy with burnt bread. This is a unique tea but I can’t say I’m really enjoying this… Bit of lacquer now with a touch of allspice. This is like reading a book that I’m not really into but I am just curious to find out if the 10th infusion holds out or if the story falls off halfway. I don’t think I’ll make it there… this is not enjoyable. I mean I’d rather drink this then Lipton (no offense Lipton drinkers)

Homemade Advent Exchange Tea #16

A really interesting blend with lightly floral notes and some light vegetal white tea flavour (like bai mu dan and other delicately vegetal whites). Very smooth. the brew is very light but is aromatic and smells slightly of honey, flowers, and green tea.

TeaTiff TTB #18

This was such an interesting tea! I enjoyed reading some of the backstory here on Steepster. Though it’s not a flavor profile I’m typically drawn to, I enjoyed sampling this tea. It almost came across like a puerh with a very earthy, complex flavor. There were some dark chocolate notes in there and a lingering mineral aftertaste. Not sure this is something I’d drink again, but I’m glad to have tried it.

TeaTiff TTB #13

I was intrigued by this one because it was labeled as a black tea (and looked like one) but had honeybush in the title. Still not exactly sure what this is, but it’s yummy! It actually tasted almost like an oolong…very smooth and buttery with a honey-sweet, fruity flavor.

I have a pressed tea cake of just camellia sinensis flowers from Bitterleaf that I’ve treasured so, when I saw this blend of white tea and tea flowers at Cultivate’s shop while visiting Vancouver in May, I had to try it too. The mouthfeel is so rich and creamy with the most pleasant, soft and buttery flavour. Delicately floral with hints of sweet linden honey. Like the tea version of milk and honey. So calm and relaxing!

Tea Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/CyT18gLOoAo/?img_index=1

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fc_zcikEU7c

The TTB has arrived! So big, so many teas… no chance to try them all!
Tea #21

I followed gongfu instructions written on the pouch of this tea, apparently not an original one. It says “4 grams, 100 mL, 100°C; 5-45 seconds, 8 steeps”

Actually I never heard about Song Zhong teas, haven’t done any research what it supposed to be like, what is intended flavor profile and so on.

So, as I have slightly bigger vessel, I have used 5 grams for my 125 mL gaiwan, 5 seconds first steep with following steeps with 5 seconds increments; but the rest I have blindly followed.

I preheated the gaiwan first, that brought aromas of red currants, wood, cherries, sweet (maybe a pollen) and sweets. A wonderful aroma indeed. Quick rinse to flush away the dust and 5 minutes rest of the leaves in humid environment under the lid.

This make previous aroma notes even stronger, except for woody notes. That was exciting for me.

First steeps were indeed fruity. Red currants and cherries, I don’t noticed any minerality so far and it was delightful also in the mouth, smooth and mouth-coating qualities is something I really enjoy. There are mountain flowers in the aromas, also with red fruits including a bit unripe strawberries.

From steep 4 I have started to notice a little change in pace of this tea. The red fruits started to fade and mineral notes and stonefruits came stronger. The floral notes started to be strong in taste too, once it was even too much and a bit heavy for tummy.

Steeps 7-8 were slightly floral, but they weren’t giving me much of impressions and I found out I am finishing this tea with happiness and lots of experience with another oolong I never had before. I found out that I like those fruity oolongs a bit more than their green counterparts, while sometimes I crave the latter and it is a virtue to have both examples in a cupboard.

TTB
This oolong tastes very mineral to me. I’m not getting much honey or floral notes from this one. It’s not bitter, but the minerality give it a bit of an astringent bite. Thanks for adding it to the box!

TTB
We have some red rocks in Big Horn canyon where I drive the boat, and this oolong testes like some rusty rock scrapings fell into my cup. There is a sweet and floral oolong underneath the iron minerality, but it’s buried deep. I’ll try a few more steeps to see if the oolong can rise to the occasion, but on the whole this one is too lopsided for me.
Thanks for adding it to the box!

TTB
I am traveling this week and I did bring some tea with grand hopes of drinking and logging tea notes. I did get caught up in the wave of canceled flights and had a hell of a time getting to FL. Let’s just hope my return flight is uneventful, is there some way to increase my travel karma at this late date? I’m sure the middle finger I’ve been giving United in my head won’t help.
This tea was mildly chocolate, certainly smooth, if a bit weak. Maybe a gong fu session is the way to go here.
Thanks for adding it to the box, glad I got to try.

Gongfu!

Unlike a lot of other teas I own that have been pressed with chenpi, these little tablets of tea have a more light to medium bodied liquor with much more upfront, almost sharp, brightness to the orange notes. Though not particularly sweet, they remind me a little bit of freshly squeezed orange juice in that fleeting sort of pulpy sort of top note acidity. Usually, I think of chenpi blends as dense and medicinal with that crawling bittersweetness in the back of the throat. In contrast, I think this tea is lively and Spring-like; in particular from the notes of linden flowers, creamed honey, and heady florals imparted from the white tea itself along with undertones of bamboo, peach skin, and straw. I wonder if the flavours will deepen significantly with time; part of me wants to see what that would taste like and an equal part enjoys how refreshingly different this tea is as well…

Tea Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/C5JSjEKuqQG/?img_index=1

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFdcfFZohfQ

Who needs April Showers when you have June thunderstorms and blackouts!? Today I’m sipping on Cultivate’s Imperial White & Orange Peel because anything with chenpi is my immediate go to for a cozy, comfort tea during rain! It’s a deliciously light and refreshing white tea with notes of Timothy hay, honeysuckle, and peach skins with a zesty pop of citrus that’s simultaneously both soothing and cheerful!!

Tea Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/Cthd4UMOK_D/

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMpT9r5h0I8

TeaTiff Traveling Tea Box | No. 35

I wasn’t expecting too much from this tea, but I was pleasantly surprised. It has a nice dark chocolate flavor and is adequately strong for a morning tea.

Thanks to Skysamurai for sharing!

Gongfu!

Enjoyed this session while listening to the white noise of the rain outside. Though I taste very little jasmine in this tea, which has it pressed alongside the white tea leaves, I am really enjoy the simple, clean, and crisp sweetness that remains a constant throughout the full session. It’s like fresh pressed sugar cane or candied flower petals. Really delicate and gentle. Alongside the grey skies and rain pooling on the pavement, there’s something quite calming and grounding about the session despite it being a little less lush and floral than anticipated. Not to wax too poetic, but it does feel a little like one of those moments where the universe is reaching out and saying, “appreciate what you have.” So, I’m trying to do just that.

Tea Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/C_WOGXCyS-z/?img_index=1

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TtqETmD-kEU

Gongfu!

After getting home this weekend I steeped up the this white tea along with some of the teaware I picked up this past week for a soft, gentle session to ease into the weekend! This Shou Mei has jasmine flowers compressed right into it, so I did expect the notes of jasmine to be a little bit stronger. Though, upon inspection of my sample I didn’t see a ton of flowers pressed into the pieces. However, the sweet floral notes of this semi-wild tea are quite beautifully soft and fragile. Despite their gentle dance on the palate, there’s still a sort of lushness to the tea both in it’s velvety mouthfeel and the creamed honey notes that seem to get deeper with each steep. Even though the jasmine shifted into a more generic floral note after the first half of the session, it did take a while for the tea itself to begin tapering off – making this a really rich and gratifying way to ease into the rest of the day!!

Tea Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/CtCK3cyuP3K/

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4lxhQqMm4k

TeaTiff Traveling Tea Box | No. 29

I wasn’t sure starting out if this was a black tea or a honeybush tea processed as a black tea. Is that a thing? Anyway, it definitely tastes like a black tea. Maybe a little lighter in flavor. I’m enjoying it very much as it cools. A slight chocolate flavor is coming through now.

TeaTiff Traveling Tea Box | No. 13

A really lovely rose tea with a flavorful lapsang base. These two work really well together.

TTB Review #56: If you’ve been following my TTB reviews, you’ll know that I’ve had a very volatile experience with “honey” teas. Fortunately, this one seems to have done it right. Definitely getting floral notes, but less orchid and more jasmine, maybe even a little rose. I appreciate this tea for restoring my faith in honey.

TTB Review #39: Meh. Nothing noteworthy. Doesn’t have the typical strength associated with a black tea. Sweet notes come through but ultimately fail to turn this into anything unique.

TTB Review #38: Curious things going on here. The “pulpy” nature of this tea was a little off-putting at first but it really didn’t bother me once I started drinking. Probably the best way to steep this was to have strained it, but I’m lazy and use a simple infuser which allowed many pieces to float freely in my cup. Getting some umami notes which is nice. Makes me think of being outside on a warm spring day with a cool breeze carrying forth the smell of freshly cut grass.

TTB Review #23: I don’t have much to say on this one. It was fine. Acceptable. Average. Nothing special, nothing to write home about, and nothing to really complain about either (aside from its blandness, perhaps).

TTB Review #19: Hooray, a rose tea with actual rose flavor! Still not as prominent as I would have liked but at least I can actually taste its presence. Numi continues to be my favorite rose tea, I await the day that something takes its place as my number one.

TTB Review #1: Earthy and woody, almost like a liquid tree but in a good way. The overall flavor is somewhat bitter but there are some sweet undertones that I can’t quite place – almost similar to liquorish, but again not quite. Overall a unique and enjoyable tea, though I probably wouldn’t buy it for myself.

This is so exciting. I love Japanese green teas but when I looked at the dark green coloring of the leaf I knew this one was going to be something special. The koi kyusu is coming out for this one. The dry leaf smells so good. fresh, clean, grassy, and somewhat sweet. Asparagus. Smooth. Fresh asparagus. Umami. So smooth! The wet aroma reminds me of cooked spinach. Within the first minute is the best steep time maybe within the first 30 seconds. Thank you Valhallow for this sample.