ESGREEN

(Free sample provided by ESGREEN. Thank you!)

It’s been a while since I’ve written any notes on Steepster, and the reason behind it is that I’ve been under some stress – college, looking for new flat to move into has put me away from refining my sribbled tea notes. I’ll try to write tasting note a day (or every other, at least ) since I have a lot of samples waiting for some time.

Setup:

Glass teapot (250 ml)
Leaf – 2,5 grams
Water – 100 Celsius 180 ml
Time – 3 min

Leaf & infusion:

Dry leaf – Black with very little red hue, glossless and broken. Has a honey-like syrupy aroma with faint flowery hint. I’ve never experienced a broken Keemun with this many fine nuances such as this one.

Wet leaf – Wet leaf is ripped, thin, with dark reddish hue with only few leaf stalks to be found. A simple sniff reveals warming honey aroma.

Infusion – Liquor appears to be of ‘default’ black tea tone, coppery-reddish and deep. As this grade is more of a blending ingredient it lacks a light body of more fine Keemun and rolls over the tongue more as medium-bodied.

Surprsisingly, this broken grade is very sweet and flowery, especially at the end, where sweetness sits for some time while a faint flowery note diminishes.

Fine notes of honey linger over the palate as freshness in throat starts to develop, quite a surprise actually. After a few sips a roasted aspect with hint of molasses comes into play with just a tiny vegetal hint that can be detected with some concentration.

Conclusion – For a broken grade this Keemun is quite a treat and surprise, too. I guess I wasn’t expecting that much fine notes that are usually involved with finer grades of this tea. I usually tend to judge a leaf by its grade, looks and price, but every now and then some harsh looking leaf shows up and slaps me into face, or better to say – palate.

Having tasted another Dan Cong tea in the past, I set myself up to taste something similar to that: smoky, strong, bitter. This tea absolutely blew me away.

The first taste is slightly bitter, but then the end and aftertaste are sweet and floral. There’s a lovely lingering orchid flavor that I did not expect.

This tea also stands up to multiple steepings. I’ve done 4 and it’s still fairly strong.

Overall I would highly recommend this tea and it’s reasonably priced as well!

Free sample provided by ESGREEN. Thank you!

I received about half a dozen of samples from ESGREEN two months ago and I wanted to try this Pu Erh ball with gaiwan which I didn’t have at that time, but I was fortunate enough to have won 3 Oz gaiwan on eBay auction recently, for quite a bargain price of $4.25 with free shipping.

I did a total of ten infusions with my 85ml gaiwan with water temperature of 90-95 Celsius. This 9,5 gram Pu Erh ball has a faint earthy touch with minty note in front. Reminds me of mini tuo cha but with more serious look about it. With two washes
of ten seconds each I did my first steep with like 15 seconds.

1st – 15s

What I got was dirty brown and pink-ish infusion that could/should have been another leaf wash, but I drank it anyways. It had a nice flovery (or should I say ‘orchid’) note with roasted background finishing with a hint of pleasant bitterness. When I thought about it few moments later, it reminds me of liqueur as I picked up an alcohol-like note radiating from my throat. After a few sips I start to get a tingling, almost pricking sensation in throat with numb, sore throat sensation as I finish the cup. There is very little sediment at the bottom.

2nd – 15s

In second steep I got a deep and thick brown-red liquor that is typical for well infused ripe Pu Erhs. For some reason I associate this appearance with that of strong black coffee. Earthy note is overpowered with roasted impression and you can sense a decent orchid fragrance at the very end. Liquor is smooth with strong character and long lasting roasted note. Coffee, anyone?

3rd – 20s

Appearance of third infusion is identical to that of the previous one. In terms of tasting it’s almost identical to third infusion but with a certain dryness on tongue root with diminishing orchid note. As I was careless to drink this tea on empty stomach I started to feel a punch so I had a quick bread and dry meat snack to prevent any further discontent.

4th – 25s

Identical to previous one and it really goes well after a meal.

5th – 30s

The best infusion! It’s identical to previous two but with more balanced notes and really nice thickness.

6th – 40s

This is where I started to increase from additional 5 to 10 seconds and it really proved out to be a good decision. Enjoying a rich cup of dark brew!

7th – 50s

At this point I start to get a feeling that liqour color is slowly fading out as I could see a circle imprint on the bottom of the cup. It’s still deep and tastes nice without any significant changes though. The ball shape of leaves has completely dissolved by now.

8th – 65s

Raising time for additional 15 seconds. I’m definetely sure that it’s loosing more of color intensity. I thought that this would be a sturdy, monotonous Pu
Erh, but no, citrus rind note emerges out of the blue along with peppery sensation on tongue and notable mint-like freshess airing from throat.

9th – 75s

I did only 10 seconds increase on this one because I got a feeling that I might be ‘squeezing too much of the juice’. What I god was a nice minty aftertaste with faint citrus and peppery notes from previous infusion.

10th – 90s

I really thought that liquor color would fade to pink hue by now, but it isn’t. It’s keeps decreasing in intensinty but still it’s like 5 more steeps away.
Oh well, this is going to be my last infusion for this session. I feel that my senses (and stomach) are saturated. Mineral note is prominent in this one, and when I look
back it started to apear around 8th infusion but I really didn’t pay that much attention to it.

All in all this is the best Pu Erh I’ve had so far in terms of strong and roasted character. It has much to deliver and it can be a bit dull in first few steeps but it has a few nice surprises later on if you stick with it.

P.S.
I was careless enough to forgot to smell the wet leaf. Bummer.

Backlog* I tried this one the other day.
Good for drinking many times this one makes a dark thick tea with a smooth clean taste and delicate aroma, this one would be nice for those who want to try a nice Pu-erh but don’t like the strong earthy notes of Pu-erhs, This one is slightly earthy and wonderfully Clean tasting , I would recommend this one to beginners for sure.

Now you can buy just one cake instead of the whole stack :)
http://esgreen.com/products-page/2001-2005/2005-mini-pu-erh-bing-cha-tea-cake-05pm100-10pcsstack/#comment-1159

I have not been that much of a fan of Shu Cha (ripe/cooked pu’erh) until trying this one. I have said it before and I will say it again, the mysteries of pu’erh are never ending!

8 steeps, 10-35 seconds.

1. Wash.
2. A rich, musty smell and a dark amber color. Fairly mild flavor, but with some chocolate notes in the taste! Despite the “ancient” smell that many pu’erhs have (including this one), the taste has strangely made the flavor of my water even cleaner than when drinking it plain. This is a difficult quality to wrap my head around, as I have no idea how a tea can give off the flavor of fresh spring water, while adding such a dark red color to it. But that is what I taste. There is also a kind of nutmeg spice aftertaste, sort of like mexican hot chocolate.
3. Darker color, yet distinctively cleaner taste with this next steep. This is one of the most palatable Shu pu’erhs I have had yet. Though it definitely tastes better when the water has cooled a little. When hot it gives off a slightly bitter smell, like an unripe avocado.
4. An agave sweetness emerges with a hint of red pepper.
5. Sweeter still! This cup leaves a satisfying taste in the back of my throat, like after a filling sushi meal.
6. Suddenly, all the color has gone out and is now very pale. The taste is still fairly sweet with a hint of salty as well. The sweetness has come around to something that reminds of blueberries without the tartness.
7. Same.
8. Same, but less.

Other tasting notes: Vanilla, hazelnut, avocado pit.

(Free sample provided by ESGREEN. Thank you!)

This one is from a previous sampler. Few days ago I received samples for March but I intend to test my patience since I have a gaiwan on the way.

Dry leaf is small, tightly rolled well scented and judging by its texture, well roasted. There are few white tips and fewer leaf stems. I used 3 grams of dry leaf with 250 ml of water on 80 Celsius, and did two 1 minute steeps.

First steep brought out clear and light golden infusion that’s very aromatic and it sits on palate for quite the time but isn’t overpowering. It’s just to my taste actually, and I’m not big fan of strong scented jasmine tea. After swallowing you can feel a certain sweetness resting on root of the tongue. For some reason, first few sips seems to have that note of those sweet bubble gums with sports sticker wrapped around them. Maybe it’s just me. As I finished the first half of cup I felt a slight tingling sensation on tongue with some grassy and roasted notes in background. What a delicious cup of jasmine tea, and to my taste too.

Second infusion is a bit more sweet with less pronounced jasmine aroma than the first. Here’s where it gets more refreshing and savory. First infusion tends to dry out the tongue, but this doesn’t. I’m surprised that the most of the leaves are whole with some tear and oxydation or purple pigment and I could find a few that have up to three leaves on stem – kind of close to oolongs in appearance.

Wet leaf has a fresh air about it with decent amount of soft jasmine. Even after two infusions about quarter of leaves haven’t completely unfurled which promises another good or at least decent infusion.

Although I’m not a big fan of jasmine scented teas this is just to my taste and but if I wanted a jasmine scented tea in my cupboard just for me this would be it.

I prefer dark teas and Liu Bao is one of my favs This one ranks right up there with most of the rest, 2 or 3 rinses is needed for this tea I learned that the hard way lol but after proper rinse and steep this one proved very nice Liu Bao. It was nice and earthy without tasting “dirty” with a sweetish after taste, smooth mouthfeel. Would have been great to have seen some gold dust on it but most loose Liu Bao I’ve had don’t have that for some reason. Great tea to me!

11 steeps, 5-45 seconds.

Started off by giving this tea two 5 second washes because I had a feeling it was going to take a while for the ball to expand. Which it did. The color began as a light amber, but on the third cup, everything changed to a ruddy burnt umber color. Even the texture thickened. For a second, I thought I was pouring out water from a clay river.

At first the taste was the spiceless earthy flavor of many ripe pu’erhs. Which is to say not much excitement at all for my western taste buds. The fourth and fifth cups yielded some odd metallic notes, but after that it sweetened up a bit, reminding me of honeybush tea (especially with the color). Shortly after this, I detected another distressing toxic flavor that gave me an ugly feeling in the back of my throat. This was when I put the tea down for the night and let the leaves rest. But being the glutton for punishment that I sometimes am, and really wanting to give this pu’erh it’s due, I rinsed the leaves off in hot water and charged them back up for 4 more brews over breakfast the next day. By the seventh or eighth cup (total), an enjoyable masa (corn flour) taste developed. Toward the last good steep there was a brief maple flavor that developed, but like most of the other notes, it was nearly undetectable. Then, on the tenth steep, the color went out almost entirely and I was pouring out nearly clear water. I tried one more steep just to be sure, but that was that. The leaves turned off just as shockingly as they had turned on in their burst of crimson.

So based on this one experience, it was a rather unpredictable and unenjoyable tea. Did I do something wrong? I was really pushing myself to find some redeeming qualities, but maybe this tea is just not for me.

8 steeps, 8-45 seconds varied.

This has been one of the best ESGREEN mini tuo cha pu-erhs so far. I should also plug the sale that they are having right now on some fantastic Ju Pu pu-erhs that have been aged inside of hollowed out tangerines and pomelos. Not to mention 10 year aged tangerine peel for an herbal tea. The tangerine added a light honey flavor and a carrot-like sweetness to the otherwise dry, vegetal tea. Some of the early steeps yielded a somewhat unpleasant smell, but overall it was a very comforting experience.

Into the 3rd and 4th steeps, the color of the liquid become much darker while the flavor got brighter. The 5th steep brought forth those peppery flavors that I have becoming accustomed to in these pu-erhs, but also something new: licorice. Even the consistency of the tea became slightly sticky at this point, a bit thicker than before. In the 6th steep, there was an interesting minerality present. Though that could just be a quality from my water that the tea is bringing out. (As David from Verdant Tea points out in his fantastic article, water is the first ingredient in tea… http://verdanttea.com/the-first-ingredient-in-tea/)

Finally on the 7th and 8th steeps, some carob and malty notes as the liquid looks almost like coffee in color. Speaking of, I have to add that I have been enjoying the caffeine content of these pu-erhs. Buzz!

Another enjoyable aspect of this tea can be seen upon pouring out the brewed leaves for inspection: big fat chunks of tangerine peel amongst the umber leaves.

I have drank a number of these flavored mini tuo chas from ESGREEN now and I would have to say that overall they are about restaurant quality, which is right for the price I think. Most enjoyable when prepared properly in the gongfu style.

I tried this one the other day.
Dry leaf seems to be of Bi Luo Chun style with some jasmine flower petals and radiating with jasmine sweetness. I’m not a big fan of jasmine scented teas, especially if the scent is strong. I might be going for a stereotype, but jasmine seems to be more of a girly note, but I do enjoy a cup of light scented tea occasionally.

Since I only had a 5 gram sample i used a half of it and poured 200 ml of 80 Celsius water and let it steep for one minute. As description mentions, jasmine floats on top as tea leaves drop to the bottom. You got to give a credit to person who used imagination to name this tea.

What I got was clear light beige liquor. Upon fist sip I got the impression of jasmine pearls with incredible refreshing background and sweet finish. With each sip you get that silky sensation (or should i say – coating) on tongue and just a little hint of astringency there and on palate as well. It kind of gives it more of an egde on its character and it tends to dry and stiffen throat just a little bit. Jasmine aroma sits and radiates from throat quite a time.

This is where the jasmine got a bit too much for my taste and I tried to quiet it with second infusion that retained much of a flavor and brewed into fine light jade tone.
Not bad, even better than average jasmine pearls with some extra refreshing and sweet notes, but still not my usual daily cup of tea although I could have it occasionally as I said.

Scent of tea cake: Tobacco, Hay

First cup. Steep 1.5 minutes.
This is a very dark brown tea. Almost the color of coffee. There is a strong but balanced woodsy flavor, yet not bitter. As the temperature fades, it gives way to a peppery spice that tickles your tongue and clears your mind in the same way ginger does. The caffeine content seems fairly high. This would make a good tea for a sick day.

Other tasting notes: Burdock root, stone, acorn.

Second cup. Steep 1.5 minutes.
The straw and tobacco flavors are much more pronounced in this cup. More oils have been released by this steep which lends to a denser mouthfeel. There is very little that is sweet about this tea. It is not exactly a pleasant flavor and yet there is something very comforting about it. The mystery of pu-erh deepens…

Again I should note that many pu-erh teas are drank for their medicinal qualities. Cassia seed has been noted to have positive effects on the liver and large intestine.

The scent of these tiny curled leaves packs a strong peach punch! The sweet citrus notes in the aroma trick your mind into thinking that you really are about to bite into a slice of juicy fresh fruit.

First cup. Steep 2 minutes.
This was my first experience with “snail” tea and I had no idea that the tiny leaf curls would expand so much! Which means that I used way too much tea and definitely made this cup much stronger than it should be. So this review is going to be a little askew. However, even while pushing past the astringency, I would still say that the green tea is fairly robust compared to other greens used in jasmine blends. It actually took me off guard because my last “jade” tea from esgreen was much more delicate. This is definitely my kind of jasmine tea because the green tea flavor is prominent and high grade. The leaf itself displays notes of buttery cocoa and cinnamon. But the peach flavor really brightens things up. A great drink for the stoic wise man and chirpy teenager alike.

Second cup. Steep 2.5 minutes.
So I used far less of the tiny “snails” this time, but brewed just a hair longer until the leaves properly uncurled and rose to the surface. Without the bitterness, the flavor is much more clear and brothy. But the green tea taste still pokes out just a head above the sweet flower. To my palette, this is a perfectly blended jasmine tea. The uniqueness of this tea leaf shines, as the light creamy texture has remained in this cup. I have been drinking several different jasmine teas recently and I would have to say that this is the best quality I have come across. A very distinct and pleasurable tea.

Other tasting notes: almond, coconut milk, stevia

(Free sample provided by ESGREEN – thank you)

I brewed this one with 3 gr leaf, 100 ml boiling water, gongfu fashion ten infusions total (in seconds): 10,10,15,20,25,30,35,60,120,300.

Dry leaf has balanced earthy aroma with noticable dry background tone. It also releases a fishy hint when dropped into warmed teapot. Upon washing and ‘awakening’ leaf some additional notes are revealed, the most prominent one is that of a dried plums. Liquor has deep but not too strong earthy aroma with hint of dried and smoked plums. This is somewhat typical for ripe Pu Erhs but can vary. I really like how it’s expressed in this one.

On first sip I get that complex taste with thick appearance rolling down the tongue with light and slightly aromatic finish. Following sips reveal that lightness is prominent on entry and end points with more of a character in the middle. Few sips in and I get somewhat coffee impression, just body, none of that bitter part. Upon drinking up my 100 ml cup I noticed that there’s virtually no residue on the bottom which tells me that this is some quality leaf.

Second infusion is identical to the first but with somewhat more clarified gap between notes. I also noticed that few moments after swallowing I got a slight sore throat sensation, not that starchy kind you get with some Silver Needles or something like that, just general throat stiffening sensation.

I really enjoyed more-less even infusion up until fifth, and that’s where it got more interesting. Liqour kind of mellows out and gets a hint of sweetness. On next infusion (6th) I noticed how liquor color is starting to fade out, and seventh infusion brought a hint of bitterness with tast starting to fade away. Up to tenth infusion, as taste was fading away, some new, nutty-like notes appeared. I was running through my mind trying to pinpoint it and I determined that it has more of a roasted hazelnut air about it than others.

I finished my gongfu session with tenth infusion, although I could steep the leaves at least two more times before a taste of hot water appears (that’s where I pull the plug), but a liter of tea is enough for me.

First cup. Steep 2.5 minutes.
This green tea comes in the japanese style with no buds – only leaves – similar to one of my other favorite green teas from the An Hui province, the Green Monkey King. However, the taste of Melon Seed is drastically different. While Green Monkey King bears a more toasted flavor, Melon Seed is much more delicate. The scent of the actual tea has a kind of light buttery quality like hazelnut or white chocolate and the taste is very mild. There is an arid sweetness to it though that blossoms at the back of your tongue the more you drink. Perhaps similar to what an actual melon seed might taste like. The tea leaf has a slight peppery essence after it is steeped, which adds subtle complexity underneath the otherwise pure flavor.

First cup. Steep 2 minutes.
Just as the name suggests, this tea does have a very aesthetic appeal as the leaves open and sink while the tiny flower petals rise to the surface. The light orange-colored liquor emits a simple but bright fragrance, while the taste holds notes of tangerine and melon, perhaps a little sweeter than other jasmine varieties. The flavor of the flower in this blend is a little too strong for my palette, as I prefer jasmine teas with a solid tendency toward the tea flavor. Lastly, this is a fragile tea and steeping for too long will produce an undesired bitterness from the jasmine flowers.

Just made another pot of this last night with some friends and I wanted to revise my previous comments. I am a self-taught pu-erh drinker which means that up until recently there was an enormous gap in my knowledge of how the ceremony actually works and what to expect from each steep. I am fine tuning my expectations as I go and learning how to enjoy pu-erh unique to other teas.

First off, if you are steeping a pu-erh and it doesn’t taste like much, don’t brew it for longer in the same water as I mistakenly did the first time round. The pu-erh flavor actually does develop as you continue to “wash” it in multiple short steeps. Pour out all of the tea liquid in the pot and put fresh hot water in, then repeat. (Thank you kOmpir for your detailed time appraisal!)

What happens as you prolong the ceremony is kind of magic. With each steep, the color is slightly different as is the taste. This method will definitely help you to appreciate the appearance of your teas more and I would highly suggest using clear glassware so that you can see the tea from every angle. The flavor, while still subtle, changes from clear to honey to smoky to spicy to stone.

My new rating now reflects an appreciation of the ceremony involved with making this tea as well as a minor change in understanding the taste. When it comes to pu-erh, my palette is still fledgling, but it will be developing quickly as I will be reviewing many new pu-erhs in the coming weeks.

First cup. Steep 5 minutes.
The taste is like a very clean cup of black tea, similar even to a red rooibos tea, but less sweet. A bit of that old musty aroma common in some pu-erhs. The color is a rich reddish brown, but there is little taste. Honestly, this tea does not do much for me. I added some sugar: no major revelations.

First cup. Second tasting.
The tea proved to be a little more enjoyable at room temperature. With a longer steep and perhaps more sugar or flavoring, I could see this being an admirable iced tea. Though I suppose that defeats the purpose of the Gongfu ceremony traditionally used to brew pu-erh.

Second cup. Steep 10 minutes.
Given that this is a pu-erh, which should yield different tasting notes with each brew (and should be able to withstand multiple steeps), I decided to give this tea another try. Something that was not mentioned in my purely aesthetic review above is that despite the bland taste, this is a strongly medicinal tea with powerful antioxidants. Most medicinal teas have an overwhelmingly spicy or herbal taste, so I think there is something noteworthy in a tea that is very mild but very powerful. Especially if you believe in the weight loss and cholesterol suppression benefits of pu-erh. If you are on a limited diet or a diet consisting of mostly mild food options, the last thing you probably want in a tea is something extremely spicy or sugary-tasting.
Despite all of that, little has changed in my tasting experience with this second cup. There is a slightly more nuanced sweet and smoky tea flavor, but not a huge difference. For getting the most flavor out of this tea, I would suggest doing 1 long steep for up to 15 minutes. And there you have it.

First cup. Steep 2 minutes.
The charming pearls unfold hastily upon brewing and the scent of jasmine flower rises immediately from the cup. As with any dragon pearl, it is fascinating to watch the expertly wrapped pearls unfold into the long strands of tea buds and leaves. This brew produced a pale golden liquor that is soothing even to the eyes. The flavor of the green tea is very clear amidst the jasmine. The flower itself is of exceptional quality, sweeter than many other jasmine flavored teas, yet not overpowering. This tea is transcendent therapy for all five senses.

Second cup. Steep 8 minutes.
This tea will yield only one good steep.

First (and only) cup. Steep 3 minutes.
The sticky rice flavor is very prominent! Mixed with the aged tea it provides very earthy characters like barley, mushroom, beef broth. A difficult flavor for western taste buds, but could make an excellent accompaniment for a hearty meal.

Dry leaf is mostly needle-shaped with average length od 2,5 cm. Leaf has dull olive green tone with white tips ranging between 1/3 and 1/2. Dry leaf has soft, woodsy and hay smell with hints of dried beech tree shreds; reminds me of my grandfather’s workshop.

I managed to get three steeps total with this one, using 3 grams of dry leaf with 250 ml water on 80 Celsius. Liquor is clear with light green-yellow tone giving really light impression. On first sip there is a moderate citrus bite in throat that overpowers mild grassy taste, but ends up as really refreshing. Just a few moments after swallowing liquor citrus note turns to starchy and stays there for a moment while cooling minty aftertaste emerges. Starchy-tingling sensation moves from throat to tongue center and slides to the sides.
Second steep showed some astringency, but not enough to drown overall
impression of this tea. Starchy-tingling sensation is also augmented a bit
and usual mint aftertaste is paired with grainy texture on tongue.

First cup. Steep 2 mins.
The scent of fresh cut alfalfa. Woodsy flavors of grass, lemon peel, barley. Similar to a dense genmai cha. A great accompaniment to steak, meat soups or stews, mushu, or pork BBQ.

Second cup. Steep 5 mins.
The first steep seems to have washed off most of the tannins. This cup is a much cleaner taste, slightly more floral.

1st cup. Steep 1 minute. The smell of a mild breakfast tea. Fruity, like bubblegum or mangosteen/lychee. Hint of a nutty green or very mild iced tea from the American south. Flavor of fruit candy and marshmallow linger on the back of the tongue.

2nd cup. Steep 8 mins. Sticky fruit flavor manages to hang on despite bitterness released by the tannins. I have heard that Pu-erh can be steeped for up to 10 mins but maybe this is only true for cooked or very aged tea. More of a generic cup when steeped this long.