Infussion

Sipdown! 4/365

Sadly, I think I waited too long for this tea. I may have overleafed slightly, but time and temp were bang on, and it’s just not great. There is a bit of a nice sweetness in the aftertaste, but the aroma is kind of weird and grassy, and the flavour is tannic and sharp. Familiar, but I can’t figure out what to liken it to. So basically, what I want to do here is quickly gulp a bit and then sit, savouring the aftertaste, because it’s growing on me.

Anyhow, not rating this since it was a multi-year-old plastic-bagged sample. I’m also not sure who it was from (Raritea??), but thank you! I wish I’d tried it sooner so I’d know how it really tastes.

I have a 2g sample of this Matcha, it’s in a small, thin envelope which fell to the bottom of one of my tea drawers which is why I have been so late in trying it. I’ve just lost my train of thought, my parents dog Jasper (old gal) is going into the hallway for some biscuits but instead of eating them out there she is bring them into the living room and eating them here, she has been back and forth several times doing this! That makes no sense, yet she seems happy doing it that way.

Once the Matcha has been made it’s a beautiful green colour, not super dark and not light. I checked a colour chart and the name for it is ‘yellow green’. I was hoping for a fancy name. Ok colour aside it blended very well and has a beautiful light, sweet and creamy flavour with only a little astringency. Very delicious…I’m taking large gulps…can’t stop myself. I’m loving Matcha at the moment, got 200g of basic kitchen grade on it’s way from Yunomi.us. Part of my new diet (that I keep trying to get on), instead of taking vitamin pills I’m going to have a cup of Matcha a day and my husband is going to join me. Such a shame I can’t buy more of this one, I would have stock piled like crazy. After the Matcha I already have I’m thinking of trying the starter Matcha from Red Leaf Tea, it’s only $20.99 at the moment and $9.99 for international shipping for 1lb of the stuff (to any Brits that is 453g ish and a total of £18.50 delivered). An unbelievable price, has anyone tried it? Not drinking as much for the flavour as the benefits :)

I tried the crushed Baihao Yinzhen around an hour ago and I’m still thirsty so jumping into this Supreme version so I can note the comparison. So far the leaf itself is highly different, the crushed version was dark yet fluffy where as this Supreme version is nothing pure, perfect silver tips. So by appearance alone it’s easy to see the quality when shown side by side. Scent wise it is pretty much the same ie floral and sweet.

Steeping this in my kyusu (again it’s all I have with me at the moment)
Leaf – 7g
Water – 75C
Steeps – 45 seconds, 30 seconds, 30 seconds, 45 seconds, 60 seconds (taken from the packaging)

First Steep – 45 seconds
Golden in colour with a sweet floral scent. Flavour is sweet and floral but purer and smoother than that of the crushed version. Also in the after taste is a citrus crispness and a mild peach note.

Second Steep – 30 Seconds
The flower flavour is now more defined and it’s very jasmine like. Sweetness has increased to resemble a mild honey.

Third Steep – 30 seconds
Strange how jasmine like this tea really is, it’s the strongest flavour by far. This steep has a little dryness in the after taste but not nearly has much as the crushed version. Also rather creamy.

Fourth Steep – 45 seconds
Weakening in strength now and the jasmine is also toning down into a more generic flower flavour. It is still sweet though and the dryness still subtle. I can also taste light wood.

Fifth Steep – 60 seconds
Similar to the first steep but with the added woody note carrying on.

I would say that the crushed and supreme versions tasted like different teas, they had similarities (as do most white teas) but on the whole they had completely different flavours. This grade is hands down my favourite, never before have I had something taste so strongly of jasmine that had no actual jasmine in it! Very nice, I may look into getting more of this from somewhere.

I’ve been watching Attack on Titan anime and stuffing my face with fried tofu which has peaked my tea thirst. As I’m at my parents house for the long weekend I’ve brought with me a lot of samples that need using up, this crushed Baihao Yinzhen is one of them. It’s a shame that this company closed down, I found their Dragon Well rather pleasant considering it was cheap.

The leaves are very fluffy and silver with some brown/green leaves and stem pieces mixed in. They are mostly small in size but some of the silver tips are whole. The fluff is a light cream colour and there is so much of it on the side of the packaging. They have a dry mixed floral scent that has little sweetness. Stronger actually than I was expecting.

Steeping this in my Kyusu (as that is all I have with me).
Leaf – 7g
Water – 75C
Steeps – 30 seconds, 45 seconds and 120 seconds (which are stated on the packet)

First steep – 30 seconds
As expected very mild colour, just a slight yellow tinge to the water. It has little flavour but is similar to Bai Mu Dan, it’s sweet and floral but also a little dry. A little stronger than your average silver tips however.

Second Steep – 45 seconds
Much more flavour, it’s even on the verge of being a little astringent at this point. Similar to that of a green tea. It’s very floral at this point yet tastes of no specific flower (at least none that come to my mind) and the dryness has increased. Also on top of the sweet flowers is a light wooden element.

Third Steep – 120 seconds
Tea liquid at this stage is light orange brown. Still very high floral but that touch of astringency has remained, though it is no worse than the previous steep. The dryness however is a little stronger and my mouth is starting to feel like cotton. Still it carried the flavour on well and it has a lot of life left for a white tea.

The dryness I’m going to put down to this being crushed Baihao Yinzhen which is a cheaper form, though it wasn’t terrible I did have to circulate my mouth by the third steep to stop my tongue from drying up. It was stronger than I expected and this resembled a cross between the floralness of a white tea yet with the thickness and astringency of a light green tea. According to Wikipedia Baihao Yinzhen is the most expensive white tea on the market from China. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baihao_Yinzhen

This was a nice white tea and I would certainly try it again in the future, albeit by a different company. Though I do have a Supreme Baihao Yinzhen sample to try from infussion, will try that one in a bit so my comparison is recent.

Black tea craving and super gaiwan usage recently which pairs this and my new dragon gaiwan up very nicely. I found this tea at the back of my cupboard from my last Infussion tea order not long before it closed down.

The raw leaves are a beautiful mixture of brown shades with golden tips being roughly 3/4 of what is present, those being very shiny and reflective. I do love shiny leaves. They are quite long with a rough average of 6mm, though some are straight while others are curly so it’s hard to tell specifically. Sniff-spection reveals a strong wooden scent with a hint of smoke. Very thick scent, was surprising. Perhaps one of the ‘darkest’ golden tips that I have tried, it smells more like full leaf Dian Hong ie not sweet or creamy like the golden tips I know and love.

First Steep – 15 seconds
It also tastes as strongly wooden and smoky as it smells. Despite a short 15 second steep It’s already very strong, just like a main steep. It does have some sweetness in the after taste but very mild against the smoke.

Second Steep – 25 seconds
Still heavily smoky but now increasing in flavour, adding a dry nutty flavour present in the after taste. Like roast chestnut.

Third Steep – 45 seconds
A little astringency has now appeared behind the smoke. Still getting strong roast chestnuts. The sweetness has vanished.

Fourth Steep – 70 seconds
Lighter in thickness and a little less smoky than previous steeps but I would still say it’s the main flavour. Pure smoke and smoky chestnuts…nice but not what I expected at all.

Fifth Steep – 90 seconds
Similar to the first steep, all that remains is burnt wood.

Overall – This was like no other golden tips I have tried before. I expected malt, sweetness, raisins and cream…instead I got smoke, burnt wood and roast chestnuts. Definiately more like Dian Hong full leaf than the golden tip in flavour. What I saw looked like golden tips (mostly) but it tasted like Lapsang Souchong and Dian Hong. It was nice but not what was expected. Not sure if this got contaminated on their end? It was unopened and still sealed my end and was not near anything open. Very strange.

A sample from KittyLovesTea, and another one I neglected because I was scared of it. I read some of the reviews below, became even more scared, and then decided to give it a go anyway. I mean, it’s better to know.

I wasn’t really sure how to treat this one, so I dumped a teaspoon (about 35 berries) into my infused, and added it to a cup of freshly boiled water. I forgot about it for a few minutes, so it probably had about 4-5 minutes brew time in total. The liquor is a pale yellow, and it smells…vaguely fruity, and a little medicinal. I sniffed it suspiciously before taking a sip, you see. So I know.

First taste isn’t actually too bad. It does taste subtly fruity — I agree with the sour plum another reviewed picked out. There is something a little vinegary about it in the aftertaste, but it’s not terrible. For some reason, I was expecting a much stronger flavour, but it’s actually quite palatable. I’m coming round to the view that it’s rather nice to drink something completely different once in a while. Something you’re probably not going to come across ever again — a challenge for the tastebuds.

I wouldn’t say this is something I’d drink often, or even seek out. I’m pleased to have had the opportunity to try it, though. I’m not getting five flavours from it (which might be a blessing in disguise), but it’s a nice enough vaguely fruit/berry flavoured cup, if a little odd around the edges, Something everyone should try once.

I still have a lot of Infussion teas in my collection that I have yet to try, it could be because the company is no more and I would be devastated if I end up loving one of their teas and had no way to buy more of it.

This Lin Yun is beautifully reflective and shiny with plenty of silver tips present. It has a sweet, green, floral scent.

Weight – 7g
Teapot – 200ml/8oz Gongfu
Temperature – 75℃
Steeping Times – (as suggested on the packet) 30s, 45s, 90s

First Steep – 30s – Mild and sweet in scent which reminds me of honeysuckle. Flavour is very mild but contains floral, sweet, creamy and green notes.

Second Steep – 45s – A little astringent and with stronger flavour now. Also a little dry and perfumed in the after taste. Still sweet and floral but now with a mineral green flavour amongst it. Still has a creamy element about it.

Third Steep – 90s – A nice balanced steep in terms of strength and flavour. Still slightly astringent but remains floral, sweet and mineral tasting. Less creamy than previously but more dry.

After the three steeps I can note that the leaves have mostly broken up into smaller pieces and there are a lot of stalks and thick mid leaf stems. Also some of the leaves have a slight red discolouration around the edges and stem area.

I did enjoy this tea, a nice every day tea that would be easy to consume large quantities of. Such a shame…this is exactly what I didn’t want to happen. I have enough for one more pot of this tea and then it’s goodbye tasty green.

1 tablespoon for 337 ml

Fresh flavour. Nutty, smoky char-like notes. Definite spinach flavour. A hint of clearwhite tea swampy-flavour notes.

To everyone who’s trying this tea expecting it to taste like English Breakfast, you’re sorely mistaken. Any tea that’s bitter— catuaba being one— has medicinal effects. Bitter tonics do things for the body system that other tonics don’t do. For something that’s not just not palatable, I suggest blending the tea with something else. Being a bark, catuaba needs to be decocted not simply infused. You could make a strong decoction, like you would with rhodiola, refrigerate that & simply add a smaller amount to another tea or iced drink. There is an amazing kombucha blend made by Beyond Kombucha that uses catuaba as a key ingredient. To the kombucha it adds a spicy, smoky, sort of woodsy tone that in the blend is divine.

I really enjoy yunnan black teas. HOWEVER, for some reason this tea tastes unsettling. The flavor is VERY fungal. I mean this is drinking a mossy mushroom sandwich, however in this sandwich instead of bread it tastes like there were portabello’s. I was able to try a sample of this from my friend Heidi!. We tried it rinsed, unrinsed, a variety of times, and tempuratures but no matter what I did it still tasted like mushrooms. Sorry infussion, we have a few more to try from y our lineup…I’m sure I’ll like something else…Next up on the list from infussion…Lapacho.

I so wanted to like this one. I was pretty excited when I saw it in the Traveling Tea Box since most notes I saw on it mentioned that it smelled and tasted like cedar chips. Call me crazy but that sounds appealing!

I am praying that I either overleafed (over….barked?) this or steeped it for too long (ten minutes) because it was beyond bitter. Just… undrinkable. Literally. I took one sip and had to pour the cup down the drain. :( I’m definitely going to give this another shot because a cedar-flavored herb seems like it would be great for blending.

This is a POWERFUL Matcha! I had some yesterday but didn’t have enough time to review it completely. I do like it but will review and rate it officially next time I have it!

AHHHH I GOT A C IN HEALTH ECONOMICS SO I DON’T NEED TO RETAKE IT. I’m pretty sure I did worse than that but I guess he realized he was terrible so everyone deserves a C. (C- = retake. BLEH)

Anyway I had this last night because I wanted to see if it would make me sleepy. I cannot tell you about the “aphrodisiac uses” but I will tell you about the 1 tbsp in 12 oz of water method of gettin’ sleepy.

It works quickly! It tastes terrible though, at least to me. Very effective, but has the flavor of cedar chips.

I’m not sure if this would taste very good if you tried to sweeten it but ugh, it made me tired but the taste was not worth it. I think I’ll try mixing it with the Schisandra berries I got just to get rid of that bitterness/woodsy flavor. I mean, it is bark so obviously there’s no way to get rid of that.

But it’s definitely a cool herbal tea, especially for falling asleep. And you feel warm and fuzzy first. If chamomile fails you, catuaba is here to back you up.

Backlog:

I was sad when I could (recently) no longer find Infussion online. I am almost always sad when a tea company seems to close its doors (whether they be the doors to a brick and mortar or their cyberspace doors) and I really have liked what I’ve tried from Infussion, and I also liked them as a company … really nice!

Anyway … this is a beautiful Matcha – incredibly smooth and sweet. Whisked up brightly jade, and with lots and lots of froth. The matcha doesn’t separate quickly … it stayed well incorporated until I reached the bottom of my bowl.

A really good Matcha – excellent! Here is my full-length review: http://sororiteasisters.com/2013/03/03/ceremonial-grade-organic-matcha-from-infussion/

This was a sample, kindly sent by infussion, and I admit that while it was my pick, it took me a while to get the courage to try it.

I was unsure of dosage – I used maybe 20 berries for 3 dl of boiling water, and let it steep some 6 minutes maybe. It´s a very pale infusion, but I think it is just strong enough for me. Any stronger would be way too much.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omija_cha

This is supposedly 5 flavour berry. Magical seeing the dark berries. Omija cha. I wanted to try this, thank you infussion!

And it is a very very strange thing to drink. So far, am unsure what I think though I can already say on its favour – it´s better than hibiscus!

I can not say I detect all 5 flavours – no salt IMO, but there is a pungency which reminds me of pepper. There is a woody quality as well, a bit like juniper or cedar. And a lot of tartness, sourness – but I don´t find it unpleasant at all, I do mean it I find it much more palatable than hibiscus.

This could be a lot of fun in blends, particularly fruit blends.

I tried eating the berries, and it is uh, interesting, but no way could I eat more than a couple. It sort of reminds me of sour plums, both the tea and steeped berries – which luckily I like.

I have been craving green tea as of late but unflavoured green tea instead of my usual favourite jasmine flavoured greens. I’m sorry to hear that Infussion is closing down (if they haven’t fully already) but I have a stack of their teas here that will keep me busy for a while.

The Long Zhu balls are cute and have some silver tips to them and the quality looks good. They have a thick grassy and floral scent.

Tea is burnt yellow in colour and has a toasted grass scent. Quite strong similar to it’s raw state.

Flavour is grassy and crisp clean with hints of flowers, toast, honey and broccoli. Altogether it creates many different layers that all blend into one refreshing and delicate cup of tea. It’s very similar to my Jasmine Pearls but just literally has less of the jasmine flavour but all of the green tea goodness.

Yummy yummy yummy green tea in my tummy = me to go :D

Backlog:

I was pretty disappointed when I attempted to access the Infussion website and could not … did this company go kaput already? That would really be a shame because I really have enjoyed the teas that I’ve had from them.

This is a really delightful green tea. Sweet, clean tasting, vegetative, with a really delicious crispness that is invigorating.

Here is my full-length review: http://sororiteasisters.com/2013/02/14/lin-yun-green-tea-from-infussion/

Sipdown! Thanks again to Raritea.

The aroma of this one is misleading… even with a properly timed infusion, I was getting a bit of a metallic too old/oversteeped aroma. But it’s not present in the flavour at all. I recall that happening last time too, even though in that case I had oversteeped it. But again, not present in the flavour (or maybe it was a bit, but less than the aroma indicated).

Anyhow! A tasty dragonwell. I do so adore dragonwell.

Oops, accidental oversteep. And then I forgot about it until this morning. But then I drank it anyhow! And it was good and nutty. I should have requested free samples from Infussion when I had the chance. Sigh. Thanks to Raritea for this one!

Good Lord! I this one is SO NOT for me! It smells, looks, AND Tastes like Pencil shavings! BLAH!

VERY bitter, too!

Sorry!
Terrible!

I drank this last week thanks at the lovehly Heidi!’s house.
It was a very drinkable tea – with may supposed health benifits. I got some strong vanilla notes. It also smelled nice. Not the most memorable cup but an enjoyable drink. I have been hard in infussion in my reviews but this product i really did enjoy.

o my being scared to try this i almost forgot i had this sample in my kitchen. Well i’m curious because it is suppose to be very healthy but… if i read the other reviews its going to be a strange thing to drink. Anyway i’m thanking infussion.eu for those 3 samples from there where 2 i really really liked!

I’m opening the package and i see dark brown berry’s. They are pretty big and smell strange. Using 2 teaspoon off leaf for my rather big infuser with boiling water and i’m letting it sit there for 10min like suggested…

The color of my brew is a yellowish light brown like substance and smells funny! The drink while still very hot tastes sour like expected but its not that bad like i expected. Its a bit like lemon juice bit then again its no lemon juice! I’m surprised. i’m comparing this to gini or a tonic you drink on a hot summer day…

Then again its not something i love, but for anyone willing to try this very weird and strange sounding berry. I really would say try a sample!

Inocuous Tea, with vanilla hints- tastes exactly like the water from boiling reeds to make baskets. (I used to weave baskets and you have t boil the reed to soften it- when you hold the reed in your mouth while weaving, it tastes EXACTLY like this!) Medicinal benefits suggested and I am curious. If candida is a cause of hunger and craving for sweet foods, would this anti-fungal tea cut that craving and help you lose weight. If in fact this is so- what a great tea this would be cuz it is super easy to drink- wayyyyy easier than the berries and the Catauba stuff we tried earlier. I’m not a doctor and am making no claims myself, just passing on what I have read and intuitively put together myself. This seems harmless in daily small doese and worth a try. All I’m saying. Steep 10 minutes.

Really Excellent. Light, pleasant, citrus without pucker, jasmine hints, no sour, no bitter, light color, pleasant hay- delicate but very nice. I can imagine getting a hankering for this often just to focus and relax. Smells fresh- good- not pungent in the least. I left the tea in the cup the entire time I drank it and it never got too strong.