Naivetea
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Not my favorite thing from Naivetea so far but still very good. Some people seem to go nuts over Li Shans and Ali Shans. I think they are nice but perhaps a bit too light for me? Or maybe I have not had the right one for me.
In any event this is a very delicate and fresh tasting tea. After brewing the leaves smell of spinach and green pea. Light flavor, mostly floral with a bit of buttery-ness. Very pale gold color. If you are a fan of green tea I would recommend checking this one out…
Preparation
I am revisiting this tonight and not enjoying it quite as much as I remember. I don’t know if there is something up with my steeping parameters or if I just have not been drinking this fast enough and it got somewhat stale. But then I checked my email and I got this last November so I have a feeling it may just be me. How long do oolongs stay fresh? This one is 25% roasted too…
I have done 3 steeps and my leaves are fully opened and unfurled but not feeling the love as much. I got the burnt caramel flavor but the nuttiness and sweetness have gone. I did lower the rating a bit but I will not lower it anymore because it might be partially my fault… might need to cold brew this one too just to see.
Speaking of love, I have written a blog post about two novels of Theodore Dreiser if you are up late and just want to read it, here it is. This is what I do with my free time when I’m not on Steepster. :)
Preparation
I don’t know if I’ll ever read Dreiser (for no particular reason), but I enjoyed your synopsis, and your post. :))
You said this oolong is 25% roasted, which means it is fairly green for an oolong. I like greeer oolongs, and darker ones, but find that ther greener ones do not resteep as well, IMO.
I’m with Scott here. I enjoyed reading your thoughts on the two stories. I’m not sure they would be some thing I’d like to read. I really like older history, like ancient cultures. They seem so foreign they are mysterious for me.
I’m not opposed to reading Dreiser, I just never have. Here’s another example-I’ve always wanted to read WAR AND PEACE, but I never have. There are counless other Classics I would like to, but have never read. I just end up reading other things. :))
That’s ok – I read a lot of stuff that nobody else seems interested in reading. Just started something by Alexander Pushkin. ;-)
Scott, I also find that green oolongs do resteep very well, especially if you use the gong fu method.
well I have to admit I’ve only had 3 green oolongs and managed 3 good infusions. I’ll bet some of your better steeped green oolongs are from Asha.
Compelling enough to send me to the Kindle store (both are free there btw). Thanks : )
@Cheryl – that’s one reason I got the kindle, a lot of the classics are free!
I still like to hold a real book when I read, but they do take up alot of space. I used my Niece’s NOOK, and really liked it. What made you two decide on Kindle?
Greener oolongs are like green teas (and silver bud whites) … a lot of goodness is lost by the 6-month mark, unless vacuum-packed, frozen, or both.
DPD- thanks, I am thinking the same thing… live and learn. oh well!
Still one of my very favorite oolongs and my favorite thing from the Naivetea line. I’ve been all over San Francisco since tasting other dong dings and scads of other oolongs and none are really coming close, this is definitely unique. I believe it is the 30% roast which I am really enjoying. This is so nutty, creamy and buttery. Holds up to 7 or more short infusions in the Gaiwan.
Preparation
Slowly I am working my way through two sample packs I got from Naivetea. This must be the last thing I drink with caffeine today if I ever want to go to sleep!
I am very happy with this. The word sublime comes to mind. It is slightly sweet, honeyish with a bit of caramel flavors. It has a lovely golden yellow color and a bit of peach in the aroma. I am getting some buttery notes in the finish. I feel a bit like I’m drinking liquid gold. I’m amazed there is no added flavoring in here. It’s pretty flavorful on it’s own… still going perfectly strong after 3 steeps here of about 2 minutes.
It is quite good so I will probably end up wanting more of it. After the third steep, I was about to cry due to pangs of regret. How could I have wasted so many years of my life drinking crap tea? Naivetea does have a lot of tasty oolongs… :)
Preparation
Yeah, once you discover good tea, you wonder how you lived without it. :)
This tea sounds beyond amazing. I love oolongs so I must make room in my cupboards to try some from Naivetea :)
@Nicole – so true!
@Viva La Tea – Naivetea some very nice sampler packs. To me they were worth every penny.
Naivetea gets it right! This tea is so right for me!
Thanks to this thread on Steepster I discovered Naivetea:
http://steepster.com/discuss/1832-having-a-love-affair-with-flavored-oolong-teas
I tried a few of their plain high altitude oolongs and they are delightful on their own. I’m not sure which tea they are using as the base of their flavored tea but it sure seems to work for me. The passionfruit infusion is sweet and simple, I definitely know it’s there but it doesn’t overwhelm me with a cloying sensation, just a nice juicy fruit flavor. And it also lends itself well to soymilk if you should happen to want a creamier dessert type of experience. I am so happy with this blend, the only thing I’m not so happy about is the price, 2 oz for $16 (but volume discounts apply). Still, what is worse than spending a lot of money on a bunch of crappy tea you can’t even stand? And, you can infuse this multiple times.
This is truly a winner in my book. Wheee!!!
Preparation
Another oolong. Am I in Love? Maybe…
Tightly rolled little emerald balls of joy with the most amazing aroma of flowers and freshly cut vegetation after a light rain. I find myself sticking my nose deep into my sample bag of Shan Lin Shi just to breathe every molecule of scent in. The pale yellow liquor is soft with a flavor that is equal parts steamed spinach and osmanthus, (in the very best way). So buttery, creamy, and delicious with a beautiful sweet lingering finish. SWOON
I’m a sucker for a good oolong and Wen Shan Bao Zhong is a GOOD oolong. I never cease to be impressed with how delectable a pure, simple, high quality tea can be.
This Bao Zhong has an intoxicating floral aroma dry, but this oolong has a lightly vegetal and almost savory flavor at first sip. A distinctive osmanthus essence with delicate orchid notes quickly takes over, and the finish is slightly creamy. Very, very, very good!
I was able to get seven flavorful steeps out of the leaves just as Naivetea promised.
AND I used this adorable little dude to brew my lovely Wen Shan Bao Zhong:
http://www.teavana.com/tea-products/teapots-teapot-sets/artisan-teapots/yixing-teapots/p/tiny-mouse-yixing-teapot
I got some samples from Naivetea and I’ve been really happy with them all so far.
I was super happy with this sample! I have a few more that I’m excited to try :)
Mmmm. Osmanthus and orchid tones get me drooling… I think I will have to give this one a try! I love the little mouse Yixing teapot and nod hello to the one in the window of my local Teavana. ;-)
My husband brought the little mouse home to me one day unsolicited. He said that he saw the little guy in Teavana’s window and knew I’d love it. Of course, Teavana is near the Apple store so there may have been some guilt involved. I want the pervy monkey pot next. The one that looks like the tea is poring out of… you know. I want to shock my MIL with that one :)
I wonder if I need a Yixing teapot? Do you notice a difference?
I like that the mouse is the perfect size to brew oolongs gongfu for one person. Over time, the clay is supposed to cure and improve the flavor of subsequent infusions. We shall see.
Jenn, I love your mouse!
Thank you! I love that little dude :)
I still haven’t gotten around to testing some of my tea-of-the-month samplers, so I decided it was time to break them out (especially considering the November batch is coming soon).
This has a great roasted nutty flavor. I didn’t read up on it at all before steeping, so I wasn’t expecting anything in particular. So it was a pleasant surprise! It has a happy scent, too; it fills my room with that same nutty fragrance. It’s a nice tea for autumn. Works well with my current surroundings, with the falling leaves and brisk air (if I wasn’t sitting at work, that is).
Preparation
This has a roasted aroma going for it. They leaves are tightly wrapped. The post-infusion color is a medium brown – maybe a little on the lighter side of medium. The flavor is lovely. It’s a roasty-nutty flavor that is sweeter and silky. There are slight hints of a sugary flavor hiding in the background, too. The after taste is much like a roasted rice type taste. The more I drink this the more I like it. YUM!
I haven’t been drinking very much oolong recently, I’ve been so busy sampling other things. :)
This is the last of my sample of this and I am enjoying it. It does have a delicate flowery aroma and the flavor is a mild sort of buttery peas. I am finding it very relaxing this morning. See my previous tasting notes for this tea.
I recently got some high altitude oolongs from Naivetea to try. This one is sooo pleasing I could drink it all day. Very mellow, soft and mild. Vegetal and slightly floral with a delightful buttery aftertaste that lingers… fantastic if you like tea of this kind.
Make sure to keep the steeping time low for these, Naivetea provides very clear instructions for water temp & steeping times. Great for multiple infusions.
Preparation
Wow! My preference is for greener oolongs, but this roasted oolong is stunning. It has an amazing, slightly savory flavor that is tasty now in August, but will also hit the spot come fall and winter. I need to spend more time with this before giving a number rating, but for now, this tea is wonderful.
Phew, I’m so backlogged in tea reviews/adding teas to my tea cupboard it’s not even funny. Since it’s a long weekend here, I’m going to try and get through all of my backlogged reviews…
I was very lucky and won one of the Steepster Select boxes for October and this was included as one of the selections.
I steeped this in boiling water for 3 minutes (directions on the Steepster package, which is different than the directions on Naivetea’s website) and the leaves produced a beautiful light-amber tea with a toasted aroma with a slight herbaceous quality.
The taste was much softer and smoother than I had been expecting due to the aroma and there was a slight caramelized sugar and (very slight) floral finish. The roasting of the tea definitely comes through when I drink this tea and like LissaMarie commented, it reminds me quite a bit of genmaicha.
Though I enjoyed being able to try this tea, I don’t think the roasted oolongs are for me, so I really appreciate being able to try a bit of it without having to commit to a 50 or 100g purchase. My rating of 80 is due to the fact that it really is a lovely tea, just not my cup of tea (sorry, had to! :-P).
Preparation
This tea was certainly a welcome part of the Oolong October Steepster Select box. I haven’t had a Naivetea tea for a while, and I’ve missed their exceptional quality Oolong.
Toasty and warm. A delightful tea for the approaching autumn. Will write more about this one as I spend more time with it…
This tea is amazing, but full of surprises. Before steeping I smelled this tea, and was surprised by the floral aroma. While steeping, the floral disappeared into a very dank earthy aroma. The tea has a similar earthy nature when you taste it. The earthiness gives way to a slight fruity and herbal flavor.
I am a fan, and can’t wait to see what re-steeping does to this tea.
Preparation
Scent is nutty and warm.
Taste is standard seed/nut of Oolong, but only lightly. The main portion reminds me of wheat…the dry raspy stalks rather than the seeds.
There is also a strong dark note I can’t place that covers the tongue as it cools.
Over-all? I like this but doubt I’d buy. Maybe, we’ll see as i have some more. This surprises me as I didn’t much care for American Tea Room’s Dong Ding… I wonder what the difference is? My tongue or something about the teas? Who knows? I’ll revisit the ATR’s one to test my taste buds.
Preparation
Wonderful lychee flavor and aroma! I followed the steeping instructions provided, and this tea was fantastic. With each subsequent steeping, the lychee flavor became more prominent and sweeter. It is a wonderful tea and will definitely be a staple.
I kinda go crazy for a few Lishan Oolongs, but only when they are roasted (not to the point of tasting very roasty though). Jade Oolongs are nice and all, but in general are kind of a “Meh” for me compared to ones with just a tiny bit more oxidation or roast to ’em.
I agree that a slight roast brings out a nice nutty element.