Silk Road Teas

Good black tea that will not let you down. If you are starting to drink tea this a great place to start with black teas. Fruity taste with a hint of smoke almost wine like but in a subtle way. Easy to drink with food or by itself.

Very fragrant Bi Lo Chun, I was surprised at the scent of the leaf by itself and while steeping the scent is enhanced. This is not a very floral tea, it is more on the fruity side and I can only compare it to the taste of the skin of a plum. It can be pricey but the leaf can be re-steeped if not over-steeped the first time.

Its an OK quality Been. You can taste the sweetness of a white tea with the complexity of a Sheng puerh (a bit bitter, very aromatic and flowery notes). I recommend using Gong Fu method so you can enjoy different phases of the tea… Rinse for a few seconds and do :15 infusions adding another :15 per infusion or to your taste.

This is admittedly my first experience with Gen Mai Cha, but it’s delicious. The brewed smell is nutty and reminds me of a bowl of rice krispies cereal, and the taste is a delightful blend of green tea and nutty flavors. I’ll definitely be buying more when I run low.

Love to watch this tea expand and almost bloom like a flower. Rich taste, giving multiple steeps.

This is slowly becoming a strong favorite. Recommend it not only for breakfast or lunch but for all day. Just a teaspoon of rock sugar for me and the tea is great.

Having never been to China I can’t attest to whether or not this truly tastes of Longan berries, but I can attest to the fact that it is quite tasty.

It smells very floral (the smell of longan, I reckon), and it tastes sweet yet balanced. Also, the unfurled leaves are far larger than many black teas that I’ve encountered. Overall I’m happy I have 4oz. of this to work through.

There are already a lot of reviews for this tea, so I will keep this short. This is definitely one of the most enjoyable and multifaceted black teas I have ever come across. Yes, the notes of chocolate and spice are pronounced, but not overpowering. For me, nothing about it is too bitter or too sweet. It lends itself well for many arrangements: plain, with milk and/or sugar, with added spice as a chai…and here is one more instrumentation you may not have thought of: as a vodka infusion! Steeping the tea in the alcohol brings out those malty cocoa and spice flavors BIG TIME.

Below is the recipe I used from about.com. I cut the recipe in about a third to yield a smaller quantity, but probably still used just over 2 tsp of the tea (2.5 – 3 tsp). My only additional recommendation is to use quality vodka, not anything bottom shelf or watery. As with most drinks, the higher quality, the better. By the way, this goes perfect with cuisine from the northern parts of the silk road – Russian zakuski – Na Zdorovie!

Ingredients:
750 mL neutral-tasting vodka (a.k.a. “a fifth”)
6 level teaspoons good quality black tea leaves
Simple syrup (optional, to taste)

Preparation:
1. Using a funnel, place the tealeaves into the bottle of vodka. If necessary, lightly crush them first or use a chopstick to fit them through the funnel and into the bottle.
2. Replace the cap of the bottle and shake well.
3. Steep for about 18 hours, or to taste.
4. Pour the mixture through a strainer and funnel into a different bottle. (If you plan to add simple syrup, use a larger bottle.)
5. Discard the tealeaves. Add simple syrup to the remaining solution if desired.
6. Serve straight, on the rocks or as a base for more complex cocktails.

first steeping,
aroma shows grassy or “HAY” like notes typical of a raw pu erh but also has a VERY pronounced sweet note at the end of the aroma as well.
taste of first steeping was full bodied, slightly bitter. liquid is a full golden color.
really awesome lingering mouth feel, it actually develops seconds after you swallow.

second steeping,
aroma is the same for the most part
liquid is darker. taste is more pronounced, more balanced with the bitterness so its not over powering..

i got this tea for 8.00 for a 1/4 pound, A BARGAIN!
so for what i paid i am definitely happy with it, although i have had pu erhs that are way better.

This was the first loose tea I have ever purchased. When I saw that the Prez had it in the White House, then I had to have it too. Perfect malty taste, earthy undertones at times. Sweet tasting and wonderful color. I made the mistake of ordering from another place at a higher price (dont ask me why, got sucked into the hype). It did not taste the same.
This is my go to tea when I want to relax, dare I say my favorite. I highly recommend.

Steep 2.5 mins. – Maximum steep time recommended
If you like jasmine scented teas, you will definitely recognize the thoroughbred quality of this concoction. The jasmine flowers have been delicately picked and blended expertly with the green leaf/silver bud mix. The tea leaves themselves are also of decent quality, with a light but classic sencha flavor that manages to poke through the jasmine. One thing I hate about many jasmine teas is the overwhelming flavor of the flower. This tea is a much better blend than many cheap, prepackaged alternatives (unless you oversteep of course!). I do not measure my water temperatures before brewing (sorry people, but I’ve got better things to do…maybe some day I can attain fully blown tea-nerdvana) but after having several cups of this at varying degrees, I would recommend using a lower water temperature, well below boiling. All in all, a very uplifting cup perfect for afternoon drinking.

First cup. Steep 2 mins.
This tea produces a well-balanced broth that is most invigorating. Both hearty and calming, there are flavors of farm-fresh straw and dandelion. I am usually skeptical of tasting notes that seem to draw geographic attributes just from taste, but this one really does have a faint bouquet that remains in your chest like fresh breath of mountain air. Very drinkable.

Really lovely, thick-yet-delicate tea that could easily serve as a morning eye opening. The company suggests that it will take milk, and sure enough, with a dollop of cream in the morning cup this tea could stand mug to mug with any good assam. Really happy with this.

One of SRT’s Phoenix Bird oolongs from last year’s (2011) growing season. As with most stem-twisted oolongs I’ve tried, these leaves take time to unfurl. Brews a nice amber-brown liquor. Aroma is floral but very sweet, almost to the point of being cloying, which doesn’t quite match its flat, astringent taste. It doesn’t offer many subsequent steepings. Not a bad tea, but with so many exceptional oolongs out there, I have no desire to purchase another gao shan.

Very pleasant stem-twisted oolong. Rich, plummy flavor with a floral, toasted rice finish. Brews a reddish liquor. Sadly, this is one of those teas which loses its essence after exposure to air. Good excuse to drink it up, but unfortunately this is a tea I’d like to keep on hand and enjoy slowly over time. Hopefully SRT will continue to source this one.

The best green tea I’ve ever tried. Rich and satisfying, but, being a green tea, it’s also light and refreshing. I tried to get as many steeps as possible from the batch I ordered (2010 season), but found the flavors dissipating in the fourth infusion. Next time I’ll try brewing this in a gaiwan. Fingers crossed that the price will come down for the 2012 season!

Disappointing, considering all the wonderful things I’ve heard about Lu An. It wasn’t bad, but as far as green teas go I’ve enjoyed other varietals more. Bland, underwhelming, lacking any complex flavor.

Tea of the afternoon here; this is a pretty decent little tou cha – see previous notes for more info.

Pu-erh of the afternoon here, not the best in my collection but it isn’t too bad.

It’s a nice accompaniment to this Tibetan Meditation Music: http://www.nawangkhechog.com/

This tastes a lot better than it sounds, though I confess I have never gotten up close and personal with a camel. :)

see previous notes for more info.

The afternoon cuppa – I mixed this with some ginger root for a great after lunch tea. Two great tastes that go great together! hee hee

This is something else that comes from the bulk bin at my local Whole Foods – I guess I am lucky since it seems like other people don’t have these different companies at their local W.F.

I am having a stomach upset so it seems like a good time for shu. I ate something really garlic-y and the tummy is not happy! This is one reason I started drinking shu pu-erh about a year ago. It does seem to help with heartburn & indigestion.

I thought this smelled a bit fishy so I did give it a quick rinse in boiling water and then steeped it for 3 minutes in a tetsubin. I am already feeling too lazy for more gong fu style tea brewings today.

This is very dark and smooth, and yes it does remind me of dirt but it is also very satisfying and relaxing. No camphor here. Lots of earthy flavors, a bit mushroomy. It also is not as gritty as some tuo chas I’ve had. I liked it pretty well, not doing backflips but will probably get some more of these when I run out, they are not that expensive and great for the office too.

Om nom nom…I think I might have found our household breakfast tea. This really is full-bodied and malty (I think I finally understand what malty is..or maybe not..meh). It’s also suitable for members of the household that might not be as tea-crazed as this one is (i.e my husband). There have been only a handful of teas that he has tried and liked. When on a whim I asked him to try this one as I was impressed by the first sip, he actually really liked it. It always makes me happy to share good tea :)

Bonus note about Silk Road Teas – I had a small teapot in my order and the lid arrived broken. I called to ask for a replacement and they apologized and were really nice about it, and asked about the packaging so it wouldn’t happen in the future…all in all a great customer service experience (part of me always expects hassles when dealing with stuff like that). It was my second order with them and I will probably order again. The only thing that bugs me a little is that they only do 4oz increments of tea, which is more than I usually like to order at once of a tea I haven’t tried (although the price per oz. ends up pretty good).