Silk Road Teas

Seriously disappointing. This is one of my favorite styles of tea, but this tea was extremely fussy. It was almost impossible to steep it without it becoming very bitter. Even when i steeped it properly it was still nothing to write home about. It was so disappointing that i’ve considered that they may have sent me a different tea in this packaging by mistake. I really expected much more.

Has that unique flat, dirty taste which you find in most pu-erhs. Smells like an old mulch pile. Also has a mineral-like aftertaste, like you just licked the damp, stone walls of your grandmother’s basement in early spring after a rain. Or, if you could drink the smell of old books – good quality old books, not cigarette stained ones from old ladies’ yard sales, but the ones you find on bookshelves at old B&B’s in, say, Cape May. …That’s what this tea tastes like, and if that’s your thing, you’ll like it. It’s my thing – I like drinking books and licking walls.

A very light tea with a nice floral smell. Tastes like a mouth full of freshly cut grass and honey. The little nuggets are crunchy and I like to eat them.

Look at this leaf: http://i.imgur.com/mB9BD.jpg Is that not the nicest damn tea leaf you’ve ever seen?

A good tea for everyday drinking. Has a sweet taste if you don’t brew it too long.

I haven’t had this one in a while but thought I’d check it out again this morning, ooh, I love this one. Sweet and mild with a floral aroma and light fruity flavors. See previous notes for more info. I hope they still have this at Whole Foods for a while. :)

I got 4 very good steeps out of it.

Another thing I found at the Bulk bin in Whole Foods…

I wasn’t sure how the magnolia gets in here, if it’s natural or what. hmmm. Does anyone have a guess?

These are long and slender dark leaves. I was really expecting something like a wuyi tea when I brewed this up but instead I got a light yellow infusion that is full of wonderful flavors. The magnolia is very nice here, it provides an exquisite aroma without knocking you over in flowers. The tea itself is very light and creamy with a slight apricot flavor. When I first smelled it I thought “pastries baking”. This is pretty intoxicating stuff, it feels like an elegant luxury… yummm. I am definitely a fan!

Infused 3x at 180 F for about 3 minutes.

I have kind of a hit or miss relationship with floral teas. If they’re too sweet or too perfumey I don’t like them as much. This one strikes a nice balance.

When it comes to pu-erh teas I am pretty much open to trying anything especially when they are this cheap (11.00 for 1/4 lb). This is a loose leaf sheng which was evidently sun dried. Somehow I love drinking shengs at night whereas shus I like in the morning…

I was a bit nervous after reading the previous review that described it as bitter and bracing – does not sound like a good sign! I steeped about 1 tsp of the leaf in the gaiwan with boiling water for 60 seconds and then for a second steep at 30 seconds, this was plenty.

This is intense, it’s a very lemony almost sour tea with slight asparagus notes. Yes it is floral smelling but the flavor is not that flowery at all. I definitely get “bracing” here in addition to it being very zesty and great for the digestion. Wow, a surprising and nice adventure as well as uplifting! I think I will need to get some more at this price. Proceed with caution though, with oversteeping this would become a real bitter nightmare!!!

Sipdown!
I am all done with this one, but would certainly consider getting more. Drinking it plain today since I’m all out of soymilk. Looking forward to an all day meditation retreat tomorrow!

Update: I iced the remainder I had and this makes a really good iced tea with a teaspoon of sugar.

Tea of the morning here. Good morning, Steepster! I am glad the work week is drawing to a close! It’s been a long week, it seems like.

Anyway this is still delicious, smooth and malty. I’m lucky they have these teas in bulk at the local Whole Foods. See previous notes for more info.

M’kay… here’s another tea I got in the Whole foods bulk bin here in San francisco. I was pretty excited to try this! I’ve had a few yunnan teas but I don’t think a golden needle has been one of them. These are very fine dark golden buds…

I decided to steep this in the Tetsubin for 4 minutes with boiling water. That may have been a bit too much however, next time I think I will try for 3 because I ended up with a bit more tannins than I wanted. It is very malty and chocolatey with a nice touch of sweetness/starch at the end, kind of like a banana or a sweet potato. I did end up adding a touch of soymilk but I drink most of my blacks this way. I’d also like to try this out with shorter steeps in the gaiwan but it is really yummy! A great choice for the morning.

I don’t know that much about white teas but I am trying to further my education. I found this in the bulk section at Whole Foods so the risk of not liking it was relatively low.

These are quite beautiful long silver needles and they smell quite fresh and lovely. I have to admit my water temp has probably been a bit hotter than what they recommend but the tea does not seem to have suffered.

I am looking for the grape they have mentioned here. Grape? I don’t really get that at all. I can definitely get the honeydew melon and maybe some pear. This tea is making my tongue tingle. The only other Bai Mu Dan I’ve had is the one from Teavivre, and I don’t think this is quite as good as that one, not as sweet and flowery. But I do not think I’ll have any problem finishing this off and I might even use it in a blend.

The previous taster helped me with this review. Depth: that is the key word with this tea. It’s more floral than vegetal, but not flowery. It has a warmth and a depth, though, that are really satisfying. Smooth on the tongue, a subtle smell. This is definitely a winner for me :)

I haven’t posted any teas in a while, because I’ve been getting into the smaller boutique products. This comes from Silk Road Teas, and it’s a new product for them.

The tea comes in a small cake, suitable for brewing in a larger teapot rather than just one cup. I used my medium-sized teapot, and the cake was a bit too much for the steeping basket. Still, it worked.

The tea: a lightly scented (honey-like, as the description indicates), pale yellow tea. The flavor is subtly sweet, not grassy at all, but smooth. I detect a bit of flowery taste, but nothing too strong.

I made the mistake of ordering just one cake (forgot to update after increasing the number!), but will be ordering this again soon. It is a lovely tea, and perfect for a quiet morning when you can sit down and really sip slowly and thoughtfully. It does require quiet and attention, as the flavor is so subtle. This is not for drinking on the go.

2nd steep of this. Beautiful. I can’t say this enough. I added a very minuscule amount of Savannah Bee Company’s raw honey to this and it just added so much. This honey has been hidden in the dark part of my cupboard waiting for such a moment. I’m so glad I did a second steep because the flavor on this has only gotten better. It is very smooth and still has no astringency. The very back of the throat flavor is very delicate and has a lasting tinge of sweetness that I’m coming to savor. I’m changing my rating on this one to something higher.

I’ll be honest. Non-flavored whites freak me out. The dry smell of this one especially! I got this as a gift. I’m feeling a bit guilty for not getting around to this sooner. The hardest part of brewing the small amount I did, about 150ml, is that I only added as much as I guess-timated would be the best.
The smell on this one is very, well, dry. I find it has a lot of hay like notes. The liquor itself is very light and surprisingly has a very strong smell.
But oh my gosh. I’m so glad I tried this one! I think the water should have been heated just a bit higher b/c this is already cool and it’s only been 2min. But it is much sweeter than I thought it would be! The sweetness is actually in the forefront of this cuppa.
I actually really enjoy this tea! Coming from someone who avoids this type of style generally I am floored. This is an extra silky, extra sweet liquor with a small amount of dry/hay flavor that right now I’m willing to overlook.

2011 Harvest. This is a great tea with a strong chocolate aroma and flavor with a rich mouth-feel. Smooth. Stands in stark contrast to the somewhat spicy black teas that many people are accustomed to. Definitely worth trying.

My first hairy crab oolong so I don’t really have anything else to compare this one to. I picked this one up at the Bulk section of Whole Foods to try this afternoon. Some other descriptions I’ve read of hairy crab oolongs say they have a floral perfume but I did not pick that up here, thankfully ;)

About 90 seconds of steeping time in near boiling water yielded me a golden-green color of tea. I am pretty fond of this one actually. It is brothy and rich with a touch of honey flavor. Lightly oxidized Chinese and Taiwanese oolongs are fast becoming my favorite tea for the afternoon and I really like drinking them out of a glass mug to admire their delicate colors. There is no need to add milk or sugar since they are really delightful on their own. I will definitely need to do some more experiments with hairy crabs from different companies.

I got this brick for my birthday in 2007 and have enjoyed small prtions of it about once a year. It is getting better and better every time. I was born year of the horse 1978 so it is very special for me i love it.

This is by far one of the best black teas I’ve ever tasted.

Today’s tasting note courtesy of Red Peach …a beautiful soft black tea. Currently on my brew…I agree…classic flavor

I like this Mao Feng. The price is right, and so is the flavor profile. It is in my daily rotation.

I cannot complain about this tea. It is exactly what I would expect from an affordable Bi Luo Chun. It has a sweet taste. It is in my daily rotation.

A light, sweeter green tea. Good for through-out the day drinking.