What-Cha

Man, did I need caffeine this morning. So of course that means road blocks at every turn. The biggest hurdle was getting the CTC from yesterday out of my teapot. That won’t happen again.

So this smells malty, dry. It smells malty, and a little baked brownies, steeped. It tastes lightly malt and unsweetened chocolate. There is a much desired, by me this morning, briskness to it that starts at the front, early in the sip, and expands around to the sides. It drifts into a sharp finish. Along the way I sense a fruity taste like the Muscat of the Darjeeling I had a couple days ago.

Not a one note tea by any means but not super complex either. Perfect for my first couple cups of the morning.

Backlog:

This was the first tea I got in my What-Cha order! :D I don’t think I’ve ever tasted a plain Four Seasons tea before. I have only tried an aged one and one mixed with another oolong. So those don’t really count.
I’ve really wanted to try one though, so thought I’d pick up a sample of it!
Not as good as I hoped it would be. At first I only tasted butter. Wasn’t overly strong, which was good. And it not being overly strong made me keep drinking the first mug of it. About half way through the mug I started getting floral notes. By the end of the cup there was a nice balance of both butter and floral. Wish there were more floral notes in this, but I’m glad that I didn’t give up after two sips. I think that I will enjoy the rest of my sample when I don’t want a super strong floral oolong. But I wouldn’t buy it again. Happy to have tried though! (:

Being the only person in the house with a restricted diet is a nightmare! When I was visiting my mom, I forgot how hard it can be, she is not Gluten Free and plagued by multiple food allergies per se, but she feels better avoiding certain foods, so it was not constantly in my face. Since I have returned home I am bombarded with baking bread, loaves everywhere, massive pasta dishes, pies, cakes…it is not very fun leaving my bedroom. Luckily my mom gave me an awesome simmering potpourri, one which I am using to make my room smell like pine trees, anything to keep the bread away!

First off, my computer ate the usual first photo of the dry leaves for today’s tea, What-Cha’s Nepal 2nd Flush 2014 Dew Drops Green Tea, so I must substitute it with something random. These adorable little tea balls resemble Gunpowder Green in their shape in size, hailing from Nepal’s Greenland Organic Farms in the shadow of the Himalayan Mountains. The aroma is a bit sweet, a blend of toasted sesame and freshly cut grass, a bit of distant floral and a touch of mineral at the finish. The tight little balls did not give up their scent easily, it required much sniffing, but the aroma that did come off of them was light and clean.

Brewing the little dew drops of tea brings out more of the aroma hiding away when they were dry, it is a blend of light floral nectar, nutty undertones, and a nice spinach greenness that overshadows all the other notes. It is the aroma of fresh spinach leaves rather than cooked spinach, reminding me a bit of a salad. The liquid is a blend of honey sweetness and green notes from spinach and greenbeans. There is a touch of a sesame note at the finish that adds some nice nutty notes, again the aroma is clean and light.

The taste of the first steep is so green! Like a mouthful of fresh spinach with a distant hint of floral and a touch of citrus. It is neat, there is a peppery and almost salty quality that blends really well with the citrus and spinach, like a mouthful of fresh salad. Just like the aroma, the taste is refreshing and clean!

The aroma of the second steeping is a neat little blend of floral sweetness and savory green notes. With notes of spinach (cooked this time) wildflower nectar and a general vegetal greenness. The taste is mostly green, with a buttery taste and mouthfeel, it tastes like greenbeans and spinach sauteed and butter with a hint of pepper. At the end there is a bit of grass and mineral,

For the last steep, the aroma is a nice blend of savory in sweet, but this time it is more floral and honey than vegetal. This time around there is no saltiness, buttery notes, or really any savory notes, it is all sweet and fresh. Like wildflower honey, flowers, toasted sesame, and a touch of fresh spinach at the finish. Overall this was a refreshing green tea, I liked the blend of sweet and savory, they did not clash.

For blog and photos: http://ramblingbutterflythoughts.blogspot.com/2015/01/what-cha-nepal-2nd-flush-2014-dew-drops.html

Kind of light for a tea this early in my day, maybe 3 minutes with 7g wasn’t enough? I definitely taste the honey notes, but the woody notes taste more like a ricola original cough drop, MINUS the menthol, to me. I can see this being a good “sore throat” tea.

When I opened the sample it was like spring bouquet with cinnamon and clove or maybe cardamom added. I tend to like green oolongs far more than the roasted ones. This is nicely green. The steeped leaf is even more fragrant. What is interesting to me is the first thing I notice when tasting is this is creamy. With the next sip I start thinking creamed corn. Then I notice the floral notes that usually get described as orchid. The aftertaste is leafy, vegetal, and makes me think geraniums. That is my go to descriptor for that green oolong aftertaste. The aftertaste does not drift into latex as with some overpowered teas. I was not disappointed in the taste. For me if it were more floral it would be too much. For me this is the perfect levels of floral and green.

It reminds me very heavily of Haagen-Dazs’ green tea ice cream. In fact, it reminds me of having the same flavor of most MATCHA based drinks and baked goods. It is, however considerably sweeter than matcha, and that must be taken into account. A VERY short steep time is vest for this tea, I have found, with very mildly hotter water than is shown on the package.

Yet again, another stellar tea from what-cha.

This tea did not knock my socks off the way most of What-Cha’s teas have done. That is not to say it is not a good tea. It certainly is, but in a comfortable way. To me this is a very solid everyday darjeeling. Dry it has a Cheerios and malt aroma. Brewed the scent is fruity and lightly malt. The taste is similar. Very smooth and easy to drink. There is no bitterness or astringency that I notice. Late in the sip it picks up a spicy bite that really makes the cup come alive. I felt no need for additives as this leans a little sweet. This tea stood up very well to a sandwich. Certainly a nice tea on its own, that goes great with food, and the price is right to make this a good everyday tea choice.

Backlog:

Beautiful dry leaf that almost looks like pine needles. (But they don’t smell like them!) They are darker in color than a typical “silver needle” with more of a purple-y color to them than the pale green to silvery color that you’d find in a Chinese Silver Needle. The aroma is soft and floral.

The liquid is very pale and the taste is delicate. Sweet and floral. It’s lovely and soft tasting. Even though it’s a very delicate and subtle tea there are many layers to it.

The second cup was stronger than the first. The floral notes are not quite as sharp as they were in the first cup, but they are also not quite as delicate. This cup has a creamy overtone that is very enjoyable and the tail has light, fruity tones that evoke thoughts of peach and orange.

This tea is not quite as “haylike” as some white teas can be. This is sweet, creamy with nutty tones. It’s a different silver needle, but different is good! I enjoy the classic silver needle too but it’s nice to try something a little different that will challenge what I know about silver needle!

Here’s my full-length review: http://sororiteasisters.com/2014/10/14/kenya-silver-needle-purple-varietal-white-tea-from-what-cha-tea/

Using someone’s else computer is just weird, Ben specifically got a larger keyboard and mouse to avoid his hands cramping. I have especially tiny hands and a much smaller keyboard and mouse because of that, meaning my hands are cramping and I keep typing wrong and clicking the wrong things. I will get used to it in a day or so, but it is still just really weird. Also, while typing this I am watching Ben play Dragon Age Inquisition, it is good to be back!

So, since last Wednesday and yesterday was taken up by holiday shenanigans, I decided to have a What-Cha Thursday this week, it does not flow as nicely though, so I shall stick with Wednesdays. Today I am looking at Malawi Zomba Pearls White Tea, first brought to my attention when What-Cha was having a sale at the end of October and fellow tea blogger and Steepster member said they should be called Zombie Pearls for Halloween, it has not been anything in my mind since then. These neat little rolled leaves (they look a little like cocoons!) hail from the Satemwa Tea Estate in Malawi and definitely fit into the unique category of teas from that estate. The aroma of the little pearls is a zingy mix of cucumber, pepper, bok choy, lettuce, and a little bit of sweet hay at the finish. It borders on savory, but stays more in the refreshing and bright spectrum. It really smells like some delicious drink or even sandwich one would consume on a summer day when seeking something cool and refreshing.

Giving the little pearls a steeping causes them to unfurl a bit, not a huge unfurling yet. They have a refreshing aroma, like their dry counterparts, but it is a bit more savory this time around with notes of bok choy, cooked bell pepper,fresh cucumber, and pepper. At the finish there is a tiny bit of sweet hay, but mostly it is cooked veggies. The liquid is a savory blend of cucumbers, lettuce, and a bit of hay and spinach.

So, the first steep is light yet quite distinct, one of the first teas I have ever thought tasted crisp, like biting into a fresh cucumber and lettuce. It is quite unique! There are also notes of cooked bell peppers at the middle and a finish of fresh sugar cane juice and very slight citrus. I definitely love how refreshing this tea tastes, it even feels like eating a cooling cucumber.

The aroma of the second steep is identical in notes, but increased in intensity, it is really quite mouthwatering and refreshing. I especially find myself amused by the cucumber notes, I do not run into that very often and when I do, they are usually very light and not a primary note. So, have you ever grown cucumbers, the tiny ones, and eaten one fresh from the garden? It is cool and crisp and surprisingly sweet, I mean cucumbers are not the most savory veggies in existence, but these have a unique sweetness. The first sip of the second steep captures that taste nigh perfectly, it is sweet with a touch of savory. This transitions to bok choy and a tiny bit of lettuce, like the first steep the finish is sugar cane and still rather cooling.

For the last steep, the leaves have almost entirely unfurled and the liquid is a glorious golden, in fact, the aroma of the liquid has taken on a sunny feel. Not so much cooling cucumber, now it is warm sweet hay and cut grass, there is a hint of cucumber and lettuce, but it is now mostly sweet. The taste takes its cues from the aroma, delicately sweet and warm with notes of hay, sugar cane juice, and a finish of cucumber. I really enjoy how this steep starts warm and finishes with a cooling sensation. I have inevitably already finished my sample, but plan on getting this tea for light summer steeping, I expect it will help keep me cool during the long Kansas City summers.

For blog and photos: http://ramblingbutterflythoughts.blogspot.com/2015/01/what-cha-malawi-zomba-pearls-white-tea.html

I expected something more floral. To me it has a little bit of a cinnamon top note, followed by a buttery smooth taste, THEN followed by a hint of floral aftertaste, similar to a gardenia fower.

All in all, not what I was expecting from something called a “Flowery” oolong, but a good tea none the less.

This reminds me of citrus, almost like a slightly bitter winter orange. Dee-licious. guzzled my first mug in seconds flat, and got 3 more western style brews out of it. Next to try is some gong-fu!

Tastes like a dark chocolate heavy on the fruit notes. Husband would not share, so I had to make my own mug.

This is BIG time roasty and mushroom-y. My husband took a sip and mistook it for a broth.

It is very deep and delicious.

It is hands down one of the best iterations of Da Hong Pao I have seen

What-Cha’s Fujian Milk Oolong

This is a very unique Milk Oolong, which isn’t much of a surprised as I am always pleasantly surprised by What-Cha’s teas distinctiveness; this is a flavored Milk Oolong which is a little off putting to a lot of people. I’d probably have skipped this if it wasn’t from What-Cha, I’ll admit it I am a little prejudiced against flavored Jin Xuans, especially flavored ones from China, but I decided to take a risk and purchase it.

And I am glad that I took the risk. This is the best flavored Milk Oolong I have ever had, ok that bar isn’t set very high, but this along with the Golden Lily Oolong is my favorite Jin Xuan that I have tried this year. There are a lot of different tastes in this. If this was from that Tea Company that everyone knows it would probably be called something like “Majestic Tropical Milk Flowery Oolong”, ok probably something more ridiculous then that. The major flavors in this is Mango, Toasted Coconut, Butterscotch, and Orchid; while some of the minor notes are milk, pineapple and a little vegetal. While I don’t drink a lot of flavored teas, but from what I understand most flavored teas cannot be steeped more than once without a significance loss in flavor; I got four long (three minutes first steeping, four minutes second steeping, six minutes third steeping and seven minutes for my fourth) before the leaves started to feel completely used up.

(“Breath Taking” photography at: http://rah-tea.blogspot.com/2014/11/what-chas-fujian-milk-oolong-jin-xuan.html)

The dry leaves were a mix of tightly spiraled tea and cut up leaves. I brewed at 175 °F for three minutes. This one taste very similar to a Dragonwell even though the dry leaves look nothing like one, it was mostly nutty with a mild grassy taste, although there was no sweetness in this tea.

I may or may not buy this tea if it was sold individually, because it tastes so similar to a Dragonwell I feel I can easily find very complex ones relatively cheaply. If I were to buy it again it would have to be priced very competitively. While this may be my second favorite of the sampler, it doesn’t stand up to What-Cha’s Zhejiang Dragonwell which is very cheap for the quality.

(More at http://rah-tea.blogspot.com/2014/11/what-chas-discover-russia-green-tea.html)

The tea leaves are very green for a Russian green tea (although I have not tried enough Russian tea to determine if dark tea leaves are normal) and there is a scent that I can’t identify. The leaves are a mix of chopped and longer strands. I brewed at 175 °F for three minutes and this produced a grassy tea. Not too grassy, but it was not light, almost just right.

While this tea was relatively simple I might purchase it if it was sold individually, I could easily find grassy teas that were complex, but if I was looking for a one note tea (not that this is bad) I would consider purchasing this.

(“Award Winning” Photography at http://rah-tea.blogspot.com/2014/11/what-chas-discover-russia-green-tea.html)

When you try this one use a clear glass teapot. The leaf filled mine with floating, hanging, and settled leaf. It was the best leaf display I have seen in a while.

This is my first yellow. It starts subtle with stone or possibly nutty notes, then is submerged under a wave of good bite. Quite a contrast. Your left smacking your lips and tasting lingering floral and vegetation.

The second mug found the subtle notes replaced with bolder notes that reminded me of biting into a raw white potato along with the sweetness of corn. This is again followed by the wave that withdraws leaving the vegetal aftertaste.

Complex and interesting. I love how each of the reviews here have interpreted it in different ways. That kind of reflects that complexity.

Backlog:

I love to try other-than-black Assam teas. And this is a lovely Green Assam. It has an amazing dry leaf scent, notes of mango! Yes, mango! Once the tea is brewed, this fragrance softens but it’s still there. Nice.

The tea starts out rather delicate but the flavors develop as I continue to sip. Vegetal notes and notes of fruit. Tangy citrus. It’s a very refreshing and rewarding cuppa. I felt it soothing and calming me as I sipped.

Good for a resteep, the flavors intensify with the second infusion.

Here’s my full-length review: http://sororiteasisters.com/2014/10/09/assam-2nd-flush-2014-green-tea-from-what-cha-tea/

Backlog:

LOVE! I taste notes of honey, caramel, cacao, malt, flower and fruit. A lovely, delicious, decadent tea with luscious layers of flavor.

A thick, pleasant mouthfeel. It’s been my experience that many Nepalese teas tend to have Darjeeling-esque characteristics but I didn’t really experience that so much with this tea. This reminds me more of a Fujian tea. This one resteeps well too.

Here’s my full-length review: http://sororiteasisters.com/2014/10/03/nepal-2nd-flush-2014-golden-tips-black-tea-from-what-cha-tea/

Backlog:

I have a lot of favorite tea companies. This year, I added at least one more “new” tea company to my list of favorites: What-Cha. I love the varieties of white teas that they offer (they offer a stunning array of other varieties as well).

This Darjeeling White from What-Cha may be one of the very finest White Darjeeling teas I’ve come across in my years as a tea reviewer. It’s just so good.

Sweet, delicious, delicate, lovely spice notes … with a wonderfully silky texture. Very refreshing.

It starts with notes of grass followed by gentle spice notes. Mid-sip, I pick up on fruit notes (melon, apple, and grape.) Notes of flower toward the finish, with a slightly dry tail and a clean, sweet aftertaste.

Here’s my full-length article: http://sororiteasisters.com/2014/09/28/darjeeling-1st-flush-2014-jogmaya-white-tea-from-what-cha-tea/

This is another pleasant green tea. Very drinkable and I think it would be easy for someone who doesn’t drink a lot of tea to enjoy it. I didn’t taste the fruit notes that What-Cha noted – I taste much more smoky notes. It kind of tastes like Fall.

So, you may or may not know that I dabble with Influentster, recently they had an ebay related campaign involving creating guides and collections. I finished the collection campaign a week ago and just finished the guides section, meaning I got $10 ebay gift card and have another one on the way. This babbling is inevitably leading up to the thing I bought, Dark Swords Elven Princess, a sculpt inspired by Larry Elmore’s (think most Dragonlance covers) art that I am much enamored with. If my plans go…as planned, then I will be doing a little green stuff alteration to make her more like one of my RPG characters.

Excitement about painting aside, I am not feeling too hot today so onto the tea! Specifically What-Cha’s Darjeeling 1st Flush 2014 Gopaldhara SFTGFOP1 Black Tea, an exceptionally high grade (special finest tippy golden flowery orange pekoe…that means it is really good) first flush Darjeeling from Gopaldhara Tea Estate. For some reason my brain just cannot register the name of this estate, no many how many times I read it or type it, I will always want to pronounce it Goldaphara…really brain, do try to keep things from getting too jumbled. I think this is why my reviews will always be in text, no one will have to hear my letter jumbling. So, the aroma of this tea is so light and so sweet, it just kinda lays on my nose like a silken scarf. It is a blend of muscatel (specifically very fresh scuppernongs and muscadines) honey, wildflowers, and a tiny touch of pepper at the finish. It reminds me of nasturtiums and growing things and the more milder aspects of summer.

In order to let the leaves dance around and have fun while taking their bath, I decided to steep them in my alchemy equipment (as I have taken to calling my glass double boiler thingy) as they unfurl, the colors of the leaves is quite beautiful, a mixture of greens, browns, and golds. It reminds me of sunlight streaming through leaves. The aroma of the leaves is so fresh, like muscadines straight off the vine, sweet sun warmed honey right off the comb, wildflowers blooming, and peppery nasturtiums. It is such a soothing aroma, and a very happy one at that, at least for me, it reminds me of summers from my younger days. The liquid is delicate and sweet, like honey and nasturtiums with a touch of muscadines. Ah, this is heavenly!

Oh man, I love that nasturtium note! I do not run into that one very often in tea, it is awesome! If you have never had the pleasure of eating nasturtium flowers, they are peppery, a bit sweet, and have a very clean and green heat to them. Similar to a very mild horseradish and flowers. Now this tea is not all spicy flowers, in fact the first bit of taste is the clean nasturtium and then it vanishes, quickly replaces with juicy muscadines and honey. It is just like biting into a sun warmed muscadine picked off the vine, an experience I seriously advise everyone to do at least once! The finish is mild and sweet, a wildflower honey taste that lingers.

I did a second steep for this tea and it was very similar to the first, the notes of honey were stronger and the peppery notes were almost diminished, it reminded me a little of daikon without the root taste. I was in one of those great tea bliss moments and as my notes finish for this tea, my usually barely legible handwriting just becomes a sideways mess. This was (le gasp) my first ever first flush Darjeeling, and I can see why so many people are hooked on it! I need more, lots more, if the taste is that intoxicating!

For photos and blog (my tea frogs got a little crazy this time): http://ramblingbutterflythoughts.blogspot.com/2014/12/what-cha-darjeeling-1st-flush-2014.html

This was an odd tea for me. It was vaguely vegetal and slightly buttery which I was not expecting. The smell is a bit dusty but not in a bad way. The taste is very mild. Moderate malt and sweet. A nice tea.

Thanks, Marizpan!