What-Cha

This is one of those days where I lack anything truly interesting or insightful as an opener to today’s tea. Sorry about that guys, I guess I can’t always be super clever or have super fun days. Yours truly might have overdone it a bit while I was rock hunting, it was totally worth it though. Examining one of the rocks I just stuffed in my pocket that fell off while I was hammering a larger chunk, it appears to be crusted with tiny epidote crystals. Next time I feel better, rock cleaning will occur and it will be awesome.

Today’s tea is part of a quest, not just to try all the teas at What-Cha (yes I have an obsession) but to find the perfect everyday Long Jing, yeah, I could drink this tea everyday…problem is all of my favorites have been really expensive. The cheap ones I have tried have been good, but not ‘everyday’ material, so maybe Zhejiang Wild-Growing Dragon Well ‘Long Jing’ Green Tea will fit the bill. This particular Long Jing is pretty nifty since it is picked from tea plants growing wild on an abandoned tea field. The aroma of the leaves is delightfully sweet and nutty, like roasted sesame seeds and a tiny touch of peanuts. This transitions to spinach and a tiny bit of sharp artichoke at the finish, so the aroma has a nice zingy finish.

So for this tea I decided to break out my (possibly) 18th century Chinese Imari Ware gaiwan, it is super tiny and delicate, perfect for a green tea! The aroma of the brewed leaves is very vegetal, a really green smelling cocktail of artihoke, green beans, and cooked spinach. There is a tiny touch of chestnut at the finish, but mostly the leaves are a pile of veggies. The liquid is delightfully delicate with slightly sweet nutty notes of chestnut and sesame seed and a touch of indistinctly vegetal aroma at the finish.

OMG yum, this tea is so tasty, and it has nothing to do with sipping it out of a dainty crystal…not sure if this is a cup or tiny vase, it was a quarter so it is a cup now! So, what makes this tea so good you are probably wondering, its crazy smoothness. The taste starts out sweet with notes of honey sesame candies and a touch of chestnut. This transitions to greenness with artichoke and green beans, this greenness lingers until the end with a hint of spinach. The aftertaste is honey sweet and lingers long after I have finished.

Second steeping time brings out more sweetness in the aroma than the previous steep, a sweetness of honey, roasted chestnuts, and toasted sesame seeds, there is a hint of vegetal at the finish reminding me that this indeed a green tea and not a sweet and nutty treat. The mouthfeel is surprisingly creamy for a green tea, which I like, it gives what I usually consider a light tea a touch of richness. The taste starts off honey and chestnut sweet and then fades to a savory cooked spinach and green bean midtaste. After that the finish it buttery, like lima beans and a bit like peas.

I also decided to give this tea a go grandpa style, Long Jing being one of my favorite teas to do this style (one of the reasons I am hunting the perfect everyday one) and this one handles really well. Steeping it grandpa style (or bowl style if you don’t want to get Gangnam Style stuck in your head every time you use it) brings out more of the savory vegetal notes, and calms the sweet down, which has its pros and cons. After many refills of the bowl and sippings I noticed it never got bitter, which is awesome. This tea is perfect for a grandpa style everyday tea, it is a little too rich and sweet for the gaiwan steepings, which is fine by me, I can make it a treat to do it that style. Perhaps my quest is over (not that I am not going to still try tons of Dragon Wells!)

For blog and photos: http://ramblingbutterflythoughts.blogspot.com/2014/11/what-cha-zhejiang-wild-growing-dragon.html

My mother and I did one of our patented ‘things’ today, we re-arranged the house. We have this compulsion to re-arrange our stuff every month or so on the quest for perfection (see also: control, order, chi flow) and organization. See we both have more stuff than our current space can really hold, and since we do not want to get rid of it, we go to Tetris levels of efficient stacking and sorting, that way it is organized and accessible. My mom and I, well, we are very silly, but at least with have fun with our obsessions.

And speaking of obsessions, it is time for What-Cha Wednesday! I recently placed an order and received a bunch of samples along with the teas I ordered, so What-Cha Wednesdays will be continuing for quite a while, which is fine by me! Today’s tea is Malawi Satemwa Antlers White Tea, a tea made entirely from slightly velvety (it is where the antler part of the name comes from) sticks! Other than hearing about the Satemwa Tea Estate randomly when looking at tea, I do not know much about them, which means it was time for a bit of research. The Satemwa Tea Estate, a family owned estate created in the 20s, was the first tea estate in Malawi to become fair trade certified, combine that with other certifications and some unique and experimental teas, you have yourself a fascinating tea company. And this is a fascinating tea, it is not often that you see a tea that is made entirely of the stems, even Kukicha, Japan’s stem tea, does not seem as ‘stick-like’ as this tea. The aroma is rather rich yet subtle, with sweet notes of plum, a touch of nuts, and of course sticks. It smells like plant matter, freshly broken sticks while walking in a forest, this tea smells like nature and reminds me of walks in the forest.

I found myself at a bit of a confused point on how to brew this tea, do I do Western Style or Gongfu Style, and I decided to go with my gaiwan, simply because I wanted to use the new gaiwan I got as a birthday present. The aroma of the now soggy sticks is really sweet and fruity! There are note of lychee, fresh juicy plums, and raisins, this transitions into rich earthiness and fresh wet wood. The liquid’s aroma has a real richness to it, blending fruity lychee and plums with raw honey and freshly broken leaves.

Whoa! That first steep is sweet! The mouthfeel is light on the tongue, but really well rounded, it sensation of this tea fills my mouth, much like biting into a sweet, juicy, fruit. And speaking of fruit, the fruity notes are present, there are notes of lychee and plums, it starts like fresh fruit and transitions into stewed fruits with a tiny bit of smoke at the finish. The aftertaste is one of lingering plums.

For the second steep, the aroma is still quite rich, sweet, and fruity, much like the first. The taste is much richer this time around, just like the darkening of the color, the flavor becomes more intense. There are notes of stewed stone fruit and a touch of lychees, this transitions to fresh hay and raw honey, the finish is a delicate floral and freshly broken stick note.

Third time’s the charm, though this tea already had me charmed from the moment I opened the pouch, what can I say, sticks are endearing. Even though the color is darker, the aroma is lighter, there are notes of honey and plum, and that is about it. The taste is much milder, like the first and second steep, the sensation of the tea is very filling, I love the way this tea coats my mouth. There are notes of honey, fresh hay, and a nice finish of plums that linger. I find this tea fascinating and want to experiment with it, next time I go out and about I will put these sticks into my travel infuser and see how they ‘long steep’ and maybe I will even try cold steeping it (though we are getting to the chilly part of the year and cold drinks are not as fun) the Satemwa Estate website even recommends steeping them in sparkling water all day long in a tall champagne glass!

For blog and photos: http://ramblingbutterflythoughts.blogspot.com/2014/11/what-cha-malawi-satemwa-antlers-white.html

Thank you, Marzipan for the lovely sample of this tea.

I decided I wanted a black tea this afternoon. Maybe it would give me a little pep? I dunno. Not sure what I was thinking.

But I picked this one out of the bag of samples Marzi sent me.

Oooh.

The dry leaf smells soooooo sooooo yummy.

And after infusing? Even better.

This tea tastes outstanding. Rich and almost sweet. Delicious.

This is something I didn’t used to like in tea, but now I’ve come to truly appreciate, and perhaps even love.

I couldn’t find a listing for this one by searching or sorting through What-Cha’s page so I went ahead and added it. Hope I didn’t just miss it!

This one is super interesting. I’ve been wanting to try a Tan Yang for ages and for whatever reason just haven’t gotten around to it. I’m so glad I started with this one! It’s like nothing I’ve ever tasted before. Pure smoothness with a strong… something. I can’t really figure out what I’m tasting. What-Cha’s website says light honey and malt. And I certainly taste that, with the honey being especially prominent on the swallow, but there’s something else here… like wet grain. Is that a flavor?
I wish I could describe it more accurately because it definitely deserves a detailed rating.

Edit – Ah ha! I figured it out. It reminds me of Soba Cha.

Yum, this tea is delightful! I brewed this in a glass teapot and you should have seen all of the little golden tea hairs floating around in there. So lovely.
This is a nice hearty tea. Not necessarily strong, just substantial. Malty with honeyed sweetness and a bit of that sweet potato thing I find in many Chinese blacks. Everything you would think a Yunnan should be. So glad I picked up 50g instead of a sample size.

The dry leaf smells assam-like; barley and malt. It brews up a nice bright orange.

I don’t know what linseed tastes like, but this is a bit herbacious with mint that lingers into the aftertaste. Faint astringency, no bitterness. There’s a grainyness to it as well. Wouldn’t call it malty though.

The barley smell, coupled with the briskness makes me think an assamica leaf. The tea itself isn’t too heavy though, or very malty.

Since this’ the last of this sample, I might as well try and write something about it.

Overall, I’ve found my favourite teas from the sets I bought where the Azores ones. Other places were very unique, but the Azores teas were smooth, with ceylon honey and oak. This one is brisker, the leaves a bit more broken up, but still definitely a solid tea. It recommends only three minutes, but it CAN stand longer.

I’m thinking my next order will be more samples from places I haven’t tried yet, and a larger bag of an Azores black. If I can decide which. This one isn’t my favourite out of the batch—hopefully I’ll remember to review it before I finish them all off.

Smells like honey, tastes like honey; naturally sweet and candy-like. Not astringent.

I have (had) a 10g pouch of this. I sent part of it to Cheri and today decided to have a cup. One more and it will be a sip down.

This is a nice, flavorful medium-bodied black tea. It’s not a knock you off your horse tea, and it’s not a 99 lb weakling either. Just satisfying and delicious.

I am not even sure how long it has been since I’ve posted or had real tea. Too much going on to sit and relax. Finally had a quiet moment. I grabbed this one because it was at the front of my What-Cha box. While not the greatest reason, it turned out to be an excellent choice. This is such a wonderful cup of green tea. Crisp and refreshing, light and lingering. Turns out this is just what I needed.

The last of my What-Cha samples for a first time review. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed being introduced to new teas I never knew existed. You know, like green tea from Nepal. This one has a scent of dry autumn leaves until steeped. It then has a steamed vegetal scent with notes of nectarine. This is light and crisp. I get vegetal with a light bite up front that drifts in to spring water before changing to a long lasting grassy floral aftertaste. Uniquely different from the black or white teas I’ve tried from Nepal. This compares well to a Chinese green. Delicate and refreshing.

This. Is. Awesome. Just thought I should get that out of the way. The leaf looks silver and fuzzy with a mix of green leaf. It resembles white tea but it is an oolong. The aroma is citrus. When water hits the leaf the nose becomes very definite citrus. At first I am thinking lemon. Then breathing in again, I’m thinking orange. So nice.

The liquor is sunshine yellow and very clear. The aroma of the leaf is so wonderful, I was a little afraid the taste would not compare. Wrong. It is better. At the front I get sweet buttery corn. Then mid sip it changes to spring water. While the brain is still trying to adjust, this moves into a beautiful citrus finish. No bitterness or astringency that I recall. Nothing even vaguely approaching off in the taste. Just lots or refreshing yum.

I have had the pleasure of trying several teas from What-Cha. Picking a favorite would be difficult. This one is definitely a contender for that spot.

Today was going to be my relax and catch up on reading day, all that travel meant that I am really behind on the various blogs and Steepster friends that I follow, instead it was a day of Steampunk Creepers. My mom got a text this morning about the Steampunk texture pack on the Xbox, we both looked at each other and more or less ran to the console. While she is not as a big of a fan of the Steampunk aesthetic as I am, my mom does enjoy it, plus we always get a kick out of new texture packs. After playing Minecraft we decorated for Halloween, and I am still not caught up on my reading!

It is Wednesday, so that means it is time for What-Cha, specifically their Nepal 2nd Flush 2014 Cannon Ball Green Tea from Greenland Organic Farm in the shadow of Mt. Kancghenjunga. I absolutely love the shape of these little tea balls, I am not sure why it is called Cannon Ball except that maybe it is a play off of Gunpowder Green, and these are bigger so they are cannon balls? Until corrected, that shall be my head cannon (yes I am a terrible person for making that pun, no regrets.) The aroma of the leaf balls is very green and quite sweet, there are notes of cut grass, freshly broken green stems, a tiny bit of hay, and a nice sharp finishing note of citrus. It has a very refreshing aroma that I hope carries over to the brewed tea.

Watching the little leaf balls slowly turn into a pile of small leaves is rather entertaining, they did not so much unfurl as fall apart, much like a cannon ball hitting a fortress wall. The aroma of the soggy leaf pile is a blend of freshly squeezed citrus (reminds me a bit of Yuzu, actually) and cut grass. The liquid once liberated from the leaves is very fresh and refreshing, the aroma has notes of light citrus, fresh grass, and a very mild touch of pepper at the finish.

The first steep can be summed up best as odd yet refreshing! As with the other teas I have had from What-Cha’s Nepal selection, it has a real clean spring water taste to it, I am not sure if it is a terroir thing or a farm specific trait, but I love it. Now I cannot tell you if I love this because of the taste or because it instantly transports me to one of my favorite places, ever, either way it is a powerful effect. There is more than just spring water to this tea, there is also a strong middle presence of green in the middle, it cools my mouth and tastes like broken stems and grass. This passes to citrus at the finish, adding a brightness to the tea and a touch of sweetness.

The second steep’s aroma is much like the first, it smells clean and fresh with a strong presence of green grass and citrus, no pepper this time though. The taste is brisk, not brisk like a black tea, but brisk like a stroll on a cool spring evening, it is refreshing and invigorating. There are notes of spinach and cut grass at the front, this transitions to lettuce and broken stems in the middle, and lastly the tea fades to citrus and sweet hay with a slight aftertaste of saltiness that I found pretty neat. With a lot of types of tea you start to see a pattern, similar tasting notes, similar aromas, so I always get a real kick out of teas that shake me out of similarities.

For blog and photos: http://ramblingbutterflythoughts.blogspot.com/2014/10/what-cha-nepal-2nd-flush-2014-cannon.html

I had hopes for this Irish blend….especially after tasting What-Cha’s English blend and finding it quite lovely and complex. Dry, this leaf is intriguing, with it’s deep dark assam leaves mixed with twisty ceylon and the green touches from the Nepal tea that create this blend. The smell from the cup….well, this is not your typical Irish Breakfast tea. There is beautiful deep malt and cocoa as bottom notes that are joined by mid notes of a green wood spiciness and a lingering apricot top note that gives this tea a long malty sweet finish. The true beauty of this blend’s finish is held in the buoyant briskness that the ceylon brings. There is a touch of astringency to the cup, but it is just enough to make you look forward to the next sip. Which is hard not to do. If you are a black blend drinker, give this one a try. It is a captivating alternative to what you’re used to.

Well now this one’s just nostalgic. But maybe it’s just because I poured it into the little chipped teacup my great grandmother gave me growing up.

Smells like honey. Taste is similar, honey slightly tannic, I get what the package means by citrus. Slightly astringent slightly acidic. Hand in hand with ‘ceylon’. Orangey, almost. I could see this with a slice of fruit.

Prepared this again this morning after my morning green tea powder and milk. I used hotter water (185 F) and a 15 minute steep per Amanda’s method. Using this method, I learned this is an exceptionally forgiving tea. I might try really hot water with the last of this just to test. I also learned Amanda has amazing sensory powers. Today’s cup was pretty much identical to yesterday’s cup for me. Don’t get me wrong that is a good thing. I was just hoping to detect all the awesome notes as she described. The corn is easy. I get a light floral and a bit of fruit – neither of which I can identify.

I was really hoping to catch the peony as a childhood memory trigger. Mom loved peonies when I was growing up. For whatever reason she never replanted them when they moved several years ago. Ha, look at that – triggered just thinking about trying to smell them. Love it. They were right outside my bedroom window. There was no air conditioning back in the neolithic period that was my childhood. I slept with the window open. On really hot nights I would lay my head on the window sill. The scent of peonies filled the night air. During the day the bees and ants loved the flowers as much as I did…

I seem to be obsessed with white tea lately. This one looks just like Chinese Silver Needle. Dry, it smells of sweet fresh cut hay. The taste is corn. It is lightly sweet. Late sip is floral and fruit. The aftertaste really lingers. The longer I wait the more I notice a melon note. Very likable and very different than its Chinese twin.

I can’t wait to try this again with the gaiwan and long steeps to match how Amanda prepared it.

So, funny story.

Continuing on my What-Cha streak, I pulled this out to try today. I have never had a tea from The Azores before, and that intrigued me. The leaf had several different colors in it and looked really interesting. The scent was hearty black.

Much to my surprise, there was a really interesting top note to the tea. I am really bad at identifying those so I had my husband taste it and he thought it was berry. After a while I figured out that it is honey dew melon. And the way I know this is that yesterday I had Lupicia’s Golden Honey Dew and apparently didn’t rinse my steeper well enough, so that flavor was with this tea.

But you know what, I absolutely loved it, enough that if I could buy it, I would. In the meantime I will have this again next so I can tell you what the tea itself tastes like.

Like most of the other teas in this sampler, the dry leaves are quite dark for non-black teas, and have some lighter browns. The leaves feel a little like crispy bark. I brewed at 176°F for four minutes; this produces very dark golden-amber liquor. There was a slight aroma, although it was too minor for me to identify. There was a very sharp taste to this tea that took me a couple minutes to identify. At first I was thinking something acidic, but then I realized it has a watered down lemon juice taste, I have to note that this is not an acidic tea, but is very reminiscent of one. I also noticed a dry hay taste to this tea.

I enjoyed this tea, and would probably buy this tea if it was sold individually. This is a definitely a yellow tea, between a white and a green, although if I tasted it blind I would probably say it is a green. This is definitely an everyday type of tea that should pair well with most foods.

(Photos at http://rah-tea.blogspot.com/2014/10/what-chas-discover-russia-premium-non.html)

Like all the others the leaves are considerably darker then what you would expect for a green tea and the leaves are twisted, although the leaves were softer than the others in this sampler. I want to say the leaves had a crumpled look to them, the dry leaves reminded me very much of crumpled velvet. I brewed at 176°F for two and half minutes. The liquor was light yellow, there was a slight cherry aroma. The taste was very mellow, a little fruity that was hard to narrow down, but there was a lingering grassy aftertaste.

I probably would not buy this tea, like the other premium tea in this sampler it had a very light taste, too light for me. This felt more like a white then a green to me.

(Photos at http://rah-tea.blogspot.com/2014/10/what-chas-discover-russia-premium-non.html)