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I gifted the rest of this tea over 5 years ago, and she still kept it after a while. We are enjoying it as we lesson plan and grading this morning, the memories are coming back. I’m not sure if J-Tea still sells this one, but it was good enough to tempt me into getting more Drunken Green Dragon and some of their other goodies….I don’t need more tea, I don’t need more tea, I don’t need more tea…

If you’re more curious about how this tea tastes, I nailed it over the head in my previous two reviews on this one. The bourbon brings out fruity and sweeter elements in it, while the tea provides a cherry wood backbone. Still nice to this day.

Impulse buy when this was released. I got two samples of it, and I likely this one intensely more than the Candy Leaf Houjicha. I was able to coax out some caramel of that one in really short steeps, but it mostly tasted like nori and burnt seaweed. This twiggy specimen, however, didn’t fail to disappoint with an extremely balanced roast making it toasty and buttery by green tea standards. Butterscotch was on point, and my brain kept on forming associations with alfalfa, toasted buckwheat, wheatgrass, almond, and more savory, nutty, and buttery things. It still has some green characteristics of grassiness, but it’s subdued.

This tea is actually what I hoped what Candy Leaf tasted like, and I recommend it for people just getting into Houjicha. The houjicha possesses enough dessert qualities for a sweet craving western audience, and this one is almost in a coffee convert category in terms of taste. There were certain qualities that actually reminded me of their Dahongpao in terms of roast and savoriness I deeply enjoyed.

So far, I’ve only brewed it once beginning with 30 seconds, 40, 45, and then whatever the heck I felt like. Earlier steeps are denser in flavor and texture, but the tea smoothen and thins out pretty quickly while having enough flavor to make up for the loss in mouthfeel. I could easily see this tea in a chocolate or very mild chai blend with nuts, though overall, this is great on its own. I’ve written up a few more tasting notes at the bottom, and I look forward to gradually finishing it off.

MMMMMmmmmm so glad I have a 100 grams of this. I was deeply satisfied in this deceptive cold, so comforting and chocolaty.

Sip down. One of the better Alishan Jin Xuans I’ve had-I’m glad What-Cha got to source it. This tea stood its own against the Alishan, and while I prefered the Alishan a little more, I could easily see people liking this one better because it’s a cleaner tasting tea. Happy I got to try it-now to reorder and retry the Shanlinxi’s which I haven’t had in a while the next time I make a What-Cha order. I’m still going through my other ones first.

Actually did this one again western in my Crimson Lotus Gong-Fu-2-Go. Same notes, smoother. A little bit of magnolia, but same notes as earlier. Easy going caffeine, lasted 5 improvised rebrew. Texture is great. Similar to the Alishan I finished off, a little bit lighter and smoother. Not as rich. 84 minimum-still have one serving left before a sip down.

Tumbler fuel today. Same notes, heavy on the hyacinth, squash, chocolate hints, and other florals like rose in a sweet brown sugar finish. There’s more complexity and layers, though the flavor is the same throughout. Really good. Minimum rating of 90.

Still a favorite. After I read the description for The Tea PL for a similar tea, I keep on getting pineapple associations in my tumbler and now in my gaiwan. Still malty and complex with the same lemon peel like finish. I think Leafhopper is going to like what I salvaged for her. I want to see how it compares to theteapl’s.

RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS REFERENCE! Backlog. I like this one. It smells and tastes pretty great. Very similar to Momo from Lupicia, but a little bit more dimension, not quite as fruit forward. I will confess some dirty thoughts as I drink this tea.

Peach is the most forward, with some acidity added from the strawberries. The two oolongs are really smooth adding a thick but light body. It is also pretty floral, and I get the chrysanthemum the most. There’s some texture I’m not sure how to describe-I almost want to say mineral or grain, though the notes aren’t quite right. Either way, there is some sort of texture to it. Fruity and refreshing overall, rebrews a lot.

I know, boring writing. The song that inspires it is anything but, however.

Backlog.

I got two ounces of this, and am really into the smell. In terms of taste, it is a little bit tannic. It borders on chai, but has enough maple and dimension to lean more French Toast. I like it, but I’m not solid on my opinion yet. It’s another tea I’m going to have to play around with.