Having had this tea a few times now, I’m getting a better sense of it. It’s youthful and loud yet subtle and deep. Complex fruity and astringent herbal flavors with balanced bitterness. Within that complexity, I get peeks of other tastes like clean, white fish meat and crackers. A mouth-filling, oily body and my throat feels full. Very cooling and with a moderate returning sweetness by the time later steeps come around. I really like the energy of this one — it’s centering and focusing with a feeling of oneness experienced in conjunction with the forceful outwardness of teas from the Menghai region. I was as comfortable standing erect as I was in a motherly position on the ground brushing mats out of the dog’s fur for an hour. I guess you could call the balanced effects of this tea ‘adaptive.’

This isn’t an oolong-y sheng despite the long list of impressions below, nor is it processed too green but I do think maybe I need to expose the rest of the sample to some humidity. If this weren’t sold out I’d probably buy a cake.

Flavors: Apricot, Astringent, Bitter, Bread, Cacao, Caramel, Cherry, Decayed Wood, Dry Grass, Earth, Eucalyptus, Flowers, Fruit Punch, Fruity, Ginger, Herbs, Jam, Licorice, Mineral, Mint, Orange, Paper, Passion Fruit, Pineapple, Plum, Raspberry, Smoke, Strawberry, Thyme, Umami, White Grapes, Wood

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This place, like the rest of the internet, is dead and overrun with bots. And thus I step away.

Eventual tea farmer. If you are a tea grower, want to grow your own plants or are simply curious, please follow me so we can chat.

I most enjoy loose-leaf, unflavored teas and tisanes. Teabags have their place. Some of my favorite teas have a profound effect on mind and body rather than having a specific flavor profile. Terpene fiend.

Favorite teas generally come from China (all provinces), Taiwan, India (Nilgiri and Manipur). Frequently enjoyed though less sipped are teas from Georgia, Japan, Nepal and Darjeeling. While I’m not actively on the hunt, a goal of mine is to try tea from every country that makes it available to the North American market. This is to gain a vague understanding of how Camellia sinensis performs in different climates. I realize that borders are arbitrary and some countries are huge with many climates and tea-growing regions.

I’m convinced European countries make the best herbal teas.

Personal Rating Scale:

100-90: A tea I can lose myself into. Something about it makes me slow down and appreciate not only the tea but all of life or a moment in time. If it’s a bagged or herbal tea, it’s of standout quality in comparison to similar items.

89-80: Fits my profile well enough to buy again.

79-70: Not a preferred tea. I might buy more or try a different harvest. Would gladly have a cup if offered.

69-60: Not necessarily a bad tea but one that I won’t buy again. Would have a cup if offered.

59-1: Lacking several elements, strangely clunky, possess off flavors/aroma/texture or something about it makes me not want to finish.

Unrated: Haven’t made up my mind or some other reason. If it’s pu’er, I likely think it needs more age.

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California, USA

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