E Alexander Gerster select Send Message

So glad I included this in my last order. I really enjoy sheng Pu’er and the astringency that mellows over time. Not everyone’s taste, but I sure enjoy it. What amazes me is the progression of flavors through multiple steeps, and the aroma is just amazing.

I was quite happily surprised by the quality and intense flavor of the brew from this lightly oxidized and lightly toasted tea. Very refreshing and yet lush with buttery tones and a natural floral green-ness that is very uplifting and a pleasure to drink. Generally I have not been a fan of most Milk Oolongs, but this one could become quite addictive. And the number of re-steeps from the leaves was phenomenal, making it quite economical as I savored cup after cup.

The past few months I have been enjoying a wide variety of Oolong teas, from very green lightly toasted varieties to the deeply roasted and highly oxidized varieties. I first tried this Ruby Oolong from Thailand in a small sampler, then in a larger quantity when I fell in love with the rich flavors, beautiful color and enticing aroma. It is a very comforting tea, reminding me a bit of very good quality Da Hong Pao (Big Red Robe), but with interesting notes of cacao and dried black cherry in the background. A very pleasant and adaptable tea that everyone seems to like.

A surprisingly mild Pu-erh, with a hint of sweetness in later steeps. Initially very woody and earthy. A nice tea for those new to Pu-erh, and for those who enjoy medium complexity.

An interesting tea that changed a bit with each steep of the leaves. Sunny, warm flavor of cut sweet grass with some nutty tones. A really pleasant green tea to warm a cool fall day. Lovely amber color, and good for at least three resteeps before the flavor fades.

One of the least favorite teas I ever received in a Steepster select box. Perhaps I received the “bottom of the barrel” scrapings, but the mere teaspoon sample in the pouch was not identifiable as any type of oolong. More like a musty mess of really poor grade leaves. I like earthy teas, but this really was sub par. Rethinking the cost of Steepster Select with the tiny size of samples recently.

Very pleased with this tasty, aroma filled Assam. A very pleasant maltiness in the background and a sweet, fresh flavor and aroma up front. Much less dark and dense than many similar teas that are picked later in the year. Clean and crisp.

Loved this hot last fall when I first tried it, put a few notes on the pouch that simply said: “Very good, Nice Spice, Try Iced.” I was overloaded with chai tea blends at the time, and put it away, only to have it resurface this week. I used the remainder of the pouch to make a full pot of tea a few days ago for breakfast and was pleasantly surprised by green cardamom pods and other spices that blend so nicely with the Sri Lankan black tea base. I reserved enough to have iced later in the day and it was excellent. Invigorating and refreshing.