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I forgot how wonderful Verdant Teas could be. I haven’t been able to afford them for awhile, and this sample came with a recent Steepster select shipment, so I brewed up and re-steeped several times to make the very best of the leaves.

Nice clean taste with excellent tones of Cacao, honey and dried fruit. Golden brew with a heavenly aroma and flavor. Three steeps, and more joy in one cup that you really have to savor slowly. So very, very good. :)

The past few weeks I have been working my way through a nice assortment of Taiwanese Oolongs from several companies, including this nice light roast from Drunken Meadow. There is something so refreshing and pleasant about it, that I can’t seem to put my finger on, and makes me want to try just one more steep…

I love watching the leaves of this traditionally rolled oolong gently unfurl in the water, releasing light flavors and aromas of peach, plum and spice tones. More than 4 short steeps and the leaves keep giving … A perfect tea for spring.

A great deal right now on Yunnan Sourcing’s China website. I purchased 100 grams of this last month, along with a number of tea ware and puerh items that were on my wish list… Such wonderful natural flavor. I am a big fan of Autumn pickings, that are often more robust and filled with stimulating energy.

The hand processed needle like tea leaves unfurl gently and yield a cup of light amber/green tea that has a distinctive aroma not unlike some dragonwell (long jing) teas that I have enjoyed, but the flavor is more robust. Nutty, toasty and very pleasant. A real winner here for a bargain price.

Spent a nice afternoon sipping this tea yesterday. This sample was part of March 2015 Steepster Select box featuring different teas of China. This Wuyi Oolong is a deep roasted version from Fujian Province, yielding a bold, earthy flavor and aroma quite different from other regions. I definitely taste the fruity, floral and sweet tones I remember from a few years back when I drank quite a lot of this tea. A really bold yet smooth oolong that doesn’t disappoint.

I really am pleased with so many of Rishi’s loose leaf teas, and they really made a good impact on the tea world by making sure their teas are truly organic and fair trade certified (more than 90% of their teas). Their flavor consistency is also really impressive over year to year harvests.

This sample was included as part of my March 2015 Steepster Select box, celebrating a variety of teas from China. I was happy to see this sample among the others as it is a bit like seeing an old friend whom you enjoy the company of, and can’t remember why you have been out of touch.

Steeped in accordance with the instructions on the packet (1 tsp/4 g per 8 oz, 185 F), in a small glass teapot so that I could watch the leaves dance over the 2.5 minute brewing time. Aroma is delicate and refreshing, Sweet Grass and Sunshine with a hint of nuttiness. The taste is wonderfully much the same. A very beautiful example of the green tea of the Hubei Province. Much tamer and more sophisticated than Yunnan greens, and no astringency like you find in many Japanese greens. A truly wonderful cup of tea.

This used to be one of my favorite teas, always fresh tasting and a tea I enjoyed drinking all day long. Ordering direct from their site assured you of getting the freshest available. Unfortunately the sample I received in the March 15 Steepster select box just tastes a bit old and stale. Bleh. Maybe it is the packaging? Anyone else have this experience?

Received a small sample of this in my Steepster select box a month or two back, and waited to try it until yesterday. As a German-American, I felt really put off by Andrews & Dunham’s asinine marketing that surrounds this tea (as well as all their other teas) so I missed out on a pretty good blend.

Assertive and bold. The sample I had was mostly Indian Assam, with no smoke detectable. Tannin and malt dominate. Very pleasant, but definitely lacking the smokiness which would have added character. I blame this on the small size sample packaged by Steepster who probably didn’t think to blend the tea before packaging. But that is a rant for a different post.

This is unlike any Lapsang Souchong I have ever tasted, and I wondered if the labeling was correct as there was no smokiness to the dried leaves and barely a hint in the brew. It is definitely a nice tea, with beautiful small twisted leaves and sweet aroma. To my senses it smells of honey and hops, very pleasantly reminiscent of a late summer day. Maybe even aroma of honey locust and hay. Very, very faint hint of smokiness in later steeps — not at all like the “strong smoky flavor with a smooth finish” stated on the label.

This sample was received as part of the January ’15 Steepster select box, and I do wonder if tea direct from Silver Needle tea Co. has these same characteristics, or whether another tea was substituted.

A flavorful morning blend that is rich and hearty. Not as strong as some Scottish blends I have tried, but a nice pleasing brew with a bit of malty overtones. I have been drinking this blend often this past week, and enjoy the caffeine kick and full rich flavors. Plus a visit to Tin Roof Teas, or a visit to their website is always fun and I come home with new teas to try…

I love Masala Chai, and this version is a wonderfully light version that allows the tea to shine through and not be overwhelmed by the spices. I steeped for a bit more than 3 minutes which yielded a light/medium orange brew with an excellent flavor and aroma. Nothing added, just enjoyed it in it’s natural state. Excellent.

I received two pyramid tea bags/sachets from Nepali Tea Traders, and both were gone and brewed the day they arrived. Nice flavor, spicy aroma and a tea I could drink all day long. Thank you to Nepali Tea Traders, I look forward to ordering more tea from you soon.