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Finishing off another of my favorites from my last order from Red Blossom. I really love this tea. So rich, so creamy, so crisp and fresh. Aroma and taste of fresh flowers on a cool morning. I will certainly be buying more of it, or something similar.

Sadly, I’ve come to the end of my supply of this yummy Tieguanyin. I’m trying to make some space n my tea shelve(s) before I order a new supply, and I have several that have only a little bit left. This is, well, was, one of them.

This is a great Tieguanyin. I’ve tried several, and this one seems to be a solid example. Very well balanced, every aspect of a good Tieguanyin is right there. But nothing too strong or overwhelming. Just a very well balanced, subtle, solid tea.

Looks like I’ve reached the end of my stock on this one. So I tried to brew it a little different.

Now, I’m not a huge fan of scented teas, herbal teas, or blends. I’ll be honest, I’m a bit of a stubborn purist. But I do like this Jasmine tea. It’s got a great taste and an unmatched mouth feel.

Time to experiment.

The Red Blossom website instructs you to use 195 degree water and steep for 2 minutes. This does a really good job of bringing out the exceptional Jasmine aroma and taste. I wanted to see if I could pull out a little more of the Da Bai white tea characteristics.

So, I pulled the temp down to just below 190, and brewed it a little shorter. It worked. The Jasmine flavor is a little more subtle, while the nutty, woodsy, crisp and clean characteristics of the white tea base were able to shine through. For the second steeping I am going to pull the steeping time all the way down to 1:30 to see if I can get even more of those wonderful Da Bai characteristics to sing through.

I’m not sure if I like this better, but it’s nice to be able to change it up and get different characteristics out of the same tea. Different characteristics, I might add, that are still incredibly delicious.

-E

This tea has really grown on me. It is easily one of the best black teas I have tried. I am almost out, and although I love trying new tea and rarely buy the same one twice, I think I will need to reorder this one. It’s going to be a must have on cool wet winter mornings.

Everything about it is perfect. From the initial aroma while hot water tumbles over fresh leaves and during steeping, to the end products’ aroma, to that first taste as it’s creamy smoothness hits your tongue for the first time.

When I think of a sweet, subtle black tea, I think of this.

Getting closer to a perfect cup of this wonderful Jasmine.

Like I’ve said before, I’m normally not a huge fan of blends or herbal teas, but every now and then I pick one up to try. This is no doubt this best Jasmine I have tried.

Starting with an organic Da Bai tea from Fuding County, Fujian, steamed then meticulously hand-rolled and dried, stored until summer, and finally scented with fresh jasmine blossoms over seven consecutive evenings. (One reason I love Red Blossom Tea Company is that everything they sell is VERY documented every step along the way.)

I adjusted my mix this time, using slightly less leaves than previous. I used 8 grams of leaves in my 32 ounce Bodum Assam teapot, rinsed, and poured 195 degree water over and let steep for 2 minutes.

This time, with slightly less leaves, I am getting a little more of the Da Bai tea flavor, nice and light, woodsy, nutty. The Jasmine is still front and center, but the other flavors are shining through a little better, making for a much more balanced tea. And that’s what I love.

-E

Farmer Brothers tea is apparently popular in the hotel/motel/breakfast diner circuit around Napa. This was the offering at Crepes N More, a tasty little breakfast place in Fairfield. Awesome food, great service, and this for tea…

It’s… OK. Nothing more. Tasty, enjoyable enough that I finished it, not so much that I wanted more.

But still, and again, meh tea is better than no tea at all.

Cheap and sparse continental breakfast at a Best Western, this is the tea they offered. Boring, bland, but drinkable. A meh, ok tea is still better than no tea at all, of course!

-E

The last leaves I had from this purchase I decided to make into a sun tea. I really like these white tea leaves as sun tea, they work very well in a cold setting. The woodsy, earthy, crisp and clean aroma and taste still pop nicely when cold brewed.

The balance is a little different from a hot brew, the hint of nuts s not as strong, and the woodsy flavor is much more prominent. That may be why it’s one of my favorites to use as a sun tea.

I love me a good Tung Ting. And damn, this one…

The scent from the leaves when I open the jar I keep them in is enough to put a smile on my face. So fresh, so crisp, so fragrant. A hint of the coming wonderfulness.

Brewing is simple, 14 grams (I like it big) in my 32 ounce Bodum Assam teapot, a quick rinse, then 200 degree water for 2 minutes.

The aroma this tea puts off is tantalizing. It has a certain dark freshness, like tropical flowers, with a bit of sweet earth in the mix.

And then there is the taste. Just amazing. Buttery smooth, crisp and clean, the hints of tropical flowers settle right in and balance the wet earth with a slightly sweet overtone.

This tea reminds me of when I was a kid and helping my family work in the floriculture department at the county fair. I always loved that smell, the smell of plant life, of tropical flowers, of begonias and marigolds and iris and orchids. So fresh, so clean, so full of life.

-E

Finally getting to the bottom of the jar of this one. I bought it just over a year ago and have been using it for both hot and cold tea.

I really love this white tea. The light, woodsy, wet earth taste, the fresh, crisp aroma, it’s simply a solid, wonderful everyday white tea.