17480 Tasting Notes
Gongfu!
This is one of the more naturally floral tasting TGY that I’ve tried, with very aromatic notes of flowery, lush lilac and gardenia alongside a super crisp, clean and refreshingly vegetal finish of snow and sugar snaps peas. Not intense, but not too light and delicate either. Perfeft for every day drinking, and flexible enough to work gongfu, in a mug, or a bigger Western-style teapot. I am, of course, partial to gongfu, though. It seems more dewy and bright, and reminds me so much of the summers spent at my grandparent’s helping in their giant flower and veggie gardens. There’s definitely a sense of peace, nostalgia, and simplicity tied into that. Perfect for all the warm, summery weather we’ve been having and just getting the day off on a really positive footing.
Tea Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/DLDmm2VS6Hd/?img_index=1
Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Uzc6fIHsW4&ab_channel=Heyrocco
Friendly reminder that I do not numerically rate DAVIDsTEA blends as I’m currently employed there and it would be an obvious conflict of interest. Any blends you see with numerical ratings were rated prior to my employment there. These reviews are a reflection of my personal thoughts and feelings regarding the teas, and not the company’s.
Gongfu!
For such a recent pressing, this was such a pleasantly approachable feeling sheng pu’erh. Very bright and lightly sweet with much more of a fresh, fruity-leaning profile. Light to medium-bodied notes of white peach, lemon curd, pink grapefruit, lychee, and just a whisp of elderflower. Still green and a bit snappy, too, but definitely not in a particularly sharp feeling way. The finish is most excellent, though, with a stronger and more lingering sweetness from the huigan; and this only got deeper as the session progressed.
Unfortunately, I think this may have been my last session with this particular teapot. Though I did notice it several sessions back, there was a hairline cracker in the lid of the teapot that worsened throughout the session until eventually it caused the side of the lid to chip apart. Sadly, I had mistaken it for crazing when I first saw it. If you look carefully, you can actually see it in the second to last photo of this carousel – before tragedy had fully struck.
Even with the chip, the lid (and rest of the pot) is still technically usable – but I’m definitely concerned about it continuing to worsen to the point where the skull on the top breaks off or the lid splits in half. Such a shame – it’s an incredibly beautiful piece of teaware, and was such a perfect capacity and shape for dragonballs such as this one. If it were you, would you retire it?
Tea Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/DLGI40uyZy3/?img_index=1
Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYOqk19FJG0&ab_channel=DavidDeanBurkhart
It’s always sad when this happens to a teapot. I’ve heard of people repairing lids with epoxy glue. If this is a handmade piece, you could also contact the potter and ask for a replacement lid, which should be cheaper than replacing the entire pot.
To add to Leafhopper’s comment, if it comes down to it, you can definitely repair a broken lid with epoxy. I used marine epoxy w o th great result on a duanni clay that split in half after I dropped it. It set just a hair off but did not impede the functionality of the pot at all. Still going strong 5 years later.
Confession: I’ve always been a much bigger fan of DT’s strawberry matcha than the raspberry, but I’m starting to get the tiiiiinnniest bit sick of the over-saturation of seeing strawberry flavoured matcha lattés everywhere I look on social. So, I switched it up. Honestly!? I’m glad I did because I had kind of forgotten how delicately fruity and almost floral-leaning this matcha tastes. Don’t get me wrong; I still love a good strawberry matcha. Variety is nice too, though!!
Tea Photo: https://www.instagram.com/p/DLIr8qMS4U5/
Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7dnn2LP5fs&ab_channel=Mt.JoyOfficial
Friendly reminder that I do not numerically rate DAVIDsTEA blends as I’m currently employed there and it would be an obvious conflict of interest. Any blends you see with numerical ratings were rated prior to my employment there. These reviews are a reflection of my personal thoughts and feelings regarding the teas, and not the company’s.
Grandpa Style!
This unique and hard to categorize tea is so fascinating to me; I feel like I really volley back and forth between feeling like I’m drinking both a white and black tea as I drink it. The mouthfeel is soft in a way that makes me think of white tea, but with a thickness closer to a black. Though Indo think the tasting notes that rise to the surface can vary greatly depending on your steeping method, with this session I experienced a strong flavout of creamed or whipped honey with gentle fruity undertones, like someone had added a tiny splash of white cranberry juice. There were also notes of strawberry leaves, with their crisp yet fresh and delicate grassy sweetness, along with the tiniest touch of caramelized sugar. Thinking about it, maybe this experience was a little more on the ‘white tea’ side of things, though I’m sure as this tea ages that balance between the two tea types may continue to shift.
Tea Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/DLKqPonggKi/?img_index=1
Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7qtZs3Iww4&ab_channel=CallMeKarizma-Topic
Welp, that’s the last can of this that I had stocked up in the fridge! I think I might try and pick up a few more next time I’m at the grocery store, though I think maybe some of Ooya’s seasonal/summer flavours are back so maybe I’ll go for those instead…
Definitely a sort of citrusy cream soda vibe to this batch, though!
Flavors: Citrus Fruits, Citrusy
Gongfu!
Though I have tried many different kinds of yabao, I believe this is my first time brewing any from Vietnam. If you’re familiar with this style of “tea” (and I say “tea” in quotations because even that is debatable in its own way), then you know it’s incredibly hard to classify. Sometimes called a white tea, and sometimes a pu’erh. Regardless of what you choose to think of it as, I find this one to be incredibly delicate and smooth with a more full, round feeling mouthfeel that almost seems at odds with the more nuanced and fragile profile. A little bit floral, especially in the top notes and aroma, with notes of almost citrusy tulips and magnolia but with a slightly more woody and herbaceous finish that makes me think of cedar and rosemary. This one also has a bit of a milky and whipped honey undertone and the softest and most delicate lemon notes. It is so fresh and sippable; certainly, a tea to be enjoyed during quite moments and lazy Sundays such as this one.
Tea Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/DK7f48bJfSk/?img_index=1
Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEsKgbYs9Mc&ab_channel=Vulf
Ya bao! It’s a fascinating beast. I’ve tried 2 very distinctive ones so far and it’s crazy how different they can taste!!
Sounds intriguing! Did you follow O5’s direction of using only 5 leaves in 200 ml water? Seems very weak to me!
To be honest I very rarely follow any company’s steeping instructions. Though they can be great guidelines, at this point I trust my own tastes and experiences enough to navigate my brewing. Of course, if it’s an unpleasant taste experience then I have to consider that I might just have myself to blame for it – but that’s a risk I am totally okay taking.
Gosh, Kelly, I wasn’t meaning to challenge your skill, I was just flabbergasted that anyone could get so much flavor out of five leaves in a cup of water! But I knew you are highly skilled, and was trying to figure if maybe I should increase my leafing beyond 2.5 – 3 grams per cup, or just learn to live with a less sensitive palate! At the recent Chicago Tea Festival, the first booth I stopped at gave me a sample that was maybe five times stronger than I am accustomed to, and it polluted my mouth for near an hour! I left wondering to myself if maybe that is how folks are able to get so many flavors from a cup of tea!
Oh, sorry – I definitely didn’t take it as challenging, and apologies if my reply came off as combative!
Gongfu!
I just love the smooth, glossy look of these tea leaves. They remind me a little bit of the polished pebble you might find at the bottom of a river bed. They taste delicious too, with a very brisk and slightly bittersweet and astringent full-bodied profile. Very intense, dark buckwheat honey notes coupled with malt, toasted rye bread, and a strong woody and mineral backend of the sip. Maybe just a little bit floral with a similar orchid-like note you might get in the undertones of a really roasted and heavily oxidized Chinese oolong. It’s a pretty powerful tea, with a lot of great flavour and presence packed into those pretty little leaves!
Tea Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/DK-gsp6Svb0/?img_index=1
Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-YI-K2Obh4&ab_channel=ApricotInk-Topic
Gongfu!
An evening session paired with some super fresh, juicy red cherries. I’m pretty sure this is the first time I’ve had a decaffeinated pu’erh (ripe OR raw), and I have to admit that I was incredibly skeptical about it. I have been burned so many times by flat, tasteless decaf teas, and I was curious how this one could possibly hold up to being brewed using the gongfu method. Honestly!? It wasn’t so bad. Certainly, it was not a deeply nuanced tasting session. But despite the blunt delivery of the brothy and earthy-leaning flavours, I thought the body was exceptionally thick and slick with a lot of strength to the few tasting notes that did come through. I’m glad I challenged that bias I was holding because this was definitely more solid than I had expected.
Tea Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/DLBD9QjSLh7/?img_index=1
Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjkEbrHp3eU&ab_channel=SACS%26TheBrusselSprouts-Topic
Sipdown (2948)!
The dry leaf aroma of this is really candy-like to me and makes me think specifically of the red starburst candies, which I think are cherry flavoured? Steeped up it’s definitely more tart and hibiscus forward, but still has a very rich and deep feeling red fruit flavour that kind of ride the line between cherry, strawberry, and maybe like a fruit punch kind vibe!? Not the world’s most unique blend by any stretch, but as far as the all too common red fruit category of European teas goes I think this was a pretty nice execution!
Sipped on this one yesterday!
It does steep up a pretty pinkish red hue, and the flavour is approachable and pleasant. Red fruit and a bit of sweet apple. Fresh and juicy with a bit of tartness and sweetness but not too much of any one thing. Do I wish the red fruit notes were a bit more clear? Yeah, sure. But it was easy going and simple and I also can appreciate a blend that doesn’t make me think too hard while drinking it.
