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Backlogging, and based on my notes and on a fairly recent tasting

Experience buying from Jing Tea Shop http://steepster.com/places/2780-jing-tea-shop-on-line—

Age of leaf: I received this tea in early June 2011 and brewed it as soon as I got it (the tea is listed as 2011 early spring harvest).

Appearance and aroma of dry leaf: Standard look and aroma of any other quality Long Jing I have seen: deep-green sword-shaped leaves, with a fresh, nutty, and some other pleasant aroma that is both hearty and light.

Brewing guidelines: Glass Bodum pot, leaf free to roam; stevia added.
……….1st: 170; 1’…….Mild, but good: sweet, vegetal, nutty
……….2nd: 175; 1.5’….Decent amount of flavor
……….3rd: 180; 2’……..Very mild flavor
……….4th: 185; 2.5’…..Not much flavor

Color and aroma of tea liquor: Very light green in color; mild, standard Long Jing aroma.

Flavor of tea liquor: My wife and I both like the sweet, nutty and vegetal flavor of this green tea.

Appearance and aroma of wet leaf: Impressive, especially for the price. This seems to be from a true Mao Feng (two leaves and a bud) pluck. Leaves on top during all steepings.

Blends well with: I have blended this with much success with at least one other green tea.

Value: About the best price I have found for a decent Long Jing, at about $2/oz.

Overall: This tea literally has a front row place on our teas shelf due to the solid position it holds in our green tea retinue: it is well priced, composed of fresh, good-looking leaf, and fairs well enough in the flavor department. Until recently (due to tasting lots of samples and getting new teas) we have been drinking this tea regularly. I plan to start brewing it more regularly again, and I will likely buy more of it if-and-when I make a purchase from Jing Tea Shop after the 2012 spring green teas become available.

OK, almost 40 mins for that last one, lets try again! … Well, then again, it turns out that this was not a good one to try to rush through!

Backlogging, and based almost entirely on my notes

Experience buying from Harney and Sons http://steepster.com/places/2779-harney-and-sons-online-millerton-new-york

Age of leaf: Lot # 11203: puts ”production” at end of June of 2011 (although according to their website, all their Japanese tea is from previous years harvest). I brewed it about three weeks after receiving it.

Appearance and aroma of dry leaf: They say enough for 3-4 cups, but, although I don’t know how to measure this tea, as it is incredibly dense (lots of small, chopped bits), for many reasons I believe this was enough for a full pot of 6-7 cups (at least by my standards), so I believe this was at least a half an ounce, if not more. Very small cut pieces (as advertised), color and smell similar to Harney and Son’s Gyokuro, but not as dark, and not as sweet smelling.

Brewing guidelines: Glass Bodum pot, with metal infuser/plunger; stevia added.
Please see my profile if you are interested in my reasons why I steep the way I do
……….1st: 155; 1.5’…. Very strong grassy flavor (mostly like spinach).
……….2nd: 160; 1’…….More cloudy, more astringent, and not as sweet, but still lots of flavor.
……….3rd: 147; 45"…..Sweeter, and best taste yet!
……….4th: 152; 2.5’….Very dark and cloudy, good flavor.
……….5th: 162; ???’…Not as cloudy, and still flavor!

Color and aroma of tea liquor: bright lime green color (similar to Gyokuro); like any other quality Japanese tea, some of the smallest bits make it through the holes in my Bodum press to henceforth sit on the bottom of my pot (I guess they don’t like being held captive?). The nerve!

Flavor of tea liquor: I enjoyed it, but my wife did not like it’s spinach-like flavor. (Note: it became sweeter and more astringent when cooled).

Appearance of wet leaf: Like just about every quality Japanese tea I have had so far, it looked a lot like cut grass (I have cleaned many lawnmower and this looks a lot like the grass clippings! Upon second inspection, it is a lighter green color than the cut grass I remember). There are a few large pieces of stems mixed in with the “clippings.”

Value: For a sample, great, considering what I got for $2 (it is roughly $10/oz otherwise).

Overall: Per my notes, this was an adventure in brewing and tasting (probably the most fun time steeping a green tea I have ever had)! This tea stood up amazingly well to different times and temperatures all the while maintaining flavor throughout (with little astringency); having more experience with Japanese greens since then, this is very surprising, as my understanding is that you are lucky to get three good steepings out of one. I noted that I felt unusually calm and centered on the day I drank this (Because of lots of theanine? Who knows …). I even ate some of these leaves, and although I am not a fan of cooked spinach, I liked it! The more I read over my notes, and think back on my experience with this tea, the more I think I will have to revisit this tea sometime in the near future! Thank you Harney and Sons, Japan and the green tea industry over there for allowing me to experience this tea!

So I can get through all the review of about 30+ teas I have tried last year, but not reviewed, I have set a goal of doing about one every 10 minutes or so for the next hour and a half or so. Here I go!

Backlogging, and based almost entirely on my memory

Experience buying from @Ashley: I bought this tea from Ashley when she was selling all of her tea. I received the tea quickly through the mail and my package was filled with many surprises. Thank you Ashley!

Appearance and aroma of dry leaf: A combination of fine and larger dark bits of tea and other things; strongly smells of a spicy chai; lovely!

Brewing guidelines: Ceramic sixteen-oz cup and lid, tea in metal basket strainer; stevia added.
Based on feedback provided by this community (thank you LiberTEAS and SimplyJenW for your replies to a question I had earlier this winter!), I heat a few ounces of milk (currently unsweetened soy) in my wife’s ceramic cup just before pouring the water. I still remember the response from someone (SimplyJenW?) that steeping it with the milk (rather than adding it later), makes it all feel as if they all belong together. I love that viewpoint!
Please see my profile if you are interested in my reasons why I steep the way I do
……….1st: Near boiling; 2’
……….2nd: Nearer boiling; 3’
……….3rd: Boiling; 4’
……….4th: Spot-on boiling; 5’

Color and aroma of tea liquor: The color seems to be different than the other chai’s (we have a bunch of different ones now) when mixed with milk: it looks richer, somehow. I like this! Smells as good as any chai with milk.

Flavor of tea liquor: I have had only had a few sips of this (so then, why am I writing this review then? Huh? Huh!? I don’t know! I guess because my wife’s not a writer, per se, and so I don’t think she would ever do it!?), but I remember it being rich and tasty. I believe this is still tasty through four steepings.

Blends well with: I would think this would blend well with any other chai.

Value: I don’t find the teas of 52Teas to be priced to fit within our budget, but for someone who wants a unique tea delivered to their doorstep I think 52Teas’ standard charge of $9/2oz (delivery included) is reasonable.

Overall: As I allude to above, I got this more for my wife than for myself (she loves chai). It’s possibly the best chai we have on hand. I know she likes it (she asked for it just last night). We both love that its decaf, and I love that it’s a handcrafted tea!

Backlogging (so, based almost entirely on my notes)

Experience buying from @Ashley: I bought this tea from Ashley in the fall of 2011 when she was selling all of her tea. I received the tea quickly through the mail and my package was filled with many surprises. Thank you Ashley!

Date of steeping: I steeped this up not long after I got it.

Aroma of dry leaf: Smells good: vanilla.

Brewing guidelines: 1 tsp tea, 1 cup water. Ceramic eight-oz cup, tea in metallic basket strainer, stevia added.
……….1st: Near Boiling, semi-warmed cup; 2’…Wonderful!
……….2nd: Boiling, warmed cup; 3’……………….. Delicious!
……….3rd: Boiling, warmed cup; 4’…………………Less flavor, but still good.
……….4th: Boiling, hot cup; 6’………………………..Not much flavor.

Color and aroma of tea liquor: Dark brown color; smells like freshly made waffle cones!

Flavor of tea liquor: I love the taste: rich, delicious vanilla flavor, with a possible chocolate note hiding in there: it’s like eating a fresh waffle cone!

Overall: What I remember most about this tea (having brewed it up about two to three months ago) is the aroma that filled the kitchen when I brewed it up: it made me feel like I was in an ice cream shop smelling freshly made waffle cones! I guess the vanilla flavoring gives it this wonderful aroma? Anyway, I will have to try to remember to buy some of this tea the next time I order from H&S: it definitely ROCKS!

Experience buying from Teavana online http://steepster.com/places/2822-teavana-online-atlanta-georgia

Date of Purchase: Purchased at their 2011 end-of-year sale at a discount, and brewed up my first cup right away.

Appearance and aroma of dry leaf: Pretty,: a few light-caramel-colored leaves mixed in with mostly dark chocolate-brown leaves; a little sweet, and like any standard Indian black tea, not too aromatic, and definitely not as yummy as it tastes.

Brewing guidelines: Ceramic cup and lid, tea in metal basket strainer; stevia added.
……….1st: Off boiling, mildly warmed cup; 2’ …Awesome!
……….2nd: Near boiling, warmed cup; 3’…….Still Awesome!
……….3rd: Boiling, warmed cup; 4’…………….Great!
……….4th: Boiling, very warmed cup; 7’………Still good flavor!
……….5th: Spot on Boiling, hot cup; 10’ ……..Oh, well, just mild flavor.

Aroma of tea liquor: < later >

Flavor of tea liquor: I really liked the flavor of this Assam. I am still new to the unflavored black arena, but this tea reminds me of a good Yunnan in that it was sweet and carmel-y; I think full bodied applies here, too. Oh, and I just remembered the malty question (“How do you describe what malty tastes like?”) I asked on Steepster a while back; I remember LiberTEAS (and others) trying to help me to understand what malty truly tastes like (like the wort of pre-fermented beer, OR bread-y, yeast-y; these all helped), and I remember someone suggesting to try a good Assam. Well, here it is, but I’m not certain I am any wiser. Next time I brew this up (I am writing this up a day after drinking it), I need to sit down and really take in the flavor of this Assam and pay attention to what comes up for me. Next time.

Appearance of wet leaf: Looks like mid-grade Indian leaf to me, although it says, FTGFOP-1. Really? It doesn’t look much better than the leaf in a Java OP I have. I guess I don’t know much about the grading system of Indian black teas, either. Which begs the question, what do I know, anyway? : p

Value: This tea is less than $1/oz at 75% off the original price (I am estimating it was about $3/oz.). I think full price isn’t even that far off the mark, considering the flavor.

Overall: This is what I consider to be my first Assam (although I have very likely had one before, and I didn’t know it at the time). A minor note: It gave the inside of my white ceramic cup a light chocolate colored stain that I don’t think any of the other black teas have done (but I guess I normally steep black tea in my traditional ceramic teapot, so doing it in a cup is kinda new for me, and said tea did sit for a while during at least one steeping). I admit I wasn’t expecting much out of this tea, as I get the impression the Assam’s are the run-of-the-mill Indian black teas. Well, either I am dead wrong (happens often enough) or this is an exceptional Assam, for, this … tea … ROCKS! I love the sweetness, and the caramel flavor. I am impressed that it yielded four good steepings. I look forward to brewing this up again (and I wish I had bought more, now that it’s sold out!).

I am striving to get these reviews written as soon as I can, which means it may initially be missing some data which I hope to supply later.

Experience buying from Teavana online http://steepster.com/places/2822-teavana-online-atlanta-georgia

Date of Purchase/Age of Leaf: Purchased at their 2011 end-of-year sale at a discount, and brewed up my first pot right away; no information on date of harvest available (I don’t like that they can’t—or won’t—tell me the harvest date on their green teas, and I don’t like to admit it, but it’s honestly a little annoying to me).

Appearance and aroma of dry leaf: I was in the store a few days prior to buying this tea online, and when I looked at it and smelled it, I thought it was a Huang Shan Mao Feng (it’s not a part of Teavana’s name for this tea, but it looked like one to me). I asked about it, the sales associate looked it up, and she verified that it was indeed a Huang Shan Mao Feng (HSMF). Having said that, this tea looks and smells like any other HSMF: wiry, slightly twisted leaves, with a somewhat sour smelling vegetal aroma overlaid with some smokiness (Although I generally like the appearance and the taste of HSMF, I don’t really care for the smell of any of them).

Brewing guidelines: Glass Bodum pot with metal infuser/plunger. Stevia added.
……….1st: 170; 1’
……….2nd: 175; 1.5’
……….3rd: 180; 2’
……….4th: 185; 2.5’

Aroma of tea liquor: < later >

Flavor of tea liquor: Sweet, mildly vegetal, and surprisingly smooth; I don’t think there was any smokiness, either (my wife does NOT like smoky green teas, and so she normally does not like HSMFs, but she liked this one). No astringency or bite in it what-so-ever. Yet, I don’t think it had great flavor on the forth steeping.

Appearance and aroma of wet leaf: The leaf in this tea was not as impressive as the leaf in the Golden Jade (it had a few broken pieces), but it was still clearly from a quality pluck; standard vegetal aroma.

Value: This tea is a steal at 75% off the original price (what they state as $9/oz.) → $2.25/oz.

Overall: I suspect that this tea is some slightly lower grade version of their HSMF Reserve (which goes for $10/oz.), and that they don’t want to discontinue this tea, so they just renamed it, and put it on sale (they did not carry this tea until their end-of-year sale. Interesting, huh?). One piece of evidence to support this: the picture for both teas is EXACTLY the same on their website. Anyway, it doesn’t really matter. What matters most is that this is an exquisite tea for those who want a sweet green tea without the normal vegetal/astringent notes that are commonly present in Chinese green teas. And it is sweet. I look forward to brewing it up as a treat every now and then this winter.

Backlogging (and based almost entirely on my long term memory)

Experience buying from Teavana http://steepster.com/places/2895-teavana-st-louis-missouri

Packaging: this tea was bought in-store in one of their tall, oval, brownish-colored 8-oz tins (as were the previous three Teavana teas I recently reviewed). They are definitely good tins for storing any light and fluffy, or really leafy teas in (like just about any white tea, or a tea that needs lots of storage space, like a HSMF).

Appearance and aroma of dry leaf: Very aromatic.

Brewing guidelines: Traditional ceramic six-cup teapot, with large metallic tea-ball. Stevia added.
……….1st: 160; 2’
……….2nd: 165; 3’
……….3rd: 170; 4’
……….4th: 175; 5’
……….5th: 180; 6’

Color of tea liquor: a clear pink color, almost like pink lemonade!

Flavor of tea liquor: Light and fruity.

Blends well with: I almost always blended this with Teavana’s Snow Peak Downy Tips, and they complimented each other very well.

Value: I can’t remember the details on the cost, but I know it was a good price at 75% off.

Overall: This tea looks, smells, and tastes good. It is a great accompaniment to any tea to give it a fruity kick! We have a little of this left, and I look forward to using up the rest.

Backlogging (and, based almost entirely on my longer term memory)

Experience buying from Teavana http://steepster.com/places/2895-teavana-st-louis-missouri

Date of Purchase/Age of Leaf: Purchased at their 2010 end of year sale at a discount, and brewed up during much of 2011.

Appearance and aroma of dry leaf: At first it looked (and smelled) just like a green tea to me, but later I was able to tell a few differences: it’s lighter in color, and has a more fruity scent than a green tea. Although it looks nothing like Silver needles, or Bai Mu Dan, it is an attractive looking tea.

Brewing guidelines: six-cup ceramic teapot, tea in large, metal tea-ball; stevia added (parameters below are all from memory)
……….1st: 160; 2’
……….2nd: 165; 3’
……….3rd: 170; 4’
……….4th: 175; 5’
……….5th: 180; 6’

Color and aroma of tea liquor: a very light soft-pink color; pleasantly fruity aroma.

Flavor of tea liquor: pleasant: light and surprisingly fruity for an unflavored white tea.

Appearance and aroma of wet leaf: not very impressive looking (similar to Teavana’s Three Kingdoms Mao Feng): the leaf was pale and shriveled looking, and had lots of broken leaves, a number of bits and stems, and very few whole leaves or buds.

Blends well with: This blended very well with one of Teavana’s flavored white tea blends: Emerald Bamboo Forest.

Value: Expensive at regular price ($6/oz), but reasonable at 75% off, or $1.50/oz, which is what we paid for it.

Overall: I am not certain what kind of white tea this is (as it seems to be neither Silver needles nor or Bai Mu Dan), but it was tasty. Their description says it was grown amongst fruit trees (peach, I think), and the flavor certainly seems to demonstrate this. We often enjoyed this tea in the evening. I bought way too much of it last year, thinking at the time that white tea had high levels of theanine in it, as many green teas do, but this didn’t seem to be the case, at least not with this tea. Luckily, I was able to give lots of this tea away to a friend whom seems to appreciate it. One interesting thing to note: when I first bought this tea I was able to get three or four good steepings out of it. But, recently, the second steeping has an odd taste to it: not stale, but more like bitterness. So, I guess that’s what happens when this tea gets too old (even while carefully storing it, as I do all of my teas). That’s OK though, I enjoyed it while it was still fresh (and a lesson learned about not buying too much white tea!).

Backlogging (and, based almost entirely on my longer term memory. This one, too, has been a long time coming …)

Experience buying from Teavana http://steepster.com/places/2895-teavana-st-louis-missouri

Date of Purchase/Age of Leaf: Purchased at their 2010 end of year sale at a discount, and brewed up during most of 2011.

Appearance and aroma of dry leaf: pretty standard for a decent quality green tea: nice looking medium-sized dark-green leaves, with a sweet vegetal aroma.

Brewing guidelines: Glass Bodum pot with metal infuser/plunger; stevia added.
……….1st: 170; 1’
……….2nd: 175; 1.5’
……….3rd: 180; 2’
……….4th: 185; 2.5’

Color and aroma of tea liquor: A clear yellow, tinged with green.

Flavor of tea liquor: A good sweet, vegetal flavor. It always held up well through three steepings (which is my standard number of steepings for my daily green teas).

Appearance of wet leaf: After buying and analyzing the leaves of unflavored green teas from Tea Trekker and Seven Cups, I noticed how most of the leaves and buds of the teas from those tea retailers were unbroken, and very fresh looking (even their older teas which I got on sale). So when I looked more closely at the leaves of this tea from Teavana I was surprised to see that the color of the leaves was a little pale, and that there were a number of bits and broken leaves, not many buds or bud sets, and quite a few stems (the teas from Seven Cups and Tea Trekker had almost none). I don’t exactly know how that affects the overall taste, if it does at all, but I suspect smaller/broken pieces won’t keep as long as there is overall greater surface area which can be exposed to air. But then again, who knows? Maybe it doesn’t matter. At least it didn’t seem to affect that taste.

Blends well with: I often blended this with other higher quality/fresher green teas, and it gladly took backstage to support the more noteworthy flavors of the accompanying tea!

Value: Although it is no longer available, it was not bad even at its regular price (I think it was a little less than $4/oz), but at the 50-75% discount, this tea was a bargain.

Overall: This was more or less the standard unflavored green tea I brewed up for much of 2011, and I am grateful for it’s exposing me to what a decent green tea has to offer. It was not finicky, had no off-tastes, or was ever astringent. Although I have a little of this left, having in the intervening months learned much about what to look for in a quality green, I have since moved on to other teas (strange, but in a way I feel like someone who just ‘dumped’ this tea for another. : – } ). Still, Teavana’s Three Kingdoms Mao Feng was my my first reasonable-quality, pleasant-tasting, loose-leaf green tea, and I will never forget it for the joy it gave me (I almost feel like I am giving an epitaph! Weird …).

This was my very first experience buying from a Teavana, and I will never forget it. It was the day after Christmas, my wife and I were walking in the mall, and she (not me) noticed Teavana had a 50% off sale. It never occurred to me to go into their store, as their teas are all beyond my price range. We met the best tea sales person I have ever met (Sean), bought four tins of tea at 50% off, and we walked out happy (and remained happy), having bought the Three Kingdoms Mao Feng and The Citron Sinota without even having tried them (A big risk, that happened to pay off). Anyway, it was a joyful experience, and I want log it as such. ; – )

Backlogging (and based almost entirely on my longer term memory)

Experience buying from Teavana http://steepster.com/places/2895-teavana-st-louis-missouri

Date of Purchase/Age of Leaf: Purchased at their 2010 end of year sale at a discount, and brewed up during all of 2011.

Appearance and aroma of dry leaf: Lots of little colorful bits of fruit and flavorings; strong citrus aroma.

Brewing guidelines: Glass Bodum pot with metal infuser/plunger. Stevia added.
……….1st: 170; 1’
……….2nd: 175; 1.5’
……….3rd: 180; 2’
……….4th: 185; 2.5’

Aroma of tea liquor: Citrus-y!

Flavor of tea liquor: light and citrus-y.

Appearance and aroma of wet leaf: Since this is a blended tea, I never really looked that closely at the base tea in it.

Blends well with: I have blended this with many an unflavored green tea with much success.

Value: They don’t sell this anymore, but I think it was about $3.50/oz, and we got some for 50% off, then later more at 75% off. It is worth it at either discounted price.

Overall: I like just about everything about this tea: its appearance, its aroma, its flavor. Interestingly enough after about 9 months (even while doing my best to safeguard the tea from heat, light and moisture by keeping it in one of their tins), the tea liquor started to have a kind of stale taste to it (maybe a better description is, it started to taste, flat). After brewing it at least once on its own when I first bought it, I used it frequently to flavor many of my other unflavored green teas. This is a tea I consider to be amongst the better flavored green teas.