171 Tasting Notes
Updated on 1/4/2012
Experience buying from Teavivre http://steepster.com/places/2857-teavivre-online—
Age of leaf: advertised as spring 2011. Received fall 2011, brewed up days later.
Appearance and aroma of dry leaf: similar in appearance and smell to other Chun Mee teas I have had before: small chopped and tightly curled leaves, with a grassy and somewhat smoky aroma.
Brewing guidelines: Based on two different steeping sessions; I used a little hotter temperatures than the standard parameters for my green teas call for due to Teavivres web directions. Loose in glass Bodum pot. Stevia added.
2 tsp, 2 cups of water (4 tsp, 4.5 cups)
……….1st: 180, 1’ (187; 1’)
……….2nd: 180. 1.5 (178 trying it cooler; 1.5’)
……….3rd: 185, 2’ (185; 2’)
Color and aroma of tea liquor: cloudy, light honey color, mild vegetal aroma.
Flavor of tea liquor: standard vegetal green tea flavor; minor astringency on the second steeping.
Appearance and aroma of wet leaf: Looks and smells fresh.
Value: Roughly a $1/ounce, and you can’t really beat that for fresh green tea anywhere.
Overall: My wife and I changed our mind on this one after the second session: the flavor is not as good as the flavor during the first session. I am not very taken by the flavor (too astringent, or something). It did hold up with the flavor it had through three steepings. Nothing else really notable about it other than that it is fresh and inexpensive.
Preparation
Experience buying from Life in a Teacup http://steepster.com/places/2861-life-in-a-teacup-online-easthampton-massachusetts
Age of leaf: advertised as spring 2011, received early fall 2011, brewed up weeks later.
Dry leaf: Small, tightly curled leaves and buds; smells fresh and vegetal; reminds me somewhat of Verdant Tea’s Early Summer Green Tea.
Brewing guidelines: Standard parameters for my green teas Loose in glass Bodum pot. Stevia added. 1.5 tsp, 1.5 cups water. I used slightly less water after each steeping. Two separate steeping sessions: < first >/< second >:
……….1st: 165/170, 1’
……….2nd: 165/180, 1.5
……….3rd: 180/185, 2’
……….4th: near boiling/< didn’t do >, 3’
Aroma: mildly vegetal.
Color of liquor: light yellow.
Wet leaf: fresh, vegetal smell; whole leaves and buds, a few were shriveled, and there were a number of long, thin, green ‘pieces’ that didn’t look like leaves or stems; they may have been buds, but I couldn’t tell.
Flavor: mild, vegetal, fresh, good.
Value: This green tea is as good as or better than any other green tea I have had in this price range.
Overall: this had a mild but pleasant taste that held up well through three steepings. This is clearly a fresh, mild and pleasantly vegetal tasting green tea. I would be happy to drink this on a regular basis.
Preparation
I absolutely love your reviews! So thorough! I look forward to them. Seriously, I saw “SimpliciTEA” and thought, “Yay!” Would you ever consider contributing to my blog in some way? PM me if interested. :)
Thank you for your kind words. : )
At the moment I have lots of writing that I want to catch up on (mostly reviews), but I will keep your invitation to contribute to your blog in mind.
Experience buying from China Cha Dao: In a PM I requested that Jerry send me samples of two teas I was interested in purchasing from his web store; he sent very generous samples of both (25g) and an additional 10g sample of a higher grade of one of them. Thank you Jerry Ma!
Age of leaf: stated as spring 2011.
Packaging: simple transparent bag with a label.
Appearance and aroma of dry leaf: Wirey, and some of the leaves are a little darker colored than the Jing Tea Shop HSMF I have; this tea has a fairly standard fresh vegetal smell.
Brewing guidelines: Standard parameters for my green teas Glass Bodum pot with metal infuser/plunger. Stevia added.
……….1st: 170, 1’
……….2nd: 175. 1.5
……….3rd: 180, 2’
……….4th: 180+, 2.5
Color and aroma of tea liquor: very light green, vegetal.
Flavor of tea liquor: Pleasantly light, fresh and vegetal, not smoky as some Huang Shan Mao Feng teas can be. Held up well through three steepings.
Appearance and aroma of wet leaf: Smells and looks fresh, but this tea has more stems than I have ever seen in any tea; although there were a few bud sets, there were very few buds, and not very many leaves.
Value: this is one of the best priced fresh green teas I have found: under $1.50/ounce even when the price of shipping is included (which, for me, was almost as much as the price for the tea itself).
Overall: There are two notable things about this tea. Although it is not chopped—-and it seems fresh—-there are more stems in the wet leaf than I have ever seen before. Having said that, for the price it is still one of the best values that I have found for good tasting, pleasant smelling, fresh green tea. I hope to buy some of this to use a base, or everyday, green tea.
Preparation
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!
Packaging: 52Teas packaging is very professional: small silver zip locked bags with a clear front that has a 3” X 3” label on it which has the name of the tea, an ingredient list, and an expertly created picture of the food item that the tea replicates.
Aroma of dry leaf: Strong lemon-lime scent; good!
Brewing guidelines: I used a metal basket strainer inside a ceramic 16 oz. cup, such that I put a lid over the top to keep the heat in. Cup was warmed before steeping. Stevia added.
…………….1st: near boiling, 2’
…………….2nd: boiling, 4’
…………….3rd: spot on boiling, 6’
…………….4th: even more spot on boiling, 10’
Aroma of tea liquor: strong lemon-lime aroma.
Flavor of tea liquor: sweet, lemon-lime.
Overall: First off, I want to admit that I am a little biased here: I like the flavor of lime in just about anything, and I really like cheesecake. The flavor was a little odd at first, but once my taste buds and the tea got acquainted, we all got along fairly well. I don’t know if I taste any cheesecake in here, but I definitely taste the lemon-lime flavor, and I like it! It had good flavor right up through the forth steeping. It’s unusual, its sweet, it’s good. This is a tea I could drink often.
Preparation
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!
Packaging: 52Teas packaging is very professional: small silver zip locked bags with a clear front that has a 3” X 3” label on it which has the name of the tea, an ingredient list, and an expertly created picture of the food item that the tea replicates.
Appearance and aroma of dry leaf: smallish pieces of black tea, with a few marigold petals mixed in. I really like the aroma: sweet, almost syrupy, and somewhat like grilled flour: pancakes!
Brewing guidelines: I used a metal basket strainer inside a ceramic 16 oz. cup, such that I put a lid over the top to keep the heat in. Cup was warmed before steeping. Stevia added.
…………….1st: near boiling, 2’
…………….2nd: nearer to boiling, 4’
…………….3rd: boiling, 6’
…………….4th: boiling, 8’
Color and aroma of tea liquor_: ~_This time through I did not record these. Maybe next time.~
Flavor of tea liquor: at first not much different than any other black tea, then, the flavors started to come out of hiding (see below).
Overall: I think this is the first of Frank’s teas that caught my eye in the line up of the best rated teas in Steepster. I couldn’t believe that the image of the pancakes could seriously be replicated in a tea. Well, now I’m a believer. With the first steeping, it started out as just another flavored tea to me, nothing really stood out about it. But as I began to take more time searching for the syrup and the pancake in the tea, it finally came out to say, “Hello!” It’s strange, but it wasn’t until the third steeping that I could actually taste the maple syrup, maybe in part, because I allowed it too cool before I finished it. I could taste the syrup and the pancake—-although mildly—-even on the forth steeping. The next time I try this tea I will be looking for the flavors in the earlier steepings, and try it cooled, too. This is probably my favorite of the three 52Teas I have tried so far. I look forward to brewing this one up again. Frank (if you ever stumble upon this review), I have to say that I am impressed. And I look forward to trying your other teas, too.
Preparation
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!
Packaging: 52Teas packaging is very professional: small silver zip locked bags with a clear front that has a 3” X 3” label on it which has the name of the tea, an ingredient list, and an expertly created picture of the food item that the tea replicates.
Appearance and aroma of dry leaf: strong smell, almost overwhelming, but somewhat like cinnamon rolls.
Brewing guidelines: I used a metal basket strainer inside a ceramic 16 oz. cup, such that I put a lid over the top to keep the heat in. Cup was warmed before steeping. Stevia added.
…………….1st: near boiling, 2’
…………….2nd: nearer to boiling, 4’
…………….3rd: spot on boiling, 6’
…………….4th: even more spot on boiling, 10’
Color and aroma of tea liquor: Ruddy brown, very mild aroma.
Flavor of tea liquor: Somewhat like cinnamon rolls, but something tastes a little off (some as with the smell of the dry leaf): possibly too tart. The second and later steepings had no odd flavor, and so tasted a little better to me.
Overall: After all of the hype about this tea, I was initially disappointed with the first steeping. The second steeping was a little better, and it had good flavor up through the third (the forth had little flavor). I like to get multiple steepings out of any tea; I imagine this would taste differently if steeped only once for a longer period of time—but that’s not how I prepare my tea. Unfortunately I read all of the glowing reviews before trying this tea and got my hopes up about it. I have learned my lesson. With the remainder of Frank’s teas—-or any other, for that matter—-I plan to read only the data in the review first regarding how to steep it. Then, later, I can compare notes. Oh well. Maybe over time I will like this one more .
Preparation
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!
Packaging: 52Teas packaging is very professional: small silver zip locked bags with a clear front that has a 3” X 3” label on it which has the name of the tea, an ingredient list, and an expertly created picture of the food item that the tea replicates.
Appearance and aroma of dry leaf: it has a strong spicy chai-like aroma and is comprised of tiny bits of tea and other flavorings.
Brewing guidelines: two tsp. dry tea for 16 ounces of water. I used a metal basket strainer inside a ceramic 16 oz. cup, such that I put a lid over the top to keep the heat in. Cup was warmed before steeping. Milk and Stevia added.
…………….1st: 195, 2’
…………….2nd: 195, 3’
…………….3rd: 205, 6’
…………….4th: boiling, 10’
…………….5th: boiling, 10’
Color and aroma of tea liquor: Dark color, very aromatic: spicy chai.
Flavor of tea liquor: strong spicy chai flavor.
Overall: My wife and I both liked this chai, having tried at least two other chai flavored teas before. It yielded good flavor right up through five steepings! Woo, hoo!
Preparation
Experience buying from Harney and Sons http://steepster.com/places/2779-harney-and-sons-on-line-millerton-new-york
Age of leaf: Lot # 11201: puts ‘production’ at roughly mid-July 2011 (although according to their website, all their Japanese tea is ‘harvested’ from previous years harvest – 2010).
Appearance and aroma of dry leaf: Very small cut, straight pieces, dark green in color with a fresh vegetal aroma.
Brewing guidelines: Small amount of Stevia added, glass Bodum pot with metal strainer/plunger.
…………….1st: 160, 60” – great flavor
…………….2nd: 180, 40” – good flavor
…………….3rd: 155, 120” – very mild flavor, mostly just sweet
Color and aroma of tea liquor: a light lime green color on the first steeping, light yellowish green on the second and third steepings Grassy aroma.
Flavor of tea liquor: The flavor is what I believe the best Japanese green teas are known for: grassy, vegetal, fresh.
Appearance and aroma of wet leaf: looks a lot like cut grass—I have cleaned many lawnmower and this looks a lot like the grass clippings: dark green leaves cut into tiny pieces! There are a few large pieces of stems mixed in with the “clippings”.
Blends well with: I believe any Sencha will blend well with Gyokuro as they are both steamed when processed and take a little cooler temperature when steeped (I have had success blending it with at least one Sencha).
Value: For the sample direct from H&S, great, considering what you get for $2 (it is roughly $10/ounce otherwise). I was also lucky to get a large supply of this through a third party for a great price.
Overall: I have heard much about the amazing qualities of this tea, and I have not been disappointed: everything about it is fresh, and the flavor is strongly vegetal and unusually sweet for a green tea (I add less Stevia to the first steeping than I do with other green teas). I have been drinking this since late summer. I enjoy it all through the week since I drink it on mornings before work to give me that extra theanine kick (it is purported to have more theanine than other green teas due to its being shaded at the end of growing period); its hard to say for certain, but it does seem to have a greater effect on calming and focusing my mind than most other green teas. This is a tea that, if I can get it for a good enough price, I like to have on hand at all times.
Preparation
This is my 6th and final review in a series of six samples of Wuyi oolongs from China Cha Dao
Experience buying from China Cha Dao: I responded to an offer on Steepster for free samples. Received exactly what was stated in the offer: fresh tea and very generous sample sizes. On their website on eBay they have a good variety of tea for reasonable prices.
Age of leaf: Stated as harvested in 2011. Received in mid-summer, brewed in fall 2011.
Packaging: small, clear bags with small label printed with the full name of the tea.
Appearance and aroma of Dry leaf: a little milder than the rest, also a number of broken bits, but not as many as the Spring “Shi Ru” had.
Brewing guidelines: three 8-oz cups of water used, leaves loose in glass Bodum pot. Stevia added. (I went with one less cup than the first four Wuyi oolongs in the series)
…………….1st: 185, 2’
…………….2nd: 187, 3’
…………….3rd: near boiling, 5’
…………….4th: boiling, 7’
Aroma of tea liquor: different than the others, milder, more pleasant, slightly carmal-ly, and possibly malty. Amazing. On the forth steeping I smell something different, like something that is possibly barley-like, something good!
Color of tea liquor: same as all the rest: looks like coffee.
Appearance and aroma of wet leaf: Pleasant. Smells different then the tea liquor, and different than the other Wuyi oolongs in that it is more clear, and not as roasted.
Flavor of tea liquor: not as roasted as the others, and not at all harsh; mild and pleasant.
Value: Free 10-gram sample (Thank you Jerry Ma @ China Cha Dao tea on Ebay!). His regular tea is very reasonably priced, in my opinion ($7/125grams).
Overall: I like that the aromas of the wet leaf and the tea liquor were different as compared with all of the others. This one was also not as strong and intense as the others in all of its aspects. Once again, the third steeping on an oolong surprised me: it is the better than the first two! Mild flavor on this third steeping (and in the forth), and there are clearly floral notes running around in each cup. Although I stopped at four steepings, I think I could have easily gotten another steeping or two out of these leaves. This is probably the best Wuyi oolong for me in the series.
Summary after drinking the six Wuyi oolongs: I still consider myself fairly new to this class of semi-oxidized teas. Overall, the taste of these is not something I would seek out, although I would gladly drink them if offered. Each one of these teas was fresh and yielded up something worth experiencing—-especially if you like roasted and/or floral notes. I am grateful for the opportunity to broaden my experience with oolongs. Thank you Jerry Ma at China Cha Dao!
Preparation
This is my 5th review in a series of six samples of Wuyi Oolongs from China Cha Dao
Experience buying from China Cha Dao: I responded to an offer on Steepster for free samples. Received exactly what was stated in the offer: fresh tea and very generous sample sizes. On their website on eBay they have a good variety of tea for reasonable prices.
Age of leaf: Stated as harvested in 2011. Received in mid-summer, brewed in fall 2011.
Packaging: small, clear bags with small label printed with the full name of the tea.
Appearance and aroma of dry leaf: leaf looks and smells basically the same as the rest of the Wuyi oolongs with the exception that many of the leaves are broken into smaller pieces.
Brewing guidelines: three 8-oz cups of water used, leaves loose in glass Bodum pot. Stevia added. (I went with one less cup than the four previous Wuyi oolongs in the series)
…………….1st: 185, 2’
…………….2nd: 190, 3’
…………….3rd: near boiling, 5’
…………….4th: boiling, 6’
Aroma of tea liquor: smells a little different than the other Wuyi oolongs.
Color of tea liquor: like coffee.
Appearance and aroma of wet leaf: smells about the same as the other Wuyi oolongs, with a hint of caramel. Lots of little bits and pieces.
Flavor of tea liquor: fresh and roasted, with a tad of bitterness towards the end of the third cup of the first steeping. Had mild flavor in each cup on the forth steeping.
Value: Free 10-gram sample (Thank you Jerry Ma @ China Cha Dao tea on Ebay!). His regular tea is very reasonably priced, I judge ($7/125grams).
Overall: Although nothing really stands out about this oolong as compared to the others, it is tasty. The fact that the leaf is comprised of many more small broken pieces than all of the other Wuyi oolongs makes me question the quality of this one. Overall, this was an OK tasting Wuyi oolong as compared to the rest.
