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This is a pleasant tea, and this cup, brewed properly, is much better than the one I hastily brewed in a hotel restaurant the first time. The black tea is decent, having a slightly dry and bitter taste, and the nutty-ness is very pleasant, but not overpowering.

All in all, an excellent morning tea. I do with that I would have gotten more than 25g now!

1st Steep 2 tsp, 8 oz

cup: A light, golden yellow
Scent: Grassy and a little nutty
Flavor: Exceedingly pleasant – just what I was in the mood for this morning. Delicate and grassy tasting without any astringency. A well-rounded cup.

Second Steep 1tbs, 6oz

Cup: Similar to first steep, a little more on the redish side
Scent: Very woody again, but definitely picking up something darker, maybe a chocolate or burnt carmel smell.
Flavor: Still woody, but quite a bit sweeter. Getting some more background tones too, something nutty and dark. Much less astringency now that I’ve brewed it more precisely.

First Steep 1 tbs, 6.5 oz

Cup: Deep brown color with redish tones – very clear.
Scent: Definitely woody with carmel and floral notes.
Flavor: This is a fairly bold tea, well rounded, but with a hint of bitterness and astringency (which I appreciate). I just love the flavor of this tea – I can’t quite describe what it is about it. The word ‘woody’ keeps coming to mind, but doesn’t sound nearly as appetizing as a word as it is in this tea. Perhaps a word I’ve heard people on steepster use would fit: toasty.

Final Thoughts: An excellent tea, one I keep returning to time and again. I wish I had the flavor vocabulary to do it justice.
Next Time: I got so excited about the tasting note that I forgot to time it precisely!

I think that Good Earth was the first tea that converted me to a devoted tea drinker, over 7 years ago. I’ve sipped it now and again since, and none of the nostalgia has worn off. Reached for it this morning because I’ve been on a “serious tea” binge and needed something a little easier, with more of an emotional connection and less of an intellectual tasting. However, I left the tea bag unattended and it turned out slightly medicinal tasting.

No matter the actual quality, I know that this is a tea I’ll return to so long as Good Earth keeps making it.

I don’t know if its just because of the sayings, but I think this is an excellent bagged tea. If I do have to have a bagged tea, I would go with Novel Teas or mighty leaf, and perhaps a few kinds of Twinings, but that’s it. Unfortunately, I am all out now, and don’t know where to find more!

3rd Steep: 1 tbs, 5.5 oz

Cup: Very Light, much more yellow
Scent: much lighter as well, a little grassy
Flavor: Getting ever so slightly astringent, less of the nutty flavors and a little more strongly green. Still very ‘buttery’.

Final thoughts: I don’t think this tea is going to go much further than the 3rd steep. Perhaps if I had put 5 oz of water in each time, I might’ve been able to brew a 4th.

2nd steep: 1 tbs, 6 oz, 1 minute

Cup: Much more green than first steep, very clear.
Scent: Still grassy and musty, grass scent perhaps a little stronger.
Flavor: Less water is definitely a way to go, this second steep tastes much fuller. Still getting a lot of the buttery, tongue coating flavor; less of the nutty flavors. This steep tastes sweeter than the first one, and has a more floral aftertaste.

Final Thoughts: Much better with less water – I am going to start steeping teas with my OXO food scale. It won’t be able to register the tea, but I will at least get a precise amount of water. Also, this tea has an unexpected amount of caffeine – getting a little tea drunk after only two steepings.
Next Time: Still needs less water for this amount of tea, but getting closer.

1st Steep

Cup: a very light yellow/green
Scent: mild, very grassy as one would expect from a young tea, but with a very earthy, almost dirty undertone.
Flavor: First thoughts – mild, not at all astringent. Very mellow for having such a grassy smell. Not quite getting the ‘buttery’ flavor I was told to expect, but the ‘nutty’ is definitely coming through. I’ve never wanted to describe a tea as buttery before, but I’ve been pondering what that might taste like as I sip. I think I’m starting to taste it now – it is an exceptionally smooth flavor that comes through after the tea is swallowed, almost like a coating on the tongue.

Final thoughts: As a person who prefers a little astringency and bitterness, this first steeping is far too mellow to be my ideal tea, but I can still appreciate its quality. If you like a well-rounded cup, this would be a perfect fit for you.
Next time: I think I’d like this better with a bit more tea and less water. This time I did about 1 TBS for 8 oz, but I’d like to try 1 TBS for 5 oz.

First of all, let me preface this tasting note by saying that I’m not the biggest fan of pu-erh. I do enjoy it, but it always seems too rounded and mellow for me. For some reason, I prefer dark, astringent, and even bitter teas. This was one of the best pu-erhs I’ve tried, however.
Flavor: A sweet, rounded, well balanced cup.
Color: A beautiful amber color – very thick. After several steepings, it appears lighter and very red.
Scent: Definite earthy, musty notes. Reminds me of an old coniferous forest after a long rain.