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I love Yunnan tea. I mostly drink Yunnan black teas. So I was excited when I saw a green tea from the Yunnan province. At Teavana they always have me smell the tea before hand and show off the look of the tea. This Yunnan Emerald Buds looks just like the black tea except lighter. I couldn’t really tell what the tea smelt like at the store.
When I got home I opened it and took a long whiff of the tea. It also had an old floral aroma to it. It somewhat resembled a Dragonwell tea.
The tea tasted much like a low grade Dragonwell tea, yet it was much more delicate than a Dragonwell tea. I got four different steepings out of the tea. The last two were a bit bitter, which is weird since the water was cooler on the last two steepings than the first two. I wouldn’t buy this tea again. For the price there are much better teas. If you are at Teavana, instead of this tea go for a Japanese green tea.

I’m am now on the 8-10 infusion. This tea still has a lot of flavor to give. This tea has great value. Only 3 grams of tea and I have had over 60 ounces of tea from it. If you can buy this (I think Rishi is already sold out) then by all means, get it! It has a lot of plum notes with cinnamony sweetness to it.

Simply phenomenal! What a superb tea.
I brewed in a gaiwan. I got multiple steeping; I lost count but I think it was 4-6. Each steeping just kept getting better and better. The dry leaf has a strong sweet plum scent. The aroma of the steeped leaves were a more mellowed out version on the dry, more intense leaf. I leaves are larger, oolong like leaves. I noticed in the first 3 steepings the leaves didn’t open up too much. However, after each steeping the leaves unraveled more and more. I think next time I’ll brew in my 6 ounce glass container to see if the leaves open up more.

This particular Darjeeling tea resigned me up as a Darjeeling fan. It was fantastic. However, I ashamedly admit I did very poorly brewing it. Therefore, I confused this tea with the 7/10 micro-lot from Makaibari 2010. The 7/10 micro-lot had notes of pepper and and a bit briskness. When I was brewing this tea (3/10) I was getting those peppery notes as well. However, I was using about 2 grams of tea in my 4oz gaiwan. I then looked up on the internet and found that “industry tea standards” are 2.2 grams per 8 oz of water. So I bought a gram scale (it was difficult finding a scale that goes in tenth gram increments). I then measured out the tea and found the subtle peach notes were then coming out. It probably also helps that I lowered the steeping time as well.
But, yes, this is a fantastic tea. And I look forward to the Makaibari estate first flush and second flush for 2011. Hopefully Rishi will also sell their micro-lots as they did in 2010. I don’t believe you can buy this from Rishi’s website anymore but if you find it at a coffeeshop it is a high recommendation. Just remember 1.1 grams per 4 oz of water ;)

2nd note: The leaves have a woodsy aroma after being steeped. Delicious earthy taste. I’ve been able to get four to five really good steepings out it in a gaiwan.

I enjoy good earthy teas that aren’t harsh and this tea is definitely one of those. It was well said in Red Blossom’s description when they described it as “Fresh earth”. It was a fresh earth, malty, with slight hints of smooth chocolate.
The smell is pleasing and tastes even better. I am slightly biased when it comes to Shou Pu-erhs. Since they are one of my favorite teas. I recommend this tea to anyone who enjoys Pu-erh.

I used two teaspoons of dry tea leafs in a 4 oz gaiwan. The tea was very delicate, as most white teas are. It had definite notes of chestnuts; slightly astringent. I timed three minutes for the second steep. The second steep was much more mellow and less astringent. The steeped leafs what I would describe as a “warm” floral aroma to it; something that reminded me of holidays late in the year.

This note if from the last of the tea from my cupboard. I still say it is one of the best teas I’ve ever had. It just taste so fresh and refreshing. As before, it has notes of roasted asparagus and a very vegetal taste to it. But I do miss the traditional roasted nut taste that the majority of other dragon well teas have.

I brewed this tea in a 4 oz gaiwan. I then poured it into a 12 oz cup. I steeped it 3 times and mixed each steeping together. I sipped each steeping and thought the first 2 together were the best. Putting multiple steepings into one cup kinda gives it a more full round flavor. Now, onto what the final product was (the 3 steepings together):
I enjoyed the aroma of the steeped leaves. It was sweet, yet not as sweet as the the smell of it dry. It had a sweet barbecue/roasted vegetal taste to it. Delicious if brewed properly. A good green tea.

This was more a vegetale tea like most Japanese green teas rather than a nutty taste of other Dragon Well teas I’ve had. Strong notes of asparagus and subtle notes of celery. This is the purest tea I’ve ever had. You can really taste the quality. It was smooth and had a slight sweetness to it that I couldn’t quiet put my finger on. Only wishing I would have bought more.