Cameron B. select Send Message

349 Followers / 247 Following

Recommended

Cameron B. drank Zheng Shan Xiao Zhong of Wu Yi Fujian Black tea * Spring 2014 by Yunnan Sourcing

4313 tasting notes

Happy Saturday, Steepster! I hope everyone is having a lovely weekend so far. This sample came from Ubacat, my Canadian tea friend with amazing postal powers! Seriously though, her package got here in four days. I believe I’ve had this tea before, but it’s been so long that I feel the need to try it again! The leaves are small and thin, and extremely dark in color. Dry scent has lovely cocoa notes along with hay or raw grains.

Mm, the steeped cup smells chocolaty and delicious! Yums. This is a lovely rich and flavorful tea! Strong notes of roasted grain and chocolate (somewhere between milk and dark). There’s also a savory rye bread flavor as well as some creamy nuttiness. I think next time I’ll try a 4 minute steep, I think this one can handle it. Yummy tasty roasty and chocolaty tea! :)

Flavors: Chocolate, Cocoa, Grain, Roasted, Roasted Nuts, Rye

Preparation

200 °F / 93 °C 3 min, 0 sec 1 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML

I Like This

18 likes

1 comments

Ubacat
Delete

I think this is one of my favourite blacks!

People who liked this

Comments

Ubacat
Delete

I think this is one of my favourite blacks!

Profile

Bio

Hi, I’m Cameron!

I’m a 30-something software engineer currently living in Austin, Texas with my husband and our two pugs, Gobo and Ume. I tend to cycle between my different hobbies, and they include piano, knitting, video games, board games, miniature painting, planners, bento, Korean skincare, and – of course – TEA! But really, what I’m best at is “collecting” hobby-related things… ;)

~ 2025 SIPDOWN CHALLENGE! ~
- January sipdowns: 28
- Total 2025 sipdowns: 28

I prefer my tea lukewarm or at room temperature and without milk or sugar. I steep Western style, and fluctuate between using big mugs or small teapots depending on the season.

I am always up for a swap! Just let me know if you’d like to try something in my cupboard.

Tea Preferences:
I enjoy both flavored and unflavored teas in many forms. These days, I drink mostly flavored teas, and I tend to gravitate most toward black, green, oolong, and herbal varieties. I do have a special fondness for straight Japanese green teas, however.

I do not sweeten my teas, and pre-sweetened teas are usually too sweet for me. I also do not enjoy stevia (or monkfruit, etc.).

I tend to reach for fruitier flavors rather than desserty ones these days, but I do have favorites from both categories. Willing to try anything once! There are a few ingredients/flavors that aren’t generally my jam, such as coconut, rose, lavender, and chocolate flavoring. But I also have teas that I love with some of those things, too! :)

Favorite Companies:
3 Leaf
Bird & Blend
Dammann Frères
Harney & Sons
Kyoto Obubu Tea Farms
Lupicia
Old Barrel Tea Co
Simpson & Vail
Taiwan Tea Crafts
TeaVivre

Tea Rating Scale:
90-100: Outstanding! Permanent cupboard resident
80-89: Great – a possible staple
70-79: Good, but I wouldn’t buy it
60-69: It’s decent
50-59: Meh… I may or may not have finished the cup
40-49: Ick. Couldn’t finish it.
00-39: Repulsive, I spat it out

I will sometimes refrain from rating a tea if I feel I’m too biased due to my personal dislikes, or if I suspect the sample has been compromised by age or scent contamination.

Cupboard Spreadsheet:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ZEuKf1-ppR-VXajO4vV39zU1N3zjFJteEPAynqD2yl0/edit?usp=sharing