Jasmine Dragon Ball Black Tea from Teavivre
I enjoyed this tea last week but am just getting to this note now. This black tea dragon ball is quite pretty with it's large leaves interspersed with numerous jasmine flowers. I wanted to try the base...
View ArticleOrganic Lapsang Souchong Smoky Black Tea from Teavivre
Unsmoked or mildly smoky Lapsang Souchong counts among my favourite teas but I can still love a smoky Lapsang when it is done well. There needs to be a nice balance between the flavours from the smoke...
View ArticleRandom Steepings from Various Artists
I decided to have some fun doing side by side tasting of Lopchu Golden Orange Pekoe and Lopchu Flowery orange Pekoe. I used 125ml of boiling water over 3/4 tsp of leaf brewed for 2 minutes and decanted...
View ArticleTian Jian from Spring Tea House
The first few steeps of this reminds me of a good smoked lapsang with the smoke present but not overpowering mixed with tart fruit and caramelized sugar. Later steeps become thicker, with the...
View ArticleBalade en Bretagne from Compagnie Coloniale
I am having this Tea grandpa style and I must admit that today's cup is my most successful cup in terms of being true to it's flavouring. I am not sure if this improvement is because the tea is over a...
View ArticleLengrai Estate Assam FTGFOP - 2015 from Capital Tea Ltd.
This is a Tea, that at least to my personal taste, benefits from a light touch with the leafing. Use to much and the malt overpowers any of the delicate nuances found underneath it. It can be quite a...
View ArticleRandom Steepings from Various Artists
Cinnamint 1.5- 2 inches cinnamon and 1.5 tbsp of full Leaf peppermint in 150 ml of water steep 7-10 min. I'm sick again. I made this along with chrysanthemum Shou, lemongrass, ginger, the third day of...
View ArticleBaguashan Four Seasons Black Tea, Lot 216 from Taiwan Tea Crafts
This Tea has rested a while before I drank it and it has become quite interesting with notes of loganberry, honey, and cloves over strong floral notes mixed with cream and faint pastry and Roasted leaf...
View ArticleRandom Steepings from Various Artists
This evening I'm experimenting with using teacups as a mini Gaiwan with one of my Dancong that I have taken through 22 steeps before. I used 3g/65ml and so far it's been a success. Steeped this way It...
View ArticleRandom Steepings from Various Artists
Random notes about teas I've had so far today. 1.jinmaohou-yixiang tea company. While I still prefer the yinhao from this company, I find that this tea makes a nice lighter bodied golden monkey if I...
View ArticleFujian Zhenghe Gongfu from Titan Chinese Commodity Express
This is the very first tea I picked up from this supplier and it is still my favourite! This is quite different than Tao Tea leafs version for those who are familiar with it. While Tao's has...
View Article2013 Premium Spring Hilson Panyong Congou from Fujian Fuan Farmers Shen...
This tea is still really delicious two years after it's harvest date. I t has a great mix of cocoa, roasted notes, fruit, honey and Keemun like floral notes. I hope this tea is available through...
View ArticleMonsoon Blend - Thai Oolong Blend from Siam Tee Shop
This is a really lovely tea for a bright sunny day promising spring. This is a blend of Thai jin Xuan, watermelon, peach, ginger, and rose petals. The dry leaf smells very fruity and actually reminds...
View ArticleRandom Steepings from Various Artists
I drank a Xue Pian ( snowflake) Dancong from a heli tea sampler last night. The first time I had it I was not that impressed it really tasted mainly of mineral notes and not much else. The second time...
View ArticleOrganic Spring Buds from Capital Tea Ltd.
I've had this tea as both a cold hot brew and have come to the conclusion that it's more savoury than my preferred greens. The dry tea smells of mint, fruit and smoke. It is a blue spruce tinged green...
View ArticleBlack Pekoe Tea from Gorreana
I like this tea but I find that it is easy to overleaf and the tea moves quickly from bright and fruity with breast notes to bitter so I decided to experiment with flash steeping with this tea. I used...
View ArticleAged Pu-erh Tea from King's Zen Tea
This tea while not overly complex is a pleasant, easy to drink loose ripe puerh blend. The dry leaf smells slightly spicy and fresh and looks pretty much like the photo. I used 3g in 100ml of water....
View ArticleCelestial Aroma from King's Zen Tea
Just a note to myself, that this ages well. The fruit is really distinct right now. Like canned peaches with light floral notes and honey. I might get more of this when I pick up more of my still...
View ArticleWild Black Tea from Titan Chinese Commodity Express
Now that this tea has mellowed from the fall the roasted notes have combined fortuitously with the other flavours in the tea to create a flavour note that reminds me at first taste if carob. I could...
View ArticleMagnolia Oolong from Tea Ave
I just lost this note when my tablet froze and reset itself grrr. This is a lovely tea! In celebration of their upcoming launch on March 1st, I decided to spend time with the samples that Tea Ave scent...
View ArticleTanyang Gongfu from Nannuoshan
This tea has the dark thin flatter leaves of the traditional gongfu tea with occasional bits of gold. The dry leaf smells grainy and malty with cocoa underneath. I followed Nannuoshan's recommended...
View ArticleRandom Steepings from Various Artists
Mystery Shou Tuocha aka as Chinese Apothecary Tuocha Herb Depot Toronto https://instagram.com/p/yQ49IxmK0t/ Sadly, this is my first and only tea for the day. However, this tea is easily drinkable, very...
View ArticleQi Lan from Nannuoshan
This turned out to be my favourite Yancha of this sample package provided by Gabriele and *Nannuoshan*. It had Avery nice nix of fruit, spice, floral and wheatgrass notes and made me think of spring....
View ArticleZheng Shan Xiao Zhong from Nannuoshan
This tea was sourced from the originating village for this type of tea and is the traditional large leaf variety. This tea was pine wood smoked which is a practice becoming more and more regulated in...
View ArticleFo Shou from Nannuoshan
This was an interesting and subtle Yancha. Later steeps reminded me of a perfume I have with mineral tones, hints of bergamot with its citrus, spicy floral tones, spice and hints of aromatic wood. I...
View ArticleYixing Hong Cha from Nannuoshan
This tea tastes very much like a brighter lighter cousin of a Xiang luo Keemun I have. It has bright winey fruit tones on top, which come off as plum and blackcurrant in early steeps, mixed with the...
View ArticleRougui from Nannuoshan
I once had a seller tell me that this was a man's tea in China, just like Lapsang Souchong ( generally the low t no smoke iteration) is a woman's tea. I'm not sure why specifically, maybe it has to do...
View ArticlePear Mountain Oolong from Golden Coast Tea Club
I had no intention of buying a Taiwanese oolong when I went to this teashop on Monday but the owner and I started discussing teas we enjoy and she wanted to show me this one. Once I smelled it I was...
View ArticleTaiwan Jin Xuan Milk Oolong Tea from Teavivre
This tea is a nice resilient tea with a lively cream, and sweet vegetable flavour that became sweeter and spicier towards the middle grouping of the 11 steeps I gave it ( 45s, 25s, 30s, 40s, 45s, 50s,...
View ArticleNonpareil Anxi Qing Xiang TieGuanYin Oolong Tea from Teavivre
The first time I tried this tea its beautiful, soft floral flavour and the beautiful colour of the tea stayed with me. It was not as biting a floral as I usually prefer in green Oolong's but it had...
View ArticleOrganic Namsang Village GFOP from Sassy Teas
This is an Assam that reminds me of a Darjeeling it smells of muscatel, honey, peaches, and pastry and brews to a copper gold red. Top notes are peaches and muscatel with honey opening up to malt and...
View ArticleJin Jun Mei from The Finest Brew
This tea makes me happy. It reminds me very much of one of my favourite JJM's that I bought from a now closed aliexpress store. While that tea was a little sweeter and more resilient this tea shares...
View ArticleHalmari Estate Assam TGFOP1 from Capital Tea Ltd.
This Assam casts off scents of baked goods, citrus a hint of sweet potato, cocoa and spice. It brews to a deep red orange. The first sip is full of spice over the deeper tones of malt, mixed with...
View ArticleShakira Estate 2nd Flush Nepal Tea SFTGFOP1 (S) (CL) from Capital Tea Ltd.
I just had to cups of this pleasant tea. I have decided that it would make a nice travelling tea as it did not get bitter when I over steeped it a little and it has very little astringency. The leaf is...
View ArticleOrganic Black Tea ( Keemun) from T&T
This is a nice example of a classical Keemun. It brews to a nice red colour and has the classical fruity red wine notes blended with a really nice floral spice mix with honey and grain notes to tie...
View ArticleJin Jun Mei from Titan Chinese Commodity Express
This tea is one of the maltier versions of a jinjunmei I have had. The first time I had it I used my standard method for jinjunmei's ( boiling water 5-10s steeps) and the tea overpowered me with the...
View ArticleMeleng Estate Assam FTGFOP1 from Capital Tea Ltd.
Jay Shree Tea and Industries Ltd which owns the Meleng Tea Estate describes this as a strong and sparkling tea. Having tried this steeped a couple of ways I can agree with this. I can get a delicious...
View ArticleRandom Steepings from Various Artists
Last night I made a variation of this recipe for Turkish Apple Tea after dinner. It made a nice caffeine free option for every one and brought back memories of my brief time in Turkey for me :-)...
View ArticleNew Vithanakande Estate Ceylon BOP1 from Capital Tea Ltd.
This is quite a lovely tea to start my morning with. Its scent and taste are remarkably consistent, it's quite smooth and well balanced and is rich enough to take milk. The leaves are dark and wiry and...
View ArticlePuttabong Estate Organic 2nd Flush Darjeeling SFTGFOP1 - MOONDROPS 2014 from...
This tea was another gift to me from *Capital Tea Ltd*! Now, having just tried it, I wish I had sampled it before placing my most recent order because I really enjoyed it. This tea has long wide and...
View ArticleDoi Mae Salong (DMS) Dong Ding Oolong from Siam Tee Shop
The leaves of this tea are rolled and much darker than this photo suggests. http://instagram.com/p/weuqyXmK63/ My leaves are mostly dark olive green to chocolate brown and smell of fall leaves. This is...
View ArticleDoi Mae Salong Jin Xuan Black Pearls from Siam Tee Shop
This tea is a very smooth, bright, and consistently fruity tea, and reminds me of summer garden parties. The leaf looks like a medium to dark roast rolled oolong with mostly chocolate to slightly...
View ArticleBemolapur Estate STGFOP1 from Capital Tea Ltd.
I bought this as a possible replacement for my beloved borsapori which is no longer being produced in orthodox form. It is a very nice tea, but it is not as sweet, nor does it have that milk chocolate...
View ArticleBailin Congou from Pin Pin Xiang - The Fujian Pinpinxiang Tea Industry Co. Ltd.
I recently received this tea from a new seller on Aliexpress http://www.aliexpress.com/store/1393073 called Leisure Garden. The first time I had this tea it tasted almost like fruit cocktail which...
View ArticlePrince Vladimir from Kusmi Tea
Of the Kusmi teas I've had so far I like this one at St. Petersburg the best. This one make a nice winter tea when you want something chai like but not Chai. This tea has citrus notes of grapefruit,...
View ArticleQueen Catherine from Harney & Sons
This is a lovely smokey, fruity tea where the elements of the blend really shine through. I probably used a little more leaf than my preference but the resulting brew is not bitter. I mostly taste the...
View ArticleBlackcurrant Cassis from Tea Guys
I like cassis, one of my favourite ice cream blends is cassis with coconut. I like the mix of tart and sweet and that unique black currant taste. I am of two minds about this tea. There is something...
View ArticleTaiwan Monkey Picked (Ma Liu Mie) Tie Guan Yin Oolong Tea from Teavivre
I admit that this tea falls in between my usually preferences for floral biting Oolong's, or rich fruity spicy darker roasted Oolong's but it is still quite nice. It is very sweet with notes ranging...
View ArticleYuchi Wild Mountain Black Tea Lot 242 from Taiwan Tea Crafts
While this may not be the most resilient Taiwanese black tea I have had it is certainly delicious. I got 5 delicious steeps (45*2, 50, 70,90s) out of it before the flavour started to fade into citrus...
View ArticleBalade en Flandres from Compagnie Coloniale
Having drunk this I can see why it has become a classic at Compagnie Coloniale. It is pretty successful at coming off as a spiced butter cookie with a hint of nut which has been my experience of...
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