417 Tasting Notes
Casey really likes this tea, and brewed this first thing this morning. To him, it reminds him of pipe tobacco. I can’t really speak much to this. I can’t remember the last time I’ve smelled pipe tobacco.
I’m not a huge fan of this tea. It definitely tastes like it’s been artificially flavored, and I’m more of a “pure tea” fan. It’s pretty good for a flavored tea, though. It has cocoa notes and maybe a hint of caramel. I’ll keep this in stock for Casey, though.
Preparation
Ack. I won’t rate this one as I’m not sure how much of the way this tea is is due to the fact that it’s a bit too old and I had opened it and then saved it for months unrefrigerated. Others have mentioned how beautiful this tea is, but my sample is full of lots of small leaf pieces. I honestly don’t think I could have accidentally pulverized it that much. I am very careful with my Verdant samples. However, my cat Xavier did sit in this box briefly.
I have always been disappointed with Dragonwell teas. I don’t think I have had a single good one! I see in videos these beautiful green leaves swirling and unfurling in a pale broth, and then slowly and delicately resting at the bottom of the glass.
The Dragonwells I have made always looked over-oxidized and full broken leaves that turn the water a mostly yellow color. This one did just that and brewed a bitter cup. Oh well.
Preparation
Dragonwells are unforgiving I agree. It matters most to me that my water is filtered or else I can taste the bitterness. Also, I never pour the water directly on the leaves but down the side of the glass or gaiwan. (I use a glass not a gaiwan and never cover the top because this is what is done where the tea comes from). Sip and blow leaves, keep adding water.
Thanks for your advice, Bonnie. Unfortunately, I did all of these things. The water was filtered, it was of the correct temperature, I brewed it in an uncovered glass, and I did not pour it directly on the leaves. I was tempted to try Verdant’s first picking Dragonwell, until I read the reviews and someone said that it was easy to overbrew. I’ve heard from other sources that unless you are using water that is way too hot, it Dragonwell should never get bitter. Maybe I’m misinformed. Do you (or anyone else) have a good recommendation for another Dragonwell to try?
Whenever I have a difficult green tea, I steep 1tsp in 8oz of 160ºF water for 60 seconds. That’s my go-to for gyokuro and a few other Japanese teas as well as difficult Chinese teas or greens that don’t have any background info.
Maybe you’re a super tastebud person like me. I have to underleaf lots of tea’s. Forgot to say that. I start with a very small brewing to test it out. Small amount of leaves to 4 oz. After I determine my ratio, I can proceed. With black tea I have less trouble. Some green tea’s I can’t taste at all so I am picky about greens. You did all the right things though. Some people wing it, I should have known you wouldn’t!!! I don’t keep my Dragonwell around too long though either.
Thank you both for the suggestions! I have a few green teas that I need to drink up soon, and I think these ideas are going to help me brew them better. :-)
The Bay Area is a pretty good environment for tea. I can’t keep puerh too long here because it’s really dry. Oolongs do very well on dry climates and my black tea’s…I drink um up fast. Love my black tea like some people love their micobrew beer!
I’m actually in Napa, so it’s pretty usually pretty dry here too. Except for in the winter when it’s rainy. I’m about to get a mini fridge for my green teas because my regular fridge just doesn’t have the space (I’m also somewhat concerned somewhat about smell contamination). My puerhs are in a small cabinet that isn’t quite air-tight. I try to keep a few dishes of water in there to add some humidity to the environment. I mostly try to drink my teas pretty fast, though. I’m not very confident in my ability to properly store teas for aging.
Storing puerh for aging is actually really easy :) Keep in a condition with humidity under 85% (very easy) and temp between 68-80ºF (room temp), away from sunlight and strong smells, and NOT airtight. Air circulation is what ages tea – if you seal puerh off from air circulation for too long it will stop aging and won’t ever age again. Also note that most ripe puerh will smooth out and be boring after about 10 years. I had a 97’ a few days ago and it was incredibly boring and 1-note. Raw puerh is ideal between 40-60 years from what I’ve heard.
Also, note that refrigerating your tea will actually make it last SHORTER due to the humidity. http://cazort.blogspot.com/2011/07/why-loose-leaf-tea-is-not-refridgerated.html
Interesting perspective. I’ve read so many times to refrigerate my matcha and gyokuro to ensure freshness, and had assumed that most green teas would last longer if I did that. I will probably continue to refrigerate any sealed green teas I have, because humidity getting in there is not a concern.
The cabinet where I store my puerh is not airtight, but you are right in that it probably could use more airflow. It’s just so dry here that I was about it getting too dried out, but it probably shouldn’t be a big concern.
Just make sure to let your sealed teas completely cool off before opening them after removing them from the fridge. If the leaves are still cold when you open the package, moisture in the air will instantly get pulled into the bag and ruin your entire bag of tea.
I will. Thanks! I’d never really considered the condensation factor before. That was really good information…
No worries :) A long while back I destroyed a batch of green tea by putting it in the fridge, so I figured I’d try to pass it on :)
Wow. The tasting notes were definitely right about the hazelnut in this. I was skeptical about this, but it was the very first thing I smelled. I don’t know if I smell or taste spinach at all, but it definitely has some green vegetal flavors, but they’re buttery and not sour. I overbrewed the second steeping because I am working on my gaiwan technique. My hands are very small (I’m 5’0") and apparently I have been holding the gaiwan incorrectly because of this. :-/ Anyhow, it is a very nice tea.
Preparation
I get burned when I try to hold the edges. I prefer picking it up with two fingers under the saucer and my thumb on the lid. I don’t care if it is not correct. It is comfortable. How large of a gaiwan are you using? I have the 90ml (3oz) one from Teavivre.
That’s pretty clever. Thanks for the idea. I may just try to find a smaller gaiwan. My gaiwans are all in the 3-4 oz. range, I believe…
The first cup I steeped I seriously over-leafed. I had just eaten a big brunch of tofu scramble, avocado, and potatoes and I’d covered everything with nutritional yeast and hot sauce, so I’d thought I’d need a very strong cup of tea to wash it down with.
The first very strong cup I made was intensely fruity, I’d say the flavor was something like a prune or dried apricot. It was also a little bit bitter, but this was the fault of how I brewed it. The second cup was made with fewer leaves, and hence was smoother and I could pick up some earthiness, maybe a bit of whiskey sour (but these notes were very faint compared to the fruitiness). The disappointing thing about this tea is that it doesn’t have a very strong aroma or finish. I was expecting to dump this tea into my big red canister (where the chai masala making tea goes), but I think instead I will try to find a similar tea to add into my regular rotation.
Preparation
This is pretty nice. I’m trying to get used to teas that are more green and vegetal. I am also getting through a lot of teas I should have brewed sooner. I hope they bring this one back again, although I probably still wouldn’t order too much. There’s spinach in steepings 3 & 4.
Preparation
I thought I was making another milk oolong when I brewed this up. Oops! I’m going to refrain from rating this one as it was not acquired directly from Teavivre and then stored in less than idea conditions for a year or so (which I also know is getting old for such a green oolong). So, yeah, I’m going to brew the end of this one tonight and maybe add a touch of honey and have it with dinner. Should be rather good that way, but it’s not one to savor.
Tried this one on my lunch break. It was very good. It had just enough fruity sweetness and creaminess. It had only the smallest hint of fresh florals, which I like, but not something I want to be prominent in a milk oolong (as far as the one’s I’ve tasted go). It was also very faint vegetal notes. This is pretty close to the perfect balance of flavors for me.
Preparation
This was another catalog sample. This is very weak in flavor for my taste when prepared per the website’s instructions. Not a bad flavor besides that. Maybe I should have prepared it in the “traditional” way they describe. Oh well.
Preparation
This was a sample that came with the Republic of Tea catalog.
This one is driving me crazy because the smell of it when it is first brewed is a smell that I recognize, but I can’t quite place. It’s a smell you’d find in a candy shop, I believe, and might be a flavor of salt water taffy, but I’m not at all confident in that. The caramel apple flavor is only really apparent to me in the aftertaste (something like one of those caramel apple lollipops). The apple lacks any tartness, and I like tart apples. There is also a dry woody flavor in the aftertaste, but it’s not strong. Overall, this is a pleasant tea, but flavored teas, and especially rooibos aren’t really my thing so I won’t rate this. Fun to sample, though!
