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I’m going to feel like a jerk for making a review on this, since my coworker gifted me a full box of bags for Christmas…I’ll keep this in my work stash, for desperate moments, but it’s not my cup of tea. :P

I swear bagged teas have a flavor that I cannot place. I call it the ‘bagged tea taste.’ I guess the plus to this tea is that it reminded me of a rock oolong, but one with a bagged tea taste. Heh.

Sipdown

This reminds me a lot of an IPA. Not exactly bitter, but dancing on the edge of bitterness. There were floral/wood notes, with a hint of citrus rind. At the very first steep I learned that this one cannot take high temperatures or a long steep time (not right away, at least). It’s a no go. I backed off quickly, which helped a lot. However, after the sixth steep, it started to lose flavor. I suppose the tea to water ratio didn’t guarantee a long session (5g/120 ML).

It was good, but I enjoyed the roasted Dancong much much more; however, I drank that much more quickly.

Album Pairing: The Protomen Act II: The Father of Death

Note on this band/album: My boss knew that I listen to all things music. They knew that I love to read, write, and nerd out from time-to-time. They suggested this group to me, and within a month, I may have listened to it over 10 times. ;P

I’m still drinking this at the moment. I’m about four steeps in, but I wanted to note on it while I’m on the computer.

I’ve 54g left of this tea. I’m happy to know that W2T still has it listed on their site. However, I’m all through with buying more tea for 2020. I got a huge load of it coming through from Black Friday, that I might’ve missed on getting more of this anytime soon. ;)

Anyway, this is an oddly satisfying session. First steep had a corn (popcorn?) note right off the bat. I brewed the second steep a little longer, and there had been a slight smoky note on the tongue, but it only lasted briefly, and faded back into the corn note. I also noted ‘bran flakes, but not long lasting.’ I’m a bit baffled by the tea, but it’s definitely not as sweet as the tea which I noted on a few moments ago. Rather than experiencing the sweetness from the last tea, I’ve moved on to the savory session.

I didn’t take as many notes on the session as I wanted, but I noted that it had ‘soft, creamy, sweet, honey’ notes. This is one of those young puerh teas that are just too complex to describe in full detail. It is one of those teas that bring you to silence, allowing the time to pass without words. It’s similar to an unwritten love poem, moving you to the point of stillness, which can be called a quiet love, I suppose.

Farmerleaf has a few teas that fill me with such stillness and calm, that I cannot simply spend the time reading, writing, talking, or gaming; rather, I sit in silence, musing only over the tea.

With that said, the tea lasts a short while—not as long as some teas that I typically drink—but it can take a hard hit with boiling water/steep time, without growing bitter, sour, or astringent. It’s light and pleasant, through and through.

I only wish that I was capable of making a better note on this tea. It’s a good one, that’s for sure.

This 2012 Impression is a favorite in my household (well, by me, at least). What I like about it the most is that, although it is seven years old, this tea still knows how to bite.

Right off the bat, I gave it a 5 second rinse, and the flavor wasn’t strong, but it was there. Apricots with a hint of lilac. After the first initial rinse, the remainder of the time results in a mix of a lot of notes, which some are briefly marked in my notebook.

Second Steep, 30 seconds: I had noted that it was too long for the leaf. Bitter, astringent, and sour note at the back of the mouth/throat.
Third Steep, 15 seconds: Leather, still astringent, with a lingering apricot in the back of the mouth/throat.
Fourth steep, 20 seconds: Leathery, floral, and slightly astringent, with a lingering sweetness. Progressed while sipping. Initial intake of the liquid-leathery, with the following astringency. Mid-sip (passing the tongue) floral notes, still astringent. Lingering sweetness.

That’s all I got in before jumping into other things. The point of the notes above is to illustrate why I thoroughly enjoy this session. It is complex and develops in such a way that I’ve not had with many teas. As the session progresses onward, the tea did eventually soften up, all of those leathery/floral notes eventually going away; although, the sweetness doesn’t remain, exactly, it’s not bitter. I like that the leaf brews like a semi-young puerh, but there is definitely a note of some age happening in the leaf. This is one of those teas that get pulled out from time to time, just to check on the progress of the aging. I’ve only tried this Impression cake, but I’ve also heard good things about the 2018 blend, too. Perhaps I’ll snag one down the road. It’s hard to tell. ;)

I got one of these for an anniversary gift this past June, but decided to get another for my 29th birthday.

It is pleasant, if you like dank puerh. Definitely was wet storage tea. However, now that it’s in my care, I’m working on getting the dankness down by storing it into my ‘dry storage’ cabinet. I enjoy the dank, sweet, mellow earthy notes throughout. Nice longevity; up to 20+ infusions.

A few days before Teavana closed their doors, I was given a generous portion of the Samurai Chai Mate. I used to drink this on the daily when I was employed there, so someone gave me a full 2 LB bag of it, since it was bound to be thrown away soon after they closed their store…

I still drink this on the daily (or almost on the daily) at work. I’m nearing the bottom of the tin, but I must admit, there’s yet to be any funk coming from this tea. It’s sweet and light enough on the spice, that it’s not overwhelming. I’ve always enjoyed this blend because of the lack of intensity with the spices. It is enough to make you realize that it’s a chai blend, but it remains moderately laid back enough to make you drink 2-3 16 oz cups within an 8 period (my coworkers always compliment the smell wafting from my desk, too).

I’ll probably give this a final review here, soon…

I think this is a fairly new blend of tea that OTC carries. I also think that they might only offer it in house because it wasn’t on their site. I figured I’d give it a go since I actually awoke before my alarm this morning.

I don’t get a lot of those typical Earl Grey notes, such as bergamot; rather, it’s full of spices that you’d typically find in chai or a non-Earl Grey holiday blend. It’s full of ginger root, so that is all I can mostly taste. The base (Assam) is really prominent, too. I like it, but I don’t love it.

Sipdown

It’s a sad day now that I’ve drank the last of this tea. I’ve held on to the last 20 grams for ages. I caved about a month ago and drank 10g of the remaining leaf, but now, the tea is finally gone.

It was pleasant one to be had. I remember this was the sheng puerh that sang that sweet tune to my palate. It is soft, lightly floral, & pear notes throughout the session. I ended with the last steep sitting for 20 minutes in full boiling water. It was still soft, never bitter. I think at one point, toward the beginning, it couldn’t handle such abuse; now, it took all of the punishment, only to award the drinker.

I’m sad to see this one go, but was happy to have had the chance to see it develop within the past three years.

Sipdown

I started the day and ended the day with this tea. Even before/after the tea room experience, I continued drinking this one. I must say that it is fairly different than the 2017. It has more darker, richer notes. Malty syrup (?) & cocoa bits. It reminded me of a waffle if it were drizzled with molasses rather than syrup, with a touch of woody/slightly spiced notes as the session progressed forward.

The tea starts out thick and sweet, but by the time I was finishing it up, it was smooth woody notes. Odd for sure, but not bad.