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Tea of noon…..

I have not had this one by itself for quite some time. I generally blend it in with my Franken-Breakfast Blend. It has such a prominent chocolate note with just a touch of maltiness and smoke. It is not quite to the level of a Keemun in smokiness, but it is close. It is not quite as complex as the more expensive Tan Yangs, but it is well worth the price at under $5 for 125 grams.

Usual mug method.

Second tea of the morning…..

This one comes from a swap with Dinosara. She went on a small tea adventure while she was in China, and this was one she brought back. I am so appreciative that she gave up some of her precious suitcase space to bring a few things back to share with me. I am pretty certain I may never make it there in my lifetime, so it is always fun to read about her travels and experiences. I love that she tries to include the hunt for tea in her free time when she is travelling, because her work takes her to such interesting places.

This is very, very good. I do think it is a little higher quality than Tan Yang Te Ji from TeaSpring. The leaves are longer and predominantly golden, where TYTJ has only a few golden tips. The brew is very similar, but it reads a little less cocoa and more caramely and honeyed which generally translates to sweeter. I am sure that is pretty normal for a comparison between teas with golden tips and those with fewer. I would definitely not call them interchangeable. Both are very enjoyable, and I will cherish the remainder of this one, as I am not sure I can get more! (I still like the other one just a little better, but that could be my subconscious picking that one because I can get more…..)

Usual mug method.

First tea of the morning…..

Happy Mother’s Day to all of the mothers, aunts, mothers to be, and the good people who stand in for mothers who cannot be there for a multitude of reasons. I lost my mother almost 14 years ago, and I am so thankful for my friends as well as my MIL who have helped to fill her role a little. Me, as a mother myself, I know there are things I could do and could have done better. But, I would not trade this gift for the world.

I am doing a “Parade of Panyangs” of sorts in celebration today. I started with this one, and I have another sent from the lovely Dinosara that she brought back from her trip to China. Then I will probably throw in my bargain basement Panyang from Upton that I also love. I might even brew up a cup of Keemun Mao Feng. It is an odd Mother’s Day for us, because we are scrambling to get some work done on the outside of the house involving door frame replacement and painting before we have contractors back on Monday or Tuesday. And the kids are pretty swamped with homework, since there are about 10 days left of school.

This one is chocolatey, has a bit of heft to the mouthfeel, a bit of malt, and very smooth, plus there may be a little fruitiness…plums, maybe? It is very rich, and it seems that the big difference between this and my beloved Kemmun Mao Feng is that KMF has just a hint of smoke (which I will be double checking this later). I was looking at the leaves on this one compared to my Keemun Mao Feng, and they are really very similar, except that the Keemun Mao Feng’s leaves are longer and a bit wider dry. I was also comparing it to the Tan Yang Dinosara brought from China, and her version is much more golden tipped as well as longer than TYTJ. It is a definite love for me in the tea world.

Usual mug method.

Tea of the afternoon……

Yes. I admit I am weak. While I have a perfectly lovely jasmine flavored black tea in my cupboard, I apparently could not live without this one. I finally gave in and ordered enough tea from thepuriTea to get free shipping. The Jasmine Silver Needle, which is also quite notable, put me over the edge, as well as over the free shipping threshold. The funny thing is, that I almost gave that Jasmine Silver Needle sample to my local tea drinking friend, Bonnie. Now, I can just give her a taste from my stash. Shipping from CA to OH was lightening fast. And Nav included several samples, including the Lychee Green that I almost put in the cart anyway. This way, at least I will be sure….for next time. Because I am certain there will be a next time!

Ahhhhh. Notes of chocolate and jasmine. This one does differ from my other jasmine black in that I do think there is some silver needle in here, too. It makes for the most wonderful mouth feel. I am not at all sorry that I gave in……and my cupboard feels rather complete at this time! (Did you take a look at my current shopping list? Only one to possibly buy, and the other two are placeholders for a few fun custom blends with teas that I have in my cupboard)…. Now, I should just stop reading everyone’s tempting notes, but I am also too weak for that. I love it here!

Usual teapot method.

Tea of the morning……

And this is actually the second steep! Since I had my other Dragon Pearl black tea yesterday, I decided to see how this one compares this morning. Really, they are nearly interchangeable. It is just a guess, but I have a feeling that most of the black variety of dragon pearl tea comes from a similar source. I could be completely wrong, though, as I actually know so little about the tea production and primary distribution business. I barely know all I need to know in the tea drinking business. ;) I know just enough about drinking it to thoroughly enjoy myself, really.

As usual for this type of tea….notes of chocolate and malt, and very smooth. The leaves are huge once they unfurl in my steeping basket. The second steep is as good as the first, and I expect to get one more good one before I decide to move onto another tea. I have not really tried a fourth, but one day I will. Great quality tea, and the price for 100grams is very good. I can immediately think of 4 sources for this type of tea and this one is the most reasonable for that amount. Prices get a little more competitive around the 1 pound mark.

Usual mug method…6 pearls.

Tea of the afternoon…..

Black Dragon Pearl Tea….one of my black tea loves. I love watching the tea unfurl. The pearls are a little bigger than a chickpea/garbanzo bean. This one is very good with notes of chocolate, slight malt, super smooth and rich. I used 12 balls in my 24 oz teapot. It was perfection. This one is a little more than I like to spend for 4 oz, but if you are buying a pound, it is pretty reasonable. It is just that I am not sure I want to have that much of it on hand.

Resteeps well.

Teapot method with 12 Red Dragon Pearls.

Tea of the late morning……

I have yellow tea! I do think this tastes somewhere between white and green. I am actually not really sure where this is supposed to fall, but It tastes like a mix of Long Jing and Silver Needle White. Kind of like green tea without astringency. I get vegetal notes, and notes of hay, and maybe a note of honeysuckle sweetness. No additions.

I might be brewing this one wrong. I just checked and Harney recommends boiling water for 4 minutes. I did about 175 water for 2. I guess I will try hotter and longer for the second steep.

Very cool! I have yellow tea!

Tea of the late afternoon…….

I could not resist the thought of Decaf Paris, so here it is in my cupboard. I am getting so much more sensitive to caffeine late in the day, and in my opinion, Harney does the best decaf black teas around.

The tea base is good, and I would say the flavor is just slightly more subdued than regular Paris. Totally a winner for me, because I can have my black tea late at night and sleep, too.

Usual mug method, 200 water for 3 minutes. Lightly sweetened.

Tea of the afternoon… (SRP #30)

Hmmm. The needles on this one are definitely longer than my previous cup. It also is incredibly fresh and you can see the difference in the steeped leaves compared to my last cup. The brew is so pale, it does not look all that much different from water. I had to double check the water temp, because I have not really seen a white tea brew up this pale. I used the same setting on my electric kettle as the last and steeped for 2 minutes. It could also be that I should have twice as much tea than the 5 gram packet I added to my 24 oz teapot (I am really thinking this is where my problem lies). This is quite different from my previous cup. But, this would be the prime choice for the person who likes subtlety in their floral teas. For me, I pretty much prefer a sweet form of jasmine in overdrive as long as it doesn’t go to perfumy. I do get the high quality white tea flavor profile. Also, the price of this one brings it in line more with an every day tea

I am off to try a resteep of the first half along with the rest of my sample for three minutes to see if it helps. Stay tuned.

Edit to add: Yes, much better on the resteep. Light jasmine, high quality white tea. Liquor is still on the pale side, but what I woud expect from a white tea.
In summary: Lovely tea. Unbeatable price. All form a company with great service and attention to detail in presenting themselves in a way appreciated by tea drinkers.

Tea of the afternoon…… (SRP #29)

Yes, more jasmine tea. I even had a pot of the jasmine flavored black from Dragon Tea House this morning….. After this cup, I am trying TeaVivre’s Jasmine Silver Needle for comparison. I have definitely come to the conclusion that jasmine and Earl Grey teas are warmer weather choices for me. I am even kicking around the possible purchase of thepuriTea’s Jasmine Golden Yunnan….maybe for my birthday? (This is not a bad idea as it gives me a few months to sort out what I really want.) I seem to like jasmine blacks the best, followed by white, then green. I really need to drink up some of my Jasmine Dragon Pearls, too.

As for this tea. I did not want to like it (as I am trying to simplify and minimize the number of places I feel the need to shop for tea), but it is truly delightful. I like how thepuriTea’s jasmine flavors are sweet floral rather than perfumy foral. The base tea is light and kind of reminds me of hay, and then the touch of jasmine makes it sweet and wonderful. It also has a feel of substance when in the mouth. I am drinking this one without additions, and it is so good. I still can’t quite escape adding sweet to my black teas, but this is stellar without additions. I am a little shocked at the price for 4 oz ($29), but I imagine 4 oz of this tea is quite a volume as it is pretty fluffy. I am seriously considering this, even though I am trying to drastically curtail tea acquisitions at this point.

Mug method about 170 water for 2 minutes. No additions.