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This raw/ripe blend definitely presents its ripe character over the raw, which was very subtle. Absent any astringency or bitterness, this yielded a very smooth & creamy infusion, with undertones of petrichor and fresh autumn leaf litter. No fishiness or dank wet basement notes. Inexpensive and quaffable, this would be a nice base for further blending with fruits, berries & nuts. Or just sip with your morning granola. Lots of caffeine hit me within 15 min of finishing my first cup, so beware (or take pleasure). Although from an “iron cake”, it was easy to flake off large leafsets. I used 5 g leaf in 8 oz boiling alpine spring water and discarded the first 10s wash, then steeped 30s, followed by 60s re-steeps. In my opinion, solid & inoffensive, but unimpressive since I got no special flavors out of it — not even of the tea varietal itself. I’ll rate this blend at 40, since my benchmark for 50 is Lipton teabags which at least offer some character of their base tea. I recommend you spend your money on something else.

What a superb tea! My bag of The Roaster’s Red is of the June 2024 harvest. And I brewed it western style, using much less leaf than directed. I look forward to a gongfu session to explore the progression of flavors, but there was plenty to unpack even here. The first impression was to notice the (not smokey) roasted character that comes from charcoal roasting. It was interesting and, since I dislike smokiness in tea, a relief. The roastiness soon gave way to very strong and smooth almost oolong floral flavors, with an extended finish lasting several minutes. As I read the description by Song, I did, indeed, sense the notes of blackcurrent, which then gave way to a long sensation of peach. This all from the first mouthful! The aroma in the cooling cup had potent notes of brown sugar, which matched the smooth, sweet sensations in my mouth. As the infusion continued to cool, the roastiness intensified and the fruity finish seemed to linger longer on the palate, suggesting that this might also make a terrific iced tea. I found that my first infusion of only about 1g leaf in 8 oz boiling spring water for 2 minutes was fruitier and smoother than my second session of 2.5g dry leaf, steeped longer. The longer, stronger session intensified all the flavors and aromas, becoming almost too roasty. I haven’t yet had the courage to brew it exactly as directed, which would be 5 g leaf in 5 oz water. The tea isn’t cheap, but its potency makes it a luxurious value. I’ll rate this as a 95 and highly recommend it!

My recent acquisitions from Tealyra included Surajamukhi Assam Orange Pekoe. I find it rather pleasant to sip, even if it doesn’t knock my hat off. 1.5g in 8 oz boiling spring water for 2 min produced a deep amber infusion with the expected Assam flavor profile. Notes of malt and raisin, with a caramel nose, enough astringency to tickle the tongue, decent aroma, pleasing aftertaste and a little stewiness as the cuppa cooled. Reasonably priced and better than grocery store CTC Assams. I’ll rate it as 75 and recommend it, with the caveat that there are richer and smoother Assamic options out there.

Okay, it’s been a long time coming, since I bought this sheng in the summer of 2017, and kept it in a dark, vented jelly jar for the past 7+ years, sipping along now and then, waiting for it to improve before putting words on paper. Alas, it has not gotten much better than the bitter, woody, leaf-litter flavor it has had all along. I’ve tried gong-fu as well as western style as directed by the label, all to no avail. It’s pretty dang WEAK, too. No idea when this tea was produced, other than before 2017. It was never pressed into a cake, and I know of no special treatment or storage. Just that it is from China. I get nothing but disappointment from it, and now it’s headed to my garden compost heap since it’s not worth the cost of the spring water I steep with. I rate it a 40, and wouldn’t recommend it — it’s no longer listed for sale by Tealyra, either, though “topproteastore” out of Miami still lists it (along with a bunch of other stuff identical to Tealyra’s offerings, right down to the photos and verbatim descriptions.)

A lovely tisane from Tealyra. I sipped the brew straight and hot and unsweetened, and got no hint of the titular cream. Chamomile was also absent in aroma, flavor, and appearance. Zooming-in on the scoop-ful in the saucer photo I’ve uploaded, I see no evidence of the reputed chamomile. I don’t know the flavor of nettle, “blue mellow flowers” or corn flowers, so I can’t say that I noticed them, either. I do think I got a good hit of rose hip, along with hibiscus, as their bitterness was present & pleasant, contrasting with the sweetness of peach, apple, and orange peel. I suppose if one really wanted a creaminess, one could always add milk or cream. The peach appears mainly as an aroma, but I liked the way the other flavors enveloped my entire mouth, stimulating much salivation! In the last 1/3 cup, I dumped in a yellow packet of sweetener, and the brew opened up wonderfully into a thick, syrupy swill that I could drink all evening! It felt like I was drinking the heavy syrup from tinned fruit salad. Very nicely balanced to my senses, so I’ll rate it strongly at 88. With the rose hip, this is bound to have a good dose of vitamin C.

This night has been a dark, cold, damp one and I find myself unable to slumber here in the wee hours, so I looked for a soothing tisane. I’ve had this one sealed up in my tea cabinet for a few years (time flies!) so I pulled it out and got to brewing. And I find that mastressalita added a note on it much more recently. Well, she did a fabulous job of reporting, so there is little more for me to add. I used 1-1/2 heaping tsp of material in a steel infusion basket with 8 oz boiling spring water, and let it steep for 5 min, as recommended by Tealyra. I also found the hibiscus very subtle, and to give a nice gentle tartness to an otherwise sweet-tasting cuppa. Though it really wasn’t very sweet, only giving the impression of sweetness! I did not discern any piney aroma or flavor, mainly just berries – berries – berries! Yes, there were notes of blackcurrents, but there was no such ingredient: it must be the reputed flavor of the buchu leaf. I really did enjoy the tea while hot, and I found as it cooled that the berry notes in aroma and flavor intensified, as did the sensation of sweetness. I loved how the sweet aftertaste wrapped itself around my tongue for many lingering minutes. I am resisting the urge to spike some sugar into the brew, because it seems like cheating — and unnecessary! I’ll rate this as an 85 for the pleasure I got out of the cup. Gonna brew a second cup right now…….
EDIT: Second cup was also good, but I wonder if the ingredients were truly caffeine/stimulent-free, because sleep did not finally arrive ’til 5 AM.

I do believe this, now 19 yr old, sheng has substantially improved over the last 4 years that I’ve had it in my cupboard (at 65% RH), and now I find the aroma pleasing, the brewed liquor to be smooth, sweet, & round in the mouth, and the flavor to be discernibly tea-like with a note of celery, and something I would drink with regularity. No astringency, bitterness, fishiness, or sourness. Which is all good, since I somehow ended up with two full 357g cakes of it! My records show I paid $45 for the first (drinking now), $70 for the second (a month later), and now (Feb 2025) still for sale by YS at $85, assuming one can get it into the USA at all. This time I used 5g dry leaf and 8oz boiling alpine spring water for 15s, 15s, 30s, and 90s (after a 10s rinse). All using a steel infusion basket in a porcelain teacup. The resulting amber liquor was crystal clear and as fragrant as the dry leaf. I’m sure another infusion or three would tasty, too. Rating this as 80.