Blue Lantern Tea

Tried this delightful tea for the first time this week. It has mellow vegetal taste with a subtle sweetness. After reading the product description, one can almost imagine tasting peach, plums or apricots.

BREWING DRAGON WELL THE GUNG FU WAY
Although I have a few five to six ounce tea pots in my collection I typically prepare most of my Chinese green teas in my go-to pot, a beautiful Eilong pot with a fine mesh basket and a bold blue glaze and brown yixing clay trim.
I like to weigh my teas for accuracy. I use 4.8 to 5 grams of tea and four ounces of water in every brew. I typically brew most of my green teas, including Dragon Well at 180°.
Steeping times, for the most part, are a matter of preference. I always tell people they need to get to know their teas. My steeping times are approximately 15 seconds the first brew, 45 seconds the second brew and 1 minute 45 seconds the third brew. I’ve had a lot of success brewing a forth steeping at approximately 3 minutes. However, this really depends on the quality of tea and if I don’t over brew any of the first steepings.
BREWING DRAGON WELL THE GENERAL WAY
When I’m not preparing my tea the Gung Fu way I put 7.5 grams of tea in a tea filter and steep in 12 ounces of water for two minutes; at 180° of course. For Dragon Well, I wring the tea bag out pretty thoroughly into my cup.
So, using my Eilong pot or one of my other six-ounce pots, and preparing by way of Gung Fu method I use far less tea leaves but yield the same or more liquor.

A while ago I read a review on here (Steepster) that compared this tea, One Bush Phoenix Bird to Big Red Robe but, ‘better.’ Being a Big Red Robe fan I had to try it and since Blue Lantern Tea has not let me down yet… Again, being a Big Red Robe drinker I was skeptical but I have to say, this is as good as some of the best Big Red Robes I’ve had and in some cases this tea has been better. Being a pricier tea I first ordered a small amount but drank it so fast I had to order more. Over the past month or so it’s been my go to tea.

I was looking for something new but similar to Big Red Robe this was even better.

Although I’ve had great Golden Monkey Tea from other websites Blue Lantern’s is an exceptional tea. Great fragrance and almost cocoay flavor and full bodied taste. Not to mention, Blue Lantern sends me free samples every time I order and they are very personable. Something I appreciate very much; great customer service. Even though I order and try teas from other websites/stores Blue Lantern has become my primary source for good tea.

Blue Lantern sent me a free sample of this with my last order and I was pleasantly surprised. I drink mostly Chinese Black Teas and don’t spend a lot of time shopping around for Green Teas. I’ve always enjoyed a good Dragon Well but can never seem to find one these days. I was very glad I got to try Blue Lantern’s Dragon Well and will be getting more of it on my next order.

Being more of a Chinese Black Tea drinker I’m fairly new to English/India Black Teas. So far Darjeeling has been my English Black Tea of choice. Of the few websites I’ve ordered Darjeeling from two stand out by far. Harney and Sons and Blue Lantern Tea. Puttabong 1st Flush Darjeeling and Blue Lantern Darjeeling taste essentially the same (to me) which is outstanding. I typically buy from Blue Lantern Tea because I like their Chinese teas and they are very personable.

Dragon Well has always been one of my favorite teas. It’s certainly one that I drink the most of. It’s increasingly difficult to find a good Dragon Well and I’m glad I stumbled across Blue Lantern Tea. Theirs have been the best I’ve had in a long time.

Wow. I’m back home for the night, as Bec and Cara are out at the latest of the charity events Bec’s been organising. Of course I brought my Blue Lantern box with me, and decided not to feel guilty trying a new one without Cara. Now I’m not so sure about that lack of guilt because this was fantastic. I know nothing about oolongs, having only ever had 4 of them, 2 dan congs which I really didn’t like at all, and 2 others which were rather bland, if not tasteless. So no real expectations. Dry, this smelled pleasantly green, but brewed, the smell blew me away. At first I was thinking a cross between jasmine and honeysuckle, but then it seemed much closer to magnolia – the grandiflora variety and that because of the lemony lift to the sweet floral. (I am totally talking real tree here, not perfume!) What I found fascinating was how well the disconnect worked between the very fragrant floral aroma and the on the sweet side of green, rather than a full-on kaley green, but not floral taste. On my third cup now, and it’s every bit as delicious as the first.

This could be the way Iron Goddess of Mercy Oolongs always are, and everyone more tea-savvy will be going “well, duh!”, but I’m still ticked at the idea of an Iron Goddess’s bashful sister tea. sil, is this a floral-tea hater’s almost-floral tea? :) I’d love to send you some to try!

So, was in Becca’s place, with my broken arm and her tea bags and tea pot, generally feeling rubbish, and Cara brought down the box that had arrived from Blue Lantern Tea. Which made me both very happy and incredibly frustrated! I was still feeling a little -unsettled – intestinally, everything tasted off, and I couldn’t treat the teas as they deserved. But, a day later, I finally caved and made myself a cup of this as best I could, and it was sheer bliss. Some of that, admittedly, was the relief of having a cup of really good tea taste good, but most of it was the tea. Better tasting note will come, but for now, it was a delightful Chinese green – very, very tasty, vegetal without being sharp or at all bitter, and light touches of sweet fruit that aren’t in any way cloying. Happy face!