Dragonwater

First of all – thanks to Rachel for such generous samples!

Looks like Dragonwater has gone out of business, which is sad, since this is such a great tea. The label says it’s a blend of Assam / Sencha with peach flavoring. The scent of the dry leaf is beautifully peachy, and it comes out on steeping, with hints of the sencha behind it.

The liquor is a beautiful honey-colored gold, lighter than a typical Assam but darker than a Sencha… which makes sense.

The flavor is predominantly peach, but it highlights the tea instead of detracting from it.

I would write more, but I’m off to work… sigh.

aroma- very damp and forest like. distinctly “forest like” in aroma, light notes of beef jerky or smoked meat.

taste- first infusions- woodsy, dark brown/red liqeur. tastes of smokey wood, with a slight sweet element inside the taste. light mouth feel “clean tasting”

second infusion- dark dark brown almost black liquid. taste is still smokey but more of a leathery taste comes through.. reminding me almost of a scotch like taste.

as i drink this tea i am envisioning myself within an old leacture hall or colonial pub. very rustic and Wise tasting.

third infusion- before taking a sip already noticing a more lingering mouth feel of this tea after the second infusion aroma is smoothing out, still catching some brief spicy meat like notes, but over all smoothing out into a more balanced roastyness.
taste smooths out and mellows into a more lingering and slow taste that develops over several seconds.

over all this is a great pu erh for the ripe variety…

it wouldn’t stand up against a good raw pu erh in my opinion.
but still a good tea in its own right!

Wanted something warm and spicy, but mild and not needing milk, today. This was perfect – sweet green tea with almond and clove. The clove is really standing out today. Looks like it’s back in stock over at Dragonwater, so yay! They’re one of the companies that got me into tea.

1tsp, 3.5 oz water, short steeps

I probably shouldn’t admit how old this tea is because, uh, it’s more than a year. And I have no idea why, because it’s delicious! Looks like a nice full leaf sencha, with a very mild blend of chai spices. The cinnamon/clove comes through most out of them, with a bit of almond and rose present, but the tea flavor is very much there as well.
2nd steep, 4 minutes, equally good

A light golden color in the cup, this smells toasty and a little fruity, but the flavor is sweet/smoky. The leaves unfurl beautifully from their pellets. This is nice, and I’ll steep it as long as it goes, but it’s not wowing me. Still, it’s definitely a step above the tea I’ve received in (American) Chinese restaurants.

It appears that Dragonwater is now focusing only on herbal teas. That really stinks, since they were my main source for tea and only about 5% of what I drink is herbal. Oh well, change is good. Now I have a reason to try out other places.

Minty, slightly sweet, not bitter, and impossible to oversteep. The only way to ruin this is by not using enough leaf – I like one heaping tsp/8oz. This makes a nice bedtime tea for those of us not fond of chamomile (…is there anyone other than me?) I can’t do caffeine at night, and since learning that white and green teas aren’t actually lower in caffeine and most decaffeinated things taste like crap (in addition to not being completely caffeine-free) that leaves herbals.

Anyway, bumping this rating a bit because of how often I drink it, and the fact that I will absolutely be buying more when this 4oz bag runs out.

I’m not usually a big herbal or mint tea fan, but this is great for what it is (a remedy tea). The taste is pleasant, mild, and minty. I have a cup whenever I have cramps or general stomach pains, with a bit of honey, and usually find it soothing. Way cheaper than similar blends from Traditional Medicinals.

This I’s decent.

This was a decent oolong with a nice fruity flavor. This did not wow me though. And I have no idea if this really tastes like passionfruit or not.