Gong Fu Tea Shop

I think this one was just too peppery for me. There were other flavors at the beginning of the sip, but the aftertaste was just peppery bite. Each subsequent time I made it I had a harder time drinking it until I just had to pour it out. Perhaps good for some, but I won’t make it again.

Decaffinated tea is usually pretty weak, but with as much tea as I drink iced it’s usually still tempting to try. The blackcurrant flavor in this more than compensates but there’s still enough of the black base there to keep me from thinking I’m drinking a tisane. I’m a sucker for blackcurrant so I don’t know if the flavor may be too much for some but it is definitely upfront and fruity. Plus I can have a few glasses of this before dinner without being wired.

The dark green dried leaves have a waffle texture from being pressed with cloth during processing. This makes me happy every time I open the bag. It’s probably a strange thing to like about a tea, but a pretty tea is a great start.

I love this tea. It’s a green with mint and bergamot, which sounds like a bit of an odd combination, but it works incredibly well. It’s hard to detect the flavor notes of either of those two ingredients; they seem to meld into a combined aroma and taste all of its own that is distinct and different from its constituent parts. It’s refreshing yet complex, a fantastic tea for any season.

Sipdown! I went through my (virtual) cabinet and think I’m down around 126 now but in all honesty it’s kind of a mess right now. Once I finish off a few more it’ll be a lot easier, I suspect.

I’m still struggling to write a review of this. I’ve had it three or four times but it feels nondescript to me. The spices are present but not strong, the base is fine but not very interesting, and it’s not one I naturally reach for. It tastes a little watery, both with and without milk. I think I’ll pass on restocking this one.

This is my first osmanthus tea. The first time I had it I was expecting a heavy floral flavor like jasmine or rose, but this just has a subtle aroma. It brews up to light yellow green and the small hard pellets unfurl into mostly complete leaves with serrated edges intact. It makes me wish I had some glass brewing vessels.
The tea itself is smooth, silky, and aromatic. There’s a bit of dryness at the end especially noticeable after multiple infusions but nothing unpleasant. I’m rather suprised each time I drink it how enjoyable it is since it’s more delicate than most of my favorite teas.

I’m starting to think I’m just not into white teas as I’ve never been wowed by one so I’ve decided not to rate this. This one smells great and the small fuzzy leaves look appealing and when brewed it’s got a lovely aroma and silky mouthfeel…but the flavor is too delicate for me. I’ve doubled the amount of tea, brewed it western style/grandpa style/in a mug with a ceramic strainer, and tried lowering the temp (I think the recommended 195F is a bit high) but it still makes me wish I picked one of my stronger teas.
Part of it could be the quality of my water. With a tea this delicate perhaps filtered water should really be used. And I’ve already found out that the brewing vessels and strainers should really be clean (no brown wire mesh strainers!) unless you want to muddy up the tea flavor. Strangely enough I think the best way I’ve had this tea so far is iced where it’s floral sweetness really comes out.

Sipdown 21 of 2016. Purchased 2/2016 – Finished 2/2016.

This tea needs to be in my collection permanently. This tea grew on me to the point of having it every night until it was gone. So simple, so relaxing, just perfect.

I had another pot of this last night. I was craving it. It didn’t dissappoint. Upping the rating. Craving a tea counts for something!

Another tea from the Gong Fu Tea Shop binge. My girl friend said this one was really goo and calming. The cost of a cup to try was half the price of buying 2oz so I just bought the 2oz. I have never had sencha and was a little nervous about this one, but I figured my mom might enjoy it if I didn’t. I really liked it! I have been making a pot of this one at night before bed and the calming smell of it with the light taste is really nice. I would actually like there to be a bit more lavender taste to this….. the sencha comes across pretty strong i the brew, but it is a really nice cup. I will be swapping an oz for Gong Fu’s vanilla rooibos, so I am not sure how much longer this one will last.

Had this hot today. It’s probably only the second time I’ve done so despite going through at lest 8-12 oz of it in iced tea over the last few years. It’s fragrant and only slightly astringent even though I used a ceramic strainer which let a few leaves through to oversteep. It’s nice but makes such a crisp clean iced tea that I don’t think I’ll be using it for anything else.

My ice tea of choice.

Yesterday involved another trip to Gong Fu to meet up with another friend in Des Moines. I ordered a cup of this while we sat and caught up. I really enjoyed this one. I have some really good assam at home at the moment so I wasn’t tempted to grab some of htis, but this was malty, the right amount of umph and just the right cup for the afternoon.

Unfortunate circumstances has me stranded very close to Gong Fu tea for the week. I left for Iowa in such a hurry that I didn’t bring any tea. My sis and I went and bought 6oz of tea for the week from Gong Fu to get us through. We are enjoying a large pot of this one right now…….

It is pretty much like drinking a Dutch Letter. If you have never had a Dutch Letter than you need to do that! This is yummy. I will have to try it with a little bit of milk and sugar tomorrow. Right now it is keeping the cold out and the eyes open.

Sipdown. This is a decent tea. I am not sure I would purposely purchase it again. It is a strong minty black tea. It might be better with a bit of sugar and milk. The tea base was a tad too astringent for the additional flavoring.

My sister and I took a side trip to Gong Fu tea. I bought 3 different teas and then got a cup to go of this one. I love it! I get a slight citrusy minty flavor with the assam base. I really like the mint punch in this one.

My current favorite; so fragrant and smooth.

Sipdown.
Finished this off yesterday, well except for the broken bits/dust at the bottom of the bag. I’m not happy with the amount of broken leaves present in this tea. Definitely a daily drinker, but I think I could find a better quality daily drinker to be happy with.
Not a re-purchase.

I don’t like this tea as much as I used to. It’s a good choice for a daily drinker, but it doesn’t deserve a 95. Just bought some more of this last week after not buying from Gong Fu tea for a while. You know when the tea is not as good as what you remembered. I think I might have outgrown this tea shop as most of their tea falls in the daily drinker range. They have a large range of teas, though many are flavored.
Decent green oolong, but not the be all end all of ti qwan yin. I was just looking for teas for work though. This fits.

Dec 3rd. This tea is so good. And I’m low on it. Tea buying soul says buy more, but wallet needs to recover from black friday sales. So I’ll have to wait. Rating 95

Smell: Very smoky, like you’re next to a campfire.
Taste: smoke, malt, earth, liquor-ish finish, astringent at end
smoke lingers
I enjoyed drinking this tea.

Finally I’m done with this tea. Sipdown. 5/30
Cold brew
Mint black tea – but all I can taste is mint.
This one suckered me in by the description in the store catalog – unique tea. All it tastes of is mint! Seriously, I’d be better if I was just drinking mint in water. Not unique or special. I fell for the marketing and not knowing more about price points in 2015.

Mint. Mint. Mint. Mint. Mint. black tea. I like this tea a little less every time I drink it.

Seriously minty smelling black tea. Hit you in the face with mint.
Taste – not as strong as smell, but still has a lot of mint flavor.
I can still taste the black tea underneath the mint.
I think for me there’s just too much mint. I’ll finish drinking what I have.