Silk Road Teas

I’ve decided I like the second and third steeps of this best; more of the honey notes come out.

This is my first BaiMuDan and I must say I’m enjoying it. At first I had a hard time picking out the flavors but as it cooled the thing I tasted most was honey! I prepared at 175 degrees for 2 minutes, about a heaping TB worth for 12 oz of water. It was hard to tell as the leaves are large. Nummy.

Second sipdown today! Woot! This is one of my oldest teas, so it feels good to finally be removing it from my cupboard. But now I need to buy more genmaicha. Sigh.

I was all afraid this tea wouldn’t be as flavorful today; I discovered waaay too late that the seal on the bag it was in wasn’t sealing properly. :( So then I put it in a container and this is the first time I’ve had it since. Thankfully, it’s still good! It may have lost a teeny weeny bit of its butteriness but I still like it. Phew! Lesson learned to double check seals!

This is my first genmaicha and I’m in love! The aroma is nutty and very buttery. I steeped 1 TB for 12 oz of water at 175 degrees for 2 minutes. I find it very savory and very easy to drink. It would go easily with food and I could drink it all day. It leaves a distinct popcorn taste in my mouth. I will absolutely be buying more of this!

perfect

Technically this is more a pouchong than an oolong, but either way, it is a very nice tea. Great fruity and herbaceous notes.

Beautiful copper colour. Lovely smokiness.

I received a sampler from Silk Road yesterday and let me tell you that this earthy varietal is something special. I did three infusions (gaiwan-style baby!) and the third was still just as lovely as the first. Interestingly, it tasted sweeter after the third infusion. If you fancy yourself to have a sharp tea palate, this one should prove to be quite the challenge as it has several levels of taste experience. I’m going to buy a few pounds of this!

Steeped one tablespoon of tea for forty-five seconds in a 4oz gaiwan using water with fish eyes for five good infusions. Aroma was floral at first, leveling out in later infusions. The flavor, which was slightly fruity and nutty, reached its peak with the second and third infusions. Good tea.

This one of those teas that if you are not REALLY into tea, you will simply not appreciate it at all. A very mellow light, yet nutty savory sweetness. The leaves have a slight nutty smell and it becomes more apparent while steeping them. The liquid is incredibly light color, almost clear. But within its subtlety hides complexity of flavors (sweetness almost like a melon but hidden behind its most apparent nuttiness a slight vegetal taste).

It is not your common silver needle with sweetness as the star but rather a tea to enjoy because of its craftsmanship and apparent purity. A must try for people for white tea lovers; a cup to avoid if you like bold tea.

Love white teas. This is to me the sweeter ‘Snow Bud green tea’. They have similar clean taste with a very light vegetal after taste. This one starts more sweeter like light honey. I usually do two steeps, the second is a bit more vegetal and grassy. (You can try re-steeping snow bud but to me it gets a bit astringent.)

I tried this Oolong in a ‘I need X $ to get free shipping kind of setting’. I’m glad I bought it. I carefully split/separated the the mini cake into two pieces. It has the taste of honey and a slightly fruity-to-floral note. I’m a sucker for naturally sweet teas and well this one surprised me and delivered.

I like this tea. It is naturally sweet all and just as the description is really soothing hot but it makes a great iced tea. I have to admit that for some reason as an iced tea it may seem a bit more perfumy than when hot. Still a pretty good choice and inexpensive.

Amazingly fragrant Oolong, true to its name. The Plum fragrance is overpowering and rich. A great tea, a bit ‘perfume’ like to me. I prefer more subtle tastes but the quality of the tea itself can’t be denied.

Editing: Compared to all other Mei Lan Xiang I’ve tried this one has the strongest scent in the forefront but really lacks power in the aftertaste which is why Oolongs are renown. I’m downgrading a bit because of this.

An OK mini tuocha, it can be steeped multiple times and it doesn’t go bitter. You can get better puerh for just a bit more. Compared to the ‘Original’ Camel’s Breath form Phoenix Collection is nothing but the shadow of the original.

Really good tea that crosses the boundaries between a white and green tea. Its a very subtle green vegetable flavor with hints of sweetness. Its a very clean taste and with a smooth vegetable after taste.

I’ve had this one for a while now and practically forgot to log it. This is a ‘casual’ tea for me. I love white tea and it’s subtlety, I feel it keeps me ‘awake’ in the sense that I have to pay attention to the tea to taste it better.

This is a good quality tea and the fresher the better. Subtle sweetness that resembles honeydew melon with some hay (in a good way) freshness in the background. Not the best but still pretty good.

I like Jasmine Silver Needle, it has the amazing taste of jasmine with the subtlety of the Silver Needle. It is a really good tea I would give it a higher rating but I prefer Silver Needle when is more sweet and this is a more savory version.