Tao Tea Leaf
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This tea smells so good! I’m picking up on a syrupy sort of sweetness, some dark berries and sweet potato. I love it when teas have a really delicious scent, it makes it that much more exciting to drink!
Sipping… mmm, this is just as I thought it would taste. Sweet potato, black pepper and honey. It almost reminds me of water crackers with pepper. It is on the verge of being perhaps a little bit too peppery for me, but it’s not enough to scare me away. There are times when I pick up on a more creamy note, but it fades quickly and leaves behind that sharp, spicy taste. I still think this is very enjoyable and would drink this again. Thank you Tao Tea Leaf!
When I received a packet of tea treats from*scribbles,* my first thought was, “No…I shall be noble and drink up the dribs and drabs that are already open.”
Yeah, that lasted about 30 seconds.
I like this one! The leaves are long and ribbony, first steep was as bright and coppery as a brand new penny, and plenty of lightly sweet malt and chocolate to think about. Second steep (western style; sorry, I’m a barbarian :) at twice the minutes was still tasty, just had to think a little harder.
This is on the lighter end of the wake-up scale; be sure you’ve had a decent night’s sleep if you drink it in the morning, but if you’re already somewhat awake, you’ll be sufficiently alert to enjoy its subtleties.
Everything I tried from Tao Tea Leaf was a winner( I’m in trouble for liking many teas, no space to store them)
This one is incredible.
Gongfu method
6g 100ml 200F
Rinse/pause/3/3/5/7/10 etc
I lost count of steeps. It’s so flavorful and complex. Fruits, nuts, some roast,cinnamon and cannabis. Very noticeable in first 3-5 steeps.
I need to reorder it because I got only 25g to try.
That was a joint order with Marzipan and other 4 ppl. I hope we will do it later in December( Boxing Day )
Preparation
dexter sent this one my way and i think i’m a fan. I brewed this western style to take to the BBQ with me since i knew i’d need something to keep me going. No maple added this time since i just wanted to get a sense of the tea sans additions. This was smooth and slightly malty. No floral notes that i detected, but then i was outside for a gorgeous afternoon with awesome friends…so not much as going to ruin that!
I am so fond of Purple Zi Juan teas. I find them so intriguing and different.
Beautiful. I mean literally beautiful. I love how sleek this tea looks like. Long dark blueish grey strands with some brown shades in the mix.
The leaves are equally stunning once steeped.
Using 5g in little glass gongfu pot.
This tea has such an attractive taste, full of warmth.
First few steeps produces a rather light brew. It intensifies around steep three, where it reaches a nice medium body.
Hard to describe the taste.
It’s creamy and tart at the same time. Very lightly astringent.
A mellow white grape taste brings a nice fruitiness to it. It’s a bit woodsy, but not smokey at all.
It’s what I call a cleansing tea, you just get a sense of wellness out of it.
It’s late in the night, a nice cha qi feeling going on. All warm and peaceful inside.
This is another high quality tea from Tao Tea Leaf.
I’ve been so impressed by their standards so far.
Pics:
http://instagram.com/p/r_Bykzwh6w/
I am totally saying “purple pu” to myself! ;)
Lol, as long as you don’t think “purple poo”, it’s fine by me ;-)
Nice pics!
Thank you looseTman :-)
The photos are incredible and the tea sounds good too
And then you shall have some ;-)
Any camphor, menthol notes? I quite like them in sheng.
This is a rock tea from the Wuyi Mountains. Expect greatness from a good quality Da Hong Pao.
And this one is nothing short of greatness.
It’s expensive but totally worth it. I was very lucky to have gotten it during Tao Tea Leaf 50% off sale. Bought 150g cause I knew an award winning Big Red Robe could only mean good news. Now I wish I had bought double!
Using 5g in small yixing clay pot.
The leaf is as dark as night.
The brew has this lovely orangey amber colour.
The scent is very fragrant. The taste is like burnt toasts with honey and molasses. Thick mouthfeel, full bodied. Very rich and tasty.
Someone very knowledgable with rock tea pointed out that I should find bitterness in a good Da Hong Pao.
I don’t get bitterness at all, but I realized that what he referred to as “bitter” is probably the burnt and charred taste I get, my own interpretation of it anyways.
You can actually taste the minerals, it’s even a little salty.
It’s a beautiful tea, worth devoting time to.
I like it so much, I will use it to season a very small 70ml yixing pot I just got.
Pic of the session:
Flavors: Burnt, Char, Honey, Mineral, Molasses, Toast
Mmmmm sounds great. I’m adding this to my wish list.
Is that the Eco-Cha yixing? Sounds like it’s already having fun :]
I love mineral and slightly salty in a tea. <3
I was so stupid to get only 25g of this tea :(
But hey I never tried it
I think I like Bei Do even more;)
Love the set up as usual!
Ubacat, it is totally worth having!
Kiwidelight, it is the eco-cha! I will keep it for darker oolong such as Dancong, but my mini-me pot will by for rock tea :-)
Boychik, don’t feel stupid…we say we want ALL the tea but we can’t really do that you know? Lol, at least you got some…and how much of the Bei Dou did you get? See, now I was stupid, cause I got none of it!!!
Same. 25g. I’ll save some for you to try;)
good
Thank boychik <3
Hi shutao :-)
Sometimes I get so invested in my Chinese blacks I forget that there are other teas out there that deserve my attention. I’m trying to sip down all of the 1oz and under teas I have so I thought I’d kill two birds and get out a few oolongs. I randomly picked this one first and, feeling lazy, Western brewed it for 2 minutes using 2tsp leaves to 10oz boiling water.
First sip leaves me with some incredible honey sweetness. Roasted peaches (or apricots I cant tell the difference) come in and mix with a good bit of roasted wood. Very similar to the notes you’d find in a Hoji Kukicha. Strong roasty quality while still being somewhat mellow. Not one of those roasted oolongs that is entirely overwhelming. If you’ve eaten grilled peaches drizzled with honey you’ll have a good idea what this tea is like. And if you haven’t… get on it! You won’t regret giving it a try.
Flavors: Honey, Peach, Roasted, Wood
Preparation
Can I just take a moment to say how impressed I’ve been by Tao Tea Leaf? For a company that I’d never heard of before the day I placed an order with them I’m completely surprised by how incredible their teas have been.
Earthy is how I would describe this tea. Rich and earthy. I’m kind of at a loss trying to describe what flavors I’m tasting. Sort of deep chocolate but brighter and a little nutty. Like roasted grain nutty. Quite sweet as well. Zero bitterness or astringency. I don’t know how to describe it, but I love it. Highly recommended.
Flavors: Dark Chocolate, Roasted Barley
Preparation
Agreed!
I need to pop mine open and start drinking.
You definitely have a treat waiting for you!
This one is awesome, for more reviews go to http://steepster.com/teas/tao-tea-leaf/38699-zhenghe-gongfu-black-tea-jin-ping-village
I love this tea. Didn’t know where to log: we have 2 entries for this tea. I find it is simar to LB by Verdant. Not the same, but still similar.
Its confusing because the package says jin ping, but the store listing is Zhenghe gongfu. The tea is a zhenge gongfu produced in Jin Ping village.
Yeah, that is odd. I’ll add my review to that page too.
yyz & boychik, Agreed – awesome!
“Didn’t know where to log: we have 2 entries for this tea.”
That because Tao Tea Leaf has marketed this tea under at least 2 different names. Can Jason merge these two entries?
Marzipan, Please count me in next time there’s a group order for a TTL sale – Thanks!
Gongfu method
4g 100 ml glass teapot 205F
15/30/45/1min
I combined all steeps in one huge mug. Each steep was really good but not much of a change of flavors. Next time I’ll make it western.
This tea is lovely and so comforting. Rich chocolaty malty, some nuts.
I would drink it anytime of the day.
So glad I picked it on 50% sale . It was a join order and Marzipan placed order , packed and sent back to 4 of us. I would do it again in a heartbeat!
Preparation
Marzipan is awesome. These teas sound nice too! YAY!
You should come chat with us boychik!
Thanks, I might. Hubby comes tonight. We will replace windows tomorrow . I need to make it neat somehow;)
Oh that definitely sounds more important! :)
I thoroughly enjoyed this tea. Believe it or not, Tao Tea Leaf’s Jin Ping Gong Fu Black Tea was even better!!
i believe you:) i bought that one too
This LS is magical. It’s not harsh charcoal ashtray flavor. The smoke is subtle to compliment the chocolate notes. But it’s there. I would compare it to a chile spice dark chocolate which brings chocolate to a new level.
Half way I added tiny bit of maple syrup. OMG. Maple syrup is meant for smoky teas( thanks Terri and Sil)
But… But maple syrup masked that slight minty flavor which was surprising too.
I did resteep@5min. It was very very good. This time I didn’t add anything except I had small piece of cheddar on a side.
Very enjoyable experience. So happy I picked this tea on recent 50% sale.
Western 3G 8 oz 205F
3min/ 5min
Preparation
Today was a grey day with no rain…I much prefer rain.
I went in the woods to get bad vibes out of my system. I saw all kinds of beauty, and it filled my head with positive energy.
Never underestimate the power of nature.
I promised myself I would try some of my new high end dark oolong from Toa Tea Leaf.
Tonight, I chose this “almond” Phoenix Dancong. Another miracle of nature.
How does a tea get so naturally floral and nutty is beyond comprehension.
I would say this has pretty much the same profile as honey orchid oolong, except it is not as sweet, and more nutty. Roasted nuts, with an orchid opening and a light astringent finish.
This type of oolong has to be brewed with very short steeps, otherwise, it turns bitter.
The wet leaf smells like a luxuriant garden of lilac and orchids. That fragrance is just intoxicating.
Needless to say, I love it. Is it for every one? Maybe not. First, it is quite expensive and I’m not sure this flavour profile would suit you if you’ve never really experiment with oolongs. I would try with something more “friendly” like Tie Guan Yin first.
All in all, a very good tea that I’m enjoying a lot tonight.
Pic for those who are interested:
I got 5g sample of this to try. dont really like flowery oolongs but who knows. maybe I will. love the setup as usual ;)
Well, I can’t wait to see what you think! I feel I have a flower bomb in my mouth, wonder if it’s my tastebuds playing tricks on me! I was expecting a lot more toasted notes. The leaves are really beautiful.
Tomorrow, I’m trying their award winning Big Red Robe! Can’t wait.
whats the temp?195F?
Well I followed instructions at 212, but will go lower next time.
all his instructions @212. its not right.
did you buy 25g?
did you get Bei Dou Oolong? Amazing. pure pot, i swear(never tried in my life, but smell is unmistakable)
Of that one yes, cause I wasn’t sure. More of the others. 100g BRR, 50g Honey Orchid.
Did you try some of their other oolongs?
so far only Bei Dou Oolong and rice tuo
Lol, I did read your note, but no, didn’t get that one.
I got TTL and Jing Tea Shop(JTS) same day. I like JTS a lot.
if they are going to do similar sale by New Year i will get some more for sure. Quality teas
JTS? Don’t know that one….were they having a sale too?
http://www.jingteashop.com/
No sale, but not too expensive to try, ship only $5 and pretty fast. apt recommended me. Im impressed
sorry, ship is $5.9
Lol, NOT that I need MORE tea, but will bookmark them…just in case, ya know.
this sounds wonderful! since it’s on the greenish side, would you say it’s anything like a Pouchong?
Remember i told you i was secretly hoping to hate those teas. i really didnt want to brunch into new types. i like 25g option. you cannot really decided if its good or bad with 5g. what if you mess up(like i did today with Arbor Mist)
Pyarkaaloo, It’s hard to answer cause this is NOT supposed to taste green! I’d say it’s a lot bolder than pouchong. It’s missing the buttery taste and it’s astringent, and pouchong is clearly not. But to me, it does taste almost as floral as baozhong pouchong. Lol, don’t know if what I just said helps, but that’s the best I could come up with :-)
Yes boychik, that’s why I never order under 25g!! I want a second chance :-)
Lol, yes, who needs more tea addiction, right?
I feel like all flavored teas are dead for me.
Oh my, me too!!! But I still bought some from butiki…the ONLY one.
teafairy: you should definitely try JTS sometime in the future!
thanku, TeaFairy! what you said makes perfect sense to me :) i’m familiar with the various oolongs & their characteristics but you are by far the expert!
The Pouchong i had was indeed light, buttery, gently floral & had a wonderful rice pudding note. could have been the coconut flavoring!
I like Baozhong(Pouchong) for casual, western brews.
Apt, I’m sure JTS is in my future :-) (sooner than later, sigh…)
Pyarkaaloo, FYI, this is the best baozhong pouchong I have ever had and the only one I keep in permanent stash:
http://www.tealux.ca/wenshan_baozhong_reserve?search_string=Wenshan
LTF that picture is magical.
Aw man, this is floral? Sad face. XD
Thank you Marzi, I think tea is one of the best subject for photography…
Cameron, this was not supposed to be such a floral though….will have to try it afain, I was very surprised myself.
Now I’m thinking should I try this sample or try Bai mu dan JTS. Oh decisions!
Oh, please try this one!! Want to see if you get similar profil!!!
KK ;)
This tea i picked on recent 50% sale. Awesome Marzipan organized our join order and shipped teas to everybody. That’s great idea to have join orders. I wish i got that idea earlier.
Gongfu method
5g 100ml 195F
rinse/ 20/10/10/10 etc
This tea has absolutely amazing smell, after thinking couple minutes i decided it smells like cannabis. i never smoked pot but i know the scent. its unmistakable.
when hot its very roasted, but as soon as it cools its very sweet nutty taste. some tongue tingling. i will report tomorrow if i get high from this tea
Preparation
Waits…
lol also waiting…
it’s the Bei Dou cultivar, one of the cultivars considered to be genuine Da Hong Pao. As for the aroma of Marijuana, it sounds like some dank ass loud shit. You just got yourself some Purple Kush or maybe some Blue Dream or Sour Diesel. 420!
still awake, not high, haha
Just the aroma is so strong. apt, i had to Google it,haha
I just know the smell because it became pretty common in my neighborhood.
ROFL dank ass
I admit that I am still exploring milk oolongs; this is my third one to date. For this session I brewed the leaves western style for a total of 5 steeps. I am not sure if this oolong is scented, flavored, or 100% pure, so I am going with the guess it has nothing added (there is nothing listed on the package or website).
First steeping: 2 1/2 minutes at 210 degrees. The aroma is quite buttery, almost like movie-theater popcorn. The flavor is creamy and buttery.
Second steeping: 3 minutes at 210 degrees. The fragrance is still buttery, with a faint hint of floral. The butter notes are still strong and I detect a slight flowery aftertaste.
Third steeping: 4 minutes at 210 degrees. The liquor still smells of butter but the floral scent is gone. I still get a strong butter-creamy flavor with an unexpected lemon (or tart citrus) aftertaste. I quite like this!
Fourth steeping: 5 minutes at 210 degrees. Very much the same as the third steeping. The butter scent and flavor is not quite as strong, though the lemon aftertaste is still present.
Fifth steeping: 6 minutes at 210 degrees. The fifth infusion has a weak, though still buttery, aroma. The liquor still retains the butter and lemon essences; both are fainter.
I would like to try further steepings but it is late. This tea does not have many ratings and is not rated extremely high, however I loved it. I envisioned myself eating succulent scallops while sipping this milk oolong.
Flavors: Butter, Creamy, Lemon
Preparation
When Tea Pet mentioned that is the best rice mini tuo I really wanted to try. I already have some Lao Cang and from Puerhshop.com. this one is very rich, clean and more potent. I like it. i had some stomach ache after the BBQ but this tiny tuo did the trick.
Flavors: Rice
Preparation
Sipdown Sad to see this one go. I had every intention of going wild during Tao’s Boxing Day sale. In fact I had been planning my order since their Christmas in July sale! But my cupboard is honestly out of control and I knew I should be placing any large orders. Yay for self control at least.
I finished off most of this as a celebratory pot when I go my cast removed, and I saved just enough for one last cup. Decided to bust it out today for no reason in particular. Still delightfully sweet and lovely. Hopefully they’ll do the sale in July again so I can pick up a bit more of this.
Preparation
Good job on the self-control! <3
good for you! though admittedly i did just pick some of this up to try heh
Go you! Self control during sales is haaaaaaard.
Very hard to resist, but I’m not regretting it!
Sil I think you’ll enjoy it. Quite unlike teas from more popular provinces.
awesome! maybe i’ll pull it out tomorrow heh
i did pick some up , just an 1oz. i feel secure ;)
Had to up the rating. This is just my absolute favorite tea of all time. I’ve been trying to ration it so it lasts until the next Tao order, but that’s looking quite impossible at the moment. This stuff is liquid happiness.
I need to crack this one open.
Oh, you really do. It’s absolutely delightful.
Looks like I need to add it to my next order, this was what I had:
ZhengHe GongFu Black – Jin Ping Village
Golden Monkey Black
Golden Yunnan Black
Ginger Pu-er Shou
Rice Pu-er Sheng
Rice Pu-er Shou
Da Hong Pao Oolong
Bei Dou Oolong
Tangyang Gongfu Black
I’m going to send you some, you have to try it. Did you have the ZhengHe or rice shou yet? I thought both were incredible. The Golden Yunnan was kind of meh.
I am going to seek this out… thanks for the review! :)
This is one of the teas I picked up during Tao Tea Leaf’s incredible Christmas in July sale (special thanks to Marzipan) and I am absolutely kicking myself for only picking up 25g of it. It is hands-down one of my favorite teas ever. A beautiful mix of malt, cocoa, and deep sweetness with next to no astringency. It has a mouthwatering scent of baked bread and rich chocolate, and tastes similar with a sweetness that lingers. Even the liquor is a gorgeous deep clear amber.
The leaves are quite twisty and wiry and it was difficult to even separate them let alone measure properly. So I ended up just dumping a couple pinches in my teapot. In retrospect I should have weighed it since it ended up being perfect. I brewed Western for a little over two minutes with about 7oz of water and it ended up lovely even though I thought it would be too weak. Definitely recommended!
Flavors: Bread, Chocolate, Malt, Sugarcane
Preparation
I’m glad you love it. I still need to play with it a little to decide how to leaf it.
Thanks! I really do adore this one.
I thoroughly enjoyed this tea. Believe it or not, Tao Tea Leaf’s Jin Ping Gong Fu Black Tea was even better!!
Ooh, really? I bought that one too but have yet to taste it. I’ll have to give it a try tomorrow.
A definite treat is in store for you tomorrow. Enjoy!
No notes yet. Add one?
was it good? any suggestions, i got 5g sample, dont want to ruin it
It was okay… Not anything to write home about, unfortunately. The aroma was amazing, however, the taste was a bit average. The only suggestion/tip I have is that it can be oversteeped very easily, so be careful with timing. Even after the third infusion, it was still really picky about steep time. It is definitly a tea that needs to be brewed in a gaiwan or a pot with a quick pour. I hope you enjoy!!
This morning, courtesy of Scribbles, I’m very pleased to be the first to review Ying De Black Tea from Tao Tea Leaf, Western style: 6 oz. / 4 g / 212*F / 2 min. without sweeteners, milk, or cream.
Intro: “…from Yingde, Guangdong province, China.” “The tea should have a cocoa-like aroma and, like most Chinese black teas, a sweet aftertaste.”
Leaf: Thin and thick twisted dark chocolate-brown leaves 4.5 cm long or less. Forget about measuring with a teaspoon! A digital scale is definitely recommended for this one!
Fragrance: Fine pipe tobacco
Liquor: Clear amber
Aroma: As soon as I removed the lid from the Finum brewing basket, the cocoa-like aroma was immediately evident standing at the kitchen counter.
Flavor: Chocolate with perhaps a hint of Keemun juiciness at the end of the sip.
2-min: A creamy smooth, warm, relaxing, satisfying, full-bodied black tea with rich malty chocolate! that lingers long on the tongue. There was no hint of bitterness or astringency. With each sip the relaxing warmth keeps intensifying and my smile grows larger & larger. Ah! I’m now officially quite content. Near the bottom of the cup there’s a noticeable rich & smooth cocoa flavor.
Resteep
3-min: Malty chocolate that’s extremely well-balanced and very enjoyable.
2nd Resteep
4-min: Not yet …
6-min: Not quite …
8-min: A similar flavor profile but with lighter body.
Impression: A creamy smooth full-bodied black tea with rich malty chocolate. This is a thoroughly enjoyable and recommended black tea.
Many thanks to Scribbles for sharing a generous sample of this very satisfying chocolaty Black Tea.
Method:
RO water re-mineralized with an Aptera filter http://steepster.com/teas/teaware/39532-puregen-aptera-alkamag-water-filter
http://steepster.com/teaware/teavana/39311-perfect-tea-spoon
http://steepster.com/teas/teaware/37731-my-weigh-durascale-d2-660-digital-scale
Brewed western-style conveniently in a tea mug with a brew basket http://steepster.com/teaware/royal-albert/45581-old-country-roses-afternoontea-mugs
http://steepster.com/teas/teaware/29177-finum-brewing-basket
http://steepster.com/teaware/teavana/39312-perfect-preset-tea-timer
Flavors: Chocolate, Malt
