Tealyra (formerly Tealux)

Well, now I love Oolong too. Crap. This means that I’m going to have to spend more money!

Up until now I’ve been heavy on the golden-tipped teas and Assams, but this throws something slightly different into the mix. Still smooth and caramelly like golden-tipped teas, but with a slightly more complex undertone to it. I don’t know quite how to describe it, and it’s pretty early, so I’m just going to enjoy my cuppa and revisit it many, many times in the future :) It just has a certain “something” that makes it so incredibly delicious and moreish.

Also, I can’t wait to try this tea out Gong Fu style. I bet that that’s going to be delicious.

Once again Tealyra make a tea sound extra-amazing in the description, and once again they’re right.

On the nose and the palate it delivers exactly what is promised: sweetness, maltiness, and a touch of caramel. There is zero bitterness. This tea is a joy to look at, smell, and drink. Even opening the packet, the aroma is amazing… I could huff that all day.

It’s no secret that Golden Monkey / golden-tipped teas are probably my favourite type, but this is an exceptional (and pricey) example of it.

So far Tealyra have been impressing me. Let’s hope that they keep it up as I go through the rest of my order! :)

I finished off of what I had of this tea. To think that I raved about how Guanyin visited me the first time I tried it in a delirious slew of gong fu and grandpa brewing in my dorm room. I’ve graduated from MSU with a degree in Social Studies ed. with a history ed. minor, and I wait for placement for student teaching.

Guanyin needed to visit me again. I brewed this in a triangular tea pot and brewed it over and over. I did not time it precisely, but I sprinkled a little bit of water in my tea cup to test it, then decided when to pour it based on the color and taste of the liquor. I went for a fragrant aroma and a very light, lemon chiffon yellow. The florals were popping and so bright that it made me think of cucumber and hops, and they changed with every brew. I believe that this tea is also used for Spirit Tea Co., which used “Notes of Honeysuckle, Cucumber, and Fresh Hops.” in their description. I happen to agree with that description for the most part, but the honeysuckle was more of a strong background with a different floral in the front. They did not mention the watercress refreshing quality it also had, nor its heady lightness. It’s somewhat creamy in texture, but it has a rising green quality that was almost eucalyptus-ish for me-though I would not said it had that flavor. The cucumber thing got stronger over time, almost becoming overwhelming at brew 8 after three minutes.

I’ve come far and have so much farther to go. I wait anxiously for placement so that some semblance of a career can finally begin as I wait for a new gaiwan and two new oolongs from a company that has intrigued me. I’m also very close to trying THE O DOR, but I also need to save what money I have left over for a good daily drinker oolong. I know now that Tie Guan Yin is not the daily drinker I am looking for, but it is one that I will never shun if it comes my way.

Well this is just delicious!

Tealyra really make it sound amazing in the description on the web site, so my expectations were high (I wondered if they were embellishing a bit?) – but wow, they are pretty much spot on.

Golden Monkey / Golden-tipped tea is easily one of my favourite styles, mostly due to how caramelly and smooth it is, and this tea is no exception.

On the nose you get sweetness, caramel, and the slightest whiff of hay. I don’t like golden-tipped teas that taste too much like hay, but here I’m in luck, because when tasting you get a very high amount of natural sweetness, some caramel, and very little hay.

This is a lovely tea. I would say that it’s very sweet, and I’m not always in the mood for that, but the fact that it’s a natural sweetness is pretty amazing. I’ll be dipping into this one until it runs out.

I really shouldn’t have looked at Tealyra’s website because I realized they had a ton of teas on sale/ discontinuing that are some of my favorites. sigh. I figured this would be like Della Terra’s Lemon Chiffon and I’m pretty sure it is (and I’m one teaspoon away from being out of that) so this tea alone inspired an order. But they have so many good blends. And the sale teas were only in 100 gram pouches so now there will definitely be some more teas up on my sale list a few weeks from now (including this one.)
In case anyone missed those magical days of Della Terra, this one is a rooibos base with PLENTY of lemon and cream flavor. I love it. It’s basically a cupboard essential. I think this blend might have lemongrass though and I don’t notice that in DT’s blend. The lemongrass doesn’t seem to change the flavor. Otherwise they both have cornflowers. I don’t know why Tealyra would get rid of this one! More Steepsterers should really give this shop a try. They almost always have a 20% off coupon code.

Well, I have continued to mow down Darjeelings. I am currently about halfway through a 50 g pouch of this tea and figured now is as good a time as any to post a review. To this point, I have struggled with how to evaluate it.

I prepared this tea Western style. I steeped 1 fairly heaping teaspoon of loose tea leaves in 8 ounces of 194 F water for 5 minutes. The vendor recommended a water temperature of 205 F for this tea, but I have lately discovered that somewhat lower temperatures work best for me when it comes to reviewing Darjeelings, so I stuck with the 194 F water I have been favoring in recent weeks. I can say, however, that I have tried a 5 minute preparation of this tea in 205 F water and did not detect much of a difference.

Prior to infusion, the dry tea leaves emitted a mild bouquet of Muscatel, grass, and straw. After infusion, the aromas of Muscatel, grass, and straw remained, but were joined by scents of malt, almond, herbs, and dried flowers. In the mouth, I detected delicate, subtle notes of straw, hay, grass, lemon balm, malt, almond, nutmeg, minerals, Muscatel, and dried flowers. The finish was mostly nutty and malty with slight floral, grassy, herbal impressions and a lingering hint of Muscatel.

This was not really what I was expecting. I assumed this would be a fairly fruity Darjeeling (not sure why), but I found it to be more nutty, malty, and vegetal. I read something about this estate being located at a lower elevation than many other estates, so perhaps that terroir gave the tea its unique aroma and flavor profiles. Whatever the case, I can say that this was a pleasant, easy-drinking Darjeeling, but I was hoping for something more robust, flavorful, and complex. In the end, I didn’t particularly mind this tea, but I doubt I would seek it out again.

i always struggle with green/black blends. This sample is from Evol and it’s not bad, but it’s also just a little weird. I can taste the fruitiness in this one, but i’d rather just have a green tea or a black tea heh.

Alright, I am finally back with another review. I took a break from the oolongs I have been working on to polish off a sample pouch of this Darjeeling. I have made it no secret that I am a huge fan of the teas from Margaret’s Hope Estate, so I had very high expectations for this tea. Unfortunately, this tea did not meet those expectations, but it was not a total waste. I found it to be a perfectly pleasant, serviceable Darjeeling.

I prepared this tea Western style. The first couple of times I prepared this tea, I only used a single teaspoon of leaf material and it tasted horribly flat and thin with virtually no aroma whatsoever. I began upping the amount of leaf I was using from there and found that 4 grams worked best for me. If you do not like stronger, heavier flavors, you can cut back on the amount of leaf used a little bit. Either way, a heaped teaspoon should do the trick. Anyway, I steeped 4 grams of loose tea leaves in 8 ounces of 205 F water for 5 minutes. Since I normally do not conduct additional infusions with Darjeelings, I did not do so here.

Prior to infusion, I did not pick up much of an aroma from the dry tea leaves. After infusion, I picked up delicate aromas of wood, straw, smoke, toast, nutmeg, and Muscatel. Given the name of this tea, I was expecting more of a recognizably grapey character. In the mouth, delicate notes of wood, straw, rose, toast, butter, malt, lemon, nutmeg, and smoke were underscored by minerals and a hint of Muscatel. The finish was buttery with mild malt, grape, and flower impressions.

As mentioned earlier, I was expecting more, so this tea was kind of a disappointment. I seem to not be the only person who feels this way either, as a cursory glance of previous reviews (when this vendor was still called Tealux) does not reveal warm feelings towards this tea. Still, there are worse Darjeelings out there, and I found that I could get decent results out of this one by playing around with the brewing parameters a bit. In the end, it didn’t blow me away, but I could still find some positive qualities in it. The name, however, still puzzles me. Why was it necessary to highlight such a minor component of this tea’s aroma and flavor profiles? I don’t get it.

Sipdown

Thank you eastkyteaguy for this sample!

I’ve finally been drinking down more samples in the past month than I’ve had in the past year. I had a note on the bag to let this one sit for a while since it had a strong charcoal flavor to it. I realized after having this tea that it’s the type of tea that needs to sit around for a few years, not months, to lose some of those strong flavors. Although the mineral notes were fine, I had to quick rinse after the first initial steep to help rid the tea of those stronger charcoal notes, but even then it was brewing strong.

Overall, I think this tea would smooth out nicely over time, but it’s a bit much in its current stage.

A little while back I was on a earl/lady grey and jasmine teas kick. I finished off the last of my EG from Tealyra and decided to reorder, along with the ‘lighter’ Lady Grey.

I’m not sure if it was because their batch of flavoring was bad this time or if it was a heavier hand, but this tea and my order ‘grey’ teas that I ordered at the same time were very very heavy on the bergamot, and thus very artificial tasting. Needless to say, I was not very happy.

This Lady does seem a little more tempered when made into an iced tea, but still very aromatic. Like the old ladies where you can smell their perfume a half block away. Other than the scent, it’s not a bad tasting tea, but maybe I should save this for when I have a cold and can’t smell much. Even now though, my nose is slightly stuffed with allergies and this is overwhelming.

This is the second time I’ve made this tea. The first time I made it, I followed the supplier’s instructions and used approximately 1 tsp of tea (8 balls) for 8 oz — this was a bit too weak for my liking. This time, I used approximately 3 tsp (24 balls) for 16 oz — a slight increase, but enough to make it much better. I’d recommend using this amount if you prefer tea which is slightly stronger.

When fully brewed, the tea has a rich, dark brown color. The tea leaves unfurl from the ball shape as they steep, becoming elongated and thin. The tea itself has a cocoa or malty chocolate flavor, with a slight earthy flavor in the background. It is good but tastes a bit tired. I am sure I will enjoy the rest of the batch I purchased and might eventually buy some again — it was slightly cheaper than other black dragon pearl teas I have purchased but the quality isn’t too diminished with that cheaper price. Overall, a decent, mellow tea, but still seems to be missing something to make it one that I’d drink regularly.

This is a review I have been dreading. To be honest, I had a lot of difficulty working with this tea. Unfortunately, I was never able to get to a point where I was happy with my brewing method and my approach to reviewing it. The only impression I can confidently offer is that this struck me as kind of an odd tea.

I prepared this tea several different ways, but as mentioned above, never got to a point where I was satisfied with my results. For the purposes of this review, I will simply detail the results of the brewing method that worked best for me. I steeped 1 rather heaping teaspoon of loose tea leaves in 8 ounces of 205 F water for 5 minutes. I did not attempt any additional infusions.

Prior to infusion, the dry tea leaves emitted mild lemony, herbal aromas with a hint of nuttiness. After infusion, the golden tea liquor emitted intriguing, yet very subtle aromas of grilled lemon, Muscat grape, malt, toast, almond, and oddly enough, peanut brittle. In the mouth, I initially detected notes of grilled lemon, almond, toast, malt, cream, and honey roasted peanuts. I was disappointed because I was really hoping the aroma of peanut brittle would ensure the delivery of a comparable flavor, but unfortunately, it did not. Further inspection revealed more distant notes of lemongrass and nutmeg, but that was all I was able to find.

Compared to the other first flush Darjeelings I have tried over the course of the last year, this one was an odd bird. It was very awkward and came off as being too timid, yet it had a few redeeming qualities. I actually enjoyed its lemony character. The pronounced nuttiness was kind of appealing too. I just wish it were a little more complex, a little more robust, and that it displayed a crisper, clearer Muscat presence. I would cautiously recommend that others try it. I, however, would not be surprised if it divides opinion or confounds on some level.

I finished the last of this tea this morning, so my journey through Tealyra’s Japanese black teas has reached its conclusion. Each tea was different. They all had different strengths and weaknesses in my eyes. The Wakoucha was smooth and approachable, but also a little too timid and simplistic. The Makurazaki displayed a lovely fruity, syrupy character, but also had a habit of turning astringent quickly and was a little over-the-top. This one had a nicely balanced set of aromas and flavors, yet had a habit of developing a biting astringency on the back end. I liked all three on one level or another, but to be honest, none of them were the type of black tea I would want to drink regularly.

I prepared this tea Western style. I steeped 1 teaspoon of loose tea leaves in 8 ounces of 205 F water for 3 minutes. As with the others, I did not attempt additional infusions. I found that with this tea I had to not only measure the amount of leaf used very precisely, but also time the infusion very precisely. If I failed to do either of these things, it would turn woody and unpleasantly astringent.

Prior to infusion, the dry tea leaves emitted mellow aromas of malt, toast, wood, and plums. After infusion, the dark amber tea liquor emitted aromas of malt, toast, pine, cedar, and plums. In the mouth, I picked up a mix of toast, cream, malt, pine, cedar, cocoa, caramel, and plum notes. The tea gradually became drier and somewhat more astringent as it moved from the entry to the swallow.

Compared to the other two Japanese black teas from Tealyra that I have consumed recently, this tea was more balanced than the Makurazaki and both more aromatic and more flavorful than the Wakoucha. Still, it lacked the sweetness that I found so appealing about the Makurazaki, and like the Makurazaki, it turned astringent fairly quickly. Much like that tea, I found this one to be highly enjoyable overall, yet I did not see it being the type of tea I would want to consume regularly. I’m glad I had the opportunity to try it, but for me, this would grade out as a solid B and nothing more. It was a type of tea that I found easy to appreciate, but difficult to love.

Sample from Evol. So i’m for sure “off mint” at the moment. However… i’d like to try this one again in the future when i’m back on speaking terms with mint. Because the aroma of this one and the base tastes seems like i’d enjoy it.

Got this one to try in my last TeaLyra order. The description sounded exactly like something I’ve been craving lately, and the tea did not disappoint. I usually prefer the stronger black teas, with rich flavor and malt. This tea, is very well balance, it is low in bitterness, Very aromatic and flavorful. The aroma is Rich! I smell honey, caramelized sugar, malt, and stone fruit like peaches and cherry. I had this tea with some tart dried cherries and it was just delicious. It has floral notes to it which come more pronounced with later steepings. But in general it is a delicious, aromatic brew. I’ve been drinking it all day today and even now (steeping 5-6?) I’m still getting a lovely nose from the cup sitting on my desk and its makes me smile, Ahhh Yuuum. I am really enjoying this one and it will definitely be one of the favorites on the list.

So here we go with another Japanese black tea from Tealyra. I dug this one out of my stash a couple days ago in order to compare it to the Wakoucha. The two could not have been more different. The Wakoucha was thin, smooth, and delicately malt. This tea was sweet, fruity, honeyed, and syrupy with a more pronounced astringency.

I prepared this one Western style. I steeped 1 teaspoon of loose tea leaves in 8 ounces of 205 F water for 3 minutes. I did not attempt any additional infusions. In two earlier sessions, I tried steeping this tea for 5 minutes, and while the longer infusion amplified the tea’s fruitier, more syrupy qualities to a ridiculous degree, it also brought out the tea’s natural astringency in a big way. I would recommend sticking with the 3 minute infusion if you’re only going to steep it once.

Prior to infusion, the mostly jet black, broken leaves produced noticeable aromas of ripe plums and honey underscored by hints of malt and spice. After infusion, the dark amber tea liquor emitted almost unbelievable aromas of honey, plums, toast, malt, and cinnamon. In the mouth, the tea produced a flourish of honey, cinnamon, plums, apricot, and cocoa before introducing milder notes of cream, toast, and malt. The finish was astringent and somewhat woody, though lingering impressions of cinnamon, honey, malt, and plums were easy to note.

This was a very aromatic and flavorful tea with an abundance of body and texture in the mouth. The astringency was a little off-putting at first, but I doubt it would be troubling for anyone accustomed to BOP grade black teas or any sort of traditional black tea blend. Though this may not qualify as the highest grade Japanese black tea in the world, it did make for an extremely pleasant drinking experience. I would say give this one a shot if you happen to be looking for a unique black tea with a lot of flavor.

My goodness, I’m in love with this tea! I like it so much I don’t want to share with anyone;)
So yes, when you open the sealed packet there is a strong strawberry aroma. It is sweet, and creamy, full of buttery goodness. It smells like strawberry frosting or cake, but with floral notes. It is Rich and Delicious. I find the cream and berry to compliment each other, and while being strong they give the tea an interesting character. I also have to say that I do not like flavored teas, and that this one is different, its not your perfumed Teavana mix. Its more delicate, more tasteful and classy. Steeped, its much more mellow, it looses the overpowering aroma yet retains the notes of cream, berries, buttercream, honeysuckle, gardenia. The taste is fresh and not overly complicated. It leaves a bit of a mineral tingling, and a mouthwatering feel. Most likely because I’m now craving Strawberry Cake lol ;)
It is definitely a “desert” brew, but if you like rich, aromatic and vivid experience I would definitely recommend this one.

My senses of taste and smell are finally returning, but kind of come and go at this point. It’s a good thing this infection seems to be resolving itself. I was starting to get concerned. Now that I am able to resume at least semi-regular tea reviewing duties, I decided to make this Japanese black tea my first target. I had actually started this one before I got sick, but never got around to conducting a review session with it.

I prepared this tea Western style. I did not have enough energy for anything more involved. I steeped a fairly heaping teaspoon of loose leaf material in 8 ounces of 205 F water for 5 minutes. I did not conduct any additional infusions.

Prior to infusion, the dry leaf material emitted toasty, malty, slightly nutty aromas. After infusion, the peachy golden tea liquor provided mild, soothing aromas of toast, malt, almonds, straw, plums, and white grape. In the mouth, I detected simple, unobtrusive notes of white grape skin, toast, straw, toasted rice, malt, plums, and almonds with faint underpinnings of cocoa and cinnamon.

This was a very light, simple tea. It’s kind of hard for me to find much else to say about it. Even though there wasn’t much to this one, it was very easy to drink and was very soothing on my sore throat. I’ll give it a few points just for that.

sample from evol ving ness this one was a resounding NOPE for me…i dunno what it was about the tea but between the aroma and the taste, i could drink it… oh well, can’t win ‘em all and i’ll happily shre what i have left with folks since lots of others seem to have enjoyed them!

Here’s another sipdown. To this point, this has probably been the most interesting black tea I’ve tried this month. It has taken me nearly a full week to reach a consensus on this one, but I ultimately found it to be a worthy tea.

I prepared this one Western style. For this session, I steeped approximately 1 teaspoon of loose tea leaves in 8 ounces of 205 F water for 5 minutes. I did not conduct any additional infusions this time, though I have tried it in the past. I avoided it here because I found that a single five minute infusion worked best for me. It seemed to bring out some of the tea’s more unique characteristics. I must say, however, that I never got around to gongfuing this one and I regret that. It would be interesting to see how this tea would react to such a treatment.

Prior to infusion, the dry tea leaves produced an interesting malty, woodsy bouquet. After infusion, the dark copper tea liquor produced intense aromas of wood, cream, malt, molasses, cocoa, and menthol. In the mouth, I clearly detected notes of cocoa, cream, malt, molasses, toast, wood, honey, dates, peppermint, and wintergreen backed by notes of chestnut and walnut which became noticeable on the finish.

Prior to trying this tea, I knew absolutely nothing about this cultivar and had no clue what to expect. After trying it for the first time, I determined that it had to be some sort of Taiwanese Assam because it was so reminiscent of some of the wild Assamicas that come out of southern China and Vietnam. Lo and behold, I was kind of right. This cultivar was at least partially developed from the wild-growing Taiwanese Assamica plants that have produced some of the most acclaimed black teas in recent years. That being said, this tea was not your typical Assam-type black tea. If you approach this tea expecting it to be similar to a typical Assam, you may end up disappointed. Compared to a typical Assam tea, this was much more herbal and much more intense all around. It was a very enjoyable, if rather quirky tea, but it was also not the sort of black tea I would see myself reaching for on a regular basis.

Sample from Evol Ving Ness – this one isn’t terrible. lol i think the sarsparilla is actually throwing me off a little. As in, without it, i think i’d like it a little better as far a chocolate chai goes.

This is a wonderful tea. It is very aromatic and full flavored, wet leaves smell sweet, strong hint of burnt sugar. Very pleasant cup, its floral but also very creamy and smooth, I detect sweet hay notes, caramel, malt and honey. Rich and satisfying:)

I do not talk about this often, but I have a huge soft spot for Chinese yellow tea. Though I do not have a ton of experience with this style, the few yellow teas I have tried have all really pleased me. This one was no exception.

I prepared this tea gongfu style. After a brief rinse, I steeped 6 grams of loose tea leaves in 4 ounces of 175 F water. Tealyra recommends a water temperature of 190 F for this tea, but that seemed rather high to me. On the rare occasions I drink yellow tea, I normally brew around 170-175 F, so I decided to do the same here. The first infusion was followed by 14 additional infusions. Steep times for these infusions were as follows: 8 seconds, 10 seconds, 15 seconds, 20 seconds, 25 seconds, 30 seconds, 40 seconds, 50 seconds, 1 minute, 1 minute 15 seconds, 1 minute 30 seconds, 2 minutes, 3 minutes, and 4 minutes.

Prior to the rinse, the dry tea leaves emitted lovely aromas of grass, hay, green beans, peas, and chestnut. After the rinse, the tea’s bouquet grew slightly smoky and more floral. I caught hints of squash blossom and sweet corn, as well as some sort of fruit. The first infusion produced a more mellow, integrated bouquet in which I began to catch impressions of bamboo, marigold, and chrysanthemum. In the mouth, I savored a pleasant combination of smoke, chestnut, bamboo, grass, hay, butter, cream, sweet corn husk, squash blossom, green beans, and peas. Subsequent infusions grew fruitier and more floral. The chrysanthemum and marigold fully emerged in the mouth, balanced by interesting touches of honeydew and cantaloupe. The sweet corn husk, smoke, hay, bamboo, and chestnut notes became more prominent, allowing the grassier and more vegetal touches to take a backseat. A touch of minerals also began to peek through on the finish. Later infusions saw the floral, smoky, and nutty characteristics fade, as green beans, grass, cream, butter, and peas once again asserted themselves. The mineral presence greatly increased, imparting something of an alkaline mouthfeel to the tea liquor. I also detected a note of leaf lettuce.

This was very nice. I could have cut this session at least 1-2 steeps short, but I wanted to really savor that alkaline mouthfeel that always strikes me as being unique to Anhui green and yellow teas. Though I doubt that this tea comes from the slopes of Mt. Huo proper, I can confirm that it is sourced from the Huoshan area. Regardless of where precisely it originates, this struck me as being a quality Huang Ya. I found it to be highly enjoyable and would have no issues with recommending it to those looking to get into yellow tea.