Tealyra (formerly Tealux)

A sample! I was very intrigued by a tea named after my favorite oolong, Wen Shan Bao Zhong, but as a black tea! I had to try it. The leaf is huge and wirey. The fragrance of the dry leaf had such a scent of added fruit flavor, that I thought there was flavor contamination from something else. But steeping up the tea, I don’t think there was scent contamination. The brew is very light for a black tea — it almost looks like a roasted oolong. The flavor is mostly like a Ruby 18 varietal (which is what the dry leaf looks like, now that I think about it, including that hint of scarlet in the leaf). But it’s also fairly fruity, like plums, or maybe something even odder like passionfruit, and also a bit starchy, the second steep is actually very tangy. It’s very clear in the lingering mouth flavor. Or a better word than “clear” might be vibrant, which the description mentions.
Steep #1 // 1 1/2 teaspoons for a full mug // 20 minutes after boiling // 2 minute steep
Steep #2 // 3 minutes after boiling // 4 min steep

I left the above note in a draft for a while, long enough to forget what I said… so here is a second steep session a while later, without peeking at the note above: there is a sort of tangy fruit scent to the dry leaf and flavor of the first steep: tamarind + lychee or something. It reminds me how a Taiwanese Assam tastes like strawberries. Maybe these varieties with huge leaves usually taste like mostly fruit. The second steep is mostly tangy fruit again, then as it cools is like tomato soup with some starch. The third steep is a deep red and tastes like mostly like hot tomato soup! It’s definitely a unique tea. Though it’s a light brew which I normally wouldn’t like, I DO like the complexity of flavors. And it certainly doesn’t remind me of any oolong, Wen Shan Bao Zhong or otherwise. Now that I typed up all that, I read the note on the first steep session above and I’m amazed the flavors have seemed to evolve THIS much already in only a couple months. Second steep session: no thoughts of plum, passion fruit or Ruby 18! Tea is weird! 
Steep #1 // 2 teaspoons for a full mug // 25 minutes after boiling // 2 minute steep
Steep #2 // 10 minutes after boiling // 2 minute steep
Steep #3 // just boiled // 4 min

Made a cup of this in the morning but I wasn’t being super attentive while drinking it, so it mostly just registered to me as a typical Earl Grey but with a little bit of a lighter hand when it came to the bergamot and the faintest hint of coconut. Maybe I should have gone with a longer steep time? Or more tea leaf? It was a fine “backdrop” kind of tea but I was sort of craving something bolder.

This tea makes my head hurt a little.

Not physically or even, like, conceptually? I actually LOVE the idea behind this blend. I think it’s super fun! There’s just soooo much flavour happening in this cup and I definitely don’t think it’s entirely cohesive. Like, the bergamot is strong y’all – but so it the aromatic coconut and the hint of tropical fruit. It’s like I want to say to the tea “Hey, calm down! No need to shout”. I don’t even know if that makes sense.

I think I need to experiment here. The individual flavours are good but I need them to come together in a less competitive way. Does that mean making this iced? Sweetener? Milk? I think something has to happen …but what!??

Sipdown (1948)!

Made a nice big 32 oz teapot of this blooming tea, and I’ve been sipping on it throughout the morning today. I can really taste the vegetal grassy flavour of the green tea, and I’m not loving it at all. I’m at a bit of a crossroads though because, despite not liking the base, the additional melon flavouring is really quite beautiful. It’s sweet in a kind of subtle way with floral undertones – very clearly a honeydew flavour but almost a more Japanese style honeydew!?

I keep going back to the pot because this flavour is so enticing to me, but that green tea finish kind of kills me at the end of each sip too. It’s so conflicting to my palate. If only the melon flavour was strong!

Ashmanra’s sipdown challenge – February 2024 Tea #2 – Your most unusual tea

I suppose this is an unusual tea, or at least one I thought of, for its appearance, its flavors, and its ingredients.  I wish I could find some more blends with candied aloe!  But also, fennel? Sea buckthorn? turmeric SLICES? chlorella algae powder???  All very unusual.  And these are just some of the ingredients.  But together, the flavors are tasty enough — I would think they might clash.  But a really long steep melds everything together for a really unique cup of flavors.

I wanted to try this one because I was hoping it would be similar to DavidsTea’s discontinued Eucalyptus Mist.  Also, the photo of the blend is just colorfully amazing - a rainbow of chunky herbal ingredients.  Sadly, it isn’t QUITE like Eucalyptus Mist, but I do enjoy this blend for what it is on its own.  (A long shot to compare the two blends as I was just going by the “candied aloe vera” in both blends.)  My sample didn’t have too much rooibos visible in it, and I also didn’t see any big pieces of the turmeric.   There is also some added chlorella algae powder in the blend which is supposed to be good for detox which I could always use more of with my unhealthy diet.  Flavorwise, I’m glad the turmeric wasn’t overly present.  It’s really a soothing combination of flavors and unique — sweet yet earthy in the best way, a bit like licorice from the fennel with a subtle minty finish.  Sweet enough from the perfect amount of blackberry leaves, I think.  It’s really tastier than I’m describing.  I’m glad I tried this blend! 
Steep #1 // 1 1/2 – 2 teaspoons // 20 minutes after boiling // 2 minute steep
Steep #2 // just boiled // 11 minute steep 

Sipdown (1952)!

Steeped a pot of this on Saturday afternoon while listening to the rain. The gentle vanilla notes, though a little fondant like, are silky and soothing. Coupled with the cool air and pitter patter of lightly fall raindrops, it’s a really calm and almost meditative combination. It’s been a long time since I last had a blooming tea but something about today just made it seem like a good idea. Sometimes you have to revisit the classics to respect them!

Tea Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/Ck3935aOWg4/

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoS7kFSFSAQ

Had this as a hot cuppa a few nights ago, and it was my first time trying this blend outside of being cold. It was very sweet – sweeter than I remembered, in fact. Also quite lemon forward with some apple-y and even pineapple undertones. That combination read as really lemonade like in a pleasant way. I got a little cucumber in the finish, but overall I felt like that flavour could have been stronger or just better balanced. Still, I enjoyed the lemon flavour a lot and it’s not surprising that drinking it hot especially pulled it even more to the forefront of the profile.

Cold Brew!

After a couple days of almost exclusively pumpkin/pumpkin spice teas (I’ll get to those tasting notes shortly) this cold brew is like a cold glass of ice water after a week of wandering the dessert. The lemon notes are so juicy and tart and it really is, like the name implies, very refreshing. My only criticism is that I bought this because I was really intrigued by the idea of a cucumber lemonade and I don’t feel like I taste nearly enough of the crisp, cool vegetal notes I’d expect. I can get a million lemonade teas that are tasty like this one, so I’m a bit disappointed they seem to have skimped out on the cucumber…

For the sipdown prompt “a dessert tea.”

It’s been a long time since I’ve had a chocolate mint rooibos in my collection… I bought this in my birthday order last year, and it’s the only tea from that order I’ve broken the seal on because I was craving it so bad.

It isn’t my favorite Chocolate Mint Rooibos that I’ve had… I had one once that had apple and yogurt pieces in the blend and that one had a richer and more creamy flavor. But this is perfectly serviceable, and is scratching the itch I had for a chocolate mint herbal this evening. There isn’t a strong chocolate flavor, but it is present enough that the flavor of the rooibos base isn’t discernable. The mint has a strong presence, a little cooling and a little candy sweet. It gives off a very soothing vibe.

If you didn’t see my rant a couple weeks ago, they made these tuochas on the new batch I bought, they didn’t taste the same.  This time, I was attempting to cut one mini tuocha in half, to steep with a full tuocha (for 1 1/12 tuochas) but it was too much of a pain/ made too much of a mess, without actually splitting in half, on the verge of injuring myself, so I just threw TWO tuochas into the infuser, just for this session!   The second steep is DARK.   Throughout all the steeps, I would say even with two tuochas, none of the steeps quite had the COMPLEXITY of the previous 2022 purchase of the bigger tuochas, which is odd, as two of the smaller ones are definitely much more leaf than one.  So I’m wondering if the leaf might be slightly different, and it isn’t just the size of the tuochas that matters here.  Drinking two tuochas was certainly better in flavor than just one!  But again, not as good as the old batch, either way.  So not sure if it is worth it to steep two together in the future?  A fifth steep for 15+ minutes had some nice depth to it, at least…
Steep #1 // TWO tuochas for medium sized mug // 20 minutes after boiling // 7 second rinse // 2 minute steep
Steep #2 // 11 minutes after boiling // 3 min
Steep #3 // just boiled // 3 min
Steep #4 // just boiled // 10 min
Steep #5 // just boiled // 15+ min

Album: Helena Deland – Goodnight Summerland
Song: The Animals – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jo_c7NJxWe8
Bonus Song: Bright Green Vibrant Gray https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sA12STWhAZ4

And now for trying the older, larger tuocha again from Tealyra… for science!  Using the same parameters I have been using…  Second steep, yep, definitely confirming that I just love this rich, dark shou.  Third steep:  still dark and delicious.   The fourth steep is like the second steep in the new batch of smaller tuochas, but never do I taste that flavor that reminds me of cardboard.  Such a shame.  Rating for the new batch would probably be about a 73. I shall try the new tuochas with 1 1/2 pieces soon….
Steep #1 // 1 tuocha for medium sized mug // 20 minutes after boiling // 7 second rinse // 2 minute steep
Steep #2 // 11 minutes after boiling // 3 min
Steep #3 // just boiled // 3 min
Steep #4 // just boiled // 10 min

SOOOO I busted my buy-ban already in January.  I needed something on Amazon and needed something else to tag along for free shipping purposes and noticed there was a good price for these…  I had already had the thought to buy more (many many times I had this thought..), so I just did it.  sigh.  Sadly, even though I bought my first Perfect and Glorious batch of these tuochas in 2022, it looks like they have already been changed because the new batch is considerably smaller sized. oh no!!! I thought they were perfect just the way they were, for this particular deep dark shou fan.  And steeping this one up, it does taste considerably different.  To me, there is like a stale cardboard flavor that is the most noticeable.  Yes, the leaves seem the same and the tuocha is still the faster little unraveler, but I think just because there is less leaf in the tuocha, the flavor just isn’t the same for me.  Before, there would be four very strong steeps.  Now the second steep is lighter, and the third lighter still.  The fourth steep is ridiculously weak… I wouldn’t bother going for a fourth steep in the future.  In fact, I’m regretting buying these again at all. I am still using the parameters I had been using for the Teavivre samples, so I’m sure I’m steeping it differently than I have in the past, but really the flavor shouldn’t be this noticeably different.  I was about to weigh the tuochas to see the size differences, but found out my scale has broken.   I COULD try breaking apart a tuocha and using 1 1/2 tuochas per session, but that seems inconvenient and two tuochas at once seems like way too much.  sigh.  I will probably try 1 1/2 at least once, to see how it goes…  Contacting Tealyra, they said the manufacturer must be processing the tuochas differently, since they are smaller, but told me they should be the same.   To me they are not the same.  They were perfect before.  I’m so sad about it!  I don’t know why I’m surprised.  Even with food, if I really like a certain something it will quickly be discontinued, so I should be surprised they still have these tuochas available at all.  (also, sidenote, the pouch the tuochas came in had holes in the bottom, somehow… I highly doubt it happened in transit, and trying to contact Amazon is ridiculous. But what if holes in the bottom of the pouch could have changed the quality/flavor?  Amazon might not think of this, but as a tea fan, I certainly do.  So I also informed Tealyra about the holes, as something happening at Amazon shouldn’t be representing Tealyra.  I’m hoping all of their pouches aren’t doing that over at Amazon…) 
Original price was $7.90  for 15 tuochas.
On Amazon, I paid $29.99 for 75 tuochas.
Even more hilarious…. I bought these right before I figured out that I’m a much bigger fan of Fengqing shou, more than any other type of shou.  And then I go and stock up on a ton of Menghai… so maybe I have no idea what I’m talking about and good shou is just good shou.  Just as long as it is processed to the strength I like?
Steep #1 // 1 tuocha for medium sized mug // 20 minutes after boiling // 7 second rinse // 2 minute steep
Steep #2 // 11 minutes after boiling // 3 min
Steep #3 // just boiled // 3 min
Steep #4 // just boiled // 10 min
Tldr:  the new batch is smaller than the batch from 2022, changing the flavor.  I regret buying this new batch of 75 tuochas.  

Ashmanra’s sipdown challenge – April 2023 Tea #6 – A tea you serve to tea newbies

additional notes: yup, confirming this is good stuff. The ideal tuocha… for me anyway!! I have a mind to buy up a ton of this, but I will refrain. I would introduce PUERH newbies to this one…

additional notes: I wanted to try this again with my at-home steeping parameters and yep, it’s still a good tuocha. The leaves are tiny and the tuocha unravels the instant the water hits it. But that is what I like about this one! No negative aspects to the flavor – just very dark and rich. Four solid steeps, even in a bigger mug. The last steep went for over twenty minutes.

So I really needed more (any) ripe pu-erh for my time away (I really underestimated how much ripe puerh I should have brought with me.) SO I really took a gamble on this pouch of tuochas from Tealyra. I was real worried they would be gross. BUT THEY ARE GREAT. Really, they are exactly what I look for from these tuochas. Very dark, very deep, tastes like dark chocolate, coffee and rich dark bread and NO negative flavor characteristics. Three great full mugs — I really should have tried for a fourth. Interestingly, EACH steep had this dusky silt of puerh in the bottom – not sure if that means it’s a lower quality for Puerh People, but to me it made for a richer cup and exactly what I wanted. The tuocha also immediately lost its shape on the first steep, which I also don’t know if that means it’s a high or low quality tuocha… but VERY happy with these! They are perfect for my flavor preferences! I would gladly buy more of them. I think there were 15 tuochas in the 100 gram pouch I bought for $10.50 (but there was a 25% off sale). They are a larger size tuocha compared to most.

Sipdown (222)

Drank this the other day when wfh. It was pretty middle of the road for me so I don’t remember much about it. It was smooth and fine but doesn’t standout. Thank you Sil for the share!

Sipdown (226)

Thank you Sil for sharing but this was nothing special. Smooth. Fine. Meh. Am I not a golden Yunnan fan? I’m starting to think that’s just not my fave.

that’s great

Hands down my favourite black tea, my go to each morning.