Teavivre

I got a big ol pouch of blooming teas from StarFevre a while back (thank you!) and this one just happened to be labeled Christmas Tree.  So I went with it today!   I was having the problem with this one that I usually have with blooming teas, and please note yet again, this is ancient though really well packaged.  The flavor to me on these blooming teas are just really vegetal to the point of reminding me of seaweed.  Or this could be because so much leaf is used to make one of these decorative teas.  They usually look nice anyway. This one is three tiered, I guess lending to the general shape of a tree. Though this one hardly unraveled in the first steep, the flavor mellowed in the second steep and third.  These blooming teas are tricky — you need hot enough water for them to unravel, but too hot and the tea gets bitter.  The second steep worked though! These teas are definitely better for their visual appeal than any flavor.
Steep #1 // 35 minutes after boiling // 2-3 minute steep
Steep #2 // 29 min after boiling // 2-3 min
Steep #3 // 20 min after boiling // 2-3 min

Holiday Tea 2022 # 34: Teavivre – Blooming Christmas Tree
Holiday Tea 2022 # 35: Angry Tea Room – Bourbon Eggnog

Advent Calendar from Kaylee: Day 16

My partner and I shared a few pots of this pu-erh on Sunday night, and it was a pleasant way to wrap up the weekend! I’m pretty new to pu-erh, but I really enjoyed the earthy, almost mushroom-y scent and flavor of this one. And the cute little “bird’s nest” shaped cake didn’t hurt, either!

I didn’t get much rose at all, either in scent or taste, although I could see some petals peeking through the cake.

Bitter. I got the 2019 sample of this tea from my recent Teavivre order, and it’s bitter to quite a high degree. Leaves were decently buddy but quite broken up, possibly contributing to the bitterness, with a decently rich aroma in the wet leaf and a beautiful yellowish-orange liquor. Flavour was decent, just that it was quite bitter. Although I’m a fan of bitter teas, this one was quite a fair bit past what I usually drink. Texture is good, nicely smooth, with a mediocre character and a pretty decent finish & aftertaste, providing a juicy finish and a lingering herbaceous note. Cha-qi is almost non-existent and steep longevity is mediocre, topping out at around steep 9-10.

This is a very light brew – should I have done a rinse? Is that normally done with black tea (balls)? At least I know the second steep will likely be stronger. The tea ball barely unraveled in the first steep. The flavor, though light, is very lovely. I taste more rose here than I did in the Rose Dian Hong from Teavivre that I had earlier.

Trying this side-by-side with Teavivre’s Yunnan Rose Dragon Ball Black Tea. This blend of black tea and roses is light in flavor, both the tea and the rose. I wish it were a bit bolder with more rose flavor/aroma. It could be though that the rose teas I’m used to drinking have flavoring added, while this one is only using rose petals.

Another sipdown. I’d possible reorder this one again to check other harvests or to round out a cart.