The Tao of Tea

Part 3/3 of my white tea sampler from Tao of Tea purchased on Amazon.com.

I have been steeping this in the gaiwan with short infusions with around 180 F water. The leaves are quite beautiful, long and fuzzy with a celadon green type of color.

My infusions are all coming out the same, a slightly milky vegetal flavor with a tiny bit of sweetness. Probably my least favorite of the three I purchased and ultimately kind of boring to me. Still it is pleasant enough and I will probably end up blending with something else like licorice root or rose petals. I haven’t found a silver needle yet I’m really wild about – anyone have a good recommendation?

I got this recently on Amazon.com with a gift certificate someone gave me for Christmas. It was only about 1/2 the price that Tao of Tea sells it for so I would check there first if you’re interested in buying one.

This is an interesting bing because it is made of the tea flowers and not tea leaves. I wasn’t sure if I would like it or not but I think it’s good. I steeped it around 175 F for 1-2 minutes each steep. It doesn’t really have the taste of a regular pu-erh. It is a lot sweeter, mild, and more melon-y and also a bit floral (duh!). It is a pretty nifty little cake. I am noticing a bit of a pollen aftertaste and since I have allergies it’s making me a little paranoid but I don’t seem to be allergic to the tea.

Let me know if anyone wants to try it/swap for it!

backlog: I finished off what I had left of this Matcha this afternoon. A delicious Matcha, this time around I found it to be a bit more vegetative than the first time I had it, but it was still pleasantly smooth – not gritty – and sweet.

Thank you to TeaEqualsBliss for sending me some of this Matcha.

I’ve had better, and I’ve had worse, but for the price it’s a really good Matcha. Not a lot of froth but it manages to stay mixed and doesn’t settle to the bottom of the chawan, which is nice. It also doesn’t have that chalky texture or taste even in the aftertaste. This is also a bit sweeter than some Matcha I’ve tasted, with less of the bittersweet element that I sometimes detect. Overall, a very good Matcha, I enjoyed it. (That’s the thing with Matcha, it disappears way too fast!)

cold brewed in the fridge overnight – this makes a very refreshing iced tea!

Wow – this is great. It’s a delicious white peony!

Part of a 3 part sampler I got from the Tao of Tea. When I opened the can I was surprised to see so many of my leaves were still very green looking.

I did a bunch of steeps in the gaiwan at around 170 F. It is lightly honey-sweet and nutty with just a hint of something herby in the nose. Not that floral but definitely delicious. I would love to get some more of this but I wonder if this is the same tea in the picture? Curious…… Another winner from the Tao of Tea. :)

Thank you TheDJBooth for this sample!

I love the concept of this tea. This was a good, fresh, bold green tea! The dry leaves are forest green in color. They smelled fresh and green. The leaves were curled up almost like gunpowder but not all the way.

After Infusion, the liquor was a light yellow color almost like a white tea. The scent was sweet with a little nutty note to it. The flavor was bold! I was pleasantly surprised by the natural sweetness in this brew. There was a hint of maltiness, savory and nuts and toast to it but it isnt loud. The green and grassy notes also played its tune. This tea was very smooth! Good tea overall :)

Finally sipped this one down, it is a good tea, I just am not that enthusiastic about white teas for the most part. kind of glad it’s gone!

Today marked an exciting day for this tea nerd because I got my red stump for life teapot from Harney and Sons (along with a few teas, of course). Here’s an image of what it looks like: http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41idP2M2KPL.SY300.jpg

I broke my last regular teapot that I use for all purpose brewing; the spout got broken on the faucet when I was washing it. One of the reason I was attracted to the stump is the stumpy spout, I figured it wouldn’t get broken as easily. I fretted over my choice of colors until I decided on the red, and now I’m glad I did. It’s really cute and cheerful and 18 oz. is a nice size for one person to have about 2 cups of tea from the pot. I looooooove the new teapot! :D

As soon as I got home I wanted to make some tea. I chose this white tea to baptize the teapot. I am tired tonight but the beau and I are taking a Thanksgiving trip so I need to start packing and taking care of things. Maybe a white tea will give me a gentle lift without keeping me up all night? Let’s hope.

I haven’t had this in a while and it’s nice and gentle. I like the clean, nutty flavors but there’s also a bit of semolina or pastry like sweetness in the finish. If I was going to keep one white tea around on a permanent basis, this could be a serious contender. I don’t know why I neglect my white teas so much, they are actually quite lovely.

…now I’m off to go be productive.

I made a cup of this tea this afternoon and managed to get my Emo-feeling self to write a blog post. The tea was terrific, anyway!

http://sanfrantea.teatra.de/2012/07/13/the-wisdom-of-no-escape/

trying to include more white tea into my daily routine, this is a nice one, IMO. See my previous tasting notes. Also re-steeps pretty well.

This came in a small tin as part of a white tea gift set I got from Amazon.com with a gift certificate someone gave me. It comes in a nice little wooden box covered with plexiglass which is a nice touch.

I drank this at work so it was steeped in an infuser mug. I tried to follow the instructions pretty well, they said 190 F for 3 minutes. I also did a second steep at about the same temp for 2 minutes. I’d like to try steeping this at a lower temp too.

I was pretty happy about this tea – as far as white teas I’ve tried it is more on the vegetal side and very nutty. The flavor profile said chestnut but I actually felt it was more like macadamia nut, nutty with a bit if butter. I didn’t pick up on the smoke but I did think it was a little “salty” – smoked salt? I dunno. There also just seemed to be a marine type of quality going on with this… a bit seaweedy perhaps? In any case it was very flavorful and delicious. I never knew there were so many different types of white teas – they are fast becoming an obsession!

Thanks LiberTEAs!!!!

This is the darkest infused oolong I have ever had!!! Thumbs up for that difference!

The flavor at first sip reminds me of a paler coffee type taste. As it cools for a minute or two at room temp I can taste a bit more cocoa. Can can understand the DAWN comparison left by other tea lovers…that’s sort of neat, too!

Yup! As it continues to cool – naturally – the cocoa notes pop out a little more AND linger longer, too! Two thumbs up! This is a darling!

Thank you to TeaEqualsBliss for sending me some of this tea.

A FANTASTIC Assam. Bold and sweet. Very malty. There are some cocoa notes in there too. It has a baked-bread-y kind of taste and texture to it, very hearty. I love this. YUM!

Special thanks to Mercuryhime for this one!

This is very much like…AUTUMN…it has a roasty type taste too it…reminiscent of fall leaves. I can also pick up something that resembles peach – a natural note not an actual FLAVOR. This is pretty good! Especially if you are into the charcoal-esque oolongs! Thumbs up!

Thank you to TeaEqualsBliss for sending me some of this tea.

This is a delicious CTC Assam. It is quite bold and invigorating, and it is helping me stay warm too! Nice malty taste to it. I only steeped this 2 minutes in my Breville, so there is no bitterness to it – not even a hint! – but I suspect it, like other Assam teas, would become bitter if it were over-steeped.

As it is though, it is a very comforting and deliciously rich cup. Just what I needed!

Another of my 1 oz. sampler thingies from Tao of Tea, I did not log this one yet, an oolong from India close to the darjeeling region.

It is very rich, toasty, and fruity. But it’s also a bit too darjeeling-y for my taste personally. It’s kind of astringenty and seems to have a lot of tannins. I am sure some people would love it but it’s getting the soy milk treatment from me. I thought this was ok, but not a personal favorite. Would not mind swapping this to someone who likes ceylons & darjeelings and would probably appreciate it a bit more than I will. It does seem very clean and bright.

I’m drinking this now since it’s low in caffeine. Its good but I don’t totally love roasted twig tea in general.

Japanese green tea day is slowly coming to an end here on the tea drinking homestead…

A bunch of years ago I was very interested in a macrobiotic diet and they recommended drinking twig tea as a coffee substitute so I am quite used to this stuff, but the brand I used a lot was Choice Organics Twig tea.

This is very nice, a smooth mellow cup reminiscent of toasted grains, wood and a touch of molasses. Slightly brisk. It’s a good choice for bedtime due to the low caffeine content. I steeped this for about 2.5 minutes at 180 degrees but might steep it longer to see what happens. A very comforting brew, delicious and rich. A great choice for the evening hours after dinner.

This is a really nice oolong, I’m enjoying the floral aroma and the fruitiness this morning – see my previous tasting notes if interested. Lately I’ve been loving Himalayan teas!

More oolong for me today. I’m trying to see if I can get used to drinking any of my tea with lemon. This was kind of a nice one to play around with. I still prefer it plain tho’.

It has been a very kind day to me today from the World of Teas…

I bought this a little while ago but have not had the chance to try it out now. I appreciate that this comes from a small farm in Nepal because this is an area of the world I would like to continue supporting. I got the small wonder tin of this tea which was only $4 an ounce. Truly a bargain.

This is a lovely amber colored tea, indeed it is buttery, I am getting a bit more nectarine than plum. It reminds me of the honey phoenix which I also got from the Tao of Tea… This is tasty and toasty with a rich mouthfeel. A hint of buttered toast with jam. A mellow and relaxing cup…

In the interest of full disclosure I like most plain oolongs I have tried, even the one served at the Chinese Restaurant down the street!

I am so in love with this black tea. It doesn’t seem to matter how long I steep it (though I never steep it less than three minutes), it never gets bitter and is always good for one more resteep. It smells great and tastes really mellow. Thanks for turning me on to this, Sara.

My lunchtime tea today. Awesome!! Full review to come later. Thank You Amy!!

Have you ever lost contact with a friend and years later, you pick up right where you left off, the reconnection almost seemless. It has happened to me a few times. It’s funny because I’ve realized that even though people reconnect, they tend to be the same (in some ways), yet they are different, still a friend after all the years. Mei Li is one beatiful tea, that sent me down memory lane, reminding me of good friends, and of a tea I purchased from Upton Tea 6 years 11 months ago.

This tea was called Sword of the Emperor, a China Tea with tea leaves that were long and shaped like swords (of course)! Such a beautiful & delicious tea, I reordered it a couple more times. After it sold out, I came to the realization that I may never see this tea again {SIGHHH}.

Then I received this sample from Amy, and I gave it a try. When I opened the sample bag of Mei Li, I was literally transported back in time, upon smelling the tea leaves! Sword of the Emperor…….my dear friend. No, this was not SOTE, but Mei Li, perhaps a sister, as the characteristics of the teas are strikingly similar and familiar.

Heavenly fresh, with delightful smokey, woody notes fill the air as I inhale. Dry leaves are truly beautiful-swordlike and dark green, with white edges and tips. The wet leaves have a wonderful spinich/asparagus, smokey, woody nose (think grilled asparagus). All of those aromas come across in the cup, and on the palate and tongue, with a full mouth feel. The first two cups are most vegetal, while the last two are less so, exhibiting more of the smokey/woody notes. The fourth cup was still very good with fading flavors. The third & fourth cups were steeped at 2 and 4 minutes at higher temps with no bitterness. Truly a special tea for me, I will reorder this one without a doubt.

Like that special friend you reconnect with from your past, very familiar yet different. Glad to see you Sword….er…Mei Li. We’ll keep in touch! Thank you again Amy, mon ami. :))

Cupped: Thursday, December 1, 2011 Reviewed: 12-01 & 12-05-2011.