Daylon R Thomas Send Message

Oolong Thang. Andrew, you might be mad at me for this one. I used the entire sample. It was way stronger than I thought. I knew it was aged and needed hotter water. It needed more water, and less leaves. My fault. So. I’ve just rinsed it a lot to get to the sweeter flavors, sipping each one. It tasted like a lot like a Da Hong Pao to me, but older and mustier. There’s some energy to this-really-powerful-energy. Headaches were experienced…. I hope that it would have been better if I didn’t mess up. I’m still discovering that I’m REALLY picky about aged teas.

Nice oolong=which means a good tea, but had different expectations of it. Honey (Mi Xiang= “Honey Fragrance”) is the strongest note in smell and taste. Overall aroma was nutty with minerals and dried fruits. I thought that this oolong was going to be greener, but it turned out to be much darker than I imagined. I’ve had bug bitten oolongs before and this definitely ranks as one of them, but it tastes like something between a Dan Cong (maybe a Rou Gui) and a high mountain green oolong, maybe a jade.

It’s got a fruit note that I’m not sure how to describe. Mildly peachy, but more floral and honey like. Nectar, even. Honeysuckle and orchid for sure. Also kinda creamy, but like a fruity creamy. A bit nutty too. Gong Fu is preferred, but Western is by no means bad for fewer leaves of this tea.

Other than the GABA oolongs I had, this is my second favorite of the Simple Joy of Tea sampler. I’d recommend it and definitely recommend it for a green tea lovers and oolong lovers. Something to try if experimenting, but more for people who know what they are looking for. Newer drinkers might be intrigued, but as for my mom, it just tasted like a good green tea for her. So good, but it might be overpriced for you guys.

Thank you Andrew for a chance to try this one! Well, I’m still having a hard time getting into aged teas. I’m getting the same ash-bark-dirt flavor from the other aged oolong I had, only that one had more cherry notes. This one is mega herbal. J-Tea’s description is accurate: fungal, root like, herbal, medicinal, and similar to sarsaparilla. As it cools down, it’s peppery. I’m definitely feeling the chi though…or I had too much tea. ’Cause you know. Habits.

I still need to try more aged teas (Aged Bao Zhong 1984, you’re my main target if you do taste like almond milk and wine). I would drink this one more for energy or even medicinal reasons. Would probably help with a cold or act as a potent detox (that’s just something I personally found from experience, though there are studies about oolong generally being a detox agent).

I also know for certain that J-Tea’s descriptions are accurate, making them a vendor I will certainly try more of.

Really pleasant and minty. The Fujian Black Tea is the best part of this, which is no surprise considering how much I liked it in Nostalgia. I should have used more Fujian leaves in this cup because I wanted more for it. The vanilla smoothens it out and makes it a little chocolaty. Peppermint is a smidgen too strong for me, but good. It really settles my stomach and the vanilla comes out in the later steeps very nicely. Thank you, Andrew for letting me try it!

Thank you so much Andrew for the sample! I was always curious about this one.

This is a very unusual tea. Definitely tastes like candy. I’m mostly getting the Pu-Erh itself and the honeybush followed by the black and cocoa nibs. Imagine a cross between Mandala’s Noble Mark and Whispering Pines Art of Darkness if you can. As with any Pu-Erh, it got sweeter in the later steeps making me like it more.

Keep in mind that I’m totally biased in rating it. I like sweet teas, and knowing that this has honeybush, cocoa nibs, and Dian Hong influences my tastes. Mind over matter. I also have a real hard time with Pu-Erh- I either love it because of the way it makes me feel, or I really don’t like it because of its character. Pu-Erh is really the mummy of teas. Caffiene shall come on swift wings to those who drink past this threshold.

I liked it, but a lot of people would probably be put off by it. Newer drinkers would have a hard time with the Pu-Erh. More experienced drinkers might be Pu-Erh purists and appreciate the raw ingredients of this, but prefer the Pu-Erh itself.

A nice smooth jasmine. I noticed very few differences from the green, only a few more tastes from the oolong. A little bit peachy and nutty like almond or pistachio (a bit of a dramatization, but that’s what I taste). Better Western, personally medium steeps between a minute to two minutes at first. Probably a daily drinker, maybe a guest pleaser. For jasmine lovers and oolong lovers. A part of me actually prefers green and white even though oolong is my favorite. Something off about the balance to me. A lot of people on the website itself enjoyed it for the balance between the oolong and the jasmine. Maybe I wanted more oolong, or am just being too persnickety. I would recommend a try.

K S is right: the leaves resemble a Dian Hong, and it tastes like a Dian Hong. Main difference is I’m not quite getting the same sweet potato note, but a subtler malt. Same notes as recorded earlier, with dominant caramel and corn. I do get sweet potato later. Works incredibly well Gong Fu or Western. Perhaps one of my top white teas, but I’ll have to see over time. I want to drink this one more often to know, but only have a sample. Luckily, I can make the most out of any gram.

I was so worried about this one based on the bad experience with the cherry bomb. Luckily, I was wrong. This is creamy and orangy as an Earl Grey. It’s actually a lighter one which I really like with very little bitterness. Think orange push up or Fruit Loops Earl Grey. Good for any Earl Grey lover or guest.

Since I keep coming back to it, I’m upping the rating. I’ve gotten some guava notes the last few times I’ve had it. I’m also fairly convinced that this is a Dan Cong. Dan Congs, Qilans, and some Shui Xians are officially my favorite yan chas.