Daylon R Thomas Send Message

Wow…this is by far one of my favorites that you’ve granted me, Liquid Proust. Rocks, leaves, cedar, and Fall are what I smell in the dry leaf. There was something familiar about this one, like one of the ones you made…I shall not tell.

It was consistent in the third steep at 50 seconds, but was closer to roasted nuts. I can see why people describe this tea as having a “cinnamon” note. It doesn’t really taste like cinnamon itself, but it has a weird, spicy metallic character that is very similar.

On the Tour of Oolongs, this is by far one of my favorites. I can now say that it’s an Oolong that I definitely prefer, especially compared to a Bai Hoa and the Li Shan’s I’ve had. I like the woodiness of the Wu Yi’s I’ve had, but the problem is, well, they taste like wood which is something I don’t always want to have. The Li Shan’s are usually hit or miss: they either have a sweet, almost fruity character and buttery mouth feel with some sort of floral aspect that I LOVE, or they taste like flavorless water with a salty or buttery texture.

This tea fits all of my preferences. It’s crisp and deceives me into thinking that it’s lighter, but it is more complex and sophisticated than presented. There’s full range of flavor and it is sweet enough to be perfect on its own. This tea could really be brewed Gongfu or Western, but I personally think that it is sweeter and more nuanced Gongfu while Western would be more robust and maybe earthier. Officially one of the best teas I’ve had because of its sophistication in the guise of nutty simplicity. I’m not sure who I’d recommend this to. I really think that this one would apply to a pretty broad audience.

I was at a frozen yogurt place, and saw the options of tea they had, being all mighty leaf. I’ve always wondered about Houjicha and whether or not it does have a nuttier taste like people described. Well, I had a try western style keeping the bag in as I drank it. The leaves were fairly full in the sachet. I didn’t get too much of a smell because I was having some allergies. I also didn’t get too much of a taste either-it just tasted like a roasted green tea. But then I added a dash of honey, say a teaspoon, and it was much more complex. There was almost a butterscotch quality to it that I didn’t expect. It wasn’t overly sweet, not overly smokey. I enjoyed it, and it certainly satisfied my cravings for something smooth.

It’s a sad bit that the tea came out more with the honey. I prefer my teas without sweetener, but this one depended on the honey as a spotlight for the other notes. I’d maybe recommend it to a friend or someone who wants to try something different. However, this is great yet by no means a “wow”.

The version I’m reviewing is the re-released one. Again, I’m a sucker for ginger, and that’s the dominant flavor. The lemon grass adds a sweet, mild tartness that I actually like with the ginger. The green tea provides a fresh body for the ginger, but is slightly overwhelmed again by the ginger itself. You know for sure that you are drinking a green tea, but again, the ginger is dominant. I like this one on it’s own or with honey, and it’s actually pretty good for when I’m sick.

Definitely not the best tea I’ve had, albeit enjoyable nevertheless.

Down in Florida, one of my friends gave me a tea bag of this one. I was kinda surprised. I knew that I would doubtless like it being a mangosteen green tea, but I wasn’t expecting it to be as sweet as it was. I drank it without honey, and it was still fruity. I also left the bag in my cup, and it is not over steeping at all. More for a newer tea drinker definitely, but solid for my tastes. Not something I’d recommend to purists.

Thank you again, Liquid Proust!

I was kinda disappointed with this one. Great mouth feel like a buttery milk or any other mountain oolong I’ve had, but a little bland. All I got was roasted, butter, and salt notes with every steep, with only a little bit of variation. I tried to do it Gongfu, 15 second rinse, then 50 seconds, then nearly two minutes, then three. It might be better western, it might not be. I admit that I’ve gotten pickier with every cup, but I was wanting something more.

I’ve always wanted to try a roasted Tie Guan Yin, and Liquid Proust, you made that possible!

Anyway, I experimented with this one to see if I could do it Gongfu. I did a ten second rinse of it first, and I tasted it to see if it would be strong enough for a session. Strangely enough, it had a taste that kind of reminded me of cocoa. I sipped it again just to see if it was just me wanting that flavor, but no, it was totally there. I drank that, then made another 45 second cup. Unfortunately, the cocoa disappeared, and there was more of a paint, woodsy, roasted character. The same went on for the other few steeps. I had high hopes, and those hopes were satisfied in rinse one, but then left wanting in the others.

Thank you again, Garret!

I had a hard time with this one. Really earthy, and musty-almost smelled like fish food. The taste was significantly better-earth and somewhat sweet as described with a brown, burgundy, and slightly purple color. I could Gongfu only one cup, though. I wasn’t feeling great the day I was drinking it, and I could not drink any more. My review may be skewed, but don’t let it detract you from trying it. This is a connoisseur’s tea, and one for the adventurous.

Thank you Garret! I really enjoyed this one!

This was one of the recent samples I got from my last Mandala Order. Pu-Erh’s were in my budget since there typically cheaper, and I wanted to get one cake, the Noble Mark, as a preemptive hangover strike for my 21st a few months from now next year (it helped my roommate out and I looked up that it helps detox alcohol). I also got it in case the price goes up with age. And I needed something to replace my morning coffee, and for about four bucks per ounce plus free shipping, I decided it was worth getting some, though I’ll drink it more in the winter and next year.

So for this one: I’m still slowly getting over the “pooh” smell in Pu-Erh. It made me hesitate, but I reminded myself that Pu-Erh very rarely tastes like it smells. I was right. I rinsed it twice, first five seconds, then ten. The first 45 second steep brewed something that highly resembled coffee in color, with a little bit more orange and burgundy, or even purple undertones. The taste was like a very smooth black tea, albeit with a dark earth, yet somehow silkier body. There’s some woodsiness that also reminds me of some Wu Yi’s that I’ve had. The second and third steeps were approximately between 45-50 seconds. It somehow got sweeter and more minerals later one, which I started to prefer. There’s some chocolate there, but I almost did not notice it-to me it was much more like a dark chocolate.

The thing that I really liked about this tea was how smooth it was. Astringency was only slightly there, but almost nonexistent. The only bitterness was from the earthiness of the Pu-Erh, but again, it was not so present and yields smooth.

This tea is definitely for a more experienced drinker. My mom is pretty experienced herself and she liked it, but she also had to get past the smell to drink it. NEWBIES BE WARNED. Tea snobs, come loving it.

Another good oolong from Liquid Proust! My review may be a little bit skewed because it’s an older sample, but this tea has one of the better mouth feels that I’ve gotten so far. Like others I’ve had, it’s kind got a texture like butter. As for the flavor, it’s fairly consistent with each steep, being grassy, creamy, and barely floral. Otherwise, it’s blander compared to the others that I’ve had. Does not detract from the mouth feel, though.

Thank you, Liquid Proust! This is a good Tie Guan Yin that comes pretty close to one of my favorites. Orchid, grass, some cream, and a dash of butter is what I get with almost every steep, more so in the second. There is a little bit of sweetness if you drink it very carefully. It also has a really solid mouth feel for me until the last steep. I got three out of this one doing western style. Pretty good, and solid. Just one level too light for me. I’d recommend to almost anyone though.