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derk drank Dragon Phoenix Tender Heart by Song Tea & Ceramics

1639 tasting notes

Another bowl tea. Hm. Can be soft and quiet but really wants to shine as crisp and clear in a sense, with a dark, grounding depth and fortitude not expressed in Qing Xin cultivar. Difficult to describe. This is Ruan Zhi, a popular cultivar in the plantations of Thailand. But this leaf is grown on Taiwan, Shan Lin Xi.

My imagination is running away. I feel an enclave of tall, triangular conifers, housing the beauty of orchids in their bark… surrounding a small pond dark, opaque and cool, ringed by hand-carved cold stone. It’s almost a blue-green association, or cyanobacterial. The tea also elicits the feeling of the Temple of Light in God of War Ragnarök. Warms the throat like a pillar of ethereal buttery light.

Preparation

Boiling 10 OZ / 300 ML

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3 comments

Daylon R Thomas
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That sounds ethereal and epic. I’ve had one Ruan Zhi that was really good from What-cha, but have not had any that were on the same level.

Leafhopper
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Agreed, that tea sounds interesting! I always love your tea descriptions.

Martin Bednář
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I want to release my imagination like you do sometimes!

People who liked this

Comments

Daylon R Thomas
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That sounds ethereal and epic. I’ve had one Ruan Zhi that was really good from What-cha, but have not had any that were on the same level.

Leafhopper
Delete

Agreed, that tea sounds interesting! I always love your tea descriptions.

Martin Bednář
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I want to release my imagination like you do sometimes!

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This place, like the rest of the internet, is dead and overrun with bots. Yet I persist.

Eventual tea farmer. If you are a tea grower, want to grow your own plants or are simply curious, please follow me so we can chat.

I most enjoy loose-leaf, unflavored teas and tisanes. Teabags have their place. Some of my favorite teas have a profound effect on mind and body rather than having a specific flavor profile.

Favorite teas generally come from China (all provinces), Taiwan, India (Nilgiri and Manipur). Frequently enjoyed though less sipped are teas from Georgia, Japan, and Nepal. While I’m not actively on the hunt, a goal of mine is to try tea from every country that makes it available to the North American market. This is to gain a vague understanding of how Camellia sinensis performs in different climates. I realize that borders are arbitrary and some countries are huge with many climates and tea-growing regions.

I’m convinced European countries make the best herbal teas.

Personal Rating Scale:

100-90: A tea I can lose myself into. Something about it makes me slow down and appreciate not only the tea but all of life or a moment in time. If it’s a bagged or herbal tea, it’s of standout quality in comparison to similar items.

89-80: Fits my profile well enough to buy again.

79-70: Not a preferred tea. I might buy more or try a different harvest. Would gladly have a cup if offered.

69-60: Not necessarily a bad tea but one that I won’t buy again. Would have a cup if offered.

59-1: Lacking several elements, strangely clunky, possesses off flavor/aroma/texture or something about it makes me not want to finish.

Unrated: Haven’t made up my mind or some other reason. If it’s puerh, I likely think it needs more age.

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