200 Tasting Notes
Got this as one of my “almost free” samples for Yunomi. I didn’t read the package clearly and realized it was TWO samples instead one. So I poured the whole packet in there and brewed it as instructed only to find it was WAAAAY too strong. So I diluted it with hot water and that seemed to do the trick.
Hot, this tea isn’t bad at all. But I decided to let it cool in the fridge to see how that went. And I have to say it’s a very pleasing tea chilled. It’s got a nice blend of vegetal, sweet, and umami. Maybe a little bit on the grassier side but not overwhelmingly so. I think it makes a really nice chilled tea. Even dilluted it is a bit strong, so maybe next time I might steep for 45 seconds instead of the full minute.
Preparation
Ooooooh yeah. I’m really liking this tea tonight.
Got this tea in the Sheng Olympiad. I had heard there was a lot of cha qi in this and it does not disappoint. It’s more of a calming effect though and not a “bouncing off the walls kinda loopy” effect that I’ve experienced with other teas.
The taste is absolutely wonderful too. I brewed it per the suggestion at almost boiling and kept to around 10s steeps. I tried to increase the time but I noticed some bitterness creep in so I’ve been dialing it back. The tea is flavorful throughout though even with some of the bitterness. Nothing too terrible as long as you keep the steeps on the shorter side. Very smooth. A little astringent. I wouldn’t say it’s an incredibly rich pu-erh with a lot of flavors but it’s an enjoyable taste. Not having to choke this down like I have been with others.
I could definitely buy a cake of this.
Preparation
Hey now, this one has jumped to the top of my wish list if babble actually thinks there’s qi here ;) What was the tea that got you started on chasing the cha qi dragon ? :)
It was actually an aged oolong from verdant. I think it was their 1985 oolong? And of course they are out of stock. I got it from a couple bana teas I journaled too.
Haha can’t imagine that was cheap anyway but that sucks, hate it when I find a great one and it’s out of stock. Interesting that it was an oolong…haven’t really found them to have much tea feels. I’ll look for those bana ones.
I can always send you a couple samples if you decide you wanna try. Won’t make any promises lol.
Meileaf has some tea they promise will get you tea drunk. Take that for what it’s worth.
Very nice of you to offer :) I’d have a hard time parting with my Adagio Dante but maybe…. Never heard of Meileaf so I’ll take that for little
Got this one in my Puerh+ box. The sample said it was 10g, but it was really closer to 5g. Womp womp.. For this special occasion I decided to break out my REAL gaiwan. I have an easy gaiwan that I use most of the time, but I thought “what the heck – let’s try the real thing.” I’m definitely far less slick with this than I am with the easy gaiwan. But, I’m learning.
Apparently the brewing parameters for this are all over the place. Some people use boiling water, some “slightly not boiling” .. so I’ve been doing a mixture of both. Also, some people are doing steeps of 30-45 seconds, but not me. Flash steeps are perfect enough for me. I think the tea has plenty of character at very short steepings.
This is a tea that thankfully is not too bad when brewed in boiling water. There is definitely an astringency that I’m getting with a lot of these steeps, but not really any bitterness which is nice for a wimp like me.
I’m on my … 6th or 7th steeping and this tea is still very flavorful with flash steepings. Why would I need to steep it longer? Not sure if I like it better boiling or under boiling – it’s a toss up. So I’m letting my kettle brew to boiling, pouring it, and then as it’s cooling pour again.
This is actually a really versatile tea and it’s not too much money either. Unfortunately, you have to buy the cake for the savings. Getting a sample just isn’t worth it. But I think I shall add this to me “Eventually I will buy from White2tea list”. Sorry, Naka, but you did not make the list (see earlier entry).
Preparation
sigh
I got a sample of this tea from the Puerh+ Box going around, and I was sooooo excited to try this tea for the infamous “tea drunk” reasons, since I found $30+ for a small sample a little hard to swallow (no pun intended). So I brewed this last night after a rough week and I awaited for the tea drunk-ness to overtake me.
The first couple steeps were super bitter. And these were short steeps – like 5s. The tea was hard to drink, so I dialed back the water temp to help smooth it out. The tea became enjoyable and smooth to drink but no tea drunk effect. Maybe there was a little calming but nothing crazy. I’ve been tea drunk before on other teas and this one was just “meh..” Maybe I used not enough leaf and too much water. Maybe I should have kept it at boiling instead of lowering the temperature. So many steeping parameters to wonder about it.
I do have another sample of this tea which I intend to try. It’s a very small sample though so I’ll have to be very careful how I brew it. Probably not enough for a full gaiwan, but I’ll make it work dangit! I’m determined to get tea drunk. Or at least see what the hype is about.
I will say that taken the hype away, the tea is pleasant to drink even if I don’t get anything off of it. It’s not good enough to justify the cost buuuut at least it makes it worthwhile to drink.
Preparation
No worries, you’re the second person who hasn’t felt anything from it. Nothing wrong with that, but I think there is something about going into a tea with high expectations even if they hold true for many people. I end up brewing mine at the end for a whole 15 minutes, I stretch this tea out : )
Yeah I definitely know of one other person who didn’t “feel it”. But I was hoping! I’m doing mine for long brews now to stretch it out as well. The taste isn’t bad for a puerh. Just underwhelming in the “tea drunk” department. I think it was you who put the sample in though, so THANK YOU for giving me the opportunity to try it one way or the other. And thanks for the pu-erh kit. If there’s ever tea sainthood, you should be considered.
Awww, that sucks I really liked this tea, but to be fair I didn’t get tea drunk in the sense of a lot of Cha Qi that makes you weak. Instead this was the one of the more gentle Cha Qi’s I’ve ever experienced and what it did do for me was just relax, I just sat back and relaxed. I didn’t feel anything aggressive, instead just chilled for a while. I would let it rest a bit and come back to it, if it still doesn’t work for you, there are other teas out there that might. Dont be frustrated if you dont share some of the experiences that other people had, I’ve had that happened to me. Sometime its outside variables that change the results, sometimes your body reacts differently and its not your cup of tea. :)
I’m sorry to hear that. My experience with this tea was like @JC said, I was pretty stoned. Actually, I had this just before thanksgiving, and I was asleep in the chair shortly after. I highly recommend boiling water and longer steeps. This is a favorite of mine, and it is an excellent tea.
I just looked at my notes, it was Christmas morning breakfast actually, haha.
Well maybe next time what I’ll do is try to it with all boiling water. I think I might also try a smaller vessel.
Qui is very subjective to each individual. Some will hit people hard and another may not. I will depend on the individual as much as the tea.
Glad to hear you liked the taste (I didn’t, just old books to me) but that sucks you had the same reaction (as in no reaction) to the qi. I’m going to give it another shot but not hopeful. I don’t remember it being bitter and I really pushed it after a few steeps (to see if I could get any effects) but I like bitter. Definitely do boiling if you want to maximize the potential effects. Still, I’m glad you got to try it (Liquid Proust is a G)…2005 Naka is a fascinating one due to the massive difference in reactions.
Been drinking a bunch of teas (yay) but have been too lazy to write tasting notes (boo) – so let’s remedy this. This came in the puerh plus box that I currently have and plan to send out soon once my Lupicia order comes in (hopefully tomorrow).
This is actually a really nice tea. Very smooth like someone else said. A nice standard ripe. Although I’m a little confused because “Sheng” is also in the name. Ay caramba!
I’ve been doing boiling water tonight and this tea is very forgiving and not bitter at all. Typically I use non-boiling water because I’m scared of astringency but this tea is pleasant to drink. I wouldn’t say the flavor is amazing but it’s a nice calming tea for tonight. I’ve been doing about 5 or 10s steepings. 15 and it seems to get a little TOO strong for me, at least in the beginning. Now that I’m on the 10th steeping or so 15 probably won’t be so bad.
This would be a great tea to get more of, but I went to the vendor website on Aliexpress and yikes it’s pricey. It’s a decent amount, but I really don’t need that much tea. Ahh well. And who knows what the fate of Aliexpress is these days anyway.
Preparation
So not gonna lie, totally got this tea at the recommendation of Oolong Owl when I asked her what teas from Bana would get me tea drunk. And I gotta say.. I’m definitely feelin’ it.
I’m hit or miss on pu-erh and the taste of this is… okay. Malty, definitely a strong mouthfeel. Woodsy, even. I’m supposed to get sweetness but I haven’t gotten any of that and I’m on my 7th infusion.
I followed the brewing instructions on the website and the first few infusions under 20 seconds were fine, but when I knocked it up to 30 sec it started to get really bitter. Like, “I can’t drink this bitter”. So I dialed it back to 20 to cut back on the bitterness and that definitely seems to help. This tea is definitely drinkable but it’s not WOW this amazing.
I’ll tell you what IS amazing though – the service at Bana tea. Oh my gosh. I corresponded with the owner a week before and she customized my tea order so much and was SO prompt at responding to everything and really went out of her way to make sure I got waht I wanted. I will EASILY order from them again.
Preparation
Eh.. drinking this tonight and not sure how I feel about it. I tried boiling first and that makes it waaaay to astringent. I brought the temperature down to 180-190 and it was still bitter. When I let it cool to green tea temperatures it got a lot better. But man, this tea is a lot of work. Out of 10 total steeps I probably got maybe 2 or 3 good ones. I might try another session and start out with just 170 or 160 water.
I bought this tea mostly for the fact that it was on sale and Lupicia has these really dumb $60 minimums to get free shipping.. and I was THIS close. Also, I was really intrigued. Can a tea really taste like a mimosa? The only caveat was that it’s set to expire soon – two months from today.
Little side story – I’m not a big alcohol drinker for various reasons. So one time at a brunch as the lady is pouring me a mimosa, I ask, “Can you go easy on the champagne and heavy on the orange juice?”. She looks me dead in the eye and says “In my 10 years of bartending I’ve NEVER had anyone ask me that before.” And thus, my friends would often joke about the “Rachel Mimosa” which was almost all orange juice with a splash of champagne.
So how about this tea? I can definitely smell the citrus fruits in this. While I could brew it hot, I decided to take two tea bags (in my handy Lupicia glass cooler), pour on some hot water, and let it cold brew for a while. After 8 hours it wasn’t bad, but I felt like it could have gone a little longer – so I left in for a full 24 hours. The result is actually not that bad. There’s some black tea and citrus notes, but nothing is overpowering and the tea is honestly really refreshing.
Does it taste like a mimosa? Heck no. It kinda tastes like a mild black tea with some modest orange flavoring. But I definitely wouldn’t drink this and think it’s anything like a mimosa. It’s still very pleasant though. And since I can’t even have orange juice as much anymore because it gives me heartburn this is honestly much better anyway.
Will I buy more? Eh probably not. Honestly if it’s on sale it’s probably being discontinued anyway. The tea isn’t bad. I’ve had better from Lupicia but it works well as a cold brew.
Preparation
So I heard a rumor that aged oolongs can get one “Tea drunk” so I decided to fire this up and see how it goes. This is also my first aged oolong. Tea drunk aside, this oolong is delicious!! I normally am not a huge fan of TGY because they’re too light but this is really really good. I decided to break out the setup and do it gongfu the best I can. I’ve read other tasting notes and it seems that other people are using yixing, but I decided to just use my ol’ reliable “easy gaiwan”.
There’s definitely a lot of roasted notes and nuttiness in this tea. I wouldn’t describe it as light at all. It’s also a little sweet although not overly so. It’s definitely more on the savory side, which I actually appreciate. On the verdant website they describe it as having a “sticky rice” taste and I definitely agree.
I’m following the parameters on verdant’s site of 6 oz of water per 6g of tea (or more like 5g since that’s all my sample was for). Doing 10s infusions + 3sec for each one. I’m on my third infusion and so far each one tastes similar, but I’m curious to see how the tastes evolve. I’ll definitely be seeking out more aged oolongs in the future!
Preparation
I bought some of this during the Black Friday sale. At first I was gonna pass over it, but I think it was 30% off and I said “eh, why not”. I’m a big fan of matcha powder, as long as it’s not too overpowering. I especially love matcha iced. Great way to get that green tea flavor without having to wait for steeping, especially if you’re in the mood for something cold. You’ll see a fair amount of my reviews were from matchas prepared cold.
You’re supposed to use 1 tsp of powder for a 20 oz. cup but that is really too strong for me. So I used a 1/2 tsp, poured in some water, ice, and gave it a good shake. The result is a really good grassy green tea beverage. It’s definitely no matcha, but it’s honestly not bad. I could drink this on a regular basis as it’s quite affordable.
