Featured & New Tasting Notes
I love how “shabby chic” White Peony tea looks like, unstructured and lacking in formal rules. The leaves look like they just woke up and didn’t have time to fix their hair yet!
Fluffy, some large and some small, oddly shaped, it’s beautifully disorganized.
Brewing it never fails me. It’s one of those I always go «Ahhh, yes, here you are, it’s been too long…» cause I usually shy away from white tea during winter but drink lots of it during summer season, cold or hot.
I am using the Gaiwan, I don’t measure or weigh it cause it’s too light, I just completely fill the vessel, it’s simpler.
It smells and tastes like hay warmed by the sun. It has beautiful notes of stone fruit, maybe apricot, and I also get some cucumber.
The second steep is always the best, it bursts with sweet melon juiciness, more stone fruit, hay still present.
Very relaxing and warming, a solid tea I can always rely on.
Welcome back to my life Bai Mu Dan!
It’s my birthday!!!
I’ve had a nice relaxing morning so far. Woke up and made a cup of Laoshan Black (yum) and made a Dutch Baby with fresh lemon juice and powdered sugar on top (also YUM). Then my husband gave me some of my gifts…all were tea so far LOL!
He got me the Starbuck’s matchaccino copy from RedLeaf, and a HUGE box from Butiki including-
The Black Lotus
Blackberry Lime Guayusa
Taiwanese Wild Mountain Black
2009 Banchang tree Puerh (having that one now, SO GOOD!)
Kenyan Silver Needle
Stacy also threw in some excellent samples! Birthday cake (totes apropos) the NEW Chocolate Espresso with Strawberry Cream frosting (OMG can’t wait) and the phase one butterscotch chai trial, and a new Taiwanese Black! Thanks Stacy!!!
Tonight I’m going to a neat local event the call Zoo Brew. They close the local Zoo for the evening and people pay to get in and there are a TON of booths with food and beer samples of all sorts. My husband is actually in the local homebrew club so he will be there with 5 gallons of his donated beer (an Amber Ale) serving samples to the masses. The homebrew club booth is always the MOST popular…these guys are fantastic brewers but they can’t SELL their beer without the proper licensing, but they CAN donate it to events like this! People go nuts for their unique and tasty beers :) Anyway should be a great time if it doesn’t get rained out!
Happy birthday!
Sounds like a great start to your day! Way to go hubby on the gifts! And I love Dutch Babies, especially with honey. My mom has always made them for her kids on their birthdays. Wish there was a way to make them delicious without half a stick of butter.
Happy birthday!
Happy Birthday!
Happy birthday, enjoy your tea. As an ex-homebrewer I’m sure the Zoo Brew will be a fun change of pace for your taste buds. Have fun!
Happy birthday!!!
Happy Birthday Stephanie, have fun tonight :-)
Happy Birthday!! Sounds like it’s already off to a great start!!
Happy Birthday!!!!!
Happy Birthday! Sounds like a lot of fun!
Happy Birthday, Stephanie!
Thanks everyone!
Dustin I will PM you my Dutch Baby recipe, we can compare notes :)
Happy birthday! Hope you have a great time at the Zoo!
Happy Birthday! Hope you have a fantastic day! Your hubby happened to mention that the teas were for your Bday, so had to throw in a sample of the Birthday Cake. FYI, the Butterscotch Chai is not going to happen. Just feel as though it is not right but it tastes great with sugar. Have fun at the Zoo Brew! That sounds awesome!
Happy Birthday amazing tea friend!!!! Have lots of fun !!!!
A late happy birthday to you! Butiki for birthday – perfect! We have something for kids called the Zoo BOO around here. haha.
another backlog from yesterday, this one courtesy of VariaTEA I’m a little worried that i’ll get my teas from swaps mixed up so apologies if i miscredit someone with a tea they gave me. I’m trying to get them all separate since the house is a complete mess but who knows how well that will work. It was lovely to have this back in the house again. it’s one of the few teas from ATR that i really enjoy enough to want to purchase but they are a pain to get to canada. thanks for putting this back in my cupboard!
You’re welcome. NayLynn got 3-4 oz for me so I was more than happy to share as I haven’t been able to get to my cupboard teas lately, what with all the swaps, and I would hate for all that tea to go stale.
Ha! We both had this yesterday! It’s so good. I think I got mine from VariaTEA too! highfives
both of you…all your tea is packed up and ready for pick up (beyond anything you want to “shop” for at my place)…anytime is fine by me – my tea is one of the few things really organised in the house right now lol
Haha. I see you had your priorities straight. Tea first, everything else later. When I moved home, I insisted my box of tea go in the van with me as opposed to the moving truck and it was the first thing I unpacked.
Yay for having at least one thing organized! :)
Tea was organized day one except that I still had swaps that came in, in their own boxes…now it’s all unpacked and sorted etc….and I split up your teas etc… Today I packaged stuff to go out as well…. I’m stupidly sick so I’m not very productive but that made me feel good.
Really, now. All the talking I do about this tea. All the references to the delights of the melon oolong. All that swagger. And yet I barely ever log it.
The main issue is that I’ve given most of it away, so I’ve been hoarding the rest of it, just a little bit, for summer. But now summer is here! 33 C in the shade, and Em and I have to go groceryin’, and Em is all but the heat and I’m all I love when it’s warm and Em is all noooo please carry me and I’m all well, if you’re a very very good little puddle of sweat i will buy you a gelato and I could go on but you get it.
This tea is gorgeous. I’ve been in doubt after all these melon white discussions – did I really note such a big difference between the two? Was I mistaken? I am very happy to announce (ha, classic hog) that I was not. This is so much better than the melon white, in my opinion – ripe, fruity, smooth, complex. This is really, really, really good.
Preparation
Backlog:
LOVE!
Some time ago, in the forums, I commented on the thread that asked what Dragonwell people were going to get this spring. This is one that I recommended. It’s an OUTSTANDING dragonwell.
Then again, you can’t really go wrong with Teavivre.
This is a very fresh Dragon Well, and it’s a freshness that can be tasted. Sweet, mild, fresh, pure, clean, nutty and buttery are all words that come to mind when I sipped this tea. It’s an invigorating and refreshing green tea.
A delightful chestnut flavor with a hint of steamed veggies. As I continued to sip, I could pick up on some apple-like flavors. Savory notes toward mid-sip: a little salty. A really, really good Dragonwell!
here’s my full-length review: http://sororiteasisters.com/2014/04/21/organic-nonpareil-qian-dragon-well-long-jing-green-tea-teavivre/
That’s an impressively long name for that tea.
This sounds great, I look forward to getting to the dragon well portion of my green tea project.
“You can’t go wrong with Teavivre.” One of the truest statements I have ever read.
Agreed!
They are a company that continues to impress me. I was blown away with how good this Dragon Well is.
Thank you Dexter for sharing this with me. It is a good genmaicha – roasty with a little bit of butter and grass from the base. A very pleasant cup, though, there is nothing particularly outstanding that I would go out of my way to stock it. I am glad I got to try it out though so thank you once again :).
Interesting – I like this one…. Can I ask what’s your favorite genmaicha? LOL If there is one out there that is significantly better than this I should be looking for it. ;))
There is not one that I can think of that I like more that is not flavored but to me, most genmaichas are similar with just subtle differences. This one is very good but Lupicia isn’t exactly the most accessible so I don’t think it is unique enough to warrant placing an order just for this. I would maybe add it to an order if I was already making one though.
OK fair enough. I just thought maybe you knew of a SPECTACULAR one that I didn’t know about…. :))
No I don’t but if I find one, I will let you know. Honestly though, I tend to prefer the flavored genmaichas like Japon.
Japon was the first flavored gemaicha I have had and it is delicious, but I also have a special place in my heart for plain genmaichas. I’m always looking for new ones to try.
I LOVE Verdant’s Loashan Black Chocolate Genmaicha – that’s probably my favorite. Plain genmaicha, I too keep looking for one that’s the right balance of toasty roasty to green. I really like genmaicha, but I think in my heart I know that my favorite genmaicha is a hojicha. Or what I’m trying to say is that I think if I’m in the mood for that style – hojicha works better for me…
Drank a resteep of this while I was watching the local news coverage this morning about how the RCMP caught the psycho cop killer who shall not be named.
What a relief it’s all over, just knowing he’s not out there anymore and no one else had to die because of this scumbag. Now we focus on the healing of our city and trying to feel safe again.
There’s a vigil tonight for the 3 RCMP officers who lost their lives at the hands of this guy whose name I shall not speak.
But three names I will speak, because these names are important:
Const. Dave Ross
Const. Fabrice Georges Gevaudan
Const. Douglas James Larche
Thank you for protecting our city. May you all rest in peace.
This review wasn’t about the tea, but I don’t think it needed to be.
Thanks for posting this…
Okay, this is largely off topic but does your Steepster name have anything to do with this song: http://youtu.be/8cMmCtLLHGg ? Because every time I see it, I hear this song in my head :D Which is great because The Smiths are one of my favorite bands ever.
Yeah, I was an angsty teen/20 something but the name still stuck :)
+1 and agree totally. Prayers for their families.
Thank you for focusing on the brave fallen souls rather than the killer, I feel the media spends far too much time talking about the bad guys and don’t talk enough about the good, happy someone shares my sentiments! And ptayers to all affected <3
So very sorry for those families.
I went to the hospital this morning, and I saw great beauty.
There was an older man sitting next to me in the waiting room. He told me he had a brain tumour and only 6 months to live.
I asked what were his plans for the next 6 months. With tears in his eyes, he pointed at the little boy next to him, his grandson. His daughter was also there. He told me he was going to spend as much time as possible with them.
Then the little boy, (three years old) got up, gently took his grandpa’s face between his two miniature hands and stared. He said with a big smile on his face: «Don’t be sad Pappy, all the pain is gone…»
I cried. His daughter cried. Then we all looked at the little boy, and laughed. It was one of those moments where you can’t help reflect on your own life. It was special. That little boy will be forever in my heart and so will be the old man.
When I got home, I was exhausted, but grateful. Grateful to have time in front of me to love and cherish those who are important to me.
I chose to dink this tea for its beauty and purity.
It’s clean, and it gives me some peace and quiet inside. It’s very sweet, brothy and slightly vegetal. It’s milky in a rice milk kind of way. It’s soothing. It’s what I need.
I don’t have much else to say, just thought I’d share this beautiful story with you all :-)
That’s lovely. So lovely.
Yes, We sometimes meet the most wonderful people at the most unexpected places…
Thank you for sharing that – so very touching and beautiful!
Beautiful. A good reminder to be in the moment so that you don’t miss experiences like this.
Wow, powerful stuff
This is the day when Steepster made me cry. Thank you for the story, TeaFairy!
Very poignant and a great reminder of what’s truly important in life.
Thank you guys, I’m glad I’m not the only one who was touched by this little boy today…
Inranger, that’s what it was all about :-)
It’s the little things that mean so much. And words from a child the purest and most honest sayings.
Thank you for sharing this lovely story! A great reminder to enjoy every moment in your life, especially with loved ones
I’m sitting here sobbing. This so beautiful and so heart-wrenching. I lost my very beloved Daddy to brain tumors much, much too soon. I want to hug that little boy and that man so hard. It’s Father’s Day next weekend and that is always a bittersweet time for me and he’s been gone for years now. Thank you for sharing this.
MzPriss, so sorry this post brought back sad memories…I’m very sorry for your dad.
It’s OK really. I still miss him a way lot. My Daddy was hilarious and and loving and I was the light of his life. I got a lot
From my Daddy and I have great memories.
:-)
moving story. Be happy even in the darkest days, and always find something that can bring you peace or cherry you up.
Rome is at its very worst in June; I’ve always left in summer and it’s always taken a couple of years for me to even consider going back. All because of June. There’s something about the light, maybe. Or the dust in the air, the loudsweaty tourists, the desperate groping in the parks. This season turns everyone into an animal, but June, for some reason, is always the worst of it. In June you still remember delicate, sheer May – what it was like not to be sickwrong and itchy. In July you’ve adapted and just learned to live with the illness.
A ripe, dark, fruity oolong is just right on a day like this. I’m never disappointed in Lupicia’s oolongs – they never let me down, they never make me reconsider. What more could you possibly expect from anything?
Preparation
Very poetic!
I understand, though Rome tends to absorb tourists a little better than some other major tourist centres I’ve been to. Florence was the worse. Firenze is a completely different city between the renaissance Disneyland of high tourist season and the rest of the year.
my niece will be there in a week….adding to the chaos that is your environment!
Haha, thanks, Doug!
yyz – I agree Rome (not least, as the vastly larger city) absorbs tourists better than Florence, but sadly that doesn’t make the glaring difference between the off season and now any less obvious. It should probably be added that I live in an area of Rome that more often than not makes it necessary for me to choose one of the Ripetta/Corso/Babuino options, which are all near impossible to navigate efficiently right now.
donkeytiara – Ooh, I hope she has a very lovely time!
Sipdown (170/176)
So it appears whatshesaid and I are both embarking on our Firefly journey alongside one another as we both drink Adagio’s character inspired teas!
We also both had this one tonight, though I think I had a very different experience with it than she did. I should note that I added milk to my mug of it because once I saw it had Strawberries in the blend I thought this would be awesome with milk!
For me, I picked up heavy notes of strawberries and cream as well as notes of chocolate although they were more background notes. The hibby in this was really hard to detect for me; not that I’m complaining. Something about hibiscus and chocolate just doesn’t sound right to me. Drastically different from whatshesaid (and apparently everyone else who has reviewed this) is that I got a lot of licorice taste in this! Huh. I’m wondering if maybe there was some flavour contamination? Although I can’t think what possibly from. I don’t know; I thought it tasted good with the weird licorice notes, anyway.
This seems like a good blend for Kaylee; I like how flavourful and fun it is. Plus, I’m only on episode four and already they’ve focused on Kaylee eating strawberries twice. This tea kinda reminded me of her ruffle-y pink and white dress too which kinda looked like a strawberry and cream layer cake.
Anyway, pressure’s on to finish the series because I told Tyrell that if I finish it by Sunday I’ll start watching Game of Thrones with him, and he seemed really excited about that.
Next up I think will be one of the Tams or Captain Mal? I don’t know; I guess we’ll see tomorrow night. Thanks again VariaTEA for the sample! I liked this one better than Inara.
Flavors: Cream, Licorice, Strawberry
GAME OF THRONES IS AWESOME!!! You are getting to experience some great television :)
Sounds like you enjoyed it! The milk was probably a good idea.
I like your comparison to her frilly silly layer cake dress, I just watched that one actually :)
<3 Kaylee. And GoT! :D I hope you enjoy both shows!
I’m loving this tea lately. It’s kind of like a cross between our Premium Taiwanese Assam and our Taiwanese Wild Mountain Black except that it would be a much stronger version of PTA. It has a bit of a stronger maltiness but yet also has the sweetness that is present in the Taiwanese Wild Mountain Black. Very interesting. I overleafed a bit so I am getting a nice burst of malt, very close to astringent but not quite. There are some lovely honey, stone fruit, dark chocolate, and fresh baked bread notes. I’m also getting a slight earthiness and some raisin notes. Absolutely delicious!
Lately, I have been all about gardening. This year I planted a nice box of cabbage, basil, tomatoes, and arugula. I also planted a smaller raised box of jalapenos, tomatoes, basil, and arugula. Each year, I will be adding a new box and fruit tree in our backyard until we have too many fruits and veggies. I also planted a pear tree and a bunch of flowers this year. Yesterday, my first jalapeno was harvested and I made some nachos with homemade salsa and guac. So good! Will be starting composting soon. Very excited to get back into gardening after taking a break last year. Anyone else into gardening?
Oh, this tea sounds so good Stacy, added to my shopping list!
Your garden sounds awesome! You seem to have a very green thumb :-)
I am a plant serial killer, everything I touch dies :-( I seem to have a bit of success with herbs (that’s because they kind of take care of themselves!) but that’s it!
I LOVE gardening! Finally figured out how to do it successfully in Texas after many years of fail. Lately I have been taking off for the summers and leaving my garden, so my neighbors get to reap what I sow instead of me. I dream of having a small orchard someday! Your garden sounds awesome!
I love gardening! I’ve got a ton of tomatoes as usual, but I’ve had to switch to F1 hybrids because we have a bad fusarium fungus problem in our soil. I will miss my special heirlooms :( I am also growing several kinds of basil and arugula (already ate all the arugula though) mustard greens, lettuce, kale, radishes, okra, cucumbers, habaneros, thai chilis, eggplant, many flowers, a few strawberries, and blackberries. I put in a grafted tree with half plums and half peaches a couple of years ago but it isn’t producing yet :)
Your tea and your guac both sound fabulous!
A. I now want this tea. B. I like “gardening” but I’m limited to house plants because I live in an apartment. I now have plants at work too…they’re spreading lol
TheTeaFairy-I think this one might by your type of tea. Thanks. I used to be a plant killer but I’m getting better every year and reading up on gardening. Also, I’m very lucky to get advice from my dad and one of my good friends is a crazy gardener. Her backyard is just boxes of veggies (no lawn at all) and her husband is a computer engineer so they built an automated sprinkling system for their boxes. So, I get lots of good advice.
Dustin-I bet Texas would be a very challenging environment. That’s pretty sweet for your neighbors. I’m trying to work on the small orchard. Our yard isn’t crazy large but maybe 10-15 fruit bearing trees would be awesome.
Stephanie-Oh no, sorry to hear about your fungus issue. Wow, sounds like you have a nice selection of fruits and veggies.
mj1851-Hahaha, plant spread. :)
I’m not particularly garden interested, but Husband is. Because we bought a house, he now has his own garden for the first time, so he’s very keen. Personally I’m mostly interested in the prospect of growing our own nearly free food. He’s starting out slow, though. There are a few herbs and some courgettes, which are doing well (this is good because we eat a lot of those and they are relatively expensive) and some beans with sweetpeas mixed in. Four squares with those. I keep an eye on the bean (and that was the bean. Singular. Only one showed up, boo!) daily, but it doesn’t look very healthy. I think it looks like it’s been nibbled. About a handful of the sweetpeas have come up, though, so those are doing a little bit better. Not much, though.
This remains the best Keemun ever for me cause it’s different from any others I have tried. There’s no smoke at all, yay! It’s all about the tea’s glorious floral and fruity fragrances.
No wonder this makes such a great morning tea, it will awake all your senses in no time.
The floral part is not an “in your face” bouquet, but more like the subtle taste you get when rose petals are added to a blend. It’s just very soft and delicate.
There’s a nice little tang in this cup, tastes a bit like a good quality apple cider.
It’s sweet and malty, slightly earthy, and I notice a certain saltiness at the end of the sip.
It’s not a “heavy” black tea, it feels very clear and clean to me.
This was my last cup, as I just used what I had left but it’s a definite restock!
Oh, and Dexter (my dog) gave it the “sniff of approval”! It’s so funny, cause he couldn’t care less about some of the teas I drink, but some will have his nostrils go berserk! I guess he knows something special when he smells it! A true canine tea sommelier extraordinaire ;-)
I love the way “canine tea sommelier extraordinaire” sounds. :D
;-)
Does Dexter desserves this :http://www.lefigaro.fr/sortir-paris/2011/03/22/03013-20110322ARTFIG00678-luxe-ces-enseignes-qui-ont-du-chien.php
?
I’m sure it’s a real dog and real tea sommelier :)
Lol, Ysaurella, that was hilarious and completely ridiculous! I think Dexter prefers his mistress’s comfy rustic bedroom to those fancy hotels…even if they’re in Paris!
(A Cavalli coat might be something to consider though ;-))
I had Indian buffet for lunch and ordered a chai with it. Not the best tea ever but it went really nicely with the meal. SO FULL NOW! Buffets are dangerous!
hehehe, but so good ;)
probably a good time for a nap ;)
Now I am back at work and you’re right Terri, all I want is a nap. Buffet was a BAD PLAN! :P
You got some mint tea around?
I just dug through my tea desk. No mint…I’ve got straight ginger tea, or some shu. Those are my best bets I think!
you can even mix them up
Yeah, I think I might try that :)
Indian buffets are the best! The hubby and I are meeting some friends out for Dosa night tonight. For $12 you get all you can eat dosas, with 25 varieties. I’m going to be feeling like you soon. Hahaha.
I love Dosas! My husband and I made them once. They were trickier than most Indian dishes :) But so good and thin and crispy once we finally got it right!
Oh you gals made me hungry…now all I can think about is eating Naan bread dipped in Dal!!!
Stephanie-Nice! I’ve always wanted to make dosas but they look tricky and we don’t have a great flat grill.
TheTeaFairy I think lentils are my favorite part of Indian food. I love beans and lentils and Indian dishes are the BEST.
Stacy, my husband has a cast iron pizza “stone” (our ceramic ones kept breaking) and it worked perfectly for dosas.
Was it the place by the mall?
Nope, Marzipan that one is no longer a buffet :)
Stephanie-That sounds like it would work perfectly.
Buffets are the best way to go in my opinion! Love the choices.
Good morning my tea slurping darlings!!
I’m in a really mood today! I woke up early during a thunder storm, drifted back to sleep until 9ish, had a hot headache (I ate at Qdoba last night, so probably from some preservative or other chem in their salsa), did some yoga & deep breathing, & although I can still feel something in my head, I decided I wanted an awesome breakfast. Pancakes, berries, maple, & homemade turkey apple maple sausages (let me know if you want the recipe, piece of cake to make).
I wanted a simple pot of black to tea to drink while prepping food, so I went with this one. I love the boldness, the smoothness, & the light smokiness. Now for breakfast!
A good mood? ;)
LOL, yep, A really good mood! Just feeling really happy for some weird reason I have yet to figure out. Why bother trying? I’m just gonna enjoy the day!
Haha, that’s great – enjoy!!
You too! :)
I love being called a “tea slurping darling” ;-)
I knew you would! :)
Thank you, Angel & Teavivre for sharing a generous sample of this tea with me!
I sampled it this afternoon, using my test tube steeper & short steepings. The tiny long leaves opened up nicely & the resulting tea was wonderful, to my taste. The most noticeable quality was a light smokiness, a thick mouth, lush vibrant green taste, & awesome chaqi!
This tea is almost like drinking a raw puerh.
Wow.
This tea is creeamy, eggnoggy goodness.
Dry, it smells amazing. While steeping, delicious. After my timer goes off and I take that first sip….OUT OF THIS WORLD YUMMY
It is truly the creamy eggnog of the name, comforting, enveloping, deliciousness.
And I really needed it today.
On the way into the office, I was involved in a car accident. I was not at fault in the least, but my car is damaged, and is now sitting at a body shop. The girl who hit me, her car is much worse off than mine, and I’m pretty sure she got a ticket. Today was a beautiful day, and apparently this means people get into lots of wrecks on the interstates. Because there were no injuries, we were at the bottom of the list for the police to come write a report. (I needed that report for my insurance.) I spent over two hours this morning waiting on the side of the freeway with cars just whizzing past at high rates of speed. I’m glad everyone was okay.
But this meant that I didn’t get to drink more tea until mid afternoon. I am glad I picked this one. Thank you so much, lolainred for sharing this with me.
I almost forgot. This does one resteep well, slightly less eggnoggy but still good. The second resteep is the nice green base.
Preparation
Glad you are OK! I love this tea, too :)
glad you were not hurt!
What an ordeal! D: Thank goodness nobody was hurt.
Glad your okay.
Thanks, everyone. I’m really glad that no one was hurt, too. It’s just been a long day, and not nearly enough tea was drunk.
Sorry to hear his happened but the big question… did you have any tea with you :-D
Hahah! I’d finished my iced matcha latte and I had a bunch of loose leaf with me, but nothing I could drink.
Sorry for the accident, so glad you weren’t injured…
Oh wow now I want to try that. Going to have to look it up.
Eggnog is one of my guilty pleasures every Winter.
And wow sorry about your accident :c That sucks. I would have been a nervous wreck sitting on the side of the highway that long. >_< At least you had a nice tea to make your day better afterwards!
I was in a mood for sheng today. If somebody told me that I would become puerh obsessed last June I would think that person is crazy. Yes, I see puerh cakes in my dreams and I also place orders in dreams and real life. A lot.
Back to the tea.
5g 150 ml gaiwan 195F
Rinse/ 5/5/7/7/10/15 sec
Nice sweet like bell peppers, juicy and some tobacco.
Later I decided to increase temp to 200F. I like it even more. No bitterness, dried persimmon, some spice and very smooth. It has some orangish tint compare to other young sheng I tried ( those are yellowish-greenish usually)
Im so happy I picked another cake to hoard before it disappears.
Preparation
This is a really excellent Sheng!!!
Best sheng I’ve had so far…except maybe Butiki’s new one!
Yay! This makes me happy! The 2014 version is a delight, too. At first, I was resistant to it, I’ll admit… thinking it could not live up to what I had expected as far as energy and zing from the spring-picked 2012 leaf from the same farm. But I was wrong. Did another session with it on Sunday and was grinning from ear to ear by the 5th infusion, ready for yoga, ready for anything.
Good stuff for sure!
Lol, is there little clouds and little sheep with your little pu’erh cakes in your dreams?
TheTeaFairy, in my dreams I’m stacking bricks and cakes. And I wake up because its not enough space. Haha ( actually its not funny , I ran out of space)
I’m scared of pu’er.
DT – what scares you about pu’er???
donkeytiara, i think you are a black tea lover, so shou maybe more palatable to you than sheng. You shouldnt be scared, just try. rinsing tea and short steeps(like seconds) are essential. you dont even need a gaiwan or Yixing. You can brew it in a steeping basket.
I’ve tried a mild pu’er (I don’t know if they get any milder than Lupicia’s Chocolate & Strawberry Pu’er) :) and it just kind of had this “barn floor” taste to it….. it seems like they are like very complex wines, but do they all have that “barn floor” taste to them?
Special Dark by Mandala has no barn or fishy taste or smell. its one of my favorite.
You tried A&D Yunnan Golden tips and you like it, so now you should find shou with golden tips. This one i liked a lot
http://www.dragonteahouse.biz/golden-buds-mengku-pu-erh-tea-cake-2009-150g-ripe.html
I also like Haiwan recipe with dried fruit notes and leather.
I feel the same, donkeytiara. I’ve only tried one pu’er which was from verdant and although it wasn’t “barnyardy” it was very earthy and seaweedy, and not something I am used to or really like. The mandala special dark always seems like a favorite – I have a mandala order planned in my head with this one on the list.
donkeytiara good puerh rarely has the off taste to it. A blended puerh like you have had will never compare to a full on one with nothing in it. A shot of Special Dark would probably change your mind. Dayi and Haiwan and BoYou brands are good shous also.
mrmopar, I agree with you!
The past two months have been rough medically speaking, I have TMJ from being intubated twice in eight weeks, and doxycycline is making it interesting after meals trying to keep food IN.
Time for the Queen. The is the most comforting tea I think I have ever had in my life. I can not hear the song, “Good Life” by One Republic without thinking of this tea.
Down the hatch and feeling fortified.
I’m so sorry about everything you have been through recently. Hopefully your medical struggles are over and you are well on the road towards recovery. Sending you warm thoughts and wishing you a smooth path ahead.
I’m so sorry, and hope you’ll be feeling well soon.
Massive hugs to you and I hope you feel better!
Past 3 months have been terrible for me as well but at least I’m on the upswing. Get better soon. :)
Wishing you speedy recovery! My father was taking some holistic stuff after chemo and radiation. It did help him.
Delicious! Thank you Boychik!
So bold, yet not too astringent or bitter in any way.
I’ve been so impressed with all of the Damn Fine teas so far. It seems you really can’t go wrong with them! Not sure which has been my favorite so far…maybe the Spring Keemun.
Oh I’m do glad you like them. I’m very happy with A&D. I’d say I drank Caravan the most. Just ordered a new tin;)
Spring is different fro other Keemans I tried( not too many). I like saltiness in it.
I almost tried Caravan today…it was a toss up between these two!
It’s excellent breakfast tea. I wouldnt sample it without food.
I have decided to break this small 100g cake tonight, time to give it some love.
It’s been sitting in its fairy box for a little while now…for real. I was given a special box from a special tea friend. It really moved me cause I like all things fairy and needed a box to store some cakes. When I saw it, I knew right away it would be perfect for my little Mandala cakes. Thank you friend, I think of you every time I look at it :-)
https://www.flickr.com/photos/laafeevertee/14310294606/in/photostream/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/laafeevertee/14331713972/in/photostream/
Now the tea. I’m using 5g for my little 5oz glass Gongfu pot.
It’s very clear in colour, beautiful pale yellow.
Seriously, this is almost to good to handle.
I don’t know if there’s something wrong with me, but I’ve been getting lots of peachy notes in tea lately. I get that again, bright unripe peach flesh. There’s a nice bite at the end of the sip, quite strong for a first steep, I like that very much, it tingles my tongue. It’s not on the sweet side, maybe something I’ll get later.
I lost the peach in the second steep, this time I get woody notes, but no smoke. A nice citrusy astringency is developing and keeps my interest growing. I closed the tv and instead, put on the beautiful piano-guitar-violin and baritone voice of The National to better savour the moment. (I promise if you listen to this song till the end, you’ll get chills)
That’s what tea moments are all about for me.
I’ll be sipping my night through this tea, as I know it’s still holding many surprises in its leaves…
I love the box, you are right its just perfect for the cakes. i think you need Autumn Song in there as well.
Thanks boychik, I will keep that in mind for next order :-) I love the size of those little cakes…
I am so afraid of cakes now, after having read a thread in the forum about mold. lol
I love the art on those cakes. That song is sad…
Such a pretty box – I love fairy things too! :)
Sherapop, I’m no expert, but I wouldn’t be afraid of mold if the cakes are bought from a reliable source. If it’s stored properly and never in contact with anything wet, I don’t see how it can grow mold. I’m not aging my cakes so I know they’ll be gone soon. If I was, I’d be asking more advices for storage. Lol, I must have missed that forum discussion.
Boychik, I agree, everything about those cake is artsy, I feel bad when I brake one!
(Sad songs are a necessity sometimes…)
Caile, I see lots of fairy lovers manifesting themselves on Steepster, awesome :-)
(I meant “break” lol)
You supposed to rinse puerh. Some recommend twice for shou. Boiling water kills everything. If you notice some mold discard the tea.
Sherapop, mold is from “excess” humidity and poor storage. If you need to know the good ones to get cakes from just message me with what you are looking for. I keep close check on sellers and prices of cakes.
Sherapop: I know there are other places for info but this has some good info on how to store. http://verdanttea.com/how-to-store-tea/
P.s. I live in Florida and I don’t have any mold on my cakes; they are a couple of years old.
Love this tea! Thanks for reviewing it, my friend! Every time I taste this one, or heck, or even just think about it, I am transported back to the land where this tea was grown. Being able to sip of the various grades of mao cha that were picked there and then make the purchase of their best leaf to make this cake with was a true pleasure.
I really like buying tea from these small producers and will be doing as much of it as I can until I can’t do it anymore.
Things have to be pretty wetly stored for mold to occur. I have only seen mold on cakes once and it was from a water pipe break in a warehouse in Kunming. That’s not to say that mold isn’t an issue – improper storage (in areas that already have mold) and improper curing of cakes can mos def lead to mold problems.
Yum yum yum, thank you Boychik
Sorry I am not feeling super verbose today. I am at Real Job but still recovering from all day outdoor vendor fair yesterday selling my fine art. WHEW SO TIRED!
Good shu helps, though :)
How did the sales go?
You are right, good shu is to the rescue!
Sales were so-so. My first time at this event. Made $100 after booth fees and whatnot. You can never tell what the crowd is after at these mixed events…there were crafts, art, and vintage stuff. Seems like vintage and crafts tended to do a little better. I need to seek out more all fine art related events! I could make a lot more money if I could do out of town shows, probably. Only so much of a market in this small midwest city.
do you have any pictures of your art?
Yeah, TeaBrat I made this for Stacy’s tea art contest in the fall http://twitpic.com/dgw0vg
I blog my printmaking at littlelemonpress.com and sell on etsy at evilducky77.etsy.com :)
how cool! I used to do printmaking back in college, that was over 20 years ago. :)
Ever think of etsy?
Nice TeaBrat! I miss the printmaking press I got to use in college. I can’t afford a big press. My college days were over 10 years ago. Time flies!!!! Now I work graphic design full time.
Marzipan check out www.evilducky77.etsy.com
I don’t get many online sales though. Mostly just use it as a portfolio of sorts.
Origin: Spring 2014. From Feng Qing area of Lincang prefecture. This wild tree varietal grows in the mountainous areas, west Feng Qing township near the Da Si village at an altitude of 2000-2200 meters.
Dry leaf: Very beautiful, appear blackish brown with a purple tint. Look flattened and then twisted. Scents of malt, cocoa, dried fruit.
Method: 4 oz Gong Fu pot 190F 4 grams tea
20” rinse / 45” / 45”
Wet Leaf: More flattened ribbons of dark brown with a smoky cocoa scent.
Liquor: Deep Golden
Flavor: Bright, fresh, lighter flavor than expected. Not too thin or thick on the mouthfeel, just right. Citrus, cream, tiny hint of smoke. Cha qi,,, SHENGadelic !!!!
Absolutely delicious, beautiful, complex, fragrant, fantastic!!!
_________________________________________________________________________
7/24/14
Have had this lots of times now, gong fu style but today I tried it Western style in a new little Western teapot that is cup size with an infuser the same size as the pot so it really lets my leaves have room. This tea is always delicious and one of my top ten favorite teas. It is just as good Western style. The flavors are so balanced. You have a lovely citrus note up front, then a creamy note takes you to a smoky effect but very subtle smoke on the nose. This tea is really fantastic to me.
__________________________________________________________________________
7/30/14
Brewed this Western style again today. I am waiting for my Gong Fu tray from China to come to me in the mail and I should only brew this tea Gong Fu style. This tea is delicious Western style but it is so perfect to me that it deserves Gong Fu as all teas do really. As soon as I get my cool and large tray,,,I really don’t want to Western brew too much bc Gong Fu is the way!!!!!!!
___________________________________________________________________________
8/8/14
My favorite day, my favorite tea. Gong Fu style with my Yixing dedicated to this tea!!!!!!!!!!
Ye Sheng is the tea varietal. Camellia sinensis (L.) Kuntze var. assamica (J. Masters) Kitam." is a primeval varietal that pre-dates Camellia Sinensis var. Assamica and is a naturally occuring non hybridized varietal. (from Yunnan Sourcing)
ye (Ye4) = leaf (叶 or 葉), or whole-leaf grade of hong cha
hong (Hong) = (红 or 紅) 2 Red, usually in hong cha; or (烘) 1 Bake[d]
Flavors: Citrus, Cream, Smoke
Preparation
Lol, Hurray for “Cha qi SHENGadelic” (also known as tea orgasm)
I am totally loving this post, & TeaFairy’s resulting comment as well!
:D
lol
Oh, just realized this is one of the Teas I got in my recent YS order! Yippee!
Because this has “sheng” in it, does it mean it’s like a pu-er?
This is a fermented black tea. Sheng in Chinese means raw or alive. I am no expert,,,these are just things I have read. This could be material that they could use to press into cakes if they would want but it is loose,,mao cha (translates to unfinished tea).
Ye Sheng is the tea varietal. Camellia sinensis (L.) Kuntze var. assamica (J. Masters) Kitam." is a primeval varietal that pre-dates Camellia Sinensis var. Assamica and is a naturally occuring non hybridized varietal. (from Yunnan Sourcing)
There’s so much to learn!! :)
I’m back to San Francisco after spending a portion of my weekend at Harbin Hot Springs. The sun and splashing around in the hot water definitely seemed to make my arm feel better. Coming back to SF, it feels foggy and FREEZING! High temperature today of only 61 degrees?!
Anyway I thought I’d brew up some of this sample I got from Verdant. I don’t remember how long I have had this, it could have been years already. I usually appreciate yunnans and this is good this morning, very mellow, no astringency just lots of malt and chocolatey goodness. See previous notes for more details.
Preparation
Bi Luo Chun how I love you. This review is for the spring 2014 production.
When I first met this tea from Teavivre it was in January 2012, so it must have been a 2011 tea. I was blown away. This was a light bulb moment tea for me. I had been drinking bagged grocery store stuff prior to this. I had no idea green tea could taste so amazing. I likened the scent to Cheerios and the leaf to the appearance of upholstery stuffing. I remember resteeping it until it literally had nothing left to give.
Today the leaf is even more beautiful to me with its green and white fuzzy leaf. I notice the temp has been revised upward to 185 F. Pretty sure it was 176 or so before. I went with a 1 1/2 minute steep. The cup looks like white wine and the wet leaf is so aromatic I want to dig in with a fork and chow down. I resisted.
This is buttery creamed corn in a cup with the good kind of lightly bitter bite at the end. The flavors is light and refreshing. It does not overpower the senses, yet you don’t have to search for it either. Very near the top of my green tea favorites list.
Now for the awwww part of my note. Yesterday, as some may have read, we got a Chineranian puppy, which is a mix between a Japanese Chin and a Pomeranian. It is a little 2 pound fuzz ball. I was concerned how Spike our Chihuahua/Russell mix would react. He goes berserk when the cats even walk into the room when he has a toy or a rawhide treat in the floor. Within just a couple hours Buffy the Chihuahua Slayer was allowed to examine and play with both.
My son brought his big 60 pound dog over to meet Buffy. JJ is blind but he could smell her. So he wanted to nuzzle and sniff her up close. Spike growled. Protective and jealous. I think he is smitten. This morning I noticed Spike hanging half out of his bed to make room for his new puppy love. He gave me a pathetic “What are you gonna do” look that us guys understand. I laughed at him. Tell me about dog.
Glad to here all the family members are getting along.
Awwwwwwwwww indeed!!!
Great doggie narrative! Also, glad to hear you love this tea. I have had a number of Bi Lou Chun Teas over the years, and although the flavor of this particular one is not my favorite (I’ve tried both of Teavivre’s 2012 and 2013 harvests), it certainly does have a beautiful appearance.
I like so much about this post. The first loose leaf tea, the description of this year’s fresh tea, the canine experiences. :) I’m glad the new puppy is fitting in so well.
I love puppy stories. :)
That dog story makes me happy :)
Spike and Buffy. Brings me back to my BtVS days, that does. ♥
Buffy and Spike!!! :D
Oh my gosh, I’m awwwing just at the Buffy & Spike names!
When we got the chihuahua, he fit in the palm of my hand. I named him Spike so he would have a tough name. Never made a Buffy connection at the time. The new little fuzz ball should be a blonde but she is black and white. The name was a joke but it caught on.
I really enjoyed the Bai Mudan I tried and I will definitely be trying this brand as well. I’ve heard a lot of good things about Teavivre. :)
I’m very interested in the whole gaiwan / gong fu mechanic but I really have no idea what it entails. I guess it’s something that I will have to do some research on and try in the future!
Good description of this “bad hair day” tea! ;-)
Cameron, I don’t think you can go wrong with Teavivre!
Here’s a link I like a lot for an introduction to Gongfu brewing methods. I love it cause it also shows non formal methods to make it accessible to anybody, (if you don’t own a Gaiwan or a gongfu pot). All Verdan’t videos are fantastic, I have learned a lot with them. Hope it helps you and gives you a direction :-)
Lol, sherapop, I always think “bad hair day” when I look at it ;-)
Oops, here’s the link:
http://youtu.be/F8FMHudkfU0
Always nice to see you Mr. Draper ;-)
Thanks so much for your help, TheTeaFairy, I really appreciate it! :3
Awww, you are so welcome Cameron, anytime :-)
Sounds delicious! If you like bai cha (true “bai hao” white tea) like Bai Mu Dan, then you might also like its cousins, Shou Mei and Bai Hao Yin Zhen. Shou Mei is usually more robust, but still with that hay and delicate fruit flavor. Yin Zhen, you may have tried it, its delicately sweet and luxurious.
Thanks chadao :-) I love Silver Needle…I bought Shou Mei only once in form of a cake (also from Teavivre), it reminded me of some Sheng I’ve had. Was that what you were referring to?
Not quite, I’ve never actually heard of Shou Mei in cake form. I was thinking more along the lines of this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shoumei_tea
http://www.sevencups.com/tea_shop/Shou-Mei-Organic-White-Tea-2013.html
Thanks for the links…here’s what I’ve had before, just FYI:
http://www.teavivre.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=Shou+mei