83 Tasting Notes
Smell Of wet leaves Woodsy. Earthy, cedary notes
Flavor/Aroma Smooth. Woodsy. Balsa/cedar-wood taste. Leathery notes on the finish. Warming Cha-Qi
This is one of my first sheng/pure Pu-Erh teas. It was very smooth tasting, with a silky mouth feel. It was really hard to pick out the nuances (since i’m new to tea drinking and pu-erhs in general..I find it VERY HARD to describe the tastes i’m experiencing and put it into words..it’s difficult to TASTE tea ;) of the tea and compare it to something. Describing tea is very similar to expressing how you feel when you listen to your favorite song/music.!! Sometimes it’s an inner experience that’s hard to bring to the surface!! The Earthy /woodsy (very mild) quality of this tea was very comforting and warming!! Besides the fact that it had a very discernible “Cha Qi” ( I have been reading alot about Cha Qi..does anyone have anymore information about it??)…warming , then energizing, then relaxing,, intriguing indeed ;) This is a tea that is probably very good for beginners into the Pu-erh Path…it wasn’t overly “Earthy” and it had a very silky quality that is quite pleasurable and comforting!!
Preparation
Love this tea!! :) Trying to find other companies that sell “Jasmine dragon pearls” ..I really enjoy the fresh light floral taste of this tea :) Anyone recommend some good companies (trying to get away from “Teavana” ..they are of medium quality , and over commercialized!!) that sell good/higher quality “Jasmine Pearls”??
Preparation
Teavivre! If you haven’t already, you could ask them to send you a free sample to compare! :) http://www.teavivre.com/contacts/free_tea_tasting/
I second Teavivre. Their Jasmine Pearls are amazing.
I currently have some Jasmine Pearls from Harney and Sons, Art of Tea and Mountain Rose Herbs.
PM me with your address and I would be happy to share samples of each tea with you:)
Thank you very much DaisyChubb and JacquelineM ..I sent out the free tasting/sampler request for a good Pu-Erh (still trying to narrow down a good daily Pu-erh ;) and their “jasmine pearls” ;)
Teavivre definitely! Their pearls are cheaper per ounce and much more tasty than Teavana’s.
I haven’t had the ones from Teavivre, but the ones I’ve had from Rishi are really nice.
Teavivre’s are even better than Rishi.
@Invader Zim ~ Thanks for the rec! Looks like I’ll be getting some from Teavivre after my tin of Rishi is done.
Tealux has a wonderful jasmine pearl. I haven’t looked back.
http://steepster.com/teas/tealux/57561-jasmine-dragon-pearls-tealux
Even though I don’t really like “Chocolatey teas” (too sweet or artificial tasting sometimes) , this is a very good Chocolate/Oolong with subtle notes of coconut!! The smokey notes of the Oolong blend very well with the chocolate and Coconut. Very warm and inviting taste that has a very tropical feeling without being over the top “Chocolatey” !!
Preparation
For anyone looking for an excellent way to infuse their teas with the simplest of ease ….. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this infuser!!!! It works amazingly well for multiple infusions of green, white, and especially Pu-erh teas (the leaf stays in better/ more pristine condition, because the water is drained away from the tea leaf, keeping it in better condition for the next infusion)!! The plastic brewing chamber is made of a non-reactive BPA free plastic that doesn’t retain any aromas and does’t get “stained” with any color from repeated brewing sessions. I only use mine for more pure flavored teas and use my Teavana “Perfectea” (which is on it’s last legs) for more heavily flavored teas (chocolate,strawberry, etc)!! When I sweeten tea, I ONLY use “Stevia Clear” http://www.sweetleaf.com/products/sweet-drops-products to sweeten it and I put 5-10 drops in the bottom half (the glass part) of the “Piao” infuser before pressing the button to properly release the tea and mix the infusion/sweetener into the bottom chamber!! Being under $50.00,.. it makes tea of “cleaner/sharper” taste and better flavor quality (with ease of cleaning as well) than my $150+ Tetsubin (Cast Iron ) Very Highly Recommended
Oh! this does look nice!
Hesper June It only makes 8-12 Oz of tea at a time…But Ohhhh what a wonderful and tasty 8-12 Oz they are ;) !!!
Well, thats fine, I usually only make that amount anyhow.
Will keep this in mind for the future:)
I got mine on Amazon for about $32
Bonnie I LOVE mine sooo much…It works awesome!! (Amazon always has great prices) Do you like yours? what kind of teas do you use it for? How would you compare it to other infusers?
Hesper June Cool ;)
Thanks to Bonnie for this very generous sample and many others I have yet to try
I was suprised when I tasted this Pu-erh! It tasted more like a white tea! When brewed the water (I was going to brew this “gaiwan style” but when I measured 6 grams on my scale it looked like a LOT of tea..but for western style it only needed 1.5 teaspoons..why is that? how come so much for a small 4oz gaiwan??) is almost clear and it takes awhile for the buds to “open up” a little bit. This tea had a very strange camphor/piney note which I can’t accurately describe, it wasn’t unpleasant..just different for my tastes. It had a very sweet, sugary aftertaste and the piney/earthy note lasted until the 5th infusion. This is my second verdant tea and I have to say that they have an extremely high quality of product!! I will definitely be purchasing from them again !!
Preparation
I have been thinking of getting into gaiwan brewing, but something about it all intimates me.
I think that you use more leaves because of the shorter steep times but also the many steeps you can get…someone please correct me if I am wrong!
Sounds like a very yummy tea:)
The size of the gaiwan may have been 6g for an 8oz so use less for a 4oz gaiwan. I think the Yabao is potent anyway. I also like it iced. Gaiwans are not hard. Think of them as a cup or glass with a lid that lets the leaves breathe and the water circulate to provide maximum flavor. You can do this with a mug. Go to the verdant website to see a video about how to do this.
Oops…the measurement is about 1g per oz of water so western style conserves your Yabao unless you are sharing with others and want many sweepings from a gaiwan where you’d get 18 rounds instead of the 5 western steepings.
The verdant website says 5 Grams of tea per 4-5 Oz Gaiwan! But the western brewing only uses 1.5 Teaspoons per 8 Oz of tea? How come so much tea is used in the Gaiwan (in a smaller gaiwan/amount ) compared to the western brewing? It seems like I am using a LOT of tea to make it in a Gaiwan (Plus I am concerned about caffeine.. 5 Grams of tea is a lot of tea compared to a teaspoon..I have a scale! ;) What is the measurement/way you make it in a gaiwan? Thanks Bonnie..you are always so helpful :)
Hesper June I was also thinking the same thing..Gaiwan brewing intimidates me as well..it seems so much simpler the “western” way..especially when I use my “Piao I” infuser…OMG I LOVE this infuser..it works AMAZINGLY well!! I highly recommend it!!!!!!!
The gaiwan steep is very fast and there are 18 infusions instead of 5 ( western style) so you can’t compare the two as equals but as being different experiences. You wouldn’t use a gaiwan with 5g just before running off to work. I often use a brew basket or just do western style because unless I want to spend a good deal of time with a tea, 18 steepings just isn’t going to happen.
You did a fine job discribing hoe this felt to you. I thought you might like a sheng with your preferences.
Bonnie Thank you very much :) That means A lot to me coming from you… I took your advice and let the “Tea Speak to me” …I am just a Conduit for the teas message!!! ;))
Sorry about my spelling : )