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This is exactly as you expect it to be from the title. It’s fruit pieces with flavoring, and it does its job rather effectively. It tastes like strawberries and kiwis. I had high hopes for this blend because I love the combination. Always did ever since having a strawberry kiwi frozen yogurt. It more or less lives up to that, but it’s a lot more subtle than I thought it would be. Odd for me to say this, but I think it needed more hibiscus or something. More tartness. But that’s just me. Other than that, quite good.

Full Review: http://www.teaviews.com/2010/12/31/review-the-necessiteas-strawberry-kiwi/

This oolong surprised me in many ways. I did my best to mimic a Gongfu prep for it – somewhat to no avail – but still ended up with three twenty-second steeps of differing excellence. Common traits were a contrasted vegetal and fruity lean with little or no astringency. Worth a look…but definitely not an on-the-go tea. This requires ritual.

Full Review: http://www.teaviews.com/2011/01/05/review-life-in-teacup-dong-ding-oolong-traditional-greener-style-3/

I knew of this merchant for years – knew they were a local wholesaler – but aside from their Cranberry Sencha (which I had at a coffee shop) I hadn’t sampled many of their wares. Until tonight. They finally had an actual teashop open, and allowed for tastings at the counter. I had eyed this particular rooibos blend for years, mainly for the inclusion of honeycomb. I tried it, liked it and bought some. But I wondered how it would stand up to MY way of brewing.

I steeped it for six instead of the recommended five. That and I added a glob of Greek honey to the mix. It probably didn’t need it due to the honeycomb and honey flavoring, but I was going for broke. And I’ll tell ya what…it was a good garnish. The cup was sweet, creamy, and nutty. The rooibos base with the added elements actually takes on the attributes of its cousin – honeybush. Which also makes me wonder, why they didn’t use honeybush as a base instead…perhaps they didn’t want to go for a trifecta. I dunno.

All said, a damn good drink.

New company to me, and a new type of shou pu-erh. By the title, I assumed it was made with rice, but the product had no listing on the website as of yet. That is, unless it went by a different name, and I simply didn’t see it. (I wrote the vendor to clarify.)

That said, it was perhaps the best shou pu-erh I’ve tried to date. After four infusions, I detected nutty, woody, earthy, citrus, and rice-like notes. Very nuanced for a robust drink. It also darkens pretty quickly for the steeper on the go. For a guy that usually goes for sheng first, this was a game-changer.

Full Review: http://www.teaviews.com/2011/01/08/review-tao-tea-leaf-rice-pu-er-tuo-cha-shou/

Holy sweet Margie Mother of Buddha, you can tell what you’re getting into by smell alone. It smells like lemon pie. I LOVE lemon pie. I also love honeybush and rooibos blended together. Add lemon and you have a happy me. I could go into the subtleties of this blend, but there are none, by golly. It’s loud and it’s proud. Sweet without needing sugar, citrusy without overdoing it. It’s herbal infused perfection.

Full Review: http://www.teaviews.com/2011/01/02/review-joys-teaspoon-lemon-zest/

This is actually the second “Monkey Picked” oolong I’ve had. The first didn’t impress me much, but this had a lot going for it. First off, it was the green kind of oolong. I tend to prefer those (with the exception of some charcoal-roasted varieties), and second, it had me on scent – a milky aroma with a floral bite. Those same traits translated to taste. However, if I was to steep again, I’d probably do so for another minute. It was very light the first time around, reminding me of a Bai Mu Dan. Thankfully the flavor was robust enough to compensate.

Full Review: http://www.teaviews.com/2010/12/29/review-silk-road-teas-monkey-picked-ma-liu-mie/

This has been on the shelf in my white tea tin gathering fuzz. Oh wait, it already has fuzz. Yes, this is the fuzziest of Silver Needles I have yet come across. You got it, fuzz is a desired trait on Silver Needle leaves. I brewed it a little longer and a lighter temp. The result was a light, floral, nutty, and creamy cup with a melon note. Wow, just like the description of Silver Needle’s typical taster notes. A very good offering.

Full Review: http://www.teaviews.com/2010/07/25/review-canton-tea-co-fuding-bai-hao-yin-zhen-silver-needle-white-tea/

I had this on a whim in the afternoon. I read up on it a little before trying. It apparently hails from the same region as Longjing. However, by the description, I expected a different flavor profile. And that it did. It was creamy, nutty, and quite vegetal…but the trifecta worked for the most part. When people think of green tea – and its strengths and weaknesses – this embodies those traits. But on the good side o’ the coin.

http://www.teaviews.com/2010/12/28/review-mark-t-wendell-triple-cup-green/

White it isn’t the vibrant, radioactive green bubble-frenzy that is top quality ceremonial matcha…this is a very tasty sibling. The texture is smooth, the flavor is sweetly vegetal in a seaweed-like sense, and there is no bitter finish. For a man of little means – like me – this is a good mid-grade money’s worth o’ matcha.

I think this finally convinced me that shou (cooked/ripened) pu-erh has its merits. Usually, I head for the sheng instead of its fishier sister, but this was a clean offering on dry sight alone. Taste-wise, it was earthy, woodsy, sweet…all things I don’t associate with cooked pu-erh. And it didn’t leave my stomach with a feeling of, “Why did I just drink that?!”

Good show.

Full Review: http://www.teaviews.com/2010/12/21/review-mark-t-wendell-organic-bold-leaf-pu-er-2/