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Alex Zorach

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Member since Sep. 1st, 2009. Reviewed 1448 teas.

Reviews of Teas & Herbal Teas from China

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Picture of Keemun

Keemun from Rishi Tea

Style: Keemun – Region: Hubei, China

73 / 100 Aroma: 7/10 Flavor: 3/5 Value: 5/5
Nov. 12th, 2010

This is the first Hubei Keemun I've tried, and I will say it is quite different from other Keemuns, and in fact, quite different from anything I've ever had: count on Rishi to locate and select innovative teas, although I still can't make up my mind about whether I like this particular innovation. I tried brewing this...

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Picture of Ancient Golden Yunnan

Ancient Golden Yunnan from Rishi Tea

Style: Yunnan Gold – Region: Yunnan, China

80 / 100 Aroma: 7/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 4/5
Nov. 5th, 2010

The dry leaf has an incredibly fruity aroma, like apricot.

This is a strong black tea with a very pleasing aroma and flavor. It is malty like an Assam, but with less edge. Unfortunately, there's only a hint of the pleasing fruity quality that I noticed in the dry leaf. Less bitter than you'd expect, and not very ...

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Picture of Dragonwell Green Tea

Dragonwell Green Tea from Boston Tea Company

Style: Dragon Well (Long Jing) – Region: Zhejiang, China

23 / 100 Aroma: 2/10 Flavor: 1/5 Value: 1/5
Oct. 6th, 2010

I was very disappointed with this tea; it was the only sample I received from the Boston Tea Company that I did not like; the others were all quite enjoyable.

Dried leaf is broken and more grayish than other dragon wells I've seen. This does not taste at all like other dragon wells I've tried. Aroma is slightly sm...

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Picture of Jasmine Green Tea

Jasmine Green Tea from Boston Tea Company

Style: Jasmine Tea – Region: China

53 / 100 Aroma: 4/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 3/5
Sep. 27th, 2010

It's a little unclear from reading the commercial description how this tea is produced. The description describes the traditional process, but the ingredients list "natural flavor" rather than by using the traditional scenting method. Based on the aroma of the dry leaf, it seems like the "natural flavor" method inste...

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Huang Jin Gui Winter Harvest from Life in Teacup

Style: Golden Osmanthus – Region: Anxi, Fujian, China

63 / 100 Aroma: 5/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 3/5
Sep. 20th, 2010

After being really impressed by Life in Teacup's Huang Jin Gui traditional style, this one was a disappointment. I experimented a little bit with brewing, but, regardless of how I brewed, compared to that other tea, the aroma of this one is weaker and less pleasant overall.

I also find this tea to have less depth. ...

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Picture of Fair Trade True Green Tea

Fair Trade True Green Tea from Wild Harvest Organic

Style: Green Tea – Region: Wuyuan, Jiangxi, China

27 / 100 Aroma: 2/10 Flavor: 1/5 Value: 2/5
Sep. 1st, 2010

I brewed with water at a lower temperature, but other than that I brewed as instructed.

Aroma strongly suggestive of cinnamon, unusual for a green tea. Lacks the grassy qualities inherent in many green teas, but the aftertaste is similar to the aftertaste left by sencha. Overall though, aroma is weak. If "subtle ...

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Picture of China Dragonwell

China Dragonwell from Ancora Coffee Roasters

Style: Dragon Well (Long Jing) – Region: China

60 / 100 Aroma: 6/10 Flavor: 3/5 Value: 4/5
Aug. 31st, 2010

I found this review that I had written where I didn't have internet access--in the Madison, WI airport, and just entered it now.

This dragonwell has a broken leaf, but the classic dragonwell shape is recognizable. In spite of looking like a lower grade of this tea, this batch is considerably tastier than a lot of w...

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Ben Shan Oolong King Grade from Life in Teacup

Style: Ben Shan Oolong – Region: Anxi, Fujian, China

80 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 4/5
Aug. 25th, 2010

I received this oolong in a set of samples from Life in Teacup, but could not find it for sale on their website.

This one immediately got my attention from even smelling the dry leaf--so aromatic. I have rarely encountered such intense floral aromas outside of the most expensive Dong Ding or Tie Guan Yin oolongs.
...

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Picture of Tie Guan Yin Special Edition, traditional charcoal roast

Tie Guan Yin Special Edition, traditional charcoal roast from Life in Teacup

Style: Oolong Tea – Region: Fujian, China

73 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 4/5
Aug. 18th, 2010

This tea got my attention with its unusual aroma, and I suspect it's the Mao Xie. There's like a familiar woody quality, typical for a roasted oolong, but with a peculiar quality suggestive of a savory soup containing celery root and other vegetables. The flavor is surprisingly savory for an oolong, with not much in ...

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Picture of Yongchun Fo Shou (Bergamot) Oolong Superior Grade

Yongchun Fo Shou (Bergamot) Oolong Superior Grade from Life in Teacup

Style: Fo Shou Oolong – Region: Yongchun, Fujian, China

88 / 100 Aroma: 9/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 4/5
Aug. 16th, 2010

The dry leaf is strongly aromatic and has a strange, different aroma--considerably sharper than most greener oolongs.

After brewing the first cup, I notice a mildly soapy aroma, but this completely vanishes upon drinking it. The aroma is very complex, with spicy, herbaceous tones, reminiscent of a weedy thicket in ...

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Picture of Snow Buds 1st Flush

Snow Buds 1st Flush from Rishi Tea

Style: Snow Buds – Region: Fujian, China

77 / 100 Aroma: 7/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 4/5
Aug. 13th, 2010

This is very similar to the Xue Ya I tried from Adagio, but I prefer this tea as it is richer and more full-bodied.

I find this to be a very grassy tea, more like green tea than white. It has a sharpness, a bite to it. The cup is quite astringent and pleasingly bitter, but the finish is sweet and has depth to it. ...

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Picture of Tie Guan Yin modern green style Grade II

Tie Guan Yin modern green style Grade II from Life in Teacup

Style: Tie Guan Yin – Region: Anxi, Fujian, China

47 / 100 Aroma: 3/10 Flavor: 3/5 Value: 3/5
Aug. 3rd, 2010

I was actually quite disappointed with this Tie Guan Yin. It's pretty inexpensive for a green Tie Guan Yin, so I suppose I shouldn't be expecting that much, but compared to other greener oolongs, including ones from Life in Teacup, this was a letdown. Happily, I can say it is the first tea I've had from this company ...

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Picture of Royal Kuan Yin Tea

Royal Kuan Yin Tea from Foojoy

Style: Tie Guan Yin – Region: Fujian, China

57 / 100 Aroma: 4/10 Flavor: 3/5 Value: 5/5
Jul. 1st, 2010

Astonishing quality from such an inexpensive teabag!

With a single 5-minute infusion (shorter leaves a bland cup--the finely-broken leaves are packed tightly in the teabag and the flavor does not diffuse quickly) I found an amber colored cup with a mellow, subtle aroma and smooth flavor. In my experience, only good...

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Picture of China Pu-Erh Standard

China Pu-Erh Standard from Upton Tea Imports

Style: Pu-erh Tea – Region: Yunnan, China

63 / 100 Aroma: 6/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 4/5
Jun. 30th, 2010

I don't particularly like black (ripe) pu-erh, but this is probably the one I've liked most, among loose varieties. It has a fresher taste, with more bite. There are some herbaceous tones in the aroma, although the dominant character is still dust and earth. Much more flavorful than other loose black pu-erh I've tri...

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Picture of Jasmine Blossom Tea (Green Tea)

Jasmine Blossom Tea (Green Tea) from Stash Tea

Style: Jasmine Tea – Region: China

63 / 100 Aroma: 5/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 5/5
Jun. 29th, 2010

The aroma is honey-like, like pouchong tea more than the crisper green tea. Less jasmine in the aroma than some jasmines, but it's definitely present. Mellow and warm.

The flavor, however, is intense: remarkably sweet, but also with a biting bitterness (especially if you brew this one too long). I would recommend...

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Picture of Ben Shan Oolong

Ben Shan Oolong from Life in Teacup

Style: Ben Shan Oolong – Region: Anxi, Fujian, China

63 / 100 Aroma: 6/10 Flavor: 3/5 Value: 4/5
Jun. 24th, 2010

I made two infusions of this tea. I found, using longer brewings, it's only really good for two and then most of the flavor is gone. I used 3 min. and 6 min.

For the first infusion, the aroma is floral and orchid-like, like many of the greener Anxi oolongs, but there's a depth and warmth to it that I've found is a...

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Picture of 2010 Mt. Wu Dong Red Tea (black tea) Dan Cong

2010 Mt. Wu Dong Red Tea (black tea) Dan Cong from Life in Teacup

Style: Dancong Oolong – Region: Guangdong, China

67 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 3/5 Value: 3/5
Jun. 16th, 2010

Very unlike any other dancong I've tried. The dry leaf of this dancong has a savory, smoky quality, but is nonetheless recognizable as a dan cong. The aroma of the dry leaf is reminiscent of some Darjeelings (ones that I am not a fan of, incidentally). Not even a hint of floral or fruity qualities.

Upon drinking ...

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Picture of Tie Guan Yin traditional charcoal roast

Tie Guan Yin traditional charcoal roast from Life in Teacup

Style: Tie Guan Yin – Region: Anxi, Fujian, China

70 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 4/5
Jun. 9th, 2010

A very aromatic tea, full of flavor, but light.

The aroma has a lot of different elements to it...the dominant tone is a woody quality...there is also a strong fruitiness, which I'd describe as most closely resembling apricots, and a lot of floral tones--most closely resembling the floral character of some black tea...

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Picture of Bai Ya Qi Lan Oolong traditional green style Superior Grade

Bai Ya Qi Lan Oolong traditional green style Superior Grade from Life in Teacup

Style: Qi Lan Oolong – Region: Anxi, Fujian, China

80 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 5/5
Jun. 5th, 2010

I've only had dark Wuyi Qi Lan oolongs before, and I like them very much, so I was eager to try this greener one. I've heard that in general, more tightly rolled teas are higher quality, and this tea was rather loosely rolled, with the leaves taking up a lot of space. But the aroma suggests otherwise...the dry leaf h...

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Picture of Large Leaf from Old Trees Pu-erh

Large Leaf from Old Trees Pu-erh from Chicago Tea Garden

Style: Pu-erh Tea – Region: Yunnan, China

77 / 100 Aroma: 7/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 5/5
Jun. 4th, 2010

I really enjoyed this tea.

I tried brewing this in two different ways...one, as recommended, more leaf, shorter steeping times. The second, using less leaf, but longer steeps. I had much better results with this second method using longer steeping times (I recommend starting with 2-3 minutes and going from there)....

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Picture of Oolong Tea

Oolong Tea from Wei-Chuan

Style: Oolong Tea – Region: China

47 / 100 Aroma: 4/10 Flavor: 3/5 Value: 3/5
Jun. 2nd, 2010

Overall, slightly flat...typical for a relatively generic oolong from a big box of teabags. Full-bodied...aroma is toasty and roasty, has some depth but also is a little bit reminiscent of cardboard. Some bitterness.

I've had a lot better oolongs from teabags. But this stuff is still better than a lot of the stuf...

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Picture of Golden Osmanthus Oolong (Huang Jin Gui) traditional style

Golden Osmanthus Oolong (Huang Jin Gui) traditional style from Life in Teacup

Style: Golden Osmanthus – Region: Anxi, Fujian, China

83 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 5/5
May. 28th, 2010

Mostly floral fragrance. This is the first huang jin gui I've tried, and it really does resemble osmanthus flowers in aroma, but I find it has a very different overall character from osmanthus-scented tea. Also, unusual among light, aromatic, greener oolongs I've had. This tea has some interesting surprises.

I tr...

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Picture of Three Kingdoms Mao Feng Green Tea

Three Kingdoms Mao Feng Green Tea from Teavana

Style: Mao Feng Green Tea – Region: Fujian, China

63 / 100 Aroma: 7/10 Flavor: 3/5 Value: 2/5
May. 23rd, 2010

This is a very mild and sweet green tea, similar to Teavana's Pi Lo Chun but less aromatic and perhaps slightly grassier. Pleasing but bordering on bland and boring if brewed as instructed. I find that with a very long steep time (8+ min), however, it acquires nuances in the aroma that are absent otherwise...includin...

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Pi Lo Chun Organic Green Tea from Teavana

Style: Bi Luo Chun – Region: China

63 / 100 Aroma: 7/10 Flavor: 3/5 Value: 2/5
May. 20th, 2010

Aroma is grassy and fruity. The aroma is light and very pleasing...not the most complex I've had for a green tea but certainly very enjoyable. Flavor is very smooth...almost no bitterness and only the faintest hint of astringency if you let the cup brew for a very long time.

I settled on a very different method of...

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Picture of Pure Oolong (Formerly China Oolong)

Pure Oolong (Formerly China Oolong) from Twinings

Style: Oolong Tea – Region: Fujian, China

50 / 100 Aroma: 4/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 3/5
Apr. 28th, 2010

The first sip of this oolong was delightful, but upon drinking a whole cup of it I wasn't as much of a fan. Significantly lighter than a black tea, the aroma is very floral, bordering on perfumey. Upon drinking more than a few sips, however, a lot of unpleasant qualities develop...there's a sourness, and some off qua...

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