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Alex Zorach

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

Reviews of Pure Tea (Camellia sinensis)

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Picture of Darjeeling Ambootia Estate Organic Green Tea

Darjeeling Ambootia Estate Organic Green Tea from Simpson & Vail

Style: Darjeeling Green Tea – Region: Darjeeling, India

77 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 3/5
Jul. 10th, 2012

Dry leaf has a mild herbaceous aroma, and a dusty appearance.

Produces an olive-green cup. Crisp, clear flavor, with honey-like qualities. Aroma is mild, dominated by melow herbaceous tones. Flavor is clean and the tea has a cooling quality. I found its flavor grew on me a bit. Produces two very flavorful infus...

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Picture of Poabs Organic

Poabs Organic from Simpson & Vail

Style: Black Tea – Region: Kerala, India

60 / 100 Aroma: 6/10 Flavor: 3/5 Value: 4/5
Jul. 9th, 2012

A powerful, robust, Assam-like tea.

I'm not feeling the description Simpson and Vail gives for this tea; I found it neither smooth nor sweet. This tea brews a strong, dark cup. The aroma and flavor are more like Assam than any tea I've tried outside of Assam. However, there are some nuances that I find most teas ...

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Picture of Mini Tuo-cha Pu-erh Tea

Mini Tuo-cha Pu-erh Tea from Simpson & Vail

Style: Ripened (Shou) Pu-erh – Region: Yunnan, China

33 / 100 Aroma: 4/10 Flavor: 1/5 Value: 1/5
Jul. 3rd, 2012

This tea is ripened (Shu) Pu-erh, which I tend to be less a fan of than raw (sheng) Pu-erh. The dry leaf, when compressed, is very tightly packed, and relatively unaromatic. Upon steeping, it becomes evident that the leaf of this tea is finely broken. The leaf is slow to infuse while still compressed but once the ca...

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Picture of Kaori Green Tea

Kaori Green Tea from Simpson & Vail

Style: Green Tea – Region: China

63 / 100 Aroma: 6/10 Flavor: 3/5 Value: 4/5
Jul. 2nd, 2012

Dry leaf is finely broken yet twiggy; has a strong, unique aroma, like celery or dried dill, very fresh and herbaceous, and quite different from what I am used to from a green tea.

The brewed cup is surprisingly similar in aroma to the dry leaf. The cup has a cooling quality, slightly brisk, with some astringency a...

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Picture of Kenya Green Tea

Kenya Green Tea from Simpson & Vail

Style: Green Tea – Region: Kenya

57 / 100 Aroma: 6/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 2/5
Jun. 29th, 2012

The leaf of this tea is broken in large, rounded chunks, unlike the shape of any loose-leaf green tea that I've seen yet.

Brewed as instructed, it produces a cup with a clear, golden green. Flavor is clean and crisp without being sharp. Seems to have a slight cooling quality, very refreshing. If steeped too long,...

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Picture of Huangtian Village's Fire Green Pearl Tea - Premium

Huangtian Village's Fire Green Pearl Tea - Premium from Simpson & Vail

Style: Green Tea – Region: Qimen, Anhui, China

90 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 5/5
Jun. 28th, 2012

I thought this was a top-notch green tea!

Dry leaf is tightly rolled and pleasingly aromatic, with a floral aroma suggesting orchid. Upon steeping, the leaf is slow to unfurl and slow to infuse, and the more familiar grassy aromas of green tea begin to slowly come out. The leaves are completely intact and unbroken...

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Picture of White Pearl

White Pearl from Simpson & Vail

Style: White Tea – Region: Fujian, China

67 / 100 Aroma: 7/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 2/5
Jun. 27th, 2012

Smallish pearls unfurl to olive-colored leaf with lots of tip. Tea seems much more oxidized than normal for a tippy white tea.

I did not like the steeping recommendations; the cup came out quite bland when steeped this way, but this is always true for me of delicate white teas, like silver needle and others. I fo...

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Picture of Darjeeling, Dooteriah Estate - 2nd Flush

Darjeeling, Dooteriah Estate - 2nd Flush from Simpson & Vail

Style: Darjeeling Second Flush – Region: Darjeeling, India

80 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 4/5
Jun. 26th, 2012

The dry leaf of this tea has the greenest color of any second flush Darjeeling I've ever seen. When brewed, the result is rather oolong-like.

Color is a light amber, lighter than most 2nd Flush Darjeeling. Very clean, crisp, mouthfeel, with considerable sweetness. Slightly edgy and tangy but with little astringen...

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Picture of Kenya Oolong Tea

Kenya Oolong Tea from Simpson & Vail

Style: Oolong Tea – Region: Kenya

80 / 100 Aroma: 7/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 5/5
Jun. 25th, 2012

This was a very interesting tea for my to try; it was the first oolong I've sampled that was produced in Africa.

A peculiar tea among oolongs, but more normal when compared to green and black teas. Dry leaf looks more like a black tea than an oolong...dark brown, and highly broken. I brewed it with boiling water. ...

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Picture of Assam Tea

Assam Tea from Frontier

Style: Assam – Region: Assam, India

70 / 100 Aroma: 5/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 5/5
Jun. 23rd, 2012

A classic Assam: no particularly outstanding qualities, yet a solid tea and pleasing to drink, especially for people who like strong, dark teas.

Strong, malty, with some fruity qualities. Some astringency and bitterness but less than a typical Assam. In spite of being orthodox tea of a decent grade, the leaf infus...

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Picture of Darjeeling Tea

Darjeeling Tea from Frontier

Style: Darjeeling Black Tea – Region: Darjeeling, India

57 / 100 Aroma: 5/10 Flavor: 3/5 Value: 4/5
Jun. 23rd, 2012

This tea was stored in glass jars in a co-op. I have no idea how fresh it was; the dry leaf smelled fresh and pleasing, but the brewed cup was slightly disappointing. The storage conditions were not optimal, and there was no date, so it could have been that this was just a bit old.

Dry leaf is pleasingly aromatic,...

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Picture of Kenya OP Malaika Black Tea

Kenya OP Malaika Black Tea from Simpson & Vail

Style: Black Tea – Region: Kenya

67 / 100 Aroma: 7/10 Flavor: 3/5 Value: 4/5
Jun. 22nd, 2012

Dry leaf has a pleasing aroma, reminiscent of some of the best Kenyan teas I've had, but not quite as strongly aromatic.

A good black tea, and a very typical example of Kenyan black teas: strong and robust, but slightly lighter and slightly less edgy than an Assam.

Brews a rich, full-bodied cup. Moderate strengt...

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Picture of Vietnam Green Organic

Vietnam Green Organic from Simpson & Vail

Style: Green Tea – Region: Vietnam

63 / 100 Aroma: 6/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 4/5
Jun. 18th, 2012

A unique green tea, almost bizarre. Large but tightly-curled dry leaf reminds me of some Korean and Ceylon greens. The leaf has a strong, peppery aroma, and is also suggestive of other Vietnam green teas I've sampled. Leaf is slow to infuse and produces many infusions. Flavor is remarkably consistent through differ...

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Picture of Vietnam Imperial Oolong Tea

Vietnam Imperial Oolong Tea from Simpson & Vail

Style: Oolong Tea – Region: Vietnam

83 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 4/5
Jun. 18th, 2012

I agree with Simpson and Vail that this is a superior tea; it's definitely my favorite tea to come out of Vietnam yet, and is on par with some of the better Taiwanese oolongs.

This oolong has a bright green leaf, loosely rolled into fairly large pellets of unequal size. It unfurls quite quickly into medium-size, wh...

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Picture of Bolivian Black Tea, Tippy Small Leaf

Bolivian Black Tea, Tippy Small Leaf from Simpson & Vail

Style: Black Tea – Region: Bolivia

67 / 100 Aroma: 7/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 2/5
Jun. 16th, 2012

I have been wanting to try this tea for some time! I was quite disappointed to learn that the operation is being closed down, in what I see as an unintended consequence of the US "war on drugs".

Broken leaf...looks and smells a lot like a strong breakfast tea, and the brewed cup is similar as well.

Brews a rich,...

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1960s Phoenix Dan Cong from Life in Teacup

Style: Dancong Oolong – Region: Guangdong, China

57 / 100 Aroma: 5/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 3/5
Jun. 14th, 2012

Life in Teacup describes this tea as being a lot like Shu Pu-erh without the pile fermentation odor. I agree.

The aroma of the dry leaf tea is a lot more like aged shu Pu-erh than like other aged oolongs I've tried. Most aged oolong that I've tried has been re-roasted to the point that the roast has seemed to domi...

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Picture of San Xia Cloud Mist Green Tea

San Xia Cloud Mist Green Tea from Simpson & Vail

Style: Clouds & Mist (Yun Wu) – Region: Jiangsu, China

73 / 100 Aroma: 6/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 3/5
Jun. 12th, 2012

An unusual tea among Chinese greens, almost reminiscent of some green teas from Darjeeling and elsewhere in the the Himalayan region.

Dark, curled dry leaf with little aroma.

Brewed cup has a dark brownish-green liquor, very clear. Simpson and Vail describes this tea as vegetal, with a fresh spinach aroma, and I...

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Picture of Nepal, Mist Valley Black Tea

Nepal, Mist Valley Black Tea from Simpson & Vail

Style: Black Tea – Region: Nepal

90 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 5/5
Jun. 11th, 2012

Although the leaf of this tea was not particularly aromatic, this black tea immediately struck me as very high in quality when I sipped the cup. I'm noticing a trend that teas from Simpson and Vail often surprise me with the brewed cup, after the dry leaf fails to impress. With this tea, I was able to brew two very f...

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Picture of Nepal Sakhira, Black Tea

Nepal Sakhira, Black Tea from Simpson & Vail

Style: Black Tea – Region: Nepal

73 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 4/5
Jun. 8th, 2012

Creamy, but with a bold quality to it. Somewhat Darjeeling-like in aroma, but darker in appearance and flavor than most second-flush or autumnal Darjeeling.

Aroma fruity and floral, with some of the characteristic muscatel grape qualities.

I really like the aroma of this tea. My only complaint is that this cup ...

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Picture of Ceylon Blackwood Estate Organic Green Tea

Ceylon Blackwood Estate Organic Green Tea from Simpson & Vail

Style: Green Tea – Region: Uva, Sri Lanka

80 / 100 Aroma: 7/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 4/5
Jun. 6th, 2012

Simpson and Vail informs me that Blackwood estate is part of Idulgashinna estate, if you're familiar with that one (I am not).

This tea had a similar flavor profile to other Ceylon greens that I've had: it was similar in some ways to Chinese green teas, but with a darker character, and more vegetal, but slightly les...

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Picture of Vietnam Black Tea

Vietnam Black Tea from Simpson & Vail

Style: Black Tea – Region: Vietnam

67 / 100 Aroma: 6/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 4/5
Jun. 5th, 2012

Dry leaf has a mild, but very pleasing aroma, surprisingly suggestive of sweetness.

The brewed cup has a lighter golden color, than one would expect from the dark color of the leaf. Flavor is smooth, with a honey-like sweetness, a pleasing crispness, and minimal astringency. Full-bodied yet with a cooling quality....

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Picture of London Cuppa Tea Bags

London Cuppa Tea Bags from The London Cuppa

Style: Black Tea – Region: Blend

53 / 100 Aroma: 5/10 Flavor: 3/5 Value: 3/5
May. 29th, 2012

I do prefer the loose leaf from this same brand; it seems to stay fresher. I also think that the loose tea has a certain lightness, like the rice-like tones in the aroma, absence in this one.

This is a strong English-style breakfast tea, true to the name, but not quite as interesting as some.

I find it does not ...

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Picture of Lu Ming Organic Oolong Competition Excellence Grade

Lu Ming Organic Oolong Competition Excellence Grade from Life in Teacup

Style: Oolong Tea – Region: Nantou, Taiwan

95 / 100 Aroma: 9/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 5/5
May. 14th, 2012

I brewed a cup of this tea and set it down to go do something in the other room, and when I came back, the whole room was full of a wonderful aroma.

Brews a very clear cup with a golden or light amber color. Flavor is very smooth, with no detectable bitterness or astringency. This seems a lot like what I've seen s...

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Lapsang Souchong Superior Grade from Life in Teacup

Style: Lapsang Souchong – Region: Wuyi, Fujian, China

91 / 100 Aroma: 9/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 4/5
May. 10th, 2012

This was the first traditional Lapsang Souchong that I've tried, and I must say, I'm a tremendous fan. It is among my favorite Chinese black teas that I have sampled. Yet another impressive tea from Life in Teacup.

Although there is a hint of pine evident in the aroma, the overwhelming smokiness characteristic of ...

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Picture of Los Andes

Los Andes from Shanti Tea

Style: Black Tea – Region: Guatemala

77 / 100 Aroma: 6/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 5/5
May. 3rd, 2012

I have been curious about this tea for some time, and I had no clue what to expect, as it is the first tea I have ever tried which was grown in the Americas.

Broken leaf (CTC) and infuses quickly, but does not become bitter if steeped for a long time. Shanti Tea recommends a 2 minute infusion without milk but I thi...

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