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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 Silver Needle

Silver Needle from Adagio Teas

Style: Silver Needle – Region: Fujian, China

60 / 100 Aroma: 6/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 2/5
Sep. 19th, 2011

Brews a dark color for a silver needle, but the flavor profile is more like what I'd expect for a silver needle.

Aroma is mellow, mostly vegetal, slightly floral but only weakly so. Sweet, no bitterness. I used a very long steep time (>10 min.) and it had only a little astringency.

This is not my favorite style...

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Picture of Wuyi Ensemble (Wuyi Oolong)

Wuyi Ensemble (Wuyi Oolong) from Adagio Teas

Style: Oolong Tea – Region: Wuyi, Fujian, China

83 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 4/5
Sep. 16th, 2011

Although this tea looks very dark in color, it had a slightly greener character among Wuyi oolongs. Aroma has a hint of smokiness, and some woody qualities, but primarily a background of honey-like smoothness that is fairly floral. The finish is clean and herbaceous, leaving a fresh taste of celery on the palate.

...

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Picture of White Peony (Pai Mu Tan)

White Peony (Pai Mu Tan) from Adagio Teas

Style: White Peony Tea – Region: Fujian, China

90 / 100 Aroma: 9/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 5/5
Sep. 14th, 2011

Not what I expected, and actually, far exceeding any expectations I had! This is my favorite Pai Mu Tan sampled yet, and is far out ahead of any of the other contenders.

I had this as a sample in a tea sachet. The sachet contains the same tea that is sold as loose-leaf. I will note that the sachet was very large,...

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Picture of Darjeeling Tea

Darjeeling Tea from Novus Tea

Style: Darjeeling Black Tea – Region: Darjeeling, India

70 / 100 Aroma: 7/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 3/5
Sep. 14th, 2011

Very dark for a Darjeeling, but still relatively light body and flavor. Complex and interesting aroma, including grapes, a pleasing hint of a tobacco-like quality that I find is rare in Darjeelings, and some tones of toasted rye bread. Flavor very smooth.

Good for two flavorful infusions.

Another good tea from ...

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Picture of Ti Kuan Yin (Oolong Goddess)

Ti Kuan Yin (Oolong Goddess) from Adagio Teas

Style: Tie Guan Yin – Region: Fujian, China

70 / 100 Aroma: 7/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 3/5
Sep. 14th, 2011

This is a very balanced Tie Guan Yin. It is darker than a lot of the modern green Chinese Oolongs, but lighter than some of the traditional dark roast ones. The cup comes out a dark amber or light brown.

The aroma is slightly floral, with a hint of woody tones. Very full-bodied; slightly honey-like upon drinking....

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Picture of Organic English Breakfast

Organic English Breakfast from Harney and Sons

Style: English Breakfast – Region: China

53 / 100 Aroma: 5/10 Flavor: 3/5 Value: 2/5
Sep. 13th, 2011

This tea was interesting to me as it is pure Keemun, and not a blend of different teas, or predominately Ceylon possibly with some Assam, the way a lot of English breakfast blends nowadays are. I don't know much about the history of tea so I can't say much about the authenticity of this tea.

I will say, compared to...

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Picture of Kenyan Black Tea - Loose Tea

Kenyan Black Tea - Loose Tea from Ajiri Tea

Style: Black Tea – Region: Kisii, Kenya

83 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 4/5
Sep. 13th, 2011

This tea was remarkably high-quality for the fact that it is finely broken, mechanically-processed CTC tea. It was also incredibly interesting!

Aroma is grainy, slightly malty, and very pleasing. Has somewhat of a high-grown character, combined with malty characteristics. Rather distinct. I can see how others sa...

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Picture of English Breakfast

English Breakfast from Revolution Tea

Style: English Breakfast – Region: Blend

60 / 100 Aroma: 6/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 2/5
Sep. 13th, 2011

Moderate strength, relatively full-bodied, but considerably less bitter than typical for an English breakfast.

I think I prefer the green and white teas from Revolution tea, but this one was not bad.

Pricey though, for the quality. Revolution's other teas, in my opinion, deliver something more unique whereas thi...

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Picture of Yunnan Gold (Golden Yunnan)

Yunnan Gold (Golden Yunnan) from Adagio Teas

Style: Yunnan Gold – Region: Yunnan, China

67 / 100 Aroma: 7/10 Flavor: 3/5 Value: 3/5
Sep. 12th, 2011

This tea is mostly golden buds, and it is very similar to the other tea I've sampled that looks most similar to it in appearance, which was Life in Teacup's Yunnan Golden Bud. Smooth and peppery. Compared to that tea, this one has a softer peppery quality. Both teas are slightly Keemun-like.

Requires a long brewi...

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Picture of Sencha

Sencha from Rishi Tea

Style: Sencha – Region: Kagoshima, Japan

80 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 4/5
Sep. 9th, 2011

Among the cloudiest / most opaque sencha's I've seen...bright green in color, even in the second infusion.

Aroma and flavor are actually very similar to kukicha...less of the seaweedy or ocean-like qualities, fairly grassy, and almost twiggy. Also somewhat matcha-like.

This was an interesting change of pace...qu...

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Picture of Green Mao Feng Imperial

Green Mao Feng Imperial from Upton Tea Imports

Style: Mao Feng Green Tea – Region: China

73 / 100 Aroma: 7/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 4/5
Sep. 8th, 2011

The dry leaf has an intense fragrance that is more food-like than tea-like, and suggests a savory dish, but also suggests sweetness.

Upon brewing this tea, however, it is less savory than the aroma suggests: mild, sweet, mellow. Surprisingly dark color, a brownish amber, but very clear. Slightly vegetal. Subdued,...

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Picture of Ding Gu Da Fang Organic

Ding Gu Da Fang Organic from Upton Tea Imports

Style: Green Tea – Region: China

83 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 4/5
Sep. 8th, 2011

Dry leaf has an interesting aroma, almost like overripe fruit.

Brewed cup is a deep, dark color for a green tea, and has a savory quality and a full body. Very full-flavored, but milder aroma, which is somewhat neutral, with a weak fruity and floral quality.

Almost minty finish. I also detect tones of ginger. ...

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Picture of Assam Irish Breakfast

Assam Irish Breakfast from Ronnefeldt

Style: Irish Breakfast – Region: Assam, India

73 / 100 Aroma: 7/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 4/5
Sep. 5th, 2011

This was a solid Assam or Irish Breakfast from a tea bag, with a fairly complex aroma, definitely one of the best strong black teas I've had from such a simple tea bag of broken-leaf tea.

Sharp, edgy, piercing, yet full-bodied and having depth. Aroma has tones of malt, dried fruit, rice, and red wine. Very fresh t...

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Picture of English Breakfast

English Breakfast from Ronnefeldt

Style: English Breakfast – Region: Sri Lanka / Ceylon

63 / 100 Aroma: 5/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 4/5
Sep. 1st, 2011

A friend brought this back from Europe for me. The caption on this tea cracks me up...'prickelndem' is translated as 'scintillating', and the combination of "typical" (which does not have the same connotation as the German "typischer") leads to a bit of a contradiction: "A typical Ceylon tea with a scintillating flavo...

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Picture of Bilouchun Green Tea

Bilouchun Green Tea from Tea King of China (Starway)

Style: Bi Luo Chun – Region: Jiangsu, China

80 / 100 Aroma: 7/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 5/5
Aug. 31st, 2011

This was the second 'bargain buy' I found in the attractive black-and-green tins that have recently cropped up in Asian markets, from the import company Starway Inc. I think this tea was even more impressive than the first: at $3.98 for 6 ounces, this tea is very cheap, although significantly pricier than the other, H...

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Picture of Huangshan Maofeng Green Tea

Huangshan Maofeng Green Tea from Tea King of China (Starway)

Style: Mao Feng Green Tea – Region: Huangshan, Anhui, China

77 / 100 Aroma: 7/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 5/5
Aug. 29th, 2011

I can't believe the price on this tea: 6 ounces for $3. I wasn't expecting much, and I was literally blown away. This is an outstanding tea for this price. Many whole leaves, and mostly large, only slightly broken pieces. The leaf is lightly packed and takes up a lot of space. The instructions say to brew with 2-3...

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Picture of 2011 Pre-Qingming Shi Feng Long Jing from Weng Jia Shan

2011 Pre-Qingming Shi Feng Long Jing from Weng Jia Shan from Life in Teacup

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

87 / 100 Aroma: 9/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 4/5
Aug. 22nd, 2011

Somehow this review got lost, so I'm posting it after the fact! This is my favorite dragon well I've tried yet. Most of what I've tried has either been too weak, or had objectionable qualities.

This is a powerful tea...not much leaf is needed to brew a strong cup. If you're used to brewing dragon well, even highe...

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Picture of 100 Monkeys

100 Monkeys from Imperial Tea Garden

Style: White Tea – Region: China

50 / 100 Aroma: 5/10 Flavor: 3/5 Value: 2/5
Aug. 17th, 2011

After enjoying a number of teas I have sampled from Imperial Tea Garden, this tea disappointed me.

The dry leaf is somewhat interesting looking.

You need to use quite a lot of leaf, however, to bring out much flavor. But even using much more leaf than I normally would, it's still bland. I recommend brewing with...

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Picture of Daisajan Estate GBOP(S)

Daisajan Estate GBOP(S) from Upton Tea Imports

Style: Assam – Region: Tinsukia, Assam, India

43 / 100 Aroma: 4/10 Flavor: 3/5 Value: 2/5
Aug. 14th, 2011

The dry leaf had an appealing smell, but this tea failed to impress me.

Flavor is rather savory, quite sour, and barely bitter at all. I prefer bitter to sour flavors in my tea. Aroma is muddled: slightly smoky, slightly malty, slightly herbaceous. Slightly peppery like some Yunnan teas and with some vegetal qual...

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Picture of Adam's Peak White Tea

Adam's Peak White Tea from Imperial Tea Garden

Style: Silver Needle – Region: Nuwara Eliya, Sri Lanka

63 / 100 Aroma: 9/10 Flavor: 3/5 Value: 2/5
Aug. 10th, 2011

This was an interesting tea, recognizable as white tea, and more like Silver Needle in style than any other style of white tea, but still unlike any other white teas I've tried. I've tried brewing this tea several different ways.

With a briefer infusion and lower-temperature water, it brews a pale amber with a slig...

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Picture of Wuyi Organic Oolong Tea

Wuyi Organic Oolong Tea from Wegmans

Style: Oolong Tea – Region: Wuyi, Fujian, China

80 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 5/5
Aug. 9th, 2011

This is the same style as Rishi's Wuyi Qi Lan, and the two teas are very similar. I suspect that this is also a Qi Lan but I am not experienced enough with Wuyi teas to say for sure.

Rishi's Qi Lan (Wuyi oolong) is sweeter, thicker, more syrupy. This tea is more dry. Both teas have a pleasant hint of smokiness. ...

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Picture of Organic Green Lu'An Melon Seed

Organic Green Lu'An Melon Seed from Upton Tea Imports

Style: Lu An Melon Seed – Region: Anhui, China

83 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 4/5
Aug. 9th, 2011

Aroma is predominantly grassy, more grassy than any other green tea--drinking it conjures up images of being out in my yard, digging around in the grass. There are some interesting floral tones. Flavor is rather muted; most teas with similar aromas are a bit more sour, astringent, and brisk, but this tea mainly leave...

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Picture of TM82: Himalayan TGFOP1

TM82: Himalayan TGFOP1 from Upton Tea Imports

Style: Black Tea – Region: Himalayas

73 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 3/5 Value: 4/5
Aug. 4th, 2011

I ordered this after Upton discontinued one of my favorite teas, the Himalayan BOP (TM20). I was expecting this tea to be similar to that one, but overall, it had less of the qualities that I liked in that tea, and was considerably more expensive (still a good value but not a steal the way that one was), so I am disap...

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Picture of Jun Chiyabari Nepalese Black Tea

Jun Chiyabari Nepalese Black Tea from Imperial Tea Garden

Style: Black Tea – Region: Nepal

80 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 4/5
Aug. 3rd, 2011

This is one of those elusive teas that I am often searching for, with a Darjeeling-like character but packing more of a punch.

Aroma Darjeeling-like, with a strong fruity, muscatel quality. A tad more cooling and less warming than a Darjeeling. Slightly fresher tones. Dark color but relatively light body. Very s...

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Picture of Iyerpadi Estate FBOP Green Organic

Iyerpadi Estate FBOP Green Organic from Upton Tea Imports

Style: Green Tea – Region: Nilgiri, India

57 / 100 Aroma: 5/10 Flavor: 3/5 Value: 3/5
Aug. 2nd, 2011

My first Nilgiri green tea.

This was an interesting tea, but it was weaker in aroma than I would have liked. Tangy flavor, with tones of lemon or lime in the aroma. A hint of grassy tones, and cooked vegetable aromas as well, like asparagus. Almost a hint of vanilla in the aroma. Very much unlike Chinese or Japa...

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