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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 Yorkshire Tea Decaf

Yorkshire Tea Decaf from Yorkshire Tea

Style: Black Tea – Region: Blend

53 / 100 Aroma: 5/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 4/5
Jan. 31st, 2011

This one really surprised me. I sampled it side-by-side with Yorkshire's traditional blend (their flagship tea) out of curiosity. I myself am highly skeptical of decaf tea.

It's not as good, I'll say that straight up. But...it's by far the best decaf black tea I've tried yet. It is even better than a number of c...

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Picture of Yorkshire Tea Traditional

Yorkshire Tea Traditional from Yorkshire Tea

Style: Black Tea – Region: Blend

63 / 100 Aroma: 6/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 4/5
Jan. 31st, 2011

A lot of people seem to compare this to PG Tips, so I will continue the tradition. I will say, the two teas definitely are in the same style: a strong English-style breakfast tea. But, hands down, this tea absolutely toasts PG Tips, in spite of the fact that it came in a normal, flat tea bag, and the PG Tips I've had...

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Picture of Nilgiri Select Black Tea

Nilgiri Select Black Tea from Wegmans

Style: Black Tea – Region: Nilgiri, India

70 / 100 Aroma: 6/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 5/5
Jan. 24th, 2011

This was my first Nilgiri tea. I have heard Nilgiris described as being similar to Ceylon and I can see this. It's definitely more similar to a a lower-elevation Ceylon than it is to any other Indian tea I've tried. I don't notice much high-grown character in this tea.

I also think it's reminiscent of a Hubei Kee...

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Picture of Bao Zhong Special Oolong Tea

Bao Zhong Special Oolong Tea from Wegmans

Style: Pouchong Tea – Region: Taiwan / Formosa

77 / 100 Aroma: 7/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 5/5
Jan. 20th, 2011

This is a very smooth, classic pouchong of considerably above-average quality. Aroma is fairly strong, mostly floral and honey-like. Remarkable for a pouchong of this price, there is a complete absence of unpleasant fishy tones, and there's very little astringency.

I found that a teaspoon of leaves could brew two ...

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Picture of Kukicha Green Tea

Kukicha Green Tea from Wegmans

Style: Kukicha – Region: Japan

70 / 100 Aroma: 6/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 5/5
Jan. 18th, 2011

I really love this style of tea, and I think it's hard to go wrong with it. This is not my favorite kukicha, but I like it very much. The dry leaf has a very large proportion of fine powder in it, and proportionately less stem. Accordingly, the cup brews an opaque green color, not bright like Matcha but darker and g...

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Picture of Ti Guan Yin Oolong Tea

Ti Guan Yin Oolong Tea from Wegmans

Style: Tie Guan Yin – Region: Taiwan / Formosa

80 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 5/5
Jan. 17th, 2011

Wow. This tea surprised me from the first sip, both with its quality and originality. This is not a run-of-the-mill Tie Guan Yin.

Aroma highly complex, with both floral and herbaceous tones present from the start. There's a honey-like quality and a slight but noticeable roast. Finish is woody, but in a gentle so...

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Himalayan Green from Teavolve

Style: Green Tea – Region: ?????

73 / 100 Aroma: 7/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 4/5
Jan. 11th, 2011

Served in Teavolve.

I don't know exactly where this tea comes from, but it was more like a Chinese green tea than it was like other green teas I've had from the Himalayan region (Nepal, Darjeeling, etc.), although it definitely had some of the vegetal tones in the aroma characteristic of these teas.

The flavor wa...

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Picture of Ancient Shu Pu-erh Tuo Cha

Ancient Shu Pu-erh Tuo Cha from Rishi Tea

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

57 / 100 Aroma: 5/10 Flavor: 3/5 Value: 4/5
Jan. 2nd, 2011

I'm not crazy about Shu Pu-erh; this one was better than average though. The single-serving size of these tuo cha's is very convenient.

Brews a blackish brown, like black coffee. Aroma is earthy, but with more nuance that I'm used to in shu Pu-erh. There's a creamy quality and a hint of a savory, chicken-soup lik...

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Dong Ding Oolong Competition Grade III 2009 from Life in Teacup

Style: Jade Oolong – Region: Nantou, Taiwan

80 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 4/5
Jan. 2nd, 2011

This is the first medium-roast Dong Ding I've tried; prior to trying this one I've only tried the lighter roasted styles of Dong Ding, or medium-roasted oolongs of other styles. I like this one very much.

I did not have much leaf and only had one opportunity to brew this once, using multiple infusions, but the resu...

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Picture of Dong Ding Oolong

Dong Ding Oolong from Tradition

Style: Jade Oolong – Region: Taiwan / Formosa

93 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 5/5
Dec. 20th, 2010

This is an exceptionally strong tea: without a doubt, the strongest green oolong I have yet tried. Very little leaf is needed. While I've had Dong Ding with a more nuanced aroma, it was weaker overall, and I actually prefer strength, especially in this style of tea which can be a little too gentle for my tastes. The...

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Picture of Kocha Japanese Black

Kocha Japanese Black from Far West Trading Company

Style: Black Tea – Region: Japan

77 / 100 Aroma: 7/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 4/5
Dec. 20th, 2010

There is something very muted and controlled about this tea. It reminds me of a high-grown Ceylon, from Nuwara Eliya, and I would probably believe it if someone labeled it as such. A faint malty aroma is barely present under a light, rice-like quality. Only a faint bitterness in the aftertaste, and very little astri...

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Picture of Bai Hao Oolong (Oriental Beauty) Superior Grade

Bai Hao Oolong (Oriental Beauty) Superior Grade from Life in Teacup

Style: Oriental Beauty – Region: Hsinchu (County), Taiwan

53 / 100 Aroma: 6/10 Flavor: 2/5 Value: 2/5
Dec. 17th, 2010

Thank you Marlena for sharing this one with me!

Fruity and complex aroma, but completely without bitterness or bite, even when using a generous amount of leaf and steeping for a long time. The overall character of the cup is Darjeeling-like, although with less edge. Although it's mild in terms of aroma and bittern...

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Picture of Java Malabar Plantation Black Tea

Java Malabar Plantation Black Tea from Simpson & Vail

Style: Black Tea – Region: West Java, Indonesia

77 / 100 Aroma: 7/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 5/5
Dec. 14th, 2010

Thank you Marlena for sharing this one!

Aroma is unique, and hard to describe, very clean and cool, yet deep. A suggestion of wintergreen, like I've only ever encountered in Ceylon teas from the Uva region. I can see the licorice and grilled vegetables Marlena describes, as well. The aroma suggests savory qualiti...

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Picture of China Green Tips Filterbag

China Green Tips Filterbag from Tazo Tea

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

57 / 100 Aroma: 5/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 3/5
Dec. 7th, 2010

Served in a Starbucks. I was impressed with this for a tea bag, but it really did not compare to the majority of the loose-leaf green tea I buy.

Aroma was a bit muddled, vaguely toasty, fairly vegetal, and with only a hint of grassiness. Warmer, and less crisp and refreshing than I like. I like Zhejiang greens an...

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Picture of Irish Breakfast

Irish Breakfast from Mrs. Robinson's Tea Shop

Style: Irish Breakfast – Region: Blend

80 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 5/5
Dec. 6th, 2010

Intensely malty, with deep undertones of sweet dried fruit, giving way to a bitter and rather tannic aftertaste. Very powerful. Even if you use sparing amounts of leaf, this brews a very powerful cup.

I like this because it blends the deep, malty characteristics of an Assam with the fruitier aspects of a good Keem...

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Picture of Quality Blend Tea - Olde McCormick Tea House

Quality Blend Tea - Olde McCormick Tea House from McCormick

Style: Black Tea – Region: Blend

40 / 100 Aroma: 4/10 Flavor: 2/5 Value: 2/5
Dec. 1st, 2010

I found this tea bag at a church event and tried it out of curiosity. I really wasn't expecting much, given that this tea was discontinued over a year ago and the bags are individually wrapped only in paper, so the particular tea bag that I sampled wasn't terribly fresh, but I will say that I was pleasantly surprised....

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Picture of A-Li-Son Oolong Tea

A-Li-Son Oolong Tea from Tradition

Style: High Mountain Oolong – Region: Chiayi (County), Taiwan

87 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 5/5
Nov. 29th, 2010

Now and then I buy tea loose-leaf tea in Chinatown, Asian import stores, and other specialty food stores, and I am often disappointed. However, this one was a pleasant surprise. I wasn't expecting much: I bought 100 grams of this Alishan Oolong for $7, which seemed extraordinarily cheap. I've had better Alishan Oolo...

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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 Sencha Superior

Sencha Superior from Rishi Tea

Style: Sencha – Region: Shizuoka, Japan

63 / 100 Aroma: 7/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 2/5
Nov. 3rd, 2010

Brews a clear golden color, less opaque than most Sencha. Aroma seaweedy and vegetal, and only slightly grassy. Relatively smooth flavor, with a little astringency and bitterness. Overall this is a very typical sencha. Nothing about it stands out.

Rishi's brewing instructions result in a cup that on the weak sid...

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Picture of Ceylon Single Estate

Ceylon Single Estate from Rishi Tea

Style: Ceylon Black Tea – Region: Sri Lanka / Ceylon

53 / 100 Aroma: 5/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 3/5
Oct. 31st, 2010

Ceylon is not my favorite type of black tea, but I'm always blown away by what Rishi manages to come up with, so I was curious to try this one.

Brewed as recommended, this cup is dark but clear, and of below-average overall strength for a black tea. However, it is also more full-bodied than average. The aroma is s...

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Picture of Bancha

Bancha from Rishi Tea

Style: Bancha – Region: Kagoshima, Japan

81 / 100 Aroma: 7/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 5/5
Oct. 30th, 2010

I found this tea to be very different based on how it is brewed.

The light, flat quality of the dry leaf reminds me of dragon well, but the similarity ends there. This tea brews a very clear greenish-yellow color. Regardless of how strongly you brew it, it comes out completely transparent: there's almost no opacit...

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Picture of Organic Japanese Sencha

Organic Japanese Sencha from Two Leaves and a Bud

Style: Sencha – Region: Japan

47 / 100 Aroma: 3/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 2/5
Oct. 18th, 2010

This tea was interesting; I brewed it for 3 minutes at 180 degrees. I found it was only good for a single infusion, which is why I settled on 3 minutes. Longer steeping made it too bitter and strong for me, and many people may like a shorter infusion.

Two Leaves and a Bud describes this as "brisk", and I think thi...

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Picture of English Breakfast

English Breakfast from Wedgwood

Style: English Breakfast – Region: Blend

47 / 100 Aroma: 4/10 Flavor: 3/5 Value: 3/5
Oct. 14th, 2010

This is a CTC tea and it is insanely strong. I brewed for a little less than a minute, using less than a teaspoon of leaf, and it was still a bit strong for me. This tea is fairly aromatic; I'm not sure exactly the proportions that go in but I can definitely taste some Ceylon and what seems like possibly an Assam or ...

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Picture of Irish Breakfast Black Tea

Irish Breakfast Black Tea from Boston Tea Company

Style: Irish Breakfast – Region: Blend

77 / 100 Aroma: 7/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 5/5
Oct. 6th, 2010

This is my favorite tea so far from the Boston Tea Company. Although Irish Breakfast isn't my favorite style of black tea, this is without a doubt my favorite Irish breakfast tea yet, and I find this particular blend to stand out among any kind of strong black tea.

The aroma is complex, powerful, and surprisingly f...

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