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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 Black Tea

Black Tea from Ten Ren Tea

Style: Black Tea – Region: ?????

33 / 100 Aroma: 3/10 Flavor: 2/5 Value: 2/5
Sep. 27th, 2009

I think this tea does not stack up to the quality of Ten Ren's other teabag teas; it makes me wonder if it's included only as an afterthought, as Ten Ren does not seem to specialize in black teas. Aroma is nondescript, generic, lacking complexity. If you want a darker tea from Ten Ren, I'd recommend a darker oolong.

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Picture of Fusion Green & White Tea

Fusion Green & White Tea from Stash Tea

Style: Green and White Blend – Region: ?????

70 / 100 Aroma: 7/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 4/5
Sep. 27th, 2009

Complex aroma; has a floral fragrance, suggestive of Jasmine. Crisp, clean, and light, but surprisingly flavorful. Remarkably easy to brew; better with slightly lower temperature water, but does not scald as easily as other green or white teas. Outstanding for a teabag tea!

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Picture of Organic Hojicha

Organic Hojicha from Mighty Leaf Tea

Style: Hojicha – Region: Japan

77 / 100 Aroma: 7/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 3/5
Sep. 26th, 2009

This is without a doubt my favorite tea from mighty leaf and one of my favorite hojicha's that I've tried--definitely my favorite that's available bagged.

The aroma is rich and roasty and has some nuances. There's a bit more bitterness than some hojicha's, which I like, but there is little astringency or sourness; ...

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Picture of Ti Kuan Yin

Ti Kuan Yin from Ten Ren Tea

Style: Tie Guan Yin – Region: Taiwan / Formosa

73 / 100 Aroma: 6/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 5/5
Sep. 23rd, 2009

Very rich and full-bodied, and more bitter than Ten Ren's Tung Ting and Ten Wu oolongs, but still not very bitter. Pleasant aroma, both earthy and fresh...cleaner tasting than other dark oolongs I've had in teabags. I tend to prefer lighter Ti Kuan Yin teas...but I enjoy this one a lot, especially given that it is in...

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Picture of Oolong Se Chung

Oolong Se Chung from Upton Tea Imports

Style: Se Chung Oolong – Region: China

93 / 100 Aroma: 9/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 5/5
Sep. 21st, 2009

This is my favorite offering from Upton Tea. The whole, light green leaves are tightly curled and become dark green and unfurl a great deal upon brewing.

The brewed tea is light golden green like many greener oolongs. The complex aroma has some of the cripser herbal qualities of green teas, and some sharper tones,...

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Picture of Ten Wu Fine Oolong

Ten Wu Fine Oolong from Ten Ren Tea

Style: Oolong Tea – Region: Taiwan / Formosa

80 / 100 Aroma: 7/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 5/5
Sep. 21st, 2009

Without a doubt, this is the best tea in a basic teabag that I've ever tried. (Tradition's whole-leaf oolong in a sachet strikes me as better, but I think that's in a different category of teas.)

The aroma is fresh, complex, and difficult to describe. The cup is exceedingly rich and also very smooth, with a hint o...

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Picture of Wuyi Oolong

Wuyi Oolong from Rishi Tea

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

80 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 3/5 Value: 5/5
Sep. 21st, 2009

Darker among oolongs, but very mellow. The aroma is very warm, rich, and complex, with some roast, a hint of smokiness, and some tones of grain. It actually smells a bit like marijuana, and a bit like a fresh autumn day. I rather like the aroma and I can say I am constantly discovering new facets of it.

This tea ...

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Picture of Chun Mee Dao Ming

Chun Mee Dao Ming from Upton Tea Imports

Style: Chun Mee – Region: China

88 / 100 Aroma: 9/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 5/5
Sep. 21st, 2009

I was really sad to see this one go; it was my favorite example of a chun mee. Although Upton's Chun Mee moon palace was close, I preferred this one.

This is an outstanding green tea at a very reasonable price, and it's organic to boot! It is unusually strong, bitter, and complex for a chun mee tea, and my favorit...

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Picture of Tindharia Estate Oolong (DJ-54)

Tindharia Estate Oolong (DJ-54) from Upton Tea Imports

Style: Darjeeling Oolong – Region: Darjeeling, India

43 / 100 Aroma: 3/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 1/5
Sep. 20th, 2009

The dry leaves have an aroma a lot more like a Darjeeling black or green tea, than like any Chinese or Taiwanese Oolongs.

The brewed tea was deep orange and very clear. Aroma is not particularly strong, mostly of asparagus. Tangy and a little bitter, but quite thin.

More bitter than Tindharia's Green Oolong, an...

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Picture of Tindharia Estate First Flush Green Oolong (EX-10)

Tindharia Estate First Flush Green Oolong (EX-10) from Upton Tea Imports

Style: Darjeeling Oolong – Region: Darjeeling, India

37 / 100 Aroma: 2/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 1/5
Sep. 20th, 2009

The brewed tea is very clear, and brownish green color. The aroma is very weak, but it has a lot of flavor. It is only a bit bitter but seems highly caffeinated. The initial taste is tangy, almost pleasantly sour, and it leaves a tingly sensation on the tongue, and a moderate astringency in the aftertaste.

The ar...

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Picture of Tung Ting Oolong

Tung Ting Oolong from Ten Ren Tea

Style: Jade Oolong – Region: Taiwan / Formosa

70 / 100 Aroma: 5/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 5/5
Sep. 19th, 2009

This was the first time I ever tried this type of oolong. While this tea is pretty good for a teabag oolong, it falls far short of any loose Tung Ting / Dong Ding I've tried.

Smooth, very mellow, and sweet...but almost to the point of being bland. Tastes like you've added honey even without doing so. However, com...

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Picture of White Tea

White Tea from Ten Ren Tea

Style: White Tea – Region: Fujian, China

63 / 100 Aroma: 5/10 Flavor: 3/5 Value: 5/5
Sep. 19th, 2009

Very dark for a white tea, but not bad for a teabag. This tea brews a rich brown color and has a predominately earthy aroma, but it's also clean and crisp tasting. There's a moderate amount of astringency and some bitterness.

Atypical for a white tea, and not terribly complex, but I found it quite enjoyable.

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Picture of China Black Tea

China Black Tea from Foojoy

Style: Black Tea – Region: China

60 / 100 Aroma: 5/10 Flavor: 3/5 Value: 4/5
Sep. 14th, 2009

Given that this was a teabag tea, made out of fannings, and the individual teabags weren't even sealed in paper, this tea was remarkably fresh and complex.

The tea brews a dark reddish brown. The flavor is mellow and the aroma earthy; it reminds me a lot of a keemun. There's a little bitterness and some astringenc...

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Picture of Organic China Congou Hong Tao #1

Organic China Congou Hong Tao #1 from Upton Tea Imports

Style: Keemun – Region: China

73 / 100 Aroma: 7/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 4/5
Sep. 4th, 2009

Interesting and atypical among black teas: more mellow and earthy. The leaves have an aroma very similar to the brewed tea.

When brewed as instructed, the tea is is a dark brown with a slight greenish hue, and less opaque than some black teas. I like to brew it with slightly more leaves than recommended, which yie...

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Picture of China Green Young Hyson

China Green Young Hyson from Upton Tea Imports

Style: Young Hyson – Region: China

80 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 5/5
Sep. 3rd, 2009

The aroma is smoky: much less so than gunpowder tea but nonetheless quite smoky. The smoky character is bold without overpowering the other aspects of the tea. The aroma also has some intricate aspects to it.

The tea is much less bitter than the aroma would suggest, and it has a cool and clean aftertaste. I like ...

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Picture of Formosa Amber Oolong

Formosa Amber Oolong from Upton Tea Imports

Style: Amber Oolong – Region: Taiwan / Formosa

67 / 100 Aroma: 6/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 4/5
Sep. 2nd, 2009

The dry leaves have only a weak aroma, and unfurl somewhat, but not a great deal, upon brewing.

The brewed tea is amber in color as the name suggests; the aroma is nutty and warm, not overpowering, and with a hint of a skunkiness to it. There is only a hint of bitterness and tanginess in the flavor...the tanginess ...

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Picture of Dragon Well Tea

Dragon Well Tea from Ten Ren Tea

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

70 / 100 Aroma: 6/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 5/5
Aug. 30th, 2009

This teabag contains broken leaves of green tea, but they are more whole than the fannings and dust found in some teabags.

The tea brews a clear golden colour and has a rather strong smokey aroma with some hints of grassyness. It has a crisp flavor with some bite. Even when brewed at a lower temperature, there's s...

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Picture of Wooloong Tea (Oolong Tea)

Wooloong Tea (Oolong Tea) from Roland

Style: Oolong Tea – Region: ?????

80 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 3/5 Value: 5/5
Aug. 30th, 2009

This was a surprise; I picked it up at a Korean store in Portland, ME; 6 oz. for $6. The leaves are dark brown and tightly rolled, and unfurl greatly upon brewing. Although some of the leaves are broken, many of them are whole and the pieces of leaf are quite large.

This tea can be brewed many different ways. Rol...

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Picture of Japanese Green Tea

Japanese Green Tea from Kirkland Signature / Costco

Style: Green Tea – Region: Japan

27 / 100 Aroma: 2/10 Flavor: 2/5 Value: 2/5
Aug. 30th, 2009

After generally being impressed by the quality of Kirkland's other products, I was disappointed by this tea.

The aroma was weak and stale; there was little complexity and in particular, none of the fresh grassy or vegetal tones that characterize many Japanese green teas. The flavor was weak too.

I found the brew...

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Picture of White Peony

White Peony from Rishi Tea

Style: White Peony Tea – Region: Zhenghe, Fujian, China

33 / 100 Aroma: 3/10 Flavor: 1/5 Value: 3/5
Aug. 29th, 2009

A disappointment, especially compared to Rishi's other offerings. The brewed tea is amber in color. The aroma is bold and peppery without being sharp; it almost suggests celery, but without the fresh vegetal notes most white teas have. There's not much bitterness, but there's a fair amount of sourness. This tea is ...

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Picture of China Chun Mee

China Chun Mee from Upton Tea Imports

Style: Chun Mee – Region: China

70 / 100 Aroma: 6/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 4/5
Aug. 29th, 2009

This tea, which I enjoyed, has been discontinued, which I don't think is a big loss because I preferred both the Chun Mee Dao Ming and Chun Mee Moon Palace from Upton.

Mellow and subdued, with a coolness to the aroma, without being crisp. There's a little smokiness in the aftertaste but less in the initial aroma. ...

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Picture of Organic Green Tea

Organic Green Tea from Revolution Tea

Style: Green Tea – Region: Blend

73 / 100 Aroma: 7/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 3/5
Aug. 29th, 2009

This blended green tea has a surprisingly distinct character. It has strong grassy tones, without the sharpness of the sencha and the acidity of the chun mee. Moderately bitter. I found this to be a very enjoyable green tea. It is quite pricey, although the price is on par with other brands selling pyramid sachets ...

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Picture of Pouchong Tea 3rd Grade

Pouchong Tea 3rd Grade from Ten Ren Tea

Style: Pouchong Tea – Region: Taiwan / Formosa

83 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 5/5
Aug. 29th, 2009

I'm not sure I agree with the commercial description; it says "sharp and full bodied with a roasted quality" but I don't notice any of these qualities--this tea seems mellow, thin and clear, not full-bodied, and has not even a hint of roasted tones.

The aroma is light and floral, with a vegetal character, and perhap...

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Picture of Jade Cloud (aka Green Jade)

Jade Cloud (aka Green Jade) from Rishi Tea

Style: Green Tea – Region: Hubei, China

91 / 100 Aroma: 9/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 5/5
Aug. 29th, 2009

The aroma is very complex, with some grassy tones and some sharpness. Simultaneously clean and rich tasting. In my opinion, this tea combines the clean, sharp qualities of a good Japanese Sencha, without the fishy quality, and with the more rich and warm characteristics of some of the better Chinese green teas.

Th...

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