Reviews of Teas & Herbal Teas from Life in Teacup
Page 1 2 of 2 pages with 46 results
Guevera Shu from Life in Teacup
Style: Ripened (Shou) Pu-erh – Region: Yunnan, China83 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 5/5
Mar. 4th, 2015
So, how does this one smell, that is the important question! Pretty good actually, it is rich and earthy with the expected notes of loam (erring on the side of pine forest loam this time) clean soil, and some mineral notes as well. As a fun little surprise the finishing note is molasses, giving a bit of sweetness at t...
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2009 Guan Zi Zai Xiao Man Shu from Life in Teacup
Style: Pu-erh Tea – Region: Yunnan, China80 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 4/5
Dec. 16th, 2014
the aroma is so evocative of a coniferous forest that for a moment I can transport myself to the forest I used to romp in as a teenager. It was a mixed forest, but since this was the South, a large portion of the forest was pine, so I am very familiar with the at times almost intoxicating aroma of pine loam, wet pine w...
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Dong Ding Oolong traditional medium roast from Life in Teacup
Style: Jade Oolong – Region: Nantou, Taiwan93 / 100 Aroma: 9/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 5/5
Nov. 16th, 2014
Well perhaps on the website this may be considered a mid-grade tea, but I was really impressed by it. I now know what a quality oolong is supposed to taste and smell like. It's rich both in aroma and flavor, and lasts very well through multiple infusions. Infact, I experimented on the third and fourth infusions: It was...
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Wuyi Jin Jun Mei from Life in Teacup
Style: Black Tea – Region: Fujian, China93 / 100 Aroma: 10/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 4/5
Nov. 15th, 2014
Wow. This is on par with the Da Hong Pao I tried from Life in Teacup.
I was hit with a rich blast of cocoa and hazelnut. It just smelled so good it's hard to describe. Made my mouth water in anticipation.
That first sip was heaven. A decadent balance of maltiness and cocoa undertones. It was sweet like honey, and...
2014 Pre-Qingming Da Fo (Great Buddha) Long Jing first day harvest from Life in Teacup
Style: Dragon Well (Long Jing) – Region: Zhejiang, China93 / 100 Aroma: 10/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 4/5
Nov. 15th, 2014
This is how a dragonwell should be! The aroma was beautiful, thick and sweet and nutty with a vegetal tinge. The color (when brewed just right) comes out light-golden, like midday summer sunlight. I loved the flavor, it tasted just like I wanted it to - delicate and sweet with that classic dragonwell character. Felt sm...
Read Full Review2014 Pre-Qingming An Ji Bai Cha First Day Harvest from Life in Teacup
Style: Anji Bai Cha – Region: Zhejiang, China87 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 4/5
Nov. 14th, 2014
(Update) The previous review I did may not have been completely fair to this tea. I brewed it slightly different this time, using a little more leaf, a little less water, and just under 3 minutes for the steep. It's a great tea actually! Very light in color, aromatic, velvety smooth, and clean/pure in flavor. It's kind...
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Dong Ding Oolong traditional greener style from Life in Teacup
Style: Jade Oolong – Region: Nantou, Taiwan90 / 100 Aroma: 9/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 5/5
Nov. 14th, 2014
Mmm, very tasty. This tea beats other oolongs I've had that were three times the price. It's naturally really sweet, with a mellow nutty undertone. Creamy mouth-feel. The aroma is beautiful, thick and sweet. I could drink this tea all day.
Brewed a large teaspoon in 8oz water at 200F for 3 min.
1400m Huang Shan Mao Feng from Life in Teacup
Style: Mao Feng Green Tea – Region: Huangshan, Anhui, China90 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 5/5
Nov. 14th, 2014
Brewed tea in 9-10oz of water at 200F for 3 min first steep.
It had a nutty scent kind of like long jin (dragonwell). I could tell from the scent of the liquor and the wet leaves that this would be a top-quality tea.
The flavor is actually somewhat simple, but very pure. I get nuttiness/toastyness akin to the sce...
Da Hong Pao Manually Processed Medium Roast from Life in Teacup
Style: Da Hong Pao – Region: Fujian, China93 / 100 Aroma: 9/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 5/5
Nov. 13th, 2014
Well this is my first ever Da Hong Pao, and I'm really excited to review it (but not as much as I was to taste it)!
I brewed about 1.5 spoons (because the leaves are long) in about 9 oz of water at 200 F for 4 min.
The color of the tea is beautiful reddish amber (Alex, I think a good feature would be uploading pi...
Frosty Spring Yunnan Roast Green from Life in Teacup
Style: Green Tea – Region: Yunnan, China80 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 4/5
Sep. 12th, 2014
The aroma of this Yunnan green tea is a blend of toasted and fresh green, there are notes of pepper, toasted sesame seeds, green stems, fresh okra, and a tiny hint of kale. I have noticed that a few of the teas I have sniffed recently have the note of okra, which I find awesome, what with being Southern and eating a to...
Read Full ReviewJing Xian Ti Kui from Life in Teacup
Style: Green Tea – Region: Anhui, China93 / 100 Aroma: 9/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 5/5
Sep. 3rd, 2014
The aroma of the dry leaf is very fresh smelling, blending notes of roasted sesame and peanuts with green bean and spinach. There is a tiny hint of sauteed mushrooms at the finish, giving the tea a hint of savory.
The first steep's mouthfeel is quite smooth, it was the first thing I noticed, after my initial enjoyme...
2006 Chang Tai "Seven Star - Alkaid" from Life in Teacup
Style: Raw (Sheng) Pu-erh – Region: Yunnan, China83 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 4/5
Apr. 24th, 2014
The aroma of this Pu Erh is really intriguing, blending sweet notes of anise, pine needles, hay and wet oak wood. It smells really clean and nature like, the sweetness is that of new growth and anise.
The taste is very light and quite smooth in the mouth. The taste is one of sweet hay and honey that fades to a bit o...
Lapsang Souchong Black Tea Grade II from Life in Teacup
Style: Lapsang Souchong – Region: Fujian, China63 / 100 Aroma: 6/10 Flavor: 3/5 Value: 4/5
Jul. 13th, 2012
Life in Teacup sent me a sample of this tea even though it had been discontinued from their catalogue; now, their only Lapsang Souchong is the Lapsang Souchong Superior Grade.
I can see why they discontinued this one: while it was not bad, I thought it was nowhere near as good as the superior grade. Even with the h...
1960s Phoenix Dan Cong from Life in Teacup
Style: Dancong Oolong – Region: Guangdong, China57 / 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...
Lu Ming Organic Oolong Competition Excellence Grade from Life in Teacup
Style: Oolong Tea – Region: Nantou, Taiwan95 / 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...
Lapsang Souchong Superior Grade from Life in Teacup
Style: Lapsang Souchong – Region: Wuyi, Fujian, China91 / 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 ...
Zhang Ping Shui Xian, Charcoal Roasted from Life in Teacup
Style: Shui Hsien Oolong – Region: Zhangping, Fujian, China73 / 100 Aroma: 7/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 3/5
Apr. 18th, 2012
The dry leaf of this oolong looked and smelled heavily roasted, and frankly, smelled more than a little boring to me. But when I brewed this cup, I was pleasantly surprised.
The aroma is complex and a bit edgy--there are some fairly strong skunky, herbaceous qualities, tones of celery, and a few floral tones in the...
Keemun Mao Feng Black Tea from Life in Teacup
Style: Keemun Mao Feng – Region: Qimen, Anhui, China67 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 3/5 Value: 2/5
Apr. 17th, 2012
This tea is okay. I don't like the flavor that much. It reminds me of flake cereal. It didn't seem very strong when I first tasted it, but I brewed it a long time. Now that I'm noticing the flavor more, it seems stronger. I added cream and sugar.
Read Full ReviewKeemun Mao Feng Black Tea from Life in Teacup
Style: Keemun Mao Feng – Region: Qimen, Anhui, China87 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 5/5
Apr. 17th, 2012
Dry leaf is strongly aromatic, with a slight smokiness and a strong dried fruit quality. Surprisingly little leaf is needed to brew a flavorful cup. I find it hard to gauge the amount of leaf necessary, because the thin, wiry leaf occupies a lot of space, but also expands greatly upon brewing.
The brewed cup has a...
2009 Shou Mei (Sow Mee or Longevity Brow) from Life in Teacup
Style: Shou Mei White Tea – Region: Fujian, China90 / 100 Aroma: 9/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 5/5
Apr. 12th, 2012
I find white teas tend to darken with age, and this one is darker than current-year samples of shou mei I have tried in the past, but it still had quite a lot of green leaf.
This was one tea that I really had to brew before I noticed its quality...the dry leaf looks and smells relatively unremarkable, but upon brewi...
Zhang Ping Shui Xian, Traditional Greener Style from Life in Teacup
Style: Shui Hsien Oolong – Region: Zhangping, Fujian, China77 / 100 Aroma: 9/10 Flavor: 3/5 Value: 3/5
Apr. 11th, 2012
This was a fascinating tea for me to try. It was completely unlike any other oolong I've tried. The loosely-packed leaves separate easily and infuse quicker than I'd expect for their tough texture. After steeping I noticed that the larger leaves are mostly whole, but the smaller leaves and buds are mostly broken. I...
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Hand-Processed Wuyi Shui Xian Grade I from Life in Teacup
Style: Shui Hsien Oolong – Region: Wuyi, Fujian, China95 / 100 Aroma: 10/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 4/5
Oct. 10th, 2011
Dry leaf has an intense aroma of cocoa. Upon brewing the tea, the aroma becomes much more complex.
I brewed this tea western style and was surprised at how many infusions it lasted through. It is rare for me to find teas that can hold up to three long infusions, using less leaf. This tea lasted through four.
A...
2011 Pre-Qingming Shi Feng Long Jing from Weng Jia Shan from Life in Teacup
Style: Dragon Well (Long Jing) – Region: Zhejiang, China87 / 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...
Tie Guan Yin traditional charcoal roast Master Grade from Life in Teacup
Style: Tie Guan Yin – Region: Anxi, Fujian, China100 / 100 Aroma: 10/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 5/5
Apr. 6th, 2011
(2009 Harvest) This is an impressive tea, and the first perfect rating I've ever given here. Life in Teacup provided me with a sample generous enough to experiment a bit with brewing.
This tea is so intensely flavorful and aromatic, that I settled on using a little less than 1 teaspoon of leaf, and brewed four infu...
Wild tea Orchid Fairy Twig, first day harvest from Life in Teacup
Style: Green Tea – Region: Wuyuan, Jiangxi, China83 / 100 Aroma: 9/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 4/5
Mar. 24th, 2011
I have only tried one other green tea from Wuyuan, but there was something very distinctive about this tea that reminded me of that first tea, Upton's ZG36, as soon as I took the first sip. Both teas share a particularly distinctive grassy aroma, with both floral and vegetal tones.
This tea, on the other hand, has...
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