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Alex Zorach

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Member since Sep. 1st, 2009. Reviewed 1452 teas.

Reviews of Teas & Herbal Teas from China

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Picture of Jinjunmei Thé Noir

Jinjunmei Thé Noir from D.M.D Bridge

Style: Black Tea – Region: China

78 / 100 Aroma: 7/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 3/5
Sep. 27th, 2023

This was one of the better teas I've bought in-person in a long time, and was quite delicious, but was still disappointing, especially in terms of value, relative to similar teas I have bought online, particularly in that it did not resteep well.

I bought this tea at a Local Vietnamese Grocery Store. The dry leaf lo...

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Picture of Assamica Black Tea from Mei Zi Qing Village

Assamica Black Tea from Mei Zi Qing Village from Yunnan Sourcing

Style: Yunnan Gold – Region: Yongde, Yunnan, China

73 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 3/5 Value: 3/5
Jan. 8th, 2023

I tried this tea right when I ordered it, but did not like it. It had few objectionable qualities, and was actually quite smooth, but simply seemed a little boring. However, I set it in my cupboard for quite some time and sure enough, it has started tasting more interesting after about a year and a half. Still, it is n...

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Picture of Organic Wuyuan Black

Organic Wuyuan Black from Little Red Cup

Style: Black Tea – Region: Wuyuan, Jiangxi, China

92 / 100 Aroma: 9/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 5/5
Jan. 1st, 2023

This is my first black tea that I've ever tried from Wuyuan county; prior to this I have only had green teas, which I've tended to like.

The dry leaf has a fine texture and looks slightly greyish with reddish highlights. It has a pleasing aroma that strongly resembles the lighter examples of Keemun, but is rather di...

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"Yu Luo" High Mountain Pure Bud Green Tea from Yunnan Sourcing

Style: Green Tea – Region: Simao, Yunnan, China

84 / 100 Aroma: 7/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 4/5
Nov. 7th, 2021

Thanks Dewey for sharing this with me! This was a smooth, mellow, mild green tea that was easy to brew and enjoy.

The leaf of this smells very fresh, a sort of sweet fragrance, almost floral, typical of high-quality, tippy Chinese green teas. It's pleasant but also hard to anticipate how it is going to taste, so I w...

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Picture of Yunnan

Yunnan "Black Gold Bi Luo Chun" Black Tea from Yunnan Sourcing

Style: Yunnan Red – Region: Simao, Yunnan, China

93 / 100 Aroma: 9/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 5/5
Sep. 23rd, 2021

I found this a pleasant tea to drink but it was not among my favorites. It was surprisingly different from its organic counterpart. Of the two, I strongly preferred this one.

The leaf is tightly rolled and quite beautiful. Compared to the organic version of this tea, it looks a little paler in color and slightly loo...

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Picture of Yunnan

Yunnan "Black Gold Bi Luo Chun" Certified Organic Black Tea from Yunnan Sourcing

Style: Yunnan Gold – Region: Simao, Yunnan, China

82 / 100 Aroma: 6/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 3/5
Sep. 10th, 2021

This tea was quite singular, unlike most of the other teas from Yunnan Sourcing. I thought it was a good tea but it was a bit too much for me. It's strong, both by flavor and caffeine. I am reviewing the Spring Harvest from 2020.

This tea took up a lot less space than most all the other Yunnan Teas I've tried. The d...

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Picture of Yunnan

Yunnan "Assamica Gold Needle" Black Tea from Yunnan Sourcing

Style: Yunnan Gold – Region: Simao, Yunnan, China

96 / 100 Aroma: 9/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 5/5
Sep. 7th, 2021

This was a straightforward tea that I found easy to like; I became a fan from the first sip. It's robust, easy to brew, easy to drink, and pleasing in both flavor and aroma. Overall, it is more flavorful than aromatic though.

The dry leaf is beautiful, a very bright yellow color, not as orangeish as many of these ti...

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Picture of Jinggu

Jinggu "Da Jin Ya" Camellia Taliensis Black Tea from Yunnan Sourcing

Style: Yunnan Gold – Region: Jinggu, Yunnan, China

95 / 100 Aroma: 9/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 5/5
Sep. 5th, 2021

This was a really enjoyable tea that also had a lot of depth and complexity.

The dry leaf is made exclusively of luscious, thick, fuzzy buds that are kinda rolled on themselves; the picture does not really do it justice. Although it seems to be pure buds, they look a bit more mature than on some tippy teas, and they...

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Picture of Long Mei Yunnan Green Tea of Zhenyuan

Long Mei Yunnan Green Tea of Zhenyuan from Yunnan Sourcing

Style: Green Tea – Region: Simao, Yunnan, China

84 / 100 Aroma: 9/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 4/5
Sep. 4th, 2021

This was a robust green tea that was challenging to brew, but rewarding when I got it right. Thank you to Dewey for sharing this one with me!

The leaf is beautiful, wiry, slightly curly, and diverse in color, from dusty dark green to silvery-gray with a yellowish tinge. It has a potent fragrance, with a hint of camp...

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Picture of Fruit Aroma Yixing Black Tea

Fruit Aroma Yixing Black Tea from Yunnan Sourcing

Style: Yunnan Red – Region: Jiangsu, China

87 / 100 Aroma: 7/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 4/5
Sep. 2nd, 2021

This tea heavily underwhelmed me, and particularly, it was too weak. My favorite aspect of it was the fragrance of the dry leaf, but after that, it disappointed me.

The dry leaf has an unbelievably potent and incredily pleasing aroma. To me it seems more malty than anything else, strong smells of grain and baked goo...

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Picture of Bu Lang Mountain Black Tea from Menghai

Bu Lang Mountain Black Tea from Menghai from Yunnan Sourcing

Style: Yunnan Gold – Region: Menghai, Yunnan, China

94 / 100 Aroma: 9/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 5/5
May. 25th, 2021

A mellow and balanced, easy-to-brew tea that had a lot of aromatic complexity, and an overall character somewhat intermediate between large-leaf Assam and Yunnan teas.

The dry leaf, which looks a little darker than in the picture from Yunnan Sourcing's website, has a wiry and kinda dusty appearance, and consists of ...

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Picture of Mengku Wild Arbor Assamica Black Tea

Mengku Wild Arbor Assamica Black Tea from Yunnan Sourcing

Style: Yunnan Gold – Region: Shuangjiang, Yunnan, China

94 / 100 Aroma: 9/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 5/5
May. 21st, 2021

I found this to be a subdued, but intriguing tea that seemed to have a lot of depth and complexity. Although it doesn't jump out at me, I found that it seemed a little different each time I drank it.

It's also another tea that in many respects resembles some of the large-leaf Assam teas (not just Assamica cultivar, ...

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Picture of Premium Grade AA Jin Jun Mei Fujian Black Tea of Wu Yi Shan

Premium Grade AA Jin Jun Mei Fujian Black Tea of Wu Yi Shan from Yunnan Sourcing

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

97 / 100 Aroma: 9/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 5/5
Apr. 16th, 2021

I was curious to try this higher grade of a tea (the "Classic Robust Jin Jun Mei") that has become one of my favorites for daily drinking.

The dry leaf is similar but more curly and also visibly lighter in color, with a greater portion of golden tips. The aroma is very strong, initially of dried fruit and then very ...

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Picture of Jinggu Camellia Taliensis Black Tea

Jinggu Camellia Taliensis Black Tea from Yunnan Sourcing

Style: Yunnan Red – Region: Jinggu, Yunnan, China

93 / 100 Aroma: 9/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 5/5
Apr. 14th, 2021

I thought this was an exceptional tea, but one not particularly suited to my tastes. I still liked it a lot though. It tastes the most like a white tea of any black tea I've tried.

The dry leaf is explosively fragrant, suggesting malt, caraway, overripe fruit, and flowers. There is a lot going on in the aroma, it's ...

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Picture of Yunnan Black Gold

Yunnan Black Gold from Yunnan Sourcing

Style: Yunnan Gold – Region: Simao, Yunnan, China

90 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 5/5
Apr. 10th, 2021

This was a peculiar and rather fascinating tea, a real bargain buy, and a good afternoon tea.

The leaf is very large and has an aroma that is lightly malty, but also rather herbaceous. It smells more like green teas or raw Pu-erh than is typical for a black tea. Both its appearance and aroma remind me of some of the...

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Picture of 2016 Yunnan Sourcing

2016 Yunnan Sourcing "Red Monkey" Raw Pu-erh Tea Mini Cake from Yunnan Sourcing

Style: Raw (Sheng) Pu-erh – Region: Yunnan, China

82 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 4/5
Mar. 20th, 2021

I ordered two of these in 2018 as it sounded from the description as the sort of thing I would like. I broke off a tiny piece initially, and as I expected it was a bit strong for my taste. I was surprised though at how quickly this one mellowed out.

Now, about 5 years from harvest, I broke off a bit again and it's s...

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Picture of Yunnan Yue Guang Bai Air-Dried White Tea

Yunnan Yue Guang Bai Air-Dried White Tea from Yunnan Sourcing

Style: Moonlight White – Region: Jinggu, Yunnan, China

85 / 100 Aroma: 9/10 Flavor: 3/5 Value: 5/5
Mar. 8th, 2021

This is only the second Moonlight White tea I've ever tried; the first was from Life in Teacup. I've had this tea for nearly two years from its harvest date, but am only reviewing it now, so I've seen how it ages slightly. It seemed to change character much more quickly than a pu-erh.

The leaf is striking and unique...

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Picture of Classic Robust Jin Jun Mei Black Tea of Fujian

Classic Robust Jin Jun Mei Black Tea of Fujian from Yunnan Sourcing

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

100 / 100 Aroma: 10/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 5/5
Mar. 3rd, 2021

I seriously can't get enough of this tea. This is not only my favorite of the teas I've bought from Yunnan Sourcing from provinces other than Yunnan, it is among my favorite teas of all time.

The leaf is beautiful, a thin, wiry mix of golden-orange and dark brown. It's not explosively aromatic, but when I really sti...

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Picture of Classic Yixing Hong Black Tea from Jiangsu

Classic Yixing Hong Black Tea from Jiangsu from Yunnan Sourcing

Style: Black Tea – Region: Jiangsu, China

85 / 100 Aroma: 7/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 4/5
Feb. 23rd, 2021

This is my first black tea I've ever tried from Jiangsu province; previously I have only ever had green tea. Interestingly, both this and the green teas (Bi Luo Chun and Yun Wu) have a distinctive curly shape to the leaf. Is this a local tradition? Overall, it was pleasant but somewhat uninteresting or forgettable.

...

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Picture of Purple Needle Black Tea of Jing Mai Mountain

Purple Needle Black Tea of Jing Mai Mountain from Yunnan Sourcing

Style: Yunnan Red – Region: Lancang, Yunnan, China

94 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 5/5
Jan. 5th, 2021

This tea was quite different, especially relative to other Chinese teas. I enjoyed it a lot.

The dry leaf of this is long and straight, and has a mild aroma that is unlike most Yunnan teas: mostly fruity, and smelling more like grape than anything else, with some herbaceous, skunky undertones. It is reminiscent of s...

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Picture of Classic Laoshan Black Tea from Shandong

Classic Laoshan Black Tea from Shandong from Yunnan Sourcing

Style: Black Tea – Region: Shandong, China

88 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 5/5
Dec. 27th, 2020

Wow, I've been reviewing teas for all these years and this is the first tea I've ever tried from Shandong, and I am a fan!

The leaf is tightly curled and has a dusty gray appearance, with small but somewhat thick leaves, and smells very potent: strongly malty with a hint of smoke and dark chocolate. The maltiness is...

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Picture of Yi Mei Ren Wu Liang Mountain Yunnan Black Tea

Yi Mei Ren Wu Liang Mountain Yunnan Black Tea from Yunnan Sourcing

Style: Black Tea – Region: Jingdong, Yunnan, China

72 / 100 Aroma: 6/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 4/5
Dec. 23rd, 2020

This was the first tea I've tried from Yunnan Sourcing to (relatively) disappoint. Perhaps it's just not suited to my tastes, and it's not bad, but I thought it failed to live up to the high expectations I have come to develop for this company.

This tea had both a different appearance and aroma from what I am used t...

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Picture of Premium Qimen Black Tea of Huangshan

Premium Qimen Black Tea of Huangshan from Yunnan Sourcing

Style: Keemun Mao Feng – Region: Huangshan, Anhui, China

92 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 5/5
Dec. 22nd, 2020

I continue to branch out into black teas from provinces other than Yunnan, sold by Yunnan Sourcing. This was a pleasant surprise: an exceptionally smooth tea, easy to brew and easy to drink, among the sweetest Keemuns I've tried.

The dry leaf is very fine and curly, so much it is shaped more like Bi Luo Chun than li...

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Picture of High Mountain

High Mountain "Tu Cha" Black Tea from Wu Yi Mountains from Yunnan Sourcing

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

86 / 100 Aroma: 7/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 5/5
Dec. 19th, 2020

This was a pleasant, if somewhat disappointing tea that I found tasted better as it cooled.

The dry leaf is long, wiry, and grayish black, and has a mild aroma that initially is a sort of sweet chocolatey quality, underlain by a deep maltiness. It reminds me of a chocolate shortbread cookie. Overall, the dry leaf do...

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Picture of Nan Nuo Mountain Assamica Varietal Black Tea

Nan Nuo Mountain Assamica Varietal Black Tea from Yunnan Sourcing

Style: Yunnan Red – Region: Menghai, Yunnan, China

97 / 100 Aroma: 9/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 5/5
Dec. 16th, 2019

This was another delightful tea. Of all the teas I've tried recently, it was most similar to the Big Snow Mountain of Mengku. It also reminded me a lot of some artisanal Assam teas I tried a while back from TeaOrb, a company that sells teas from regions of Assam that don't typically reach the western market.

The dry...

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