Reviews of Teas & Herbal Teas
Page 1 of 1 page with 9 results
Yunnan White Jasmine from Verdant Tea
Style: Jasmine Tea – Region: Lancang, Yunnan, China97 / 100 Aroma: 10/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 4/5
Jan. 14th, 2015
1st infusion, 5s: The liquor was a delicate, yellow-clear shade. The scent, so much more vibrant than any jasmine I have had—it wafted out even as I had just begun cutting the packaging open. Bubble gum? Yes, indeed! But none of the artificiality of bubble gum flavoring, just pure florals and vanilla. Depth, perfume,...
Read Full ReviewLaoshan Black from Verdant Tea
Style: Black Tea – Region: Shandong, China93 / 100 Aroma: 10/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 4/5
Jan. 14th, 2015
Throughout numerous steepings, this tea’s flavors shifted in a harmony of dark, earthy sweetness, and baked notes, cereal, and sweet potato. On the first steeping (10s), it had a robust richness: dark chocolate, cooked ripe fruits, malt syrup. The liquor had the kind of silky mouth-feel I have only experienced with c...
Read Full ReviewHimalayan Shilla, Jun Chiyabari (Organic) Summer 2014 from Happy Earth Tea
Style: Oolong Tea – Region: Nepal97 / 100 Aroma: 10/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 4/5
Oct. 25th, 2014
Muscatel and plum scent, and the plum comes out with absolute loveliness in the liquor—sweet, and just slightly astringent. Additional sips bring out a blossoming plum and grape richness, that quickly gives way to a cooling tart astringency. Every sip is filled with juicy-ripe fruit. A beautiful tea, and easily an eq...
Read Full ReviewFuding Shou Mei White Tea Cake 2013 from TeaVivre
Style: Shou Mei White Tea – Region: Fuding, Fujian, China87 / 100 Aroma: 9/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 4/5
Oct. 25th, 2014
The dry cake smelled, to me, precisely of rich, unscented pipe tobacco—Scottish shag, or an English blend with Turkish leaf. Once brewed, the liquor is a perfect amber-honey tone, and the aroma has the sharpness of honey accompanied by a vaguely floral quality. The honey note follows into the taste of the liquor—mu...
Read Full ReviewArya Ruby, Darjeeling Black Tea, Second Flush 2014, Organic from Happy Earth Tea
Style: Darjeeling Second Flush – Region: Darjeeling, India90 / 100 Aroma: 10/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 3/5
Oct. 23rd, 2014
Arya Ruby offers a rich aroma of fermenting fruit—grapes, apples, apricots. The first taste of the liquor is smooth, slightly sweet, and seemingly little else. But then notes of tangy fruit and a slightly drying astringency begin to develop on the back of the tongue, which, it seems, signals the real development of f...
Read Full ReviewGolden Monkey Black Tea from TeaVivre
Style: Golden Monkey – Region: Fujian, China73 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 2/5
Oct. 23rd, 2014
The liquor brewed to rich nut-brown with a tinge of coppery-gold, and gave off a subdued fragrance suggestive of chocolate and toasted marshmallow. The taste was also subdued but pleasing—a soft floral sweetness. I had brewed a previous cup, steeping for 3 minutes, and I remember the flavor being fuller and more deve...
Read Full ReviewYunnan Gold Supreme. Organic from Happy Earth Tea
Style: Yunnan Gold – Region: Yunnan, China87 / 100 Aroma: 10/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 3/5
Oct. 22nd, 2014
This tea brewed to a cloudy copper tone, and smelled richly of honey, chocolate, and earthy spice—cinnamon, or allspice, or the peppery side of cardamom. It smelled as if it would be oily, in the way of a full-bodied Scotch, but also syrupy and sweet.
The mouthfeel is smooth, but on the watery side compared to th...
Puttabong, Darjeeling First Flush 2014. from Happy Earth Tea
Style: Darjeeling First Flush – Region: Darjeeling, India80 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 4/5
Oct. 2nd, 2014
This tea brewed an amber colored liquor and immediately gave off a strong punch of apricots, trailed by a musky honey scent. The first taste—still too hot—yielded an indistinct malt-floral taste. Later after allowing to cool further, the liquor still seemed mild and subdued, and so with a third sip, I vigorously ae...
Read Full ReviewSingbulli, Darjeeling Black Tea, First Flush 2014 from Happy Earth Tea
Style: Darjeeling First Flush – Region: Darjeeling, India90 / 100 Aroma: 9/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 4/5
Oct. 1st, 2014
This was a very light brew with a bright golden color, and it smelled immediately of mint and other subtle floral and green fragrances. The sense of mint carried into the taste and mouthfeel, and it was never earthy or grassy. Later in the cup, I noticed a bit of the scent of asparagus. It was a really soft, beautiful ...
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