2018 Wild Tree Purple Moonlight White from Jinggu from Yunnan Sourcing

I’ve wanted Yunnan Sourcing’s Wild Tree Purple Moonlight White tea since around 2012 or 2013. I kept skipping it due to waiting for a sale or to put into the next big order (then forgot) and even a few times it got yanked out of my cart to meet shipping price thresholds. Other times it simply sold out before I could order. I went hard on white tea for 2018, or at least it became that way as white tea is pretty good and not as painful as puer prices, so I bought a bag. A 250 gram bag. 2018… Continue reading, hoot!

2018 Intrigue Sheng Puer from Crimson Lotus Tea

I first tasted Crimson Lotus Tea’s Intrigue Sheng Puer before release at PDX Tea Fest and it was my favourite tea out of the haul. Something, like the art, called to me. I recall the tea was thick with a great aftertaste, but something also just mysteriously sang to me in this tea, making it a standout. I was ready to buy it then but had to wait. When this tea was finally released, I made the purchase ASAP. I love this wrapper. I don’t know why, but the texture just vibrates with my brain, making it pleasing to the… Continue reading, hoot!

1990s Shou Mei White Tea from The Chinese Tea Shop

I finally got my hands on some OLD white tea. I’ve had a number of 2008 white teas, which is the more common older aged white tea you can find, especially for pressed whites. The Chinese Tea Shop in Vancouver, Canada has a 1990s and 1980s Shou Mei white tTea and I purchased both. Today I will be drinking the 1990s Shou Mei white tea. White tea this old is expensive. I bought them to taste the potential of ageing a white tea. If I like how this tastes, I can hide kilos of young cheaper white tea for over 20… Continue reading, hoot!

Hwang Cha Gold Oxidized Korean Tea from Hankook Tea

Hwang Cha Gold Oxidized Korean Tea is a partially oxidized and pan fired tea. This particular tea from Hankook Tea is a first flush Sejak and was hand harvested in April 2014. So is Hwang Cha Gold Oxidized Korean Tea an oolong? Black tea? Taste wise, I would lean towards an oolong – world of tea has a great article on Hwang Cha’s classifications according to how this tea is processed. Dry Leaf The dry leaf of Hwang Cha Gold Oxidized Korean Tea smells sooo good! This tea has a rich brown, almost black colour in delicate curled and twisted shapes. The smell is an… Continue reading, hoot!

Mandala Tea “Heart of the Old Tree” 2012 Raw Pu’er – Tea Review

I’ve been meaning to try this pu’er for awhile – Mandala Tea “Heart of the Old Tree” 2012 Raw Pu’er. This tea is a raw/sheng tea from Nan Mei Village, with material picked from 300+ year old trees. The name of this tea is interesting. Wild Monk, a big favorite of mine also from Mandala Tea, has that exotic feel to it. Old tree? I do like big old trees. Great artwork on the pu’er wrapper, I love the purple tint to the trees. The “Old tree” aspect of this tea attracted my moonkin, Boomy. He’s my amigurumi druid Owlbear so… Continue reading, hoot!

Azores Teas from What-Cha

Today I’ll be sampling two teas today – a green and a black from Gorreana Tea Estate, Sao Miguel Island, The Azores, the oldest tea estate in Europe. Both teas are from What-Cha, online tea seller. I had a classmate from the Azores who talked quite a bit about life there (and brought food from the portuegese bakery, yum!). I had no idea Azores had tea, but then Hawaii grows some awesome tea so I bet Azores would have great tea too. Tasting of What-Cha’s Azores Encosta de Bruma Premium Green Tea The dry leaf of Azores Encosta de Bruma Premium Green Tea… Continue reading, hoot!

Chocolate Strawberry Puer from Lupicia – Oolong Owl Tea Review

Chocolate Strawberry Puer is a pu’er, chocolate and strawberry tea blend. This decadent dessert tea is from Lupicia. Chocolate Strawberry Puer has been on my tea bucket list for a long time! I don’t know why, but I kept passing it up or forgetting about it when I was visiting my local Lupicia. When I was in Hawaii, I snagged a bag of Chocolate Strawberry Puer at Lupicia’s Honolulu store. I’ve been wanting to explore pu’er blends, which have been popping up more and more these days, which also can be hit or miss. However, I have faith Chocolate & Strawberry Puer will be good, as… Continue reading, hoot!

Green Caramel from The Persimmon Tree – Tea Review

Green Caramel is an organic green tea accented with caramel pieces, rooibos, toasted rice and marigold petals. This fun tea blend is from The Persimmon Tree, an online tea seller.  I had ordered this tea as a sample awhile back. It was so delicious, I horded it until I received some more from The Persimmon Tree. Let’s dig in! Dry Leaf: This is one of those teas you put in the front of your tea collection so it is quickly within reach. Green Caramel is on my list of “teas I open to have my friends smell” as it smells DELICIOUSLY GOOEY CARAMEL with a… Continue reading, hoot!

Milk Oolong Tea from Mandala Tea – Tea Review

Another Oolong Week tea! Go OOLONG WEEK! Milk Oolong is a high-end Taiwanese oolong from Mandala Tea.   Milk oolong is yet another tea type that I’ve had a couple times and wasn’t super impressed or blown away with. The first  milk oolong I tried was bland. The other milk oolongs I tried after that were okay and slightly creamy. I was looking around Steepster and noticed Mandala Tea‘s Milk Oolong was on the first page of being the “best tea” and one of the top rated Oolong teas. The reviews of Milk Oolong looked fantastic, so an ounce slipped into my Mandala Tea order. DRY LEAF: Looking at the… Continue reading, hoot!

Mandala Wild Monk Raw Pu’er 2012 – Tea Review and Experience

MY FIRST PU’ER CAKE! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOT! I mentioned previously that I’ve been shopping for pu’er cakes. I did lots of research and set a budget. After checking ratings, I discovered Mandala Tea has a great lineup, along with their own exclusive cakes. They also have really great customer support! This Mandala “Wild Monk” Raw Pu’er 2012 caught my eye for it’s promise of smokey and creamy notes, without any bitterness. It is also a 100g cake, so it is small enough to be affordable and low risk for a new to pu’er cake tea owl like me to try. I got this cake, and… Continue reading, hoot!