Category: Tea Reviews

Tea reviews and tea tastings

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2023 Goldfu, Tianjian Fuzhuan and Mini from White2tea

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Welcome back! This is part two of the 2023 February White2tea Club, but also a bunch of other teas thrown in. The 2023 February White2tea Club had a sample of 2023 Tianjian Fuzhuan. But also in my stash are the 2022 Tian Jian Mini, and 2023 Goldfu Fuzhuan. It seem more fitting to drink the confusing two Tianjians and also compare Goldfu, which was part of the same release of fu bricks. 2022 Tian Jian Mini The 2022 Tian Jian Minis came first before the Fuzhuan. These Anhua heicha balls contain high grade young and bud material. The compression on… Continue reading, hoot!

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2023 February White2tea Club feat. 2023 Red W

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The previous White2tea club started strong with Charlie shou. 2023 February White2tea club is another strong month – 2023 Red W and a sample of 2022 Tianjian Fuzhuan. This post is two parts as I got carried away trying the Tianjian and other heicha that it became less about the club. The photo below even shows Gold Fu is coming. That said, onto Red W. 2023 Red W is a cute 50 gram cake made of old tree autumn large Yunnan leaf puer material, made into a black tea. That is a lot of terms that could be tea buzzwords,… Continue reading, hoot!

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Rehoot Review – 10 year Retasting the 2012 Noble Mark Shou from Mandala Tea

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Today’s tea is a retasting of the 2012 Noble Mark by Mandala Tea. I started buying a lot of puer in 2013. Now that it is 2023, I’ve had teas in my storage for 10 years. A lot of shou back then had more of a mushroom profile. Or it was the bad fishy kind or mini touchas that tasted like cardboard dirt water. Noble Mark showed me good puer and got me to fall in love with the inky, creamy, and earthy flavor of fermented puer. Storage As I mentioned earlier, this cake has been in my storage for… Continue reading, hoot!

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Single Origin Mame Matcha from Naoki Matcha

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Today’s tea is Naoki’s Single-Origin Mame Matcha. This matcha is from a single tea field in Shizuoka, Japan. I’ve tried a number of Naoki’s Matchas – they have a good range of introductory teas to high-quality. Single-Origin Mame Matcha is from their Masters Collection, so there is a limited supply. Tea and Preparation Method That is very green. It has been a while since I’ve seen matcha this vibrant! Admittedly, the camera auto fakes it brighter but it is still quite vibrant in person. The powder itself is sweet and buttery scented. Mame Matcha needed some sifting, there were a… Continue reading, hoot!

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2023 January White2tea Club feat. 2022 Charlie Shou Puer

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One of my favorite tea club months of the year! The 2023 January White2tea club is a 2022 Charlie shou cake! This is the last Charlie for the White2ea club. I am sad, but same time this tea has been great every year, it should be a staple for everyone. The leaves smell a bit funky earth. This is a fresh press, so it is to be expected. I used 1 gram of leaf per 15ml of vessel size, double rinsed, and gongfu steeped with boiling water. 2023 Charlie’s slight funk commanded an extra rinse to help it along. After… Continue reading, hoot!

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Tangerine Dream Machine Chenpi Shou from Intergalactic Tea

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Today is new to me vendor, Intergalactic Tea. They carry some unusual puer blends that are my jam. But let us start with something easy – a chenpi shou. Lately, there has been a chenpi drought, not many new chenpis have come out and my stash is dwindling. Some mornings I just need orange shou to start the day. Tangerine Dream Machine is an aged chenpi bulang shou, which is a good pairing. I am a sucker for cute wrapper art. Leaf and Steeping Method The square has a sweet orange scent. I used one 7 gram square, in a… Continue reading, hoot!

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2023 February Old Ways Tea Club feat. Bei Dou

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Hello to the 2023 February installment of the Old Ways Tea Club, a Wuyi tea box that arrives every 2 months. This month we have 2022 Cousin’s Bei Dou, 2021 Zuhuo Bei Dou, and 2022 Jin Xuan. 2022 Jin Xuan from the 2023 February Old Ways Tea Club I tried last year’s crop and enjoyed how different the oolong was from the usual green and milky Jin Xuan. The leaves smell warm, nutty, and sweet with a hint of plums. For all teas today, I used 1 gram of leaf per 15ml of vessel size, gongfu style in boiling water.… Continue reading, hoot!

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2022 December White2tea Club feat. 2022 XXXmas Sheng Puer

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Yes, this is April and I’m drinking a Christmas themed tea. Over the last few years, the White2tea club has a XXXmas Sheng made out of huangpian material for December. Though, probably for the best that I waited to drink this tea as it had ample rest. As always, the wrapper art is fun! Leaf and Steeping Method The leaves have a sappy grass scent. As usual, I used 1 gram of leaf per 15ml of vessel size, gongfu steeped in boiling water. After a rinse, this tea smells spruce leafy with some young shengy floralness. Tasting of 2022 XXXmas… Continue reading, hoot!

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Korean Sejak and Hongcha from Durumi Tea

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Today’s teas are from a new Canadian shop, Durumi Tea Company. Durumi specializes in fine Korean teas and sent me their Twin Pack. I leap at any chance to get some Korean tea, so let’s get drinking. Sejak from Durumi Tea Company This Sejak from Durumi is from Jeju Island. I rarely drink green tea, but I don’t mind Sejak – there’s something so smooth, mild, and elegant about it over other green teas. A tea bag wasn’t big enough for me to get a smell off the dry leaves – maybe vegetal? I took this one out of the… Continue reading, hoot!

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Kiroku Tea Garden’s Roasted Spring Tencha Amehojicha, The Sweet Roast from Yunomi

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I’m not well seasoned in Japanese tea but I cannot resist the flavor of a good roasted tea. Kiroku Tea Garden’s Roasted Spring Tencha Amehojicha is a fascinating tea – a roasted okumidori cultivar Tencha. Tencha is typically grown and processed to be matcha, and it is uncommon to find in loose leaf form. It is downright experimental to roast Tencha. This tea is from Yunomi, the place for Japanese teas with plenty of unusual finds. In the past, I’ve gotten Japanese Oolong from them. Leaf and Steeping Method The chopped leaves are dark, with a sweet roasted chestnut scent.… Continue reading, hoot!