Category: Tea Reviews

Tea reviews and tea tastings

No comments

2020 October White2tea Club feat. 2020 Saturday Mass

  By ,

It is 2020 October White2tea club time! This month has two teas available for purchase and two club exclusives. I am skipping the 2020 Hot Brandy minis and squirreling them away for travel. 2020 Saturday Mass Chenpi Shou Puer The 2020 October White2tea club has a single 7g mini of Saturday Mass. This tea is a shou blended with aged chenpi/orange, which is a part of their small-batch shou collection. The tea mini has a gentle orange scent. I used the whole 7 gram mini in a ~100ml gaiwan, steeped with boiling water, gongfu style. Rinsed, Saturday Mass has an… Continue reading, hoot!

No comments

Vadham Teas’ Chai Latte Instant Mix – Matcha Lemongrass, Ashwagandha Cinnamon, and Turmeric Ginger

  By

Seattle’s weather has been cold and extra grim, so it is chai time! Today I have Matcha Lemongrass, Ashwagandha Cinnamon, and Turmeric Ginger Chai Instant Lattes from Vadham Tea. Vadham Teas’ Chai Latte mixes have vegan-friendly milk and sweetener and prepackage for easy use. Each box is 120grams, 8 grams x 15 packets of instant chai mix. They all contain instant black tea, so even the Turmeric Ginger has caffeine. To make, mix a packet in 7oz/ 200ml / just under 1 cup of hot water. For today, I used 200F/93c water and mixed it with an electric frother. Matcha… Continue reading, hoot!

No comments

Ujitawara Special Blend Matcha from Naoki Matcha

  By

Naoki Matcha has a new Masters Collection tea that I’ll be drinking today. Ujitawara Special Blend Matcha is made up of Uji Hikari and Samidori cultivars, stone ground in Kyoto Japan. The matcha powder has a grassy and fruity sweet scent that reminds me of raspberries. Ujitawara has an excellent vibrant green hue. I used 2 grams of matcha powder, usucha style, bamboo whisked in 5oz/150ml low temperature (175F/79c) water. Ujitawara Special Blend Matcha whisks up with a good amount of foam build up. I’ve seen thicker, but this one is pretty good. Tasting of Naoki Matcha’s Ujitawara Special Blend… Continue reading, hoot!

No comments

2006 Troublemaker Sheng Puer Fang Cha from Crimson Lotus Tea

  By ,

I completely forgot I had a sample of Crimson Lotus Tea’s 2006 Troublemaker Sheng puer fang cha. While I was reorganizing my tea room, I found the sample packet under my couch, so Troublemaker has North Seattle floor storage. My guess is it fell from my sample basket. Tea hoarder problems. Leaf and Steeping Method 2006 Troublemaker is a bud heavy Bulang, pressed into a 100 gram fang cha square. Troublemaker’s scent is aged, and previously smokey, grandma’s couch. This tea is definitely dry storage here as it lacks that wet basement quality. I went with 1 gram of leaf… Continue reading, hoot!

No comments

2020 September White2tea Club feat. 2020 Shous

  By ,

2020 September White2tea Club is epic. A large number of teas, prepackaged in 8 gram servings, the majority available for purchase. The teas are: 2020 Brown Sugar, Camphornought, Planetary Shark Feed, Prosbloom, as well as a club exclusive Yesheng Gushu Baicha. 2020 Brown Sugar I actually own the first 2015 Brown Sugar shou puer and never tried it. When I got it, it smelled hella funky so I left it in my shou-pumidor forgotten. Now that I got these 2020 Brown Sugars, I cannot avoid this tea any longer. In the 2020 September White2tea club is a 10 square x… Continue reading, hoot!

No comments

2020 Webpunk 2.0 from Moychay

  By ,

The most requested shou review – Moychay’s Webpunk shou puer! Why is this the most requested shou review? The wrapper art is so nuts, everyone is curious how Webpunk tastes. This is the 2020 Webpunk 2.0, made of 2019 Menghai area material, pressed in 2020. The first tea to put Moychay on my radar was the first Webpunk with a similar meme vomit wrapper. Webpunk’s wrapper is so crazy, I show it to non-tea people to hurt their brains! Leaf and Steeping Method Immediately, this wrapper was removed and set aside for framing purposes. If I leave it on the… Continue reading, hoot!

No comments

Hojicha and Genmai Matcha from Japanese Green Tea Co

  By ,

Back in my early tea obsessed beginnings before Oolong Owl, I would frequently purchase hojicha and genmaicha lace with matcha. Lately, the colder weather has me craving roasted teas, but also I need my caffeine kick. That said, today I have Hojicha and Genmai Matcha from Japanese Tea Co to drink! Use coupon code oolongowl for 10% off your Japanese Green Tea Co order! Hojicha from Japanese Green Tea Co This hojicha is grown in sugar cane soil, then charcoal roasted. The leaf smells like toasted to crisp peanuts. I used 3 grams in 250ml/1cup, 175F/80c water, steeped for 2… Continue reading, hoot!

No comments

Old Ways Tea Club – 2020 October

  By ,

The first ever Old Ways Tea Club box! This tea subscription is every two months, started in 2020 October. Old Ways Tea says on average each box will have 125 grams of tea, priced at $45, including shipping. Primarily, the Old Ways Tea club will be oolong and black teas. The 2020 October club box has 185 grams of tea, all oolongs. I actually quite like this 2 month tea club model as I got plenty of time to drink these and not get swamped. 2015 Da Hong Pao Of all the teas in the club, 2015 Da Hong Pao… Continue reading, hoot!

No comments

August 2020 White2tea Club feat. Lapsang Souchong Collection

  By ,

The August 2020 White2tea club is a sampling of their entire line of Lapsang Souchong (Zhengshan Xiaozhong). These big sample clubs take either one horribly over caffeinated day or a couple of days to drink for me, so I just sampled the black teas that weren’t the traditional or traditional smoked. For all teas, I went with gongfu style with boiling water in a fast pour glazed teapot. I used a ratio of 1gram of leaf per 15ml of vessel size. Fruit Bomb Lapsang from White2Tea My favorite Lapsang from last year! Fruit Bomb Lapsang smells like dried cherries and… Continue reading, hoot!

No comments

Zheng Si Long 2018 Xiang Chun Lin Sheng Puer from Tea Encounter

  By

My sample of Tea Encounter’s Zheng Si Long 2018 Xiang Chun Lin has been in my stash for almost 2 years as it was buried by my insane collection. This sheng puer spring gushu old tree material from the Yiwu area. Leaf and Steeping Method 2018 Xiang Chun Lin’s leaves have a honey sappy scent. After an infusion, the leaves smell of honey and steamed leafy greens with a shot of floral perfume. Tasting of Tea Encounter’s Zheng Si Long 2018 Xiang Chun Lin Sheng Puer First and Second Infusion: 2018 Xiang Chun Lin has a densely thick texture, like… Continue reading, hoot!