Category: Tea Reviews

Tea reviews and tea tastings

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2019 Red Peony White Tea from Floating Leaves Tea

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One of my favorite teas of all time is Floating Leaves Tea’s Red Peony, a Ruby 18 cultivar usually made into black tea, but made into white tea. I check out their Red Peony every year, deciding whether I will buy volume. If you want to compare, here is the 2016 Red Peony and 2017 Red Peony cake reviews. This year Floating Leaves Tea started a podcast, and we sampled the newest Red Peony together. Floating Leaves Tea podcast is available on all your podcast listening places as well as youtube.  After the podcast, I purchased an entire 5oz bag… Continue reading, hoot!

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2019 Both Steal Boats and Meet Halfway Sheng Puer from White2Tea

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After much debate, I blind caked White2tea’s 2019 Both Steal Boats and Meet Halfway, being sold on tea friends positive review, as well as White2Tea’s email description: “ I like it when Qi jumps out of nowhere and stabs me like Arya in the godswood.” Since getting Both Steal Boats, I’ve had a couple of sessions alone and with friends, and hoot, this is a good tea. I’ve been hooked on drinking it over trying the other samples I got, plus the price is nicer than the similarily addictive Lucky Puppy. Leaf and Steeping Method The dry leaf of Both… Continue reading, hoot!

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Spring 2019 Nangang Competition Grade Baozhong from Tributary Teas

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I lately have been having an obsession with the old-style Nangang Baozhong. Modern Baozhong, the high floral fronted low oxidized oolong, I love in the spring and summertime. The old school traditional Nangang Baozhong I find I can drink all year round as it’s less floral and more hearty. This Nangang Baozhong comes from Tributary Teas, a new online tea seller that plans to have a small rotating stock of exciting Taiwanese teas shipped from California. Right now on their site, they got a number of uncommon oolongs. For Oolong Owl readers – 20% off and free 25-gram sample with… Continue reading, hoot!

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2019 Organic Chingjing Gaoshan High Mountain and Hong Shui from Tillerman Tea

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On the tea table today is Tillerman Tea’s Organic Chingjing Oolongs – a Gaoshan High Mountain and a Hong Shui. These are both by farmer Yen Ching-Yu (Katie). I have had these teas from previous years, so it will be interesting to see what has changed with the season and technique. Organic Chingjing Gaoshan High Mountain Oolong Tillerman’s Organic Chingjing Gaoshan High Mountain Oolong is of Qing Xin cultivar that is grown at 1800m. This is a Spring 2019 oolong with 35% oxidation and lightly baked. The dry leaf smells soft sweet and floral. After a rinse, the leaf smells… Continue reading, hoot!

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2019 August White2Tea Club Feat. 2014 Gongmei Brick and 2019 Dangerfield Sheng

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If you are reading this review at release, yes this is the 2019 August White2Tea Club and it is November. I am catching up slowly. Generally, I drink these clubs in order, but August I did not. Upon hearing there was a 2014 Gongmei white tea sample in it, to be sold as a 500 gram brick, I drank it immediately in case I need to make use of the discount code with the added bonus there was a free shipping sale too. And guess what, I did make use of the discount code.   View this post on Instagram  … Continue reading, hoot!

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2000 Gold Dust Fuzhuan Anhua Heicha from Bitter Leaf Teas

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I love moldy Fuzhuan (aka Fu Brick) teas. When Bitterleaf Tea came out with the 2000 Gold Dust Fuzhuan Anhua Heicha, I bought a full 250 gram bag. During the 2019 NW Tea Festival, this was the tea in my Fu Zhuan focus tasting class. As much as I love owning stupidly large bricks of Fuzhuan, Bitterleaf Tea’s broken bag makes it more convenient to drink. My package had three large chunks with some dust on the bottom to even out the weight. Leaf and Steeping Method Confirmed mold! Fu Bricks has a distinct scent, which Gold Dust also has.… Continue reading, hoot!

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2019 July White2Tea Club feat. Lapsang Souchong Selection

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It is Hongcha day! July’s White2Tea club was a collection of new lapsang souchongs. Lapsang Souchong comes in many models, not just smokey tire fire. Some of these black teas are for sale on White2Tea’s site without having to be in the club. Others, like the Guizhou Hongcha, are exclusive to the monthly tea club. For my own sanity, I’m just drinking the Lapsang Souchongs today – Traditional Lapsang, Herby Lapsang, Pine Sap Lapsang, Smoked Lapsang, and Fruit Bomb Lapsang. With each tea, I used 1 gram of tea per 15ml of vessel size, brewed gongfu style in boiling water.… Continue reading, hoot!

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2019 WTCCCTV Black Tea from White2tea

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Fall is here and it is perfect black tea drinking weather! Today I’ll be checking out White2Tea’s 2019 WTCCCTV black tea cake sample I purchased with my last White2Tea order. 2019 WTCCCTV is a puer varietal large leaf tea, sun-dried to black tea, then compressed into 200 gram cakes. Leaf and Steeping Method The black tea has a sweet, malty, and fruity scent. With a rinse, the leaf smells like grapes. I used 1 gram of leaf per 15ml of vessel size, gongfu steeped in boiling water. Tasting of White2Tea’s 2019 WTCCCTV Black Tea First and Second Infusion: 2019 WTCCCTV… Continue reading, hoot!

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Alishan and Sun Moon Lake Black from Song Yi Tea

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Today we are checking out Song Yi Tea, specifically their oolong and black teas. They have a website, but the shop redirects to their Etsy storefront. Song Yi Tea mostly sells Taiwanese oolongs but they also have some Taiwanese black teas and Yunnan puer. Song Yi Tea’s Exquisite Alishan Oolong Tea Exquisite Alishan is a Qingxin cultivar High Mountain Taiwanese Oolong. The leaves are vibrant green with a milky, nutty and floral scent. I used 1 gram of leaf per 15ml of vessel size, gongfu steeped in boiling water. Interestingly, Song Yi Tea has the same instructions on their site. Thumbs… Continue reading, hoot!

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Viridian Tea Company Fantasy Tea Blends

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I encountered Viridian Tea Company while at World Tea Expo. The owner is also a Fantasy novel writer, and that excites me as I read all sorts of goth, vampire, time travel, fantasy romance stuff with a side obsession with Star Wars THRAWN. I had planned to read her books, but I am still going through the massive Black Dagger Brotherhood and this poor tea is still sitting here. Today I got Goth Librarian, The House of Byzantium Blend, Kel Nira Herbal Blend, and Harlem Muse Blend. Goth Librarian from Viridian Tea Company The ingredients in Goth Librarian is Assam tea, whole cloves, whole allspice.… Continue reading, hoot!