2018 Wuyi White Tea from Old Ways Tea

If you were not aware, us tea bloggers talk. I was over at Teadb’s place and we were talking review samples. I noticed he got Old Ways Tea’s 2018 White tea and I did not (I received mostly black teas in my review package). Of course, we all should get different things, I admit it gets weird when you notice every tea blogger reviews the same tea within a month. It is the optimal tea blogger operating procedure to get teas that the writer and their readers like. Anyways, he let me have one of the packets of white tea.… Continue reading, hoot!

2018 Carbolic Soap Oolong from White2Tea

Today’s review is White2Tea’s 2018 Carbolic Soap Oolong. This is a 200 gram cake of high-quality Milan Dancong from Guangdong province, China. A full cake is $208 and a 25 gram sample for $30. I kept forgetting I had a sample of this, its existence, then where I put my sample. I got reminded about the dancong as I recently made boxed Angel Food cake and discovered it has detergent in it to make it fluff (well I said soap first and got corrected). I might as well follow up some detergent cake with soap tea. Leaf and Steeping Method… Continue reading, hoot!

Sacred Lily Oolong and White Peony from Pique Tea

Today we are sampling some Tea Crystals from Pique Tea. I’ve reviewed them in the past and they have since come out with some new teas – Sacred Lily Oolong and White Peony. These organic teas are freshly picked and cold brewed crystalized processed within 60 days. Pique Tea goes another step forward and their teas are triple toxin screened for pesticides, metals, and mold. Their teas are packaged into single serving packets to make around an 8oz/240ml/1 cup serving. If you are a long time reader, you know this tea drinker is a hooty tea snoot that is especially… Continue reading, hoot!

2018 Winter Shan Lin Xi and Cuifeng Oolong from Tillerman Tea

Today’s review is some winter Taiwanese oolongs from Tillerman Tea – Shan Lin Xi and Cuifeng. Both teas I tried gongfu style, steeped at 1 gram of leaf per 15ml of vessel size in boiling water. Tillerman Tea’s 2018 Winter Shan Lin Xi Shan Lin Xi’s dry leaf smells buttery sweet and a bit floral. While I was doing the rinse, I could smell the leaves giving off a spinachy fragrance. First and Second Infusion: 2018 Winter Shan Lin Xi sips in real thick, so it is like drinking melted butter. The notes are mostly savory of fresh buttery spinach with… Continue reading, hoot!

January 2019 White2Tea Club feat. Iron Arhat, Baisuixiang, Stone Milk, Dahongpao, Spice Flower, OBSX, and No.2 Rougui

The January 2019 White2Tea club is 7 samples of their new oolongs – Iron Arhat, Baisuixiang, Stone Milk, Dahongpao, Spice Flower, OBSX, and No.2 Rougui. Last White2tea clubs like this I drank them all side by side, but I felt I lost more intricacies of each tea. That said, I’m drinking these teas one by one. I attempted to drink all the yanchas in one day but got five out of seven finished on day one, then I drank the final two expensive a few days after. For all these teas, I filled the gaiwan with leaf and gongfu steeped… Continue reading, hoot!

Zhen Si Long 2018 Ma Hei Sheng Puer from Tea Encounter

Today is the first time I am trying a tea from Tea Encounter – the Zheng Si Long 2018 Ma Hei Sheng Puer. This tea is old tree material from Ma Hei, which is in Yiwu. Leaf and Steeping Method The dry leaf has a soft fruity pungent scent. I used the ratio of 1 gram of tea per 15ml of vessel size, gongfu steeped in boiling water. The hot rinsed leaves smells of dried green herbs that have been added to a soup. Tasting of Tea Encounter’s Zheng Si Long 2018 Ma Hei Sheng Puer First and Second Infusion:… Continue reading, hoot!

2018 Smoked Black Tea from Old Ways Tea

Today’s review is Old Ways Tea’s 2018 Smoked Black Tea, also known as Yan Xun Xiao Zhong, Zhen Shan Xiao Zhong, or Lapsang Souchong. This tea promises a traditional pine smoke job, but not being acrid. We shall see, as smokey teas and I can be hit or miss but Old Ways Tea sells amazing tea that I save for special occasions. Old Ways Tea generally sells their teas in prepackaged sizes. For this Smoked Tea, it is sold in 5 gram packets. Leaf and Steeping Method The leaf smells smokey campfire that got treated with a round of sandalwood… Continue reading, hoot!

December 2018 White2Tea Club feat. 2018 XXXmas Sheng Puer

Today’s review of an exclusive tea to the White2tea club. The December 2018’s club is a 200 gram 2018 XXXmas sheng puer, a huangpian material cake. Around Christmas, I revisited last year’s White2Tea club 2017 XXXmas cake. Last year, it was very young and I felt it was too green. With a year under its belt, it is still very green and bitter, so I’m giving it another year. However, 2018’s XXXmas sheng is a different blend. My cake sat for about a month and a half before tasting. Love the wrapper art, as usual. Leaf and Steeping Method And those… Continue reading, hoot!

2001 Aged Peony Bai Mu Dan from Silk Road Teas

I am back with another Silk Road Teas. After the excellent showing of Golden Monkey Black and Drunken Concubine Oolong, I am really excited to try Silk Road Teas’ 2001 Aged Peony. The package says simply “Aged Bai Mu Dan” but the website goes into details that this is a high-grade Fujian Zhending Big White varietal from 2001. I have had a number of aged Shou Mei, but not as many Bai Mu Dan. The last aged Bai Mu Dan I had was a 2013 and it still has a bit of green fragility to it. Leaf and Steeping Method… Continue reading, hoot!

2018 Censers White Tea from White2Tea

2018 seemed the year I went open wallet and ask questions later on white teas. I bought White2Tea’s 2018 Censers white cake blind. Censers is a pressed Guizhou Province Bai Mu Dan (aka White Peony). Most of the white teas we find are from Fujian Province and sometimes Yunnan. That said, we are in for something a little different. There was a mess up with my order and I got a sample of censers before I got the cake. I am unwrapping to show off the cake but will be drinking off the sample to finish it off. Leaf and… Continue reading, hoot!