Category: Tea Reviews

Tea reviews and tea tastings

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2022 Year of the Tiger Yiwu White Tea from Bitterleaf Teas

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Bitterleaf Teas’ white teas are always pretty good and of great value. I was happy to hear they have a white tea version of their “Year of Zodiac” Yiwu. 2022 Year of the Tiger Yiwu White tea is the same material, fangyang/ left to grow pesticide-free, as the sheng version and there is a black tea too! The leaves smell like zesty hay and citrus pith. I went a little heavier on the leaf for this tea than usual for white teas. Typically, I go for a gongfu ratio of 1g/20ml, but I went 1g/15ml as I wanted a bit… Continue reading, hoot!

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2022 May White2tea Club feat. 2022 Spring Old Arbor Raw Puer

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One of my favorite recurring teas in the White2tea club – 50g mini cake of some gushu, this one a 2022 Spring Old Arbor Raw Puer. Admittedly, these little cakes get lost in my pumidor, but that’s the only way I keep my hands off them. I know in a few years I’ll be in for an epic tea treat. The scent of the leaves is zesty honey wheat and floral. As usual, I used 1 gram of leaf per 15ml of vessel size, gongfu steeped at a boil. I drank the rinse. The leaves smell fresh, wild honey, and… Continue reading, hoot!

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2022 June Old Ways Tea Club feat. Mei Zhan, Zuhuo Dahongpao, Shui Xian Tea Cake

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This is a fun month for the 2022 June Old Ways Tea Club – lots of exceptional oolongs, including a tea cake! Also included are more Fuding White Tea Cake minis, which were in the last club’s box. Zuhuo Dahongpao from the 2022 June Old Ways Tea Club I did enjoy the previous Old Ways Tea’s Sister’s Godmother’s tea, Chunzhong Dahongpao, so let’s see how the sister dupe is. First off, the leaves have a deep, sweet, roasted plum bark scent. Gongfu ratio wise, I was nutty and it is a very high leaf, so around 1 gram per 12ml… Continue reading, hoot!

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2000’s and 90s Teas from Puerh.uk

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Hoot hoot! I am back with another round of teas from Puerh.uk! On the menu today is 2007 Xi Zi Hao – Xue Shan Chun Lu (Spring dew), 1990s JiangCheng, and 1990s Xiaguan BaoYan JinCha Custom. 2007 Xi Zi Hao – Xue Shan Chun Lu (Spring dew) This is Mengku Da Xue Shan, old wild tree material. The leaves have a sweet wildflowers scent. For all teas today, I used a gongfu ratio of 1 gram of leaf per 15ml, steeped at a boil. After a steep, the leaves shift to an amber and honey wooden scent. First, Second, and… Continue reading, hoot!

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2021 Lucky Bags from Bitterleaf Teas

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I managed to purchase one of Bitterleaf Tea’s Lucky bags during their last Black Friday sale. They always sell out of Lucky Bags by the time I get around to ordering. Normally, I don’t have time for random tea, but I was close in my spending to the next discount point, so I decided to try a $5 Bitterleaf Teas Lucky Bags instead of another sample of Alter Ego. Inside the Bitterleaf Lucky Bag, I got 4 unmarked bags, clocking around 17- 25g each. Who knows what these teas are – rejected sourcing materials, leftover blending teas, or personal stash?… Continue reading, hoot!

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Iced Teas from the Fava Tea Summer Sampler Box

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After an extended winter and spring, the weather has finally warmed up immediately in the Seattle area. As much as I drink more high mountain oolongs and young sheng in the summer, I still enjoy a solid iced tea. Today I got some samples from Fava Tea, which has a huge catalog of flavored teas. I got the Summer Sampler Box of 12 teas, but I’ll just be drinking the oolong and black tea today. All teas I used 3 to 5 grams of “leaf”, steeped in a small quantity of 200F water, and poured over iced for around 5-6oz… Continue reading, hoot!

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Ancient Tree Bingdao and BanZhang Sheng Puer from Puerh.uk

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A special review today – teas from Puerh.uk – a vendor that exclusively sells high-tier, pesticide-free, qi heavy, old and ancient tree aged puer. They sell samples and do DHL shipping! It sounds like their teas move fast and limited stock, especially the ones I’m drinking today. Teas today are 2014 BHYJ “Exclusive Reward” Bingdao DiJie, 2017 Chen Sheng Hao Banzhang Ancient tree brick, and 2005 Lao Ban Zhang – Grateful tea factory Banzhang Zhengshan. This is a long one! Puerh.uk 2014 BHYJ “Exclusive Reward” Bingdao DiJie Yes, Puerh.uk has legit Bingdao. I haven’t had Bingdao in years as it… Continue reading, hoot!

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2022 March White2tea Club feat. 2020 Fortune Teller Sheng Puer

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Well, I’m lost in a time warp. April and May have been so busy that I’ve been running on fumes. I posted April’s White2tea Club last week and forgot I had March already sitting in my folder, with most of all the teas long consumed. This is the 2022 March White2tea club, which has a Tieguanyin, Hongcha, but also a sample of White2tea’s 2020 Fortune Teller. Fireside Tieguanyin The leaves have roasted woody honey scented. It is a simple yet comforting smell. I used a gongfu ratio of 1 gram per 15ml (for this tea and all teas in this… Continue reading, hoot!

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2022 April White2tea Club feat. 2022 Green Teas

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Oh hoots, I don’t like green tea but I drink a round of fresh greens out of the White2tea Club. I prefer high-energy teas and green teas have too much of a calming effect for me. In this White2tea Club box are Cloud Mist Green and Coal Mt. Green, the latter being a club exclusive. White2tea has a time window to order fresh green teas, so you’ll have to wait until next year to get their greens. Brewing Instructions: I’m going more casual (and making this painless as possible) with this tea so a hybrid lazy style it is. As… Continue reading, hoot!

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519 Shanghai Sheng Puer from Crimson Lotus Tea

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Back in early 2020, during the height of the pandemic and post Lunar New Year sales. Bloody everyone I know, including myself, lost tea packages coming from China. All the packages circled around China, before settling in Shanghai on May 19, 2020 (2020-05-19 上海市, 已交航空公司运输 Shanghai, has been handed over to airline transportation), then no news ever again. There were a lot of tea packages in that had the 5/19 Shanghai tracking stamp, but I also knew of those buying products from China getting hit too – so many businesses were affected and as far as I know, no seller… Continue reading, hoot!