Category: Tea Reviews

Tea reviews and tea tastings

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Nannuo Moonlight White from West China Tea

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Today’s tea is a Moonlight White (Yue Guang Bai) from Farmer Li Shulin, via West China Tea. This white tea is grown in Nannuo Mountain, Yunnan, China. A number of West China Tea’s teas are from Li Shulin, so there are lots to explore if you want to deep dive into Nannuo teas. After I received these teas, I found out that Li Shulin had a tragic fire – losing his home, tea harvest, and equipment. There is a GoFundMe to help support his return to tea farming. I have more Li Shulin’s teas as I was hoping to do… Continue reading, hoot!

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Furry Crab Oolong from Floating Leaves Tea

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Floating Leaves Tea’s Furry Crab oolong is a special reserve high mountain oolong grown in Wuliang Shan, Yunnan China, but by Taiwanese Farmers. Furry Crab was an oolong I bought as a tea newbie because of the inexpensive price – I recall the leaf being so broke and full of holes. Many years later in a tea industry convention, a trusted vendor told me the secret that many purchase Furry Crab and sell it as TieGuanYin, as it is cheaper and western drinkers can’t tell the difference. However, Floating Leaves Tea’s Furry Crab isn’t a low-quality tea, clocking at $1… Continue reading, hoot!

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2020 String of Pearls Sheng Puer from Bana Tea Company

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Bana Tea Company’s 2020 String of Pearls raw sheng puer is 5 gram Dragon Pearls from old growth trees in Mengsong, Xishuangbanna, Yunnan. I got one as a free sample with a previous Bana Tea Company order. Leaf and Steeping method The tea has a zesty wild honey vegetal scent. Compression on the dragon pearl is tight so I used the whole 5 grams, paired with a 75ml tea vessel. The easiest way to steep a tight compression tea like this is to use boiling water. Pour directly on the tea, pour out the rinse and leave the lid on… Continue reading, hoot!

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2021 August Old Ways Tea Club feat. Wuyi Black Teas

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Old Ways Tea’s August Tea Club has us ready for superb autumn tea drinking! Inside, two black teas, 2021 Wuyi Jin Jun Mei, 2021 Wuyi Hong Cha, and 2020 Chunzhong Da Hong Pao oolong. 2021 Wuyi Jin Jun Mei from August Old Ways Tea Club Fancy fancy Jin Jun Mei and only got 4 packets so make it count! The leaves smell like sweet cinnamon. A tea like this you drink the rinse you don’t want to flush down cash. For both black teas, I used 1 gram of leaf per 15ml of vessel size, gongfu steeped in boiling water.… Continue reading, hoot!

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Atlas Tea Club feat. Nepal Teas

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Interested in expanding your tea experience by trying teas from all around the world? Looking for a gift for a tea lover that has it all? I honestly wished I thought of this tea club – every month Atlas Tea Club sends you tea grown from a different country. No ordering from many different tea vendors from around the world, nor waiting for long international shipping (don’t get me started how bad international shipping has been lately), as Atlas Tea Club is based in the US. As well as trying teas from around the world, Atlas Tea Club lets you… Continue reading, hoot!

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Antwerp’s Placebo and Scarlet Fire Shou Puer from Mandala Tea

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With the temperatures dropping, I am excited to get my shou game on! I love how shou warms me up on cold days, along with its comforting rich flavor. Today is a pair of shou from Mandala tea, who have some of the best shou and are based in the US. Both Antwerp’s Placebo and Scarlet Fire are available in cake (100g-200g) or mini tuochas – samples today are all mini tuochas. 2020 Antwerp’s Placebo Shou Puer Antwerp’s Placebo Shou is 2017 Menghai material, processed in 2018 and then pressed later. The mini tuocha has a sweet earthy scent. I… Continue reading, hoot!

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2021 July White2tea Club feat. Guangzhou Storage Puer

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White2tea has lovely natural storage located in Guangzhou City. The 2021 July White2tea club is a flex comparison between 2013 Yiwu sheng puer stored in Guangzhou and not Guangzhou. 2013 GZ Natural Storage Yiwu Sheng Puer The leaves have a bruised peaches and copper scent. As usual and for both teas, I used a gongfu ratio of 1 gram of leaf per 15ml of vessel size, steeped in boiling water. After a rinse, the leaves smell like a fruity pawn shop. First, Second, and Third Infusion: 2013 GZ Natural Storage Yiwu starts off light and sweet with a blur of… Continue reading, hoot!

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Yunnan Gold Tip and Keemun Maofeng Black from Hence Tea

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Today I am feeling like black tea. I had a busy August and an even busier September is here, so I need to sort my new black teas into either my morning lazy style, gongfu pick me up, or afternoon tea snack time. Hence Tea sent me two more black teas to try – Yunnan Gold Tip and Keemun Maofeng Black. I previously wrote about Hence Tea’s Songluo Black. Yunnan Gold Tip from Hence Tea This Yunnan Gold Tip has the scent of sweet canned cherries. For both black teas, I went with gongfu style with boiling water, using a… Continue reading, hoot!

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2020 Moon Waffles White Tea from White2tea

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My love of Yunnan White tea knows no bounds! I blind purchased a cake of 2020 Moon Waffles, a bud-heavy Yunnan white tea that is pressed into a convenient thin waffle pattern. I am a fan of White2tea’s Waffles shou, so it was exciting to see a white tea waffle! Leaf and Steeping Method The cake is gorgeous with the dark leaves mixed with furry silver buds, all with a faintly floral scent. Thankfully, it is not difficult to snap off squares of white tea. For gongfu style, I used 1gram of leaf per 20ml of vessel size, steeped in… Continue reading, hoot!

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2021 Bull Noir Dianhong from Bitterleaf Tea

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2021 Bull Noir Dianhong is an experimental spring Yiwu Yunnan black tea with machine roasting as opposed to sun dried. This tea from Bitterleaf is the same as their Yiwu blend but also a test to see how the black tea develops for future teas. I snagged a tin as I love a good experimental tea and Bitterleaf Tea’s Year of the Zodiac Yiwus tend to be reliably delicious and affordable. At this time, Bull Noir is sold out, but I wanted to get my thoughts on this tea out there. Leaf and Steeping Method Bull Noir has huge spacious… Continue reading, hoot!