Misty Peak Teas, 2013 Yiwu Spring Sheng Pu'er

Misty Peak Teas Description:
This is a wonderful tea to drink today, and a very ideal tea to invest in to allow to further mature.The tea is produced in Yiwu, Xishuangbanna Yunnan China: the birthplace of tea and the most renowned village in the world for Sheng Chaa Pu’er. Nearly every collector and enthusiast holds to Yiwu Village as their most prized choice for Pu’er Tea.

Price: $74.95, Available is a Bing/cake/disc of the finest Sheng Chaa Pu’er(Green Pu’er Tea). We also have them available in the bamboo wrap, 7 at a time. ONE BING WILL MAKE ROUGHLY 600-800 CUPS OF TEA…THATS A PENNY A CUP, while tea bags at the store are about 75 cents each cup. Inquire for orders of more than 2, as quantity may be limited. Each cake is 357 grams, and was produced this year.

My Review:
Misty Peak Teas offered several Steepster members a sample of their sheng pu’er for review. I jumped at the opportunity. When they said they would drop a sample in an envelope, well, they weren’t kidding. Upon opening the envelope I discovered a large chunk of compressed leaf and a lot of bits of leaf that had come loose in the mail scattered all over. Having never received a sample this way it amused me.

The chunk of leaf is about 7g. I used the entire sample. Normally I would only use 3 1/2 grams and 10 ounces of water per cup. I am not doing my normal thing because Misty Peak Teas has specific instructions they say to follow. I can’t actually prepare it their way either, because I lack a clay pot, so their directions are also out the window. I’ll try to follow the general idea where I can. I used a Finum basket to hold the leaf and a tiny Corel cup to steep and sip from. I will use about 3.5oz of water in the each steep and cover with the Finum basket lid. This serves just fine as a budget gaiwan.

I used boiling water for a rinse of a few seconds to make sure to remove any impurities. Pouring out the rinse, I let the basket set a moment to further wake up the leaf.

1st steep @ 10 seconds
The brew is clear and honey colored. The wet leaf has an earthy kind of wormy smell. The sip, however, starts light then becomes earthy/woodsy and slightly creamy. There is nothing off-putting about the taste. It seems kind of salty. I do notice strong camphor notes at end of the sip leaving a tingling, cooling sensation, with a feeling of a dry coating all around the checks mouth and tongue – I have never experienced it to this degree. This is slightly astringent which is not surprising as it is a young green tea.

2nd steep @ 10 seconds
The leaf is loosening up nicely. The brew is chestnut in color. The taste is less earthy and now becoming more metallic – it reminds me of touching aluminum with your tongue (I was a weird kid). It changes late in the sip - kind of fruity. Feels dry and more astringent. I now notice a sticky lip feel.

3rd steep @ 15 seconds
Is this the same tea? It seems much sweeter up front this go around. Mid sip it has bite, like one would expect from a green or even black tea. Then it melts into a smooth creaminess mixed with some astringency making for an interesting combination. This is nice.

4th steep @ 15 seconds
The leaf is now nearly filling the Finum basket. This is very similar to the 3rd steep but with less bite and more smooth. The main thing I noticed with this cup was how quickly it disappeared! Yum!

5th steep @ 20 seconds
I am slow to pick up on fruit notes in tea unless I am drinking a flavored tea. Even I noticed it in this tea on the second cup. I just don’t know what fruit it is, apricot maybe? Anyway it is quite strong in this cup and the aftertaste.

6th steep @ 20 seconds
The brew is getting darker with each steep as is now a light orange. The cup has changed once again. Now it is more mineral and copper tasting. It makes the insides of my cheeks and my lips tingle. The creaminess has also disappeared.

Ok, that’s between 18 and 24 ounces of tea already. Time for an intermission! I had to run errands and took a break of several hours. I just left the leaf in the basket. Time to get drinking again...

7th steep @ 25 seconds
Pretty much the same as the 6th. Mineral but very smooth and easy to drink.

8th steep @ 30 seconds
This is becoming lighter in color. It now looks like honey. Throwing a tiny amount of sweetener in really brings this cup to life for me. Of course I am a sugar junkie.

9th & 10th steeps at 1 minute
I decided to combine the last two cups I am going to do for this test run. This cup returns to creamy with a woodsy edge. Once again I added a bit of sweetener. This toned down the astringency and made for a great finish to the review. I believe the leaf has more to give but I have run out of day.

Some Final Thoughts:
I really enjoyed this young pu-er a lot. I think it would have survived several western mug style brewings with as much ease as it did gaiwan style.
 
A cake of this could potentially make 750+ cups of tea if you steep each 5g of leaf 10 times as recommended. That makes this $0.10/cup not $0.01 as noted on Misty Peak’s website. Someone made a simple math error and I don’t think it was me. Even if you only steep the leaf 5 times that still results in a frugal $0.20/cup. A bing really can be economical over the life of the leaf and a good sheng pu-er will only gets better with age and proper storage.

Visit Misty Peak Teas web site.

Nina's Teas USA, Gyokuro

Nina's Teas USA Description:

(From Uji tea gardens, near Kyoto, Japan)
Gyokuro is the most prestigious of the Japanese teas, its name literally meaning “pearls of dew.” The tea leaves, coming from the first harvest, are shaded for a few days before being hand picked. They are steamed, dried and rolled length-wise. This tea, shiny and clear green in colour, will surprise you with its smooth and silky texture. The jade green infusion is mellow and fresh with slight accents of the sea.

Sample provided by Nina's Teas USA

My Review:
That last couple weeks have not been very conducive to tea drinking or review writing. The spring weather changes and high pollen count have definitely taken a toll on my head. Today I am feeling up to tasting this tea from Nina's. This is my first Gyokuro.

The leaf scent is very fresh and grass-like. I poured the entire sample into my press and added water heated to a temperature similar to what I use for white tea. That means cooler than for a normal green tea. The brew is jade in color and the nose is vegetal, yet reminds me of what I can only imagine is the scent of the ocean as I have never been to the coast.

I have had Sencha on several occasions. This is not Sencha. I think grassy tasting when I picture sencha. This does not taste overly grassy to me. It is more vegetal with light grassy notes, and a light mineral touch. By using the lower brewing temperature there is no bitterness. Nina's description is spot on. This is smooth and silky. Oh, and look, Nina's mentions slight accents of the sea! I didn't just imagine it (I start my notes and while adding them to the blog I grab the company description).

As I mentioned, this is my first Gyokuro. I don't know by comparison if this is a good representation of the type. Given my previous experience with Nina's teas, I suspect it is of high quality. I can say with confidence that I very much enjoyed this cup.

Nina's Paris has been blending masterful fragrances for 300 years. They have brought this mastery to their USA tea line. You can currently find their offerings on Amazon. They plan to open an ecommerce webstore at ninasteastore.

TeaVivre, 2013 Bi Luo Chun Green Tea (Pi Lo Chun)

TeaVivre Description:
Made only from tea leaf tips in an involved process that results in it having a tight rolled up shape, Bi Luo Chun is renowned for its strong fruity aroma and mellow flavour.  A plantation growing Bi Luo Chun is amazing to visit, with the tea plants mixed in with a variety of fragrant fruit trees to give the tea its aroma and taste.  TeaVivre's Bi Luo Chun is premium grade direct from the slopes of Dong Ting mountain, has a bright green color and strong almost citrus aroma to it.  An amazing tea!

Sample provided by TeaVivre

My Review:
This review is for the 2013 spring harvest of this tea. I have previously reviewed the 2011 harvest.

I'm not going to lie to you. I freakin' love this tea. There are so many teas  from TeaVivre that I love, it is hard to pick a single favorite, but this one is really close to the top of the list. First off, the leaf just looks so cool. I called it old time upholstery stuffing last time because it is woolly looking and the color is just so interesting. The aroma of the dry leaf is fresh and a combination of sweet and sour, like a fresh cut field of grain.

This steeps up nearly clear with an amber tint. The wet leaf scent seemed vegetal and lightly floral today.

A good cup of tea should catch your attention. A great cup of tea will block the rest of the world for a moment. A sip of this tea affects me this way. It starts with a touch of grain - oats, and over a year after first tasting this it still reminds me of Cheerios. There is also a floral touch similar to a green oolong. Late in the sip it turns creamy. The aftertaste is pleasantly creamy and grainy.

The leaf resteeps well. I highly recommend this to Chinese green tea lovers. For those who really aren't sure what they like, TeaVivre sells samples of all the teas they carry. Samples are a great way to become acquainted with a variety of new teas without a big commitment.

Visit the TeaVivre website.

Nina's Teas USA, Tigre Blanc

Nina's Teas USA Description:

Orange flowers, peach
A semi-oxidised tea with the soothing taste of peach blended with orange flowers. Make time to enjoy a cup of this tea and appreciate a sheer moment of peace and serenity.

Sample provided by Nina's Teas USA

My Review:
Man, the cool wet spring weather and the abundance of pollen in the air have knocked me out of tea drinking commission lately. I think the worst is past, so let's drink some tea.

I opened up the sample packet and breathed in the aroma of peach and orange. It is not overly heavy and is quite nice. There is also a darker scent in there as well. Pouring the leaf into the press and adding heavily steaming water reveals the roasty notes of the oolong base. I steeped for about 3 minutes. The brew is caramel in color.

By the roasted scent of the wet leaf, I was expecting this to taste like a heavily roasted wuyi oolong. Instead the flavor is only mildly roasted, more nutty actually. At the beginning of the sip it tastes lightly peach. Then oolong picks up. Toward the end of the sip it turns back to peach with an ever so light touch of orange. This has a natural sweetness but still handles added sweetener if desired. The peach lingers long in the aftertaste. As the cup cools, the peach picks up in intensity, yet remains balanced. This is a worthy cup.

I did not try this myself, but another reviewer prepared this as a cold brewed tea and stated it was delicious.

One thing I have learned is that Nina's Paris has been blending masterful fragrances for 300 years. They have brought this mastery to their USA tea line. The flavors are generally light, always refreshing, and wonderfully natural. For now you can find their offerings on Amazon. They plan to soon open an ecommerce webstore at ninasteastore.

Teavivre, Organic Nonpareil Ming Qian Dragon Well Long Jing Green Tea

Teavivre Description:
The fresh Organic Nonpareil Ming Qian Dragon Well Long Jing Tea provided by Teavivre is picked before Tomb-Sweeping Day, an important solar term in Chinese agriculture. Ming Qian (Pre-ming) tea is seldom damaged by insects. Its buds and leaves are delicate and tender. With a mellow taste, it is emerald green in color and quite beautiful in appearance. Since the weather is relatively cold before Tomb-Sweeping Day, the number of fresh buds is limited and they grow slow. Therefore, a few leaves can meet the picking standard. Compared with those picked after Tomb-Sweeping Day, Ming Qian (Pre-ming) tea is of top grade.

Harvest time: March 8 - March 10, 2013

Sample provided by Teavivre

My Review:
For those of us who don't know the word 'Nonpareil', I looked it up and found it basically means without equal. I opened up the sample packet and took a deep sniff of the leaf. It is slightly sour like a fresh cut field. The leaf is flat, straight, and emerald in appearance. I normally follow Teavivre's directions for steep time and temperature. The leaf amount I am not following. The Chinese apparently like to use a lot of leaf as this calls for 8g per 8oz water. That is a lot of leaf. I am using half the sample or roughly 3.5g.

The resulting liquor is yellow tinted and very clear. The wet leaf was an amazingly hearty steamed spinach aroma.

The first thing I noticed about the sip is it is so smooth. It is slightly sweet and has a milk like feel across the tongue. I have also had the Superfine and the Premium versions of this tea. Each has the basic Long Jing flavor, yet each is different. This is the most mellow of the three. The Premium had the most bite. Teavivre says this has a chestnut like taste. I am not familiar with the taste of chestnuts, so I can't verify the similarity. To me it is a non-bitter Chinese green tea grassy with a woody kind of bamboo flavor. The aftertaste lingers nicely.

This tea is not cheap at $3.18 per 8oz cup when prepared per Teavivre's instructions, compared to $1.95 for the Superfine and $1.18 for the Premium. By American standards this is at the higher end of the price scale to most of us for a loose leaf tea. The higher price reflects the quality and limited availability of this tea. If you steep the leaf three times (highly recommend), it will reduce the cost to $1.06/cup. Remember what you paid for a cup on your last trip to Starbucks, and you didn't flinch? Hint - it was more than $1.06. If you cut down the amount of leaf as I did, you will also be cutting the price per cup at least in half. Now remember what you paid at the restaurant for low quality bagged tea. For the same money, or far less with multiple steeps, you could be enjoying this top notch and rare Dragon Well as a special treat.

For everyday use the Premium Dragon Well is excellent and works out to $0.34/cup if you steep 3 times. I have not tried their entry level Dragon Well yet but from other's reviews it is still a very nice tea at $0.23 with three steeps. That is certainly in the everyday range. If you have not tried a Dragon Well tea, Teavivre sells sample sizes of all their offerings and shipping is free with a $30 purchase.

Visit the Teavivre website.

A Review of 19 Lessons On Tea

I downloaded the Kindle version of this guidebook by 27Press from Amazon. I don’t actually own a Kindle, so I also downloaded a reader app for the PC. Both were free at the time. Yeah me! The softback book normally sells for $7.99. The Kindle version is $2.99. The book is 118 pages. It is an easy read. I read it in one sitting.

This is a basic primer that also covers some ground often left out of other books. It starts at the beginning explaining what tea is, where it comes from, and how the leaves become tea. None of this is overly deep or technical and it doesn't need to be to inspire a little awe and respect for the leaf you are steeping.

It expands from there with a chapter on each basic types of tea – green, white, yellow, oolong, black, and puerh. It covers what makes each type different and lists some of the major variations within each category. The yellow tea chapter is a nice addition, as it often gets neglected.

There are also chapters on specialty tea (blended and flavored) and even herbals. Though not technically tea, I find the inclusion of herbals makes for a more rounded discussion without being critical of those calling it tea.

There is a chapter covering how to brew. Others cover teapots, accessories, how to buy, and more. It really covers a lot of ground in a little space, and it does it well for the most part.

One area where I find it falls short is including opinions on whether to add milk, honey, or lemon to each category of tea. This is a personal call. If you enjoy white tea with additives, what does it matter to someone else? If you never add anything to Irish Breakfast, as long as you enjoy it who cares? It is your cup. Enjoy it as you please. I could understand it the authors had simply stated that traditionally one would prepare a tea a certain way, and left it open to personal tastes. One size does not fit all.

The authors did make some errors in the book concerning caffeine.  They perpetuated a couple myths that are repeated often. The first is in the chapter on white tea where it is stated white tea has "lower levels of caffeine than any other type of tea." In truth, some white teas have quite high caffeine levels. It varies from varietal to varietal.

The other error concerns a decaffeination myth. Despite what is claimed, steeping for 30 seconds, dumping the cup down the drain, and then resteeping does not remove the caffeine. It does pour a perfectly good cup of tea down the drain. Caffeine is released throughout the useful steeping life of the leaf. If you want a decaffeinated tea, you will have to buy one specifically processed to remove the caffeine. You cannot rinse it out. Repeating the myth does not make it true.

Overlooking the few trouble spots, this is an enjoyable read. It is clearly written and well thought out. My advice is save a tree and $5 and opt for the ebook version.

Nina's Teas USA, The sur la Lune

Nina's Teas USA Description:
Blueberry, passion fruit, raspberry, orange Oranges, passion fruit and red fruits united in harmony to bring you a balanced blend of delicious flavours.

Sample provided by Nina's Teas USA

My Review:
First take a moment to check out the picture. This alien looking leaf is what I found when I opened the sample bag. The aroma is blueberry and citrus. This, as far as I recall, is my first blueberry tea. Dry it smells pretty awesome.

In the press it goes with near boiling water for a 3 minute steep. I am not sure what Nina's recommends. I just used my stock flavored black tea brewing method. The cup is nice and dark with a bright shininess. The wet leaf aroma is berry and citrus with a dark carmel roastiness.

The last tea by Nina's that I reviewed was Magicienne. I said it reminded me of eating cotton candy at the fair. This one is a good follow up. It is like a grown up version of the shaved ice drink we often enjoy in the summer. The flavors are so balanced that I really can't separate them - other than the blueberry. I drank this warm and found it very nice, but I feel certain that iced with a little sweetener this would be amazing.

Nina's Paris has been around for over 300 years. Just recently they have begun to sell tea in America. You can find at least some of the offerings on Amazon. They also plan to open an ecommerce webstore at ninasteastore.