Little Red Cup Tea, Premium White Peony

Little Red Cup Tea Company Description:
Grown high on Guzhang Mountain in Hunan Province, this White Peony (Bai Mudan, 白牡丹) tea is one of the best we've ever tasted. Whole leaves plucked by hand and dried in the sun make for a full-bodied brew rich with floral notes of honey and melon.

Pull it out for guests, gift it to someone you admire, this tea is special.

Fair Trade premiums from the sale of this tea, as with the other teas from Hunan, are used by the growers for equipment purchases and much needed public works and sanitation projects.

Sample provided by Little Red Cup Tea Company

My Review:

White tea - tea drinkers are divided on it. Some, especially the Assam drinking crowd, find it to be too subtle. Others, including myself, find its depth of flavor something not be be missed. White Peony, or Bai Mudan, seems to be a good middle ground for the two groups. It has a bolder flavor than Silver Needle and still maintains a good flavor profile.

This one comes to us from Hunan Province in China. I try to always enjoy the aroma of the just opened package before looking at the leaf. I don't want my eyes to sway me before my nose has a chance. I was not disappointed. The scent is pure white peony. It always seems dark to me. It also reminds me of fall. There is a leaf aroma like deep in the woods on a crisp autumn day. Along with it is hints of hay and melon.

Now I move on to visually inspecting the leaf. Check it out: there is plenty of silvery tips, ample leaves of cinnamon, and deep brown, as well as light touches of green. White Peony leaf is just lovely to look at.

I used what appears to be a lot of leaf by volume, but white tea leaf is so light and fluffy it just takes more. My resealable sample did not have brewing parameters, so I jumped over to the website and read 180 F for 3 minute steep.

The result is a dark honey colored brew with gold edges. The steeped leaf is deep browns and greens.

The taste is just what I expect from White Peony. Like the scent it tastes dark to me, while the feel is light and refreshing. The main element to me is dried leaf (again an autumn feel). There is also a touch of honey, though it is not overly sweet.

If you are in the white tea fan group, this is a lovely example of a good White Peony. If you are of the not a fan of overly subtle tea club, this one is bold enough to enjoy on a sunny afternoon soaking up some of the final warm rays before winter takes over.

You can find Little Red Cup Tea, Premium White Peony here.

Little Red Cup Tea Company, Wuyuan Black

Little Red Cup Tea Description:
Good black tea can be sublime — rich, robust, fragrant. Our Wuyuan Back (Wuyuan Hong Cha 婺源 红茶) is all of those and more. It makes a lovely rosewood colored brew, the scent signaling Tea Time. It is grown in Wuyuan County in the northeast corner of Jiangxi Province, not far from Anhui province, the origin of Keemun teas. Wuyuan Black is technically a Congou tea.

Wuyuan Black can be made as light or strong as you prefer without fear of bitterness. It’s a lovely go-to tea, suitable for that first cuppa in the morning, a refreshing afternoon pick-me-up, iced on a hot summer’s day or even for a nightcap for those who like a cup before bed. We generally have several pots of tea available all the time, and this is always among them. It is simply everything a great black tea should be.

Sample provided by Little Red Cup Tea Company

My Review:
Before I get into this tea, I want to comment on Little Red Cup Tea Co.. I find the company goals refreshing. First off, they want to offer, "the kinds of teas that our friends routinely drink in China: simple, traditional, whole leaf varieties... Though our teas are of fantastic quality, we’ve priced them for everyday consumption. These are not for special occasions, to be brought out with the fine China. Instead, they are teas that you can drink throughout the day..." Secondly, "we want to act as sustainably as possible, maximizing the positive aspects of international trade while minimizing the negative. This is the reason that every tea we sell is certified organic with the USDA, and certified fair trade by Fair Trade USA." This was taken from their Our Company page. I just thought it important enough to share.

Today's tea came with this nifty tin. Though the tea sample I received was separately packaged in a resealable bag, it is my understanding if you buy 100g of tea for $11, it comes in this tin.

When I opened the bag I was momentarily transported to a barn during my childhood where the bales of hay were stored. It doesn't have the slightly sour fresh cut scent. It is more the deeper condensed scent of dried barn stored hay. Wait, there's more. It also packs nifty notes of malt.

The tea leaf itself is dark twist of leaf with some lighter silvery streaks.

I once again used the trusty clear glass press for my brewing vessel. Along with about 3g of leaf I added 10oz of 210F water. The steep time was 2:30 minutes. This came from the tin. The website calls for 4 minutes. That is kind of the standard range for black tea and I normally trend toward the shorter times until I know how a black tea will affect me.

This one pours a nice caramel color. It looks like good everyday loose leaf black tea. It smells like good everyday loose leaf black tea.

The wet leaf is dark small broken pieces - but no where near dust or fannings.

There is zero bitterness here. I am not noticing any dryness. I think this one could go a 5 minute steep easily. I'm also pretty sure you could heavier on the leaf. That tells me this is a very forgiving tea. Perfect for early morning when you can't be trusted with accurate measures or telling time.

What I taste is dark sweet and leafy. I catch just hints of smoke underneath. This is not a tea that is going to blow you away. Then again it isn't trying to impress. What you get is a simply and solid cup for your basic everyday needs.

You could serve this hot and straight. It would not mind if you added a splash of milk or a little honey. It would even work nicely iced. Your friends, who aren't into tea like you, would recognize it as tea. What more could you ask of an everyday workhorse tea?

You can find Little Red Cup Tea Company, Wuyuan Black here.

Little Red Cup Tea, Lapsang Souchong

Little Red Cup Description:
Our Lapsang Souchong (Zheng Shan Xiao Zhong, 正山小种) is amazing. We know, that’s a bold statement, and some will disagree. But Lapsang Souchong is a love it or hate it proposition, and we’ve given our hearts to this tea. This is one of our strongest teas, think bridge abutments or skyscraper foundations. This is our most pungent tea — we send it to you in a ziplock bag in addition to our regular packaging.

The black tea is redolent three distinct flavors at once — the black tea base, a hint of longyan (Dragon Eye, a Chinese tree fruit similar to lychee) and the pinewood smoke which is the tea’s most defining element.

Sample provided by Little Red Cup Tea Company

My Review:

I have a box of teas yet to sample from several companies, but when I opened the package from Little Red Cup Tea Co., I was pretty sure I would move this one to the front of the line. I have been craving a cup of lapsang souchong for weeks. It has been really hot here for just as many weeks. Until now. The heat broke and this morning is was a wonderful chilly 60 F on my porch. So right to the front of the line it goes.

At the top is a picture of the tin you get if you order 2.75 oz. I received a sample size in this resealable pouch. It came wrapped inside a ziplock bag to reduce the risk of cross contamination. Lapsang Souchong (LS from here on) is quite potent, so I appreciate the precaution. I could not catch any scent when opening the box - or the ziplock bag.

Once the sample pouch was opened my room was filled with a wonderful sweet pine smoke scent. I always put my used leaf in a compost bowl. That assures me a smoke scented room for days. Love it.

I understand LS is a love it or hate it tea. I used to be scared of it myself. As my tastes grew, I learned to appreciate and love it. Oh, I just read the company description - bridge abutments! Pretty much true.

Removing a scoop of leaf for pictures and steeping, shows this to be a good looking black tea. There a plenty of gold tips and lightly twisted broken leaf.

The scent is sweet but not like bacon as some LS tend to be. It definitely says campfire, especially if you get too close.

Into the pot it goes along with boiling water for a 4 minute steep.

After pouring and removing the lid of the press to release the heat and the aroma, the senses are flooded with smoke. For a moment I think it might be too much. Never fear the cup is a little different.

The brew color is close to what I see in the picture on my computer but in reality it has a deeper color with dark cherry tints.

Obviously, the primary tasting note is going to be that smoke. If you enjoy LS then you will find this sweet and not as heavily smoked as one would expect. If you hate LS then you probably aren't reading this anyway. The smoke at the front of the sip feels like it is rising above liquid. The sip has a slight peppery spice taste and feel. At the same time it feels smooth and mineral. This may be what Little Red Cup calls a hint of longyan. I am not familiar with its taste. At the end of the sip the smoke moves in to fill the taste buds. The aftertaste lingers quite long of smoke and pepper.

This could not have arrived on my doorstep at a better time. My craving has been well satisfied - for today. It is supposed to head back into the 90's starting tomorrow. I guess that means I'll be looking forward to the next cool morning so I can break this one out once again.

You can find Little Red Cup Tea, Lapsang Souchong here.

Little Red Cup Tea Company, Jade Oolong

Little Red Cup Tea Company Description:
Jade Oolong is a marvelous mountain-grown tea from western Hunan Province. It has an appealing aroma, a beautiful green color and a forceful presence. It has a taste profile characteristic of greener oolongs, complex and just a little woody.

Our Jade Oolong is pure whole leaf organic Chinese tea, Fair Trade certified, and utterly delicious. This is a tea to be enjoyed on a regular basis, but also a tea to bring out for special occasions. It is at once familiar and yet a cut above ordinary oolongs, a tea we are certain you will love.

Price: $9.50 / 3 ounces

Sample provided by Little Red Cup Tea Company

My Review:
This is the fourth and final sample I am reviewing from Little Red Cup. Up next is a high mountain oolong from the Hunan Province of China. I love the pictures of the leaf from their site. Very accurate of what is in the bag.

Looking at the color of the tightly twisted pellets this is obviously a lot greener oolong than most. There is only the slightest of floral fragrances present in the dry leaf. I used about 3g of leaf in my press with 200 F water and steeped 3 minutes per recommendations.

The result was a lot of big leaf pieces filling the press. I probably could have used less. The liquor is golden/green in tint. The wet leaf had an aroma like bread and spices. The cup was lightly floral.

When this was hot I was a little disappointed. It really wasn't giving off a lot of flavor for me. I do consider in my assessment that I am on antibiotics for chest congestion so that may be a factor. However, the colder the cup got the more amazing it became.

Once cooled down significantly this became buttery tasting and creamy feeling. The taste lit up with floral oolong goodness. This is sort of tiguanyin but not as geranium/latex flavored. The aftertaste really held on with its floral sweetness.

Both the White Monkey and this Jade Oolong are my favorites. If I had to choose one I guess I would go with the White Monkey as I love that white/green flavor range. All of these are very good and affordable teas.  If you are looking for an everyday oolong that isn't boring - this one is a contender.

Visit Little Red Cup Tea Company.

Little Red Cup Tea Company, White Monkey

Little Red Cup Tea Company Description:
Little Red Cup Tea’s organic White Monkey Tea is a terrific mountain-grown tea from western Hunan Province. Despite its name, White Monkey Tea is, in fact, a green tea — a function of processing — but when steeped, the tightly rolled leaves unfurl yielding a lovely golden brew more akin to white tea than anything else. It is made from the earliest leaves, still covered with downy white hairs for which the tea is named.

Our White Monkey tea is pure whole leaf organic Chinese tea, Fair Trade certified and utterly delicious. A handy tea to have on hand for the green tea enthusiasts and a variety that even the casual tea drinker will enjoy.

Price: $8.00/3.0 oz

Sample provided by Little Red Cup Tea Company

My Review:
I am excited to try this one. I love White Monkey, so named because the dry leaf is said to look like a white-haired monkey's paw - not to me, but apparently to whoever named it. Technically a green tea from its processing, it looks and tastes much closer to a white tea.

I used a healthy scoop of leaf in my press with 175 F water. The steep was about 3 minutes. The wet leaf had an aroma that was plant-like with more than a hint of stew beef. The liquor is deep golden in color.

Sipping, I am not disappointed. It is lightly earthy and very nutty. It has far more heft and body than a white peony. Late in the sip there is a briskness. I wouldn't exactly call it bite. This is more an asserting of its presence. The aftertaste is nicely sweet.

I wholeheartedly recommend this one. Very delicious.

Visit the Little Red Cup Tea Company website.

Little Red Cup Tea Company, Lu Mei Green Tea

Little Red Cup Tea Company Description:
The best Lu Mei (Green Eyebrow Tea) originates in Jiangxi Province, where our Fair Trade certified, Organic Lu Mei Tea is grown. Lu Mei is a distinctive tea with more bite than some green teas, and is named for the characteristic shape of its leaves. Green teas are made with virtually no oxidation, and so our Lu Mei produces a brew light in color with a fresh, sharp taste.

No lightweight, Little Red Cup Lu Mei Tea is a perfect eye-opener, as well as a solid work-day companion. Among green teas, Lu Mei is a strong variety, and we suggest using a smaller amount of tea and a shorter brewing time for a lighter beverage, and a bit more tea coupled with a longer brewing time for a stronger tea.

Price: 4 oz - $9

Sample provided by Little Red Cup Tea Company.

My Review:
The second of four samples from Little Red Cup Tea Company. Fair Trade, Organic, Sustainability are all ideals behind this company.

The samples are all very generous. Definitely enough to try this several times to give it a work out. The dry leaf is twisted into little arched eyebrow shapes. The picture is a good representation of what you get. There is a light grainy aroma.

I steeped this per recommendations of 175 F water for a minute and a half. The result is an amber colored liquor. The wet leaf has a seaweed aroma. The brew is faintly floral.

The sip is mineral and sweet with a bite. Some reviewers see this tea as bitter. I am not one of them. I like a little bite. It adds character and cleanses the palette. It is astringent in that it feels drying.

Others also reported this packs a punch. I am not really getting that either. Assam packs a gut punch. This is more like a tap on the shoulder. The aftertaste lingers long and sweet.

There is not a lot of depth to the cup but it is refreshing. For the price this would make a fine everyday workhorse tea.

Visit Little Red Cub Tea Company today.

Little Red Cup Tea Company, Green Mao Jian

Little Red Cup Tea Company:
Our special organic Green Mao Jian Tea is an unusual mountain-grown tea from western Hunan Province. The tea is named for the abundance of tiny hairs covering the leaves when they are picked in the spring and for the sharply pointed shape of the leaves once rolled in the finishing process.

Green Mao Jian Tea is one of the most delicate green teas we have seen. Steeped normally, it produces a lovely pale green brew with meadow notes and light forest scents. A stronger brew may be obtained using more tea leaves, warmer water and a longer steep time. Even then, this tea is not bitter. An excellent tea for those who want to enjoy a green tea without the punch that so many ordinary greens carry.

Our Green Mao Jian Tea is pure whole leaf organic Chinese tea, Fair Trade certified and sublimely drinkable. A marvelous tea to accompany you throughout a busy morning and into the early afternoon, a tea both for the dedicated tea consumer and one for the casual tea drinker as well.

Price: $8/3 ounces

Sample provided by Little Red Cup Tea Company

My Review:
This is my first experience with Little Red Cup Tea Company. Reading through their "Our Company" page gives some clues what to expect.

First, we want to offer the kinds of teas that our friends routinely drink in China: simple, traditional, whole leaf varieties. You’ll find no Mango-Walnut-Green-Tea-Surprise, no breakfast blends. Though our teas are of fantastic quality, we’ve priced them for everyday consumption.... 

As mentioned in the tea description they are also concerned about Fair Trade and organic. Sustainability is another priority for this company. There is a lot to admire about Little Red Cup Tea Company. Let's see if their tea matches their intentions.

I opened the sample and a grainy scent moved slowly out of the bag. The dry leaf is twisted, dark, and kind of wispy looking. I used about 3g of leaf in my press with filtered water heated to 175F. The steep time was 3 minutes. The result is a lovely golden liquor. The aroma of steamed spinach met me before I removed the lid. The leaves are small and pea green.

The sip revealed a light taste that is fresh and inviting. It has some bite but is not at all bitter. It is not grassy or floral when hot. It is hard to describe. Open is the best word I can come up with. Slightly mineral and lightly fruity. Others had some trouble describing this as well. Many of them noted milky but I am not getting milky with my brewing method while the cup is hot.

Oh, I walked away to play some guitar and when I picked up the cup it was room temperature. Now I get the milky others mentioned. More importantly, I think the flavor has really come alive. This is now very fragrant with almost oolong floral qualities. Very, very nice once cooled. I might need to try this one iced. You can easily get two mugs from the leaf, possibly more.

Summation - When hot it is light in body and mild in taste, at the same time the longer you sip the more you want. Once the cup cools it really comes alive with flavor. A very nice everyday affordable Chinese green tea.

Visit Little Red Cup Tea on the web.