Teavivre, Bailin Gongfu Black Tea (Bai Lin Gong Fu) - Fujian

This sample is one of 15 provided by Teavivre, a tea distributor located in China.

I haven’t even tasted this yet and I am loving it. I used half of one of the 4 sample packets. The dry leaf looks small but smells amazing. First, I noticed malt. As I waited for the water to heat, I keep wondering where is that chocolate scent coming from? Oh yeah, it’s the tea. Steeped 2 minutes (increasing on later steeps) with below boiling water per instructions furnished on the sample label. The brew has a slight caramel aroma and is a deep reddish golden color. The wet leaf has a bit of a coffee edge and swollen leaf reveals small broken pieces.

I tried this without sweetener and thought is was a bit beige. So as is my custom, I used sweetener. Now the sip is what I would classify as medium bodied. You don’t have to work at tasting it, but it doesn’t grab you by the throat and kick your teeth in either. Nice. Smooth caramel taste, lightly malt, and creamy. The aftertaste lingers without being offensive. A civilized cup for when you have the time to enjoy it. Three infusions from the leaves.

I don’t normally drink a lot of straight black hot tea. This is my third black from Teavivre. These teas are really winning me over. I honestly didn’t know a black tea could have this much depth. Only problem is my cup keeps going empty! Very nice tea.

Revisit - Had this with sour dough bread today. I was a little concerned the tastes were too similar but it turned out to be a good combination. The wet leaf brought to mind cocoa, or bakers chocolate, heating on the stove. The bread enhanced tasting notes I hadn’t caught before. The main being a cucumber taste. Under that was a sweet fruity something that I couldn’t place but made me think of jelly – kind of went with the whole bread thing I guess. As the cup cooled the malt became more pronounced. The aftertaste pleasantly lingers. There is also a dry mouth feel with this combination. An exceptionally good tea.

Teavivre, Yun Nan Dian Hong Black Tea – Golden Tip

This sample is one of 15 provided by Teavivre, a tea distributor located in China.

Leaf and BrewThe dry leaf is beautiful with orange and gold throughout. The aroma images a barn filled with sweet hay. The wet leaf is a cool chocolate brown and the aroma is still hay but slightly rooibus. So glad Teavivre includes instructions on the package because I would have totally messed this up by overheating and over steeping. 85C for 2 minutes. The liquor is caramel chocolate in my cup.

The Sip
Tasted with and without sweetener. Not a hint of bitterness or astringency. Very smooth. Still getting that sweet hay with a hint of rooibus but the main flavor I am getting from this is malted milk balls. It lingers long and pleasant in the aftertaste. This is such a good example of it that I now realize I have experienced it before buried in lesser teas. This is nice. I only had time for four cups this afternoon it will go further.

Conclusion I have rarely had a black tea that would steep more than twice. This can be steeped many times, so I am impressed. It is familiar enough to serve to those whose experience is limited to the grocery store isle, yet is complex enough to delight the more discerning.

Revisit -
I ran this through five steeps. This time I noticed something new. Well two things. First, I caught what other reviewers have referred to as a sweet potato flavor. Second, by the 4th cup as the creaminess moves in, the malt disappears but only while the cup is really hot. There is a bit of earthiness while hot. The more the cup cools the more the malt returns. I am used to the cup changing with the temperture but this really changes. I love this tea.

Revisit day 2 -
I love pushing a new tea to see how far it will go. Using same leaf as yesterday. I know that grosses some of you out. Sorry. Today, the tea is still smooth, but now add really creamy. It is also lighter and sweeter. I don’t know if that is the nature of the sixth cup and beyond or because the leaf sat over night. Whatever the reason, it is delicious.

Teavivre, Chun Mei Green Tea (Zhen Mei)

This sample is one of 15 provided by Teavivre, a tea distributor located in China.

Pure tea buds and new leaves. The inside of the sample bag is covered in a fine powdery dust. The dry leaf is shiny, grayish looking (very dark green and white mix). This smells of hay and fresh tobacco. I used one spoonful of leaf and steeped at approx 194 F for 30 seconds per instructions.

The wet leaf smells a bit like toast with a non-threatening hint of smoke. The leaf expands into a big loose clump in the bottom of the press reminiscent of a Twinings loose tea. The liquor in the press appears light yellow/green in the low light level of my office. Appears much darker in my cup.

The sip is a balance of light grassiness and smoke. There is also a creaminess to the cup. Sometimes smoke frightens me. Here it really does compliment the green’s flavor. Once again I find I am really liking this offering by Teavivre. As the cup reaches room temperature, I am reminded of the base that Ahmad uses in their Earl Green. I used to love that tea, so it is no wonder this one immediately appeals to me.

Teavivre, Dong Ting Bi Luo Chun Green Tea (Pi Lo Chun)

This sample is one of 15 provided by Teavivre, a tea distributor located in China.

The dry leaf is very different on this one. It is kind of black (dark grayish green) and white. A bit fuzzy. For some odd reason it reminded me of old time upholstery stuffing. The dry leaf smells of hay and grain. I brewed a healthy spoonful of leaf at a cool 176 F for 1 short minute. I would definitely have over steeped if Teavivre hadn’t provided clear instructions on the package.

The wet leaf on the first steep is dark green with a bit of tan. It hasn’t completely unfurled but appears to be small leaves and pieces. The smell reminds me of Cheerios. Maybe I should have had breakfast. The liquor is pale greenish and actually darker than I expected with such a short steep.

First sip, ooh I like this. It has enough bite to be interesting without being bitter. Tastes of grain at the front of the sip and spice at the back. There are some very faint floral notes that remind me of a Ti Kuan Yin. The main thing I like about this is the green is not too green. I know a lot of people want their green to be really bright and grassy. I can appreciate a tea like that but I prefer a subtler cup like this one. It has a touch of grassiness without being overwhelmingly so. This is how I want a green to taste. I had three steeps out of it before stopping. I believe it would have gone more.

Teavivre, Ripened Aged Pu-erh Mini Tuocha

This sample is one of 15 provided by Teavivre, a tea distributor located in China.

I steeped this for one minute with boiling water. The toucha remains mostly intact. The brew is dark with a light musty aroma. The wet leaf reminds me of wet musty hay. The first sip is much sweeter than expected. I happily notice the leather notes I got from the rose toucha only much lighter. May be imagination but I pick up just the tiniest hint of smoke. I am also getting that slick slightly tacky lip feel that appealed to me in the China Cha Dao puerhs. No astringency, or fishiness and I don’t find it heavily earthy.

On the second cup, the toucha completely crumbled. Has a bit more leather and as it cools a bit of bitterness moves in with a heavy dose of hay. Third cup I added a couple small leaves of chocolate mint. Not enough to really flavor it but added a cool mouth feel and evened out the bitterness. I loved the rose toucha. This one I like. Definitely better than meh, but not a wow.

I decided to revisit this one a second day with a new mini toucha. Steeped 1m in boiling water.

I have loved every sheng I have tried. They just speak to me. Shu, like this, I am working on. They are just so unlike anything else. Cheap grocery store cooked puerh can be really bad - fishy or moldy smelling, and the bagged stuff can be a bit one dimensional. These are not like that. They are fresh and complex. I am enjoying this much more the second time around. The taste is peaty, mildly saddle leather, followed by fruity and spicy notes. There is also a heavier flavor I can’t quite place, woodsy maybe?

2nd cup, 30 second steep. Very dark. Similar taste profile but a bit too light in flavor.

3rd cup, back to 1 minute. The extra time gave back that fuller flavor of the first cup. Didn’t have time today to go further. It’s no sheng but I like it.

Teavivre, Jasmine Dragon Pearls Green Tea

This sample is one of 15 provided by Teavivre, a tea distributor located in China.

This is the one sample I have feared the most. I even turned down one jasmine sample because of my fear of it. Thus far, in my tea journey, I have mostly only tolerated straight jasmines. Teavivre really has their work cut out for them if I am to like this one. Putting on my brave face…

I open the bag and breath in. Hey, this is different. The jasmine doesn’t make me flinch. It is a pleasant, fresh floral and not overwhelming. In addition there is a fruitiness like Concord grape or maybe grape soda that is very appealing. Maybe this won’t be too bad…

Steeped 2 minutes at 80 C. Note to self, remember to only go 1 minute next time. Very light amber liquor. The fruitiness is still in the brew and the wet leaf. Even better, it is in the sip. The best part of this cup is breathing in before you sip. It fills your senses with flowers and grapes until your brain stops processing anything else but the aroma. There is even a hint of rose in here. You catch the green tea at the back of the tongue after the fragrance subsides. I also noticed a creaminess to it.

Wow. This is really good. Is this what jasmine is supposed to taste like? If it is, then I have never really had jasmine before. Seriously, I could drink this everyday. Bring on cup two.

Teavivre, Xin Yang Mao Jian Green Tea

This sample is one of 15 provided by Teavivre, a tea distributor located in China.

The dry pure buds and leaves look so dark and delicate. The aroma is grassy and slightly sour. Steeped per instructions at 2m. Excellent clarity in the liquor. It has the palest of green tints. The wet leaf appears to me to be mostly large pieces of small leaves, stems, and some buds. It looks soft and fresh and oddly very green considering the darkness of the dry leaf. The leaf aroma is heavily vegetable – like broccoli or spinach.

In the sip I notice a bit of bitterness (not a bad thing), vegetable, then a green bite in the aftertaste. Complex. Fresh. Interesting. It reminds me of one of the previous Teavivre greens I’ve tasted. I don’t have my notes in front of me so I am not sure which one. The biggest difference from memory is the slight bitterness in this one, which I liked. It adds character.

To the green tea purist stop reading now…

At this point I added sweetener. This evened out the flavors making this maybe less complex and interesting but more to my tastes. I would not call this tea naturally sweet on its own and I have a Sucralose monkey on my back. I know, I know, I am drinking quality tea. I don’t need this stuff, but I NEED this stuff. This green takes sweetener well. I justify my actions by saying, after I establish the flavor profile, I want to just relax as I sip the rest of the cup without looking for all the nuances. In reality, I know that is just the monkey talking. Me and the monkey like this tea.