Crimson Lotus Tea, 2008 Bulang Imperial Grade Shou / Ripe Puerh

Crimson Lotus Tea Description:
This tea was featured in the Serious Eats article Where to Buy Amazing Tea Online.

This dark puerh comes on strong quickly. It will brew thick and dark at the beginning but then mellow into a light sweetness. The leaves are all small buds and carry the name "Imperial Grade"

The Bulang mountain range is the famous home to some of the best puerh tea gardens in all of Yunnan. These leaves were harvested from trees 100 years old and blended by the Menghai Yunhe Tea Factory from different areas in Bulang at altitudes averaging 1600 meters.

This is one of the shou puerhs that really stood out to me during our 2014 sourcing trip. It's everything I want in a shou puerh. It has a thick mouthfeel, with a hint of astringency, and sweet aftertaste. It's truly delicious. I can and do drink this one every day.

These are generous leaves and can be brewed 15 times or more. Use 5-7 grams of leaves and brew with 8 ounces of water at or near boiling. Rinse twice for 3s each. Start with quick steeps under 10s. With each re-steep adjust the steep time to your taste.

Sample provided by Crimson Lotus Tea

My Review:

When Crimson Lotus Tea offered to send samples of their pu-erh, I informed them that I had been very ill and was not sure how long it would take me to feel up to preparing tea and writing the reviews. They sent them anyway and told me to take my time and get well. So thank you Crimson Lotus Tea for your patience and your kindness.

I used the company product photo above to show what you get if you order a brick. To the right is the sample packaging I received.

This is a resealable black coated aluminum bag with a simple label. The suggested steeping instructions are not on the label but are in the product description on their website.

Opening the bag, I catch the aroma I expect. It is partly hay and part barnyard. With a little experience you learn not to fear that scent as it is a natural part of the process.

Examining the sample reveals a lot of cinnamon brown buds. The company description says this is made with only small buds.

I did not try to pry it apart, so I can't comment on how tightly it is pressed.

I used my press today because it was already out and I am thirsty. The clay pot might have been a more traditional approach. Per the directions I used near boiling water and did two 3 second rinses.

Unless you are a regular follower, you have no idea how hard rinses are for me to actually do. The reason for them is to rinse the leaves of dust and to wake up the leaves. I always end up drinking the rinses (as I did here), so normally I skip this step and just add time to my first steep.

For the first mug I steeped for 10 seconds. Also per the instructions I am using 8 ounces of water for each steep. I am thrilled to see a company recommend a real cup size. I personally do not enjoy over leafed tiny cups of tea. Feel free to disagree.

The result of my effort is a hearty root beer colored brew. If it had a good foamy head on it, this would almost pass for a stout ale, except for the pink tinting. It is kind of pretty.

The leaf chunk is still fairly intact and solid in the middle. The edges show some definite signs of breaking up. The leaf is shiny black.

The wet leaf aroma is much like the dry scent but stronger. Don't be alarmed as the taste seldom resembles the leaf scent.

In fact, it bears little resemblance to the aroma. Up front this has a mild bite. What is fascinating is the feel is thick and creamy along with the bite. Two different sensations layered over each other and it works. After the bite settles in, this drifts into a taste that reminds one of horse tack (leather). Finally it melts into a smooth sweet finish.

The leaf is capable of lasting through 15 steeps according to Crimson Lotus Tea. I am not going to be able to confirm that here (though I have little doubt), but I am going to have time for one more cup before posting.

Cup two was not timed. I poured the water into the press, replaced the lid, and nearly immediately began pouring into the cup. The brew is much darker. It looks ruby red as it pours. Though darker in the cup.

This cup continues on where the first left off. The big differences are the addition of a cedar note up front changing to the leather, and the bite coming late in the sip. Oh, just caught a hint of smoke when I exhaled. Neat.

This is a really nice shou. It is complex enough to be interesting, but not so complex as to demand deep concentration. This would make an excellent everyday drinker.

You can find Crimson Lotus Tea, 2008 Bulang Imperial Grade Shou / Ripe Puerh here.

Starbucks, Teavana Loose-Leaf Tea Infuser

Starbucks Description:
Love loose-leaf? Brew your preferred tea easily in a favorite mug with this stainless steel infuser.

Simply scoop tea into this infuser, place in your mug and pour water directly over tea. Even the smallest tea leaves will steep perfectly through the tea infuser's fine mesh. Made of 18/8 stainless steel. "Teavana®" printed on handle. Dishwasher safe. Do not microwave.

My Review:
My wife bought this Teavana infuser basket for me at Starbucks, so I would stop stealing her Finum baskets. Now she wants one of her own. Since I have more teaware and gadgets than necessary (according to her), I don't see how I can complain. Besides, it is better than her stealing mine in retaliation.

OK,  besides our apparent sharing issues, what makes this one worthy of packing home?

First off, it is made entirely of stainless steel. There is no plastic housing, like on the Finum basket - that we have used for years and love.

Secondly, it has a wide flat steel lip around the top so that it rests nicely on top of a twelve ounce mug and still has space for water movement between the bottom and the mug.

The third selling point, for me, is the fine mesh of the infuser. I have not tried yet but fell absolutely confident that rooibos will present no issue preventing the leaf from making its way into the mug. On the other hand, and just as important, the water is able to flow freely around the mug.

And finally, the overall size of the basket is large enough to provide ample freedom for the leaf to expand. Leaving the leaf free in the pot would be preferred but there are times it just isn't convenient. This is an excellent compromise.

Clean up is no more difficult than with the Finum basket. Tapping the infuser over the spent leaf bowl takes care of most of it. A rinsing will finish the task..

The only complaint I can find is the lack of a lid to hold in the heat while steeping and serving as double duty as a stand after steeping.

Around $10 at Starbucks, Gets a thumbs up from me.

Teasenz, Liu An Melon Seed

Teasenz Description:
A legendary favorite tea of emperors and dignitaries including the empress Dowager Cixi and Henry Kissinger. Liu An Melon Seed is known for its unique shape and taste. Single leaves, carefully cut to equal size, are pan-fired over low heat, shaping the leaves into a beautiful melon-seed shape and creating a tea with bright green leaves and a refreshing, crisp flavor.

Sample provided by Teasenz

My Review:
A brand new month. A new opportunity to drink and review tea! I am starting the month with a new to me company. From their About Us page, "Teasenz is a China-based, international retailer and wholesaler of fine Chinese tea and tea ware."

I received 5 samples and all will be reviewed in the coming weeks. I grabbed this one today simply for the name. Liu An Melon Seed is a green tea and not made or scented with melon seeds. The name comes from the shape of the leaf after processing.

The sample came in a resealable aluminum pouch. The label provides basic brewing parameters, though they disagree slightly on time with the website.

Opening the bag, I smell malt and fresh dried hay.

I have no idea what type melons the Chinese are growing that have seeds that look anything like the leaf, but I'll take their word for it.

The leaf is green and rolled into little cylinders that are straight and pretty evenly sized.

I used a steeping basket today to prepare this in a mug. It is new and I wanted to give it a test drive. Looking back, I probably should have used the clear glass teapot so I could watch the leaf expand.

Regrets aside, the basket with the leaf was lowered into the mug containing 175 F water. The steep time was about 3 minutes. About because, well new gadget and text message interruptions.

Once brewed, you get a better understanding of the processing. What leaf, that has relaxed, shows the cutting necessary to make each rolled melon seed the same length. The steeped leaf is really green and fresh. You just want to get a fork and eat it.

The liquor is brilliant yellow. With the lighting behind, it almost becomes fluorescent. It shines. You have to really look hard to find any floating particles.

In my panic to get back on track, I did sniff the wet leaf, but honestly don't remember much about it. Shame on me for my sloppiness. I recall it being vegetal and that's about it.

Getting my first taste - it was worth the wait. Chinese green teas just really appeal to me. This one is no exception. It is not bitter and has no sharp edges. It does have just enough bite to excite the palate. It is clean and crisp. The feel is a bit creamy. The taste is a mix of nutty with underlying floral.

The aftertaste is grassy with floral and melon notes. It is not a strong aftertaste but lingers a long time. I also catch a definite dryness and some cheek tingle. It certainly isn't out of place with this type tea.

I immediately prepared a second cup, something I don't do as often as I used to do. I steeped this cup for two minutes. The color is very close to the first. The cup aroma while steeping was spicy and reminded me of the sweet basil my wife cut in the herb garden this morning.

The taste of this cup is stronger. It has a more pronounced nuttiness along with a grassy and vegetal kick. At times I sense, more than taste, some spicy notes. I found the second cup to be just as delicious as the first.

You can find Teasenz Liu An Melon Seed here.

The Return Of Matcha Madness

A short while back, I had the pleasure of participating in a blind taste testing of a dozen culinary grade powdered teas. I was a bit nervous as I thought I was a little too inexperienced for the challenge. Turns out my insights and opinions lined up fairly well with the more experienced matcha drinkers and bloggers who also participated. So, go me! You can find the original set of reviews here.

Now, a few of us have been given the opportunity to continue on where the first testing ended. There will be three sets of matcha. Each set has been selected to contain similar quality teas, and are intended to progress upward in quality with each. I plan to dedicate one post to each set of samples. The third set may span more than one post. I'll decide about that later. I feel a lot more confident going in to this round.

The Sponsor:

This testing is sponsored by Red Leaf Tea. They supplied all the matcha samples to the testers. At least one of the samples in each set belongs to Red Leaf Tea.

Methodology:

The matcha was divided and packaged in individual aluminum sample bags. A label was affixed to each saying simply "Sample 1",  "Sample 2", etc.. After the testing was completed, I received a file containing the actual product names to match to the appropriate sample.

Each of us is allowed to prepare our matcha as we see fit. It is my intention to treat each in an identical manner (but see below for my mixing goof). My methodology will be the same as I used in the original matcha madness testing:  Measure out 1/4 tsp of matcha into the cup. Add 2 ounces of filtered water heated to 160 F and stir until well mixed.

Testing & Rating Process:

Each dry sample will be examined for color. Traditionally, the deeper green the powder, the better.  Next, I will taste the dry powder. Finally, the matcha will be prepared and tasted.

A rating, will be given  for color, and one for taste, with a rating of 1 being lowest and 10 highest. A third rating is for sweetness /bitterness. Here, a rating of 1 is extreme bitterness, and a 10 is sweet with no bitterness.

Now On To The Sampling:

First, a word about the cup pictures - I changed procedures during the tasting which I should not have done. With the first and second teas, I mixed with a spoon because that is my daily routine when making lattes. For the rest, I used a whisk because we aren't making lattes here, are we? Obviously, the whisk works better at creating a foam. In all fairness the first two will foam nicely when done properly.

Red Leaf Tea, Starter Matcha

The powder is kind of lime green. The dry taste is a good mix of sweet and bitter with a nice leafy taste. The liquor is a murky algae green. The taste is strong and seems a little more bitter than sweet and has some nice grassy hay notes. The aftertaste lingers. This is very inexpensive and a nice latte worthy tea. In fact, this will be my new everyday latte powder very soon. My ratings for this one are lower than my original review, as I am using it as the baseline to compare the others in this set.

Color: 5  Taste: 5  Sweet: 5

Price per bag: $14.99

Price per oz: $0.94

Red Leaf Tea, Deluxe Matcha

Yes, I recognize this one as Red Leaf Tea Deluxe Matcha. It was my top choice in round one.  The color is a little more green than the first. The dry taste is sweet with floral notes. The liquor is a dark murky algae green. It tastes floral with a nice bite. To me, this is what I imagine a green oolong would taste like if powdered. The aftertaste lingers and is very pleasant with floral and grassy notes.
  

Color: 6  Taste: 7  Sweet: 6

Price per bag: $24.99

Price per oz: $1.56

JK Tea Shop Ceremony Grade Matcha

This one is very different from the previous two. The dry color is about the same as the first. The dry taste is very dry with no bitterness. I got a nice foam on this one. Tasting this I get almost no bitterness, just a pleasant bite. The taste has a dark green leafy taste. It doesn't make me think spinach exactly but it isn't seaweed either. Kind of in between the two. The aftertaste has a sweet floral and leafy taste.

Color: 6  Taste: 8  Sweet: 6

Price per bag: $19.00

Price per oz: $5.28

Red Leaf Tea, Classic Matcha

Out of the bag, this is the greenest powder I have seen so far. The dry taste had an umami presence, yet reminded me of movie popcorn without all the salt. It mixed well and had great color though still kid of murky. Maybe that is true of all matcha? I have no idea at this point. It isn't bitter or particularly sweet. It is a bit seaweed and again the umami notes. Mostly it is just kind of flat to me due to the lower sweetness, but it is easy to drink. It didn't move me as something I would drink straight but seems perfect for sweetened lattes.

Color: 8  Taste: 6  Sweet: 4

Price per bag: $7.99

Price per oz: $7.99 ($3.99) 

iMaccha, KIWAMI Supreme Ceremonial

Oooh, another that is very green out of the bag. Maybe this will be the new normal as we go through the remaining sets of matcha. Hope so. The dry powder tastes smooth and malty with a touch of seaweed. Mixed easily. This tastes good. Not very descriptive I know. I get malt, seaweed and floral with a touch of hay. There is enough bite to be interesting without calling it bitter and mixed with enough sweetness to make it easy to drink. My hands down favorite so far from this set.

Color: 9  Taste: 9  Sweet: 7

Price per bag: $29.90

Price per oz: $8.54 

Yunomi, Obubu #19: Excellent Kitchen Grade Matcha 

The powder is as pronounced green as the last. The dry taste is kind of a mix between malt and the umami popcorn I noted earlier. Foams up easily and the color is bright jade green. Now, the taste leans more bitter than I expected. It is malty and leafy green vegetal/seaweed. There may be nothing wrong with this one but I wasn't a fan, which is interesting as this is the most expensive of the set.

Color: 8  Taste: 8  Sweet: 5

Price per bag: $32.50

Price per oz: $9.29 

Oollo Tea, Limited Edition Alishan High Mountain Black Tea

Oollo Tea Description:
Alishan Mountain is known for its amazing mountain oolong teas however it also produces small limited batches of black teas. This particular 2014 harvest brews a prominent cacao chocolate flavour with wooden musky aroma.

Sample provided by Oollo Tea

My Review:
My water heater has been out of commission for two days now. I have a plumber on the way. This has served to once again remind me of how good most of us have it. We take things like hot water for granted.

I think we do the same thing with tea. It is always there and most of us have way too much of it. I encourage you to ponder how the leaf made its way to your teapot. Most of our "good stuff" was had picked and processed. So much work and art go into tea that I find it pretty amazing we can get it at all.

So today I am reviewing a black tea from the Alishan mountain in Taiwan. In the past I have found the black teas of this region to be some of my favorites and as distinctive, and different, as Chinese Yunnan black tea.

Upon opening the sample bag, the scent of malt and baked cocoa is released into the air.  Removing the leaf, shows this one to be very dark, almost like charcoal color, but with areas of cinnamon brown. This looks like something I need to drink, and soon, because it looks so good.

I used half the sample. It appears to be around 3 g. The water was heated to 200 F and I steeped for 3 1/2 minutes. I totally made up these parameters as they do not appear on the sample label or the website. I often use 195 F for my black. Since I do not expect any bitterness here, I bumped it up a little. I seldom  use full boiling water even though that is how most people would prepare it. Just my personal preferences at work here.

OK, so the liquor is orange and bright. It is one of those happy shades, like the outdoors with an icy glass of tea type colors - or is that just me? The wet leaf has a stronger baked cocoa aroma.

As I expected, there is no bitterness present. There is a light bite with little astringency. It tastes as good as it smells. I get some malt, followed by cocoa and honey. There is a woodsy flavor present in the mix as well. I am also noticing floral notes blooming in the aftertaste.

This is not a subtle tea. You do not have to go out of your way to taste it. Yet, this is not an assertive cup like your usual Assam or Ceylon. It reminds me of Fujian black tea but smoother. 

I enjoyed every sip of this one.

You can find Limited Edition Alishan High Mountain Black Tea here.

Wymm Tea, Jingmai Sheng Pu-erh

Wymm Tea Description:
This is a sheng pu-erh that brews bright golden liquor with a heady orchid aroma, and can last for around 15 steeps. First spring leaves make the best-valued tea because of the concentrated nutrients, and the infused liquid emanates strongest aroma and flavour. Picked from the first spring of 2011, our Jingmai pu-erh possesses opulent aroma and intense flavour that is reminiscence of wilderness of Jingmai.

Sample provided by Wymm Tea

My Review:
Today's selection is a raw pu-erh picked from ancient trees in 2011. The trees are very old. The tea is fairly young. Sheng, at least youg sheng, has a tendency to have a sharp bite. Let's see what this one brings.

The leaf itself is gorgeous. At least to my eyes. When I unwrapped the paper, exposing the loose leaf (sample is loose, a bing is available), I was immediately impressed with how fresh it looked. I know it is dried and brown, but it looks so alive. The silvery buds along with the tans and lighter shades have kind of a green cast to them.

I really did not detect an aroma off the dry leaf.

The entire sample (6 grams) was added to the pot and boiling water added. I don't bother with rinses. The first steep was at 10 seconds. I am preparing this in small amounts in my press to fill my gaiwan for drinking. Why didn't I just use the gaiwan to start with? I have no idea.

Now I catch an aroma off the leaf. It is floral and leafy. It has some of the young sheng aquarium water scent - not fishy, but like a living watery habitat.

The liquor is clear and a nice honey color.

Bracing myself for the taste, I quickly relax. Ooh, this is nice. I was expecting a bright metallic bite. Not even close. The first thing I notice is a light hint of a smoky edge. Then the flavor springs out like, well, spring. It is a really lovely floral. It is not alarmingly so. I detect no rough edges, or off flavors. It feels thick on the tongue. It leans slightly towards sweet. The second cup is pretty much the same. I am noticing very little astringency which is unusual for the shengs I have tried.

Cup 3, 4, & 5 introduce a shot of pepperiness. The smoke note is now moved to the aftertaste and remains very light. The flavor is now more vegetal and floral and the astringency has picked up a tiny amount but remains far more controlled than I am use to tasting in sheng. An apricot note is also present in the sip. The aftertaste is floral.

As usual for me, I prefer the development of the flavors as the cup cools.

Wymm Tea says this will go 15 steeps. I'll not be able to find out today.

Bottom line: I found this to be a very pleasant and easy to drink sheng.  

You can find Wymm Tea Jingmai Sheng here.

Golden Tips Tea, Arya Ruby Darjeeling Black Tea Second Flush

Golden Tips Description:
Our second flush 'Arya Ruby Black Tea' is a classic example of Darjeeling summer royalty. The well-made leaves are wiry and have a delightful appearance with plenty of silver tips. Manufactured to perfection, the tea boasts of an immensely complex character with abundance of muscatel flavor. The fruit-flowery notes flush your mouth with a sweetness that is pleasant and comforting. The aroma scents of rich caramel with a slightly woody character. The nose is sharp and slightly fruity which resonates muscatel richness. Overall, the tea has a fantastic texture, a balanced and rounded body with an extremely smooth flavor that leaves a sweet lingering aftertaste in your mouth. An excellent limited edition Darjeeling second flush black tea.

Sample provided by Golden Tips Tea

My Review:
I prepared this one yesterday but wasn't satisfied with my results. Today I am upping the amount of leaf, the water temperature, and the steep time and see how that changes my opinion. All the previous Golden Tips Teas have been very delicious. This one was a little too understated for my tastes. So let's have at it, again.

The sample came in a resealable pouch with all the pertinent label information, including the steeping parameters and even the picking date.

Opening the pouch, I smell tea, tobacco, and hay.

The leaf is long withered and slightly twisted pieces. There are some silvery tips present.

Yesterday, I used 2 grams of leaf. The water was heated to 195 F and I steeped for 3 minutes. Not being satisfied with the overly subtle result, today I am using 3+ grams, 205 F water, and a 4 minute steep. I used my Bodum press as the steeping vessel.

The result is a deep caramel colored liquor. It is not the dark orange/red one normally associates with black tea, but is typical of my experience with Darjeeling tea.

The wet leaf was a deep woodsy aroma. The leaf reveals itself to be large broken pieces even with the FTFGOP1 Ruby designation on the grading. I was expecting full intact leaves.

Up front I first notice a peppery bite. It is not overwhelming but enough to make you take notice. As the bite settles, the notes turn to woodsy autumn leaves. There is a small amount of fruitiness present.

This is pleasant enough, it just isn't making a memorable impression. I like subtle teas when I can detect great depth to them. Others have raved on this tea. It just isn't speaking to me again today.

I decided to add sweetener to pump up the cup. It did. Really this is quite enjoyable sweetened. I am not noticing any new flavors, just more off what was already in the cup. I could drink the sweetened cup often. My feeling is it would taste good iced as well.

As I said, other reviews on this are very favorable. For me personally, it was just OK.

You can find Golden Tips Tea, Arya Ruby Darjeeling Black Tea Second Flush, here.