172 Tasting Notes
Early morning cuppa. Instead of the usual in-your-face bold cup of caffeine overload (coffee) that I would normally go for, I decided to brew up something gentle to ease me into the day. It’s a peaceful morning here in Pennsylvania, the birds are chirping and there’s a light fog as I sip this mellow goodness and stare into the woods behind my house. Life is good. Good morning Steepsterites!
Aroma of steeping tea: The aroma reminded me of camping in the great outdoors. It was very smokey with lots of woodsy smells reminding me of damp moss, citronella and sandalwood. At this point I’m very excited, this is exactly the type of thing I was looking for.
Taste: The smokiness is the dominant flavor, but there are a lot of other things going on. I get hints of tangy lemon, crisp mint and eucalyptus and a very pleasing bittersweet nature. This tea has a very thick and full mouthfeel, there is a lot of substance to it. Throughout the course of steepings the flavors have seemed to stay mostly the same, just becoming a little more muted with each steep…but that doesn’t mean the tea becomes boring. There is more going on in this tea than I can really even name. This is a truly exciting tea (not to mention the level of energy its giving me is unbelievable, don’t drink this one too late at night!).
All in all, I’m very much enjoying this one and I’m happy with my purchase. This one was a bargain.
Yo, Kyle! Did I include a sample of that wild tree mao cha? If so, I am mighty curious as to what you will think of that. It is FULL of tea energy! I just listed it on mandalatea.com last night (finally) – we’ve been selling it so fast here in the shop I hadn’t gotten it online yet.
Yeah, you threw some my way. Thanks for that.
Yes!!! Glad you got that one.
Oh! Yes I am going to get some of this soon. I’m waiting until payday now!
It’s interesting Kwinter-caffeine usually doesn’t keep me awake at night, but this Pu-erh really gave me an energy boost & left me wide awake most of the night! ://
http://steepster.com/teas/menghai-tea-factory/17935-2010-dayi-7562-ripe-pu-erh-tea-brick
I’ve still got 2 of the 2007 7562’s around here if ya need some, Scott :)
I got my first order from Mandala today and I could barely contain the excitement. Inside my package were some very generous bonus goodies including a tea needle, thanks so much Garret.
First steep:
The aroma of the steeped tea produced the scents I am accustomed to in a typical silver needle, which are nectar and hay. There was also a bit of that “aged” smell along with it. As for the taste, all the flavors were subtle as I expected. The most dominant flavor to me is that of a crisp, sweet and slightly tart apple, with just the slightest bit of pu-erh earthiness. Some hints of spice are also present.
Second steep:
The apple flavor has turned more towards pear, and there are hints of sandalwood and a trace of camphor. Along with that, there is also some maltiness.
And I’m gonna leave it at that for now, I’l take it to further steepings some other time but for now I’m just too excited about trying my other new teas! This was a truly unique and delicious tea experience, I quite enjoyed it.
Yay!
My next tea order has to be from Mandala! :))
Amy, just brewed up the Xiaguan FT Flame and it smells GREAT. Smoky, woodsy, sandalwood, damp earth…just gotta wait for it to cool.
oooh. I do want some!
Just tried a cup and I’m definitely gonna order more, my advice is definitely to buy one for yourself…it’s a steal.
Hi! If you check out the new products section, you will see that I just listed a bunch of new items (20 more or so to load up tonight if I have the gumption) – check out the new silver buds pressing I did in China in April, just arrived. Also the Wild Tree Tea mao cha – amazing and addictive in the best possible way! Pretty excited by my Year of the Dragon ripe pressing (wild arbor, spring-pick) and the two new sheng cakes (made from material I bought at the farms near Lincang) will be up soon, too!
50% Ureshino Tama Ryokucha – 50% Uji Kabuse cold steeped for nine hours.
Drinking this iced and it’s incredibly refreshing. This method of brewing produced significantly more sweetness than the traditional brewing method. Through the cold brewing method, the liquid takes on a cloudy green color like that of matcha ice cream and the tea actually has some similarities to that taste wise as well. This stuff is lightly vegetal with little hints of cream, sweetness, and citrus. Great combination for iced tea.
This one is growing on me quite a bit. I need to learn a little more patience in deciding whether or not I “like” a tea, because they almost always end up growing on me once I familiarize myself with the flavors. Smooth green tea flavor with the comforting scent of rice. This tea also has a very pleasant and unexplainable bittersweet nature to it, it starts out with a bitter and slightly astringent bite that turns into a sweet and tangy sensation. With further contemplation I’m realizing that this tea is more complex than I realized.
On another note, I’ve just made my first Mandala tea order and I’m very excited. I got a ripe pu-erh mini-tuocha variety pack, 125 gram Xiaguan FT Flame 2007 raw pu-erh and an ounce of their 2008 silver needle cake. :)
ooh, I’ve been wanting to try the Xiaguan flame myself…
I can’t wait for you both to try the newest cakes that are going to start arriving next week! The old tree tea mao cha is coming as a sample in your shipment, Kyle. It is one I have to get to Amy, too!!
By the way, you are both invited for tea in our Chinese tea room tomorrow at 1:00 CST. Can’t wait to serve you both tea :) We can work on several of the mao cha’s I returned from China with and decide which ones we should have pressed in to sheng pu’er :) ’Twould be fun!
Haha, sounds great. If I’m ever up in Minnesota I’ll be sure to checl out your shop. And I do plan on visiting Minnesota someday, some of my favorite tea companies and some of my favorite musicians are from your neck of the woods. :)
What musicians you diggin’ over this way?
The only Minnesota music scene that I really know a lot about is the underground hip-hop scene. I like many different kinds of music but independent and underground hip-hop is what’s always touched me most, and my favorite rappers are from Minnesota (Eyedea & Abilities, Atmosphere, P.O.S., basically the whole Rhymesayers group).
Oh yeah, can’t forget Kristoff Krane!
It would be fun!
My niece is working with POS on some things these days. I’ll be heading to her bands CD release party next Sunday. It is going to be rockin. They are called Bomba de Luz and big things are happening for them. Her and her band are all 17 years old and POS heard her and asked her to be in the studio for some recording. Pretty cool!
She sent me a vid of the two of them rappin and rhymin. Nice!
That’s really cool. I’ll have to check her band out.
Is your niece the singer? If so, she has a GREAT voice. And I’m really liking the instrumentals. I could most definitely see them having success.
yep! Lydia writes the songs and sings! Just wait til you hear their new release after next week. The stuff you are hearing now is all from their EP which was out over 1.5 yrs ago. Their stuff has gotten even better. I’m a musician of over 30 years and I gotta say, I love what they are doing. Not just because I’m her uncle! To bed with me. Lots of great tea to drink tomorrow and great to pack to ship to great people! Have a great night, my friend!!
This changing attitude towards any given leaf is why I’ve abandoned the numeric system on my tasting notes. (a) are we rating the quality of the tea or our personal taste? (b) if the latter, this constantly changes, especially with re-tasting, not to mention why would you care if I like it or not?
Having spent about 15 years trying to “make it” in the music business, unfortunately, having great talents, great tracks, and great recordings seems to have less and less with generating success these days. Especially if you’re trying to come out of a scene in a small city that isn’t currently the focus of a marketing campaign. Best of luck to the kids with their efforts.
Everything about this tea is delicate; wonderful subtle flavors melded together in perfect harmony. The liquor is a very pale green and just the sight of it is calming. This stuff is very nutty, maybe a little more nutty than Teavivre’s “Premium grade” dragon well. It’s very silky and light and right after the liquid leaves your tongue as you swallow, you get a tingly, sparkling sweetness. Nutty, a little vegetal, sweet, calming and refreshing. A good dragonwell really centers you, and this one is exquisite.
Preparation
Now on my third infusion of this late at night, just how I like it. Taking in its smooth, rich earthiness. I love it.
I doubt anyone’s up right now (at least in this time zone) but I’m just so excited about this that I had to share…
This is what I plan on getting as my first gaiwan
http://www.yishanteashop.com/Steeping_Tea/
I think it’s BEAUTIFUL, what do you guys think?
Very pretty gaiwan! It looks so delicate
Beautiful!
It is pretty… but it’s really pricy for such a basic gaiwan.
It is very nice looking. I’d say it’s a little on the spendy side too, but a quick look around the interwebs and I’m not finding that exact gaiwan cheaper from anywhere else.
Lovely!
I love it! If I hadn’t found one with pandas on it, I would love one like that.
I love gaiwans and quite a few, but they come in many various sizes and just be mindful of the size you order as it may be far smaller and more fragile than you think. I am very smitten with the travel gaiwan set that In Pursuit of Tea was selling (no longer available), but you can find a similar one at Art of Tea (it includes a Taiwanese gaiwan, tea ocean, 5 cups, and carrying case with an inner pouch – pretty great for company and travel).
Free sample provided by Teavivre, thanks again to them. This is my first Keemun, hooray! I always love when I get to try something completely new to me. As far as aroma goes, I noticed similarities to my previous experiences with Chinese black teas, such as a malty aroma with hints of cocoa and a slight bit of honey. While the leaf was steeping, the cocoa aroma intensified and a small amount of smoke presented itself. Every tea has a tone or a feeling to it, and the tone that this tea was presenting was dark and haunting.
The taste followed suit with the aromas. Dark chocolate, lots of malt and a little smokiness. This tea has some real heft to it. It’s not bitter, but it’s intense. It’s not astringent, but it’s robust. It reminds me of some really high quality coffee in its intensity, but it lacks the acidity of coffee. The smokiness is almost like an illusion to me, you can’t smell it or taste it on nearly the same level as a lapsang souchong, you just kind of feel like it’s there.
This tea would make a great wake up cup as well as an awesome late night tea.
Oh, jasmine. I’m not sure there’s a more intoxicating smell on this earth. It envelops you, comforts you and lets you know you’re in for a treat…it’s truly something special.
This one tastes very pure and natural. The jasmine does not smell or taste perfumey or over-the-top at all. As I sat and contemplated the imagery this tea was presenting to me, I noticed some of the same things that Bonnie identified. Pine forests and blue glacial water like in the Canadian wilderness. Then to a moonlit forest late at night, seeing the precious jasmine flower bloom before me. Wonderful. I absolutely love the imagery that tea can give me.
This is a very smooth and very sweet tea, probably the sweetest jasmine tea I’ve had. Absolutely marvelous, thank you for the sample Teavivre.
You’re way too young for a rocking chair, but after reading that, I want to come rest my weary, saggy bones in one wherever you are :)
I may be young, but I’m an old soul. :)
Yes you are Kwinter, my granddaughter is an oldsoul too. (she’s not writing reviews this week because she got a scholarship to an adult music camp in Pennsylvania and flew away on Wed.)
Bonnie, I am a musician, too. What does your granddaughter play? That’s wonderful that she got a scholarship for the music camp!
She’s a composer and conductor…aged 16 (if you see who follows me she’s oldsoul)
Whaa?! I had no idea she was your granddaughter! That’s cool. Congratulations to her.
Cool! She’ll smile knowing that you followed her not knowing! She writes jazz, orchestral,choral and band music and arranges but where she is this week is Liturgical Music for the Orthodox Church which is primarily Byzantine and all A cappella (this is the correct spelling). She has been working on a Cherubic Hymn and has written a few other pieces. Here’s an example of a Cherubic Hymn we sing (GREAT choir) http://youtu.be/GDCwdreKpXI