TeaEarleGreyHot Send Message

A lovely tisane from Tealyra. I sipped the brew straight and hot and unsweetened, and got no hint of the titular cream. Chamomile was also absent in aroma, flavor, and appearance. Zooming-in on the scoop-ful in the saucer photo I’ve uploaded, I see no evidence of the reputed chamomile. I don’t know the flavor of nettle, “blue mellow flowers” or corn flowers, so I can’t say that I noticed them, either. I do think I got a good hit of rose hip, along with hibiscus, as their bitterness was present & pleasant, contrasting with the sweetness of peach, apple, and orange peel. I suppose if one really wanted a creaminess, one could always add milk or cream. The peach appears mainly as an aroma, but I liked the way the other flavors enveloped my entire mouth, stimulating much salivation! In the last 1/3 cup, I dumped in a yellow packet of sweetener, and the brew opened up wonderfully into a thick, syrupy swill that I could drink all evening! It felt like I was drinking the heavy syrup from tinned fruit salad. Very nicely balanced to my senses, so I’ll rate it strongly at 88. With the rose hip, this is bound to have a good dose of vitamin C.

This night has been a dark, cold, damp one and I find myself unable to slumber here in the wee hours, so I looked for a soothing tisane. I’ve had this one sealed up in my tea cabinet for a few years (time flies!) so I pulled it out and got to brewing. And I find that mastressalita added a note on it much more recently. Well, she did a fabulous job of reporting, so there is little more for me to add. I used 1-1/2 heaping tsp of material in a steel infusion basket with 8 oz boiling spring water, and let it steep for 5 min, as recommended by Tealyra. I also found the hibiscus very subtle, and to give a nice gentle tartness to an otherwise sweet-tasting cuppa. Though it really wasn’t very sweet, only giving the impression of sweetness! I did not discern any piney aroma or flavor, mainly just berries – berries – berries! Yes, there were notes of blackcurrents, but there was no such ingredient: it must be the reputed flavor of the buchu leaf. I really did enjoy the tea while hot, and I found as it cooled that the berry notes in aroma and flavor intensified, as did the sensation of sweetness. I loved how the sweet aftertaste wrapped itself around my tongue for many lingering minutes. I am resisting the urge to spike some sugar into the brew, because it seems like cheating — and unnecessary! I’ll rate this as an 85 for the pleasure I got out of the cup. Gonna brew a second cup right now…….
EDIT: Second cup was also good, but I wonder if the ingredients were truly caffeine/stimulent-free, because sleep did not finally arrive ’til 5 AM.

I do believe this, now 19 yr old, sheng has substantially improved over the last 4 years that I’ve had it in my cupboard (at 65% RH), and now I find the aroma pleasing, the brewed liquor to be smooth, sweet, & round in the mouth, and the flavor to be discernibly tea-like with a note of celery, and something I would drink with regularity. No astringency, bitterness, fishiness, or sourness. Which is all good, since I somehow ended up with two full 357g cakes of it! My records show I paid $45 for the first (drinking now), $70 for the second (a month later), and now (Feb 2025) still for sale by YS at $85, assuming one can get it into the USA at all. This time I used 5g dry leaf and 8oz boiling alpine spring water for 15s, 15s, 30s, and 90s (after a 10s rinse). All using a steel infusion basket in a porcelain teacup. The resulting amber liquor was crystal clear and as fragrant as the dry leaf. I’m sure another infusion or three would tasty, too. Rating this as 80.

I bought Heritage Honey Oolong from Mountain Tea 8 years ago, sipped it once or twice, and have kept it stored in a sealed jelly jar since then. And it STILL tastes great! Today, I brewed 2.5g in 8oz boiling alpine spring water for 4 min (after a 10s rinse), which allowed the huge leaves to unfurl nicely in the steel infusion basket. The aroma is intoxicating and the flavor powerfully divine! Floral and so very sweet, with strong tropical fruity flavors on the top of my tongue. I can’t call out a single fruit, so let’s call it ambrosia salad! The long, long-lasting aftertaste lingered, keeping a smile on my metaphorical mug. A second long steeping (like 10 minutes because I got distracted) was equally enjoyable. If one were to better limit the infusions to a couple minutes each, I’m sure this would have gone for 4-5 great rounds, and possibly more if starting with cooler water. I don’t remember why this got pushed to the back of my cupboard — surely not for lack of merit! Checking the Mountain Tea website I am shocked to find it now on clearance at a sweet price meaning my full session would now cost a quarter for the leaf, and I spent more just for the spring water! Mountain Tea does not transparently track lot numbers or production years for it, but I see prior reviewers from a few yr ago also mentioning clearance events on this tea, so they must just be making room for the next shipment. Here’s an opportunity for you! I hope you like it as much as I do. I’m rating it as a 95 only because of my prejudice favoring black teas.

I bought this looseleaf product with uncertainty, which was ultimately rewarded, because I really liked it! I was eager to explore tea from Nepal because a coworker was from that Himalayan country. This is a spiced black tea, and the label lists “CTC, black pepper, cloves, green cardamom, cinnamon, ginger flavors”. Although it is unclear if this is a highlight of components, or a comprehensive ingredient list. Did they forget a comma after the word ginger? Or, is it really just ginger flavor?

I brewed as directed: 1 tsp in 8 oz 200°F water for3 minutes. The aroma of the brew matches that of the dry leaf: cinnamon, clove, cardamom, and black pepper. The golden-brown tea has discernible flavors exactly matching the ingredients. It was cardamom-forward, with cinnamon and clove warming the mouth, perked up by ginger and black pepper. Underneath it all was a generic black tea, possibly an assamica varietal from the neighboring Indian district of Assam. As the tea cooled, the clove became more pronounced, and the black pepper could be felt tingling the back roof of my mouth. There was a lingering aftertaste of cinnamon and clove. One thing I appreciated is that the cinnamon did not overwhelm the blend. The label also mentioned a single re-steeping of 3 min., which also produced a deep amber liquor with less intense flavor and aroma. In the second infusion, cinnamon sang from the driver’s seat with cardamom accompanying in the rear, and everything else providing a soothing chorus from the metaphorical trunk. I recommend this tea without hesitation, and rate it as an 85. Of the five teas I bought from Nepali Tea Traders, this was my favorite!

I guess I expected more. But this 25 year old sheng was smooth, woody, and quite quaffable. I brewed 2.5g in 8 oz boiling water for 30 s, and got 8 nice steepings that produced a deep golden liquor without any fishiness, sourness, astringency or bitterness. But it also didn’t have anything particularly appealing to me. For this price, I would get much more enjoyment from a number of other fine teas. Because of the blandness, I’ll only rate it at 65, and recommend it with indifference. Still for sale by YS.

I continue to sip along on this, now 33 year old, Sheng Pu-erh tea, which I bought ca. 2017. I broke apart the full cake 6-7 years ago, and kept it in its zipper bag for a few years, and with a 60% RH pack for the past 4 yr. Today brewed 5g in 10 oz boiling alpine spring water for 10s, after a 10s rinse with same. Noticed a faint assamic scent under the pungent wood and leaf pile aroma. Very smooth with no bitterness or astringency. Quite a nice experience! Again, many successive resteepings, all very similar. Raising my rating to 80.