The Steeping Room

I opened the packet and took a sniff and I immediately thought this is a familiar smell, but not of anything in the ingredients list. I seriously suspected citrusy and floral, but that was not it.

Let it steep for a while, not sure how long because I got distracted, but once I poured it into my cup and took another sniff that familiar scent just stood up and screamed at me. And then I could identify it, the smell of air popped popcorn. Completely unexpected.

The first sip and wow, that was harsh. My sense of bitter is a bit off, but I get the impression that the lemon and orange zest I was expecting is in fact the entire peel including the pith. In fact the ingredient list says peels, not zest. I agree with the description, I suspect this could use a touch of sweetener to help it along. Sadly, I don’t like putting sweeteners into my drinks.

I let it cool a bit (more distractions) and when I came back, that air popped popcorn scent has died down. The flavor isn’t quite as punch in the mouth as it had been really hot, but that orange and lemon pith is still there and its impossible to ignore it.

Some more sipping and I can get a sense of the sweet/sour from the rosehips. That’s actually quite enjoyable. But man, what I am assuming is the pith from the citrus peels is just too much for my tastes. Really a pity since otherwise I’m really enjoying the rest of the flavors.

I am wondering if that bitterness would be mitigated if I tried a cold brew.

Well they said that its a hint of cinnamon. I go more with barely perceptible. Maybe not even that.
The base is also not my kind of thing. Its more towards a breakfast type vibe, though not as harsh/brisk.
I may finish up this sample with a cold brew. Might work well.

6g of leaves in a 100ml gaiwan.
5 second rinse followed by a 5 minute rest
Stepping time started at 10 seconds and added 5 to 10 seconds per steep depending on previous cups strength.

This puerh is very different than any sheng I’ve had before and is delicious. Wet leaves smells like tart peach skins and dry grass clippings. First steepings are definitely floral and fruity on top of the typical sheng flavors. Orchid, plum, peach, hay and wood. It’s nuts.
Decent body and strength. Little astrengency or bitterness though I haven’t tried pushing it harder. The oolong like fruityness and florals begin to fade at around the 4th steep but remain noticeable throughout. Typically lasts for 6 to 8 steeps for me before needing 2 minutes, then I toss it.
This is almost an sheng puerh/ oolong crossover situation in the flavor and smell. It’s like a fresh sheng had a baby with a dan cong. Sometimes I can’t decide if I want an oolong or a sheng puerh. Now I don’t have to.
I treated it an 85 only because it’s an outlier to the typical sheng profile, but for my personal tastes, it’s easily in the mid 90s.

I’ve had this a couple more times. One thing that really stood out to me, once I had time to pay attention, was the sweetness. Its not in the sip, but after I swallowed, a sweet flavor stated to build like up from my throat to my mouth. Fascinating sensation, a returning sweetness.

It also resteeps well. Got something like 6-8 resteeps out of these leaves yesterday and it was till going well.

I’m really pleased I’ve been enjoying this as much as I have. I need to up my rating.

Yes, I am well aware that this is the lowest grade of white tea. But I wanted to try it plain as I’d only ever had it flavored. And hey, I really don’t care about grades. I like what I like, I don’t like what I don’t like. And I’ve had a few flavored whites that I believe use this as a base and it made me curious.

This is probably one of the least offensive teas I’ve ever tried. Very smooth, mouth feel is a little viscous (might be more pronounced if I steeped longer or used more leaf). No harshness, no bitterness, no astringency, no vegetal notes.

On the down side, there’s not a whole lot going for it either.

While there is a flavor to it, I am having difficulty really describing the flavors I do perceive. I’m not getting anything floral or earthy. Not really getting any sweetness either.

In fact, there are no flavors that really stand out, no real character other than the mouth feel. I can completely understand why this would be a choice for a flavored white tea. Its not going to compete with anything you mix it with. The thicker mouth feel can even add a little bonus.

Second steep is pretty much the same as the first.

Verdict: I like it, though I don’t know if its enough to seek this out again. However, its so cheap, you never know.
Might even try it out to see how it works as a cold brew or iced. I can imagine it being refreshing. My brain keeps wanting to add sliced strawberry to the glass.

Sip down of sample.

It feels harsher to me today than my previous note implied, enough so I am reconsidering the rating I gave.

Glad I’ve sipped it down, but really wishing I had chosen something else this morning.

Free sample I got in a recent order.

This is probably the best Darjeeling I’ve ever tried. Its much less harsh, astringent, and bitter. But at the same time, there’s just nothing special about it either. Its just an ok black tea as far as my tastes are concerned. I’ll finish the sample I got, but that’s about it.

I’ve wanted to like Darjeelings so much, but they just don’t seem to be my thing. I’ve really got to stop trying to convince myself that I like, or will like, things I don’t. Its one thing to retry things once in a while to see how your tastes might have changed. Its a completely other thing to try to force yourself to like something you don’t.

I tried this last week, but work happened. I drastically oversteeped the first cup (around 10m) and was too busy to think about any additional steeps I did. On the plus side, over steeping didn’t make it harsh in anyway, just a lot stronger than I tend to like.

I am really enjoying this. Reminds me a lot of Golden Snail. In fact, it might just be the same thing.

Warm, mellow, a wee bit drying in the mouth, but not by much and it doesn’t detract from the flavor. The best I can describe the flavor is maybe bready, maybe biscuity?

Cold brew sip down.

I think this was a mistake. The roasted flavor is dominant and this is not the kind of flavor I like in a cold drink at all. I though at first there was an almost raisiny like aftertaste, but that was only brief and hasn’t showed up again.

Now its just all roast.

Trying again.

Today I am detecting what I think is a roasted scent and flavor. Not too heavy, but its certainly present. I think there is something else though that I’m am just struggling to name.

Astringency comes in hot and heavy as the tea cools.

Additional steeps have lighter roasted flavors, but its still there.

I swear I am having trouble coming up with words lately.

Another I can’t describe well. Its ok, but nothing about it is standing out to me. There is maybe a very slight sweetish kind of aftertaste.

I’ll finish, but very unlikely to buy again.

Cold brew sip down

Its drinkable but just not my thing. Glad to sip this down however.

Overall I’m unimpressed. As is usual for me, I just don’t get the flavor notes supplied. if I really push things, and I mean seriously push, I might be able to say there might be kind of a flavor that is slightly reminiscent of fruit. But I would never put those together if it wasn’t for the description.

Tend to get drying/astringent as it cools. By the 3rd steep this becomes a bit more pronounced.

Dry leaf doesn’t have much of a smell. Wet leaf smells like, well like wet tea leaves.

Curious what this might be like as cold brew. I might try doing that when its time to make another pitcher.

Had this again yesterday but was too busy to make any real notes

That flavor element I was detecting on the first few steeps, I had more time to think about it and best I can describe it is wet cardboard. Sounds worse than it was, but it is a little off putting.

There are elements of this I’ve really enjoyed, such as that viscous almost syrupy mouth feel and light but very noticeable sweetness that just keeps going. I also enjoy how delicate is it. Sometimes you just get tired of big flavors.

However there are some elements, like that wet cardboard, which are not my favorite.

Overall I think this is something I will like once in a while, but not something I’m going to bother always keeping in stock.

A rule of thumb for me. Every time I try a new vendor, I have to try a bunch of samples from them of stuff that looks interesting that I have never tried. And this is one of them. I mean seriously, how could I turn down trying something called Fairy Tea. I think of me as a kid sitting under a tree in the park reading The Two Towers. I would have killed to have been able to drink something called Fairy Tea. :)

I struggled a little trying to figure out how much leaf/bud to use. It does not really expand with steeping and I kept thinking of it like a rolled oolong. So the first steep may have been a little too light. For the second, I added more leaf.

And here I am again struggling to describe the flavor I am getting. I’m missing vocabulary.

On the first steep there was a flavor element there that I just could not describe. Not unpleasant, but just at the edge of reminding me of something that I can’t place.

One thing that stood out is just how sweet this is. I wouldn’t call it fruity or honey like, but I can understand the comparison. Maybe I’d call it more nectar like? Would be fitting for the name. :)

First steep the flavor was a little light, but I suspect some of that was from me using a little too little. Added more for the second steep and it made a big difference.

The mouth feel was lovely and viscous. This did wane a bit the more steeps I did, but it was still going by the 3rd steep. After that it dropped, but was still there by the fifth along with the sweetness which was still going pretty strong.

Overall, I am pleasantly surprised. I just wish this hadn’t been such a hectic day so I could have spent more time enjoying it. Will be buying more, but will likely try to wait until there is a sale.

My reorder came in and I went to put into a tin, but didn’t quite have room for it all. Enough for a pot and a couple more pearls, so I just tossed it all in.

I am detecting a slight roasted flavor in this. Unsure if its what I wasn’t able to name before and more leaf has made it stand out a little more, or if the connection just finally clicked in my brain.

Roasted isn’t a flavor I’m typically drawn to, but this is very mild and enhances the flavor of the tea instead of dominating it. I’m going to redact my previous comment about possibly malty. I believe I was mistaking this roasted for that in my stumbling to find that connection.

My first experience of this was from DavidsTea as a limited item. At the time I marked it as enjoyable but likely would not repurchase, especially since it was so expensive. I lied. :)

As time went on, I kept thinking about it. Enough so I went to hunt down where else I might find it. Thus the Steeping Room.

Its been long enough that I can’t directly compare the two in my head. However, my feelings are very similar. I am enjoying this though not in a daily drinker kind of way.

I keep expecting vegetal or floral notes but I am detecting neither, at least not with my usual steeping parameters. I’m having a hard time coming up with the words to describe the flavor, but it is rich, warm, and maybe malty (I don’t have a great grasp on what malty is yet), though not like any of my black teas.

Five pearls for my little 8oz pot seems to be working well. Resteeps like crazy.

Sip down of this sample.

I really noticed that burnt sugar like scent in the steeping leaves and in the brew itself. Flavor kind of has it as a vibe, though leans more towards that sliced bread.

I’m almost sad its gone. I’m glad I had enough to really give it a chance to stand on its own instead of trying to compare to others.

Adding to the possible rebuy list.

Yeah, its bread. That’s exactly what this tea reminds me of.
It can actually be quite enjoyable once I stop mentally trying to make it be like PTA.

The flavor is intriguing though I don’t know if it is enough for me to buy more. At least for now. Maybe it will be a consideration for the future.

So I have to admit, I can’t help but compare this to Premium Taiwanese Assam from Whispering Pines. They have too much similarity. However, this just doesn’t really measure up. Don’t get me wrong, its not bad at all, but it is lacking is comparison.

Dry leaf smell really reminds me of buttered bread. The scent of the wet leaf almost gives me the impression of burnt sugar. That’s not a great description, but its the best I can come up with right now. Its like its something I know, but I just can’t make the correct connection.

As for flavor its not bad. There’s a little dryness or astringency, but is slight and really only noticeable as it cools. There’s a little sweetness, mostly in the back of the sip and aftertaste.

I’m really struggling to describe the flavor. Its like I can feel there is something it reminds me of but I am struggling to make that connection.

Will have to try again soon and see if it comes to me another day. Maybe I am just trying too hard today.

Resteeps pretty well. By the fifth steep however, the dryness stands out a lot more than it did the first three.

Summertime. A charcoal grill smoldering on a freshly mown lawn. Weed-whacking big, hearty, thick-stemmed weeds. Ripe peaches, dandelion, cold bacon, tomato vine in the hot sun. White nectarine, fire pit ashes. A long lingering tang of plum skins, sun baked grass, and vanilla. Tomato water, flowering pear tree, and yellow cherries. Becomes more like a white tea with each steep. A hot summer afternoon. A beautiful memory.

This will be a divisive one. If you’ve ever loved cigarettes in your life, I recommend it.

Camel cigarettes and ripe peaches, and charcoal grilling in the shade of a swaying cedar tree. If that sounds like a nice sensory experience to you, I think you’ll enjoy this feisty sheng puer.

It is musty and herbal from the start. The cake has the fragrance of a freshly unwrapped pack of Camels, with mint, prune, fig, and cedar. The wet leaf is brash and smoky, with charred cedar plank, golden raisins, sun dried tomato, carrots, and wild woody herbs.

The taste is of apricots, peaches, and smoldering charcoal. Big green banana leaves blackening over a fire, and smoking cigarettes in a copse of tall cedar trees. There is also some creme brulee, singed sugar and heavy cream.

There is a long, strong, lingering aftertaste of peaches and charcoal, and the texture is extremely full and airy, like whipped silk that coats the tongue. This tea also packs a wallop of Cha Qi, for the adventurous.

Eating sliced green and red bell peppers on buttery Ritz crackers. Someone in the room is wearing Rock ’n Rose perfume and slicing an unripe green pineapple. Lovely guava aftertaste.

This winter-harvest tea from the hot climate of southern India has a strong, unique character that is vegetal to the max, peppered with spicy herbs, and then finishes with tropical fruit.

It starts with a dry leaf fragrance of apothecary shop (hundreds of wooden drawers full of herbs and spices) thyme, sage, mint, eucalyptus, red pepper flakes, buttery crackers, and green resinous wood reminiscent of Camellia Taliensis lateral buds (Bai Ya Bao).

The wet leaves are heady and spicy: red pepper flakes, mint, garrigue, dried flower bouquet, rose, and guava.

The taste is very vegetal and unique: bell peppers, pico de gallo, thyme, mint, mountain herbs, crackers, and lingering guava. Nice to experience a bold terroir with a strong identity.

Thanks to Derk for this generous sample. I think I’ve had one Yushan oolong before, but it wasn’t memorable. I have higher expectations for this one! I steeped the entire 6 g in 120 ml of 195F water for 25, 20, 25, 30, 30, 45, 60, 90, 120, and 240 seconds, plus some long, uncounted steeps.

The dry aroma is very floral—lily, lilac, honeysuckle, orchid—with some herbaceous undertones. The first steep has all these floral notes, along with spinach, cream, grass, and vanilla. Butter, herbs, and ethereal florals are more prominent in steep two, which has a nice, thick body. The next two steeps bring soft, creamy florals, coriander, and something that could be melon. Unlike Derk, I’m really not getting much fruit here. The next few steeps are more grassy and herbaceous, though I do get hints of melon and green apple. The florals, spinach and grass continue through the final steeps.

This tea is very soft, and many of the more interesting flavours fade quickly. I would have liked more fruit and vanilla, though the tea remained quite sweet throughout the session. This could be due to its age, or to the fact that the sample has been in a plastic baggie for a while. If all Yushan teas have a similar profile, I’d be happy to try more of them, though I’ll always prefer fruitier oolongs.