Vital Tea Leaf

First steep is not terribly strong, but it carries a characteristic smoothness, which verges on oily yet is not oily at the same time.

Backlogging from trying it at the shop. As compared to the Supreme Yunnan (12 year old), this one has a deeper, richer, darker flavor profile. Not necessarily better, as I like them both. The Supreme Yunnan seemed to keep its flavor and strength, consistently, through more infusions. The Royal had a lot of “oomf,” in the first few, which weakened, significantly, though not entirely, by the fifth steeping.

Tempted to buy a couple more and age them, just to see, if it will improve the flavor. Worth five years of time? Ehhhh…

Pretty mediocre, just as Herman at Vital Leaf said. It’s lacking in any real flavor, and it has a bite of a really young shou. Gimmicky is a good word, but I was warned, ahead of time, and I wanted to try it anyway.
The flavors are almost sheng-like, which is not impressive in a shou. The tangerine notes are subtle and not terrible, as an addition, at least.

This is an excellent introductory Puerh, with all of the earthiness, wood, and smoke that you’d expect but still quite smooth and easy to drink.

An easy Puerh to start with if you’re unfamiliar with Puerhs, especially if you typically like fruit-infused teas. The first steeping can be strong, but subsequent pots will get smoother and more subtle.

A great Pu-erh to introduce to people who are unfamiliar with the earthy taste of Pu-erh

One of my favorite teas, steep for only 10-15 seconds. The best steep is the second, in my opinion. A great tea to introduce to people that drink tea often, but also a bad one aswell.

Gets better with every steeping.

I got a fat lip in jiu jitsu last night that really PO’d me. Last time, my ankle got cranked too fast – all this sitting out with ice packs doesn’t give me more mat time.

This tea was given to me by my mother in law, who hopefully doesn’t see my lip. What, $30 for this tea?

DRY LEAF: very nice looking whole leaves.

STEEPED: Strong sweet green tea raisin smell, gold colour.

TASTE: Full bodied, a little sweet, like artichoke and bean. Not grassy, but theres a little dryness coming out.

Not bad but not amazing either. I enjoyed the full bodied veg flavor. Now to go back to icing my face.

Thanks to Amy Oh for this one!

Dry Leaf – Sweet and roasty
Wet Leaf – Tobacco, roasty, sweet

I like this Oolong. Thank you again Amy. I’ve had TONS of ‘Red Robe’, 95% of then have been pretty much ‘crap’. I feel this is a good Oolong, I can enjoy. Most Red Robes taste like they had too much low quality Mi Lan Xiang and decided to burn it and call it Red Robe. Very few people know what the real Red Robe tastes like and I’m not one of them, but if I’m going for a different tea I want to find differences, not just almost burnt tea. Sorry for the rant.

The tea is Roasty, smoky and tobacco-like that then turns sweet. The liquid is smooth and warming as it goes down and the after taste is tobacco-like with sweetness that is very pleasant and filling. I like this one after lunch or a dinner.

It is very pleasant and warming. :)

I first drank this today at my tea club. Firstly, I was blown away by how it was ACTUAL rose bud that you brewed. I wasn’t actually around for the brewing, but it had steeped quite awhile before I drank it, and I think that helped. The flavor was very light and delicate, so having it steep a long helped make it more prominent. It did taste like roses, obviously. I would like to own this tea, however I don’t know how often I would drink it. It’s more of a tea for an occasion than just a everyday tea. I think it would get bland after awhile. Still, I found it to be amazingly tasty!

I drink this tea nearly every day, and go through a 4oz canister every couple of months. Last time I stopped by Vital Leaf to get a refill they suggested a adding a pinch of rose tea for a new flavor. It adds a lovely floral note to the ginseng sweetness.

Delicious oolong, very nice mouthfeel. The flavor really develops in later steepings.

Finally finishing off the rest of this tea I got over a year ago, I really had a small amount and decided to make whole pot of tea, I probably should have used a mug, because this tea is kind of weak, oh well. I think I need to stay at home and drink a lot of tea today because it’s cold and I am feeling like I’m getting sick. We thought the foggy season was almost over here but the fog is baaaaack!

I’m having this tea again at the BF’s house. Makes me want to go to the Vital Tea Leaf again but I must resist as my tea budget has already been spent for this month!

Anyway we brewed this western style in a teapot, the color is a dark yellow and the flavor is very smooth, sweet like caramel and baked yams. See previous notes for more info. :)