125 Tasting Notes
This is my second time drinking Sencha Ashikubo by DAVIDsTEA and for the second time I’m blown away how good this tea is. The moment I open the package it smells delicious and vegetal. The tea leaves appear silky… they are dark green with lots of shine to them, simply gorgeous!
I steep at 82C for 3 minutes and it’s perfect. The smell is strong and vegetal with a hint of butter just like I like it. The taste is smooth with a welcome slight astringency at the back of my tongue.
I love this tea… love, love, love it! David, you are welcome to send me more samples! ;D Despite the price tag I’m thinking of splurging and ordering 50g.. it’s well worth it. :)
Preparation
Thank you David for the sample of this tea in my latest order. It was yummy. Dry leaves smelled sweet and dessert like… Vanilla and white chocolate…
I steeped it according to instructions in boiling water for 5 minutes. Once steeped the tea was smooth, mild tasting with no astringency. Cocoa and anise was in the front seat now and remained there for the rest of the tasting.
Overall very pleasing tea. :)
I have more detailed review of this tea on my blog if you want to check it out. :)
http://paradiseinmyteacup.blogspot.ca/2013/02/ceylon-star-by-davidstea.html
Preparation
I just got this in the order this week and I’m drinking it for the first time right now. I’m logging it in but I don’t have time for a proper review. All I can say at this point that it’s a divine tea! I love it!
Sipping on this lovely tea this morning. I have to say that japanese sencha is really starting to take over my heart (I’m sorry dragonwell!). I find myself loving it more and more. The main difference for me between dragonwell and sencha is that sencha seems to have more full bodied flavor and that little something, something that I love… :)
My package from Verdant Tea finally arrived yesterday and I was able to taste my first pu’erh. My longer review with photographs is in my blog:
http://paradiseinmyteacup.blogspot.ca/2013/02/of-personal-notes-and-2004-willow-grove.html
I didn’t know what to expect… Knowing all I know about pu’erh and reading other peoples reactions to pu’erh I was prepared for all: the good, the bad and the ugly. It turns out I was only faced with good.
In the package the tea smelled very mildly and a bit sweet. The leaves were big, bunched up together and very dark.
I steeped it according to Verdant Tea website for Western Brewing: Rinsed the leaves at 208F, then steeped for 3 min at 205F. Resulting liquid was dark reddish brown and very clear. It smelled of woods and mushrooms and pine. As a matter of fact, I got an instantaneous flashback of the mushroom picking trips with my grandpa as a child. The taste was mild, full bodied with that woody, earthy flavor. There was even, ever so mild astringency building up on the back of the tongue towards the end of the sip, but which disappeared when the sip was over.
It was getting really late at night so I only re-steeped it once more. Once again at 205F for 3 minutes. I was shocked to find out that the tea was actually darker and stronger with this second steep. Still full bodied with a wonderful earthy flavor. Next time I will definitely start this a bit earlier in the day so I can steep until the flavor runs out.
All in all I really enjoyed this tea and I’m glad to be in the club of people that drink pu’erh! Now I have to try sheng and compare the two. :D
Edited to add: I almost forgot!! While I was sitting and enjoying the cup, all of a sudden I got a head rush. I’ve heard about pu’erh doing this to people but I totally forgot and it took me by surprise. It was mild, but I definitely felt like I was on something… lol
Preparation
It’s been oooooolong time since I had this tea… A week precisely. I’m regarding this tea as a treat and I thought I deserved a treat today. To my horror, I’ve come to the bottom of the bag already and I have maybe enough fresh tea for one more steep. Not good.. I happen to enjoy it a lot!
Every time I take a sip it amazes me how unique of a flavor this tea has from all other teas I’ve tried. I sit there with a cup in my hand, sniffing the sweet and earthy aroma over and over… then I take a sip and rinse and repeat.
I think I know what I’m ordering next week… And here I thought I might squeeze by without a weekly order… Think again!
Mmmm… Dragonwell… Yummy! I can’t get by the morning without a cup of lovely green tea and today it is Dragonwell. Lately I’ve also been drinking sencha and I can now see clear differences between the two but I still love them both. That’s the reason why I alternate… One day Sencha, one day Dragonwell. Taste wise Dragonwell is definitely on the lighter side, definitely more mild.
