teasenz

I have been wanting to try this one for a while. So I was pleased when Teasenz would send me this to try. It smells like running through a field of wild flowers that is near an orchard. (This here means, I get floral and citrus scents.) The flavour is mild, and refreshing.

The Aroma of the dry leafe is really sweet and honeylike, most pleasant.
The leafe appearance is beautiful golden yellow buds with very small visible hairs, very pretty to look at, they look a little different from most of the other yunnan golds I’ve had.

I steeped this one first as directed on the website 3-5 minutes at about 203degrees, I went for 5 minutes.
The taste is delicious with very nice yet slightly subtle flavors, sweet fruit notes and malt a little peppery on the end, very slight astringency on the aftertaste.
The taste is really good tho it is a little weak to me just not quite as bold as some yunnan golds and dian hongs that I’ve had.

The second steeping is a little better than the first the flavors are a little stronger but still sligthly “weak” I hate to call a tea weak like that maybe it’s just not bold enough for my personal preference, I think perhaps a rinse would have made the first steep even tastier so i’ll do that next time.
Overall this is a pretty good tea to me, the fact that it is a little weak to me means not much really because it is still very tasty and enjoyable, perhaps this would be perfect for some folks.

I think I’ll get some photos of the leafe and rewrite this as a blog post tonight, the leafe is really pretty to me I want to show it off :)

I’m not sure I like chamomile, so I had to try the Eastern version. This still has that “I fell into a meadow” scent. It has a sweet, mild flower flavour.

Now I feel very relaxed. But I might not have brewed it long enough.

This is the most interesting sounding tisane I’ve ever has. It certainly smells like dates, except slightly more baked (date bread maybe). I ate a couple. This is fruit, right? Pretty good too, tasted a little more like berries (of the goji variety).

Brewed- it does smell more like bread now. There is a sweet, fruity flavour.
I have a feeling this would be good iced… or as a snack.

Steep #1 // 15 min after boiling // 2-3 min
Steep #2 // just boiled // 3 min
I always love a ginseng oolong! The toy jewel rock tumbler tea. :D I can’t help but be reminded of that every time. Usually I can taste the licorice covering the oolong, but with this one, I can’t really find that flavor, even when I noticed that the coating has dissolved, even by the first cup. So if you like ginseng oolong, but not so much the licorice holding it together, this one might be mild enough for you. I could have used more of that flavor though. The oolong underneath is very nice too, though it doesn’t seem to fall into any of the oolong flavor categories… maybe the third steep might have. Boiling water on the second steep didn’t ruin it, even though the cup had the color of apple cider! I wanted to make sure I got all of that ginseng. It certainly seemed to give me super-brain powers all day!

Of all the complaints that I voice on this blog, I think my constant confusion about Midwestern weather’s unpredictability might be the one with the most recurrence. My most recent annoyance is the constant promise of storms, the classic Accuweather alert of severe storms bringing flooding rains, strong winds, lightning, hail and a tornado (only get one, folks. Use it well) for the last several and absolutely no payoff is frustrating. It is like making a favorite cup of tea and spilling it before you get to drink it. Today was a classic example of buildup with no payoff, a beautiful anvil drifted overhead with some really clear bulbous mammatus clouds…and I watched it just drift off to deliver its rainy present to somewhere else. The rest of the week is predicting storms, maybe one of those days I will get some happy rumbling.

But enough about weather, it is time for tea! Today is the last of the fancy Teasenz week and I might have saved my favorite for the end, you know me, I like to go out with a bang. Anji Bai Cha or Anji White Tea is an extremely delicate green tea from the bamboo covered region of Anji, China. You are probably wondering, if it is a green tea then why is it called a white tea, well it is not a reference to its processing (like white tea) but to the silvery white color of the leaves. This tea has been on my ‘must try’ list for quite a while, so let us dive right into the pile of leaves. The aroma is very delicate and very fresh, a mellow blend of fruit like sweetness and roasted chestnuts. Of course there is a vegetal presence, it is one of green beans and fresh vegetation, there is also a delicate hint of flowers at the finish. This tea smells wonderful, it has my favorite aspects of a delicate Chinese green tea, smelling like late spring and rain.

After a nice soak in my gaiwan the aroma of the leaves goes from delicate to rich. The chestnut and green bean notes are almost heady with their intensity, there is also a much stronger floral note (a cross between lilac and honeysuckle) with a finish of faint smoke. The liquid is a delightful blend of chestnut and green bean with a delicate touch of sweetness at the finish.

The first steep starts out with a delicate creamy mouthfeel, this is one of those teas that really fills the mouth up with each taste. And what a taste it is! Delicate vegetal notes of green beans and lima beans with a finish of sweet chestnuts. The taste is incredibly delicate and subtle but incredibly nuanced.

For the second steep, the aroma is very sweet and nutty with a distinctly gardenia aroma at the finish. The taste is sweet, very sweet, like sucking on a piece of sugar cane that fades to chestnuts. The finish is lima beans and green peas with leaves a lingering vegetal taste.

The third steep’s aroma is still delicately floral and chestnut sweet, I really like the aroma of this tea, it has a very natural and spring like feel to it. The taste for this steeping is mostly vegetal with delicate notes of lettuce, green beans, and green peas. For the finish there is a delicate sweetness that lingers long after the sipping ends.

For photos and blog: http://ramblingbutterflythoughts.blogspot.com/2014/05/teasenz-anji-bai-cha-tea-review.html

My day started kinda gloomy for me, I had a much dreaded dentist appointment in the afternoon and the thought of it was making me cranky. I was expecting to go back and find out I had more work to be done, that some new problem had arisen thanks to my wacky immune system, but no! I was given a clean bill of mouth health! Combine that with my ‘Sistah from anothah Mothah’ buying my leftover jewelry supplies meaning I could finally get the new travel gaiwan set I have been dreaming of for months means I actually had a surprisingly good day.

Today’s tea from Teasenz is of the floral variety, Snow Chrysanthemum Tea or Xue Ju Hua Cha. This is a fancy type of Chrysanthemum, not the usual fluffy white flowers I am used to, these are a beautiful blend of golden petals and amber ‘disks’ (which are actually a cluster of tiny flowers, an interesting quirk of composite flowers) that are quite small and delicate. Grown only on the Kunlun Mountains, this flower is lauded for its health benefits thanks to having 18 amino acids, pretty cool little flowers! The aroma is a strange yet not unpleasant blend of strawflowers, dill weed, cocoa, fresh flowers, caramel, and raw honey. It is really complex, I found myself sniffing the flowers for quite a while just trying to pick out all the notes and see how they blend together.

Steeping the tea changes the flower’s aroma to more herbaceous and dill like, with notes of strawflower. There are still delicate notes of sweetness, but they are mostly overshadowed by the other notes. The bright red liquid has captured all the sweetness! With a blend of caramel and cocoa, there are only hints of dill and strawflower.

I am drinking this tea hot, as I usually do, but I am astounded by how cooling the tea is. If I didn’t know that is an affect of chrysanthemum tea (in Traditional Chinese Medicine, chrysanthemum tea is recommended for people with too much heat) I would be thinking that the snow themed name was putting ideas into my head. This tea is surprisingly rich for a floral tea, there are flavor notes of dill and sage with a nice kick of strawflowers. This fades to sweet caramel and apricots that leaves a lingering sweetness. I gave this tea a second steep and had the same result, it is very enjoyable…and as someone who is usually not the biggest fan of chrysanthemum tea, I consider that a win. I did run into one little hiccup while drinking this tea, it had some very grainy sand-like sediment that was made for some unpleasant dregs. Teasenz website does not mention rinsing, but after doing a little research on the Snow Chrysanthemum I saw quite a few recommendations for rinsing, so that should take care of any sediment. Other than that, this tea gets my seal of approval!

For photos and blog: http://ramblingbutterflythoughts.blogspot.com/2014/05/teasenz-snow-chrysanthemum-flower-tea.html

Today I recieved an awesome gift from my awesome sweetheart, the gift of paper! Barnes and Noble has this great massive book (and I say book lightly) of origami paper in a load of fun patterns. This Origami Paper Mega Pack (as they are calling it) has more than 895 sheets of paper! Why they cannot just tell me the exact amount of paper is beyond me, but it doesn’t matter since I prefer smaller paper and will most likely be quartering and cutting up all those sheets. I think I will need another box for all the paper I will get out of it since my other three are quite full.

For today’s Teasenz tea, we are taking a break from springy greens and going with Mini Pu’erh Tea Bar, a nice candybar shaped block of ripe, 2012, pu erh. This is actually my first block of pu erh, and I had a blast breaking a nice chunk off for brewing. The aroma a great blend of sweetness, wet leather, peat, forest floor, and a touch of that slightly metallic market place aroma that I have come to love in ripe pu erh. This tea has a strong and quite bold presence, it does not demure! A very nice contrast to the green teas from earlier…almost a shock to the senses really, delicate, delicate, delicate…whoa, hello there!

Their website suggests brewing the tea in a yixing teapot, meaning this was the perfect oportunity to try out my new seasoned for ripe pu erh teapot! This lovely pot was a gift from my friend and fellow tea enthusiast. After the tea was rinsed and steeped, the aroma of the wet leaves is rich and earthy with strong notes of wet leather, loam, and wet pinewood. It has a wonderful summer forest floor after a rainstorm feel to it that makes a nature lover like me very happy. The liquid has a surprisingly smoky note, not a strong one, but the whisper of a distant forest fire. There are also notes of loam and pine wood.

The teapot is small by teapot standards, but I have gotten used to my tiny gaiwan and tiny servings, it just makes having a ton of steepings a lot easier, so I was only able to get three steeps before I started sloshing around like a very full Kool-aid man. The first impressions of the first steep, dense. Not in a ‘this is a tea that is not passing its physics class’ but more like ‘this forest is very dense and heavy’ kinda way. It fills up the mouth with the taste of loam, sweet wet pine wood, and a bit of the acrid peat. There is a tiny finish of smoke that ties the sipping off nicely, completing the forest aesthetic.

Steep number two and three had an identical aroma and taste. The aroma is very rich and earthy, it is loamy and dark with notes of wet leather and wet wood. The taste is very smooth, absolutely no bitterness whatsoever. There are strong notes of loam, pine wood, and wet leather with a stronger smokier finish. Unlike the first steep there is no sweetness in these two steeps, just smooth earthy tastes. Overall, I would say this is quite good! I am tempted to age my bar and come back for a visit once a year, let’s see how much it changes. This would be a great pu erh for someone who is wanting to give this type of tea a try since it lacks any of the unpleasant qualities that some ripe pu erhs can have.

For blog and photos: http://ramblingbutterflythoughts.blogspot.com/2014/05/teasenz-mini-puerh-tea-bar-tea-review.html

I am having one of those days where I just cannot get my brain to stay focused on one thing for more than five minutes. I have drifted from one thing to another just like a butterfly to thought flowers, yep, that is why my blog is named what it is. Let’s just blame this day of fluttering thoughts and short attention span on the weather, because it is nasty hot out today! Luckily it is nice and cool in the ‘Tea Lair’ but in the bedroom it is hot and I got very unfulfilling sleep last night. Thankfully tomorrow brings storms and cooler weather, I am very excited for the Spring weather to return.

Speaking off all things Spring like, today’s Teasenz tea is First Flush Longjing Tea, if this won’t transport me back to Spring in my mind then I don’t know what will. Plucked this Spring in the West Lake Mountain region of Zhejiang, China. The first thing about these leaves that struck me was the size, they are so adorably tiny for Longjing! Usually when dealing with Longjing the leaves are long and broad, but the first flush is delicate, like they just sprouted, not to mention some of the leaves have delicate balls of fuzz (or trichomes for the science types) stuck to them. The aroma is delightfully sweet and nutty, like a blend of roasted peanuts and chestnuts with a nice hint of green bean. There is a really amusing finish of toast and sesame seeds that makes my mouth water.

As I am sure you all know, I brewed these adorable leaves in my gaiwan, because any chance to use my gaiwan makes me happy. The aroma of the wet leaves is very sweet and nutty, this time there is more vegetal hints of spinach and green beans with that finish of toast still present. The liquid is still sweet and nutty, but now the sweetness has a mild fruity quality to it. This fades to a nice green bean finish to it.

Time for the sipping of the first steep, initial impressions? Yum! The mouthfeel is really smooth, almost creamy with the way it fills up my mouth. The taste is a really great blend of toast, sesame seeds, cherries, green beans, and spinach. I feel like there is a Spring themed carnival in my mouth, especially since the finish is very sweet, just like sugar cane juice.

Second steeping time! The aroma is much more nutty and vegetal, only a hint of the previous steep’s sweet aroma remains. The taste certainly takes its cues from the aroma, there are much stronger notes of spinach and green beans with a strong presence of toast and sesame seeds. The sweetness is mostly gone until the finish and aftertaste where it leaves a nice sugar cane memory.

For the third and final steep is mostly all gone, just a slight toasty aroma with a hint of green beans. The taste is faintly vegetal and gently fruity, it finishes its little show with a hint of toast and pepper. Ok, I have a confession, usually Longjing does not wow me, sure it is tasty, but usually I would reach for another green if I am in the mood. This Longjing did wow me, the tastes were so clear and good and the aroma was delightful. I am so happy that I finally found a Longjing that lets me see what all the fuss is about!

For blog and photo (and a link to a really neat article on tea fuzz): http://ramblingbutterflythoughts.blogspot.com/2014/05/teasenz-first-flush-longjing-tea-tea.html

Tragedy struck my house this morning. Last night I was lounging in bed with Ben watching classic Star Trek and folding a Skeletal Dodecahedron, after I finished I placed it on the bedside table expecting it to be safe. I woke up to an awful stabbing pain in my stomach and rolled over to find my Skeletal Dodecahedron, smashed under my stomach. Someone sabotaged my origami! That someone is none other than destroyer of nice things, Espeon. Luckily for her and me I was able to salvage it (yay for stiff paper!) and it looks perfectly fine, still not a good way to wake up.

Today’s tea in the Teasenz feature week is Ming Qian Huang Shan Mao Feng Tea, a delightfully delicate green tea from Huang Shan in Anhui Province. Ming Qian is in reference to the time of year the tea leaves were plucked, basically it is before the Qing Ming festival (which falls around April 5th) giving the tea a higher quality. This might be the most fresh tea I have ever had the pleasure of tasting, I can practically feel the mountain air and mist while drinking this tea. The aroma is sweet, a blend of delicate cherry and a delicate floral and fresh vegetation. Sniffing this tea reminds me of the aroma of spring rain and refreshing cool air, it is very evocative and delicate.

Brewing the leaves in my gaiwan, the wet leaves take on a more nutty quality, but there is still the aroma of spring rain and cherries. Again, the aroma is very delicate and mild. The liquid without its accompanying leaves is like spring rain and and faint nuttiness. I am struck by how delicate the aroma is, I keep saying it but it is astoundingly so. I really feel like I am sniffing a bowl of rain, capturing not just the smell of the rain itself but also the smell of the air after rain.

The first thing that strikes me after my first sip of the first steep is how refreshing it is, I feel revitalized! Again the comparison to spring rain shows up, there is the green taste of rained on vegetation with subtle notes of spinach and nuts. The finish is smooth and it ends on a sweet note of cherry.

On the second steeping the aroma of the tea has more of a cherry sweet aroma with faint hints of spinach, again the aroma is super delicate. The taste is incredibly delicate and refreshing, again with the spring rain! I am really fixated on comparing this tea to spring rain but really I cannot say enough how perfect the comparison is, it makes me want to go run around in the rain while I am sipping it. There are also hints of fresh spinach and very delicate nuttiness. The finish is similar to the first steep with a touch of sweetness and cherries.

I feel really bad because I have nothing much to say about the third steeping. For number three I noticed no difference in the aroma and only a slightly stronger nuttiness in the taste.

For the fourth steep I wanted to try something fun and exciting! Instead of pouring the tea out of the gaiwan I went for a pseudo ‘grandpa style’ and just drank the tea out of my gaiwan. Sipping around the leaves is fun, I think I only managed to drink one or two of them. The aroma was the same as the second and third steep. The taste was surprisingly smooth and had absolutely no bitterness, even to the last sip that I took what had to be 10 minutes later was smooth and vegetal. There was a strong sweetness and a delicate nuttiness, the tea still had the refreshing delicate quality of spring rain, but doing it like this gave it a bit more of a presence. I am not sure I could sip this tea everyday, it is so delicate that it needs to be reserved for special occasions. I am tempted to make this my rainy day tea, in honor of how it reminds me of my favorite weather.

For blog and photos: http://ramblingbutterflythoughts.blogspot.com/2014/05/teasenz-ming-qian-huang-shan-mao-feng.html

I am so excited, as soon as my varnish dries I will have a nice new tea tray! Well that is not entirely true, I still need to find a cake pan or something along those lines to place under it to catch drips, but the part that the tea gear rests on is all finished. Hopefully eight coats of waterproof varnish are enough, because I am a little sick of the varnish!

Today’s tea is from Teasenz, starting off a week of looking at their teas. Starting that week is Xing Yang Mao Jian, a green tea from Xing Yang in Henan Province, China. The Mao Jian part of the tea’s name translates to Green Tip, describing its appearance, and according to Wikipedia, this tea has a 2,300 year history, impressive! Another interesting tidbit of information about this tea is its reputation of being China’s toughest tea, since during the winter they withstand the cold while the other plants have withered. But as much as I am sure all of you love learning about tea, you are probably here to know what this tea is like from an olfactory and gustatory perspective! When I snipped open the little pouch this tea came in and gave it a good sniff, the first thing I noticed is how brothy, almost meaty the leaves smell, how intriguing! Once I poured the leaves I planned on steeping into my official sniffing dish, the leaves still retained their hint of broth, but it became more of a vegetable broth with strong notes of spinach, nuttiness, and fresh vegetation. There is a faint finish of sweetness like roasted chestnuts, the aroma of this tea certainly has a strong presence, I could sniff it for hours.

Into the gaiwan the little leaves go! After a quick steeping the aroma of the leaves is still strongly vegetal with spinach, bok choy, and a hint of kale, but there is a much stronger sweetness now. There is still a bit of the broth aroma but it is faint, allowing the other aromas to take the lead. The liquid is sweet, almost fruity, with a hint of spiciness that reminds me of spicebush. There is also a vegetal aroma that is more delicate and quite nice.

The first steeping’s taste starts out very vegetal, almost a bitter green taste of kale, spinach, and bok choy, but that very quickly fades to a fruity sweetness. The fruitiness reminds me of very delicate pear nectar with a hint of spicebush. The mouthfeel is great, it is one of those teas that tickles the mouth from the delicate hairs that are present on the leaf, one of my favorite things about drinking fuzzy teas.

For the second steep the aroma is a blend of savory broth and sweet fruit. I hestitate to call a tea that is Chinese Umami, but this tea’s aroma has one of the most clear Umami aromas I have ever run into, that alone has the power to enamor this tea to me. Tasting the tea I notice there is absolutely no bitterness as before, no kale, just refreshing bok choy vegetal and savory broth that fades to a delicate nutty sweetness at the end. Letting the tea cool causes the taste to become even more savory giving it almost mushroom (I am specifically thinking of shitake) quality to the vegetal broth taste.

The aroma of the third steep is still brothy, but now there are notes of citrus and pepper. The taste is refreshingly light, savory bok choy (I should specify that is is definitely the taste of steamed bok choy rather than fresh) and light vegetal lettuce, this fades to a delicate peppery taste and a tiny touch of smokiness. If you let this steep cool you will notice a delicate sweetness at the finish.

For the fourth and final steep the aroma is faintly sweet and vegetal with a tiny hint of fruit and a tiny hint of pepper. The taste starts off sweet with a hint of cherry and a nice note of lettuce which lingers until the peppery finish. This tea is unlike any green tea I have had before, I will go on a limb and say it is unlike any tea I have had before and I love it! I sometimes forget how unique Chinese green teas can be since (usually) if I want a green tea I go for a Japanese green, but this tea reminded me how delicate yet complex they can be. My favorite aspect of this tea is how refreshingly savory it was, it is the perfect taste for when you want a tea that has a presence but not a sweet one.

For blog and photos (including the new tea tray!): http://ramblingbutterflythoughts.blogspot.com/2014/05/teasenz-xin-yang-mao-jian-tea-tea-review.html

This is my first experience with the famous Bi Luo Chun, and this particular one from Teasenz really presents a quality I would expect from one of China’s 10 Famous Teas.

The delicate little buds are fragile and most brewing methods would have you dropping them onto water in a full tall glass. I brewed them lid-off in a gaiwan using a technique to fill the water where you pour it slowly along the outer rim in a circular motion so that it takes about 10 seconds to fill the gaiwan fully. The water hardly agitates the leaves and they mostly sit still as it slowly fills. This keeps from damaging these delicate leaves.

The scent is nutty and vegetal. The flavor is significantly rich, hearty, savory, nutty, vegetal, brothy, buttery… I could go on! It is quite complex and is difficult to describe. There are notes of asparagus, spinach, grass, and wood. I’m reminded of the scent of a forest on a hot day after rain. Scents of earth, growth and slight decay rise up from the forest floor under the heat of the sun. The cup emanates these same qualities.

The second steep brings about more richness and depth while featuring the same flavors. It continues to be very buttery and nutty with green vegetal flavors. This time I’m reminded of zucchini. The brew has also a nice sweetness to it if you let it cool before drinking.

The third steeping was so good I couldn’t drink it slowly enough to detect any flavors. Hah! Okay, I might have inhaled a tasting cup of it, but I had some more to try. The flavor is more sweet and mellow, but still with a hearty vegetal green taste. There is almost no astringency but a slight lingering feeling on the tongue that is a little bit dry and there is also a definite hui gan, a recurring cooling sensation accompanying the sweetness.

There’s a scent and flavor to this tea overall that I couldn’t describe properly for the longest time, I had to come back and edit this review. I’ve now come to realize it’s something of a green bean kind of taste/aroma. It’s definitely quite dominant in the later steepings.

By the fourth steeping the flavor is still quite full. There’s a subtle lingering floral taste, along with the other flavors that have already been present. The fifth steeping finally started to lose some flavor so I stopped there. That’s quite a bit of steepings for a green tea!

Here’s a bit of trivia for you, according to Wikipedia:
Its original name is Xia Sha Ren Xiang (simplified Chinese: 吓煞人香; traditional Chinese: 嚇煞人香; pinyin: xiàshàrénxiāng; “scary fragrance”). Legend tells of its discovery by a tea picker who ran out of space in her basket and put the tea between her breasts instead. The tea, warmed by her body heat, emitted a strong aroma that surprised the girl. Scary fragrance! Haha!

According to the Qing Dynasty chronicle Ye Shi Da Guan, the Kangxi Emperor visited Lake Tai in the 38th year of his rule. At that time, because of its rich aroma, local people called it “Scary Fragrance”. The Kangxi Emperor decided to give it a more elegant name – “Green Snail Spring”.

I have read that Bi Luo Chun is renowned for fruity and floral aromas, but I’m not really getting either of those from this tea.

This is my first Milk Oolong and I find it amazing, very nice taste even after six infusions. Very good rythm and endurance.

Backlog:

Mao Jian is one of my favorite Chinese green teas. I love the sweet, vegetative taste to it, I find it very uplifting and rejuvenating. It’s something that I can sip when I’m feeling kind of down and by the time I’m finished with the cup, I’m feeling good.

This is a sweet, light green tea with delightful toasted nutty notes. It’s crisp and vegetal. Light buttery note. A nice balance of sweet and savory.

Here’s my full-length review: http://sororiteasisters.com/2014/01/22/magical-mao-jian-green-tea-teasenz/

Backlog:

I wasn’t sure exactly what to categorize this as when I added the tea to the database … it’s not exactly an herb, is it? It’s not a camellia sinensis tea. So, I put “flowering” even though that’s not exactly right either. Oh well … if someone decides they don’t like it … they can change it.

I like this. I have had fewer than a handful of teas/tisanes that are solely chrysanthemum flowers like this, but, I like the soft, pollen-y, floral taste of a flower tea like this one.

It is sweet and almost honey-like. There are some “herbaceous” flavors to this. This tastes more like … say a chamomile tea than it does a rosebud tea. However, I’d much prefer to sip on a Chrysanthemum tea like this than a chamomile tea!

Here’s my full-length review: http://sororiteasisters.com/2013/12/08/white-chrysanthemum-tea-from-teasenz/

Backlog:

I’m not always a big fan of Ginseng. It can sometimes taste too earthy. Like … dirt and cardboard. I don’t know about you, but I’m not a big fan of this flavor combination.

But … this is not at all what I expected … it surprised me from the first sip. Sweet honey notes, toasty, nutty flavors. Light vegetative tone. Not overly herbaceous and while it is a little earthy, I wouldn’t say it’s dirt or cardboard like in any way.

Good. An enjoyable way to consume Ginseng!

Here’s my full-length review: http://sororiteasisters.com/2013/11/18/ginseng-vitality-oolong-tea-teasenz/

Backlog:

I recommend using just a little extra leaf with this Keemun. The first time I brewed it, I found the flavor to be just a little bit in the “wanting” department, but the second time I brewed it, I used a little extra leaf and it was much more satisfying.

Sweet, full-flavored, smoky, with notes of cocoa. This tea delivers just what I wanted: A really lovely Keemun.

Here’s my full-length article: http://sororiteasisters.com/2013/11/08/keemun-black-tea-teasenz/

Backlog:

A really lovely Jasmine Pearl. I love Jasmine teas, as some of you are probably well aware, and pearls are among my favorites.

These are really good pearls … a very delicate quality to them, not just the jasmine that is soft and sweet and exotic, but the green tea has a tender flavor to it as well. Very gentle and pleasant to sip.

After allowing the tea to come to a sipping temperature (still hot, just not piping hot) the flavors really come alive in the teacup. Still sweet and soft, yes, but, it’s also a very clear and distinct jasmine-y note with light, airy, vegetal tones in the background.

This is one of those teas that I like to sip after a meal, it’s so calming and soothing and relaxing.

Here’s my full-length review: http://sororiteasisters.com/2013/10/20/jasmine-dragon-pearls-teasenz/

Backlog:

I liked this. I enjoy how the tangerine peel imparts a hint of citrus into the tea without overwhelming it. I still get the deep, mellow flavor of the pu’erh with mild notes of citrus. A nice balance of bright, sunny orange-y notes with the earthiness of a pu-erh.

It’s a mellow tea with notes of caramel, sweet and smooth. Not a briny or fishy tasting tea. The tangerine is a lighter note than that of the tea, it’s just enough to add a touch of brightness to the cup.

Here’s my full-length review: http://sororiteasisters.com/2013/10/06/wild-orange-puer-tea-teasenz/

Backlog:

This was the first tea that I tried from Teasenz … since then I’ve tried a few, and I’ve been really impressed with what I’ve tried from them. This was an excellent silver needle.

The flavor is clean and crisp and vibrant. Delicate with light earthy notes and a sweet vegetative tone.

Here’s my full-length review: http://sororiteasisters.com/2013/09/19/silky-silver-needle-tea-from-teasenz/

I should warn you all in advance that tomorrow there might not be a new review since I will be…drumroll…at the Opera! Yes, it is what I have been waiting (not entirely patiently) for since it was announced at the end of last season, The Magic Flute! It might be my favorite opera, I waffle back and forth between The Magic Flute and Turandot. In other news I am almost finished with the advent calenders, so those will probably be going in the mail on Friday, woo! Today though is about tea that gives an extra zing of energy.

Ginseng Vitality Oolong Tea by Teasenz is a blend of the root Ginseng and a floral Oolong resembling Tie Guan Yin. Hailing from Taiwan and sometimes referred to as King’s Tea, it is thought to give the drinker a nice boost of energy and to help digestion, awesome. I found the aroma to be very green, like bamboo leaves and herbaceous like dill weed. There is also earthiness and the aroma of baked bread with a slight undertone of sweetness. The ginseng is an odd smelling herb, it gives a slight muskiness to the already herbaceous aroma.

Giving the leaves a steeping I notice that the ginseng did not all fall off the leaves, you all know what that means; multiple steeps! The aroma of the leaves still has the delicate green scent of bamboo leaves but now it also mixes in the aroma of lychees and very mild earthiness. The liquid is sweet like baking bread and fresh pears, there is also a slight hint of dill as I pull the cup away from my nose.

The taste is strange yet good, it is the strangeness of trying something completely new. I have had ginseng before but only in candy or in supplements, this is my first time tasting it in a tea. At first the taste is slightly floral like cherry blossoms followed by the vegetal taste of asparagus. There is a hint of fruity tartness, like a mix of tart cherries and lychees. As the tea cools it takes on the typical chestnut flavor I associate with Oolongs.

The second steep has the leaves unfolded and the ginseng more spread out in the teacup. The aroma is much sweeter and more like honey with that tiny hint of dill from earlier. The taste is sweet but with an herbaceous bitterness as an aftertaste, like a root herb, it is not unpleasant just astringent. In fact I would go as far as to say it is barely there at all. As the tea cools it gets more of a lychee taste. It is an odd tea, but it is an oddness I like, mixing the tastes of an oolong with the tastes of ginseng makes for a powerfully tasty combination.

For blog and photos: http://ramblingbutterflythoughts.blogspot.com/2013/11/teasenz-ginseng-vitality-oolong-tea-tea.html

There is an awesome tradition that my sweetheart started, taking me out for a special meal before any medical procedure. A nice reward for something I really dislike, and since I go for some more dental work on Thursday I requested sushi. No, dental work and sushi are completely unrelated but it was what I was in the mood for! Usually at my favorite restaurant (Kokoro Maki House for anyone curious) I get the Salmon and Vege Tempura rolls but tonight I decided for Vege Tempura and their very yummy Tofu Teriyaki, also some tea. My blogs always lead up to tea, don’t they? The tea arrived a nice shade of golden-green and completely unlabeled, I took a sip and then asked the server “Is the tea Bancha?” he replied that it was and it made me happy. I am getting better at this tea tasting thing!

And now apropos of nothing I am going to review a Chinese tea, debatable my favorite tea from China, in fact. Anxi Tie Guan Yin by Teasenz is a lovely tea from Anxi, Fujian and is probably my favorite Oolong (I am pretty sure everyone who reads my blog knows that Tie Guan Yin is my favorite). Neat fact for anyone who doesn’t know: Oolong or Wulong translates to Black Dragon, so yeah Tie Guan Yin Oolong translates to Iron Goddess of Mercy Black Dragon, this tea is totally metal. Terrible puns aside, the aroma of this tea is heavenly, richly floral and very heady. I would go so far as to say the orchid and gardenia floral aroma is so intense that it is intoxicating, I might need to lay down. It is very sweet, like honey and flower nectar which is fitting with the intensity of the floral. This might actually have the best aroma for a Tie Guan Yin that I have had the pleasure of inhaling.

I almost feel guilty putting these beautiful and wonderful smelling leaves in a water bath, what if it loses it aroma? That would be a crime! Hooray, I did not commit a crime, the aroma is still wonderful and takes on some interesting side notes. It is still honey sweet and intensely floral, but now there are buttery notes of chestnut and a touch of leafy green. This might sound a touch strange but the aroma has a creamy texture, a nose feel if you will. The liquid is very rich, it is even butterier than the steeped leaves and it has a hint of chestnut and after notes of honey.

Reading my notes on this tea in my notebook I am amused that the tasting part starts to list to an angle and becomes, well, sloppy, I think this is a mark of a good tea tasting! The taste is very buttery and smooth, I feel like my mouth is coated with happiness. The orchid is very intense and incredibly heady, it is disorienting with how intense the floral taste is. Imagine being in an orchid themed conservatory and breathing through your mouth, with each breath you can taste the orchids with the same intensity as the aroma. Towards the end of the taste there is a hint of herbaceous green similar to sage and an aftertaste of mineral water.

As to be expected I wanted another go with these leaves. The aroma of the liquid manages to be even more intense, the chestnut and heady orchids shine through and they are followed with little sparks of honey and gardenia. The taste of the tea is initially very sweet and strongly floral. Everything about the second steep is sweetness, the foretaste and the aftertaste, and a tiny hint of mineral. The mouth feel is still buttery until it reaches the back of the mouth where it takes on a bit of sharpness. I am not sure how but the tea gets even sweeter as it cools. There are different kinds of Tie Guan Yin, roasted and green, Anxi and Muzha, and one for all the seasons, it is a very versatile Oolong and each one I have tasted has a distinctive quality that links them together. This is possibly the best Anxi Tie Guan Yin I have had the pleasure of drinking and I do not give that statement lightly.

For blog and Photos: http://ramblingbutterflythoughts.blogspot.com/2013/10/teasenz-anxi-tie-guan-yin-tea-review.html

West Lake Dragonwell Longjing from Teasenz to be exact. Dragonwell (or Lung Ching, Longjing) is a pan-fired green tea from Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province in China has the honor of being one of the Ten Great Chinese Teas. There are several legends about this illustrious tea floating around, but my favorite involves a dragon that lived in the well that was named after it, this dragon was in charge of the local weather and so the locals prayed for rain at this well. If you want even more info on this legendary tea, Teasenz website has lots of it, including how to say it in other languages (which I find just awesome!!). Now that I have gotten the dragons out of the way it is time to talk about the aroma of these beautiful leaves. I have a confession, the flattened leaves of Longjing have long since been one of my favorites, they are just so pretty. The aroma of the leaves is very rich and vegetal, like asparagus or even green bean casserole. There is also a hint of chestnut, an even smaller hint of pepper, and sweetness as an afterthought. This tea smells delicious and is making me more than a little hungry.

Today I decided to brew my tea in my glass tea pot so I could really watch the leaves steep. The aroma is still very green and fresh with a delightful peppery undertone. I am really loving the pepper mixed with the vegetal aroma, it is wonderful and makes me wish I could capture smells along with pictures. The aroma of the liquid has more or a chestnut sweetness than the leaves and it is also very pleasant.

After pouring my tea and having a sip I can certainly say that it was well worth the wait for steeping. The taste is very smooth and mild, I am amazed how clean it tastes very evocative of fresh rain water. This tea has absolutely no bitterness, just vegetal and green with a mix of chestnut. The aftertaste is slightly nutty and sweet, time for a second steep?

The second steep is much milder and tastes even more milder. The notes of chestnut, asparagus, and sweetness is still there but much fainter. I have to admit this steep just feels cleansing, like it is washing out all the funk from my recent illnesses. The vegetal aftertaste ends the tea on a spring time note. I recommend this tea for a warm day when you just want to relax with a cup of tea and watch the clouds roll by.

Blog post and photos here: http://ramblingbutterflythoughts.blogspot.com/2013/10/teasenz-west-lake-dragonwell-longjing.html