Tienxi

This is a pretty good oolong. Nice sweet fruity flavors with some floral notes. Nicely rolled with big leaves, though there’s a bit of stem too. I like it, though it may be pricey for what it is, so I will be on the lookout for similar oolongs that are more affordable.

Quite long stems on these but overall a good tea. I’ve been enjoying this at work in the mornings and I’ve found it an excellent way for me to prepare for my day.

Flavors are mild but very pleasant. Great floral notes, lingering soft honey notes. Infuses many times, I’ve stopped counting at 10+.

I bought this tea from Uwajimaya in Seattle. Very interesting tea that transitions flavors from the beginning to end of brewing. The dry leaf has a typical sheng puerh aroma, with some earthy tones. I rinsed the leaves twice, and drank the 3rd through 6th infusions. The wet leaves have a lovely smokey peat-like aroma, which also comes across very well in the taste. The smokiness combined with the minerality of this tea is quite refreshing. Once the smokiness has passed, a light honey flavor coats the mouth, and gives a very pleasant aftertase. 5 minutes after my last cup, I still tasted the honey sweetness, and this flavor lingered for 15+ minutes.

A bit stronger marine flavor than I have had before. Jade green color, probably culinary quality. Still good and potent and makes a good matcha latte to taste. I appreciate the price and that it is not a sweetened blend.

First visual impression: lots of big stems in this, but I appreciate that the tea is vacuum-sealed inside the tin.

After rinsing, I steeped for 30 seconds. It smelled pleasantly floral and fruity, like maybe pear, and the liquor was the color of pear juice. It has a very silky, creamy mouthfeel with no astringency.

The second infusion, I steeped for 50 seconds. The tightly compressed leaves finally opened here. This time the infusion was dark golden yellow, and I started to get a new aroma from the cup. It sounds pretentious, but the first things that popped in my head were honeysuckle and white grapes. This deeper infusion started to show a little bit of astringency that lightly coated my teeth, and I got a hint of toasted nuts. The floral scent that is so present in the steam was subtle in the actual taste.

Overall a really pleasant surprise for such an affordable oolong.

This can be a BIG tea if you let it. Big, black, bitter roasted flavors. Put it in a ring against coffee, and it would make coffee its … pet. Next time will try gongfu style to get more out of it.

This is absolutely wonderful.
Smooth mild roast that ends in a honey sweetness with a slimy texture that I really enjoy.

This is one I would buy if they sold it.

I bought this tea cake at Uwajimaya, a massive Asian market in Seattle, in their tea aisle (not section, literally, a whole aisle). The cake is imported by a local company and comes in a sealed package and a rice paper wrapping. Opening it up, it smells delicious and hearty. In the cup, it’s even better. It’s earthy without being too overwhelming and isn’t astringent. Delightful as a light breakfast tea!