Ken Send Message

This is a rather unusual tea, its a tea from Kenya. I got this at the world tea expo and Ive been really curious to try it.

I started this by brewing it in a glass teapot at 205, 2.5 grams in a 160 ml of water. I got a very clear dark liquor, bit darker than the Ceylon tea. Its also slightly sweeter and lacking the citrus flavor. Its more like dark wood or dark chocolate. There is also a hint of creamy flavor as well. The aroma wasnt quite as powerful though.

I actually like this.. there is a bit of astrigency and bitterness, but its not overpowering at all.

Recomended

Today we have up Loolocondera FBOP, I started by heating the glass pot and giving the leaves a quick shake in the pot to get the aroma. Chocolate, nuts, flowers, all rose up from the pot.

I brewed this a single time with 2.5 grams of leaf to 180 mg of water. I got a very clear dark orange red liquor, there is no dust of sediment. The flavors are chocolate, with nuts and a pleasant sourness, also a bit of spice maybe cinnamon and a bit of citrus. There is also a strong bitter and astringent note in this tea, not overpowering, but quite noticeable. From what I understand, the spice and citrus, with a strong astringent quality is pretty common in Ceylon teas, because of the terrior.

This tea would go well with a slice of lemon or be able to stand up to food, its not quite as soft of subtle as other teas, but in some ways that is good. Ive been playing with the brewing time and found 2.5 grams for 2 1/2 minutes at just under boiling gives the best balance of flavor in my opinion. I find Ceylon tea does a little better with western style brewing.

Recommended if you are looking for a nice Ceylon or a tea to have with your lunch.

Thanks to Fong Mong for the sample.

I started by brewing this in my yixing. Starting with a quick rinse I got a clear pale yellow liquor that had a strong aroma of nutmeg, apricots and peaches. I was actually a little surprised how intense the aroma was, much stronger than other Lishan’s, especially the spice. I know the yixing brings out the spice notes more intently.. but wow..

First infusion I got a slightly darker liqour with an even more intense spice aroma, nutmeg and cinnamon and maybe a teeny bit of allspice. Still getting that stonefruit aroma as well, and the flavor is floral, and stonefruits, which is what you would expect from high mountain Taiwan oolong.

Second infusion was much the same, though the apricot is coming out more strongly now including a very slightly tangy note. That spicey sweet soft flavor is just incredible… I really love the way yixing’s make high mountain oolongs really pop.

Third infusion and the color is staying consistent, a pale golden yellow color with that sweet spicy peach aroma. Its so smooth and just leaves the slightest tingle on your tongue. Its getting sweeter now and that tang is fading, but there is still a hint of it there. The tea is definitely getting sweeter as the infusions progress.

Fourth infusion and its getting harder to describe the flavor and aroma, I wish you all could taste this. Im just going to say, this is the best Lishan Ive had yet. IM going to brew this out at least 6 or so more times, its seems a very strong steeper.

Highly recommended for fans of high mountain tea.

Thanks for the sample to Fong Mong

Lets start off with 6 grams of tea in a 100ml yixing. A quick rinse to start things off and a milky spicy buttery aroma comes off the cap when I lift it. The liquor is clear, light and very pale yellow. Pouring that over the yixing, Im actually just starting to notice a very slight patina starting to form.

First infusion I got a very slightly darker pale yellow liquor as well as a quite a bit stronger aroma. The buttery flavor of this is a little stronger now too. This is also a floral sweetness and a little spice to it, subtle and soft. The tea also has a nice body to it as well. I wish I could describe this aroma better.

Second infusion was very similiar with just a bit more spice in the second infusion, and a slightly stronger floral aspect but I cant place where its from. Sweet and stonefruits is still prominent at this stage.

Third infusion slightly more stonefruit, more clearly peaches or apricots now. Slight sourness would be the wrong word for it, but its not bitter either, but its that slight taste you get with firm apricots. Sweetness, but the spice has slipped off a bit now as well.

Fourth infusion creamy and sweet, still apricots and floral scents I still cant quite place. This tea is holding up quite well over infusions and I will probably steep it out 6 or so more times.

Highly recommended if you like Taiwan Jade tea!

Okay today up from the Puerh box we have Little Walk. Ive been wanting to try this one for ages, but havent gotten around to placing another order with W2t. But now here it is. I started by giving this a quick rinse in a small gaiwan. The liquor was clear and very pale, and this is still a young tea.

First infusion I got a strong aroma of vegetal and grass, with some hay and floral elements as well. Sipping it I got a bit of bitter followed by honey, floral and bitter flavors that mellowed into a nice sweetness at the end.

Second infusion was very similar though the liquor color got a little darker, and a bit sweeter on the end as well. The bitterness seems to be going down a little now and Im getting a bit of a spinach flavor on it.

Third infusion I get hay..and honey.. wow, thats an interesting combination, it doesnt sound good, but it works really well. Its also getting a little tingle on the tongue as well. Very nice.

Im going to steep this out a bunch more times, Im really glad I got to try this tea.

Recommended.

And another one from the puerh plus box, this thing is keeping me mucho busy!

I brewed this up in my gaiwan and I actually skipped the rinse on this, the tea was so clean and light, i didnt feel it needed it. Also with all the herbs in this I didnt want to throw away their flavor.

First thing I notice is that I get a strong strawberry and citrus flavor. Im having a bit of trouble placing all the flavors here, but I do get a little bit of hay and Im guessing that is the base puerh leaves.

This is an interesting tea, another one I probably wouldnt have tried on my own if it hadnt been in the box, its really good light and refreshing, excellent for a summer tea. I wonder how this would be as an ice tea.

Recommended.

And another tea from the puerh plus box.

This one is an assam, and sometimes I do like these, they can have a deep rich sweet malty taste. This one doesnt quite make it, its got a bit of bitterness as well as that lipton flavor ive mentioned before. Im guessing because tea bags are mostly assam tea, but its the only flavor and aroma I can put to it.

Its not too bitter, but it feels like it might be overpowering some of the other subtler flavors of the tea. Because I cant get past the malt, tea and bitterness to find any other flavors other than a little chocolate.

Worth trying once, not sure I would drink it again.

Another tasting from the puerh plus box.

Ive recently developed a taste for Tieguanyin oolongs, so I decided to try this. Well there is a medium roast on this tea, and the tea leaf size is pretty small. Rinsing this tea with 205 water and brewing it in a 120 yixing.

First infusion I get a strong aroma of toast and cinnamon , a little bit of other spices too, maybe allspice or something. Its light and clear, honey color maybe, there might be a slight taste of honey in it as well.

Second infusion was very similar, the flavor is good and mellow and sweet. Though the flavor is mostly spice and toast. This is the first time Ive gotten to try something from davids tea, not bad at all.

Im going to steep this out a few more times. I figure its probably got 10 or so steepings in it.

Recommended.

Adorned in red by mandala tea.

Another sampling of the shou bag in the puerh plus box. I brewed up 5 grams of this in 80 ml of water. Quick rinse given and then brewed with about 208 water, just short of boiling. I find it works a little better than bringing it all the way up to boil for shou tea.

This tea is smooth, sweet and chocolaty with a hint of vanilla, its not nearly as strong as the one packed in the orange. Just a hint of it at the end, its also got a stronger chocolate flavor.

This is a perfect after dinner tea..

Recomended