309 Tasting Notes
This is another with a nice strong scent. Not hugely strong, but enough to smell from a couple feet away. It’s woodsy and tan in smell. Up-close a grainy sweetness comes out, a darker of grass or maybe even asparagus, and some lighter smell I can’t place. It’s an inviting smell.
Sipped really hot this is a STRONG flavored tea. Asparagus is definitely there, so is a dark roasted quality that overwhelms the finish. I like it so far.
Cooled to a more drinkable temp, this is still a very robust tea. The dark roasted quality is still very there and is the main taste. The bitter and green asparagus is there underneath it and is pleasant. I think I even get the slightest bit of a floral note in the middle of a sip. The finish is all dark roasted in the upper back of the throat and lower back of the tongue.
I like this but doubt I’d buy. I certainly recommend it if you light strong and roasted teas.
Preparation
Steeped this for the proper time on package this time… last time I got doing on the ‘net and didn’t hear my timer. Oops.
The color this time is noticeably lighter, I mean much. The smell is strong and green with a hint of sweetness. Makes me think of summer green fields or a slightly bitter grass scent.
The taste is very green and bitter, with a floral note at the end. It’s a strong and full Oolong, maybe the most robust I’ve ever tasted.
I’m not sure I like it. It’s one that’s going to either be “ugh yuck” or “mmm, delicious” after a couple-three tries. I’m not sure which way it’ll go, but it definitely will be a strong opinion when I have one lol.
The more this cools and the more I drink it, the more I lean toward the “yuck” side. The green bitterness would be different and enjoyable if not for that floral twist to it. The flowery flavor lingers on the tongue and consumes the finish, leaving a feeling of perfume in one’s mouth.
Preparation
let me know if you want to swap. I have the whole box of the August Steepter up for grabs. :)
Oooo, I was eyeing your Jasmine Pearls as I love that one (bought 4oz of it from seller, but would love to stock up more!!). Will start following you so we can work out addresses!
Scent is nutty and warm.
Taste is standard seed/nut of Oolong, but only lightly. The main portion reminds me of wheat…the dry raspy stalks rather than the seeds.
There is also a strong dark note I can’t place that covers the tongue as it cools.
Over-all? I like this but doubt I’d buy. Maybe, we’ll see as i have some more. This surprises me as I didn’t much care for American Tea Room’s Dong Ding… I wonder what the difference is? My tongue or something about the teas? Who knows? I’ll revisit the ATR’s one to test my taste buds.
Preparation
You can smell this tea from about 2-3 feet away. The scent isn’t as dark and spicy as other Keemun Mao Fengs I’ve had in the past. There’s instead a mild or medium smokey smell, and a fruit quality that I can’t quite name.
The flavor is pleasing. Not as smokey/spicy as I’d hope and like, but otherwise really good. It is nicely smokey, though, with a very faint, almost-not-there sweetness or fruit tone -again that I can’t place.
Over-all, I’m glad I picked up a 4oz bag of this. I’d run out of my Keemun Mao Feng from The Steeping Room and needed more, this is a nice replacement.
Preparation
This has a strong sweet scent. Light honey maybe.
Drank very hot it has a strong green flavor with that sweetness tied in.
As it cools to medium sipping temperature the green comes out stronger but with no bitterness, the sweetness still holds and balances this tea. The vegetal flavor is in the main portion of the mouth while the sweetness coats the back of the throat and reminds one of brown sugar. It’s not strong, again it’s just enough to balance the flavor of the tea in total.
As it cools further, a deep earthiness comes out, putting one in mind of a pu-erh almost. Not nearly as strong, of course, but with that same slate-y river-mud tone to it that some pu-erhs have. The sweetness has continued and turned darker and richer. A green note can be noticed here and there, spiking hard in the upper mouth/nose; not in every sip, but there.
And the cooler it gets, the more it shifts into slight berry tones.
This is a complex and rich tasting white.
The longer I drink this, the more I like it as it goes through it’s changes. It may well be a buyer. So far, even among those I wouldn’t buy, I have been pleased with Imperial Tea Garden’s whites. I’m very glad my husband grabbed me a bunch of samples as a gift.
Preparation
This is a very pleasant tea. But I prefer their Dragon Pearl Jasmine. This tea is scented 3 days longer than the other and you can tell.
I had thought that maybe you wouldn’t be able to, but decided to buy some to try it out in case there was, indeed, a difference because of those 3 days.
There is. The jasmine is quite more prevalent… with the other tea it is a whisper, with this one it’s a clear voice.
Beautiful for those that like more jasmine flavor to their jasmine scented teas. It’s lovely tasting and of good quality, IMO, but I’m one who likes their jasmine softer. I’ll stick to their non-supreme version and gift or trade this one to someone who can enjoy it more.
