China Cha Dao

I’ve had this little brick for a few weeks now but am just getting around to trying it. I do love the elegant box and paper wrappers that douji uses, and I ordered this brick from China Cha Dao on E-Bay with no problems whatsoever. I think it took 2 weeks to arrive from China which isn’t bad.

The first steep of this tea was for around 20 seconds. I got a light yellowish tea liquor and am happy, for a sheng this is fairly mild with a touch of sweetness. I am finding the flavor to be woodsy, slightly tangy and with a touch of bitterness in the finish.

Steep #2 was about the same and Steeps #3 and #4 I decided to drink together in my glass teacup. Some gentle honey notes and slightly floral ones are coming forward in the tea. I have been fairly happy with the few jing mai shengs I’ve had in the past because they all seem to share this characteristic. Only the tiniest trace of bitterness is present in the finish. I’m happy that this is mellow.

I really like this one and it should age like a champ, although it is certainly ready to drink now as well. I’ve had with my two Douji experiments so far, maybe next I will get a cake. :)

I really like Nan Nuo mountain tea, and I am also a big fan of Douji. Lucky for me, I had this tea from a couple of years ago, when they price was still ok, although still a bit expensive. Unfortunately, the current Douji 2012 teas I have seen are all much higher in price. But for a larger brand, they still do a great job.

The tea was very fragrant and floral. When I steeped it, the room filled up with a flower smell, very enticing. The tea goes on for quite awhile too. I give this tea a high rating, but for Nan Nuo mountain teas, I think there are still some better options out there

A review of 2011 Golden Key AAA+ Wuyi Mountain (Chinese Oolong Tea sample by China Cha Dao

This sample I received last year from Jerry Ma, tea vendor in China. I have enjoyed sampling all of their teas. I put a teaspoon of the remaining leaves into my cup and poured the hot water into my cup and leaving it to steep with cover on for few minutes.

After the set time, I removed the cover and notice the tea’s color to be a golden yellow, that light amber coloring. This tea smells very clean; nothing hits you at once since it is a very mild tea. With the leaves in the bottom of the cup, you can smell that the leaves have been cooked; that leafy green texture lingers slightly. Once I remove the leaves, I am left with a lovely cup of oolong. I sip and sip until the very end.

This Oolong was very clean and smooth; lush even; the nose of this tea is flowery but more of melons than floral. It is a sweetly and smooth cup of hot tea. It would make a nice cup of iced tea. I like mine hot, just they way I had it. Thank you for allowing me to continue to sample such fine teas.

As always, Douji is one of the better producers of “main stream” puer. This brick is not really their best effort, but it still destroys most other puer available outside of China. Douji’s lowest quality product still beats out all of the competition, in my opinion.

1st steep: 20 sec, boiling water. Not much flavor and not very pleasant.

2nd steep: 30 sec. Yeah, I really don’t like this, I’m not going any further with it. Yuck.

A review of 2011 Yang Pin Hao Jing Mai (Raw Pu-erh) Tea by China Cha Dao

I am somewhat disappointed with the Stash Pu-erh and remembered I still had some of the samples from China Cha Dao store pu-erh and today I selected to brew their 2011 Yang Pin Hao Jing Mai.

I placed the leaves after having rinsed them once with warm water in pot to boil for few minutes. I love the teas’ color once brewed; a very dark reddish color and smelling of earth. I like this effect upon my nostrils so much so that I stood there over the stove just inhaling, taking a deep breath of it.

Anyhow, after sometime I did pour myself a cup of tea to enjoy. The rawness of this tea hits me right away; on first sip it is plain, musty with an earthy undertone. The more I sipped and allowed the tea to play around my palette the more I could enjoy the minerals it conjure…supplements like zinc and ion comes to mind and eventually that raw pineapple flavor I have noticed in the past from other pu-erh sampled came to be found in this tea.

I am happy to have a full pot of this and I can cook it again two more times. I must remember to note that samples from Cha Dao are usually ample. Thank you.

Nice, toasty oolong – but not as flavorful as the special grade version. Still good though!

Enjoying this roasty toasty oolong tonight “grandpa” style in a decently sized mug. I’ve refilled my mug once now and the flavor is still smooth and going strong. I think I’m finally ready to rate this tea. I don’t always feel like a dark oolong, but when the mood hits – this is awesome.

This is a pretty good roasty oolong – the first infusion is mainly smoked wood, but it is still pleasant.

I haven’t had an oolong in awhile, but not because I don’t enjoy them. It is just unusual for me to commit to such an extended tea session with the same tea. I usually switch it up and drink several different teas over the course of a day or evening. However, I woke up craving an oolong session today! I picked out this Da Hong Pao from my generous sample box that I received because I was in the mood for a truly roasty, toasty experience. I remembered to do a quick 5-10 second rinse before settling down into my first 3 minute infusion with this tea.

The liquid from the first infusion is very light in color, but holds a sweet aroma that reminds me of good BBQ sauce for some reason. The flavor has a bit of a toasty/woody thing going on but there is a good amount of a natural sweetness hanging out. This infusion is pretty enjoyable, but I’m looking forward to the consecutive ones more. The first infusion from an oolong is never my favorite. I’m leaving this unrated until I progress more through this brewing series.

Dark this yesterday, spent most of the day brewing grandpa style, see previous notes.

I was going through my box of Oolongs, and realized that I hadn’t had this tea in over a month. Needless to say, I corrected this oversight.

The first infusion had a wonderful aroma, and the coloro of the tea suggested a medium-roast Oolong. The aroma of the tea reminds me a bit of honey, and be wvery sweet (if that makes any sense). The taste is very interesting, with light wood and floral tastes mixing together. The aftertaste of the tea is the distinct Wuyi mineral aftertaste, but it was a bit overpowered by the other flavors of the tea.

The second and third infusions were noted for incremental decrease in the strength of the flavors of the tea. Because of this, the mineral aftertaste became more prominent, which was really pleasant. I love Wuyi Oolongs more than other types because of that aftertaste, and this tea was just a bit shy of my Da Hong Pao in terms of the balance between the more overt flavors and the aftertaste.

More to come later, if I have time.

Backlogging (so, based almost entirely on my notes)

Experience buying from China Cha Dao: < more later, but positive overall, with some reservations >

Age of leaf: Stated as harvested in spring 2011, received in late fall, brewed up not long after.

Appearance and aroma of dry leaf: Looked and smelled like other Dragon Well teas I have had.

Brewing guidelines: 2 tsp tea, 2 cups water.Loose in glass Bodum pot. Stevia added.
……….1st: 170; 1’
……….2nd: 175; 1.5’
……….3rd: 180; 2’
……….4th: 185-190; 2.5’

Aroma of tea liquor: Good, sweet smell.

Flavor of tea liquor: Familiar Dragon Well flavor. Held up fairly well though four steepings.

Appearance and aroma of wet leaf: < no notes here >

Value: moderately priced at about $4/oz.

Overall: Nothing stood out about the tea. It is about as good as other Dragon Wells I have had for a much better price (Jing Teas Shop). I wish I could say more.

This tea has a very full flavor that is quite nutty for this first infusion. I’m looking forward to see what other flavors I get in coming steeps.

I’m brewing this tea Grandpa style – which I’ve never tried – but am definitely enjoying it. I’m having a hard time describing the flavor of this tea. There is a definite light mineral taste with a hint of wood. I also taste some floral aspects which remind me of a greener oolong. But while I’m not sure about the flavors, I am really enjoying this tea prepared in this manner.

I brewed this Grandpa style in my large mug again, using a bit more than the usual amount of tea leaves, and the results were very interesting. The color of the first infusion was dark amber, but not really dark enough to be categorized as red like more heavily roasted Oolongs. The aroma was dominated by the roasted character of the tea, but with hints of something sweeter. The flavor of the tea is very interesting, with a medium-strength roasted character and hints of honey. The aftertaste is currently dominated by the roasted flavor of the tea, but the characteristic mineral aftertaste is still present, lingering on the hard palate for half a minute.

The second infusion turned out pretty well. The color only lightened a few shades, and the aroma was characterized by a declined in the roasted aromas, leaving behind something a bit sweeter. The taste also lightened, with the honey flavor becoming more prominent, and the mineral aftertaste gaining a bit more prominence.

The third infusion was better than the previous two. It achieve a perfect balance between the roasted flavors and honey/sweet flavor. It’s a bit hard to describe because of how simple the flavor of this tea is, but I guess that is part of its charm. That being said, the aftertaste again asserts itself, but it doesn’t linger for as long any more. Regardless, this was a very good cup of tea.

More to come later.

Merry (belated) Christmas! I just got back from my relative’s house, where I suffered from both caffeine AND internet withdrawal, and this is the first tea I’ve had since Friday.

I prepared this tea Grandpa style, using the normal amount of tea and water that was just off boiling. The first infusion was a nice dark amber color, with a typical “roasted” aroma. The taste of the first cup was a nice honey flavor and fairly typical for a Shui Xian. The second and third infusions were pretty much the same, except that the color started to lighten, and the tea became a bit sweeter.

The fourth infusion was noted by a more significant decrease in aroma and flavor, and becoming a bit sweeter. Other than that, nothing important happened. This was my last infusion of the day.

My study aid for the afternoon. Deeeelicous!
See previous notes for details. Angel food cake anyone?

Thank you Jerry for sending me this amazing sample!
I could so get used to pu-erhs like this!! in fact, once I’ve finished the samples I would definitely consider buying some more. That will take a long long time mind you… since I have to finish all of what I have first!
The only thing that gives me pause so far… is that the steeped leaves smell like wet dog!! blegh. I don’t wanna know what wet dog tastes like…
Moving on! The first steep was very plain. Mellow, but very smooth and comforting. Not bold at all like the last pu-erh I reviewed. It had a natural cakey sweetness to it that lingers for a long time in the aftertaste. The cakeyness seems to be sort of clay-like, in a sort of distant mellow way. I feel as if I’ve just eaten a delicious angel food cake!
Oh and as it cools, there is a hint of astringency coming out. Odd, I think, for a pu-erh.
(I gave it a little rinse first btw! I only do this for fancy pu-erhs hehe)

The second steep is more of the same only a tad more cakey and as it cools a hint of fish. Definitely less cakey or sweet notes here. One of the other reviews mention spinach and I can see where they are getting that from in the finish though I never would have pinned it as such.
Oh wow, I let the cup cool even more and a different sweet note has emerged! or rather the same note, only right before the finish. and in the finish there is a bitter point that I’ve never experienced in a tea!!! it’s so mild that I am actually enjoying the bitter aspect. The bitter part of the aftertaste reminds me of brussel sprouts (only it tastes even more spinachy now, so picture a spinach sprout!). Oh and no more fishiness either, once it’s lukewarm.
I’ve done two or three more steeps after this (I always lose count!) and they’ve been pretty much the same as the first. I’m starting to get a bit of that raisiny flavour from the other pu-erh I reviewed last week, which isn’t really my thing!
Ah well. There are so many things to love about this one! It was never harsh, always smooth, and rather complex! Mmmm. I likey this one, alot!!!

Overall: This tea is not a typical Puerh tea in our opinion, we are accustomed to a much more earthy pungent tea. This tea is very gentle and gives out a faint sweet aroma. There is a hint of bitter on the tongue and it initially brings a floral flavor. We recommend a longer than shorter steep (approximately 9 minutes). 1st steep was the best in our opinion but keep in mind we are fans of earthy strong tea.

1st steep (one of two trials)- 9 minute steep 1.5 tsp/1 cup 96*C
-light color (coppery)
-aroma not-earthy, sweet
-after-taste is bitter and lasts a while
-initial-taste strong but disperses into a medley of flavors (algae very small hint of fish and floral )
-very good but not the Puerh that we are familiar with

1st steep (two of two trials)- 5 minute steep 1.5 tsp/1 cup 96*C
-light color (golden)
-light fresh smell (almost like green tea)
-initial taste, lightly bitter, disappears quickly
-slight almost floral after-taste
-does not taste like Puerh, however refreshing

2nd steep (two of two trials)- 15 minute steep 1.5 tsp/1 cup 96*C
-very little taste, slightly tart compared to bitter taste of first steep, more floral than first tea
-very faint after-taste (more of a gentile tea), reminiscence of what the first steep used to be
-same color as first five-minute tea (golden)

3rd steep (two of two trials)- 15 minute steep 1.5 tsp/1 cup 96*C
-very similar to the 2nd steep, lost much of it’s flavor.

It was a nice cool, crisp morning and I had a hankering for a nice roasted Oolong. This “Golden Key” has been a really wonderful friend, but I had not had any since Christmas… so I brewed up a nice large cup full before heading to work, and set aside a second steeping to have cold later on. I love the nice roasted aroma and flavor of fresh baked sugar cookies. When hot it is extremely satisfying, and cool it is quite refreshing. I may have to order more of this before all of the 2011 batch is gone. ;-)