Mei Leaf

Sigh… I readied my water and then forgot bc… drama. I need this cuppa more so now. Almost spilled all the tea everywhere. I can’t seem to open these Mei Leaf samplers without dropping a few leaves. I should just cut them. But then I spilled my gaiwan of dry leaves out like a fan.

The dry leaf is quite nice in aroma and appearance. Balled with a dark green hue and aromas of fresh florals, petrichor, and different minerals. Peach candy. very mineral. Wet rocks. Wet aroma: Fresh leaves. There is so much going on it’s almost hard to pin it all down. Slight butter. Soft mouth feel. When you over infusion it is similar to chewing on a piece of dandelion leaf. Bitter with harsh summer florals. Astringency that will put a crinkle in your neck.

Another sample from the sample box from Mei Leaf. I think fuzzy tea buds are impossibly cute and this tea is an all-inclusive trichome party. These are all silver… That’s a big duh I suppose. Soft. Full and long. For the aroma, I am faintly detecting pear and a bit of earth. Initial aroma is hay, barnyard, creamed peas, or maybe pea soup. The flavor is fascinating. I was expecting high barnyard in your face notes but this is fruity, with bits of hay, and cream of wheat, plain. The wet aroma is perplexing. I feel like I need to go out and smell more things. It’s kind of spicy, and kind of wheat raisin bread.

Delicious flavors, but you really need to brew it long and hot to draw them out. When you finally get there: cocoa-dusted prunes, black garden soil, salted caramel coffee, walnut brownies, and musty stone cellar.

Silky and creamy, super mouthcoating. The real star is the leaf aroma of raisinettes, leather jacket, Riesen candies (dark chocolate and caramel), and coffee grounds. Very good – all delicious notes – but there are shou puerhs with more generous flavor.

Back from Hawaii. Only got to two tea plantations. But it was still a wonderful time. Gorgeous Leaf. Lots of silver buds. Some lime green and evergreen mixing in with the slight browns and other hues of green. Aroma of dried leaves (anyone reading this who is not a tea drinker will roll their eyes at this but it does indeed remind me of dried leaves in fall), a bit of chocolate and cream. The taste is mainly farm. Wet hay. Dry hay. A mix of both. Nut milk.

Having a collapsible travel kettle has been incredibly helpful. Wish I had discovered these sooner. The dry leaf is a nice mineral and floral. The infusing leaf has notes of wet rocks, The wet leaf leaves an interesting sweet note in your mouth. The leaf has unwound nicely. But still has a bit of way to go. On the third or fourth infusion now the flavor has remained fairly constant. Mineral and floral.

Aloha. Mac nut honey and poi toast for breakfast. Without knowing what I was drinking (this is a sample so there are few things on the package). Very visibly a dragonwell/longjing when I opened the packet. The dry aroma is oh so nice! A bit of vegetal notes here, some cream there, and stone fruits all around. Steamed peas. Adzuki beans A bit of astringey but nothing too mouth-numbing. The kids have awakened so it is time to go.

OH boy. There is that telltale pu erh fishiness. The dry aroma isn’t heavy or off-putting with it but just enough to have my hair stand a bit. Lots of different leaf in this sample. Single leaves, short leaves, really long leaves, silver hairy buds. Bud, first, and second pluck. Fascinating. After the rinse the wet leaves have lost the fishy altogether there was a bit of Big Island orange and star fruit and old beach wood. Flavor is resin to begin and remains that way with the first infusion. Pu erh, like many teas, really needs a deep dive to develop a palate for it. The aftertaste is very nice vanilla and tropical fruits, custard. The astringency is strong with this one is left unchecked. Whoa.

This is a great tea to start the morning. A bit of briskness and a nice touch of astringency, all come together nicely with this beautiful leaf. Long leaves tightly twisted with fuzzy golden buds. This leaf is just gorgeous. The wet leaf reminds me of dark chocolate and raisin bread. Maybe a mixture of both. The flavor is very similar to the aroma with cocoa and bitter chocolate notes also a bit of malt, and some lacquered wood. The mouthfeel, as I mentioned earlier is a bit astringent but mostly it is smooth. The astringency just helps to add some depth. My first brew was bitter with a slightly overwhelming astringency. I had my dad try it first and when I tried it I felt bad that the first experience was so off, luckily the second was better. He said he still prefers coffee though… I’ll keep trying.

Reason number 3 that it is important to inspect your tea leaves: Bugs. It is good to push around the leaf with your finger to discover all the secrets of the leaf. To find the small, the big, the few fuzzies, and whatever gifts come with. I can’t quite call this a gift, but at least he was nicely toasted.

Dry aroma: Coffee toffee, roasty, toasted pomelo, coffee husk.
Dry leaf appearance: twisted slightly, dark chocolate brown.
Flavor: Roasty, charcoal, toffee a bit burnt, slight plum/pomelo, minerality (more so with the following infusions)
Wet Leaf: Dried plum, Slight cherry-rubbed wood.
Wet, infusing leaf: Uh… latex paint? O_o Yeah. Definitely latex paint. That was the third infusion. I forgot to smell the previous.

So funny not funny story. I found out that I am one of those people who can’t stand to look at lotus seeds. Actually even saying the name kinda gives me an icky feeling. My randomness comes from the fact that it says lotus seed on the package so I was about to look up what the taste descriptors of that is but I really do not want to have that image stuck in my.

Bought this slightly on a whim and slightly for the health benefits that I think will help my mom. It is very similar to matcha, however, if you drink a lot of matcha like me you will be able to tell the differences. It whisks nicely but doesn’t froth. Which is fine. Something about a frothy herbal drink seems weird to me. It is not as vibrant as I thought but the color is still quite beautiful. The mouthfeel is silty but very smooth. The flavor is overall vegetal with an overlaying creaminess.

I’m almost done with this bowl but I realized while the last sip was halfway down that I needed to review this. Sorry, not needed. Really wanted to. The powder stays suspended very well. Umami in the dry powder. Vibrant green. Just gorgeous. Especially the liquor color. Umami in the liquor. A bit of cream. Smooth mouthfeel and slight siltyness. Yeah, I know that’s not a word; it is now.

I am writing this tasting note backwards because I had to copy my nptes from the Mei Leaf website. This one is a bit different from some of their tasting notes because of the different season. This is a 2022 pick. In my sip just now I taste oatmeal along with dry wood. Quite a good tea. But doesn’t knock my socks off.
Varying tones of milk chocolate and brownish-olive green in the brewed leaf.
Finish Woody. Slight astringent texture.
empty cup Buttery. Creamy. Woody.
Flavor of Dark wood tones. Walnut and oak. Laquer.
A slight sweetness at first. Replaced by intense woody notes. A bit of cream. Raisins. Whole wheat bread.
Liquor: Golden amber. The liquor aroma is also very nice. creamy and woody
Dry leaf Long dark brown leaves. Leaf and some stems. Dusty. Tightly twisted.

A few months ago, I purchased a lot of samples and one inexpensive cake from Mei Leaf. I was always curious to try their product since they are typically overhyped. They do use the keywords: Gushu + layers of taster notes. Obviously this was a company I had to try eventually.

Jump to today…three months after making the purchase. I finally opened this sample. I was backlogged on trying teas from various vendors, since I was playing along during Advent season (I’m still catching up from that). I hit a wall with wanting to drink tea regularly – different hours (midnights), back at the office 4x per month (I’ve no right to complain), etc. – so, I went with the natural flow.

Alright, that sets up the review. lol.

Flavors: I’ve had better shou/citrus peel blends. This had a good citrus bite, but it was maybe too much of the citrus flavor. I wanted a better balance of shou. While the tea brewed dark within the first 2- 3 infusions, it immediately changed in flavor, color, and texture after the 3rd infusion. All I really got from 3-5 was citrus notes, and then nothing. I even brewed it heavier than I would’ve, if I had a full cake. I brewed all 15g from the sample in my 150 ML yixing.

But do not fret, this may have been the most subpar of the batch of teas….so far.

Generally I try to stick to buying this cultivar from Wang Family Tea but I think it is also important for our palates to try the same teas from different vendors of different areas. I will have to do a side by side comparison after trying this one on its own. This one has some menthol notes I don’t remember in my other Ruby 18 tastings.
Long, dark chocolate colored dry leaf with a drying aroma. Woody.
Smooth mouth feel.
The wet leaf is unique. A mix of eucalyptus and raisin bread.
Liquor aroma reminds me of camphor and eucalyptus. Also dry desert wood. All of this can also be found in the flavor.

An appropriate name. Some companies use names that are so appealing. While I understand the marketing behind it, it also drives me nuts unless the company gives more info like Mei Leaf does. This is fitting. I can taste a mix of forest berries. Though namely northern forest. Blueberries, gooseberries, musty decaying wood, and the forest floor beneath it. The mouth feel is smooth. Slight cream with hints of old wood in the liquor aroma and apricots, bready, and woody hints in the wet leaves. The aroma packet has taken most of the dry aroma but I will update this (If I remember once the aroma comes around) Think I might be slightly tea drunk.

Neti pots get a bad wrap but I tell you guys, if you use them correctly (like anything else) they work. That and a good night’s sleep helps. The dry aroma alone is worth the buy. Caramel, roasted marshmallows, roasted rose petals, plain rose, cherry liqueur. Oh the fascination! The initial aroma coming from the steeping leaves! So unique! Heavy cream, cream of wheat, marzipan?, my mouth is watering. At the suggested ten seconds I am getting hints of desert wood, rose, a bit of oat milk. Very nice. Oh now steeping 20 – 30 seconds. Chocolate notes. Chocolate milk, hot chocolate. Holy cow. At… what time is it? 1 minute? 2? I have no idea. It’s so thick! I feel like I’m drinking hot cocoa with a bit of a woody aftertaste. The wet leaf aroma is slightly bready and a bit woody. Silky mouth feel.
Second infusion. Too hot. Almost spit it out. Didn’t want to waste. Owie. Much of the same notes to be found. A bit more rose though.

This one I will have to explore with multiple sessions. Though it is a green, to me it tastes, looks, and smells more like a yellow. The dry leaf is slightly glossy and olive green. These are the sharpest-looking tips I’ve seen yet. Some silver hairs. Mine appear a yellower color than the picture. Almost like a yellow tea.
The flavors for the infusions remained fairly consistent though the third infusion is a bit sweeter. Vegetal. Green beans. Slight whole milk. Bit of fresh asparagus and spinach. The mouthfeel is silky with an ever-so-slight hint of astringency. It’s good but not one I would buy again. I need to revisit this one a few more times before I give my final say.

I was going to open up something new this morning but I couldn’t get this one out of my head so I’m revisiting it. This may be somewhat weird to say, but maybe not for those who are in the pu er/dark tea community, I want to age this tea and see if it changes anything. Right now I am getting a lot of overcooked peas with a bit of astringency; which I am finding myself somewhat insatiated by. Gong fu brewing at 180F.

Happy New Year! After following Mei Leaf and listening to their Youtube talks for many years, I’ve finally put my foot down and bought some tea. Oh boy, does that smell good! There is some serious sweetness flowing off these leaves. Stone fruits, mangos, some passion fruit, peaches. Ooo peach cobbler. And those buds are just amazing. Silver hairs, soft, and light green.
My first thought was slight white pepper. Sweetened pepper like you’d find in a chai. Pure cane sugar. But I like that it still has those traditional (in my opinion) white tea notes of barnyard in the background. Piled leaves, bales of hay, and tall summer grass. Smooth mouth feel. The aftertaste is incredible. Like I ate a sugar cube. I’ve never had such a sweet sensation without eating actual sugar.
Now just a note for the new year. It’s good to hope and look for the best but also important to realize that… sh*t happens. And how we handle that sh$t is just as important. I say this because I see more and more people losing their selves while driving to things that are so silly. Seen too many die because of it too. Let’s stop this now. Raise a glass to patience.

TTB Review #14: Reminds me of dandelion tea with prominent notes of honey. Very average, not a huge fan.

This is a very nice silver needle. Is it worth the price point? I don’t know. I’ve tried my sample once, now I want to compare it to other silver needle teas including Mei leafs before I decide if it’s worth springing for.
Prepared mostly as directed, 4g to 100ml 205 degree water, with a 30 second first infusion after a short rinse. Added about 5 seconds to each infusion after and got 9 infusions.
Very creamy and nutty. I could def taste the soy milk note they talk about. A bit of a grassy note in infusion 5, but mostly, creamy, nutty, and slightly sweet with a very pleasant aftertaste.

This is the best tea that I have ever had (so far). This ripe PuErh is buttery smooth, and really takes me back to Fall with it’s maple flavor and vanilla undertones that increase with every infusion.

Above average Green Tea. I am usually more of a PuErh/Oolong person, but this tea was a nice change of pace. Very broth-y with flavors of herbs and vegetables. Very fine tea for the Spring as the plants begin to bloom. Each infusion brought out a sweeter undertone that was fun to explore.

This tea is nothing short of incredible. It is the best soothing experience I’ve ever had, and could bring down my migraines to a manageable level. The soothing from the GABA is almost immediate, and keeps getting deeper with each infusion.

Earthy, yet sweet, with a very deep and robust flavor.

My initial review (further below) is pretty scathing, and I will be updating my notes soon after letting a few months pass and will try the tea again. I have since tried more Mei Leaf teas that I really enjoy, and I want to give Rendez-Vous another chance. The problem is that the higher a tea’s price point and hype, the greater the potential disappointment. To be continued….
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Initial Review:
I bought this tea based on Don’s selection of it as one of his Teas of the Year. I wish I could get a refund. I do not see this as a pinnacle tea at all. I am truly surprised and feel disappointed, as I put my faith in Mei Leaf. In my opinion, this tea is way below average. For me, it is weak in mouth feel, taste, smell, and body sensation. I tried to convince myself the tea has merits. I let the cake rest for over a month. I waited two weeks between first tastings. But each time the tea just did not deliver. I would give this away. With the heavy marketing about Mei Leaf teas being pinnacle, I cannot understand how this tea even remotely upholds that standard. And it was not inexpensive. I feel duped.