Narien Teas

Silver needle is my favorite these days. Love the aroma. I tend to steep mine longer on some days because I like it really strong. Almost looks like black tea when I steep it at work for a couple of hours. Narien seems to have 3 white teas for sale, but I have only tried this one. I like it.

Undistinguished black tea overscented with roses. My grandmother discovered that it’s greatly improved by lemon, however the excessive fruitiness in this case completely overwhelms the tea.

The stock picture for this tea is misleading: it’s not red, but a fresh-hay mixture of green and straw and red-russet. It produces a refreshing, unfamiliar herbal-scented brew the colour of golden honey; I like it better for not being over-cured, but that may just be the batch I’ve found. Pleasing, but not a staple.

It does indeed have floaters.

Deep, warming, strong, and comforting. The secondary bitterness is equally smooth, if bitterness can be, and transitions into a lingering, astringent sweetness. Rather an instant fan of this tea.

A loose, frosted pu erh like old khaki. It leaves slightly slimy-looking black-green nuggets in the pot, which I’m personally rather a fan of, and retains the same evocative scent of old boxes in the cup as it does in the packet. What little bitterness there is is superseded by an almost floral aftertaste, which comes out in a longer brewing time, and improves the tea. Rich (though not especially for a pu erh), and mellow.

Fairly rough, does not stand waiting in the pot. Drunk fresh it’s pleasing. Surprisingly coarse individual leaves (I’m more accustomed to gently-rolled green teas than black).

I just finished a cup of this tea… so the memories are still fresh in my head. Simply delightful is the best way to describe this tea. I followed the instructions provided on the bag of tea, added a bit of honey and the flavors of roasted nuts and pine were heightened. This tea has complex flavors, but they blend together harmoniously. Definitely recommend trying this!

This was shockingly delicious and refreshing cold-brewed overnight. It doesn’t actually taste any different than it does hot, but it’s an entirely different experience. I’m surprised that an unflavoured, light Oolong translated so well.

Finally getting around to my sample of this!

I’m only on my first infusion but should have time for one or two more here at work if everyone leaves me alone. The dry leaves smelled really verdant and grassy in the cute little sample bag. As it was steeping, the floral and buttery notes came out. The flavour mirrors that: this is sweet, buttery, and somewhere between floral and grassy. There’s also a slight toastiness. Very refreshing! Helping me wash down a piece of the peanut-butter-ice-cream-and-brownie-cake I made for the boyfriend’s birthday.

I have never given a tea 100 points before, and l’m not exactly sure what a 100 point tea would have to do for me. Massage my feet? Cook me dinner? This as close to 100 as it gets for me. I surprisingly fell in love with this tea. It’s not as bitter or as strong as you would expect from the smell – and this is coming from someone who’s perhaps had Lapsang souchong once, maybe twice years before, so I don’t really have anything to compare it to. But I enjoy this tea so much and I find that the smell along centers me somehow, easing away stress. I picture myself in the deep woods, in autumn, with every sip. It’s magical. Really.

I have to say not only are these extremely convenient, but with a little rose honey coupled with the pearl’s delicate flavor, it’s an amazing tea. Mild in flavor, no bitterness whatsoever. A huge fan. I like to steep the tea for an extra minute but the recommendation is 1-2.

My sister gave me an entire “fruit” basket of Narien teas for my birthday – and I have to say all of them are pretty amazing. I’m not normally a green tea fan. I find most of them bitter – but this may be my first experience with full leaves. I added about a teaspoon for 3 minutes and the taste is much more soft than I remember. It would be almost delicate except for the fact the flavor stays with you for a while, well after you’ve swallowed the sip, sort of growing in intensity in your mouth. Overall, I find myself growing tired of the taste after one cup, so it’s definitely something I would have every other day or so at most. It’s definitely a treasure though and something I look forward to having again.

Thanks LiberTEAs!

This is very light brown/gray in color after infusing. It’s roasted but not as intensely roasted as some kukicha’s I have had. The taste is more nutty and less roasted-woodsy than I have had in other kukichas. It does leave a sweeter/nutty aftertaste, too, which I really like…

Thank you Doulton for including this tea in your marvelous box of teas! I love Kukicha!

This is so pleasant on this wet, rainy and chilly evening! Comforting! Sweet and caramel-y. Beautifully delicious! I like!

SIPDOWN. This started my day. It was a good start to the day! See previous notes.

Upping rating on this one. Now that I have relocated it in my stash I doubt it will be around much longer. I have enough for about another cups-worth.

See previous notes :)

Thanks LiberTEAs!
I could pick up on a slight ‘burnt’ aroma right away, too, but I kind of like that!
It ‘brews’ dark and has a nice medium black tea flavor to it! It’s smooth and almost milky towards the end of the sip. I can also pick up on that slight bitter mid-sip LiberTEAs picked up on! This is nice! I like it!

Another gift from Doulton Thanks again, you’re the best!

I love this Keemun. I am so fond of Keemuns anyway, and this one is exceptionally good. So dark and deep in flavor. Lovely fruit notes and a burnt-sugar sweetness that is contrasted with a slight bitter note that hits right at mid-sip. So very very good!

This is a really solid black tea. Reminds me a lot of Yunnan Gold, but it’s half the price!

Sweet and delicious.