Phoenix Tea Shop

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Recent Tasting Notes

85

Sample from Hoálatha

Baked bread with chocolate.

Fin.

PS. Thank you Hoálatha for the sample. :)

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100
drank Baked Dong Ding by Phoenix Tea Shop
36 tasting notes

Amazing, amazing Taiwanese oolong that just gets better/richer with each infusion. It’s nutty one sip and floral the next, with notes of sweetness that surprised me. This is the kind of tea that I hide in my closet for “me time.” I got about 4-5 solid infusions out of a 1/2 teaspoon. The tea comes rolled in little balls, so you don’t need that much for a good cup.

Flavors: Floral, Nutty, Perfume, Roasted, Sweet

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 2 min, 0 sec 0 tsp 4 OZ / 118 ML

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95

I friggin love this tea. Never astringent, sweet, malty, almost caramely. Amazing Kenyan tea, or maybe I just really like kenyan tea. Love the tea shop as well.

Flavors: Brown Toast, Graham Cracker

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 30 sec 1 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML

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82

Brewed in gaiwan tastes great, but it should burn very briefly, even for this type of tea

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 1 min, 0 sec
Cappy_Bara

Gaiwan : rinse(10s),10s,15s,20s,25s,35s,45s,60s,90s,2m

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67

Great unique tea, has more of the body of a sencha then of a harsher black tea.

Preparation
185 °F / 85 °C 3 min, 0 sec

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92

After sleeping most of my Saturday away (I’ve no idea why) and staying up until close to 4am today I was shocked to get up around 8:30am…of course the call from my mother might have helped that. She was asking what “red stuff” I put on the nieces eggs the last time she visited… “Paprika?” I recall as my response. Of course she thought that’s what it was, but my niece HAD to be sure and called to ask me. Good thing that kid is cute.

Once I was up and out of bed…I noticed our cats were swarming the bed. I’m the food lady in the house…so I snap, crackle, and popped my way downstairs to feed them. This also consisted of turning on the electric kettle. I needed tea…stat! I reached for this one as I thought it was a tea I had tried before. But after having it…I don’t think it was. I would have remembered this tea. It was bold, but with a light sweetness that made it very easy to drink in almost one big sip. I need to spend more time with this tea for sure!

TeaBrat

I couldn’t fall asleep last night myself – I think I had too much tea in the afternoon. :)

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drank White Whisper by Phoenix Tea Shop
2816 tasting notes

Thanks to Phoenix Tea Shop for sending me this sample. I finished it off today but I can’t say there was anything totally remarkable about it. Not rating it because I still don’t know if my tastebuds are feeling all too perky and back to normal. :((

Garret

what up wit da tathebuds, Amy?!?!?!?!

TeaBrat

Aww, you missed all the drama, my boyfriend and I broke up and I’ve been in a big funk. :(

Garret

Uggggghhhhh!!!! Did this happen when I was away on my meditation retreat? Well, my friend, I recently ended a relationship of 10 years… these things can be difficult. I highly recommend a book called “storms can’t hurt the sky”. I think, knowing a little about you, that you would value the book. I recommend it to a lot of people in my massage practice and friends. They have all come away with it with great things to say. I don’t call ’em relation"trips" for nothing!

I wish you nothing but joy. Had you been together for long? Not that it really matters cause it can be hard breaking up after a week as well as 10 years :)

TeaBrat

Yeah, it must have been. Wow, 10 years is a long time, we were together for 3 but I’m still broken up about it. I’ll check out the book, thanks! I’ve been doing a ton of dharma activities too.

Bonnie

S.F. Boyfriend Brokeup Funk Blues…in the Fog! More than the Tastebuds…blech…I think you need to have champagne on a yacht in the South of France! I wish you could feel better!

Garret

What I really want you to do is really take care of yourself right now and you are right on with the dharma activities. LOVE LOVE LOVE yourself! There is nothing selfish about that. Feel it all and know that you have the STUFF to go on from this and rock and roll.

TeaBrat

Thanks Bonnie. :)

TeaBrat

Will do, Garret! Thanks for the book recommendation, I really appreciate it. :)

Garret

And Pema Chodron, too! She is fantastic when it comes to this sort of thing. Podcasts of Tara Brach are really amazing. They are free and she is an amazing teacher.

TeaBrat

Yeah, Pema Chodron totally got me through my divorce a few years ago. :D

Invader Zim

Sending positive energy your way. Hope things look up for you soon.

TeaBrat

Garret – Zencast is also a great podcast. Gil Fronsdal is great!

TeaBrat

Invader Zim – thank you!

Garret

Amy! I will check that out! I love to surround myself with positive vibes and reminders all day long. Helps me stay open and clear! Thank you for that!

Missy

Glad to see you are back. Hope your funk leaves soon. You totally need cute baby animal videos. :)

Ninavampi

Oh Amy! I’m so sorry! I broke up with my 6 year boyfriend and it was a tough time. In retrospect, I am happy I went through it. It made me a stonger person and made me appreciate myself a bit more. It is tough… I wish you the best and remember that you have abunch of tea drinking friends that are always here for you (and your taste buds!). :)

TeaBrat

Thanks Nina and Missy. :)

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drank White Whisper by Phoenix Tea Shop
2816 tasting notes

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70

I’d had ginseng green from Adagio once, and hated it, so this was one of those iffy things. This is nothing like that. It’s smooth, with a little spike of flavour. I inadvertently ate one of the tiny round balls of flower and figured out that that’s where the flavour was concentrated. Reminded me of those little mints where the minty liquid is in the ball. It’s ALMOST bitter (maybe I brewed too hot or too long) but comfortably so. Brews pretty dark.

Preparation
Boiling 0 min, 30 sec

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78

So I tried this last night while I was working on ideas for a Doctor Who party we’re throwing this weekend with friends. I thought this tea would be a perfect match to my planning. I have to say the thyme was STRONG in this one. WOW! It also took over the cup of tea as I was drinking it. Which kind of put me off. BUT I did like the keemun I could taste a hint of under all the thyme. I’d still try this one again…it was a sample so perhaps I needed to shake it up a little more?

Sil

I WANNA COME!!! lol

Hesper June

ME too! ;)

IllBeMother221B

:) Should be good times. I’m dressing up as Captain Jack!

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98

Boy, I just can’t get enough of this stuff. It is so robust, but not in a bitter sort of way. Full of character. I wish I had the words to describe it. More importantly just try it. :)

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 0 sec

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98

I LOVE this stuff! I can’t believe how amazing this is and it’s a CTC. It is unique, has character, and punches you in the face without even leaving any marks. Not your typical CTC. I encourage you to give it a try. I am currently addicted this one.

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 0 sec
IllBeMother221B

One of my favorites and only a breakfast tea in this house. :)

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81

This tea scares me. More out of fear of what to think than…er…genuine fear. It’s CTC-grade, bitter as all heck, malty, and it kicks me in the skull. Normally traits that I wouldn’t like in a morning cup o’ black. Just so happens, I may have been wrong. (That happens a lot, actually.)

This tea is Excedrin in a cup – a headache reliever with a wallop of caffeine. But, dang, does it ever need milk.

Thank you, Courtney ( The Purrfect Cup ) for this sample.

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 0 sec

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94

I actually acquired this at the Northwest Tea Festival this year. Love events like that where you can taste before you buy. This is an unusual post-fermented tea in the fact there’s no harshness to it at all – compared to the other non-pu-erh hei chas I’ve had, anyway. It lasted a good seven or eight infusions, and its deceptive gentleness was counteracted by a wallop of caffeine. Necessary fuel for a five-hour long writing streak.

Said writing streak was my coverage of said Northwest Tea Festival, which can be found here: http://lazyliteratus.teatra.de/2012/10/07/my-first-tea-fest/

Preparation
Boiling 1 min, 0 sec

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91

I received this tea Monday after getting some rather terrible news so I didn’t try it straight away. My husband and I went to the doctor for an 8 week check only to find out our sweet angel baby had passed away the week before. :‘( (So I had another appointment yesterday and am home recovering the rest of the week) We also lost my husbands cousin Monday evening. It’s has been a really rotten week for us.

So I needed some comfort today as it’s my first day home by myself. I could think of nothing better than a cup of this tea. It is so comforting to me, rich, malty, and very much like a blanket wrapping me in warmth and hugging me tight.

Sorry for being so personal but I love the tea community here and you all are much like my family and I felt the need to share with my tea family. hugs

TeaEqualsBliss

I’m so sorry for your losses! My heart breaks for you! HUGS! It’s been a really rough couple of weeks for many of us, it seems! I’m thinking/praying/sending positive vibes your way!

IllBeMother221B

Thank you very much. Thankfully we have an amazing family who will support one another through all of this (we have not shared our tragedy with them, not yet – not the time)

I will say I’ve noticed this Summer has been rather tough on our tea community. Here’s to a happier time in the coming months. Thank you for the good vibes…it means so much.

Bonnie

Memory Eternal for your little one! I have two of the same myself, twins. They are never forgotten by us or Heaven!
You are right to share. We are a hugging community and I’m so proud that this is a safe place to smile and cry.

IllBeMother221B

Awww thank you Bonnie. I’m sorry you too have had to experience this loss too. I had lost another late last year so I have two little angel babies myself and now on top of the amazing great-grandparents that have gone before them they have an amazing cousin to look out for them too. Which helps me get by. Thank you again for your kind words and thoughts.

Hesper June

I am so sorry!
We too lost a little one 2 years ago, shortly after the Doctor kindly told us that it just may never happen for us.
I understand your need for comfort and quiet and rest.
Much love and thoughts your way,friend…and ditto on what Bonnie said, you are in a safe place to share.

IllBeMother221B

Thank you Hesper June. I’m sorry to hear of your loss too. hugs

gmathis

I keep fishing for the words I want to share and don’t have the right ones, so I’ll just say I’m sorry you hurt. Praying.

Azzrian

Love and prayers for you and your family.

Daisy Chubb

<3 Sending lots of love and good energy your way

IllBeMother221B

Thank you Azzrian and DaisyChubb hugs

Mercuryhime

I’m so sorry. I’m glad you can find some comfort in tea and this community though. Sending hugs and warmth your way.

IllBeMother221B

Thank you Mercuryhime. This community is hands down one of the best out there.

Uniquity

I’m so sorry to hear of your trials. Thinking of you and wishing you a promising tomorrow.

ashmanra

I am so sorry! I found out that my little one was gone at my fourteen week check up. There was no sign anything was wrong. It was so hard, but I found peace in the words, “He shall not return to me, but one day I shall go to him.” I don’t know why, but it did make me feel better. Praying for you.

momo

I’m sorry to hear about everything you are going through. Sending you lots of positive vibes and hugs <3

IllBeMother221B

Thank you for your kind words and thoughts….they are getting me through the day.

Alphakitty

I’m so sorry to hear your awful news, I can’t imagine how you must be feeling right now but I hope the community can provide you with support and in some way make this tough time a little better

K S

So very sorry.

IllBeMother221B

You all are the best. Which is why I felt I could share my unfortunate news here. I love my tea family.

Indigobloom

oh that is so sad. big hugs So so very sorry to hear about your loss

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100

Yum yum yum yum yum. Super dark and thick cooked pu-erh. It comes out sweet and earthy and cocoa-y. Wonderful for first time drinkers if they’re switching from coffee or like the thicker red wines.

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 0 min, 30 sec
Lainie Petersen

Yeah, it is a good one, isn’t it?

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97

I am drinking this one again today after not having it for over a year. These mini bricks are so cute! I wonder where I can get another one since neither Phoenix Tea Shop or China Cha Do seems to carry them.

I am really happy with the way this is aging! It’s a delicious tea with a brothy like flavor & bittersweet notes. It is producing a kaleidoscope of flavors! Early steepings were floral, then I got some definite woodsy pine notes and by the 6th steep it has a lemony flavor. LIght smoke throughout the tea. It gives forth a pleasant uplifting energy.

This is amazing, I am bumping up the rating. I think this is the first sheng I have purchased where I can see aging made a big impact on the tea (box says it is from 2008). Yum Yum!

I am definitely planning to experiment more with Douji in the future.

Preparation
190 °F / 87 °C 0 min, 30 sec

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97

I haven’t been drinking a lot of shengs lately for some reason but now I am back on a sheng kick. It’s been kind of fun to break out a few of the ones I haven’t had in a while.

This is a nice little brick, although it’s so compact that I found it difficult to break off a piece without it shattering into a bunch of dust. Anyway, so I brewed this in the yixing and tried to filter it through a strainer but I still got some tea dust in the bottom of my cup.

This is a nice and mellow sheng however. It has a clean taste with sweet and woodsy notes up front and a trace of bitterness in the finish. Check out my previous review, if interested.

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97

I decided to purchase one of these mini sheng bricks recently after Phoenix told me via Twitter that there was not a lot of bitterness in them. When it arrived, I immediately thought I should have purchased two because they are so cute and the packaging is really lovely!

Anyway, I could hardly wait to try it this morning. I attempted to break a piece off but it is compressed very tightly and I ended up with mostly tea dust which is okay. I steeped that up in my yixing.

Steeps #1 and #2 of this tea were about 15 seconds. What I got was a light yellow tea liquor. For a young sheng, it is fairly mellow with a nice sweetness and a definite acidity, but not one that I am finding terribly bitter. After the first two steeps, it is starting to quiet down a bit more and is becoming mostly pleasant and mild.

I steeped this tea 10 times and after the first 3 infusions, I was enjoying it a lot more.

This is my first Douji sheng tea, but I spent a little time this morning looking up Douji on the ‘net. They certainly seem to have a good reputation and they have these bricks made from different source materials, I’m just not sure which this one is because the label is written in Chinese. I can see more experiments will be required in the future. I think perhaps sheng is an acquired taste, and one I am still getting used to. I think this will be excellent with a few more years of aging.

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 0 min, 15 sec
Azzrian

Already on my shopping list! :)

TeaBrat

China cha dao also has these….

Azzrian

Is that the ebay seller?

Azzrian

Thank you!

TeaBrat

I ordered one from them today!

Azzrian

Ohhh Congrats! I wonder why they don’t have a web business – good to find a great tea place on ebay though.

CHAroma

Buying food on Ebay makes me nervous. :/

TeaBrat

@CHAroma – me too… but I have read other positive reviews of China Cha Dao on Steepster, so I feel more comfortable.

CHAroma

Reading good reviews on Steepster would definitely make me feel better too. I’m glad you’ve had good experiences and enjoyed this tea!

ScottTeaMan

I believe Fong Mong Tea sells their tea on Ebay, & I would buy from them.

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96

These days I’ve been in an “In Teamorium” phase. As in, finishing off the last of teas that have been on the shelf. Today, I finished the last of my Dan-Cha from Phoenix Teahouse. It was extra special because it was the first cup of tea I’d had in 26 hours.

Yeah, tragic.

I got two burly pots out of this sucker. I probably wasn’t as delicate with it as I should’ve been, but I thought I’d take it to its limit. It held up to the punishment I dished out with “x-treme” gusto. Even took on shades of malt as an act of sincerity.

Good show, Danny-boy. Er, girl. Whatever.

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96

I purchased this after trying it at Phoenix’es “Teattle” shop. It was – without much exaggeration – one of the most unique teas I’ve come across. I’m still hard-pressed to define it, but I do my darnedest here…and explain how it makes me feel like a bit of a “tea hipster” – an old one at that: http://lazyliteratus.teatra.de/2012/05/08/youve-probably-never-heard-of-this-tea-before/

Preparation
Boiling 4 min, 0 sec
ScottTeaMan

AS always, an interesting review.

Geoffrey Norman

Thanks. That’s what I aim for.

ScottTeaMan

Am I wrong or have you been posting sporadically lately?

Geoffrey Norman

I will confess, I’ve been incredibly sporadic.

ScottTeaMan

My sister lives in Eugene

Geoffrey Norman

I know it. There’s a nifty teashop called “J-Tea” out there that I have yet to venture to.

ScottTeaMan

Have you ever been to the Stash shop in Tigard?

Geoffrey Norman

All the time.

ScottTeaMan

My sisters has lived in OR 3 or is it 4 years and she has never been to Stash. What about Tao of Tea? I think that would be my first choice.

Geoffrey Norman

The good ol’ Tao of Tea was my first jaunt into loose leaf teas.

Charles Thomas Draper

I always enjoy your reviews….

Geoffrey Norman

Thank ya. I always get a kick outta yours as well.

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67

Hmmm, interesting, Tastes good almost Oolong like and it was a dark green color, like incredible hulk green.

Bonnie

Funny…I didn’t notice that you had reviewed this right before I reviewed one with the same tea base…the Kenya Purple Tea. It is interesting…floral but not heavy.

Tommy Toadman

it is quite nice, i must get more :)

Azzrian

I have a sample of a purple I should try tonight too. Its a trending thing!

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94

I actually received this before the Purple Tea of Kenya but didn’t get around to it after. A travesty given my love of teas with the word “GOLD!” in them. This bears a lot of similarities to Yunnan Golds both in site, smell and taste. Where it differs is the subtlety of its character. It’s not as “thick” as a Yunnan gold on delivery, instead presenting its berry-sweet, honey-like presence in a fluttery sorta way. It can also take a brew-beating of five minutes far better than a Yunnan can. Approval was met with gusto.

Full Review: http://lazyliteratus.teatra.de/2011/11/10/running-for-kenyan-gold/

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 3 min, 0 sec

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