teabento

Absolutely delicious! It’s got the chocolate notes I’ve found and love in Laoshan blacks, but it’s much smoother—like a milk chocolate. I could tell that it would be good by the smell of the dry leaf. Definitely will order some of this one!

Thanks Teabento!

Another great sample from teabento!

I prepared the tea in a Kyusu at about 170 degrees. The pleasant (but not overpowering) jasmine aroma was evident shortly after the water hit the leaves, and grew stronger as the leaves began to unfurl.

The first infusion was really more a 1-minute rinse, and produced a nice cup. The second infusion was shorter – around 30-seconds and produced a delightful and aromatic cup.

The tea is light, minty and refreshing. The jasmine is very evident when it’s warm; as it cools, the flavor profile takes on a honey-like edge and the lingering taste of mint is more prominent.

Delicious, delightful and delectable!

After trying other Silver Needle teas, I was expecting something light and difficult to discern. This Vietnamese tea is actually quite distinct. The aroma is somewhat spicy, but still has a gentle floral tone to it.

The cup is delicate and creamy, but has an edge of smokiness to it. Overall very pleasant – infused four times in a gaiwan, ranging from 30-seconds to 5-minutes. This is interesting enough to order more and play with the times and temps a little more.

Thanks Ning-Ning and Teabento for allowing me to try and review your teas! :) Shipping was super fast. I decided to try this one first.

It’s really nice—buttery, floral, a little fruity, and a bit nutty as well. It reminds me of the Taiwan oolongs I’ve had before. Great start to trying your teas! Super impressed with the packaging too.

Thanks again!

I have received a well packed and presented bunch of samples from teabento (thank you very much) and this has been the first one I tasted.

I have steped it as follows:

-30sec – 80ºC: Sweet, clear colour, reminds me of grapes and floral. This is a soft white peony, quite good for what I have tasted until now.

- 1min – 70ºC: a bit stronger, still sweet and floral, the grapes notes are nearly dissapeared.

-1.5min – 60sec: a bit stronger, still floral but a bit astringent at the same time, less sweet.

I still have enough tea for another shot so I’ll try to vary the steps time and temperature in order to see how it evolves.

I’ll wait until the next shot (tomorrow) in order to give a veredict.