Teavivre

Threw this in a Cinderella mug and did grandpa-style while working on a spreadsheet all afternoon. Started out thick and minerally, steadied down to a smooth, thick, earthiness with a bit of sweet on the finish and a lingering umami. Very easy and delightful to drink.

Oh yes, as soon as I opened the package I was hit with a lovely rich smoky smell. Once brewed the taste was equally smoky. It put me in the mood of campfires and smoky bbq meat. I love smoked meat, and smoked cheese so it’s no wonder I love a good smoky tea!

I bought the 100g volume as I figured how can you go wrong with tangerine and puerh? I brewed this cup-style, or more like teapot-style: Threw the whole tangie ball into a big tea pot, rinsed for 30 seconds, then steeped for 5 minutes and decanted to a thermos pitcher. It is a very lovely dark color, and my guests mistook it for coffee!

The tangerine isn’t very noticeable at first, it’s definitely in the aroma but not felt on the tongue. Very mellow, woody, earthy flavor, and a strong mineral finish.

I broke the tangerine skin and did a second 1L steep for 6 minutes, and this time tangerine flavor appeared, along with a hint of wood smoke.

I’m pretty new to the world of puerh, but of the three I’ve had to date this is my favorite.

There’s just something about a tea when you know Sir Patrick Stewart wanted it on Star Trek instead of Earl Grey that adds an extra bit of Geekiness to the whole affair. Seriously this is some great tea.

I got my first dose of the Covid 19 vaccine yesterday! So happy to get started on immunity. Today I’m still a bit tired, with a slight headache. It seemed like a perfect time to grab this tea as it’s my new favourite. Maybe I’ll go for the smoky LS next from Teavivre.

Yes I’m having another cup of this delightful lemon and pineapple brew. It’s great right after a large yummy Chinese food order that was honestly the best Chinese I’ve ever had.

This is a really nice Yerba Mate tea. It’s definitely got a tropical vibe going from the taste. I’m tasting the pineapple but it’s playing really nice with the lemon. I can’t quite taste the mate but I’ve never had straight mate so that’s on me. I’m also not as good at picking out flavours as others in Steepster so thee’s also that.

So this tea hasn’t been added to the database so I add it! Unfortunately I couldn’t get the picture to work for submission sorry!

Sipdown! (54 | 184)

Another little Teavivre sample down!

This is pleasant, it has a nice nuttiness to it that reminds me of sunflower seeds, and there’s also a creamy vegetal flavor, similar to edamame or lima beans. I get some very soft hay and dry grass elements as well. Then at the end of the sip, a mineral note appears along with a gentle, earthy smokiness that brings to mind gunpowder green tea.

I will say, I’m not really finding anything special about this one, though I’m sure it is quite old so that may not be fair. The smoky aftertaste also lingers a while and that’s not my favorite either…

Happy Sunday!

This is such an incredible tea, really unlike any other black tea I’ve had before.

The cacao flavour is so perfectly in-your-face and that’s the whole flavour profile. Like a perfect liquified tea chocolate. There’s no astringency and no smokiness. Just cacao. The darkest of chocolate. I generally resteep this twice for three steeps total and it’s delicious each and every time. I’m enjoying this one today as I write up a lab report on Daphnia magna toxicity testing.

For reference, I use four pearls for my 14-ounce mug and steep 5 minutes, 6.5 minutes, and 8 minutes.

I rotated the stock in my tea cabinet a few months ago as I’ve been trying to finish up my older teas before they mummify. Surprisingly, some of my teas that are at least 10 years old still have great flavor.

While completing this tedious task, I found a sample packet of Teavivre Osmanthus Black Tea squooshed in a corner of the shelf. Surprised and excited by my discovery, I immediately ran to my tea maker to brew it .

I opened the five-gram silver sample package and plunged my nose inside. The aroma was sweet like honey with chocolate accents. The leaves were black and long with yellow Osmanthus flowers sprinkled throughout.

I followed the instructions on the packet and steeped the contents for five minutes at 195 degrees. The finished blend had a bright orange color. The aroma was sweet with a faint flowery characteristic in the background.

The flavor of this tea was sweet and mild. I had to really focus my taste buds to identify specific aspects such as chocolate, honey, or Osmanthus. I believe this is the result of the flavor aspects being so well-blended that an essence all its own was created.

As with all Teavivre black teas, this blend was smooth as silk and went down very fast and easy. It was so good that I had to force myself to savor it instead of gulping it down.

The sweet aftertaste lingered gently on my palate for several minutes. At no time did I encounter excess astringency.

This is a very nice tea from the folks at Teavivre. It is mild enough to be enjoyed with meals and robust enough to stand on its own.

Sipdown! (25 | 155)

It’s been a while since I’ve steeped up one of these baby Teavivre green tea samples! Poor neglected dears… So I picked one at random and here we are!

This is light and lovely. It’s almost approaching sencha territory with its creamy, spinachy vegetal notes. Obviously it’s lacking the intensity and umami presence of a sencha though. Instead it has a wonderful buttery quality and silky round mouthfeel. There is a hint of floral here that’s reminding me of sakura? I wonder if that’s just an association I have with spinach notes now, ha ha…

It’s slightly sweet, buttery, creamy like biting into a lima bean or edamame. A bit of fresh pea as well. Very light and relaxing for the evening!

This probably isn’t one I would specifically order just because it lacks a certain character? It’s a sort of in-between in terms of buttery/nutty vs. vegetal green teas. But still very enjoyable!

2021 sipdown no. 53

Sipdown of this Teavivre sample. I’m getting hints of smoke today and once I get the smoke, I can’t really taste anything else. I’ll leave this one for those who love it!

Sipdown! (24 | 154)

For some reason, Keemun seems to be the Chinese black tea that I have the least amount of experience with, and very little idea of what it “should” taste like. I’m not sure if that’s because Yunnan and Fujian teas are/were more popular here on Steepster back when some lovely tea friends introduced me to straight teas? Anyway, for some reason I have this idea that Keemun teas are dark and smoky.

Clearly not the case, as this is the lowest-grade Keemun that Teavivre carries and it is neither dark nor smoky in character. Actually, it’s fairly light, with a soft bready quality and notes of hay. There is a light earthy undertone, but nothing close to lower-grade Yunnan teas, which can be very earthy. There’s also a soft fruitiness, like dried cherries perhaps? Something with a bit of tartness to it. I think I’ve heard Keemun described as “winey” before, so maybe that’s what it is.

Anyway, it’s lovely. It actually reminds me quite a bit of wakocha, or maybe a second-flush Darjeeling a bit? Light, aromatic, with bread and hay notes. This does have quite a bit more fruitiness to it though. Either way, I like it!

Sipdown! (18 | 148)

Another pair of Teavivre sample packs down!

This is a tasty tea. It’s fairly earthy, but there are some nice, deep caramelized sugar and molasses notes with bit of raisin for good measure. It almost reminds me of an Assam in a way, as the combination of malt and raisin tends to take me there. But of course, this doesn’t have the bite of an Assam, it’s perfectly smooth without a hint of astringency. And there’s a light sweet potato-y, bready flavor that’s characteristic of Yunnan.

It is a bit stronger on the earthy and mineral notes than I would prefer, but still a very enjoyable and rich Dian Hong.

Gongfu Sipdown (1332)!

This oolong is pretty old at this point, so I’m mostly just glad to be finally finishing it off. It really wasn’t bad for it’s age though; some bite and astringency but also some pretty beautiful underlying floral and juicy fruit notes. Overripe lychee, plum skins, and a subtle mango in a few steeps. I so rarely find the sweet spot when brewing dancong but it was pretty solid for a tea that had to overcome aging and my imperfect brewing!

Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/CMDbDfhAsHT/

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BaceFAjWNE8&ab_channel=MDSHCoffeeHouse

2021 sipdown no. 50

I did a longer steep and got just a tad too much in the way of smoky hints. This one is not for me, but that’s okay!

This is my second steep of this and continuing on with my hectic work day (which is still ongoing at 8p) I have barely noticed this tea haha!

This is a tasty tea, but it hasn’t really stood out to me. That very well could be my day, but I’m not completely sure. There is a lovely sweetness and a very light maltiness, and the second steep has held up quite well, but I’m not sure if there’s anything special here. Ultimately I love the sweetness, but prefer a heavier handed maltiness. Thank goodness I have about two cups worth remaining in my sample to try again.

1st steep 2.5 minutes
2nd steep 4 minutes

2021 sipdown no. 51

Another Teavivre sample sipdown. I had two cups of this today and the first cup had a lovely sweetness to it, while the second seemed to edge on smokiness. Happy to have tried, but I don’t need this one for my cupboard.

It’s so lovely when tea companies have sample sizes to try so once doesn’t end up with 50+ grams of a tea they don’t care for!

I’ve had a busy week at work and have forgotten about pretty near every cup of tea I’ve made this week. This tea is no exception!

Since the tea is now cooled, it seems to be flirting with the idea of being smoky, which seems to be a somewhat recurring theme with Teavivre teas. I’ve even had that happen with my beloved Bailin on an off day.

I like the depth of this tea and the sweetness that lingers after each sip. There’s hints of chocolate, but not as lovely as the Fengqing pearls. I have about two cups worth remaining, so hopefully I can get some more detailed notes with my next attempt.

Sipdown 51- 2021
Chocolate, turbinado sugar, and sweet potato. Another delicious black tea from Teavivre. Sipping my way through my samples way too quickly.

Sipdown 50-2021
Another really tasty Teavivre offering. Sweet potato, white flowers, and an intense woodiness. I’m finding this one to be a bit less craveable than other Teavivre black teas that I’ve tried.