The Chinese Tea Shop

Very good green tea.

I broke this out tonight, and used it to inaugurate my new little gaiwan though I opted to not use the minuscule tea cups that came with it. My husband teased that they belonged to a dollhouse. I used the whole sample that OMGsrsly gave me, thinking with the gaiwan I’d need more leaf but shorter steep.

Because I used a small teacup, I opted to do 2 steeps per cup, following the first one. I’m on steeps 3 and 4 now. Longer steeps yield a darker colour…a dark but translucent honey (almost mahogany), and the taste becomes a little more earthy, and what I expect from a pu erh that’s been aged. I’m not sure I get thick honey, as for the taste, though I am having my steeps straight, so that says something. It does seem to be getting sweeter with the steeps though. The last steep actually went longer than planned, because I forgot to time it, but by the the water had cooled even more, so I think it was ok. As the tea cools, it feels so thick in my mouth, so the thick honey description is coming truer.

I’m very glad OMGsrsly gave me a sample of this to try. I’m glad I used the taiwan for this, though having used this little one, I feel like I want a larger one as well. But my little one will suffice. I just get about 5-6 sips before I need more. I’ll try to get a few more steeps out of this one tonight.

This one I’m drinking today. Thank you OMGsrsly for the sample.
I’m really thinking that my tastes are changing.
I really like this – I’m not usually a white tea fan, but this is really nice.
It’s more honey than grass. It’s light but has a really nice flavor to it. Might be just a hint floral. but that’s way in the back more as an accent than out right floral.
Yep – this is good.
Thank you for the opportunity to try it. :))

I love this – I have lots of moonlight at this is by far the best I’ve tried.
Boiling water – flash steeps = liquid honey with a hint of apricot. It’s just perfect.
When I get the rest of the moonlight drank – I will buy a cake of this.
Thank you OMGsrsly for sharing this amazing tea.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BAqBWUbOE9l/?taken-by=dex3657
https://www.instagram.com/p/BAqB3nNOE-t/?taken-by=dex3657

I know that OMGsrsly LOVES this tea and she was generous enough to give me a sample. Thank you so much.

Yep this is a good one. It’s really mild, nice, gentle. soothing – a little sweet, a little fruity (apricot?). ZERO bitter, ZERO astringent. I’m not even getting any musty, aged, pu’erh ness. Mmmmmmm had a nice afternoon with this – and I have enough for another session. Looking forward to that. :)
https://instagram.com/p/00idRZuE1C/?taken-by=dex3657
https://instagram.com/p/00j7gluE4x/?taken-by=dex3657

I’ll probably be updating this note as I drink the tea. Sample generously provided by Dexter. :) Thank you!

I flash-rinsed twice, and because it was loose pieces it opened up pretty fast. The first steep was still fairly pale orange, and the second steep now is quite dark. It has a bit of musty flavour still that I’m not digging, but it’s reduced even with the second steep so I have high hopes.

It’s fairly sweet (yay!) and kind of woody-fruity. More wood, though. :)

I’ve steeped 7 times now and it’s starting to slow down. The musty flavours are mostly gone, and now it’s a smooth and slightly sweet brew. I’ve enjoyed this very much, although I don’t think I’d buy it for myself.

Thanks so much for sharing!

I’ve been taking notes…

https://instagram.com/p/zYC_xPx5AR/

10s rinse.
10s steep: OMG. Smokey. Weird note I can’t describe. Little sour.
- leaves smell kinda like wet cigarettes
Flash rinse
10s steep: Ugh, still that icky note I don’t like. Very smokey.
10s steep: Nope.
6s steep: Little better maybe, but still too smokey.
6s steep: Less smokey but still that icky taste.
6s steep: More smoke again, a little sweet, a little lingering bitterness.
(Will add later…)
6s steep: Bright, lingering bitterness. Smoke seems to be dissipating, although the leaves still smell icky.

Next day:

Flash rinse.
5s steep: Smells like a woodshop that someone’s also been smoking in. Reminds me of my Grampa, actually, which is weird. Today it’s not super objectionable, but it’s just not a flavour I want to be drinking.
(I’m trying to get as much out of this as possible, since the 5g cost $7.50. That’s a lot for a tea I don’t like, so steeping for educational purposes it is.)
10s steep: It’s a lot more drinkable now, but I think it’s starting to head out. I’ll probably do a few more steeps.

In conclusion, I don’t necessarily think this is a terrible tea. However, it’s not for me. Not at all. I really don’t like that heavy smokey sour flavour and the smokey woodshop smell.

Having this (still from my 50g sample, not the new cake (!!) that I bought) made in my new eensy teensy gaiwan.

Smells like honey. Tastes like honey with a touch of bitter because I’m learning the skill of pouring. Haha. Note to self: flash steep this sucker until it opens up!

I didn’t use enough tea in my glass gongfu pot. Sadness! So while it’s still tasty, it’s weaker than it was last time and isn’t the expected thick liquid honey-like liquid.

6g is not enough for 200ml. Just FYI.

And eggplant bhartha is too strong to eat along side this tea as well. Even though it was delicious.

OMG.

It’s like I’m drinking honey.

Wow.

I just. No words.

(Edit: Here. Have some pictures.

http://instagram.com/p/zJRlMDx5D8
http://instagram.com/p/zJXcvZR5Nq )

I’m the first person to try this tea… hurray! My package says honey orchid.

It smells so good, sweet and floral. Honey does come out in the flavour, and a little clover (perhaps the orchid too.) Will have to try it again later.

My very first roasted oolong. I brewed this in what I call the "western electric kettle, single mug method’. It smells earthy, and a little smoky. The dry leaves have a more earthy scent. Iget a little chocolate in the flavour, but that’s more like dark chocolate or roast cacao beans. There is some of the roasty oolong flavour, but it’s more subtle.

Thanks to Chinese Tea Shop for letting me try this.

Backlogging this one. I drank it the other day with my notebook out. Thus review will be point-form based off of notes.

Tea was loose inside the dried orange. Could be scooped out easily, did not need to be broken up. Could definitely smell the orange and the tea. Earthy zest, reminiscent of Earl Grey but sweeter.

10 sec rinse, followed by 15 second first steep. Light gold. Mild, earthy taste. Zest in the smell, not in the taste. Dirty, sometimes with a hint of zest. I think I can taste the pith? Zest on the tip of the tongue, maybe, with sweetness. The puerh itself is not spectacular. Astringency at the back of the throat.

Second Steep, 15 seconds; much darker, though not black. Wet leaf is a bakey orange smell. Tea more like tobacco—very little zest. Dirt to tobacco. Stronger, bolder, almost savory. Zest might be coming through a bit as it cools.

Photos: http://artoftea.teatra.de/2013/07/18/dan-cong-iron-buddha-orange-puerh/

The dry smell isn’t strong, but subtle and smokey.

Did a quick rinse-brew.

First steep: Twenty seconds
Smells definitely smokey, although there are hints of a green, buddha oolong scent as well. Hard to explain. The deep, metallic scent I find they have.

It’s definitely green—definitely an iron buddha, anyhow, crisp, not as green as some oolongs. But there’s a strong smokey overtone that hits first before.

After a while, the smoke starts to taste almost sweet. Possibly a combination of the smoke and more mineral-butter-vegetal notes. Hmm.

I’m liking this a lot actually. I love smokey teas, but this is very different. In a good way. Not pure smoke. Subtle, smoke adding the right touch.

Second Steep: Twenty Seconds
Brewed darker than the first. Found this one more sharply smoky; the initial sips were sweet, but this has mostly faded.

Third Steep: Twenty Seconds
As I was brewing this steep, I got a distinct tobacco scent. Smoke seems to have dissipate in the taste, although there’s something akin to tobacco to replace it. Deeper notes. Not as green.

Fourth Steep: Twenty Seconds
Tobacco note is fading. Bit more like a new-styled iron buddha now.

Fifth Steep: Twenty Seconds
New day. Thought there were hints of smoke, but might have been mistaken. Starting to taste a bit spent, but still flavourful. See fourth steep.

Sixth Steep: Twenty Seconds
Still steeped a good colour, rather instantly, but the taste is a bit spent. Like steeping something a second time after the first steep was already three or four minutes long. Taste is still there, but most of the main notes have vanished.