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Farewell, Long Lan Xu. Going well with a lunch of red lentil soup :D

A nice Nepali black, though I’m having difficulty bringing out its full potential. A lower temperature than normal for black teas – 185F – seems to do it well.

Sweet and nutty nose of chocolate-covered peanuts. It’s darker in tone than the Annapurna Black Beauty. Astringent but smooth. Not particularly sweet; rather, it’s malty-nutty-earthy and tangy with rounded flavors and a touch of cream. I like this as a post-breakfast tea to cut grease but it’s not so bold that I could enjoy it with a meal.

Thanks for sharing, Martin!

In other news, it’s hella storming and a section of our front fence was destroyed early this morning by a fallen power pole in the corner of our yard. It missed my neighbor’s truck parked on the street by about 6 inches. Lucky guy!

Also, I’ve pretty much adopted one of the semi-feral backyard cats since Sophia passed last year. She’s a small grey and white firecracker of sweetness. President of the Itty Bitty Kitty Committee. Responds to “Dora”. She’s a ratter and a bugger and also sadly a birder — Kiki said she brought in a hummingbird the other day. But I love her so.

I wish I could’ve gotten this Nepali black tea to work for me since Martin esteems it highly.

It’s a very high-pitched aroma tea for me with lots of red berry and citrus; deeper notes of malt, leather and cocoa. The taste is less sharp but still tangy-citrusy and malty, also salty and peanutty. Overall, rather tonal. I love that it makes my mouth water but a soapy aftertaste kind of kills it for me.

Thanks, Martin! On to the next Nepali black :)

I’ve had one first flush Darjeeling white from Ketlee which was freaking fantastic and I’ve always wanted more of that tea. Thanks to Martin, I’m able to try a second flush from a different estate.

Oh heck yeah! I’ve recently given up booze – any amount, any kind – since it’s not complementing this stage in life. That makes me sad because I love red wine and Fernet Branca bitters (what a weirdo) and the occasional beer. Here, I get a tea that’s almost like a cross between white wine and a mild pale ale without any yeasty flavor or, obviously, carbonation. It’s complex and engaging but it doesn’t need to be analyzed. There’s just so much going on – all parts in harmony, mind you – that I’m having fun picking out notes. Pine sap and spices, mineral, clear fruity aftertaste, clean. Two excellent steeps, then top off the brewing jar with water and into the fridge overnight to extract everything.

This is such a great tea and a reminder that I need to get a Darjeeling white when I start serious buying again.

Thank you, Martin!

While this was a small sample-from-a-sample, just 2.5g of leaf gave me a clear picture of this tea. It’s indestructible — boiling water and long steeps do no harm. It tastes so much like an oxidized and aging Fujian white that if I hadn’t known this was grown in the Netherlands (assuming, since there’s no description for the tea), I’d be none the wiser. Darker character, sweet and dry but not drying, this is a pure expression of Camellia sinensis. Very neat!

Thanks so much for my first Dutch tea, Martin!!

Bought a 1-serving sample several years ago to give Vesper Chan puerh a try.

Right now, it’s a little too brassy for me, but I can feel a steady strength to this leaf that might indicate an ability to age into something very nice. For a young pressing, it’s also very balanced.

Two nights in a row of 2013 Chen Sheng Hao Na Ka sheng — from mrmopar 5 years ago? Hope you’re well tea friend.

Plastic baggie California storage ain’t no thing to this tea. Champ leaf. Roasted barley nose. Starts moderately date-sweet, then quickly moves astringent with the second cup. That softens with the next 8 or so steeps as cactus bitters prickle my tastebuds. Bittersweet throat. Ends gently sweet with the long steeps. The sheng that end sweet make it feel like a complete experience. Only issue is it’s a bit thin some pours.

This had been humid-stored before it landed in my cupboard. Wet, decaying wood and some rain-filled ashtray notes. Sounds notsogood, but if you know what you’re getting into, it might be a welcome flavor. This tea, both evenings, has paired well with laying down in bed :)

Like sugar sweetness on the nose, orchids. Clean taste reminds of bamboo with a hint of lemon acidity. Very soft asparagus vegetal nuance. Brothy, silky. Delicate macerated peach finish leads into mouthwatering. The peach carries through on a breeze into the aftertaste. A stunning tea! In ways, it is very similar to another Anji baicha I’ve tried though this one is more to my preferences. It’s like mid-spring. Freshness and youth and clear skies.

I prepared it a few times western with high temp water, but this last probably 1.5g I brewed in a 200?mL cup with 185F. It sure is shining during a night of heavy rain.

Thank you for sharing, Martin!

Looks like maybe the formula has changed since Roswell Strange reviewed Enlighten Mint 9 years ago. It has peppermint instead of spearmint now. I do wonder if spearmint is part of the ‘natural flavors’, though.

I like this one better than Tropical Uprising. In general, this is mostly sweet with a grassy-earthy base note and a cool, mild generic mint taste without any menthol feel.

Certainly not the most forward yancha. This tea is not about tasting notes. I can’t even describe it besides heavenly and gently medicinal. If it had a bit longer aftertaste, this would be a 100 for me. Glad I drank the rinse as the first cup.

The Essence of tea said it best: “…a tea that is clear to drink, pure taste, with good thickness and minerality.”