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This one gave me a wonderful surprise toward the end that I hope repeats on subsequent tries. I used a gaiwan 1Tbsp/190°/30/60/90. The dry nose had a bit of fresh mown grass to it, but the first wet odor struck me as seaweed, but also lightly toasted, and with something sweet in the background (raisins maybe? or apricot?). The brew was very pale (did I understeep?), just barely sweet, and with a soft lingering finish. Second steep was slightly darker, not sweet and just a bit tannic, but still has some apricot in there somewhere. The final steep threw me for a loop when I came over a bit lemony. No idea where that came from, but it sure was nice.

I’m glad I ordered a full ounce of this and probably should have gotten more since my son has decided that he favors it too (here’s hoping he doesn’t swipe it when he heads back to college next week). The dry leaves had malt overtones, which came out even more in the brew. There were also floral notes, some smoke, and, oddly, I thought I detected a certain saltiness in the aftertaste. I’ll have to brew it again to see if I was imagining that. Next time will be in a gaiwan because I think this will reveal very different characteristics over several shorter steeps. Really lovely soft mouth feel and an all-around fine tea.

I’ve fallen way behind on posting tasting notes, so I’ll dash off a few now, then I’m out of commission through the weekend while I ride the Pan-Mass Challenge (almost 200 miles in two days with all of the money raised going to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute – count me in!).

I’d heard so much about this one from other Steepsters that I had to try it, and I’m not sorry I did. The first steep gave me a lovely toastiness and breadiness in the foreground with a kind of minty fresh sense when I inhaled after a sip. The dark caramel color was particularly attractive. The leaves were more unfurled at the second steep, which is what probably gave me the richer mouth feel and the still-toasty flavor. In my third and final steep (of this round), the flavors are starting to fade a bit, but it’s still roasty-toasty and fun. Jabberwocky is a keeper for sure.

This tea is…whoa…it’s, wow, um, just really remarkable stuff. From the first sip it… no wait, first I sniffed the wet leaves and, what IS that lovely scent? I can’t quite place it. Wait, is that…miso? Whooooa, what’s THAT doing in my cup of tea?

I followed Whispering Pines’ suggested brew: 1 tbsp/8 ounces/190ºF for 3 minutes/5 minutes/8 minutes. There was cedar, there was honey, there was nut of some kind (cashews? pecans?). And I gotta tell you, this gave me quite a lift (which is just what I needed coming home from a long day of work). I didn’t notice additional tastes coming out at each steep, but they didn’t really go away either. Good, as they say, to the last drop. Yup, glad I got an ounce of this. It’s going to be a regular brew.

SUCH a good example of the goddess of teas. The dry leaves are tightly curled and wrinkly, with a lovely combination of dark to almost fluorescent green hues. I followed Teavivre’s steeping recommendations in a gaiwan: 7 gm, 5 sec rinse, then 25/35/45/55 sec steeps. The wet leaves smelled of seaweed and the pale yellow liquor was smooth and slightly sweet (honeysuckle?) at the first steep, getting a bit sweeter for the next several steeps. It seemed to level off in flavor and sweetness after the first three steeps, which means it continued yummy all the way through. A lovely tea.

I got this as a freebie with a Tea Trekker order and was looking forward to it since Golden Monkey is one of my favorite varieties. I was kind of disappointed. It was a rather thin brew with none of the nuttiness or slight fruit sweetness that I have come to expect from the monkey. I’ll try the rest in a gaiwan and see if that helps focus the flavors, but I’m not optimistic.

Wow, I LIKE this. I’m a big fan of keemuns and this one is so nice. It seemed to change character a lot as it cooled in the cup. The first sip was surprisingly astringent, but that quickly gave way to lovely maltiness with a subtle sweet note. Subsequent tastes got almost chocolate-like, and through to the bottom, it has a wonderfully full and soft mouth feel.

Now, here’s the thing: the second steep was almost completely flat. Maybe a tiny bit of malt, but really, it was almost like drinking hot colored water. Weird. This is a keeper for me, but I’ll have to remember that it’s a one-cup wonder.

This came as a free sample in my last order from Upton. I needed a strong cuppa when I got home from work yesterday and thought, sure, I’ll give this a try. “Strong cuppa” indeed! The dry nose was somewhat smoky with maybe a touch of malt, but the wet aroma (I like to stick my nose way down deep in the leaves) was strangely flat. The brew was very smooth and full, with a somewhat coffee-y touch and minimal tannins. I found no hidden flavors or much aftertaste. It just is what it is: strong black tea. Note to the caffeine-conscious: this one packs a wallop. Perhaps next time, if there is a next time, I’ll add a spot of milk to see if that brings out some of the malt. I’m in no rush to try this one again.

This, like most Ceylon teas, just doesn’t do it for me. I carefully followed Upton’s brewing directions (1 tsp/3 min/212°) and came out with a tea that was mildly tannic, mild all around, and with no aftertaste to keep me interested. Even sticking my nose deep into the gloopy mass of freshly steeped leaves didn’t give me much of an impression. Nope, I’ll pass on this one. Perhaps it has redeeming qualities, but I’m not finding them. Might a bit of milk help?