676 Tasting Notes

99

My go-to tea right now and one I foresee becoming a perennial favorite. This isn’t just tea, it’s an experience – one I would describe as walking through a fresh meadow of flowers on a spring morning. It’s very versatile and forgiving to any steeping method. Different brewing times and temperatures reveal different qualities and flavors. Grandpa steeped, it brims with lovely florals, creamy vegetal tones, and a luscious aroma. When gongfued, it transforms into a high mountain tea with a richer, full-bodied flavor and that distinctive gao shan aftertaste. Other times, it can resemble a light TGY. Personally, I think continuous steeping gives the best flavor and is economical to boot.

I’m impressed by its longevity. I get 4-5 awesome steeps from just a smattering of leaves in a tall glass. To me that speaks volumes about its quality of the tea and makes the price point more palatable.

I can’t help but compare this to the other competition-grade bao zhong I tried from Taiwan Tea Crafts. That too was an excellent tea but to me BTT’s has a more complex and ethereal flavor. Then again, the other one is a spring harvest so it’s probably not a fair comparison.

Flavors: Flowers, Gardenias, Orchid, Rainforest, Sweet, Warm Grass

Preparation
190 °F / 87 °C 3 min, 0 sec 2 tsp 10 OZ / 295 ML
Zennenn

I’ve never done continuous steeping successfully but I want to try it again after reading your review! With this tea of course. :]

Daylon R Thomas

How does it compare to the main stock on BTTC? That one was too vegetal for me personally, but I’ve really enjoyed Baozhong’s from the past especially in coconout/pineapple blends.

LuckyMe

@Zennenn – try using slightly lower temp initially and refilling with boiling water when its 1/3 full. works for me with most teas

@Daylon – never tried their regular bao zhong, but this one is more floral and buttery

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57

If I had to describe this tea in one word, it would be broccoli. That’s literally what it tastes and smells like. It’s very strange, I honestly don’t think I’ve ever encountered a tea with such a strong vegetal flavor before. I’ve experimented with temperature and strength, but no matter what it always ends up tasting like a cup of boiled broccoli. What makes it all the more unusual is this is Yuuki-Cha’s highest grade of matcha yet tastes very different than their other less expensive matchas which are actually pretty good.

Despite the flavor, all is not lost because this still works in matcha lattes. It has a vibrant green color and whisks up thick and frothy. There’s none of the bitterness that you find in low quality matcha either. It’s just not something I can drink straight.

Flavors: Broccoli, Vegetal

Preparation
165 °F / 73 °C

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88

Backlog.

One of the more interesting BTT oolongs, I enjoyed how the flavor evolves from steep to steep. The tea starts off vegetal and flowery with a light body and clean taste. A wonderful orchid and honeysuckle aroma wafts up from the gaiwan. A pear like fruitiness develops in the second steep growing stronger as steeps progress, followed by a lingering floral aftertaste. Lots of sweet notes and an occasional hint of tropical coconut. Around the fourth steep, the mouthfeel becomes thicker and more minerality comes into play but it loses some complexity.

To me, this tea straddles the fence between light and high mountain oolongs. Earlier steeps are lighter, and closer to low-oxidized oolongs in taste and goes on to become fuller and more viscous later. Just an all-around wonderful tea and a keeper for sure!

Flavors: Coconut, Flowers, Fruity, Pear, Sweet

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 0 min, 45 sec 3 g 3 OZ / 100 ML

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85

Thanks to Stephanie for letting me sample this tea. I was feeling under the weather last week and reached for this to soothe my sore throat and cold. Although my tastebuds were a little wonky from being sick, I found it quite enjoyable and vastly prefer it to run-of-the-mill medicinal teas.

This tea is herbaceous and spicy, both in taste and smell with a hint of mintiness. The herbaceousness dominants the first steep but remains pleasant, never medicinal. A mellow ginger flavor accents the tea and gives a nice peppery finish. The second steep was even better. Lemony, less spicy and slightly sweet. I didn’t detect the rose or goji berries though that’s probably because I didn’t scoop any in my tea spoon.

This is a great tasting tisane whether or not you’re sick. I think it will appeal to people who don’t like herbals. Really wish Verdant still carried this tea.

Flavors: Ginger, Herbaceous, Mint, Peppercorn, Spicy

Preparation
Boiling 3 min, 0 sec 1 tsp 5 OZ / 150 ML

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78
drank Lishan Oolong by Tea Ave
676 tasting notes

Backlog.

Thanks to Tea Ave for providing a sample of this tea. The dry leaf has a fantastic sweet floral aroma that’s heightened after steeping. The first infusion is vegetal with bitterness masking the high mountain flavor. Some sweetness and mineral notes start to emerge with the second steep. The tea really begins to unveil its flavor with the 3rd and 4th steeps. Most of the bitterness has faded and the tea develops a thicker mouthfeel. Nice balance of nectary sweetness and vegetal. There is some honeysuckle although the floral aroma doesn’t really come through in flavor. Not a whole lot of complexity but enjoyable nonetheless. By the fifth steep the bitterness is gone as the tea transitions to a smooth, well rounded flavor with a hint of citrus. A seaweed flavor greeted me on the sixth steep signaling the tea had reached the end.

Overall impressions – an enjoyable everyday jade oolong with more of a vegetal character and wonderful aroma.

Flavors: Bitter, Floral, Nectar, Vegetal

Preparation
195 °F / 90 °C 0 min, 45 sec 3 g 3 OZ / 100 ML

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91

Another stellar oolong from BTT. I am surprised at how good it is considering this is a budget tea.

Steeped grandpa style, it bears a resemblance to bao zhong – flowery, light bodied, and very fragrant. Gongfu style though is where it really shows off its flavor. First steep bursts with lilac and gardenia and an unexpected sugarcane like sweetness. Intense floral aroma and honeyed notes. As the steeps progress, the sweetness subsides, a subtle milkiness sets in and it develops a slightly thicker mouth feel. The florals continue to get stronger leaving behind a lingering orange blossom like aftertaste.

Really enjoyable and miles above the four seasons oolongs you’ll find elsewhere. A great daily drinker at this price point.

Flavors: Flowers, Honey, Sugarcane

Preparation
190 °F / 87 °C 0 min, 45 sec 3 g 3 OZ / 100 ML

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58
drank Ginger Lily Oolong by Tea Ave
676 tasting notes

If I could sum up this tea in one word, it would be bland. The flavor is neither bad nor good it’s just missing. Seriously, it tastes like you’re drinking hot water. I tried brewing it western style and gong fu to no avail. Western style does however gives a glimpse of what this tea wants to be. There is a faint gingerbread-y, cinnamon-y flavor that reminds me of speculoos cookies. I just wish this flavor were stronger. There isn’t much actual ginger flavor though, nor does the jin xuan come through. Pretty forgettable and my least favorite tea of the TeaAve samplers.

Flavors: Cookie, Ginger, Spices

Preparation
190 °F / 87 °C 4 min, 0 sec 1 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML
Teaave

Thanks for sharing your Ginger Lily experience, it is too bad that you did not enjoy this tea. Each person has a different palate, and hopefully there was something you enjoyed among the sampler. Please feel free to send us an email and let us know if there’s anything we can do to improve your Tea Ave experience.

Cheers,

Heidi

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90

Silver needle is supposed to be the crown jewel of white tea, but I’ve grown rather fond of its less expensive cousin white peony. It’s not as elegant at the silver needle with its broken up leaves and humble appearance. But what Bai Mu Dan lacks in visual appeal it makes up for with taste.

This tea has a pretty typical white tea smell of corn and hay. Steeped, it has a crisp sweet corn flavor and a gentle note of hay at the end. The liquor itself is almost colorless and very sweet. It’s delicate yet is full bodied. The later steep gives cooling cucumber, corn, and dry straw flavors which are tamer than in silver needle. There is no bitterness here whatsoever. I do however recommend keeping the steep temperature low as high temps result in a strong hay flavor.

Overall, a very sweet, clean tasting, and refreshing white tea that’s surprisingly full-flavored.

Flavors: Corn Husk, Cucumber, Hay, Sweet

Preparation
160 °F / 71 °C 1 min, 0 sec 1 tsp 5 OZ / 147 ML
Rasseru

I love bai mu dan! Ive got a big bag of quite old stuff, i wonder what the shelf life is like and if I should buy some fresh this year, smaller batches

Rasseru

its over a year old now

LuckyMe

White teas can be aged if stored properly. My silver needle tea is a year old but it still smells and tastes great.

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99

I’ve never understood the fuss about dong ding. I know its a prestigious tea and all, but none of the ones I tried ever made an impression on me. So when I received a sample of this tea with my recent BTT order, I kind of groaned. My cupboard already had two other dong dings which I practically have to force myself to drink.

But when I opened the envelope and took a whiff, I knew this tea was going to be different. Unlike dong dings of past, this one was unroasted and had a sweet floral fragrance. The flavor is true to the aroma. This is such a flower packed tea. Wet leaf smells like hyacinth in full bloom. There is honeysuckle and lilac at the beginning of the sip and a strong osmanthus note as it goes down. The floral overtones are harmoniously balanced by a sweet nectar goodness, which Daylon Thomas correctly describes as tropical fruit. I’m impressed by how natural the tea’s floral tones are.

And boy does it have staying power. It held up admirably through 8 steeps with minimal loss of flavor. Even though I steeped it at high temperatures there was no bitterness whatsoever. Just a tangy lip smacking sweetness that lingers in the mouth.

As someone that regularly drinks jade oolongs, the distinction between them can sometimes become blurred. This one really sets itself apart with its unreal flavor. Thanks to Paul at BTT for an awesome sample!

Flavors: Flowers, Honeysuckle, Nectar, Osmanthus, Sweet

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 0 min, 45 sec 3 g 100 OZ / 2957 ML
Rasseru

Sounds like I need to try some of this, I am the same and never took to dong ding from the ones I have tried.

Rasseru

is it full leaf or are the edges trimmed off like in modern tieguanyin?

Rasseru

and has a lot of branches?

LuckyMe

Yup, green dong ding tastes like a totally different tea. Roasting seems to strip much of its flavor.

This tea has whole, full leaves. Didn’t examine the branches but there didn’t seem to be any more than usual.

Daylon R Thomas

Plus the leaves are pretty big.

yyz

Oh yum.

Daylon R Thomas

Have you tried this one grandpa, LuckyMe? I’m considering it for my tumbler if I am to get more.

LuckyMe

Would love to try it grandpa style but unfortunate I got a bad batch and had it throw it out. :-(

Daylon R Thomas

Man that sucks! Was it from a previous harvest?

LuckyMe

You might want to hold off if you’re thinking of ordering this tea. I just bought some again during their Chinese New Year sale and for a second time, the tea was stale. This was the Winter 2016 harvest. Thankfully, BTTC was very good about refunding me.

Seems there could be a problem at the farm that supplies them. I’d wait until they can sort out the issue.

Daylon R Thomas

Thanks for telling me. I had a gut feeling about it and was glad I went with another option for some Gaoshan.

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94
drank Chamomile Medley by Rishi Tea
676 tasting notes

This remains my favorite chamomile blend of all time. It’s an easy to drink tea that will win over even chamomile haters. This tea is full of bright herbaceous flavor and citrus in perfect harmony with high quality chamomile flowers. There’s a natural sweetness and lingering spearmint aftertaste. The second steep (add 1 minute) is good too.

This is a great steeping stone to straight chamomile and excellent night time tea.

Flavors: Citrusy, Herbaceous, Mint

Preparation
Boiling 5 min, 0 sec 1 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML

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Profile

Bio

My Rating Criteria:

95 to 100: Top shelf stuff. Loved this tea and highly recommend it

90 to 94: Excellent. Enjoyed this tea and would likely repurchase

80 to 89: Good but not great. I liked it though it may be lacking in some aspects. I’ll finish it but probably won’t buy again

70 to 79: Average at best. Not terrible but wouldn’t willingly drink again

60 to 69: Sub-par. Low quality tea, barely palatable

59 and below: Bleh

Fell into tea many years ago and for a long time my experience was limited to Japanese greens and flavored Teavana teas. My tea epiphany happened when I discovered jade oolongs. That was my gateway drug to the world of high quality tea and teaware.

For the most part, I drink straight tea but do appreciate a good flavored tea on occasion. I love fresh green and floral flavors and as such, green tea and Taiwanese oolongs will always have a place in my cupboard. After avoiding black tea forever, Chinese blacks have started to grow on me. I’m less enthusiastic about puerh though. I also enjoy white tea and tisanes but reach for them less frequently.

Other non-tea interests include: cooking, reading, nature, philosophy, MMA, traveling when I can, and of course putzing around on the interwebs.

IG: https://www.instagram.com/melucky

Location

around Chicago

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