Mark B select Send Message

First introduced to this tea by Nuvola, I became an instant fan. At a value price, this incarnation by Teavivre carries over a lot of the same characteristics I shared in my tasting note on Nuvola’s tea:

http://steepster.com/markballou/posts/152203

I brewed the entire sample about 1 min, per the instructions, in my Finum at approximately 185ºF. Blew threw multiple infusions, much like I’d expect.

Differences to note that have me favoring Nuvola:

• Overall uniformity, quality and balance of leaf color somewhat inferior (see photo reference on Steepster. I think it’s pretty accurate)
• Tendency towards a dryer mouthfeel than Nuvola. Where Nuvola complimented, here it’s more pronounced overshadowing the complexities of this tea.
• Sweet notes are present, in line with Nuvola
• Bitter undertone noticeable, not all pleasant but fades after a few steepings

I don’t think my observations of this tea would be corrected by less tea or a shorter steeping time, as I feel I was fairly conservative. However, I did NOT do a rinse this time. I drink mostly green and honestly just forgot. Had I tried this tea before Nuvola, I wonder what I would have thought.

Either way it’s a good value versus the pricing at Nuvola, and now that I think about and read Teavivre’s online gaiwan brewing instructions, I could have gone with an even shorter brew time than was on their packaging. Wish their brew guide on the sample was the same as is on their web site. I might have had a more positive experience.

I’d encourage a sample of this tea, but I’m not as knocked out by it as I was by Nuvola. This is just a bit baser of an experience, while Nuvola more refined.

Again, I have to point out how much this tea reminds me of Verdant’s Golden Fleece.

Hmmm. Seems like the tail end of their harvest or something. Been ordering this all through 2012, but now into early 2013 I’m finding the tea less aesthetically pleasing. Bought about a 1/2 lb and found there’s more broken leaf, less uniform shape, etc.

Same great taste, less visual appeal.

A sample that came with my recent order of Longjing. I was curious what one of Teavivire’s most expensive greens tasted like. I was struck by the long spear-like vibrant green leaves, uncharacteristic in comparison to the other greens I’m used to.

Overall I’m pleased, but wasn’t knocked out. I initially steeped for about 30-45 seconds, and I’m imaging I should have let it be, but I was hoping for something more overt and allowed it to brew another 30-40 secs. I think that was a mistake. I ended up introducing a bitter note to what had been a smooth, lightly sweet, mellow vegetal, milky brightness. I think what I was hoping for would have been better corrected with more leaf and less time.

2nd stepping, I backed off and played it safe at about 40 secs.. Not quite enough flavor for me and I introduce a bit more steeping time (10-25 more secs). I’m playing on the edge of bitter, but I like where this tea is going. My tastebuds don’t appear to be so dialed in today, but I’m getting the continued sweet notes and a dry mouth feel. That bitter is just hanging there…. I’m not sure I’d make an investment, but if I had some more of this, I’d certain enjoy and afternoon of playing with quantity, steeping times and temps, getting to know it. But alas, it’s price and with my first impressions, I’m not inspired. But let’s see where this tea continues to go.

My 3rd steep and I think my impatience with this tea has stripped it of what it has to offer. Flavor is weak. There’s not much left to this. I’m tempted to request another sample next time I order from Teavivre.

This tea comes in a 5 gram sample, unlike most of their other teas which are usually 7 grams. I think they’re doing themselves a disservice. Brewing in a my little Finum, which is like a 5 oz cup, I think I would have had a better experience with 7 grams of tea. But then the nature of the size of these leaves would have made it difficult to fit them all and get an even steep.

I’m going for it with the 4th steep leaving it in for a solid 2 mins as recommended by Teavivre’s gaiwan instructions. There is certainly a long-lasting sweet aftertaste, bordering on saccharine. Even as I have abused this tea, there’s still a distinct vegetal smell. Bitter is gone, and surprisingly enough, I find this steep somewhat satisfying. What a weird little trip.

From a caffeine/theanine standpoint, I’m honestly a bit jacked from this tea. But then that might have been all the dark chocolate nibs I had earlier…. Or it might be that these leaves are considered more mature. Who knows. Interesting experiment overall, results inconclusive.

I don’t generally review a tea more than once. But the circumstances around this latest brew of one of my favorite Laoshan greens compelled me.

You can read my previous review of this tea to get a sense of how I steep it, as not much has changed. I still use a 2 part glass tea infuser with small slits in the inner glass brewing chamber, the only difference is I decanted into my Finum double wall cup. It’s just the perfect size for me. Somewhere along the line I transitioned from drinking tea like it was trucker coffee in 16+oz cups to going smaller and more refined. I do however still go down and dirty at work with a portable jar system, like the guys I saw on the train in China on a visit years ago. There’s something to the 1/2 day steep. I rarely will do that with my more temperamental teas, otherwise I feel like I’m throwing them away. Speaking of throwing them away. This is why I felt I needed to post today:

So I had a good solid nights sleep, woke to some of my Teavivre Organic Longjing and then went about my day. A few steepings of that tight Dragonwell, carried me through to the afternoon/early evening, when I was inspired to enjoy something different. Having slept so well, I wanted to take care with caffeine content late in the day. I didn’t t want to go into the week unrested. So I’m looking at my teas, and thinking maybe a black on a cooler evening… or maybe I’ll pull out a sample and give it a shot; all too caffeine unpredictable. I briefly consider an oolong, but then think maybe this Autumn Harvest Laoshan from last year would be nice. Kinda vegetal for a cool winter evening, but what the heck.

I’ve got it in a nice double-lidded tin that really seems to keep it fresh. I pop the lids and find to my dismay there’s really not much left, maybe 1/2 a cup of leaves. Tea’s meant for drinking though, right? So I consider my brewing options and decide to go with what I know works.

I grab a spoon to measure out a couple teaspoons. Somewhere between taking it out of the container and transferring to my brewing system I catch an edge, and a heaping teaspoon of my precious Laoshan Green gets dumped on the floor. And this is where I contemplate, “I can save this.”

Mind you I’d spent a good part of the day noticing how filthy my floor was, how the fur balls from my cats were rolling around the joint like tumbleweeds. I’d thought to myself, we really need to clean this place. With our work schedule, my wife and I had spoiled ourselves with occasional visits from a cleaning service. I was thinking, A) We both needed to clean up ourselves more (I never once judged my wife) or B) Occasional visits by our cleaning service needed to be more frequent.

But there I was looking down at a filthy kitchen floor, partially covered with dirty laundry piled neatly according to color & fabric type, wondering how much of this tea could be salvaged. It would take much longer than 3 seconds. I could possibly sift some of the dirty bath towels into the sink and get some fairly reasonable leaf, but the floor, not so much. Between the crumbs, dust and cat hair, not to mention whatever I couldn’t see, I had to accept this was a loss.

That’s the kind of tea this is. The kind of tea you’ll consider steeping off the floor. Need I say more?

Looking for something different today decided to switch it up with a white tea. Been sitting on this sample from Teavivre for some time. Brewed in my Finum and holding back a little on brewing times from what is suggested, this yielded a lovely golden color with an aroma similar to what I’ve come to expect from whites along with notes of hay, caramelized sugar & pine. Mildly sweet, ever so astringent with a dry mouth feel and a light tingling after-sensation, I’m not the most massive fan of whites, but I can appreciate them. Yielding nicely consistent multiple infusions, I’m pleased but not rushing to stock up.

Compelled to pick a word for this tea I’ll take “pure.” There is a purity to this that is remarkable. Fans of whites, in my opinion it’s worth taking note.

Nuvola supplied this wonderful tea as a free sample, no cost to me! Much appreciated.

One of two teas they sent, the other their Taiwan Green, this appealed to me the most. Usually I prefer greens over other teas, but this striking oolong satisfied.

Not knowing anything about Oriental Beauty Oolongs I was impressed by the multicolor leaves, noticing immediately the dry delicate white, green, yellow, red and brown tea. Even the packaging was first class for a sample, white vacuum sealed plastic that could be resealed with a built in zip-lock. I appreciated the attention to detail, though there was just enough tea for my Finum, and no need to reseal the package.

After a quick rinse, the 1st steeping was pleasant, yielding a lovely hue the color of red clover honey. Sweet notes were immediate, a light dry mouthfeel with the sent of wood and earth.

A 2nd steeping brought the color a bit deeper with pink tones and developed the sweetness, reminding me what a sin it would be to add anything to this tea. And how that sweet aftertaste lingers… exceptional. What a gift.

A 3rd steep (a bit longer) and I’d say none of the comments about floral and fruit notes are lost to me, but I would far from call this a “flowery” or “fruity” tea. It’s there, but a compliment if anything, nothing overwhelming. Such a nice balance. This tea keeps giving.

4th steep and onward. I give my wife a sip. “Is there sugar in this?” She asks. That gives you an idea of what we’re dealing with here. Maybe that’s why this tea gets such a positive response. But it’s not that simple. There’s more dimension here. I don’t pretend to be any descriptive genius, if anything I tend to be more at a loss for words, but what it comes down to is this tea satisfies me and I’m tempted to order more.

I’m reading about this tea online now, learning about the insect pests that are responsible for it’s qualities. I’m seeing pictures of how this tea should look, the characteristic small one bud and two leaves, the tiny insect bites, the ratio of colors and the preponderance of the fragile white leaves. From what I can tell with my untrained eye, it’s a win here. And damn if the 5th steep isn’t still giving.

6th steeping and I’m marveling how the color holds true, the slightly dry mouthfeel, the initial sweet taste and aftertaste. Significantly consistent. A hint of bitterness as I left it to steep for probably 3-4 minutes this time.

I’m still getting over a cold, so I’m afraid this tasting note is somewhat handicapped, but damn if I’m not having a full experience. Surprisingly enough, something about this illness has turned me off to greens. I’m gravitating to oolongs and blacks, maybe it’s the cooling nature of greens or the fact that my tastebuds are just to dialed-out to be able to appreciate the subtleties that greens offer. But then again darker teas also offer their own world of complexities. I’d be curious to know from a Chinese Medicine standpoint why I might crave darker teas while dealing with cold/flu symptoms.

A 7th steep and I’m leaving it in for quite a while, gauging everything on color. I’m now experiencing a pretty orange/red sunset of a glow from this late steep. Intriguing. The earth and wood is still there in smell. The sweet notes still playing. Honestly I’m not used to a tea giving so much this late into steeping. I’ve always thought that when people get 8-15 steeps out of a tea they’re really splitting hairs, but I’m not being subtle with my times here. These are good solid soakings.

I’m going to keep steeping until this thing gives up, but honestly my writing is tapped out. But as an afterthought, this has been a nice late afternoon, early evening tea leaving me neutral from a caffeine standpoint, neither jacked up, terribly alert or anything. What’s been most noticeable about this tea has been the wonderful olfactory, visual and incredibly palatable experience it’s offered, reminiscent in a way of blacks like Verdant’s Golden Fleece or Summit’s Yunnan Golden Buds.

Good on ya Nuvola.

Bought this on a steep (bahahah!) discount from Teavana this new year. Brewed pseudo-Gongfu style in my Finum.

First, I have a cold and feel crummy. I can’t smell much of anything and my tastebuds are somewhat compromised. I just wanted something a bit bolder that might break through all this crap. With that said, I’m not going to number rate this tea until I have a chance to revisit it when I’m feeling well.

I brewed this with just-boiled water, so I gather it was about 195-200ºF, a bit over what was recommended by Teavana. I did a quick rinse and then brewed only for about 2 mins, as the 3 min directions seemed excessive. I’d say I was right. A deep amber color, the tea came out quite bitter, but had a nice lingering aftertaste. Again, I’m pretty shredded from this cold, so what I got was a nice warming full-mouth feel sweet aftertaste that lingered over my palate. It invigorated my dull achiness and gave me some caffeinated life.

The 2nd infusion I rolled things back and went more traditional with a 30 sec steep. The things I liked about the 1st steep remained, but without the bitterness, replaced by a light dryness. I think I’m going to like this tea when I’m feeling better… Hey, I’m feeling better! That’s what I was hoping for with this tea and that’s what I got. Usually a green tea drinker, down deep I wanted something warming and invigorating, without being ridiculous. Check!

3rd infusion continues the theme, and I’m hoping when I do this tea again it will reflect subtle nuances. Had I not brewed the heck out of this on the first steep, I bet I could get 10+ infusions out of this stuff. But right now I’m going to end this review, keep steeping and keep feeling better!

I am absolutely in love with my HOT GLASS SYSTEM 130 ML / 5 OZ Double Wall Tea Glass with Permanent Filter and Hat. Purchased at Wing Hop Fung in Los Angeles’s China Town at nice discount, this is by far the best single serving method I have come across to prepare my fine Chinese teas. All the beauty and convenience of a double wall glass with the performance of a gaiwan. It’s simply genius in design and I can’t say more positive things about it. I was happy to see David at Verdant is carrying their filter system as part of his 2012 X-mas gift set. Good choice I say!

I like these infusers well enough. They’re fairly sturdy as glass infusers go. The bottom is perfectly flat though, which causes a bit of suction on most wet surfaces. I haven’t had this problem with other double-wall glass infusers like this, and I’ve owned quite a few. The upside is that this design makes them very stable.

I use both the small and large version, particularly with Longjing teas. I’ve begun using the smaller one more frequently in combination with my 5 oz Finum glass. Find they compliment each other very well, being a good size match when brewing and leaving a root.

Though not my favorite, I still end up buying these, as I can get them at a discount from my local tea shop, Wing Hop Fung. I break my glassware more often then I care to admit, so price and convenience is a consideration. The downside of buying from Wing Hop Fung is that it appears they often carry seconds, which usually translates into minor visual imperfection, or worse, the filter doesn’t fit properly and will push through. Often this can be corrected by bending the little tabs that help hold it in place, but better still is to just dig through all their boxes until you get one that’s in good shape.

If you find yourself in Los Angeles, it’d certainly be worth checking these out, especially if they’re having a sale! Otherwise, not being able to inspect them first, I’d be hesitant to order one online.

David at Verdant hit this spot on with his description. I followed his brewing instructions to a T and yielded wonderful results. Not much more I can offer that he didn’t clearly illustrate already. Just love this white.

Though different than other white I’ve tasted, this expresses a lot of Laoshan green qualities. A profoundly lingering honeysuckle-like sweetness remains between each sip, and hangs long after the cup is done. “Silky” indeed with a wonderfully soft mouthfeel. Not a huge fan of the aroma of the wet leaf, which is quite strong after that first steep. But it is true to other whites I’ve had in its subtle complexity. I don’t want to write anymore… this tea demands my attention and I’m fighting the urge to buy more.