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It’s the second black matcha I’ve tried. The first was a Darjeeling/Assam blend with a robust, almost chocolaty flavor with a wonderful texture. This reminded me of a mid-grade, CTC-cut Nilgiri on smell – bitter forefront that transitioned into a floral fragrance. The result after whisking was a thickly-frothed, even-brown liquor with a spectacular aroma. The true beauty of this was in the texture. If the drinker had no taste buds, they’d still find pleasure in the velvety/silky delivery.

Full Review: http://www.teaviews.com/2011/05/28/review-red-leaf-tea-black-matcha-organic/

On my way home from a job interview, I made a pit stop into The Jasmine Pearl HQ for a bowl of matcha. (Yes, that’s right. Most people stop by normal bars on the way home, I stop for tea. Shush.) While having my bowl o’ matcha, I was coaxed by the owners into trying one of their “bingcha” raw pu-erhs.

I…love…sheng pu-erh. This was an ‘06. Other than that, I don’t know much about it. I can tell you that it had a deep, winy, floral-fruity character on even the first thirty-second infusion…and didn’t deviate from that. While I only had three infusions, I’m more than certain it could’ve lasted more. I wanted to buy an ounce of it, but it wasn’t exactly in the budgetary cards. Next time…next time. Le yum.

I received this from a teashop up in Ontario after having announced (elatedly) that I finally tried Canadian icewine. The purveyor of said shop kindly sent me a sample of their white tea blended with icewine. What is there to say? Well…it lives up to its moniker. Other than not having as strong of a mead-sweet profile as actual icewine, it still does capture the taste. Sweet/sour white wine grape notes and Bai Mu Dan’s naturally grape-y lean compliment each other perfectly. The scenting (instead of flavoring) process lends itself to a more nuanced cup. The best form for this was as an iced tea. One could sweeten it, but it isn’t necessary.

Full Review: http://lazyliteratus.teatra.de/2011/06/08/i-swoon-for-icewine-tea/

Been awhile since I’ve done any Steepster-ing. Figured the best tea to break the hiatus would be a Shang Tea offering I almost completely forgot about. I looked at other reviews for this, and some complained it was too strong. I think part of that might be the brewing instructions. Shang recommended a 195F water temp and a one-to-two-minute steep. I did it for three minutes in 165F – a white tea typical. What I got was a subtly-scented, jasmine-kissed white with a nuanced and delicate flavor. I’m usually not a jasmine guy, but this more than made up for my bias against its type.

I’ve had sencha paired with cherry blossoms (yum!)…and green tea paired with cherry flavor (yuck). This one is part of the latter category, but distinctly reminds me of the former. The cherry flavor is loud and vibrant, but not overwhelmingly “fake” like some fruit-flavored teas. It also possessed a very nice and creamy aftertaste. A darn good sakura knock-off.

Full Review: New Review: http://www.teaviews.com/?p=28059

I had this in April, and I officially call that month “Ye Sheng” Month – simply for the fact that I tried three different teas from that wonderfully odd varietal of tea leaf. This white tea is wildharvested from an abandoned government farm, and the leaves yield the most exquisite, lemony notes of any white I’ve ever had. Didn’t think Silver Needle could be trumped…but it was…and hard.

Full Review Here: http://www.teaviews.com/2011/05/10/review-canton-tea-co-ye-sheng-wild-white-tea/

This was the third gin-infused/scented tea I’ve tried from Smith Teamaker’s in-house blender, Tony Tellin. The technique used was a different one; Mao Feng green tea was basted in gin for a period of time then re-dried. Or at least, that’s how I understood it. The result was a green tea with a very damp, deeply juniper berry scent. Taste-wise, it had more in common with a freshly-plucked, early spring Long Jing with a lemony/winy presence. Quite fantastic.

Full Write-Up Here: http://lazyliteratus.teatra.de/2011/05/04/mao-feng-gin/

This was hands down the most unique green tea I’ve come across in years. I’ve had aged pu-erhs, heard about aged oolongs (but never tried), and then comes this odd little beast. It has one of the most unique stories to tell. Heck, I found three Wikipedia articles on the stuff. Taste-wise, it definitely feels like an aged tea. Steeped four times, I had impressions of buttered veggies, vanilla, fruit, smoke, earth and mint. It’s not as winy as good sheng pu-erhs, but it’s still worth the unique experience.

Full Review: http://www.teaviews.com/2011/04/28/review-grand-tea-lui-an-basket-tea-2005/

This is a great tisane for a hot day. Mint rich from smell to sip and a smooth spicy lean to it as well. I’m not usually one for peppermint blends, but if they’re balanced out with other ingredients, I can put up with it. Didn’t think mint and spice could work so well together. Duly noted

Full Review: http://www.teaviews.com/2011/04/24/review-ducky-life-tea-susans-mint-medley/

Today, I ventured out to Smith HQ to try their Bai Hao Oolong. Why? I dunno, it was a craving. The last three (or so) I tried, I liked. And it was the one thing of Smith’s I didn’t remember having. One of the blenders also finally cleared up an confusion about Taiwanese/Chinese Bai Haos for me that I greatly appreciated. Taste-wise, it possessed a smooth front, no mineral/chalk consistency, and a subtle, yam-like sweetness to the body and finish. By golly, I liked this Bai Hao.