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Edit: I doubt that the odd flavor was Pekko’s fault, it probably absorbed the scent from something else during its voyage across the pond; so I’m giving this a 70 as not to change the “Steepster Rating”

This tea is… Interesting…

Dry leaves: I opened up the bag and noticed a familiar smell that I couldn’t quite identify. The leaves are small, curly, and soft, and have a nice olive and white coloration.

Brewing: The leaves unfurled to reveal small young buds, and the liquer is a pleasant light yellow. While steeping it, I again smelled that smell that I couldn’t quite place.

Tasting: As I brought the cup to my lips, my brain cried out “TABASCO SAUCE!” for that is exactly the smell I had been thinking of. Confused, I took a sip and experienced a nice, light throat sensation and found a pleasantly bitter taste with notes of pine and melon… and, well, Tabasco sauce (not the spicyness, just the flavor)…

I’m now on the third steep, and still confused. The taste certainly isn’t unpleasant; in fact its growing on me, but I can’t seem to shake off the feeling that I’m drinking some very mild Tabasco.

For the benefit of my sanity, I may have to send some samples to someone o_0

This is a really interesting tea, pretty much unlike anything I’ve had

Dry leaves: Feel super feel super fresh and soft. They have a pineapple top shape and white, velvety skin.

Brewing: The leaves expand just a little bit, but retain their shape. The tea is the lightest colored brew I’ve seen, almost like water.

Taste: Very light with no bitterness at all. Hints of honeysuckle, green peppercorn, and fresh-cut leaves over an underlying note of fresh hay. This tea reminds me slightly of rosewater, and has a unique combination of fresh, earthy, and floral flavors.

Reminds me of: Trimming a gardenia bush on an damp, overcast day

Received my Yunnan Sourcing order today!
The teas smell great, but sadly the lid of the gaiwan I ordered was cracked despite some really intense bubble-wraping :(

Dry Leaves: Really lovely shiny golden buds with some black mixed in. They have a velvety feel, and are very soft and fresh feeling compared to other blacks I’ve had.

Brewing: They produce a gold-brown colored tea with a honey-like aroma. The leaves are almost all whole, and unfold to look like small needles of milk chocolate or fine leather.

Tasting: The first thing in noticed when drinking this tea was the powerful throat sensation. Definitely the strongest I’ve experienced. A typical Yunnan gold flavor with hints of sugar cane, spice, and I wouldn’t have thought of it, but as the description mentions, whiskey :)

It held out well for two steeps in my 12oz pot, and made a slightly weaker but still quite nice third steeping.

Reminds me of: Fancy hotels? Not sure why, its just the image this tea brings up for me :)

Got this as a sample from Mandala with a teapot I ordered

This is pretty darn good! Similar to dragonwell, which usually isn’t my favorite, but I really enjoyed this tea. It has a nice nutty taste, more like macadamia than chestnut, which lingers for quite a while and gives a strong, pleasant tingling at the back of the throat. Its smoother than a dragonwell, kind of like a light oxidation oolong.

The leaves are nicely pressed and unbroken, and open up fully when brewing. This is a very light colored green tea, almost looks like a white or yellow.

The pot I ordered is very cute and has a nice pour, however the lid doesn’t seem to fit quite right, which is a little disappointing. It looks like the body of the pot was slightly warped during production, leaving the hole that the lid sits on slightly oval shaped, so it wont quite fit. Its a nice small pot though, and the lid trouble wont keep me from using it.

Thank you, Nuvola teas, for this amazing sample!

Dry leaves: Opening the package I was hit with a very fresh, grassy smell, a lot like a good sencha, but with hints of fir. The rolled leaves have a lustrous, dark jade color and vary in size from gunpowder to larger than your pinky tip.

Brewing: The brew first turned to a mellow, light jade-green color and began to develop a slight golden hue as it approached readiness.

Wet leaves: While brewing, the leaves underwent the largest expansion I’ve seen! Each tight pellet turned to a large leaf or set of leaves on a broad, golden stem.

Tasting: The first steeping tasted very fresh; full and grassy but still remarkably smooth. Hints of fur, morning dew, and a slight whiff of wildflowers. It also had a subtly milky flavor and texture reminiscent of a milk oolong, and a very slight but pleasant resin-like astringency.

The second steep took on a more golden color and developed a natural honeysuckle sweetness. It was not as “fresh” of a taste as the first steeping, but more of a milky smoothness and was equally, if not more, enjoyable. It held out well for third and forth steepings, which developed subtle fruit noted of grapefruit and lychee.

Summary: A very relaxing oolong with a very smooth and fresh palate, similar in many ways to a milk oolong, but with high mountain tastes. I don’t think I could have possibly enjoyed it more. :)

Reminds me of: An early spring morning in the mountains of North Carolina (or perhaps the mountains of Taiwan, had I ever been there) :)

This pu’erh had very deep, chocolaty flavors with hints of mushroom and a rich, velvety mouthfeel. Reminiscent of a deep, mellow red wine.

Overall I think this was my favorite :)

This pu’erh was bolder in flavor and darker in color than the other samples. It also had considerably more of that pu’erh sweetness to it, and despite being bold it was still mellow. It had strong wood notes of cedar and oak, and also had a distinct “wild mushroom” flavor to it.

Overall I think seemed to be the finest and highest quality of the pu’erhs Mr. Mopar sent me

Deep burgundy color. The flavor is smooth and earthy with a medium body and has slight cedar, cocoa, and coffee flavors upfront, and ends with lighter citrus and hay notes, followed by a run-on sentence. :)