Izu Matcha from Dragonwater

Scent in package: not really discernable
Brewed in: matcha bowl
Steeped: N/A
Cup: Matcha bowl

I ordered this at the same time as the Samurai matcha, thinking I would compare them side by side. I haven’t done that yet. All in all though, I’m quite pleased with this matcha too, and the price is much more reasonable for daily drinking.

I sort of expected this “lower grade” matcha to be bitter and thin. It’s not though – and I used the same amount of powder that I always do (about ¼ to 1/3 teaspoon to 1/3 bowl of water). I was pleasantly surprised at the consistency – not watery at all, and the taste, which is milder than the others (including the Harney & Son’s), but still very pleasant, without any bitterness.
It doesn’t have quite the frothiness when whipped as the Samurai matcha does, but that’s okay, I’m not drinking it for the froth. Overall, I’m very pleased with the taste and texture, and the price is a low $6.00 per ounce, much easier to “swallow”, so to speak.

I’ll still be trying matcha from other vendors, but this will probably become my “staple” as far as daily matcha goes unless I find something comparable in price and taste. Excellent brew, and mild enough that I’d recommend it for new matcha drinkers, as it’s not as “harsh” or bitter as some of the more expensive matcha out there.

Samurai Matcha from Dragonwater

Scent in package, light, “green” scent
Brewed in: matcha bowl
Steeped: n/a
Cup: matcha bowl

This matcha can hereby be known as “allovermyfloor” matcha. Am I seriously the only one who has ever dropped a package of matcha powder? Yes, I felt stupid, and I still have bright green powder on my black work shoes and pants to prove it. At least I’m wearing a green shirt today…

In any case, it’s hard to review Matcha. The taste differences are subtle, and difficult to describe (to my mind). But this particular matcha from Dragonwater is very good – better than the slightly more bitter brew I got from Harney & Son’s. It’s not as bright a green color (though it does stand out nicely on black), but the taste is richer, sweeter, and more “rounded”, if that makes any sense. The powder itself is also very smooth, which is quite noticeable when a person is too lazy to sift it before mixing (such as myself).

I’m quite enjoying it for my noon cup this week, and I’d certainly order it again. It is $15.00 for 1oz., which isn’t unheard of, but it is a bit more than I’d like to spend for a daily cup. I’ll keep looking, but this is definitely worth having on hand for a treat.

More matcha and pictures on Friday...

Kokeicha from Dragonwater

Scent in package: light “alfalpha green” scent
Brewed in: unbleached filter bag
Steeped: 1 min. 30s @ steaming
Cup: Café mug

Imagine you have a small ball of dark green dough in your hands. Now imagine pressing that dough through a piece of wire mesh, and having tiny square strings dangling down. If you cut those strings into small pieces, you have something that very closely resembles this tea, made from extruded matcha paste. Intrigued by the whole idea, I ordered a sample to try.

When I opened the package to smell, I was surprised. Somehow, I expected it to smell grassier, like matcha. But it smelled more like a wild field instead, and the scent is fairly light. The directions say to brew it for 1 minute, but that just didn’t seem long enough to me, so I left it for 30 seconds longer. The brew is a very light golden yellow, much as one would expect of a light oolong, or light green tea.

The brew has a very nice fragrance, green and “nutty” at the same time. The taste…well…the taste is superb, like a darker, more rounded Kukicha (one of my favorite Japanese greens). It’s very sweet, and very thick in the mouth, with warm, nutty notes encased in a very creamy, buttery shell (not the *taste* of butter, just that creamy smooth mouth feel). Like crisp-steamed buttered asparagus. I enjoyed it very much, and it seemed to pick me up a bit on this long afternoon at my desk. The aftertaste is like what you get after eating homemade ice cream - buttery and sweet on your gums...very good.

I don’t know about you, but my first inclination with extruded dough shapes is to squish them (I can’t help it!). So I had to see if these little tea-paste bits would smush, and they did, quite easily in the filter bag, creating a paste (that I assume is the original starting point for the mix). I have no idea if it would brew another satisfying cup in that form, but I don’t see why not, and I do intend to try it sometime.

In any case, I most heartily suggest that anyone who likes sweet green or darker white teas run out and buy some kokeicha to try. It’s most satisfying, rich, creamy, and simply delightful to drink. You won’t regret this purchase – I’ll be buying a full package soon.

Keemun Panda #1 from Dragonwater

Scent in package: Lightly fruity, with hints of chocolate
Brewed in: unbleached filter bag
Steeped: 5 min. @ boiling (spring water)
Cup: Café mug

I meant to have this up yesterday, but work got in the way. Now that we finally have DSL service at home though, I can start posting from there, which will make things much easier. This week is “Dragonwater Week”, since I just received an order from the company, so some interesting things to delve into.

According to the label, this tea is “matchless”, with “a flavor that almost sings”. Who could resist that description? I was a little surprised at the lack of strong fragrance when I opened the bag, but it was still quite lovely, fruity with chocolate undertones, even though it tried to hide from my oh-so-keen sense of smell. The leaves are typical Keemun, small, dark and twisted, and they brew up into a dark golden red liquor that is also very lightly scented.

The smell of the brew is almost fruity mixed with malty, reminding me of a darjeeling at first. There is definitely a muscatel taste to this tea, and it blends in a most fascinating manner with the more typical chocolate undertones as it slides over the tongue. It’s very slightly bitter, with a hint of dryness, but try as I might, I can’t seem to get past the fruit notes to anything deeper. The viscosity seems okay at first, but then it’s almost like the tea and water are separate entities in the cup, competing with each other rather than fusing.

Needless to say, this cup didn’t “sing” to me. Honestly, it barely whispered, and I’m quite fond of Keemuns, so it was rather disappointing. I was glad I only ordered the sample size (1/2 oz.). It’s not “bad”…it’s just flat, and uninteresting, and there are many other keemuns out there that I’d prefer to drink.

Those who tend more toward darjeelings might enjoy this tea, I think.

Black Strawberry from Dragonwater

Scent in package: yummy, like fresh strawberries
Brewed in: unbleached filter bag
Steeped: 4 min@212 degrees
Cup: Café Mug

I know, odd to be drinking strawberry flavored anything in December, isn’t it? But it sounded good, and the smell reminds me of strawberry shortcake – which makes my mouth water! The dry blend really looks quite good too, comprised of black tea leaves, strawberry leaves, and bits of real strawberries. Very enticing, to me at least.

The brew itself is a golden brown, with a reddish cast that nods to the strawberry bits. The scent is lovely, sweet strawberry with an unassuming but strong tea scent in the background. Going on scent alone, I have the urge to reduce the liquor down to a syrup, and pour it over ice cream.

The flavor is surprisingly balanced and mellow. I half expected sort of a “fake flavoring” aftertaste, and was pleasantly surprised when I tasted none. Good black tea is the predominant flavor, with strawberry on the side, and a hint of pepper and smoke which make this cup very interesting to the palate, yet smooth and well blended.

It is slightly drying, but not unpleasantly so. All in all, a very nice flavored tea, and one that just might make a very promising summer iced tea as well.

1000 Day Flower from Dragonwater

Scent in package: virtually nonexistent.
Brewed in: 2 cup glass teapot
Steeped: 5 min. @ “steaming”
Cup: Porcelain teacup

It always amazes me how intricate some of the hand-tied blooming teas are. And I have no idea how they do it – it seems like it would frustrate me to no end to try to tie all those little leaves together with my clumsy fingers. But they are gorgeous to watch as they unfurl in warm water, and while I haven’t found any to be exceptional in taste (though some are very good), they make wonderful conversation and generally good tea for drinking.

I have to admit though – this particular blooming tea was a tiny bit disappointing to me. I was excited at the bright pink bloom on top, and couldn’t wait to see it unfold. And it did unfold into a beautiful bloom, but…well…kind of boring, to be honest, after some of the more spectacular shows I’ve gotten from tea flowers.

The tea itself was mediocre – certainly not bad in any way, just lacking in…well…taste. I realize that it’s a white tea, and thus more subtle, but while the texture was lovely – a little thick and full in the mouth, and it was very sweet (which I like a lot), but it just didn’t have much flavor…the very slightest hint of something vegetal at the back of the mouth. There was no astringency, and no bitterness…but it was just boring, I guess. And I normally enjoy white tea quite a lot.

So for a bloom, it was pretty, but not spectacular, and for a tea, it was uninteresting…for the money, I think I’d go for something a little more intricate or a little more flavorful (preferably both).

Silver Needles from Dragonwater

Scent in package: Not really fragrant – the slightest hint of alfalfa
Brewed in: Glass teapot/infuser
Steeped: 2 min. @ 180 degrees
Cup: Porcelain teacup

I don’t drink white tea often, because sometimes they make my gums sore. I’m not sure if it’s just the occasional over brewed cup with more astringency, or what, but I can only drink one to two cups before I have to just stop, to save my mouth from unnecessary pain. So I only drank one infusion of this last night, though I have the leaves and may brew another cup this evening.

This tea really isn’t all that fragrant. Even when brewed, it only gives up the slightest hint of a field-like scent…of grasses and alfalfa when it’s breezy out. It’s light in color, as a white tea should be, and the taste is exceedingly subtle.

The dry leaves are truely beautiful - long needles covered with a very light fuzz in that gray-green color that is so relaxing to look at.

The best part of this tea for me was the sweetness. It’s very sweet naturally – almost fruity, but with a honeyed undertone. The texture is a bit thicker too, which I find very soothing. I felt like I was coming down with a cold last night, and the texture and sweetness of this tea seemed to really sooth my almost-achy throat along with my mind.

It’s very subtle, but the flavor of alfalfa is there, if you allow yourself to close your eyes and just focus on the tea. When you are engaged in some other activity while sipping (as I was reading), the sweetness is it’s most prominent aspect.

It’s a very clear tea, and taking all aspects into account – the texture, taste, super-light scent, and clarity - I enjoyed it very much. I had two cups (of the first infusion) and had it not been time for bed, I may well have indulged in another infusion, just because it was doing what tea should do – making me happy and mellow.

Dragonwater’s site seems to be down today – perhaps a victim of the Black Friday cult shoppers or something. But they are normally very reasonably priced, so I’d encourage checking out the cost of this tea, if only for a sample size. I really think anyone who can appreciate the subtleties of white brews will certainly enjoy this particular cuppa.

Jasmine Pearls from Dragonwater

Scent in package: sweetly floral…as expected.
Brewed in: Glass teapot/infuser
Steeped: 3 min.@ 180 degrees
Cup: Porcelain teacup

I have a special “relationship” with jasmine scented tea. Mainly because it was the first loose tea I ever tried – it’s what started my fascination with the world of tea outside of grocery store teabags. The jasmine tea I started with was simply loose leaves, not these lovely little pearls, but the basic tenant is the same – green tea leaves scented over and over with jasmine flowers. This isn’t flavored tea…it’s tea that has absorbed the scent from actual flowers that are then removed. And it’s in a class all its own.

All that being said, I was a little disappointed with this particular tea. And I don’t say that often or lightly about scented teas in general, and jasmine pearls in particular. It smelled phenomenal out of the package, as one would expect. The fragrance of jasmine was very strong, and the pearls were small and neatly rolled. I used about three-quarters of a teaspoon, since I was only making one cup, and the recommendation was for half a teaspoon (I like stronger scented brews).
The leaves unfurled very nicely, as you can see, and there was plenty of leaf for the brew. The scent of the tea itself was lovely, as expected – rich and fragrant, with a few bubbles presumably from the flower oils. Once it got to a golden yellow, I poured it, waiting an extra minute from the instructions for it to reach that optimal color I prefer.

Everything about it was perfect – until I tasted it. And the taste of the jasmine was incredibly light, almost non-existent, but so was the taste of the tea! I’ve never encountered Jasmine pearls that were so subtle in taste after all the buildup of that glorious fragrance wafting around. They are quite expensive, normally, and for that, one expects to at least taste the Jasmine, if not the underlying tea.

In any case, I’ve had better. And with a tea that is going to be expensive no matter where you buy it, I’d suggest you pass on this one from Dragonwater. There are plenty of other vendors selling more strongly flavored pearls, and unless you really like water that just smells like jasmine, I’d go with one of those alternates. I think I’ll probably brew the rest of this sample at double or triple strength (way more pearls) just to see if any flavor will come out, but I’ll stick to Adagio’s version for “on hand” company stock.

Keemun Hao-Ya A from Dragonwater

Scent in package: sweet, malty, “Yunnan-ish”
Brewed in: unbleached filter bags
Steeped: 4-5 min.@ boiling
Cup: Café mug

This week is Keemun week here at Tea on Tap – I have three Keemun teas to try & compare (well, I will have once my Rishi order gets here). This first is from Dragonwater, and I can’t quite put my finger on the exact description of the scent coming from the dried leaves. Cherry, perhaps? A slight hint of tobacco? It’s definitely sweet, and has that malt smell that I lust after, but I just can’t pin down the other scents. It smells wonderfully bold and mysterious, whatever the exact smells are.

The dried leaves are small, but don’t seem terribly broken or traumatized. They do expand quite a bit when steeped, but they don’t really unfurl much – it’s more like “strips” of tea leaves. The brew is very dark red, and smells wonderfully bold and hearty.

The tea is strong, slightly astringent, but in a good way. It has a wonderful malt flavor, and is almost chocolate-y in nature. It’s smooth, aromatic, bold, and really delightful – with just a hint of smoky pepper in the aftertaste that reminds me of a strong Yunnan gold.

There are a lot of different flavors in this tea, and it seems more complex even than some blends I’ve tried. Admittedly, I like something stronger first thing in the morning – this tea isn’t as bold as a Yunnan Gold, but it’s a good choice for late afternoon when I’m starting to zone out from the monotony of work.

Definitely worth a try – I’ll reserve final judgment though until I’ve tried the other three Keemun’s I’ve ordered. It promises to be a very flavorful and enjoyable week though…

Mt Everest Blend from Dragonwater

Scent in package: kind of fruity, oddly enough.
Brewed in: unbleached filter bags
Steeped: 4-5 min.@ boiling
Cup: Café mug

I wanted to try this because it just sounded like the perfect blend of tea for waking up with. Yunnan and Assam teas blended together, simple enough. The scent kind of amused me…I would never have thought those two particular teas would smell “fruity”. But it is a very pleasant smell.

The dry leaves aren’t really anything special to look at – just small, twisted black leaves, with a few golden tips as you might expect with Yunnan tea in the mix. I used around one and a half teaspoons dried leaves to my 12 oz. cup, as I normally do. The scent of the brewed tea is lovely – the two teas complimenting each other well.

The tea itself certainly doesn’t disappoint. And yes, there is a fruity undertone, which I can only think must come from the Assam, as India teas are generally more “fruity” as a whole to my palate. The interesting part of this blend is that the Yunnan really does give that more “solid, peppery” taste to the brew, infusing it with a boldness and strength that the assam might not have had otherwise.

I’ll admit, it’s not the most complex tea I’ve ever had (though I do enjoy the flavors of each tea playing off each other in the brew). But it’s perfect for that sort of “everyday cup” that I drink first thing before I’m really awake enough to be more aware of mingling flavors and such. It’s a good wake-me-up tea, and the flavors are interesting enough to call attention to themselves, albeit in a subtle way.

I like it a lot. And it’s not expensive, at just $6.00 for a quarter pound bag. I’ll definitely consider keeping some of this on hand…it’s really a great breakfast blend, as stated on the Dragonwater web site.

Green Forest Fruits from Dragonwater

Scent in package: sweet and fruity, with a hint of sencha.
Brewed in: Tokoname style pot w/mesh infuser, unbleached filter bag
Steeped: 3 min. @ “steaming” x2
Cup: Porcelain teacup, café mug

So this weekend was basically a complete gluttony of sugary, carbonated soda with the occasional glass of iced water thrown in for good measure. We were landscaping, and needed the calories and salt, and honestly, soda just tastes good when you’re working hard and sweating all day (carbonation rules!). So no tea until late last night, when my bloated self decided it was time to start “detox-ing” my body from the sins of the weekend with a new green tea that had arrived on Saturday. I ordered it because it sounded interesting: a blend of Japanese sencha with strawberry, raspberry and rhubarb. I like fruit, I like sencha, I figured it would be a nice cup to relax and unwind with.
And it was…except the fruit seemed to overpower the sencha in a major way. It was very good, very light and refreshing even warm, just not really “tea” flavored, if you know what I mean. I figured perhaps it was the fact that I used tap water to brew it with, so I brought it to work with me today, and made a cup using the filtered bottled water we drink here. Which actually made it worse (so to speak), unfortunately. Rather than a mellow tea with too strong of fruit flavor, at work it turned into a tea with virtually no real “flavor”, just tart water (tart from the rhubarb, I assume). At least the minerals in my tap water brought out some of the fruity flavors…

I left my cup cool on my desk while I was at lunch, and I’m finishing it off cold (well, room-temp). It’s even good that way, seriously, but it still has no real flavor, and I certainly can’t taste the actual tea.

I wonder if perhaps sencha is just too light as it is to draw out the lovely green flavor through any other flavorings (fruit bits, in this case). I can’t say I’m disappointed in the brew itself, as what flavor there is is quite pleasant, but I am disappointed that I can’t taste the sencha. Perhaps I’ll try mixing the rest of it with more plain sencha, and see where that gets me. I'll definately try a longer steeping time next go-round as well.

In any case, good as a fruit tasting drink, not so good as a “tea”, in my opinion. Actually, this would be great carbonated, now that I think about it…

Black Passionfruit from Dragonwater

Scent in package: mango-y, fruity with that normal “all around black tea” scent
Brewed in: filter bags
Steeped: 4-5min.@ 212 degrees
Cup: Café mug at work

I think one of the biggest challenges I face tasting black flavored teas is that I don’t care much for Ceylon black tea, which is the base tea for the majority of flavorings (I prefer keemum or assam – rich, malty flavors). With a good flavored tea, I don’t really taste the thinner, more bitter Ceylon background, but the flavoring becomes the focus and distracts from the base tea. But mango and passion fruit are two flavors that just don’t seem to work at all with Ceylon tea when brewed hot. This particular tea is no exception.

The tea is thin and almost watery, with a heavy dose of sweet passion fruit flavoring (that always seems to remind me of mangos) running through the mainly bitter brew. There’s nothing complex about it really – it’s just there, a two-note tea. Even the scent is “thin”, rather than rich and inviting. It’s spectacularly unspectacular in my book, and hardly worthy of a review, except that it may well work just fine as an iced tea, which I haven’t tried yet. I don’t care for this tea much even when it’s cooled to room temp though, so perhaps not.

In any case, the flavor isn’t particularly “fruity” – more of a hint of flavor and the tea is more drying than I normally prefer as well. I’ll skip this next time – you might want to try it as an iced tea, but honestly, I think there are far better teas out there to spend money on.

Green Earl Grey from Dragonwater

Scent in package: mainly floral, roses, and a slight bergamot background
Brewed in: filter bag
Steeped: 3 min@ steaming, 4 min@ steaming, 2.5 min.@ steaming
Cup: Café mug

This is an interesting tea – sort of the green version of Rosy Earl Grey. The base tea is Japanese Sencha, which I prefer to most Chinese green tea, and it’s quite a beautiful mixture in the package, the thin green “tea strips” mingling with pink rose petal bits. It smells lovely, preparing one for a relaxing experience.

I’m on my third cup now, and I think I’m finally starting to figure out what’s been stumping me about this “Earl Grey” tea. In a typical earl grey, the bergamot is quite citrus-y, but not quite orange. In this particular tea, the natural sweetness of the sencha is a perfect backdrop for the not-so-subtle rose flavor. Highlighted by those two flavors, the bergamot tastes more “lemony”, which is quite refreshing when everything is taken in together.

The first thing you taste is the sencha – light, and naturally sweet, almost like someone added sugar to the cup. The rose flavor is really more of a “scent”, but it binds with the taste as I sip, wafting up through my nose as the tea rolls over my tongue. It has a beautifully thick viscosity. The aftertaste is where the bergamot comes out to really bind everything together. It’s very complex, with hints of grassiness sneaking out in the sencha here and there.

I love this tea – it’s relaxing and refreshing at the same time. Not only does it calm my mind on a busy afternoon, but also sort of “wakes me up” a bit, perhaps that’s the bergamot. In any case, I’d highly recommend it – a sample is just $1, or you can get a full quarter pound for just $5.00…very affordable.

Green Peach from Dragonwater

Scent in package: peachy-keen
Brewed in: small glass teapot w/glass infuser
Steeped: 2 min @ 180 (per instructions)
Cup: porcelain teacup

I was looking for something “different” to try, and came across this sample pack in the back of my cupboard. The label says it’s a mix of sencha and assam teas, flavored with bits of peach and peach flavoring. Since it was a mixture of black and green teas again, I was careful to follow the instructions for brewing it a short time at a low heat. The brew smells like peach, with a hint of the green sencha sneaking through.

The brew is a lovely golden color, though not what you’d expect from a green tea at all. It was thick and honey-like in texture (though not in taste). Unfortunately, the taste is a bit of a problem…I think it would have been okay if they’d left it at “peach bits”, but the peach flavoring was obviously artificial, with that typical aftertaste that just doesn’t sit well on the tongue.

Normally, I like Dragonwater’s flavored teas, and many of their blends as well (though not so much with the green/black blend). But this one just won’t do…mostly because of the peach flavoring, which serves to hide most of the other flavors so I can’t really decide if I like the sencha and assam together or not.
So this one can stay with the vendor, in my opinion. Dragonwater has many great blends and flavors, and I’m kind of surprised this one made it past the chopping block, but perhaps there’s someone out there who really likes it. I’ll save my tea money for something better.

Lapsang Souchong (Organic) from Dragonwater

Scent in package: typically smoky smell, campfire
Brewed in: tea-for-one pot w/metal infuser
Steeped: 5 min@212 degrees
Cup: Café mug here at work

I wanted something sweet and smooth this morning, and Dragonwater sent me this sample with my last tea-tasting order, so I thought I’d give it a try. I expected it to be much like Adagio’s Lapsang…because really, it’s all liquid smoke (at least until it cools), right?

Wrong.

Apparently, my palate has advanced enough to tell the difference between even ultra-smoky teas such as this. And what I found with this particular tea is that the taste falls somewhere between Adagio’s Lapsang and the Organic Bohea that I love from Teas, etc. Adagio’s tea really is like liquid smoke for the first few sips, until the sweetness comes out as it cools. This Dragonwater tea is more mellow on the first few sips – the sweetness comes out earlier, while that strong smoke flavor is still evident (unlike the Bohea, which is mellow & sweet all the way through). I realize it may not be fair to compare the Bohea to a modern Lapsang, but there are enough similarities that it doesn’t seem too far off.

Getting back to this Dragonwater cup – it’s sweet from the start, yet retains it’s ultra-smoky flavor throughout. There’s a sharp “bite” from the smoke right on the tip of my tongue, but that’s the only sharpness in the whole cup. It’s round, smooth, and very well balanced – right at that halfway point between the Adagio Lapsang that is a little more bold, and the Bohea which is a much softer, mellower tea.

There’s only one conclusion to draw, really – and that is to have all three in the cupboard, so that I can have the tea that suits my mood for that day. Today, this fits the bill quite nicely, and I’m enjoying my cup while waking up to work. It’s very good, and I’d highly recommend it.

One of these days I’m going to use some of this Lapsang in cooking…chicken or ribs or homemade BBQ sauce. I’m convinced it will be a wonderful addition to whatever needs a bit of that “smoky” flavor.

Russian Caravan – Fruity from Dragonwater

Scent in package: fruity and sweet tea scent
Brewed in: unbleached filter bag
Steeped: 5 min.@ 212 degrees
Cup: Café Mug at work

When I read the description of this tea, it really sounded like a lovely blend. Assam, Keemun, Lapsang Souchong, and Lychee (which I’d never tried, but always been curious about). I love Assam, I love Lapsang, so I figured I should probably try it. And I’ve not been disappointed in the least.

There’s nothing to miss without photos – the tea looks like any other boring black tea blend, made of smaller leaves of various dried shapes. The brew is a dark red-brown, but still completely translucent – very beautiful, and would be lovely in a glass teapot or delicate porcelain cup.

The scent is very fruity, but not overpowering to the tea blends. A very light and refreshing smell, foretelling the sweet taste to follow. There’s not much scent as it’s brewing, though a hint of the lychee fruit stands out, but the tea itself is perfectly balanced and smooth in the mouth. The slightly tart fruit taste just melts into the malty assam, and it’s all set off by the sweet smoothness characteristic of a good Lapsang (without being smoky at all).

I couldn’t really make out the Keemun in it, but that’s probably more because I’m not in the habit of drinking Keemun plain, so it would be harder for me to recognize that particular flavor.

In any case, this tea is one I could drink all day without getting bored with it, and I do plan on ordering a larger size eventually. It’s $6.00 for a quarter pound, so a pretty good deal for such a lovely blend, in my opinion. Give it a try – a great morning cup, and a good wake up call in the afternoon as well.

Planning Tea Purchases

I get paid tomorrow. Sometimes it seems like my life hinges on paydays, but hey, gotta have something to look forward to! July will be an expensive month for various non-tea-related reasons, but I’m still making a shopping list for tea, and thought it might be interesting to post, in case anyone wants to compare notes (or see what will be up for review later in July).

So this is my post for today – my list of tea/teaware purchases I hope to make in July.

Adagio: New carafe for my triniTEA (you don’t realize how much you need something until it’s gone!) I’m just going to pay for them to send me a new carafe if possible – I hate shopping, and don’t feel like running around town to find one that fits.

Art of Tea: 2003 Fucha Vintage Dark Tea, if I can get some before they run out (the way they’ve been advertising it, I expect it will be quite popular when it goes on sale July 1st). It sounds and looks intriguing, something different. Depending on the cost, I may get some of the other TNT’s as well. I also need more Garden of Eden for icing, and Chocolate Monkey Rooibos. I need more filter bags too, might as well order them at the same time.

Teacuppa: 2005 CNNP Big Blue Mark Puerh cake

Dragonwater: whatever 3 samples I get with my monthly tea club purchase. For those who don't already know, Dragonwater has the only tea club I've found where you can pay by the month, and suspend your membership when you need to. If you like trying new teas every month, head over there and sign up! It's the only tea tasting club I'm in, simply because you have to pay for all the others in advance. Do check it out if you have a minute.

And that’s it for July. A few new things to try, and one to store…other than that, I need to keep drinking down the stash I already have. That includes plenty of teas to review, never fear. Lots of whites and greens yet to try. I may have to have a tea party soon, to clean out some of my extras.

Anyone else planning any tea purchases in the near future?

Black Chocolate Cream from Dragonwater

Scent: Creamy Chocolate – very yummy smell!
Brewed in: Café cup at work, unbleached filter bag
Steeped: 5 min@boiling

Decadent, heavenly, rich, full-bodied…all words I’d use to describe this absolutely scrumptious blend. It is smooth, well-balanced, and without even a hint of bitterness. There are bits of chocolate laced throughout the dry leaves, and when you taste the tea, you can tell that it’s real, not some sort of cheap imitation chocolate bits. There’s a definite vanilla cream flavor as well that perfectly compliments the brew. It’s dark, and while the liquor isn’t thick, the taste is very well rounded and “heavier” than a normal flavored tea might be. It was my first cup this morning, and it made a very nice breakfast cup, though I dare say it would be a wonderful compliment to a heavy dessert as well (like chocolate cake or brownies with ice cream).

All in all, this tea is absolutely marvelous, and I’ll certainly be ordering it again. If you like flavored tea, and like chocolate, this tea is for you. It’s only $4.50 for a quarter pound…very affordable, and a half-ounce sample is available for $1.25. I highly recommend at least sampling it!

2003 Yunnan Chi Tse Beeng Cha from Dragonwater

Scent: Absolutely heavenly – earthy, woody, and fresh.
Brewed in: Porcelain gaiwan
Steeped: Just under boiling for all infusions: 15s, 20s, 25s, 30s, 35s, 40s, 35s, 20s
Cup: 1oz porcelain cup

This is the oldest beeng I have, and last night as I was choosing which one to try next, I picked this one solely because it smelled so very good. Trust the nose…last night’s session with this puerh was a most enjoyable experience. And I even got better pictures (moved to the dining room – and cleaned the camera lens!).

The beeng looks wonderful as well as smelling wonderful. It’s smooth, dark, and the leaves look crisp and healthy pressed into the cake. I was dreading trying to pry out the leaves at the edge, since I don’t have a puerh knife (on order though), but it was remarkably easier to just pry off a piece with a sharp butter knife than it had been getting leaves off of that tuocha before. This cake seemed more hydrated than the tuocha – it wasn’t damp or moist or anything, just a little softer. In any case, it wasn’t any trouble at all to pry a piece off the edge for drinking.









For me, this is what good puerh should taste like. When I took my first sip, I was in heaven, and I knew it would be a great session. Here are brief notes for the infusions (pictures are for infusions 1-3):



1st (30s): light, sweet, and woody, nice texture and mouthfeel, as it is very, very smooth. Slight astringency that really compliments the flavors.
2nd (20s): Much darker, very mellow, with a hint of bitterness to offset the earthy tones, but not in a bad way. Sweet smokiness.
3rd: (25s): Darker still – matches the color of my table! But it’s clear all the way through, like a light coffee. Still sweet, mellow and with more earthy than woody tones coming out now. The astringency and minor bitterness are still evident, and still appreciated.
4th (30s) and 5th (35s): Still very pleasant, very mellow and smooth, earthy, woody and makes my gums tingle a bit.
6th (40s): Slightly more bitter, with a lighter brew. Sharper, almost biting on the tongue. The sweetness is disappearing.
7th (35s): Literally bittersweet, sharp rather than mellow, and more astringent.
8th (20s): Slightly smoother than the last, but still much more bitter, and not really very enjoyable any longer.

This session really illustrated for me just how much a tea can age over the course of just a few years. I’ve been reading on the puerh group about how to boost humidity to properly age puerh in drier climates, and I think I’m going to try making myself an impromptu “tea box” for aging these teas. I’m very interested in whether or not the very young tea I had yesterday can eventually take on the more mellow, earthy flavors that this older tea has now. So we’ll see…but I really did enjoy this tea a lot, and didn’t pay a huge price for it either – it was $22.00 for the beeng.

China Rose Congou from Dragonwater

Scent in package: very “rosy”, lovely, old-world rose scent
Brewed in: unbleached filter bag
Steeped: 5 min@ 212
Cup: Café mug at work

I have a propensity for scented teas, so I was quite happy to find a sample of this in my recent order of puerh cakes from Dragonwater. I love free samples anyways, but it seemed like perfect timing to get a rose scented tea in April, just when a bit of summer was needed. I ripped open the package and took a whiff, and the scent of this tea is just absolutely delightful. I was ready to brew up a cup right then.

There’s absolutely no astringency to the tea at all. It brews up a thin liquor, very light and refreshing, the roses giving it a sweet-tart flavor that gives the whole tea a “lift”. There are a few rose petals left in the tea from the scenting, and they add beauty and grace to the leaves as they unfurl. The tea is good hot, warm, and cool, and would be a treat over ice as well.

This tea isn’t complex, or hearty, or a “wake me up” tea…but it is a tea that would be perfect for everyday drinking, an afternoon treat, and just an all around delicate taste experience for anyone who likes a floral scented tea. It would probably be a great tea to serve to guests as well…I’m going to take my sample pouch home this weekend, and offer cups to family who will be visiting this weekend.

At $4.25 for a whole 1/2lb, it’s completely affordable too – I’d highly recommend a sample ($1.25) so you can taste for yourself. Two thumbs way up for this tea…I’ll absolutely be ordering more for my own stock soon.