Silver Needle

Tea: Silver Needle
Vendor: Red Leaf Tea
Price: $4.99 / .2oz - $12.99 / 1.6 oz
Vendor Description: Silver Needle White Tea is quite possibly one of the highest grade teas that you will find, and this, along with its rarity, explains its somewhat high cost. Nevertheless, we are sure that you will find its price more than worth it, as the 100% silver leaf buds offers tangy, fresh flavor with subtle flowery touches and a delicate astringency. This tea displays a cup that is bold in color and very sweet, giving you a delicate yet satisfying drinking experience.

Leaf: The leaf for this tea is a rather typical looking Silver Needle style tea. It has a dark green color underneath the hairs coating the leaves. There is a bit of a fruitiness to the aroma to these leaves. The buds are very thin, thinner than most that I have seen.

1st Infusion Parameters: 2.5g / 5 oz / 185F / 1:30

1st Infusion: There is a light haziness to this tea, somewhat expected from the small hairs coming off of the needles. The color of the tea has an odd yellow-red hue to it, the hue shows light shades of red which is rather unique for a Silver Needle. Aside from that the tea looks much like a typical Silver Needle. The aroma is thick, but not in the typical manner for a Silver Needle. Rather it is thick with small hints of creaminess inside of the aroma. The flavor is light with some light fruity hues to it. They seem to be at the tip of the flavor and like the Black Night, hard to pinpoint.

Rating: 3/10

Conclusion: This is a pretty normal Silver Needle. It does have a bit of an oddness to it, I can't get over thinking that some flavoring oils were added to this tea in a light amount. The thing that is probably harshest on this tea though is it's price. Even at the best price point, this tea is more expensive than the phenomenal Silver Needles offered by Jing Tea and Canton Tea Co. This tea just doesn't seem to have anything redeeming it for this price point.

Feng Huang Milan Dancong

Tea: Feng Huang Milan Dancong
Vendor: Jing Tea Shop
Price: $4.99 / 100g
Source: Guangdong, China
Vendor Description: Everyday milan tea from the Wudong Mountain, Feng Huang town. The tea only went through its first baking steps which allows the leaves to offers a more flowery then honey profile. The liquor is quite pure, after taste has medium lenght. The tea will be rebaked later in the month so now is a good time to get acquainted with the flowery character of a milan dancong.

Leaf: The leaf for this tea is a very large and fluffy black leaf, rather well cared for and unbroken. There is a light aroma to the leaf. It is a very phoenix style characteristic aroma. It is rather faint so it is a bit difficult to narrow it down a bit more than that. The leaves are an assortment of brown hues.

1st Infusion Parameters: 5g, 5oz, 208F, 45s, 5s rinse

1st Infusion: This tea has a lovely sweet and floral aroma. The liquor shows a clear brown hue with shades of red. The aroma feels very broad and general. The flavor matches the aroma well, both in breadth and generality. The flavor of the tea is very bodied. Despite the heavy body it has a nice and light, flavorful feeling to it. The core of the flavor is very thin, but the sides are stronger than the core of the flavor. There is a thickness left on the tongue as an aftertaste. The backend of the flavor is somewhat thick.

2nd Infusion Parameters: 208F, 1:00

2nd Infusion: This infusion was a darker golden brown hue. It is lightly murky with a lighter aroma to it. The flavor still lacks the central portion of the core as the first infusion though. There is a light astringency and bitterness in the flavor. It feels a bit sharp on the tongue, but shows a decent body. The flavor is in general a very smooth, yet crisp flavor overall.

3rd Infusion Parameters: 1:45, 208F

3rd Infusion: This infusion was a more golden brown hue than previous infusions. This one again shows a light aroma, no real change from the previous infusions, just simply a light aroma. The flavor was a sharper bitter flavor again. It finishes with a medium high astringency on the backend. There is a snappy bitterness in the aftertaste.

Rating: 3/10

Conclusion: This tea was interesting. Aside from the Royal Phoenix from Tao of Tea it's the only other Phoenix that I have found in this particular price range. From what I have seen of teas in this range though, it leads me to believe that it's better to just stay above this range if you're looking for a Phoenix oolong. For me one of the most alluring parts of a Phoenix is the ever so disticnt, yet indescribable aroma. That is something that was utterly lacking with this tea. Also the depth of the flavor were not showing that well before the tea turned more bitter and astringent. When going for a Phoenix oolong in my opinion you should, as Emeril would say, kick it up a notch! Thank you to Salsero over at Teachat though for providing me this sample.

Zhejiang Mao Feng

Tea: Zhejiang Mao Feng
Vendor: Narien Teas
Price: $13.00 / 4 oz
Source: Zhejiang, China
Vendor Description: Grown in a traditional tea garden in the southern Zhejiang province of China, Our Mao Feng green tea brews soft golden cup with a clear, sweet flavor and aroma.

Leaf: The leaf for this tea is a dark green leaf, it is very strand like, twisted. The hues of the leaf vary from a light almost white green to deep rich greens while maintaining an average of a dark green throughout. The twisting is almost spiral in nature.

1st Infusion Parameters: 5g, 5oz, 185F, 1:00

1st Infusion: This infusion had a bold color to it, a dark yellow hue. There was a bit of murkiness to the tea. The flavor was bold and strong. It had a bit of a sharpness to it. It reminds me of a sweeter version of a bancha to a degree, the sharpness was similar. There was a hint of marine flavor in it along with a light bitterness. Overall the flavor was both rich and flavorful.

2nd Infusion Parameters: 185F, 1:30

2nd Infusion: This infusion was a little lighter on the color. A light to medium yellow hue. The flavor had a medium astringency to it paired with a light marine tinge again. It reminded me of some sencha that I have had mixed with a little bit of gyokuro. A bit unusual coming from a Chinese green tea.

Rating: 3/10

Conclusion: There is nothing terribly spectacular about this tea. It seems like similar in many characteristics to Japanese green tea, but falls short compared to it's brethren. Chinese green teas have their own style and flavor and so do Japanese green teas. This feels too much to me like a Chinese green tea trying to be a Japanese green tea. While it could be an argument of provenance to say that Chinese green tea came first and Japanese was an offshoot or a development of that, as they stand today this Mao Feng feels like it wants to be a Japanese green tea. I say if you want that flavor, go for Japanese.

Strawberry

Tea: Strawberry - 5227
Vendor: Lupicia USA
Price: $5.50 /50g
Vendor Description: Sweet and lively strawberry flavor reminds us of a soft spring atmosphere. Its strong taste is good with a bit of sugar or with milk.

Leaf: The leaf for this tea is a very ordinary looking black orthodox leaf. Very uniform in both size and color. The strawberry aroma reminds me of strawberry gum, not so much the aroma of fresh strawberry, but that with artificially flavored strawberry products. There are a few pieces of small chopped up flat green leaves mixed in.

1st Infusion Parameters: 3g, 208F, 5oz, 3min

1st Infusion: The aroma of this tea, like the leaf reminded me of strawberry gum, but mixed in with a normal black tea aroma. There is a bit of sharpness in the aroma from the black tea component. The tea itself is a very standard clear brownish hue. The flavor is sweet with a strawberry like aftertaste. There is not much of a strawberry flavor in the core of the taste, but rather more like an afterthought. It is smooth and enjoyable, but the flavoring is very much that; flavoring.

Rating: 3/10

Conclusion: This tea is very much as expected. Nothing spectacular about it, nothing really disappointing. It's your standard flavored black tea that you would find at a variety of vendors. I would have appreciated a flavoring more akin to fresh strawberries rather than strawberry gum.

Rooibos Vanilla Chai

Tea: Rooibos Vanilla Chai
Vendor: Adagio Teas
Price: $7/4oz
Vendor Description: Masala chai spices in a South African red rooibos base with a hint of vanilla. These spices will dance on your palate while the creamy vanilla rooibos will sing to your soul. Naturally caffeine free for an anytime treat.

Leaf: The leaf for this chai consists of some dried fruit pieces, ginger, cloves, and rooibos of course. There is a very sweet and bold aroma and a definite vanilla feel to the aroma. There is a rather high other to rooibos ratio in this chai mix.

1st Infusion Parameters: 5g, 5oz, 185F, 7 min

1st Infusion: This tea has a light murky color to it. It has a sweet vanilla aroma. The flavor is strong and lightly bitter. The clove portion of the flavor is quite prominent, a bit too prominent in my opinion.

Rating: 3/10

Conclusion: The cloves somewhat did this tea in. The flavor was too rich and drowned out the rest of the flavors in this tea. To an extent it felt like I was drinking a mainly clove infusion. This reminded me of the Coco Chai from Mighty Leaf, but instead of the sweetness from the coconut there was a lot of clove flavor here. I prefered the round sweetness of the coconut, but if you prefer a stronger, sharper, and stiffer chai, this is probably a good choice for you.

Decaf Earl Grey

Tea: Decaf Earl Grey - 5400
Vendor: Lupicia USA
Price: $7.50 / 50g
Vendor Description: Decaffeinated tealeaves scented with rich bergamot oil. This decaffeinated tea will not disturb your sleep even if it is drunk before bedtime.

Leaf: The leaf for this tea is a very uniform solid black tea. It has less of an aroma to it than the Grand Classic, yet it still has that distinctive earl grey aroma.

1st Infusion Parameters: 3g, 5oz, 208F, 3min

1st Infusion: The tea has it's almost floral citric aroma to it, just like other Earl Grey teas. There is a sharp bitterness from the citric flavor blending with the sharpness of a black tea. The bergamont is well defined and not overpowering. It follows through to a trailing aftertaste with the richness of the base tea. In general this tea feels inferior to the Grand Classic.

Rating: 3/10

Conclusion: This tea overall isn't that fantastic. Partly due to being an Earl Grey and partly just on it's own nature. Compared to the Earl Grey Grand Classic it falls short in flavor. This is a decaf tea though if that's what you're looking for. This tea is basically good if you're a fan of Earl Grey and you're looking for a decaf version to enjoy. Otherwise I would suggest the Grand Classic.

Sakura Vert

Tea: Sakura Vert - 8811
Vendor: Lupicia USA
Price: $8.50 / 50g
Vendor Description: Slightly salty cherry leaves are blended into green tea, presenting a fresh clean taste. You will feel as if you are surrounded by young cherry leaves swaying in a balmy breeze.

Leaf: This tea consists of some coarse looking green leaf. There is a little bit of dark leaf mixed in, it looks almost like a little bit of black tea leaf was tossed in the mix. As with the Sakura Premium there is a bit of chopped sakura leaf in the mix. With this tea it's a little difficult to discern against the green tea leaf. The green tea leaf itself looks like a somewhat coarse green tea.

1st Infusion Parameters: 3g, 208F, 5oz, 2 min

1st Infusion: This tea produced a very bold golden yellow hue. It has a strong sweet sakura aroma to it with hints of a bancha like aroma. It is lightly salty like the Sakura Premium. There is a little bit of astrinengcy on it, but yet the salt is more noticeable. The tea portion of the flavor is smooth, but a bit subdued. The salt is a little too prominent.

Rating: 3/10

Conclusion: Like the Sakura Premium, this tea smells fantastic. The taste however not so much so. The green part of it is a little unassuming, while the salt from the sakura is a bit too overpowering. I don't really know what is up with the salt with these teas.

Chocolate Chai

Tea: Chocolate Chai
Vendor: Adagio
Price: $6.30 / 4 oz
Vendor Description: We've taken one of the world's favorite indulgences, chocolate, and combined it with the exotic flavors and spices of Masala chai to create the ultimate treat. Chocolate flavored Ceylon black tea blended with cardamom, ginger, cloves, cinnamon. Make it extra rich by preparing with hot milk.

Leaf: The leaf for this tea has a very noticeable cocoa aroma. It reminds me more of cocoa powder for hot chocolate than it does a chocolate bar. As is typical with chai this tea is studded with some cloves, ginger, orthodox black tea, and there are a number of small brown bark like chips in the mix.

1st Infusion Parameters: 3g, 5oz, 208F, 5 min

1st Infusion: The infusion is lightly brown, lightly murky. It has a lightly sweet aroma. The tea itself has a light tea flavor and a light chai flavor. It is nicely bodied, and feels like a good chai mix overall. There really is not much of a chocolate flavor to this mix that I can tell though.

Rating: 3/10

Conclusion: After trying the Apple Spiced Chai, this was a bit of a letdown. The chai mix itself wasn't bad, it paired well with the black tea, but this tea fails to live up to it's namesake. There isn't a noticeable chocolate flavor to it. When compared against the Wegman's Chocolate Chai, this tea falls on it's face. It's priced quite reasonably though and makes a solid chai, just don't expect it to be like a cup of chocolate milk crossed with some chai.

Teabag - Ginger Zest Sencha

Tea: Ginger Zest Sencha
Vendor: Kalahari Tea
Price: $.99 / 16 teabags
Vendor Description: Fragrant, Fresh Sencha and Bancha green teas are paired with the tingle of spicy organic ginger to create a refreshing and invigorating cup.

Teabag: This teabag is also another paper satchel type teabag. It has a very prominent ginger aroma to it.

1st Infusion Parameters: 5 oz, 1:15, 185F

1st Infusion: There is a rather prominent aroma to this tea. It is complicated and complex. The aroma reminds me of the detox infusion from Mighty Leaf. There are many detectable components to the aroma, but I can't single out very many of them at all. The only thing that I can really pull out is the ginger like portion of the aroma. There is a light sharp flavor to this tea, it is not very gingerly. It feels much more like a bancha than a sencha when evaluating the green tea portion of the flavor. The green tea is in the back of the flavor, but it is not offputting. The tea finishes with a light bitterness.

Rating: 3/10

Conclusion: This tea feels confused and muddled. Looking at the ingredient list I'm not surprised why. There is a mix of all kinds of things in it. It lacks clarity due to the complicated nature of it's blending. I would suggest finding something purer.

Vanilla

Tea: Vanilla
Vendor: Adagio Teas
Price: $6.00 / 4 oz.
Vendor Description: According to the International Ice Cream Association, Vanilla is by far the most popular flavor, getting a full 23% of all ice cream consumption. Inspired by this love of vanilla, Adagio has created Vanilla Tea. Combining the delectable flavor of sweet vanilla beans and premium Ceylon black tea, I'll scream, you'll scream, we'll all scream for... Vanilla tea!

Leaf: The tea consists of Adagio's standard black orthodox tea base. It is quite uniformly black in color and has an aroma like vanilla extract.

1st Infusion Parameters: 3g, 5oz, 208F, 5 min

1st Infusion: As typical for Adagio black teas it has a deep red color. It has a rich black tea aroma. The black aroma masks the vanilla in the aroma. The aroma however is sweet and it almost reminds me of coffee. The flavor is lightly bitter, there is no real vanilla flavor to be found, it's not too bold. It's medium boded and a little bit sharp on the front end. It finishes off with a medium sense of astringency.

Rating: 3/10

Conclusion: This is quite a mundane tea. The flavoring is on the weaker side and the black base is very mundane. It feels like most of the other flavored black teas from Adagio. If you're looking for a rather generic black tea this is a good choice. It's rather inexpensive and has no major faults. It's just lacks anything truly noteworthy.

Hojicha

Tea: Hojicha
Vendor: Wegmans Food Markets / Ito En
Price: $48.99 / lb
Vendor description: Crafted from roasted green tea, hojicha offers a visually stimulating medley of stem and leaf. Young grassy notes mingle with a taste that is effusive and toasty. It is an ideal tea for relaxing and appealing for its low caffeine content.

Leaf: This hojicha has a very evenly colored leaf. It has a brown hue with hints of green to it. There is a lightly dusty aroma to it, this is somewhat different in comparison to the normal roasted aroma of a hojicha. There is also a high leaf to stem ratio for this hojicha making it more akin to a kukicha hojicha, but not fully there.

1st Infusion Parameters: 5g, 5oz, 208F, 2 min

1st Infusion: The hojicha exhibits a very traditional brown hue. The aroma is very odd. It does not have the normal roasted aspects of a hojicha. It is duller and light. The flavor is also not terribly traditional. It is light, yet full bodied. It is smooth and rolls down the back of the tongue. The actual strength of the flavor isn't very noticeable, instead it is dominated by the texture, just not so much flavor. What flavor there is, is lightly burnt/roasted, but it is just hints.

2nd Infusion Parameters: 208F, 3 min

2nd Infusion: This infusion is more golden borwn in color. The aroma is more traditional and smells of roasting. The flavor still feels light and empty though. You feel the texture of the tea on the sides of your mouth, but the core flavor is lacking.

Rating: 3 / 10

Conclusion: This tea felt like it was missing a single part of the flavor, unfortunately that was the central core of the flavor. If that was present, it would be much better. Without that component though it felt empty and bland.

Kenilworth OP

Tea: Kenilworth OP
Vendor: Plucker's Pick
Price: $6.00 / oz
Source: Ceylon (aka Sri Lanka)
Vendor Description: A rich, hearty aroma that brews golden-brown. This mid-grown tea is full-bodied and strong with complex overtones.

Leaf: The leaf for this tea is slightly a brown hue, but mostly black in color. There is not much aroma to it, and it feels very much like most other Ceylon teas.

1st Infusion Parameters: 3g, 5oz, 208F, 3 min

1st Infusion: This tea produces a rich red hued tea. It has a very smooth characteristic Ceylon araoma to it. The tea is very full bodied and has a nice light sense of astringency. There is a light tang to the tea which pairs with many Ceylon teas. It doesn't feel very unique though.

Rating: 3/10

Conclusion: This tea is a very solid and characteristic Ceylon tea. That said, it doesn't really stand out in any way, and feels like just another Ceylon. There doesn't seem to be much difference in taste between this and the Homadola for example. It is a bit pricey for just another Ceylon.

Four Seasons Mengjian Winter Tea

Tea: Four Seasons Mengjian Winter Tea - 6339
Vendor: Lupicia USA
Source: Nantou, Taiwan

Leaf: The leaf for this tea consisted of rather small leaf balls. They had a characteristic light green oolong aroma to them.
1st Infusion Parameters: 5g, 5oz, 208F, 5s rinse, 45s infusion

1st Infusion: The first infusion greeted me with a light crisp green oolong aroma. It almost reminded me of a menthol aroma, but not in a bad way. It was the crispness associated with it. The flavor was very smooth and ended with an almost fruity aftertaste. The initial onset of the flavor was very light and snappy, somewhat characteristic I'm finding of a green oolong.

2nd Infusion Parameters: 45s, 208F

2nd Infusion: This infusion was yellower in color and had an aroma more akin to a TKY. The flavor was light, and it didn't seem as much like a green oolong. The flavor was very long lasting, but something started to give me a headache while drinking this tea.

3rd Infusion Parameters: 1:30, 208F

3rd Infusion: This time the aroma was very light and the flavor had lightened up even more. This oolong didn't really hold up to more infusions very well. The headache continued with this infusion.

Rating: 3/10

Conclusion: I'm not sure what it is about this tea, but it reminded me very much of a TKY. Probably the headaches that it generated. The first infusion was quite good, but past that it started look a bit worse. The flavor is quite characteristic green oolong, and enjoyable on the first infusion.

Chiran Kanayamidori

Tea: Chiran Kanayamidori
Vendor: Wegmans Food Markets / Ito-en
Price: $87.99 /lb /$16.50/ 3 oz
Source: Kagoshima, Japan
Vendor Description: Harvested in Kagoshima prefecture, Chiran Kanayamidori bears a flavorful, verdant liquor with succulent notes of leafy greens. An excellent accompaniment to flavorful dishes.

Leaf: The leaf for this tea was mostly smaller particles and had a few longer needles to it. Based on the appearance I would say that this is most likely a fukamushi sencha. The green color was a bit muddled, almost bordering on shades of brown at times and didn't have much of a shine to it.

1st Infusion Parameters: 5g, 5oz, 180F, 60s

1st Infusion: The tea was yellow green in color and very murky. This was a very characteristic fukamushi tea. The aroma was light and snappy. The flavor led off with a sharp bitter flavor on the tip of the tongue and transitioned to a long lingering smooth aftertaste. It finished with a light sense of astringency. The bitter flavor was very short lived and dropped down quickly into the tapering flavor.

2nd Infusion Parameters: 180F, 30s

2nd Infusion: This infusion had a darker murky green hue. The up front flavor was again very sharp and snappy. This time it felt like the flavor consisted mostly of a bitterness and tapered into a lingering fukamushi flavor, although the dropoff was not as fast as the first infusion. The flavor felt muddled and a bit confused, like a blend of two teas trying to display at the same time. There was a medium sense of astringency to the power in this tea. The flavor of the tea overall felt a bit light.

Rating: 3/10

Conclusion: This tea seemed to be a bit subpar for a Chiran sencha. This flavor was dominated by the fact that it was a fukamushi and little other than that. It produced an appealing looking cup of tea, but the flavor itself was quite snappy and sharp. If looking for a fukamushi from Chiran/Kagoshima, I would suggest sticking to a yutakamidori instead.

Fujieda Fujikaori

Tea: Fujieda Fujikaori - 7463
Vendor: Lupicia USA
Source: Shizuoka, Japan
Vendor Description: Originally created by crossbreeding black tea and Japanese tea, it has a brilliant elegant aroma.

Leaf: The leaf for this tea had an unusually brown hue to it. I found this quite rare for a sencha style tea, possibly a carryover from the crossbreeding. The aroma hints of a bancha like aroma while at the same time reminding me of dry straw.

1st Infusion Parameters: 5g, 5oz, 1 min, 185F

1st Infusion: The tea exhibited a yellow brown color. The aroma was light and crisp. The flavor was smooth with no astringency. The flavor was long lasting and even.

2nd Infusion: This infusion had a slightly murkier color to it. The color was still yellow brownish in color. There was a light sense of bitterness and a light sense of astringency.

Rating: 3/10

Conclusion: This tea was a very unimpressive sencha. It seemed to almost border on feeling like a bancha. The flavor was mundane, and there wasn't much to it. It was mostly just average and mundane. There are many much better options out there to try.

O-buku-cha

Tea: O-buku-cha
Vendor: Ippodo
Price: 500 Yen / 100g
Source: Japan
Vendor Description: Bringing good luck for the New Year

The O-buku-cha tradition began over 10 centuries ago, during the Heian period.

In 951, a serious epidemic swept through Kyoto. In an effort to relieve the suffering, Buddhist priest Kuya distributed tea to those in need. It has been said that to share in these virtues, Emperor Murakami ushered in the New Year with a special cup of tea.

Since then, it has become a Japanese tradition to drink O-buku-cha (literally, great happiness tea ) during the New Years season. The O-buku-cha offered by each tea shop differs depending on the shop. At IPPODO, we are pleased to offer a special time-limited, high-grade genmaicha as our O-buku-cha. Packaged in the traditional festive colors of red and white, we hope that our O-buku-cha will bring renewed health and happiness to you and your loved ones.

Leaf: This tea consists of mostly larger thin pieces. There is a light amount of rice, some stems and some flatter leaf mixed in as well.

1st Infusion Parameters: 5g, 185F, 5 oz, 90s

1st Infusion: This infusion had a yellow green hue to it. The aroma was very crisp with hints of the rice aroma. The aroma reminded me very much of a pure bancha with a crisp almost stinging aroma to it. There are hints of a sencha like sweetness in the aroma as well. The flavor has a definite bancha bitterness and tang to it. This is paired with a light rice flavor and a noticeable starchiness. The tea finishes with a light sense of astringency and a clean and refreshing feeling.

2nd Infusion Parameters: 185F, No steeping time, immediate pour.

2nd Infusion: This time the infusion was a lighter green color with a yellow brightness to it. The aroma was sweeter and had a more mellow starchiness to it. The flavor was definitive bancha flavoring, with a light almost metallic taste to it. It seemed to have an astringency which was primarily on the sides of the mouth.

Rating: 3/10

Conclusion: This tea isn't bad for the price. The problem is that the price to ship this over from Japan is quite significant. I'm curious to see how this tea stacks up against their regular genmaicha. I don't consider this to be a particularly great genmaicha, but it is acceptable at it's price. I was somewhat hoping for a genmai based with sencha rather than bancha when I read the description of this tea.

Aracha

Tea: Aracha

About This Tea: This tea was a sample of aracha provided to me by another fellow tea drinker. Aracha is a normally temporary form of Japanese green tea. After harvesting and initial processing tea is stored in cold storage as aracha. Aracha is stored in cold storage until it is needed and then removed, refired, and sorted. Because it is unsorted aracha contains all of the assorted grades and forms of Japanese green tea found. This includes mecha, kukicha, and sencha.

Leaf: In this tea there is everything from small powdery bits to long thin needles. This tea has a very dark green color and the leaf has a nice shiny polished appearance to it. There is a noticeable mix of stems and small particles included.

1st Infusion Parameters: 5g, 5oz, 1min, 180F

1st Infusion: This tea had a yellow green color with a light murkiness to it. The aroma was very mixed with a light and sweet aroma to it. There was a very unusual flavor to this tea, it is apparent that there are multiple forms of tea. The flavor is a long lived flavor. The front end of the tea has a light bitterness to it, followed by a very noticeable woody flavor similar to a kukicha. It also has a very thick midsection and no astringency on the end.

2nd Infusion Parameters: 180F, 45s

2nd Infusion: This infusion had a light brown hue to it. The infusion was somewhat murky. This infusion had a very different flavor profile to it. There was a bitterness in the middle and a light lingering flavor on the back end. There was a light sense of astringency at the end.

Rating: 3/10

Conclusion: There is a very good reason why tea is sorted, the flavor of aracha is very muddled and complicated. In the different infusions flavor characteristics of different teas were present. If the different components of aracha were singers, drinking pure aracha would be akin to a choir each trying to sing their solo at the same time. Individually fantastic, but unsorted it is confused and muddled.

White Masala Chai

Tea: White Masala Chai
Vendor: Yogic Chai
Price: $9.00 / 2 oz.

Leaf: The leaf for this tea was a very low density tea as most white teas are. It reminds me of a broken Bai Mu Dan. There is a nice spice aroma with a distinctive clove aroma.

Brewing Parameters: 8 oz. water, 3g leaf, 2 minute infusion

Infusion: The tea has a light yellow brown color to it. There is a definite chai spice aroma to it and not much of any other aroma. The tea is primarily the flavor of the chai spices and not much else. It has a very clean and open feeling, but not much of a tea flavor.

Rating: 3/10

Conclusion: This tea was primarily flavoring from the chai spices with a very subtle white tea flavor. I couldn't taste much aside from the chai spices, but I could somewhat tell that there is a the white tea flavor underneath, but the sublte flavor of a white tea could not show through.

Gold Flecked Green (Organic)

Tea: Gold Flecked Green (Organic)
Vendor: L'amyx
Price: $11.95/ 1.5 oz
Source: Anhui, China
Vendor Description: This fine tea from Anhui province has a floral fragrance and a multi-faceted finish, almost like an oolong.

Leaf: This is a very clean leaf. It is rolled and coiled into little balls, like many oolongs, but not like a jasmine pearl. The leaf has a very dry and almost spicy aroma to it.

1st Infusion: The tea infuses with a golden brown color to it. The liquor is very transparent. It has a lightly floral aroma. The tea itself has a very sharp bitterness to it, and an almost metallic flavor. The flavor is reminiscent of a dragonwell, but much more mild and subdued. There is a medium sense of astringency as well.

2nd Infusion: This infusion has a sharper aroma to it, and a less bitter flavor. The flavor is still somewhat bitter though, and it has a bit of a nutty taste.

Rating: 3/10

Conclusion: This tea was rather unimpressive. It has all of the traditional makings of a Chinese green tea, but weakly seems to do so in many ways. The only truly impressive aspect about this tea was the used leaf. It is very vibrant in color and has some beautifully preserved leaf forms to it. The general flavor of this tea though was somewhat offputting, and continues a rather unimpressive string of teas from Lamyx.

Himalayan Black

Tea: Himalayan Black
Vendor: Ineeka
Price: $10.49 / 14 infusers (from Amazon.com)
Vendor Description: A lively, brisk energizer reflecting the nuancs of nature and our commitement to preserve its offerings.

Striving For Perfection
Awaken with zest. The perfection in this creation is visible within the uniform gold brightness of the infused leaf. Presenting a freshness that exemplifies harmony with nature.

Teabag: This was another offering using the hanging basket open top style of infusers. Similar to the sencha offering from Bassaro.

1st Infusion: This tea was very traditionally black in color. There was nothing unusual or different about the color. The flavor was a very front loaded black tea flavor. It lacked any bitterness and had just a hint of astringency. Due to the front loading of the flavor the flavor was very short lived. It had a bit of a pepperiness to it though, it almost seemed like it had a certain spiciness on the back of the throat. The flavor was light, but full bodied.

2nd Infusion: This infusion had a very light black flavor to it. The flavor was weak and it was apparent that this teabag could only really hold up for one infusion.

Rating: 3/10

Conclusion: I wasn't very impressed by this teabag. The tea was unremarkable, and the teabag itself is probably the most interesting part about it. Considering that even with the creative teabag it didn't come up with a very strong showing it could stand to improve.