Keemun

Tea: Keemun
Vendor: L'amyx
Price: $14.95 / 1.5 oz
Vendor Description: Its sleek black leaf with golden tip produces a rich, auburn liquor and floral aroma. Produced in very limited quantities. Considered the Champagne of black teas.

Leaf: The leaf is very uniform looking black leaf and has a very strong black aroma to it.

1st Infusion: The tea has a rich black color to it. The color reminds me of a mixture of caramel and coffee. It has an interesting aroma. It reminds me the most of the Pride of the Port tea from Peet's. There is a very distinctive flavor to this tea, it is strong and almost smoky in it's flavor. There is a fair amount of bitterness in this infusion and it is medium bodied. The flavor itself is very rich and strong.

2nd Infusion: There is a sharp bitterness to this infusion. It has the same deep and complex flavor as the first infusion. It is medium bodied like the first infusion.

Rating: 4/10

Conclusion: This is a good strong cup of black tea. It is rich and traditional for a black tea. I could see this tea being good if mixed with milk and sugar. As a pure black tea it seems a bit strong for my tastes.

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.

Kukicha

Tea: Kukicha (Organic)
Vendor: Lamyx
Price:$14.95 / 1.5 oz.
Vendor Description: These are the delicate stems of the tea leaves. A light, grassy brew of exceptional quality.

Leaf: The leaf for this tea was a very lightly colored, very pale green kukicha. It seemed very atypical for a green kukicha.

1st Infusion: There was a light murkiness to this tea, it was a light yellow color with shades of brown. It gave off a very light aroma. The flavor was not a very traditional kukicha flavor, it has hints of lemongrass and other unusual flavors for a kukicha. There was a slight tanginess to the flavor and no bitterness. It did however have a light sense of astringnecy. All in all the flavor was very mellow and very hard to pin down to specific flavors.

2nd Infusion: This infusion had the same odd nondescript flavor as the first infusion. Aside from that it seemed weaker and very unusual. It didn't seem much like other green kukichas that I have had before.

Rating: 1/10

Conclusion: At nearly 10 dollars an ouce this tea seems very expensive for a very odd flavor. Normally a kukicha is a much more cost consicous tea, considering it is made primarily of the stems of the tea rather than the more sought after leaf. There were an assortment of flavors going on in this tea, most of which I could not identify.

Genmaicha (Organic)

Tea: Genmaicha (Organic)
Vendor: Lamyx
Price: $8.95 / 3oz
Vendor Description:

Toasted rice kernels are blended with tea leaves to produce a sweet, nutty brew.

Leaf: The leaf for this genmaicha looked a bit drier than most genmaichas I have been drinking recently. There is a lighter color to the rice, and a light floral aroma to the leaf. The leaf itself though has a very light color to it.

1st Infusion: The tea had a very light and clear yellow-green color to it. The toasted rice had a very light aroma, and at the same time there was a very sweet aroma to this tea. The flavor matched the aroma as well, being light and sweet. The flavor of the rice was definitely noticeable as a distinctive flavor to it. There was a medium sense of astringency and the tea finished with a bit of a starchy aftertaste.

2nd Infusion: The flavor was still very light, and had a medium sense of astringency. The tea did finish with a very clean feeling, but there was not much flavor due to the rice in this infusion. It feels as though most of the flavor was used up in the first infusion.

Rating: 4/10

Conclusion: This genmaicha was not particularly interesting. I'm curious how much the organic nature of this played into the less than stellar performance of this tea. At it's price though, it's not a particularly expensive genmaicha, but most genmaicha is not particularly expensive. I guess if you are looking for an organic genmaicha this could be a suitable choice. Personally I would look elsewhere.