Pineapple Oolong

Tea: Pineapple Oolong - 8510
Vendor: Lupicia USA
Price: $9.00 / 50g.
Vendor Description: Taiwanese oolong tea flavored with sweet pineapple using the famous Taiwanese pineapple cake as its image.

Leaf: The leaf for this tea is a yellow green Taiwanese style balled oolong tea. There are small dried pieces of pineapple. The leaf has a very matte color to it, it looks like a rather large amount of stem is still attached on the balls. Most are multi-leaf clusters. The aroma to the tea is sweet and somewhat confused. It is a mix of the sweetness of the fruit with the fresh aroma of the Taiwanese oolong. There is a rather wide variety int he size of the leaf balls.

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

1st Infusion: The tea has a bright yellow hue to it. The aroma is predominantly that of a green oolong, it is bold and strong, but not very clear. The flavor of the tea has a snappy pineapple flavor sitting atop the green oolong flavor. The flavor reminds me very much of a dried piece of pineapple, but the tea isn't very sweet. It's for the most part light and short lived. The dried pineapple flavor feels as though it's masking the green oolong flavor slightly. The two flavors seem to go well together, but the pineapple is a bit on top.

2nd Infusion Parameters: 1:30, 208F

2nd Infusion: This infusion has a golden brown color it it. There is less aroma, but what is there feels very wide and broad. The flavor is bolder with a stronger pineapple flavor. It feels like a good pairing of the sweetness of the pineapple and the freshness of the oolong. Strangely this pairing brings to mind hints of beer flavoring. There is a light astringency on the back end of the tea. As the flavor progresses it feels as though it deepens.

Rating: 7/10

Conclusion: Interesting flavor pairing. The two seem to go well together, although the pineapple is edging out above the oolong. Although sweet pineapple tends to be more outstanding of a flavor than a fresh Taiwanese oolong. Although it's pretty good, at it's price it is a bit steep. I think for it's price I would like to stick to something a bit more refined and unflavored.

Ba Xian Dan Cong Winter Single Bush

Tea: Ba Xian Dan Cong, Winter Single Bush
Vendor: Jing Tea Shop
Price: $29.00 / 100g

About this tea: This tea was a sample provided to me by Salsero over at Tea Chat. This tea is no longer available from the Jing Tea Shop website so the information pertaining to it is a bit short.

Leaf: This tea is a mix of dark black colored leaf along with some green leaf. This reminds me of the Yulan Dancong from Canton Tea Co. Some of the leaves are light green in color. There is a light floral aroma with a medium intensity to the leaf. Most of the leaf is slightly wider and flatter than most Dan Cong oolongs.

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

1st Infusion: The tea is a yellow green hue. It has a very vibrant aroma and reminds me of freshness. There is quite a bit of aroma to this tea. The flavor is bold and full bodied. There is a light tinge of sharpness and a light side of the mouth sense of astringency. The tea has a definite green freshness to it.

2nd Infusion Parameters: 45s, 208F

2nd Infusion: This infusion has a browner hue than the first. It is less floral of an aroma. It feels thicker and heavier. The flavor is lighter and snappier, with a light sense of astringency.

Rating: 7/10

Conclusion: The first infusion of this tea had a fantastic sense of aroma. Unfortunately that all but disappeared in the second infusion. I'm still not quite sure what I think of greener Dan Cong oolong teas, and this is definitely one of them. The price is affordable for a good Dan Cong, but there are others that perform better for less.

Narcissus

Tea: Narcissus
Vendor: Lupicia USA
Price: $5.00 / 50g
Vendor Description: Oolong tea with a distinctive aroma and refreshing astringency. As it has a refreshing aftertaste, it even goes well with oily dishes.

Leaf: The leaf for this tea is a large black colored oolong tea. It reminds me somewhat of the Glorious Seed (Se Zhong) tea in terms of shape and light rolling. It however is a much darker oolong than Glorious Seed. While Glorious Seed was a green oolong, this is a much darker oolong, with an aroma that reminds me of Wuyi oolongs. (I have a feeling that is what this one is.)

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

1st Infusion: This infusion has a thick and heavy aroma to it. The tea has a hue similar to that of a light cup of coffee. The flavor is thick and rich. Most of the flavor is on the outer sides of my mouth. The central portion of the flavor isn't as strong as the sides. It starts out up front but moves to the sides instead of down the center. There is a very heavy roasted type flavor to this tea.

2nd Infusion Parameters: 1:30, 208F

2nd Infusion: This infusion has the same dark coffee brown hue as the first. The aroma though is much lighter than the first. The flavor is still rich and bodied. It is intense and bold, starting early on in the front and moving into a nice middle flavor. It is much stronger than the first infusion.

3rd Infusion Parameters: 2:00, 208F

3rd Infusion: The hue this time was a bit lighter than the second infusion. There is still a light aroma to the tea. The flavor is significantly lighter than that for the second infusion, but it feels very even from the start to the finish. It finishes with a light sense of astringency.

4th Infusion Parameters: 3:00, 208F

4th Infusion: This infusion has a lighter copper color. The flavor is even lighter than before, although it still has a good degree of body left to the tea. There is no bitterness or astringency though.

Rating: 7/10

Conclusion: This tea is best described as an everyday Wuyi. Although I have no idea if the tea is actually from the Wuyi mountains, it feels like it is. The flavor isn't as refined as some nicer Wuyi oolongs, but it is representative. It's relatively nicely priced and has the strength to continue for a fair number of infusions.

Hojicha

Tea: Hojicha
Vendor: Aiya America

About This Tea: Aiya America is the American branch of Aiya Co. in Japan. They offer a selection of teas in the normal leaf spectrum as well as a variety of grades of matcha for private label. They deal in bulk wholesale transactions, so little is known about their pricing.

Leaf: The leaf for their hojicha seems like a very lightly roasted leaf. It still has shades of green on parts of the leaf and the leaves are all very large. There is quite a bit of rolling with these leaves, not just flattening like is seen with some hojicha. The aroma is light to match the light color.

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

1st Infusion: This tea produces a nice caramel brown hue. There is a light amount of sediment to this tea, but for the most part it is a clear brew. The aroma is thick and musky. The thickness of thea aroma masks the characteristic roasted aroma of a hojicha. The flavor is very light and early, it has a thin consistency to it. The roasting is noticeable on the backend of the falvor. This tea has a very mouth watering feeling to it. There is no bitterness or astringency to this tea and it rolls quite easily down the tongue.

2nd Infusion Parameters: 208F, 2min

2nd Infusion: This infusion had a reddish - brown hue to it, it's almost autumnal. The aroma is very light and clear this time, very roasted. The flavor is much more bodied, but not terribly intense. It is still a front loaded flavor with most of the flavor very early on. There is a light sense of astringency on the backend, but overall this is a very smooth hojicha.

Rating: 7/10

Conclusion: This is an overall very nice lightly roasted hojicha. Unfortunately because Aiya is primarily a wholesale company, it's hard to say anything about the value / cost of this tea. It has a very solid feeling to it though.

Malama

Tea: Malama EH-6
Vendor: Lupicia USA

About This Tea: Malama is one of the exclusive teas only available from the Hawaii store of Lupicia. I picked this up as part of of the gift set that was available through retail outlets earlier this year.

Leaf: The leaf for this tea is a typical orthodox black leaf mixed in with small CTC pellets. There is a rich cocoa aroma to the leaf and some small pieces of macadamia nut in the mix. There are a few other pieces in the mix that I can't seem to identify.

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

1st Infusion: This tea has a very strong and sweet cocoa aroma, it reminds me of some cocoa powder. The flavor of the tea is overall quite light, which does not match with the rich dark color of the tea. The flavor even though it is light is quite bold from the beginning to the end. The cocoa shines through the flavor and is a nice bit of an addition. It rounds out the flavor quite nicely. The flavor is overall quite rich and ends with a little bit of astringency.

Rating: 7/10

Conclusion: This tea is quite interesting. The cocoa mixed with the black tea provides a nice round flavor for the tea, but the availability of the tea is a bit offputting. It is nice, and it would be worth picking up if it was available easily, but I don't know if it is unique enough to go searching this one out.

Jade Dew Mingjian

Tea: Jade Dew Mingjian - 6286
Vendor: Lupicia USA
Price: $7.50 / 50g
Source: Taiwan
Vendor Description: Fully enjoy the luxurious flavor just like jasmine with the winter-picked Taiwanese oolong tea.

Leaf: The leaf consists typically shaped ball formed oolong tea. The balls are smaller than most that I see, but typically tightly rolled with some stem visitble. The leaf is very matte in color, and it has a very sweet and heavy aroma to it.

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

1st Infusion: The tea has a radiant green color. It is green, radiant and quite clear. There is a heavy yet bold and strong aroma to the tea. The flavor is very focused on the front and middle portions of the flavor. It shows a very round flavor overall.

2nd Infusion Parameters: 1:00, 208F
2nd Infusion: This infusion has a much stronger aroma, yet retains the radiant green color of the first. It has a thick and rich aroma to it still. The flavor has moved toward the back end in this infusion instead of the frontal notions from the first. There is a light sense of astringency on the back now.

3rd Infusion Parameters: 2:00, 208F

3rd Infusion: This infusion was much bolder in color. Instead of the radiant green of the first and second infusions it switched toa more yellow green color. The flavor is much bolder than the first two, and shifted back toward the front of the flavor. It feels a bit empty and ends with a light astringency on the back end.

Rating: 7/10
Conclusion: This is a pretty solid Taiwanese oolong. There isn't anything terribly outstanding, detracting, or unusual about it. It's pretty characteristic for the class of oolong. Simple, smooth, green and normal. It is reasonably priced for a solid green oolong. It holds up well for a few infusions and is a very good representation of class.

La Vanille

Tea: La Vanille - 5232
Vendor: Lupicia USA
Price: $7.50 / 50g
Vendor Description: Indulge in the love of vanilla! A luxurious blend of African black tea laced with exotic Madagascar Bourbon vanilla beans.

Leaf: The leaf for this tea is rather peculiar. It is shaped like a very small pellet ctc, but smaller than any other ctc that I have seen. It reminds me very much of freeze dried coffee grounds. There are cross sections of cut up vanilla beans mixed in with this. There is the distinctive aroma of true vanilla from this tea, rather unsurprisingly.

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

1st Infusion: The aroma for this tea is very rich and creamy. It is contribued heavily by the vanilla aroma. The flavor is light and clear for a black tea. It is sweetened by the vanilla flavor, and it almost begst o be paired with a bit of milk and sugar because of that. The flavor is overall somewhat light, but the vanilla keeps bringing to mind a combination of vanilla ice cream and a light black tea. The tea portion of the flavor lightly reminds me of an english breakfast tea.

Rating: 7/10

Conclusion: This tea is a bit difficult to rate. As a flavored black tea, the flavoring is quite outstanding. The vanilla is true to it's name and delivers a wonderful flavor. It's on the upper end of what anyone should pay for a flavored black tea, especially a ctc though.

Kiwami Shincha

Tea: Kiwami Shincha
Vendor: Zencha
Price: $25.00 / 100g
Source: Yame, Japan
Vendor Description: The Premium Sencha produced only from the first flush leaves of Asagiri, a variety of tea plant. You can enjoy excellent natural sweet aroma and cleanly astringent taste.

Leaf: The leaf for this tea is borderline between a chumushi and a fukamushi. It has a very fresh aroma as is expected from a shincha. There is a little bit of flat leaf in the mix.

1st Infusion Parameters: 3g, 5oz, 185F, 45s

1st Infusion: The infusion has a clear bright green hue to it. It is radiant and brilliant as is expected from a shincha. The aroma is sweet and fresh. The flavor matches well to the aroma in terms of a very clean and fresh flavor with a hint of vibrance to it. There is a hint of marine flavor lingering in the background.

2nd Infusion Parameters: 15s, 185F

2nd Infusion: This infusion has a murkier, more characteristic fukamushi color to it. the hue is a deep green color. The aroma is very bold and intense. The flavor is a lot lighter, but the weight of the fukamushi portion of the flavor seems to almost conflict with the freshness of the shincha. It finishes with a light sense of astringency.

Rating: 7/10

Conclusion: This is a pretty good shincha, nothing spectacular, but nothing terrible. It expresses the freshness and vibrance that should be in a shincha, but the fukamushi aspect seems to conflict with the freshness feel of the shincha. This is partly due to my preference for an asamushi, but with a shincha this seems to be expressing itself a bit more. At it's price it doesn't feel particularly cheap or expensive, but leans toward the pricey side. I was somewhat expecting a more defined flavor for a Yame shincha.

Organic Emerald Pearls

Tea: Organic Emerald Pearls
Vendor: Mighty Leaf
Price: $16.95 / 4 oz
Source: Anhui, China
Vendor Description: Organic Emerald Pearls green tea, grown on a farm in the Yellow Mountains of China's Anhui province, has tender, deep green leaves and buds. With a flowery aroma and fresh, sweet green tea flavor, this organic green tea is a unique taste experience.

Leaf: This leaf is a light and fluffy green tea. It's probably one of the fluffiest greens that I have seen. The leaves are all smaller more delicate leaves with a very fresh green aroma to them.

1st Infusion Parameters: 5g, 5oz, 185F, 45s

1st Infusion: This infusion has a light and fresh aroma to it. It reminds me lightly of a dragonwell in terms of aroma. It is rather characteristically a Chinese green tea though. The color of the tea itself is a yellow brown hue. The flavor is surprisingly sweet and creamy. The combination is quite interesting for this tea. There is no bitterness or astringency to this tea.

2nd Infusion Parameters: 45s, 185F

2nd Infusion: This infusion has a lighter green color to it. The infused leaf reminds me of used sencha leaf. It is surprisingly light green in color though. The flavor is much bolder as a green tea though. It is not as sweet as the first infusion, but has a rich flavor to it.

Rating: 7/10

Conclusion: This tea is interesting. It is probably one of the best organics that I have had, but it had a rather surprising change between the first and second infusions. It would have been better if it was a bit more uniform in flavor. The name of this tea is a bit misleading, the pearls portion of the name remind me of Jasmine Pearls which are typically rolled into balls, this tea was quite the opposite.

Sencha The Ultimate

Tea: Yame - Sencha The Ultimate
Vendor: Zencha
Price: $22.00 / 50g
Source: Yame, Japan
Vendor Description: This is the tea specially produced for exhibition and in limited supply.
Only first two leaves and buds are carefully picked by hands.
Rich in natural sweet aroma and fresh scent with excellent astringent taste.

Leaf: The leaf has a bold and fresh aroma to it. It is somewhat different than most sencha aromas, but I can't seem to pinpoint how. It has some very gracefully long and thin needles to it, but in general appears to be more of a fukamushi than anything.

1st Infusion Parameters: 5g, 5oz, 185F, 45s

1st Infusion: This tea has a brilliant green hue to it. It is a very bold and persistent aroma. It reminds me of the aroma from the leaf. There is a pleasant crispness to the aroma. The infusion is lightly murky with a bold flavor. It starts with a very sharp, but momentary flavor. On the back end there is a light marine flavor. There are other aspects to this flavor which I'm having a problem pinpointing. It feels very complex yet undefined. Overall the flavor starts off lightly and then hangs around in the middle to taper off to a long aftertaste.

2nd Infusion Parameters: 185F, 15s

2nd Infusion: This infusion has a bold and rich green hue to it. The flavor is light and crisp with a light bitterness to it. The backend has a light bit of astringency, but it's showing the same complicated nature as the first infusion.

Rating: 7/10

Conclusion: While I was excited to try this tea out in order to see more of the spectrum that a Yame sencha could offer I was disappointed by this offering. The flavor was muddled and not as clear as I would expect from something labeled as the ultimate. Part of this may be from this tea being more akin to a fukamushi bordering on a chumushi. But I don't particularly see this tea as being any better / worse than the Serene Forest from Lupicia. And given that the Serene Forest is around half the price, I would suggest going with that one instead. Currently though Zencha has this in a shincha for preorder and that might have a bit more brightness and clarity that the sampled one did not have.

Yulan Dancong

Tea: Yulan Dancong
Vendor: Canton Tea Co.
Price: £9.99 / 50g
Vendor Description: The leaves are a golden-green with a wrinkly surface and have a peach-like fragrance. The liquor is full-bodied with a thick texture and has a deliciously sweet, long-lasting aftertaste which means it is a good example of a high quality Yulan. The flavour develops with each brew saves should be infused several times.

Additional Vendor Information:
Origin: Wu Dong Mountain, Chao Zhou, Guang Dong.
Harvest : Winter 2008
Varietal : Single Bush Yu Lan
Altitude : 400m ~ 600m
Certification : Small production direct from the farmer.

Leaf: The leaf for this tea is somewhat unusual looking. The leaves are long, dark and twisted like other Dan Congs, but instead of the more traditional grey edges around the leaves the edges of the leaves have some green accents to it. They are very well formed though and well cared for. The leaves are large and intact.

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

1st Infusion: The first infusion produced a clear light yellow green hue. The aroma is very green it reminds me of green oolongs, like a dong ding or most Taiwanese oolongs. The flavor exhibits a very green crispness to it. The flavor overall is quite light. The aroma leads right into the flavor though and shows a harmony that is at times rare to find. It is light boded, but the flavor builds up more towards the backend.

2nd Infusion Parameters: 45s, 208F

2nd Infusion: This infusion produced a deeper golden yellow hue. The aroma is now a cross between the floral loftiness of a Dan Cong and a crisp green oolong. The flavor is more bodied, to the point where it is quite well bodied. There is a light astringency on the backend even though the flavor feels a bit light. The light flavor still feels very much like a Taiwanese green oolong.

3rd Infusion Parameters: 2:00, 208F

3rd Infusion: This time around the color took a yet darker hue almost at an amber yellow color. The aroma was very much still a green oolong, the floral points had faded away. The flavor was very light. The flavor and the color were somewhat out of sync with one another. It was quite light considering the darkness of the hue. Aside from a medium sense of bitterness the flavor was quite light overall.

Rating: 7/10

Conclusion: I still don't really know what to make of this tea. It is very unique to say the least. It feels very green, it shows many characteristics of Taiwanese oolongs, but at the same time shows the traditional Dan Cong flavors and aromas. It is a bit on the pricey side, I think I prefer the Milan Dan Cong to this one.

Coco Chai

Tea: Coco Chai
Vendor: Mighty Leaf
Price: $8.95 / 4oz
Source: South Africa
Vendor Description: Coco Chai rooibos tea is a handcrafted, caffeine-free chai tea made from South African rooibos blended with shredded coconut, red peppercorns and aromatic spices including ginger, cinnamon and cardomon. This twist on a classic chai tea will surprise with its intoxicatingly aroma and spicey but sweet flavor.

Leaf: This is a rooibos based chai blend. It has a mix of coconut, peppercorns and cardomon. There was also some ginger in the mix that I saw. There is a very sweet and distinctive coconut aroma to this tea. It has a much bolder aroma than most chai.
1st Infusion Parameters: 3g, 12oz, 5 min, 195F

1st Infusion: The tea had a golden brown / light reddish hue to it. Again the distinctive coconut aroma was easy to pick out. The flavor was sweet and flavorful, it felt like just the right amount of rooibos flavor in comparison to the flavor of the spices. There was no bitterness or astringency to it. The flavor was just at a right level for making htis without using a milk/sugar mix for this chai.

Rating: 7/10

Conclusion: This tea is a good value. The suggested mix was to use less tea than I would normally have used for a test, and it turned out to be a good amount. The price by itself is quite good for a 4 oz bag. The flavor was well balanced. That said it lacked having a little bit of distinguishing characteristics from other chai aside from being rooibos based. A more prominent coconut flavor might be interesting.

Organic Lu An Gua Pian

Tea: Organic Lu An Gua Pian
Vendor: Mighty Leaf
Price: $16.95 / 4 oz
Source: Anhui Province, China
Vendor Description: Organic Lu An Gua Pian green tea, also known as "Little Melon Seed" is an exquisite, high-grade green tea grown in China's Anhui province. Processed using only the beautiful emerald green leaves, without any buds, the Lu An Gu Pian tea dates back to the Tang Dynasty. This refreshing green tea yields a sweet and floral taste with a smooth filong lasting finish similar to that of a Ti Kuan Yin oolong tea.

Leaf: The leaf has light green edges and is lightly twisted. It's not rolled as finely as a sencha, but not open like a Phoenix oolong. The edges of the leaves are light green, but the center of the leaf is dark green.

1st Infusion Parameters: 5g, 5 oz, 185F, 45s

1st Infusion: The tea has a light yellow green hue to it. The aroma is nicely sweet. The tea is very sweet, especially for a green tea. It is rich and flavorful without much bitterness or astringency. It is pleasant, but a bit average in flavor, there is not much that really stands out in the flavor.

2nd Infusion Parameters: 45s, 185F

2nd Infusion: This infusion was a lightly murky infusion with a yellow-green hue. It is abit more yellow than green. The aroma isn't very prominent anymore, there isn't much of an aroma to it at all. The flavor is a bit sharper. It is sweet at the onset, and then turns a stronger and that's where the sharpness is.

Rating: 7/10

Conclusion: This tea was quite enjoyable, but a bit on the mundane side. The first infusion was nicely sweet and subtle. The second infusion showed a bit more character, but nothing outstanding. Factoring in the price I would probably pick something a bit more interesting, but there was nothing wrong with this tea.

Pouchong

Tea: Pouchong
Vendor: Canton Tea Co.
Price: £8.99 / 40g
Source: Xu Family Farm, Wenshan, Taipei province, Taiwan
Harvest: Spring 08
Vendor Description: Pouchong is one of the most famous of all Taiwan teas and ours is from one of the best producers. This deliciously smooth, very lightly oxidised green tea is almost an oolong. It has delicate floral notes with smooth, sweet undertones and a soft apricot finish. All the Pouchong produced at the Xu Family farm is bought up very quickly by local buyers. We are the only company outside Taiwan to have access to this exceptional tea.
Additional Vendor Information:
Grade: Top grade AA

Leaf: The leaf for this tea is a very light and fluffy green leaf. The shape and size somewhat remind me of a Wuyi or Dan Cong Oolong. There is a very fresh aroma to it and the leaves have a very matte green color to them, spanning the spectrum of green colors.

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

1st Infusion: The tea has a clear green hue to it. The aroma reminds me of a Taiwanese green oolong. The flavor is very light and smooth. It has a very green and fresh feeling to it. Rather surprisingly it gives me a very wet feeling in my mouth. There is a strong central flavor with no bitternes or astringnecy.

2nd Infusion Parameters: 30s, 185F

2nd Infusion: Again this feels very much like most green oolongs. The color is a rich shade of green. The flavor is smooth with a barely noticeable sense of astringency. The flavor is very strong and intense.

3rd Infusion Parameters: 1:30, 185F

3rd Infusion: The flavor is still rich and fresh. This infusion feels very much like the second infusion. It is very pleasant and enjoyable, with just a hint of being lighter than the second infusion.

Rating: 7/10

Conclusion: This is a very enjoyable tea, it has an outstanding flavor to it. The downside to this tea though is that there is nothting that feels that oustanding about it aside from it's very fresh and light taste that it has. As enjoyable as this taste is it does not account for the somewhat steep price for this tea.

PG Tips

Tea: PG Tips

About This Tea: PG Tips is a very widely available teabag. It is well known as being an enjoyed black tea blend. It can be found at a wide variety of stores including most grocery stores. Pricing for these can vary quite drastically based on volume (more than most teas).

Teabag: The teabag is a paper pyramidal style teabag. There is no string attached to this teabag interestingly enough.

Infusion Parameters: 6 oz, 208F, 3 min

Infusion: This tea has a bold black aroma to it. The tea has a copper red color. The beginning of the tea has a little bit of a bitterness to it, and finishes with a fruity aftertaste. There is a medium sense of astringency on the backside of the tea.

Rating: 7/10

Conclusion: This tea is surprisingly good. It is very inexpensive and quite available. There is nothing really to knock about this tea, but it just doesn't have any outstanding qualities to it. Fairly good tea though. Thanks to Jessica over at Authoritea for a few of these teabags.

Sencha "Kanaya"

Tea: Sencha "Kanaya" - 7465
Vendor: Lupicia USA
Price: $9.00 / 50g
Vendor Description: As the leaves are small, they are thinly rubbed, producing this distinctive tea with elegant sweet aroma.

Leaf: The leaf for this tea looks like a yellow-green colored fukamushi. There are a few longer leaves in the mix, but the majority is the fukamushi style small leaf pieces. There is quite a bit of the fukamushi style powder though. The leaf is medium glossy. It is not quite matte, and not quite glossy at the same time. The aroma is very traditional for a fukamushi.

1st Infusion Parameters: 5g, 5oz, 45s, 185F

1st Infusion: The first infusion is yellower in color, but surprisingly clear for a fukamushi. there is a light murkiness to it and a sweet sencha aroma. The aroma reminds me of a fukamsuhi,b ut has hints of something similar to a yutaka midori in it. The flavor is on the bolder side of things. It has a distinct gyokuro like flavor at the onset. The strength of the tea reminds me of a gyokruo in something most akin to the marine flavor of a gyokruo. It's strong enought that it has a certain bitterness that pairs with a strong sencha flavor. There is no astringcency ot this tea, and considering the amount of strength in this cup that it is rather surprising. Most of the flavor is not foudn up front, but rather in the middle. There is not much aftertaste to speak of.

2nd Infusion Parameters: 185F, 15s

2nd Infusion: This infusion is quite different in appearance than the first one. It is murky enough that it is almost opaque. This is much more characteristic as a fukamushi. The color of the tea is deep enough of a green that it reminds me of a hunter green in color, just a slight bit yellower. There is a light aroma to the tea. The flavor of this infusion is completely different than the first infusion. It is light and snappy. The flavor is very crsip with a light sense of astringency.

Rating: 7/10

Conclusion: This is probably one of the most interesting fukamushis that I have tried to date. It showed a drastic change between infusions, neither being better or worse than the previous. It's price feels a bit steep though for what it is. I feel like this is more an interesting tea than an outstanding one. Fuka fans should probably give this one a try.

Teabag - Kalahari Reserve

Tea: Kalahari Reserve
Vendor: Kalahari Tea
Price: $3.50 / 20 teabags
Source: South Africa
Vendor Description: Kalahari Reserve is 100% pure red tea, selected from the tender tips of the Rooibos bush. With it's sweet, smooth taste, it can be enjoyed by itself, or with milk, lemon or a sweetener. Rich in antioxidants, red tea tastes great and is naturally caffeine free. It's the healthy drink you can consume all day long.

Teabag: This is another paper satchel style teabag from Kalahari Tea. There are lots of small rooibos bits in the bag. In general it seems like a very mundane red tea bag.

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

1st Infusion: This tea produces a deep rich red color. There are hints of brown in the hue, but it is still a rather pure red. The aroma of the tea is very traditional for a rooibos tea. The flavor is also very characteristic smooth rooibos. It feels a bit sweeter than most rooibos that I have had and finishes with a light sense of astringency.

Rating: 7/10

Conclusion: Aesthetically the color of this tea is quite amazing. Unfortunately the methods of packaging that they use along with the paper satchel style teabags that they use don't really help them here. It would be better to use a teabag where you could more plainly see the color and appearance of the rooibos leaf. Aside from that though the tea is very characteristic for a rooibos tea, with the benefit of being slightly sweeter than most. This would be a good rooibos to try if you've never tried one before.

White Pearls

Tea: White Pearls
Vendor: Koffee Klatch

About This Tea: I received this tea as a gift. From what I can tell they are similar to jasmine pearls, but made with a tea closer to a Silver Needle.

Leaf: The tea consists of small pea sized pearls. They are coated with the small silver hairs typical of a white tea.

1st Infusion Parameters: 5g, 5oz, 185F, 1:30

1st Infusion: The tea has a crystal clear color, with a light brown and pink hue to it. The aroma is very similar to a Silver Needle, although it is a bit light. The flavor is very creamy. It is differing from a Silver Needle in that it is not as crisp. Yet the flavor is not quite as broad as a White Peony. The flavor is bolder than a Silver Needle, but very similar in flavor. It is bold for a white tea, yet feels like it is somewhere along the line between a Silver Needle and a White Peony.

2nd Infusion Parameters: 185F, 2:00

2nd Infusion: This infusion has a darker amber color to it, although the tea is still quite clear in color. There is a little bit of astringency, but still exhibits a stron rich white tea flavor.

Rating: 7/10

Conclusion: This was a very interesting tea. It did not fall into the normal classifications for white teas (mostly either White Peony or Silver Needle). It felt like it was straddling this classification between the two. I don't know much of the details about the price or availability, so it is a bit harder to give rating, but if you enjoy white tea this stuff is probably right up your alley to try. If you don't like either of the common two white teas you probably won't like this one either.

Melon Oolong

Tea: Melon Oolong - 8239
Vendor: Lupicia USA
Price: $9.00 / 50g
Source: Taiwan
Vendor Description: Sweet aroma of juicy melons and aromatic Taiwanese oolong tea.

Leaf:The leaf for this tea has a very sweet cantaloupe aroma. It is very strong and pleasant. There are small white pieces of dried fruit in the mix as well. The oolong is rolled into nice small pellets (Taiwanese style oolong).

1st Infusion Parameters: 5g, 5 oz, 2:00, 208F

1st Infusion: This tea has a pale yellow color. It is rather clear with a few flecks of sediment in the bottom of the cup. The aroma of the tea is a typical green oolong mixed with the same sweet cantaloupe aroma. The flavor though is not as strong as the aroma would indicate. The middle of the flavor is very characteristically green oolong. The ending of the flavor has a solid sweetness from the cantaloupe flavoring. Overall the tea is very smooth and sweet, and there is a general mouth coating sweetness to it. The flavor lasts a long time and has a lingereing aftertaste. This tea feels like it has a flavor battle between the sweetness of the melon and the oolong flavoring.

2nd Infusion Parameters: 208F, 3:00

2nd Infusion: This infusion has a golden yellow color. The sweet melon aroma is dominated by the stronger green oolong aroma. There is a light sharpness in the aroma. The flavor is light and smooth with a light sense of astringency. Again, it feels like there is still a conflict in the flavors here.

Rating: 7/10

Conclusion: This is a flavored oolong, it makes no allusions as being something else. It is pretty good for a flavored tea, better than most of the other flavored oolongs I have tried. For a flavored oolong though this tea is very pricey. The flavoring is quite nice, the underlying oolong is as good as should be expected for a flavored tea.

Pumpkin Rooibos

Tea: Pumpkin Rooibos
Vendor: Dragonwater Tea
Price: $6.45 / 4 oz
Source: South Africa
Vendor Description: Rooibos Pumpkin Tea. Rooibos with a fruity pumpkin and cream taste. A must try.

Leaf: The leaf for this tea is very sweet smelling. There are quite a bit of additions to this mix, including blossoms, leaves, and dried pieces of fruit. Nothing really resembling pumpkin though. There is some very interesting green leaf in this mix of red rooibos and brownish hued fruits. It adds a nice color contrast.

1st Infusion Parameters: 1 tsp (2.3g), 5 oz, 6 min, 208F

1st Infusion: Like most rooibos this tea has a rich red color. A red that is somewhat unique to rooibos. The aroma is sweet and fruity, it reminds me of the aroma of a strawberry rhubarb pie. The flavor is very smooth and very sweet. The flavor is light, but is well bodied. It is fruity and sweet, and really does not taste like pumpkin at all.

Rating: 7/10

Conclusion: This tea is somewhat well known. I have heard about it from a few people saying how wonderful it is and it is almost like a guilty pleasure. It is a non-tea, flavored, and mixed. It defies traditional tea. That said, it is enjoyable. It is sweet with no astringency, caffeine, or bitterness. However it's name is deceiving. Nothing in this tea's flavor, appearance, or apparently composition is pumpkin. I really don't know why you would call it pumpkin when it doesn't contain or taste like it. More appropriately named this may have gotten a higher rating, but a lot of a tea is in the name. Thank you to Jessica over at Authoritea for the sample of this.