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.

Jasmine Pearls

Tea: Jasmine Pearls
Vendor: Narien Teas
Price: $25.00 / 5oz
Vendor Description: Jasmine Pearls is a gently rolled fragrant green tea that has been scented with fresh jasmine blossoms. Infuses into a sweet-flavored cup with a flowery jasmine aroma.

Leaf: The tea consists of small dark green pearls, around the size of a pea. Each rather nicely rolled into a small ball. The aroma is almost similar to a black tea, but has a strong very prominent jasmine portion to it.

1st Infusion Parameters: 8 pearls (1.38g), 185F, 1min, 50z

1st Infusion: This tea has the sweet aroma of Jasmine to it, as is to be expected with some Jasmine Pearls. The hue is a light pale yellow green. There is a very prominent jasmine aroma and flavor to this tea. The flavor otherwise is sweet and very light in character. The jasmine seems to dominate the majority of this tea, which is to be expected considering the amount of leaf used in accordance with Narien's suggested parameters.

2nd Infusion Parameters: 1:30, 185F

2nd Infusion: This infusion has a bolder yellow color to it. The jasmine aroma is still detectable, although it is hiding further back in the feel of the aroma. The green flavor is more prominent in this infusion as well. Overall this infusion is more in balance between the two flavor components, producing a light and smooth overall flavor.

Rating: 8/10

Conclusion: Overall a fairly solid jasmine pearl tea. Not overpowering in either side, light, and delicate. The coloration on the pearls themselves is a little unusual, but it doesn't seem to have any bearing upon the actual flavor though.

Ceylon Kenilworth

Tea: Ceylon Kenilworth
Vendor: Narien Teas
Price: $7.00 / 4oz
Source: Sri Lanka
Vendor Description: Ceylon Kenilworth is an excellent black tea from the Kenilworth Estate, Sri Lanka. The long, crisp, dark leaves infuse into a malty cup that is full of flavor and very smooth.

Leaf: The leaf for this tea consists of large black leaf with light grey edging to it. It has a sweet and distinctively Ceylon aroma to it. Nothing really unusual here.

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

1st Infusion: This tea has a sweet Ceylon aroma to it. It is very smooth and very typical for a Ceylon. It is a bit smoother and more reserved than other Ceylon samples I've tried. It has no astringency or bitterness to it. Overall it has a very even flavor.

Rating: 4/10

Conclusion: Different Ceylon black teas fail to impress me as one versus another. They tend to have a very similar flavor to them and don't stand apart from one another. Differences are very subtle and not very noticeable.