2015 Baohexiang Zizai Premium Ripe Puerh Tea Brick 125g from Menghai...
I purchased this tea for $15.99 from puerhshop, kind of a throw-in I probably picked to get free shipping. When given a choice, I'd rather get more Tea than pay shipping. This is a ripe "choco" brick...
View Article2012 Bang Dong Spring Raw from Tea Urchin
Got a decent sized sample with the Sheng Olympiad. Brewed the whole thing in one go, zisha teapot. Small leaves, slight whiff of more humid storage than what I can do here, evident in the browning...
View ArticleHaiwan Dragon's Spirit Ripe Pu’er Tea 2012 from Haiwan Old Comrade...
I have a fairly generous sample of this with decent dry storage. Heavy fermentation so leaf is rather dark. Still a bit of fermentation left in the flavor. I enjoyed the first four cups which were...
View ArticleBulang 2010 Spring from Tea Urchin
I got a sample of this tea from mrmopar as part of a swap in exchange for something he wanted from my stash. His review appears here also, so the reader can keep in mind we are drinking the same cake....
View Article2008 Haiwan Lao Ban Zhang from Haiwan Tea Factory
Ordered this tea from blogger Wilson's new store adventureineverycup.com. He is selling off some of his rather sizable collection. He likes to travel from Singapore where he lives to China and other...
View ArticleTHE TREACHERY OF STORYTELLING PT.2 from White2Tea
I have already written about this tea on my blog. My note there says everything about this tea but does so in themes using a local folklore style and a true story from my life. Perhaps that note is...
View ArticleRandom Steepings from Various Artists
This is for Verdant Tea's "Thirty Year" Tieguanyin. Probably not worth making a separate database entry for this because it likely won't be available again. I bought some of this when I purchased their...
View ArticleWakoucha: Japanese Black Tea from Yunomi
This tea comes in small 2g sachets. Directions are to steep 4 minutes at 90C (194F) in one cup. Hard to say if one cup is 8oz, rather doubtful., probably less is better. I used 208F slightly hotter...
View ArticleChakouan Imari Black Tea from Yunomi
I got a sample teabag of this with an order. Used my regular teabag cup, but the teabag has only 2g of tea, less than a usual teabag so admittedly I may have steeped in too much water. The tea has a...
View Article2015 Sheng – 300 Year Tree from Verdant Tea
This is supposedly a very late autumn tea, picked November 6, 2015. Typical northern profile, floral but with decent bitterness. The tea is very young with thin stems, can't say these trees or bushes...
View Article2013 Nepal Jun Chiyabari Second Flush Himalayan Imperial Black from...
Actually, I got a sample of the 2015 version but since there isn't much call for this, I will just add a note to this entry. Again I find myself surprised at a tea from Klasek Tea. I normally order...
View Article2014 MGH 1401 Fengqing Ripe Tea Brick 250g from PuerhShop.com
I got a small sample of this with another order and decided to try it. This is a brick tea with low grade leaf, and not a ripe as it says in the title. In fact, if you read the description it says made...
View Article2015 Chawangpu Mengsong Old Tree Raw from Chawangshop
Catching up on my tea notes and cupboard. Purchased this cake very fresh, love the price tag at $22 for a 200g cake. A surprisingly bitter tea, I have some Mengsong Gushu that I used to make a batch of...
View Article2015 Chawangpu Hekai Gushu Raw from Chawangshop
Catching up on my cupboard and notes. I can't believe I've drunk up nearly half this cake so far this summer. But it has been my go-to daily drinker for a couple of months now. This cake is packed full...
View Article2015 Bosch from White2Tea
8 grams in 100-125ml, the higher amount of liquid as the leaves expanded. Brewed on the boil for one rinse, then at 208F for the duration. Tea opens bitter and astringent with some char in the gaiwan,...
View Article2013 Yunnan Sourcing "Jing Gu" Old Arbor Raw from Yunnan Sourcing
This is a very tasty puerh tea made from the Camellia Taliensis varietal in Simao. The leaves are light and silvery and produce a peony flavored puerh tea with mild bitterness. I'm impressed with how...
View Article2015 Last Thoughts from White2Tea
This is a true old arbor gushu puerh tea with a predominantly Yiwu floral flavor and a Menghai base flavor. Leaves and stems are large and thick and this tea steeps fifteen times or more. I used 5...
View Article2015 Poundcake from White2Tea
I steeped a 99g weight gourd of this tea because I am unable to chip off any of this highly compressed tuo. I wasn't just doing it to be funny, this is how I had to access the tea. And sometimes I eat...
View ArticleCeylon Star from The Tea Smith
Received a sample of this tea with a purchase and just noticed it in my pile. Brewed two teaspoons in about 100 ml gong fu in a kyusu pot for 30 second steeps. I didn't notice any special flavors to...
View ArticleLapsang Souchong from The Tea Smith
I ordered two ounces of this tea for a crazy low price of $3.55, along with an order of Lin's Teaware. The Teasmith's Lin's collection is mostly half price right now, I find the cups amazing with their...
View ArticleKabuki from American Tea Room
I wish I had read the Steepster reviews before buying this. The reviewers mention the sugar syrup or sugar whatever added to the tea. This isn't mentioned on the website description at all. It just...
View ArticleDarjeeling Goomtee FF 2015 EXN-06 Exotic from Klasek Tea
I got a generous sample of this tea from klasektea.com with the purchase of teaware. I'm not seeing the tea on the website as of this writing, but it is early May and 2015 teas are just arriving in...
View Article2012 Chawangshop Yiwu Gu Shu Da Ye Zi Xiao Bing Cha 200g from Chawangshop
This is the huang pian cake in the 2012 Chawangshop Yiwu line of cakes. I purchased it in 2014 for $12, it is now $14 in 2015. Read the vendor description carefully so you know what you are getting...
View Article2011 Spring Norbu White Buds - 250 g Sheng Pu-Erh Tea Cake from Norbu Tea
Really? I filled up my gaiwan for this...I can smell what I call "mall puerh" a mile away, that incense-y store flavor you can find in a million cakes on EBay and Taobao. This is just sad, leathery old...
View Article2015 Sheng Pu'erh - Spring from Misty Peak Teas
I ordered a 100g cake of this to go with the 2013 Spring and 2014 Autumn I already own. I also am not quite believing this is really Spring pick from Jan or Feb. The cake is rather brown and loosely...
View ArticleDarjeeling Jungpana DJ-10 1st Flush from Camellia Sinensis
Happily my new teapot set arrived from Camellia Sinensis, and my heart sank to find this 09 tea as the sample in the box. Of all the tea types, Darjeeling is one of my least favorite. So I approached...
View Article2006 Little Gold Melon Shu from White2Tea
My first note got eaten by Steepster...:( This shou is friggin' awesome, and I believe I got the parameters down perfect. I aired out this shou for six months. My tea pals can tell you how long it took...
View Article2003 Menghai Wild Arbor (Red Mark) Raw from Menghai Tea Factory (from finepuer)
I'm confused now where I got this sample, I've received many samples lately. The tea was in a Baggie and then a small labeled box. Something must have happened to it. This tea had no scent, no color in...
View ArticleMengku Bazi Laohuangpian Sheng Pu-erh 2014 from WymmTea
I tried to refuse samples from Wymm mainly because I'm just too old to expect to age out tea this green. But they decided that makes me a challenging customer to win over. I suggested the Laohuangpian...
View Article2010 Chen Sheng Yi Hao from Chen Sheng tea factory. ( teaurchin shop)
7 grams of this gave it up early with a heavy Bulang brew. Leaf quality is excellent for a factory cake, many buds. Supposedly this tea cake contains 10% Laobanzhang. In my observation, I would say the...
View Article2011 Menghai Dayi "100 year" tribute cake from Menghai Tea Factory (berylleb...
This one still needs a couple more years to clear up and lose the funk. Has a nice port smell I'm not tasting in the cup, mostly getting earthy and woody flavors. I'm surprised at how similar this is...
View Article2014 Laochatou Ripe Puerh Tea from White 2 Tea
Bravo on these nugs, got 300 g and dunno if I have enough. I reviewed these somewhat on my blog, but now today after steeping a small amount of this tea for 3 days, 20+ steeps, I'm gonna boil the...
View ArticleDancong Zong Cha from Camillia Sinensis
Got a sampler pack of this in a swap. The leaf looks exactly as the photo, dark roast but then some lightly roasted pieces mixed in. Brews up a light yellow, more like a white tea. Honey flavor is dead...
View ArticleAmerican Classic First Flush from Charleston Tea Plantation
I bought a tin of 2014 harvest last year and am just getting around to drinking it now. The leaf is dark, very chopped and thin compared to Chinese leaf tea, like tea leaf flakes. I'm drinking it gong...
View ArticleSpring Harvest Laoshan Green from Verdant Tea
I actually have the 2014 spring, there seems to be multiple entries for this tea on Steepster and I don't want to add another one just to change the year. I'm guessing this tea is probably fairly...
View Article2013 Yunnan Sourcing "Ye Sheng Cha" Wild Tree Purple Tea of Dehong from...
I had some physical issues with drinking this tea but didn't go into too much detail on my blog because it's a little gross. But I feel better talking about it on Steepster because people examine the...
View ArticleDISCONTINUED (cannot be verified 100% pesticide free) - Huang Zhi Xiang...
Oh crud, I did what several other reviewers did here and oversteeped this one. It's deceivingly strong compared to the color. I am used to getting a dark brew with high fired oolong teas, this one has...
View Article2002 Yong Pin Hao "Red Yi Wu Zheng Shan" Raw Pu-erh from Yunnan Sourcing
I've had this cake since last spring, and sort of forgot about it. Though it has been trying real hard to get my attention because it is extremely fragrant and I realize it has been one of the stronger...
View ArticleYunnan Golden Pu-erh Tea from Teavana
I did. I went into a Teavana for the first time today. Up til now I've been a Teavana virgin but not anymore! Chose this tea even though it looked dirty in the can because nothing else interested me...
View Article2000 Chocolate Mini Shu from White2Tea
Received one of these small ripe pu squares as a sample with a recent order. These squares should be up soon at white2tea.com, and I've already ordered a double on this. I don't think the tea contains...
View Article1992 Big Tao Hong Mark from White2Tea
Received this sheng puer tea as a sample with a recent purchase, but I don't see it on the white2tea site at the moment. Perhaps it will be offered soon. Quite lucky to get a 10g sample of something...
View Article2014 Ban Payasi Raw Puerh Cake 200 g from Chawangshop
Brewed up 9 grams in about 110 ml water, two rinses and long 30 second first steep. This tea cake is only a few months old, essentially fresh green tea leaves and not really fermented at all yet. My...
View Article1992 Menghai Tea Factory Red Star Tuocha 100g from Tea Classico
Picked up a sample of this about a month ago, letting it air out since then. The tea is described as Hong Kong dry storage, which actually means the tea still has some musty flavor. About the right...
View Article2004 Jianshen Tuo from White 2 Tea
I bought a four-pack of these tuos, difficult to buy just one of these because they cost only $9.80 each. The age already on this tea enticed me, I prefer to buy something with some age on it. The...
View Article2007 Naka Qiao Mu Bamboo Raw 100 g from Chawangshop
I purchased this tea looking for a less expensive comparison to white2tea's 2005 Naka which is a real stoner tea. Chawangshop doesn't make claims about this tea, but it appears to be the wild mountain...
View Article2005 Naka from White2Tea
This is the most intense tea I've tried to date. That is, the stoner kind of tea. 8 grams per 125 ml of this and I become unbearably wonderful. And I can't shut up. Also, I crave salty snacks and...
View Article2005 CNNP "Nan Nuo Zheng Shan" Raw Pu-erh Tea Cake from Yunnan Sourcing
Received sample from a friend. The dry storage on this is excellent, the tea has lost none of its original scent and flavor. Highly floral, still rather green. Brewed up about 7 grams. Very sweet honey...
View Article