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Vanenbw wrote: ↑

Thu Feb 13, 2020 11:26 pm

I tried some Laoshan black tea from Verdant tonight. It's sweet and fruity. I really enjoyed it. I don't recall if I ever had back tea before. I used to think the tea they serve in most Chinese restaurants is back tea, and perhaps it is, but it doesn't taste anything like this black tea. I ordered some other black teas from Verdant. It should arrive by Saturday.

What they serve in Chinese restaurants is usually Jasmine tea, heavy roast Oolong(often Tieguanyin), or cheap Puerh.

Thanks, @Bok. I guess I never really knew for sure what kind of tea they serve at Chinese restaurants. I also tried an oolong tea from verdant that I liked. It was a sample they sent me with another purchase. I liked it so much I bought a 50gm package of it.

Ethan Kurland wrote: ↑

Fri Feb 14, 2020 3:56 pm

When I tried Laoshan black tea, I loved it. Only several months later I was moving on to other black teas that I preferred which does not mean I will forget how much better the Laoshan was than what I had been drinking before I tried it. Enjoy!

Thank you. I have always enjoyed tea, but it never tasted as good as the teas I've been drinking the last few months. I actually look forward to waking up and having tea in the morning and coming home in the evening and having a cup of tea after dinner. I suppose I always did, but the anticipation is tenfold now.

I'm not even quite sure this is a black tea, but I just enjoyed (and enjoyed sharing) a lovely session wih Nepal SFTGFOP1, a sample received with a handwritten label long enough ago that I am not sure who sent it to me. It is a LOVELY tea, floral, fruity, and the little bite of bitter was easily tamed with dilution that preserved the other elements of flavor that are so pleasant. I am going to have to figure out a good source for tea like this, to incorporate into the regular rotation. It's too good to leave out.

debunix wrote: ↑

Mon Feb 24, 2020 2:05 pm

I'm not even quite sure this is a black tea, but I just enjoyed (and enjoyed sharing) a lovely session wih Nepal SFTGFOP1, a sample received with a handwritten label long enough ago that I am not sure who sent it to me. It is a LOVELY tea, floral, fruity, and the little bite of bitter was easily tamed with dilution that preserved the other elements of flavor that are so pleasant. I am going to have to figure out a good source for tea like this, to incorporate into the regular rotation. It's too good to leave out.

Sometimes it’s hard to distinguish between Darjeeling white, oolong, and black. Black generally has higher oxidation and is more tannic than oolong or white, although it isn’t always obvious. It’s curious that grading terms attached to Darjeeling teas don’t include this information.
SFTGFOP: Super fine tippy golden flowery orange pekoe
DJ-01: is the first pluck

debunix wrote: ↑

Mon Feb 24, 2020 2:05 pm

I'm not even quite sure this is a black tea,....

A lot the "black" tea that I have had from Nepal is actually oolong oxidized so much that many people feel it is misleading to call it oolong. (about 10% more oxidation would get the leaves to be truly black tea). The distinction may not be important except that I & some other people find it better to brew with water that is cooler than boiling water that they would use for black tea.

The last few years I have had white teas from Nepal with flavors that are the same as those of their black & oolong teas cousins' flavors without a characteristic that I have come to dislike (overly bold taste, punch-in-the-face harshness). Still relatively delicate & light while fairly bold in flavor, makes for a tea that many might not think of as white when first tasting it.

In short, again I mention that one needs to do broad sampling or have sources that understand what is wanted by a particular customer whom they alert when they find what those customers want.

debunix, "I'm not even quite sure this is....." reminds of us of great experiences, like arriving somewhere exhausted, ordering some food because that is what everyone is eating there, loving that food, & moving on towards some lodging to later realize the name of that food is unknown.

Had some Korean black tea last night. Reminds me a lot of Japanese ones: Clean and no obvious technical faults, yet lacking expressiveness. This one seems to be processed more close to what would be a yellow tea, which explains certain hints of greenish flavour I seemed to detect. Overall nice.

Lapsang from a friend. Nice and easy going tea.

Drinking Organic Alishan Black tea now & it is one of those sessions when somehow a particular tea is perfect for the moment.

This has a unique array of flavors, each is familiar but together in the proportion they have for this tea makes it a tasty unique drink. I like this tea always, but now it is wonderful. Tomorrow it will probably be enjoyable but reminding me it is not my favorite. For the moment it is the best tea that I could have prepared.

When I first joined Steepster, I remember a lot of skeptical comments when I rated some tea sessions as 100 (on their 0-100 scale), because of exactly this:

Ethan Kurland wrote: ↑

Sat Mar 14, 2020 5:57 pm

....it is one of those sessions when somehow a particular tea is perfect for the moment.

This has a unique array of flavors, each is familiar but together in the proportion they have for this tea makes it a tasty unique drink. I like this tea always, but now it is wonderful. Tomorrow it will probably be enjoyable but reminding me it is not my favorite. For the moment it is the best tea that I could have prepared.

I had a similar session with some of the Nepal SFTGFOP1 sample a few days ago: as good as a tea could be for a gray, rainy day, not able to be at home, but it was warm, comfortingly sweet, floral, fruity, and lovely.

Second that .... Another rainy grey shelter in place day here in southern Cali, enjoying Castleton Tea Garden’s Estate Darjeeling “Tippy Clonal”, 1st Flush Black. Today’s steep is very macadamia nutty buttery thick and sweet. Aromatic, smooth, viscous, and warming as it’s getting cooler and darker outside.

Himalayan Golden Tips
https://www.rakkasantea.com/products/hi ... olden-tips
Wet wood.
Like a walk in the forest.
Picking up a soggy branch and tearing the bark off.
Sweet subtle notes of brown sugar.

This tea grows near Darjeeling and shows some of the unique characteristics of the terroir. It is a fuzzy tea which leaves are processed to end up being mixed dark chocolate brown and golden "light brown". The fuzz is very akin to the fuzz found on a peach. It's all over the inside of the tin; probably one of the strangest things I've seen. Even the golden leaves display a strange fur like appearance.

Golden retriever tea.

skysamurai wrote: ↑

Thu Mar 19, 2020 9:59 am

Himalayan Golden Tips
https://www.rakkasantea.com/products/hi ... olden-tips
Wet wood.
Like a walk in the forest.
Picking up a soggy branch and tearing the bark off.
Sweet subtle notes of brown sugar.

This tea grows near Darjeeling and shows some of the unique characteristics of the terroir. It is a fuzzy tea which leaves are processed to end up being mixed dark chocolate brown and golden "light brown". The fuzz is very akin to the fuzz found on a peach. It's all over the inside of the tin; probably one of the strangest things I've seen. Even the golden leaves display a strange fur like appearance.

Golden retriever tea.

Welcome to TeaForum @skysamurai. Your poetic description is like a haiku, love it. Also, the Rakkasantea founders have quite a story;

Rakkasan is the old Japanese word for parachutist. It's also the nickname of a unit in the U.S. Army's 101st Airborne Division. In Iraq and Afghanistan, co-founders Brandon Friedman and Terrence Kamauf led Rakkasans in combat, often taking time to drink tea provided by locals.

Hehuan Black Tea from me via Taiwan:

I have written about this tea before on this thread & in my vendor list so look there for more info if it is wanted.

Just a note to say it is example for me of getting one's preferred parameters correct. Steeeped 20 - 30 seconds for me in water that is 95 or 96 C, I get 2 infusions that are excellent for me. Brewed in my teapot from Tainan (from master & school where Bok trained in making pottery), it often tastes wonderful. Otherwise, it is just good.

My oldest brother uses common teapot glazed inside & outside (my teapot is not glazed inside); & he uses boiling water to steep for 3 minutes or so.

He's happy his way; I am happy my way.

Cheers

Subjectivity: After 3 weeks of Championship Black (which is my favorite black tea & my second favorite tea of all tea that I drink), I wondered if returning to Hehuan Black would be a disappointment.

Well, it is not as dynamic as the Champion but it is excellent. I wrote a month ago that prepared in my pot from Taiwan the Hehuan Black is excellent but otherwise a notch below that, but I don't know what was going on that day. I've prepared it in a medium thick gaiwan today & yesterday & it is excellent. It is another example of the possibility of the same tea giving us different experiences from session to session.

Cheers