Mei leaf

Randy the Intern
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Sat Sep 03, 2022 5:54 pm

White Peony Bai Mu Dan - Not going to write a novel on this one. Don't have much from recent years to compare with. Tasted like a warm bread pudding. Nice tea. Recommend it.
GaoShan
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Sat Sep 03, 2022 8:25 pm

I just had a look at their website, and I'm not surprised that Mei Leaf has lots of customers. Those tasting notes are over the top (as are the prices)! It's hard not to be tempted. :) Maybe I'll put that Candy Tree Black and a TGY in my cart and wait for a couple months for free shipping!
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aet
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Sat Sep 03, 2022 10:24 pm

Randy the Intern wrote:
Fri Sep 02, 2022 10:24 am
Dram Alchemist Raw Puer - Okay, so this is one that I bought specifically out of pure curiosity. Don said this tea would make me instant "tea drunk". When I watched him drink it he was practically falling in the floor. Not sure that i'm getting the same effect (I think that's all bullshit lol). But it tastes good! It's one of those teas that I drink and I'm not sure how to articulate it. I really don't understand what I'm tasting or what I could compare it to. But I really don't think I'm tasting anything close to Dons notes. He thinks this tastes like strawberries, sherbet and rice....umm no, sorry bud. Can tea not just taste like tea? Anyway, I really like it. If I owned a cake of this, I'd reach for it before many of my others. Not the best puer I've ever had, but it's up there. Should you pay the 43 cents per gram asking price for this? Nope.
I think that one is Mang Fei. That area is typical for astringency and high level of floweriness. No Gushu there for general market , just few trees which are pre-paid by rich enthusiasts. Despite of failing with first sourcing trip ( https://www.pageoftea.com/mang-fei-failure ) , still one of my favorite tea villages.

Unfortunately recently they also trying to focus on quick selling market ( and tourism which is not happening due to 0 Cov.policy ) so many of their production is gao wen sha qing ( high temp kill green ). And it takes to know the traditional processing taste quite well to be able distinguish it from new concept. Because tea is naturally very floral when new and high temp promotes that floweriness.

Plenty MF tea available on market ( sheng / shu ) for reasonable prices.
Randy the Intern
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Sat Sep 03, 2022 10:25 pm

GaoShan wrote:
Sat Sep 03, 2022 8:25 pm
I just had a look at their website, and I'm not surprised that Mei Leaf has lots of customers. Those tasting notes are over the top (as are the prices)! It's hard not to be tempted. :) Maybe I'll put that Candy Tree Black and a TGY in my cart and wait for a couple months for free shipping!
For a long time I thought I was just stupid or all the tea I was buying wasn't quality, because I wasn't tasting half the shit Don said he was on his tea. I can now say his tasting notes are blown way out of proportion.
GaoShan
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Sun Sep 04, 2022 12:12 am

Randy the Intern wrote:
Sat Sep 03, 2022 10:25 pm
GaoShan wrote:
Sat Sep 03, 2022 8:25 pm
I just had a look at their website, and I'm not surprised that Mei Leaf has lots of customers. Those tasting notes are over the top (as are the prices)! It's hard not to be tempted. :) Maybe I'll put that Candy Tree Black and a TGY in my cart and wait for a couple months for free shipping!
For a long time I thought I was just stupid or all the tea I was buying wasn't quality, because I wasn't tasting half the shit Don said he was on his tea. I can now say his tasting notes are blown way out of proportion.
Yes, tasting notes like these from other vendors made me wonder if I was missing something when I was drinking tea. You're right that they rarely describe the tea accurately, at least for me. I suspect they're just a marketing gimmick, although some people really can detect flavour nuances in tea that I can't.
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Bok
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Sun Sep 04, 2022 12:17 am

GaoShan wrote:
Sun Sep 04, 2022 12:12 am
Randy the Intern wrote:
Sat Sep 03, 2022 10:25 pm
GaoShan wrote:
Sat Sep 03, 2022 8:25 pm
I just had a look at their website, and I'm not surprised that Mei Leaf has lots of customers. Those tasting notes are over the top (as are the prices)! It's hard not to be tempted. :) Maybe I'll put that Candy Tree Black and a TGY in my cart and wait for a couple months for free shipping!
For a long time I thought I was just stupid or all the tea I was buying wasn't quality, because I wasn't tasting half the shit Don said he was on his tea. I can now say his tasting notes are blown way out of proportion.
Yes, tasting notes like these from other vendors made me wonder if I was missing something when I was drinking tea. You're right that they rarely describe the tea accurately, at least for me. I suspect they're just a marketing gimmick, although some people really can detect flavour nuances in tea that I can't.
Need to look up that study, but basically from a scientific point of view, humans can not detect more that three (?) flavour notes in any given food… I never read these hallucinations. Better to have a free mind instead of looking for something that might not even be there and fell inadequate about it.
GaoShan
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Sun Sep 04, 2022 1:35 am

Bok wrote:
Sun Sep 04, 2022 12:17 am
GaoShan wrote:
Sun Sep 04, 2022 12:12 am
Randy the Intern wrote:
Sat Sep 03, 2022 10:25 pm


For a long time I thought I was just stupid or all the tea I was buying wasn't quality, because I wasn't tasting half the shit Don said he was on his tea. I can now say his tasting notes are blown way out of proportion.
Yes, tasting notes like these from other vendors made me wonder if I was missing something when I was drinking tea. You're right that they rarely describe the tea accurately, at least for me. I suspect they're just a marketing gimmick, although some people really can detect flavour nuances in tea that I can't.
Need to look up that study, but basically from a scientific point of view, humans can not detect more that three (?) flavour notes in any given food… I never read these hallucinations. Better to have a free mind instead of looking for something that might not even be there and fell inadequate about it.
That's interesting. I feel I can detect more than three flavour notes in a tea, though it takes some thought. I think people equate lots of fancy gourmet tasting notes with quality, which in my opinion is true up to a point. If I can detect peaches, orchids, and pineapple in an oolong, it's probably a better-quality tea than an oolong in which I detect spinach, grass, and vague florality, if only subjectively. (Of course, there are factors like astringency, body, which flavours I find interesting/desirable, etc., so I'm simplifying.) These flavour impressions may be a bit vague, but I do tend to find more of them in better teas, though not nearly as many or as well defined as some vendors' marketing copy promises. After all, no vendor is going to say their tea is mediocre. :P I think having a few flavour descriptors is better than having none, keeping in mind that taste is subjective and vendors may exaggerate.
Ethan Kurland
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Sun Sep 04, 2022 11:45 am

The big 3 (flavor notes):

The memory of flowers that I saw & smelled as I walked through gardens on sunny mornings of summer keeping me from screaming for my mother who is waiting for the freshly baked madelaines to cool before bringing them & her affection to me. (The wonderful aroma is pleasing in itself while the desire for them & my mother's greeting is a challenge to enjoyment... as I lie on my featherbed in my room of cork-lined walls....)

A walk on the beach as the sun begins its descent into the offing...

A walk through a damp forest whose ground is covered w/ leaves....

Apologies to Proust & those who write the menu of Wistaria. :lol:
GaoShan
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Sun Sep 04, 2022 4:38 pm

Ethan Kurland wrote:
Sun Sep 04, 2022 11:45 am
The big 3 (flavor notes):

The memory of flowers that I saw & smelled as I walked through gardens on sunny mornings of summer keeping me from screaming for my mother who is waiting for the freshly baked madelaines to cool before bringing them & her affection to me. (The wonderful aroma is pleasing in itself while the desire for them & my mother's greeting is a challenge to enjoyment... as I lie on my featherbed in my room of cork-lined walls....)

A walk on the beach as the sun begins its descent into the offing...

A walk through a damp forest whose ground is covered w/ leaves....

Apologies to Proust & those who write the menu of Wistaria. :lol:
:lol: Yes, these descriptions can get rather fanciful. Maybe some people don't detect or look for flavour notes in tea, just as I don't experience body sensations or tea energy.
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Bok
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Sun Sep 04, 2022 5:56 pm

Exactly. We’re all in different expressions of delusion :)
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aet
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Sun Sep 04, 2022 8:12 pm

Ethan Kurland wrote:
Sun Sep 04, 2022 11:45 am

A walk through a damp forest whose ground is covered w/ leaves....
;-) that would be me;-) ..will explain in separate topic
Randy the Intern
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Sun Sep 04, 2022 8:38 pm

Amber Gaba Oolong - I’ve had a few other GABA oolongs that weren’t half as enjoyable as this. Only way to describe it is like a salty snack that came out of a chip bag. And that saltiness lingers in the mouth forever. Looooong finish. Excellent tea. Fairly priced.

Golden Bud Yunnan Dianhong - this is like the black gold tea from YS. Not as good, but it’s close. Pretty good tea. Probably underwhelming if you’ve had Scott’s.

Alishan Cream - it’s…..nothing special. Kinda boring.

Black Fruit Punch Da Wu Ye Dancong - Fruit punch? More like bitter roasted oolong with no complexity.

Day Drinking Diva (Spring 2021 Nan Nuo and He Kai Gushu Sheng) - This was a really good tea, but I didn't think it was worth the price. Recommend putting it on your order to sample though.

Baked Goods (Nong Xiang Xiping Huang Dan) - I liked this. Seemed like a good introduction to the roasted flavor teas that doesn't have any negative qualities.

Ruby Black Sun Moon Lake Black Tea - What the hell...for once Don is right about the tasting notes, but only the bad ones. Camphor and menthol are HEAVY in this one. I feel like I'm smoking a cigarette. I'm actually getting sick drinking this. I'm throwing this away. Fucking gross. A smoker would love this. I want to die.

Elder White Ye Sheng Ya Bao - I can't tell if I don't like this type of tea, or if I just don't like THIS tea. Don't taste much. It's all nostril. The smell isn't nice either. Idk. I'd pass on this. Wouldn't want it even if it was free.

Silver Needle Bai Hao Yin Zhen - This was okay. Silver needle never does much for me and this is no exception. Probably wouldn't want it again.

Little Tong Mu Tong Mu Zhengshan Xiaozhong - It's unsmoked lapsang. Kinda what I expect from it. Drinkable (which is rare from my most recent tastings) but it's not blowing me away. I wouldn't pay money for it.
Randy the Intern
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Wed Sep 07, 2022 11:18 am

I think I've tasted every tea at this point. I tried to be as fair and open minded as I could be during this tasting. I ordered every single headliner Don had to give a fair chance to the teas he's most proud of. I made sure to lean away from any bias I had coming into this, because I do like Don a lot. I think a lot of people credit him for having some of the most accessible and easy to understand tea education on YouTube and he's converted a lot of people to tea who otherwise would not have been tea drinkers.

Here's my conclusion:

There is good and bad here. I'd say the bad teas outweighed the good unfortunately. Despite what Don might have you believe, his tea is not the pinnacle of tea. Don't get me wrong, there are some GOOD teas in here, but the good ones were comparable to good teas I've had from others and not that much better or worse than the quality of vendors such as Yunnan Sourcing. More often the tea did not impress, and some were actually so nasty I couldn't drink them. Could be that I don't like the flavor profile so take it with a grain of salt.

I started this review because I enjoy Don's videos and I've watched him for a long time. The dude is more controversial on the internet than Donald Trump. One utter of his name is like a powder keg ready to explode. Obviously that's going to peak my curiosity. However, amid all this controversy I could never find people who would actually discuss the quality of his tea. They would just say "he lies about tree age" or "he made a racist puer cake wrapper". I really don't give a shit about the petty comments and squabbles people have with him. To each their own, but all I care about is: does this guy have good tea? And will I magically produce 30 tasting notes when I drink HIS tea like he does.

I think most of this venture has ended is disappointment. I'll continue to enjoy the youtube content, because let's be honest, he's a hell of an entertainer. And I think other vendors should appreciate Don a little more rather than shit on him as much as they do. Don makes people interested in tea. I can say from experience that I know people who would have otherwise never got into tea credit Don for striking their interest. He produces passionate tea drinkers that buy from all of you vendors out there. Just my two cents. You guys will still probably pour lighter fluid on any conversation that sparks his name. Drama is the spice of life after all, so keep it coming.

Until my next review I'll end this comment with a quote from Don

Thank you for being a part of the revelation of true tea. Stay away from those tea bags, keep drinking the good stuff and spread the word, because nobody deserves bad tea. ;)
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Bok
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Wed Sep 07, 2022 5:17 pm

Nice summary and I agree with your conclusions. I think you did the community a service with this in depth tasting you have undertaken, thanks!
Randy the Intern
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Wed Sep 07, 2022 11:00 pm

Bok wrote:
Wed Sep 07, 2022 5:17 pm
Nice summary and I agree with your conclusions. I think you did the community a service with this in depth tasting you have undertaken, thanks!
I was glad to do it. I’ll try to document my next venture as well. And I think I know which vendor is next.
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