2022 年 2 月茶俱乐部

A delightful dark tea. Woody and earthy. Finally finished the last of my Original Tibetan Tea. Since in the past few months I acquired several new teas, I’m trying to focus on finishing samples. I’m off to a good start! This tea was wonderfully woody and earthy. I really enjoyed the change of pace after drinking mostly fresh green and yancha last month.

A very woody tea. Classic. Lovely lazy session with my sister and mother. This tea is woody with a classic flavor and nice finish.

Eyes Dry Leaf: small, glossy, dark-roasted coffee brown leaves Nose Dry Leaf: molasses and freshly baked bread/warm yeast Nose Wet Leaf: dark-baked bread, charred wood, and medicinal herbs Eyes Liquor: deep red-brown Mouth Texture: medium and soft, leading to an expansive juiciness Mouth Taste: warm and lush, with an herbaceous earthiness that leads to the depth of dark rye bread and molasses Mouth Finish: long, rich, and expansive, elevating the bready/yeasty quality to a distinct molasses sweetness, with a minty freshness and a syrupy texture; slightly dry and tingly beneath the tongue in later infusions Nose Empty Cup: warm butter Eyes Wet Leaf: small, tightly twisted, dark-brown leaves Body Sensation: relaxed, focused, and centered, with a bright and curious energy An excellent showing, my favorite of February’s selections thus far. Excellent depth and an expansive texture, with surprising complexity; definitely a fine example of a hei cha! Wow, this one was surprisingly complex! A bit of a delayed review, but I finally got to it.

I think I prefer this one over Tibetan Tea A only because it is not quite as strong. It still packs quite a punch. Second tea from tea tasting today. I think everyone preferred this one over the first Tibetan Tea because of its more subtle melody of flavors, but they both packed quite a punch

Lovely balance between tea and flowers. Tea session with my brother on this productive Saturday—I’ve gotten some writing and almost all of my chores done for the weekend. This tea presents a delicate balance between the osmanthus flowers and the tea leaves. Some infusions taste more of flowers, others taste more of tea, but all are delicious.

Eyes Dry Leaf: small, glossy, tightly-wound brown leaves Nose Dry Leaf: molasses, brown sugar, and raisin bread; slight high florality Nose Wet Leaf: moss and decaying wood, with a sharp herbal/floral aroma Eyes Liquor: deep orange-brown Mouth Texture: medium leading to a juicy expansion Mouth Taste: deep woods, maple syrup, and sweet bread moving to raisins and a robust honey Mouth Finish: floral and fruity brightness of osmanthus and raisins Nose Empty Cup: super sweet aroma, as if there were actually molasses in the gong dao bei Eyes Wet Leaf: dark brown small-to-medium leaves Body Sensation: bright and soothing, with an aromatic push to deeper breathing Shockingly sweet, almost along the lines of an aged white tea. Incredible transformation from the first sip to the last. Wow, was not expecting much from this at the first smell of the dry and wet leaves, but I was absolutely blown away!

A subtle floral flavor and a nice finish. A very pleasant tea. A nice tea session on my lunch break. I realized today that my trip last week and the week where I wasn’t allowed to drink has put me behind in the tasting of samples, so I’m going to try to do more sessions during the work week to catch up. The only question is where to fit them in during the work day. This tea was beautiful; strong but mellow with a subtle floral flavor and interesting scent. I’ve never had an osthmanthus tea before and this makes me want to try more.

The dry aroma is so unique. Sweet and yet slightly woody with honeyed undertones. It reminds me of the macadamia flower honey I bought in Kauai. Wet aroma is similar but slightly reminds me of a honey miso donut. Deep and thick on the tongue. Rose lacquer. Random coconut in the beginning switches to compost and tree bark. Slight floral sensations. Again a good tea to try but my palate is just not built for these teas.

This was an interesting tea. I loved the warmth of the tea’s Cha qi down my throat and across my chest but the flavor profile was interesting! Not what I’d expect from a heicha so I need to sit with it for a while. I’ll try this in a Yixing and see where it takes me.

Absolutely lovely tea. Perfectly balanced. Wish I had more. The kitchen smells like Jasmine. What a lovely tea. Very much enjoyed drinking this and I wish I had more. It was the perfect blend of Jasmine and tea flavor.

Very enjoyable jasmine tea. Wasn’t sure I loved the hei cha and jasmine combination, but I can appreciate its quality, and this tea has begun to sell me on the idea. Rather complex, with nice interplay between the parts. Will definitely enjoy another session. Excellent follow up to the base tea, comparable in quality and enjoyability! Shockingly complex for a jasmine tea.

Tibetan B is definitely more “jasmine-y” than its A counterpart. It has more of a jasmine aroma that you find with jasmine green teas. However, it’s not as complex as Tibetan A with its darker notes which balances out the jasmine. Although, this tea becomes better at the later steeps once the jasmine flavors subside a bit more, letting the heicha notes come into the foreground. It would be interesting to brew this with with a hongni or Zini Yixing clay pot

Jasmine. An aroma that brings euphoria. Every time I smell jasmine I can't help but smile. But the aroma is where my infatuation stops with this particular tea. I'm not a big fan of dark tea. The liquor is an intense dark brown. You could probably trick someone into thinking this was coffee. Flavors of lacquer and an old pine wood chest with undertones of jasmine. It is heavy of the palate.

Very unique tea, never had anything like it before! First tea of the Feb club (I know I‘m late) and loving it already! Really unique tea, can‘t wait to try the A version soon.

Think this tea could perhaps benefit from a second rinse—the first cup had a lot of sediment in it—but maybe it is supposed to be like that. Either way it makes for a delicious cup of tea. The Jasmine flavor is not overwhelming and quite wonderful. The second of the two Jasmine scented Tibetan black teas. I am not sure which I like better. This one has visible Jasmine petals, which I loved, but I do think I enjoyed the flavor of the first tea more, as it packed more of a Jasmine punch. This tea also left a lot of sediment in the cup even though I did a rinse. It was still delicious, and I’m looking forward to finishing the rest of the sample.

Exceptionally sweet jasmine honey as it cools with some wet wood, slight astringency and smoke/tobacco or something along those lines. I’ll also try it with fatty oat milk in lieu of yak butter. It should pair very well.

Delicious tea, notes of citrus and a bit of yeast in earlier infusions. Earthy and sweet in later infusions. A really nice hei cha from last year’s tea club. Smooth and soft, lasting many infusions and still having many to go. I’ll continue brewing for a while probably.

Still a fantastic tea with a woody and earthy flavor. Delightful. One last session with my sister before she moves tomorrow. Really excited I got to share this Golden Flower with her as it has been one of my favorites. I really like how earthy it is, it reminds me of wet leaves in the fall.

Such an interesting taste. Earthy and strong, but still quite a bit of tea flavor. Not bitter at all. Very weird session today, only because the book I read while I sipped my tea was so sad and I waa constantly tearing up. Tea preparation is actually an important part of the book too—although I think the characters in the book mostly drank Japanese greens. The Golden Flower Tea was delightful. In general, I like my black teas to be strong but not overwhelming, and the golden flower gives it a unique taste and color. I’ve still got at least two more tastings of this tea left and I’m looking forward to them.

Eyes - Dry Leaf: small, somewhat tightly compressed brown leaves with rust red streaks and golden flowers Nose - Dry Leaf: mossy, composted, and deep, with an herbaceous spice like Yerba mate Nose - Wet Leaf: very fermented, with wet wood, compost, and more of that holly spice aroma Eyes - Liquor: deep rust Mouth - Texture: thin to medium Mouth - Taste: mossy, with a slight yeasty/bready aroma in the finish Mouth - Finish: short yeasty roundness leading to a long, herbaceous, and minty fresh feeling in the nose and mouth Nose - Empty Cup: mint and holly, with buttered green beans Eyes - Wet Leaf: small, surprisingly finely preserved brown leaves with hints of green Body - Sensation: content and at peace; very energetic in later infusions A pretty mellow and herbaceous hei cha, as opposed to the bold, rich, and sweet or savory flavors I’m used to. A little different, but later infusions revealed a softer character and this tea would likely age into something even more mellow. A nice first showing for this month’s tea, a little milder than other hei cha varieties I’ve had but nice mellow flavor and energetic qi!

Strong tea, bright flavor. First February tea. Love how mellow yet strong this Golden Flower tea is. It has an absolutely beautiful color when brewed.

I do love heichas and this one was pretty good. It has a nice warm Cha qi that spreads down your throat and across your chest. Instead of grassy/beet notes, this one was reminiscent of cooked grains and yeast. So lovely.