Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Pu-erh
Where to Buy: China Cha Dao
Tea Description:
2012 Douji “Hong Shang Dou” Raw Puerh Tea Cake 357g
Material: Mengku, Menghai and Si Mao wild arbor tea trees leaves. Is a mixture of 80% Spring Tea and 20% Autumn Tea!
Taster’s Review:
While this 2012 Douji “Hong Shang Dou” Raw Puerh Tea Cake from China Cha Dao no longer appears available on the vendor’s website, the 2011 and 2013 examples of this tea are currently available … hopefully my review of this tea might help you make a decision about it!
This tea brewed up surprisingly light in color because I generally expect a dark color from a Pu-erh, but, then I had to remind myself that not all Pu-erh are alike! Case and point IS this Pu-erh, not just because of it’s color, but because of the flavor.
The aroma is more vegetative than it is earthy, and the flavor is reflective of that. It does have a slightly earthy taste, but, for those of you out there that tend to shy away from Pu-erh because of it’s strong earthy character, this tea will be more to your liking, I think.
My first cup is sweet and smooth and very mellow. There is virtually no astringency and absolutely no bitterness. It is just … SMOOTH. The texture is that of a light broth: very soft and comforting. It is a relaxing cup.
My second cup delivered a more intense flavor. This cup is slightly more earthy than the first was, but the earthiness is not the usual earthiness that I associate with a Pu-erh. This is more like a vegetative earthiness. Warm yet crisp. Sweet, but a little less sweet than the first cup, this is still a very mellow and smooth drink.
My third and fourth cups of this Pu-erh developed a more savory kind of taste to them: earthy, vegetative, and almost salty. There is more astringency at this point than in the first two cups, but, still it’s a very small amount. Each cup becomes a little less smooth, but more complex. It’s as though the softness lifts to reveal the layers of flavor.
Overall, a very pleasant Pu-erh experience!
2011 Douji “Nuan Jiang Shan” Ripe Puerh Tea from China Cha Dao
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Pu-erh
Where to Buy: China Cha Dao
Tea Description:
Douji’s Riped Puerh Series.
2011 Douji “Nuan Jiang Shan” (Warm River Mountain) Ripe Puerh Loose Leaf Tea 200g
Recommend Douji Product, good for collecting, limited product due to its low production!
Aroma – Mellow, unique.
Flavor – Thick, Smooth and Sweet.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
With my first sip of this 2011 Douji “Nuan Jiang Shan” Ripe Puerh Tea from China Cha Dao my first reaction was one of surprise! I couldn’t believe I was sipping a Pu-erh! This tastes so sweet and fruity! Where’s the earthiness I was expecting from a ripe Pu-erh? After a couple of sips, a slight earthiness does develop, but only after I had the opportunity to explore the other flavors that this unique Pu-erh has to offer.
The aroma of the dry leaf is sweet and mildly earthy. The wet leaf has a stronger earth note, much more like what I’d expect from a Pu-erh. The brewed tea has very little fragrance.
The sip starts out pleasantly sweet – not at all cloying – and the sip is abundant with fruit notes. Like juicy, ripe peaches and melon. There is a distinct vanilla tone to this as well … almost creamy! As I continue to explore the tea, I notice notes of wood.
The earthiness doesn’t reach the palate until I’ve consumed about half the cup, and even then, it is such a faint hint of earthiness that if I wasn’t so intently focused on everything I was tasting … I might have missed the earthy tones all together. This is the kind of Pu-erh I’d recommend to someone who typically avoids Pu-erh because of that earthy/fishy/brine-y sort of taste … because I’m not getting that at all.
After reading TeaEqualsBliss’s thoughts on this tea, I found myself surprised again … because I just didn’t get the earthiness that she experienced from this tea. I got a delicious, delightful sweetness and an incredible smoothness. This is a lovely Pu-erh – one I’d highly recommend to all tea lovers out there!
PS: I’d love to hear any of your thoughts on this tea as well!
Supreme Phoenix Dancong Snow Flake Oolong from China Cha Dao
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: China Cha Dao
Tea Description:
Phoenix Dan Cong, a Famous Oolong / Wulong Tea from Chao Zhou Province in China.
Tea comes with a superb aroma and sweet taste!
The Phoenix Dan Cong are noted for their ability to naturally imitate the flavors and fragrance of various flowers and fruits, such as orange blossom, orchid, grapefruit, almond, ginger flower, etc…
Dan Cong is a botanical term that refers to the morphology of the tea plant. Most tea bushes emerge from the ground as a cluster of branches, however, the uncommon Dan Cong variety emerges as a single trunk that branches off higher up the stem.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Supreme Phonenix Dancong Snow Flake Oolong from China Cha Dao (deep breath) is …. a mouthful! A mouthful of goodness that is.
This is not necessarily in line with my favorite flavors in a tea, but I absolutely appreciate it for what it is. The flavors range from citrus, to sandalwood, floral, to astringent.
The aroma is that of flowers, orange, and grapefruit. The liquid should be rather pale, be sure not to over steep this one. Gong Fu brewing is recommended.
I prefer the second steep to the first, and in the future would probably even do a quick rinse, like one would do with pu-erh, before sipping.
This is a unique tea with a completely different flavor profile from any oolong that I have ever had. I can see where some would adore this tea and where others may not care for it. I think those who adore it will want it in their stash at all times, however for those we do not, they should at least experience an oolong like this once.
I feel as though this years Snow Flake picked up plenty of citrus elements, and then secondly floral aspects. I really had hoped to pick up the almond flavor, but could not.
The leaves of this tea are long, full, and lovely but do expect some stems as well.
China Cha Dao started on Ebay but they now have their own website and it is designed quite well. Their teas are sold in larger quantity 4.4 Ounces or 125 Gram being the norm, with Worldwide Free Shipping. The site even has a language translator in the upper left corner of the page.
What I have noticed about this tea that is also unique is the heat retention. My cup seems to have stayed warm for far longer than most teas do using the same cup. It also is a heart warming tea, meaning that I feel as though I am warming up from the inside out as I drink it. Seems perfect for a winter harvest!
Be sure to check out their Chinese New Year Sale here.
2012 Fu Ding Bai Cha from China Cha Dao
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: China Cha Dao
Tea Description:
This tea will be 2013 China popular tea***
Fuding Ba Cha is a really healthy tea, it has the effect of medical treatment, lower blood pressure, lower blood sugar, anti-oxidation, anti-radiation & anti-tumor. We have customer with high blood pressure and this tea works out really well for him, just have a small cup everyday or every two day, is healthy!
We strongly recommend tea lover to collect this tea, buy a kilo or two, put it somewhere nice clean and dry and store it!
The tea taste sweet and mellow after aged, a lot nice than new tea! Price goes up like puerh as well!
Aroma – Mild, Roast
Flavor – Sweet, Creamy
Soup – Yellow
Suggest use 7 gram for Gaiwan or Teapot, use 3-5 gram in 200ml Glass Cup
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
2012 Fu Ding Bai Cha from China Cha Dao is a lovely white tea. I am not always impressed with white tea, its a little too mellow for my palate, but this one has some lovely character. I really love the creaminess of this one, along with the lovely light vegetal flavor. My first reaction was green beans smothered in butter, which by the way I love my green beans smothered in butter! I am a confessed butter-holic.
While the taste is still on the light side it gives me a feeling of looking into a reflecting pool – just staring into it gazing for that little glimmer of a koi swimming by, or a frog that leaps out unexpectedly from the greenery around the pond. It has its subtle nuances and surprises within the cup. It is also so dreamy, relaxing, and mellow.
To explain what I mean, there is a light spicy note to the sip, like a sparkle of cinnamon on the tip of the tongue. The after taste coats your mouth with the flavor of ginseng and honey!
I don’t know if I would trust myself to store such a tea, I would either drink it all up or I fear I would store it improperly but I will say that a tea like this – it is so worth getting! Especially at right under 15.00 for 8.8 ounces!
Jerry Ma of China Cha Dao got his start as an Ebay seller and I had ordered from him before via Ebay but I am so happy that he has a tea site up and running so that more people will be exposed to his fine selection of teas. You can learn more about Jerry here.
2012 Fu Ding Ba Cha has many layers of flavors that peek out and keep bringing me back to my magical reflection pool, just now I was sure I tasted something rather smokey. Perhaps it is the haze left behind by the waters as they cool from the setting sun or perhaps it is just the tea cooling a little. Either way this tea is quite dreamy.