Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Pu-erh
Where to Buy: Teavivre
Product Description:
A Premium Pu-erh Mini Tea Cake infused with Chrysanthemum flowers
- Plucked and manufactured in June 2008 in Simao, Pu’er, Yunnan, China
- Premium Pu-erh tea leaves and Chrysanthemum flower individually wrapped and compressed into beautiful bird’s nest shaped tea cakes for convenient brewing and storage
- Brews a tea with a deep mahogany color
- Chrysanthemum lends a light sweet floral note to the rich complex flavor of the Pu-erh tea
Read more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This mini tuocha cakes are neat! There is one chrysanthemum flower tucked inside each little nest, and as the Pu-erh steeps and begins to fall apart, the chrysanthemum flower is revealed. This isn’t like a blooming or flowering art tea, it is more like a buried treasure tea!
The aroma of the dry tuocha is what I’ve come to expect from Pu-erh – earthy. I don’t know if I’ve just become more acquainted with that scent from Pu-erh or if this is a lighter earthy scent in this Pu-erh, but I’m not finding this off-putting as I normally would. It doesn’t smell delicious or anything, but, it isn’t revolting either. I tried to see if I could smell the flower, but I did not, perhaps the delicate scent o f the chrysanthemum was overwhelmed by the earthy tones of the Pu-erh.
I used my gaiwan and infused using short steeps (a quick 10 second rinse, then a 30 second infusion for the first steep, and added 15 seconds with each subsequent infusion). The flavor is rich and deep. Earthy, yes, but, I find that the subtle sweet notes of flower from the chrysanthemum provide contrast to the earthy tones.
There is, of course, that amazing sweetness to this Pu-erh … a deep caramel-y flavor that is what finally won me over and helped me develop an appreciation for Pu-erh. The floral tones are very nice, and they develop as I continue to sip. The floral note has a slight sharpness to it which when juxtaposed to the strong sense of earth in the background tempers what would otherwise be quite a heavy flavor. A nice balance, and certainly an enjoyable Pu-erh experience.
Premium Grade Dragon Well Green Tea (Long Jing) from Teavivre
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Teavivre
Product Description:
A premium grade, classic green tea that, for good reason, is renowned as China’s best tea
- Grown in Xihu near Hangzhou in province Zhejiang
- Flattened tea leaves, with one bud and one or two leaves
- Pale green yellow when brewed
- A subtle, rich, orchid like taste and aroma, with no hint of bitterness
- Low caffeine (less than 10% of a cup of coffee)
- 1-2 teaspoons for 8oz of water. Brew at 176 ºF (80 ºC) for 1 to 2 minutes
XiHu (West Lake) Dragon Well green tea, or Long Jing as it is known in China, is commonly regarded as one of China’s top ten teas, and is often served to visiting head’s of states. TeaVivre’s grade 1 Long Jing tea is an absolutely fantastic example of this tea. Mostly handmade it has no hint of bitterness, instead it has a delightfully subtle classic green tea taste and aromatic scent.
Our Premium Dragon Well Green Tea (Long Jing) meets the most strictly European low pesticide residues standard for agricultural products. View Quality Safety Analyzing Report
Taster’s Review:
This is an exquisite Dragon Well tea.
The leaves look very much like other Dragon Well teas I’ve tried in the past, except that these look … fresher. Greener. The leaves have a brighter green color to them, while some other Dragon Well Teas I’ve seen have more of a grayish-green color to them… they almost look a bit dusty. That’s not to say they were bad Dragon Well teas, some of them I rather enjoyed. It is only to say that this Dragon Well is different. The color is vibrant. And no wonder! The production date on the label of this the is April 2011. How’s that for fresh?
The flavor is BREATH-TAKING! It is so crisp and bright. I brewed this tea in my gaiwan using short steeps and the flavor is … insanely good. Vegetative, to be sure, but, I wouldn’t categorize it as a bitter, grassy taste, but more of a delicate sweet grass flavor with hints of a nutty-like flavor (not a roasted nut, but, more like a sweet, blanched nut flavor) in the background.
There is absolutely no bitterness to this tea whatsoever, and such a mild astringency that unless I’m really paying attention, I don’t notice it at all. It is just incredibly smooth, from start to finish; starting sweet with hints of grass, middle notes of sweet, creamy nut-like flavor, and ending sweet and clean. There is a slight aftertaste that is sweet, but it does not linger very long.
This is certainly one of the most impressive Dragon Well teas that I’ve ever encountered. I highly recommend it to all tea enthusiasts.
Premium Keemun Hao Ya Black Tea from Teavivre
Tea Type: Black Tea
Where To Buy: Teavivre
Product Description:
Origin: Qimen, Anhui, China
Ingredients: Dark black, glossy thin buds topped with golden tips
Harvest time: Hand-picked in April, 2011
Taste: A bold but smooth, fruity taste with a lingering, mellow aftertaste
Brew: 1-2 teaspoons for 8oz of water. Brew at 194 ºF (90 ºC) for 2 to 3 minutes (exact time depends on your taste – a longer time will give the tea a stronger taste and color)
Health Benefits: Keemun black tea is fully oxidised, and so does not have the same level of antioxidants as our Green or White teas. However it still makes a great healthy tea to drink, especially if drunk with no or minimal milk and sugar, and provides a great natural source of fluoride and other vitamins.
Tasters Review:
I never know what to expect from Keemuns. I think they are a very diverse tea…with tastes, generally speaking, all across the board! But this one from Teavivre seems to be right up my alley! This is wonderful! As far as the strength of the black tea base I would have to say it’s around medium strength but it’s the other things that are happening with this black tea that make it special.
It’s slightly woodsy but a tad smokey, too, I would say a bit more smokey than woodsy but I can taste both characteristics. And it’s not a heavy smokey like a Lapsang Souchong but it’s still present! At the beginning and then again on to the aftertaste it’s velvety and creamy. The malty notes are in the middle of the sip!
This is grand! I like this a lot! I would have to say in the 90 percentile on my personal rating scale! This black tea has a lot to offer as far as your taste buds go…one to try and talk about amongst friends!
Yun Nan Dian Hong Black Tea – Golden Tip from Teavivre
Tea Type:
Black Tea
Where to Buy:
Teavivre
Product Description:
Origin: Fengqing, Yunnan, China
Ingredients: orange pekoe colored buds
Harvest time: Hand-picked in April, 2011
Taste: A rich, complex but smooth and fresh taste
Brew: 1-2 teaspoons for 8oz of water. Brew at 185 ºF (85 ºC) for 2 to 3 minutes (exact time depends on your taste – a longer time will give the tea a stronger taste and color)
Health Benefits: A good source of antioxidants and so will help reduce the risk of cancers and lessen the affects of aging. Black teas such as our Dian Hong also are considered to help prevent tooth decay and help lower your cholesterol levels.
Tasters Review:
I love the way the tea leaves look! I know you aren’t supposed to judge a tea by the way the leaves look but I just love them! I love the different colors, textures, shapes! They are truly a work of natural art! They look JUST LIKE the picture!
The first infusion ‘brewed’ very dark with a light fibery texture to the eye but not to the taste. It was rather malty and quite tasty! I decided to do an infusion test with this one and am glad that I did. Multiple infusions with this black tea are fun and delightful! I will say the overall malt-like flavor I mentioned wasn’t NOT over the top at all…it was just enough to give it some Umph! The 2nd and 3rd infusions were less malty and a mellower toned-down black tea taste. Still nice tho! As for the 4th infusion – the tea color was MUCH lighter and the malt was near gone. It was like a very gentle black tea but the neat part about the 4th infusion was that I could pick up on some fruity notes. It was a nice surprise!
I really like this tea. I would consider it a nice, solid, SHARING tea. A good go-to when you have people over. It’s tasty stand-alone and has a great flavor but isn’t overly dark or strong either. It’s a goodie!
Organic White Peony (Ba Mu Dan) from Teavivre
Tea Type:
White Tea
Where To Buy:
Teavivre
Product Description:
Origin: Organically grown at Mt. Taimu in Fuding, Fujian, China
Ingredients: Made from one or two leaf buds covered with fine downy white hairs
Harvest time: Hand-picked in March, 2011
Taste: A delicate, slightly flowery, sweet, lingering taste
Brew: 2-3 teaspoons for 8oz of water. Brew at 194 ºF (90 ºC) for 1 to 2 minutes (exact time depends on your taste – a longer time will give the tea a stronger taste and color)
Health Benefits: White Peony tea undergoes minimal processing and so it retains all the antioxidants, vitamins and minerals that all white teas are renowned for.
Certifications: The particular Organic White Peony (Bai MuDan) tea that TeaVivre is selling, is guaranteed to be organically grown and produced, independently verified to meet USDA, EU, JAS organic certifications.
Tasters Review:
Normally it’s hit and miss with me with flowery teas BUT there is something about pure white Peony that I generally enjoy! This one is no exception! It’s Top-Notch! Pure, Clean, Crisp! Slightly sweet and slightly floral. A bit juicy and velvety as well!
This tea gets a thumbs up from me! This is a nice relaxing white tea that I would recommend to just about anyone!