Review: Joy’s Teaspoon Margaret’s Hope Darjeeling Tea

© 2011 A.C. Cargill photos and text – All rights reserved.
No copying, posting on other sites, or other uses allowed without written permission of the copyright holder.

The Subject:	Margaret’s Hope Darjeeling
Company:	Joy’s Teaspoon. [More info]

Straight Tea Rating:
About the new rating designation.

Water temperature:	203-212° F (we also tried a steep at 180˚ F)
Steeping time:	4-5 mins. (we also tried a steep at 3 and 3½ mins.)
Tea type:	Darjeeling
Dry leaves:	Broken leaf, dark brown to coppery, mild aroma

Round A-1st Infusion:
Steeping time —	4 mins.
Aroma, plain —	Rich nutty/fruity
Taste, plain —	Too strong, should be a bit more delicate
Color, plain —	Dark amber
Round B-1st Infusion:
Steeping time —	3 mins.
Aroma, plain —	Muscatel character
Taste, plain —	Mild, not bitter, muscatel aftertaste, overall pale
Color, plain —	Amber
Round B-2nd Infusion:
Steeping time —	3½ mins.
Aroma, plain —	Lighter
Taste, plain —	Lighter
Color, plain —	Light amber

 

Comments:
The vendor describes this tea as an early 2nd Flush Darjeeling and explains that this is tea picked at the beginning of the tea bushes regrowing after the 1st Flush harvest.

A word about the steeping instructions supplied by the vendor. The website says 203-212° F for 4-5 minutes. Considering that both the water temperature and steeping time are more than what we have often done for other Darjeelings, we hesitated. However, one of the things that the Little Yellow Teapot insists on is that we try the tea at first using whatever steeping instructions the vendor provides. After that, he lets us experiment. (Sigh! We have to keep him happy or the tea we steep in him might come out bitter.)

We did two steeping “rounds” with two separate batches of tea leaves. Round A was done following the vendor’s recommendation for water temp and steeping time. Round B was done at 180˚ F for 3 minutes the 1st infusion and 3½ minutes the 2nd infusion.

Round A is on the left, and Round B is on the right.

I know what you’re thinking: “Geez, these people must like milk in everything!” Well, not quite. We wouldn’t have tried milk in this tea except that our first steeping (Round A) was rather strong for a Darjeeling, but we didn’t want to waste it. So why not try it with milk? The result was actually rather pleasant.

As Darjeelings go, this one is not bad but not the best. What we do like about it is the flexibility it affords you, the discriminating tea drinker. You can steep it according to the vendor’s instructions and have a rather strong-tasting tea suitable for whatever you like to add to your tea, from honey to lemon to milk and sugar. Or you can cut back on the temp and time to get a lighter taste and a mild character. Freedom of choice. What more could you ask for?

Little Yellow Teapot insisted on wearing what he calls his “award sash” (it’s really a tea-dyed headband from CrafTEA Designs). Anything to keep him happy.

Disclaimer: This tea was provided by the company named. However, the rating of the tea and any opinions concerning it are always strictly objective.

Review: The English Tea Store’s Margaret’s Hope Darjeeling Tea

© 2011 A.C. Cargill photos and text – All rights reserved.
No copying, posting on other sites, or other uses allowed without written permission of the copyright holder.

The Subject:	Margaret’s Hope Darjeeling
Company:	The English Tea Store

Straight Tea Rating:
About the new rating designation.

Water temperature:	180° F
Steeping time:	3-4 mins.
Tea type:	Darjeeling
Dry leaves:	Broken leaf, fragrant & planty

1st Infusion:
Steeping time —	3 mins.
Aroma, plain —	Richly fragrant
Taste, plain —	Fruity, hint of nutty, mild, not bitter, muscatel tanginess
Color, plain —	Dark amber
2nd Infusion:
Steeping time —	3½ mins.
Aroma, plain —	Lighter
Taste, plain —	Slightly tangy-er, some bitterness
Color, plain —	Dark amber
3rd Infusion:
Steeping time —	4 mins.
Aroma, plain —	Faint
Taste, plain —	Light muscatel tang, too faint
Color, plain —	Lighter amber

Comments:
There are quite a few tea estates in the Darjeeling region of India, and Margaret’s Hope is one of the better known. This tea does the reputation of that estate fair credit.

Hubby and I are a bit spoiled where Darjeeling teas are concerned. We have been privileged and honored to try some samples from a tea company in India. None of them are from this estate, but they are fresh and top quality. That sets the bar rather high, sort of like that brainy kid in class who skews the grade curve. (Sometimes that was me doing the skewing.)

The leaf pieces are broken leaf, clearly evident when dry, and are a dark green to coppery after steeping:

This is not a tea that takes milk. The muscatel flavor clashes with the milk’s flavor. You might need a sweetener, but I encourage you to give this and other Darjeelings a try without it. The complexities of the flavors and the changes they undergo as the liquid cools a bit are worth the experience. This comes from a tea drinker who until about a year-and-a-half ago hardly ever drank a black tea without milk. It pays to expand one’s tea horizons!

Disclaimer: This tea was provided by the company named. However, the rating of the tea and any opinions concerning it are always strictly objective.

Review: Persimmon Tree Tea’s Genmaicha Tea

© 2011 A.C. Cargill photos and text – All rights reserved.
No copying, posting on other sites, or other uses allowed without written permission of the copyright holder.

The Subject:	Genmaicha
Company:	Persimmon Tree Tea. [More info]

Flavored Tea Rating:
About the new rating designation.

Flavorings work with tea?	Yes
Tea can be tasted?	Yes
Flavor blend balanced?	Yes

Water temperature:	175° F
Steeping time:	1-3 mins.
Tea type:	Green
Additions:	Toasted rice
Dry leaves:	Long leaf pieces, brown rice

 

1st Infusion:
Steeping time —	1 mins.
Aroma, plain —	Planty, toasted ricey
Taste, plain —	Mild, planty, ricey, hint of smooth feel
Color, plain —	Pale yellow
2nd Infusion:
Steeping time —	1½ mins.
Aroma, plain —	Planty, ricey, mild, no smoothness
Taste, plain —	x
Color, plain —	Pale yellow
3rd Infusion:
Steeping time —	2 mins.
Aroma, plain —	Ricey
Taste, plain —	Planty, ricey, mild, not smooth
Color, plain —	Pale yellow

 

Comments:

There are different stories about how Genmaicha, that is, Japanese green tea mixed with toasted rice kernels, originated. One story says that the servant of a Samurai accidentally dropped some rice into his master’s cup of tea, was immediately beheaded, but was then honored by the Samurai after he discovered how good the tea tasted this way. Another story is simpler, less gory, and a bit easier to believe: a tea vendor added the toasted rice to an inferior green tea to make it more appealing to his customers.

If we go by the second story, then this version of Genmaicha, made with a very nice Sencha, shows that the tea has been morphed. Like “high tea” which was the evening tea time (also known as “dinner”) served at the high kitchen table and is now a fancy and high-priced tea time. Tea vendors have begun using higher-quality teas as the base for their Genmaicha, not always successfully.

This version shows the Sencha, both before and after steeping:

Steeping instructions on the back of the tea tin are pretty basic, just going by the basic tea type. Don’t forget that, if you live at higher elevations, you may need to adjust times and temps. Also, you may find that you need to vary things to get the taste you want. The main thing to remember with any tea is that vendor instructions are guidelines, something to get you started. After several times of steeping a tea, you will find what method is right for you.

Doesn’t this tea look lovely? And it tastes as good as it looks. We just wish it had a smoother feel, but we suspect the lack is due to the Sencha. Going back to using a cheaper green tea might actually be better.

Disclaimer: This tea was provided by the company named. However, the rating of the tea and any opinions concerning it are always strictly objective.

Review: Element Tea’s Assam Satrupa Tea

© 2011 A.C. Cargill photos and text – All rights reserved.
No copying, posting on other sites, or other uses allowed without written permission of the copyright holder.

The Subject:	Assam Satrupa FTGFOP1
Company:	Element Tea. [More info]

Straight Tea Rating:

About the new rating designation.

Water temperature:	212° F
Steeping time:	4 mins.
Tea type:	Black
Dry leaves:	Broken leaf pieces, black color, faint aroma

1st Infusion:
Steeping time —	4 mins.
Aroma, plain —	Strong and typical of Assams
Taste, plain —	Strong, slightly bitter, toasty/malty, packs a punch!
Color, plain —	Dark reddish-brown
Taste, enhanced —	Milk and sweetener bring out malty/caramelness
2nd Infusion:
Steeping time —	5 mins.
Aroma, plain —	Lighter
Taste, plain —	Light, not bitter even as it cools
Color, plain —	Lighter reddish-brown
Taste, enhanced —	Too light for milk

Comments:
As with the other samples from this vendor, the foil-lined pack held a lovely sight: large tea leaf pieces, not dust in a bag. Bravo! While hubby and I realize that teadust does not always mean inferior quality nor do larger pieces, like this tea has, indicate better quality. However, they do mean that the steeping will be a bit more measured, not quite so immediate. It gives you more chance to “play” with the tea, steeping it longer or shorter to suit you.

After steeping, the stem and pieces show clearly and are a dark coppery color.

This is a fairly strong tasting tea, which was a bit surprising for an Assam like this. Not complaining. Quite the contrary. Hubby says it packs quite a tea punch, perfect for a breakfast tea. It takes milk well in the first steeping (the second one was a bit too light). With or without milk, some type of sweetener is necessary for us. If you like your tea plain, you might try rinsing the leaves briefly before the first steep (pour a little hot water over them in the pot, swish, then drain and add the rest of the water and steep. Another option is to do two steepings and combine them to give a lighter taste.

I was hoping that hubby could whip up some more pancakes to go with this tea as he had with another tea we had tried recently, but he had already had some toast and yogurt, so he was full. You might say, “You could fix them yourself.” I would have to answer, “Yeah, right!” Instead, I just had some yogurt and grapes with the tea.

About FTGFOP1.

Disclaimer: This tea was provided by the company named. However, the rating of the tea and any opinions concerning it are always strictly objective.

Review: Thunderbolt Tea’s 2010 Sample #9 Tea

© 2011 A.C. Cargill photos and text – All rights reserved.
No copying, posting on other sites, or other uses allowed without written permission of the copyright holder.

The Subject:	Autumn Flush 2010 Singbulli Clonal Autumn Queen
Company:	Thunderbolt Tea. [More info]

Straight Tea Rating:
About the new rating designation.

Water temperature:	180° F (our guess)
Steeping time:	3-4 mins. (our guess)
Tea type:	Black based on leaf appearance
Dry leaves:	Large pieces, black/coppery/yellow. Fruity, planty, nutty aroma.

1st Infusion:
Steeping time —	3 mins.
Aroma, plain —	Muscatel, nutty
Taste, plain —	Muscatel, nutty, no bitterness, tang builds with each sip
Color, plain —	Coppery
2nd Infusion:
Steeping time —	3½ mins.
Aroma, plain —	Muscatel, nutty
Taste, plain —	Lighter, less tang, still has muscatel character
Color, plain —	Coppery
3rd Infusion:
Steeping time —	4 mins.
Aroma, plain —	Lighter muscatel, nutty
Taste, plain —	Weaker but still nice
Color, plain —	Lighter copper

 

Comments:
Hubby and I have finally gotten to try the first of the 2010 Autumn Flush samples we received awhile ago and thank Thunderbolt Tea for their patience. This amazing company has “flushed” out another Darjeeling tea worthy of the name, again from the Singbulli Estate (see the Thunderbolt Tea Website for photos of this and other tea estates in the Darjeeling region).

True to what is usual for this third flush of the tea-growing season, the dry leaves are large pieces (broken leaf) ranging in color from black to copper to a pale yellow. The wet leaves range from dark green to copper.

The package label shows how we would like other teas labeled, that is with the tea estate, the flush, and the year. It also states that this is a clonal tea.

Since no steeping instructions came with the tea (just as with the other samples from this vendor), we took a guess and went with the water temperature and steeping times we use for other Autumn flush teas. The 3rd steep was a bit weak, so we stopped there, but might have been stronger if we had steeped shorter times for the 1st and 2nd steeps.

We’re relishing the experience of how teas change flavors as they begin to cool after the initial pour into the cup. As with other teas, the flavors of this one changed, the characteristic Muscatel flavor becoming quite tangy, but never bitter.

As with their other samples, this tea needs no sweetener or milk. Just a fabulous and refreshing Darjeeling tea!

By the way, hubby and I wanted to point out that Little Yellow Teapot is wearing a tea-dyed headband from CrafTEA Designs. He has claimed it as an award for being the #1 teapot in our bevy and wears it like a sash. The scarf that the teapot sits on is also from CrafTEA Designs, who will be one of the vendors at the World Tea Expo in Las Vegas this year. The tasting cups are new. We couldn’t resist, they are so cute, even though we suspect that they are saki cups.

Disclaimer: This tea was provided by the company named. However, the rating of the tea and any opinions concerning it are always strictly objective.

Review: Kusmi Tea’s Russian Morning No. 24 Tea

© 2011 A.C. Cargill photos and text – All rights reserved.
No copying, posting on other sites, or other uses allowed without written permission of the copyright holder.

The Subject:	Russian Morning No. 24
Company:	Kusmi Tea. [More info]

Straight Tea Rating:
About the new rating designation.

Water temperature:	212°F
Steeping time:	3-4 mins.
Tea type:	Black
Dry leaves:	Dark, large pieces; faint, slightly floral aroma

1st Infusion:
Steeping time —	4 mins.
Aroma, plain —	Malty, roasty, caramelly
Taste, plain —	Well-blended, not bitter, not as strong as expected
Color, plain —	Reddish-brown
Taste, enhanced —	Milk alone was good, with sweetener was better
2nd Infusion:
Steeping time —	4½ mins.
Aroma, plain —	Lighter
Taste, plain —	Lighter
Color, plain —	Lighter reddish-brown

 

Comments:
In English, this is called Russian Morning Tea. In French, it is simply Morning Tea. Either way, your tastebuds will wake up with the first sip, even thought the tea is not nearly as strong-tasting as other breakfast blends we’ve tried. Kusmi states that this tea combines China black, Ceylon black, and Indian black. They are super secretive about which specific teas these are, so you have to guess. Based on the flavor, color, and aroma, hubby and I guess Keemun for the China black and Assam for the Indian black. Also, we are guessing that they don’t have enough Assam. But that’s us. We love Assam tea.

The tea comes bagged in muslin (a loosely-woven cotton fabric popular in France, where Kusmi is headquartered), and has steeping instructions on the back side of the tag:

To steep, we cut open the bag and put them loose into the pot. We also wanted to see what they looked like. Too often tea bags hide inferior tea leaves. Such was definitely not the case here, as you can clearly see, both before and after steeping, and which the taste proved:

The beauty of this black tea is that it is totally flexible, delicious both plain and with your favorite “enhancer” (lemon, honey, milk, sweetener, etc.). We always sip a new tea straight first to give it a chance to speak for itself without interference from other flavorings, and did so here. With each sip we were initially greeted with a flavor that led us to expect a bitter aftertaste, but thankfully, there was none. Just pure tea enjoyment. Then, we tried it with just a bit of milk. Still great. Then, a touch of sweetener was added. Even better, with the almost floral character coming out stronger.

Again, the only thing we can fault is that we were expecting a stronger tasting tea from something called a morning tea.

For this tasting, Little Yellow Teapot was joined by his two Matruska buddies (the stacking dolls) and a new creamer along with his faithful tea cozy companion.

Remember those commercials for breakfast cereals showing a bowlful next to real food like toast? The slogan was always, “Part of this nutritious breakfast.” Well, we thought we’d do a bit of a take-off on that with this tea, part of this somewhat more nutritious breakfast (no boxed cereal):

Disclaimer: This tea was provided by the company named. However, the rating of the tea and any opinions concerning it are always strictly objective.

Review: Element Tea’s Afternoon Pick-Me-Up Tea

© 2011 A.C. Cargill photos and text – All rights reserved.
No copying, posting on other sites, or other uses allowed without written permission of the copyright holder.

The Subject:	Afternoon Pick-Me-Up
Company:	Element Tea. [More info]

Straight Tea Rating:
About the new rating designation.

Water temperature:	212° F
Steeping time:	4-5 mins.
Tea type:	Black
Dry leaves:	Big leaf pieces; light, basic black “tea” aroma

1st Infusion:
Steeping time —	4 mins.
Aroma, plain —	Malty, sweet, floral
Taste, plain —	Strong, floral, some bitterness
Color, plain —	Brownish-red
Taste, enhanced —	Milk and sweetener bring out floral
2nd Infusion:
Steeping time —	5 mins.
Aroma, plain —	Malty, sweet, floral
Taste, plain —	Milder, floral, not bitter
Color, plain —	Brownish-red
Taste, enhanced —	Smooth, slightly floral

Comments:
We opened the foil-lined pack and once again saw a lovely sight: large tea leaf pieces, not dust in a bag. The vendor says that this is a Darjeeling tea from one of that area’s best known estates (they just told us it was the Margaret's Hope Estate). We didn’t know this before trying the tea. Quite frankly, after trying it we would have guessed more of a Keemun or other black tea, due to the floral character of the flavor, not a muscatel character. This does not mean this is a bad tea. We just want you to be prepared. The tea is not like a lot of Darjeelings we’ve had. In fact, it was a touch bitter on the first infusion, which we’ve not experienced from Darjeelings as far as I can remember.

The tea leaves were broken up a bit in the processing, but not ground to dust. After steeping, the stem and pieces show quite clearly.

We tried both the first and second infusions both plain and with a little milk and sweetener. Again, we had no inkling that this was a Darjeeling, but I think we would have tried it with milk anyway. The first infusion was stronger and slightly bitter, so at least some kind of sweetener was needed. The milk, though, added a very nice dimension and smoothed over the bitterness. It also seemed in both infusions to bring out the floral character of the tea.

Despite the non-Darjeeling character, we like this tea and are very impressed at getting two very good infusions from it. As for it living up to its name, we can say here, “Yes!” We definitely felt very picked up after the taste test.

Disclaimer: This tea was provided by the company named. However, the rating of the tea and any opinions concerning it are always strictly objective.

Review: Indie Tea’s The Road to Hana Tea

© 2011 A.C. Cargill photos and text – All rights reserved.
No copying, posting on other sites, or other uses allowed without written permission of the copyright holder.

The Subject:	The Road to Hana
Company:	Indie Tea. [More info]

Flavored Tea Rating:
About the new rating designation.

Flavorings work with tea?	Yes
Tea can be tasted?	Yes
Flavor blend balanced?	Yes

Water temperature:	175° F
Steeping time:	4-5 mins.
Tea type:	White
Additions:	Mango, coconut, hibiscus flowers
Dry leaves:	Big pieces of all ingredients, blend of fragrances that seem maple syrupy

1st Infusion:
Aroma, plain —	Kind of nondescript, was expecting mango
Taste, plain —	Lightly smoky, mild, pleasant, mango tang as cools
Color, plain —	Peachy
1st Infusion:
Aroma, plain —	Same
Taste, plain —	Not smoky, more mango tang, mild, pleasant
Color, plain —	Peachy

 

Comments:

For those of you wondering what “Hana” is, I’m guessing that Carolyn and her crew are referring to Hana, a small town isolated from the rest of the island of Maui, which is part of the group of islands known as the U.S. State of Hawaii. It is a tropical paradise, which is what inspires this blend that incorporates mango, coconut, and hibiscus flowers with the large leaf pieces of Pai Mu Tan (also called Bai Mu Dan and White Peony).

I must confess that one reason we wanted to try this tea is because hubby and I generally find Pai Mu Tan rather uninteresting, meaning that it’s perfect for “flavoring up” as has been done here. In fact, they have done a superb job of matching tea flavor with the added flavorings. Like some other flavored teas we’ve tried, Indie Tea also uses real ingredients, not just flavored oils. This means that a second infusion and maybe even a third is possible, making this tea quite economical.

They have great steeping instructions on the tea tin label and even show a touch of humor in their description of the tea.

Look at the lovely before and after. It’s quite clear that you’re getting something that the company has put a lot of pride and effort into creating.

Tins block light and moisture, but as you use the tea, air gets trapped in the tin, filling the empty space that used to be occupied by the dry tea leaves. You could use a little piece of plastic wrap pushed down in the tin over the tea to keep the air away. It would also help keep the various scents in this blend from fading quite so quickly.

My Wedgwood cup and saucer were proud to be the drinking vessels of choice for this tea, just as Little Yellow Teapot was happy to steep it.

Oh, yeah, it’s organic which doesn’t necessarily mean it’s better quality (often, it’s just more expensive and puts extra strain on an industry that in many cases is all the local residents have).

Disclaimer: This tea was provided by the company named. However, the rating of the tea and any opinions concerning it are always strictly objective.

Review: thepuriTea.com’s Roasted Dong Ding Oolong

© 2011 A.C. Cargill photos and text – All rights reserved.
No copying, posting on other sites, or other uses allowed without written permission of the copyright holder.

The Subject:	Roasted Dong Ding
Company:	thepuriTea.com. [More info]

Straight Tea Rating:

Oolong Ranking Bar:
About the new rating designation.

Water temperature:	180° F
Steeping time:	3-5 mins. (diff for each infusion)
Tea type:	Oolong
Dry leaves:	Dark green nuggets, shake up bag after opening to get toasty aroma

1st Infusion:
Steeping time —	3 min.
Aroma, plain —	Roasty, toasty, fruity
Taste, plain —	Roasty, mild, bit fruity/floral, planty as cools
Color, plain —	Pale golden
2nd Infusion:
Steeping time —	3½ mins.
Aroma, plain —	More plantiness, still roasty/toasty
Taste, plain —	Roasty/toasty, mild, smooth, floral hint
Color, plain —	Pale golden
3rd Infusion:
Steeping time —	4 mins.
Aroma, plain —	Nutty, fruity
Taste, plain —	Milder, less planty, smooth
Color, plain —	Pale golden
4th Infusion:
Steeping time —	4½ mins.
Aroma, plain —	Milder, less planty, smooth
Taste, plain —	Milder, less smooth, roasty hint
Color, plain —	Pale golden

 

Comments:
This is the 15th sample we have tried from thepuriTea.com and a trend has emerged: excellence!

All but 2 of those samples were rated 5 teapots. This sample has also merited that top level rating. (The other tea vendor who comes close to this is Thunderbolt Tea, specializing in teas from certain gardens in the Darjeeling province in India. They had only 3 out of 15 samples so far rated at 4.5 teapots, with the other 12 rated at 5 teapots.)

This version of Roasted Dong Ding is on a par with the one we tried recently from Tula Teas. This one lasted through 4 infusions and could probably have gone to 5 and maybe even 6 infusions. For Oolongs, that is fabulous.

The “official description on the vendor’s site:

The copper-tinged golden brew smells roasty and sweet, like sobacha (a roasted barley tisane from Japan) with honey. Roasted Dong Ding’s flavor is strong, smooth and roasty. Notes of full-bodied Houjicha, honey sweetness, roasted barley and cashews, and vanilla are balanced with a light astringency. Later infusions are mellower, with a slightly greener oolong flavor.

Our experience:

The dry tea was quite roasty/toasty smelling when we shook up the leaves in the package. The liquid was pale golden, possibly due to starting with shorter steep times and being very careful not to overheat the water. The flavor ranged from roasty/toasty, fruity/floral, to planty. Overall, this was a mild-tasting tea that we could easily drink by the potful.

Seeing the tea leaves before and after steeping is always amazing. They start out so small and unfold in the pot. These got quite large, as you can see, which is typical for Oolongs:

The steeping directions on the label are close to what’s on the vendor’s site:

We thought such a marvelous tea deserved a very nice setting and so present it here along with that nifty tea cozy from GinghamgrlVA and the wonderful tea-dyed rayon scarf with the Chinese symbol for tea on it from CrafTea Designs. The bright yellow of the teapot kinda clashes with the tan of the scarf, but Little Yellow Teapot still thinks it’s a cool scarf. And this tea tastes so good that it makes him very happy. Enjoy!

Their packaging of these sample sizes were rather interesting. These are “pillow” packs, as I’ve recently learned, with two small foil pouches inside.

Disclaimer: This tea was provided by the company named. However, the rating of the tea and any opinions concerning it are always strictly objective.

Review: Persimmon Tree Tea’s Gunpowder Tea

© 2011 A.C. Cargill photos and text – All rights reserved.
No copying, posting on other sites, or other uses allowed without written permission of the copyright holder.

The Subject:	Gunpowder
Company:	Persimmon Tree Tea. [More info]

Straight Tea Rating:
About the new rating designation.

Water temperature:	175° F
Steeping time:	1-3 mins.
Tea type:	Green
Dry leaves:	Dark green pellets; fresh, planty aroma

1st Infusion:
Steeping time —	1 mins.
Aroma, plain —	Rich smell
Taste, plain —	Spinachy, roasty
Color, plain —	Light amber
2nd Infusion:
Steeping time —	1½ mins.
Aroma, plain —	Rich, spinachy
Taste, plain —	Smooth, more roasty/spinachy, Jasmine-like as cools
Color, plain —	Amber, slightly cloudy
3rd Infusion:
Steeping time —	2 mins.
Aroma, plain —	Faint
Taste, plain —	Spinachy, edgy, not roasty, still smooth feel
Color, plain —	Amber, slightly cloudy

 

Comments:
Gunpowder is one of those green teas that just about every tea vendor carries. It’s such a basic and well-known tea that often when you ask someone if they drink green tea and they say “yes,” this is the one they usually mean.

This version is fairly typical in appearance, both before and after steeping:

I didn’t include a photo in my review of their Classic Black tea of the steeping instructions on the back of each tea tin, so here it is on the Gunpowder tin:

One thing the label doesn’t say that we think it should for this particular tea is that a quick wash of the tea leaves before steeping is in order. Heat your water, pour some of it over the leaves in the teapot, swish it around gently for a few seconds, and then pour the liquid out. Then, add the heated water to those leaves and steep them. This should get rid of some of the fine particles that ended up in our cups and that gave a chalky texture to the tea.

We steeped this in a more U.S./European manner (mainly because Little Yellow Teapot gets his nose…uh, I mean “spout” out of joint if we don’t steep in him), but it would probably be great if you are into the gongfu style of tea enjoyment. It’s also great in the LibreTea steeping mug and similar teawares.

Disclaimer: This tea was provided by the company named. However, the rating of the tea and any opinions concerning it are always strictly objective.