Tea Review 153 - Mellow Monk Kuma Green

Kuma Green 1228
Mellow Monk

I don't get around to reviewing tea much these days. I have the best intentions but a lot of my writings about tea appear elsewhere and so I don't have as much time to devote to this site as I'd like. So on those rare occasions when I do review tea here it's usually something that's a cut above the rest.

Take Mellow Monk's Kuma Green 1228, for example. I've had the pleasure of sampling some Mellow Monk teas in the past and it was always a memorable experience. This time around was no exception to that rule. It's certainly worth a look. Here's what they have to say about it.

A brightly herbaceous guricha-style sencha, with a sweetness highlighted with fruity highlights — apples, melon, and white wine grapes — as well as citrus notes and a hint of jasmine. [Note that this is not jasmine green tea; the hint of jasmine is naturally present in the tea.] Made from yabukita tea plants grown in the rolling hills of Kuma County, tended and crafted into tea by artisan Kazuo Watanabe.

Image: Mellow Monk
Sample provided by Mellow Monk
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Tea Review 153 - Teavivre Green Tea (x4)

Organic Superfine Dragon Well
Organic Nonpareil Ming Qian Dragon Well
Nonpareil Te Gong Huang Shan Mao Feng
Liu An Gua Pian
Teavivre

I haven't been drinking much green tea lately. Not that I have anything against it because I certainly don't. But black tea is my favorite by far and it's what I've been drinking, almost exclusively, for quite a while now.

But I always welcome a nice change of pace - especially when it comes in the form of a high-quality green tea. Which is what the good people at Teavivre sent a little while back - times four. I liked them all and if I were a more careful reviewer, like I used to be, I'd go ahead and tell you a little bit about each one. In lieu of that I'll point out that I liked the Superfine Dragon Well and the Mao Feng quite well and the Ming Qian Dragon Well better than any of the bunch. Which is not to say that the Liu An Gua Pian was so shabby either. Read on for the merchant's descriptions of each.

Organic Nonpareil Ming Qian Dragon Well Long Jing
This Organic Nonpareil Ming Qian Dragon Well Long Jing tea origins in organic tea base of Tianmu Mountain in Lin’an, Hangzhou. The organic tea base of Tianmu Mountain, has passed the organic certification of European, USA and Japan, is a significant base of planting organic dragon well and green tea. This dragon well long jing tea persists a high level in picking and producing while meeting the standard of organic certification. The tea should be picked as one bud and two leaves or three leaves in order to reach the standard. Tea workers also have excellent skills, which help keep the natural features of fresh tea leaves. Combined with the advantages of organic tea and high grade tea, this dragon well long jing tea is suitable for tea lovers of organic tea as well as dragon well green tea.

Organic Superfine Dragon Well Long Jing
This Organic Dragon Well Long Jing tea origins in organic tea base of Tianmu Mountain in Lin’an, Hangzhou. The organic tea base of Tianmu Mountain, has passed the organic certification of European, USA and Japan, is a significant base of planting organic dragon well and green tea. This dragon well long jing tea persists a high level in picking and producing while meeting the standard of organic certification. The tea should be picked as one bud and two leaves or three leaves in order to reach the standard. Tea workers also have excellent skills, which help keep the natural features of fresh tea leaves. Combined with the advantages of organic tea and high grade tea, this dragon well long jing tea is suitable for tea lovers of organic tea as well as dragon well green tea.

Nonpareil Te Gong Huang Shan Mao Feng
The historic Huang Shan Mao Feng is well-known as one of the ten famous Chinese tea. This Ming Qian Huang Shan Mao Feng was picked on March 23, 2013, is a kind of pre-ming green tea. Pre-ming tea has strict requirement of the picking time and its making standard, thus the bird-tongue appearance could been perfect formed, as well as the brisk flavor. Both of which are favored by tea lovers.

Liu An Gua Pian
TeaVivre's Liu'an Guapian is sourced from a plantation in this teas home province of Liu'an county, and is produced using traditional manual methods. This tea’s unique taste and shape comes from it being the only Chinese green tea that is made without using any buds, new leaves or stems. During processing, mature leaves are separated out and then carefully cut by hand to remove any stems and the central leaf vein. They then undergo a lengthy drying and rolling process, resulting in its unique round shape. When brewed Liu'an Guapian has a great complex sweet taste, and a bright, emerald color to the tea.

Image: Teavivre
Sample provided by Teavivre
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Tea Review 148 - Canton Tea Co. Green Twirl

Green Twirl
Canton Tea Co.

The first thing I typically do with a sample of tea I haven't tried is to open the package and smell it. It's not a foolproof method for judging the contents of said package but in the case of a tea like Canton's Green Twirl there was no doubt that I had a winner on my hands.

Oddly enough, I didn't bother to read the packaging materials until after I'd actually tried this tea. I don't have a wide experience of tea from India's Nilgiri region but those few I've encountered haven't impressed me. Ditto for green tea from India, which to the best of my knowledge is a pretty sparsely populated tea category.

I'd give this one my highest recommendation, especially if you're a fan of Chinese green tea. There's nothing in that category that I can make a direct comparison to but I'd say that Green Twirl is in the same ballpark as Bi Lo Chun with perhaps a little bit of Long Jing (Dragonwell) in there. Interesting to note, by the way, that Canton bills themselves as "The China Tea Specialist."

This one came to me by way of Canton's Tea Club, which has taken on the daunting task of delivering a new tea every week for 52 weeks. It'll be hard to top this one in the green category but if the quality is this high throughout I'm looking forward to seeing what the future brings. Read more about the club and this particular tea at Canton's blog.

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Tea Review 146 - Peony Tea S. Huangshan Furry Peak

Huangshan Furry Peak
Peony Tea S.

As a general rule I've found that Japanese green tea tends to be more boldly flavored, while Chinese green tea is more subtle. I'm sure there are exceptions but if you need any evidence for the latter you might want to consider Huangshan Furry Peak, by Peony Tea S.

At first I found this to be so subtly flavored that I wasn't sure I was going to like it. But after I adjusted my palate (which is conditioned to quite a lot of heavy black tea) I found that I liked it quite a bit. I know that some people who are new to green tea have trouble with the lighter varieties and they obviously wouldn't be the best customers for this tea. But anyone who's conditioned to this sort of thing might want to give it a shot.

Here's what Peony Tea S. has to say about this one:

Perpetually shrouded in cloud and mist, the beautiful Huangshan which is translated literally as ‘Yellow Mountain’ is the origin of one of the most beloved and well-known green tea in China- the Huangshan Furry Peak. Just like its place of origin, this delightful green tea is truly a work of art, simultaneously soothing and exciting the drinker. Green teas are considered in Traditional Chinese Medicine terminology as ‘cooling’ so instead of reaching for your soda, try this sugarless all natural alternative instead. The recurring sweetness will fill your throat long after your last drop.

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Sample provided by Peony Tea S.
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Tea Review 135 - Chado Tea House Gyokuro

Gyokuro
Chado Tea House

I didn't do a best of for teas that I drank in 2011 and it's a little too soon to decide if I'm going to do one for 2012. But if I do I'm pretty sure that this Gyokuro, one of four currently on offer at Chado Tea House, will be on the list.

This is a really great tea and I could probably be quite happy drinking it every day for the rest of my life. If you imagine what a Japanese green tea tastes like, but then imagine one that's sweeter, smoother and more flavorful then you'll have an idea of what this Gyokuro is all about.

Here's what Chado has to say about it:

Gyokuro from Okabe, Shizuoka; very refined Gyokuro tea. Great aroma and smooth body and sweetness well balanced Gyokuro

Shizuoka is well known Japanese tea producing center that takes about a half share of Japanese tea production. Okabe region is known for Gyokuro production and produce refined Gyokuro. The region’s long time tea making experiences and history made possible to create refined tea. Tea from Shizuoka region has tendency of mild, smooth mouth feeling.

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Tea Review 134 - Teavivre Bi Luo Chun Green Tea

Bi Luo Chun Green Tea
Teavivre

One of the mildly baffling issues when it comes to writing about tea is the spelling thing. To be more specific, the variations in spelling of certain varieties of tea. I'm going to stick with Teavivre's spelling of Bi Luo Chun, but this is one of those varieties that I've seen a number of variations for.

But I digress. Call it what you will but don't call Bi Luo Chun a lousy tasting tea. I can't say that I have a lot of experience with this variety but the ones that I've tried have not disappointed. Neither does this one.

This is one of those teas that you can begin to experience long before you actually drink it. The dry leaves have a very strong aroma but the finished tea is actually surprisingly mellow. Here's what Teavivre has to say about this one:

Our Bi Luo Chun is from Dong Ting mountain next to China's 4th largest lake. When dry the tea has a small, rolled up shape to it, with a fine covering of silvery white pekoe, especially at the leaf tips. One amazing fact with this tea, due to only the small leaf tips being used, is that 1 pound of the tea (about 500g) will contain about 70,000 leaf tips.

Unlike most other green teas, Bi Luo Chun can only be infused 2 or 3 times. Any more than that and it looses its fruity aroma and taste. However we do strongly encourage you to infuse it a few times, as its color, aroma and taste will subtly change each time, as the balance between the absorbed fruit flavour and the natural green tea flavour changes.

Sample provided by Teavivre
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Tea Review 133 - Le Palais des Thés Tamaryokucha Imperial

Tamaryokucha Imperial
Le Palais des Thés

It's probably not a good idea to generalize, in general, but if I may be so bold, I've noticed that most Chinese green teas tend to be on the subtle and delicate side while Japanese greens are often more boldly flavored. It's been a while since I've had a good Japanese green but I was reminded of this notion recently when I tried Le Palais des Thés's Tamaryokucha Imperial.

Le Palais des Thés claims that this tea is milder than most Japanese green teas, which I don't completely agree with. I found it to have a fairly full flavor, but perhaps without the deep green common to many of Japanese teas. If you're wondering how green can be used to describe the flavor of a tea then you need to drink more Japanese green tea.

In any event, in spite of the full flavor and a little bit of a sharp edge I found this one to be more than quite drinkable. Here's what Le Palais des Thés has to say about it:

A remarkable green tea whose leaves are twisted, rather than folded like the Sencha teas. This intensifies its dark green color, which is a sign of high quality in this type of tea. It is milder than most Japanese green teas, with a silky, subtle liquor and a fragrant infusion.

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Tea Review 132 - Teavivre Chun Mei & Taimu Maojian

Organic Taimu Maojian Green Tea
Chun Mei Green Tea
Teavivre

Once upon a time I tended to prefer Japanese green tea just a bit more than Chinese green. I would say that the balance has shifted over the years and I'm now a bit fonder of the Chinese greens. To the best of my recall I don't have any previous experience with either of these varieties but they're both worth a look.

I found that I was especially fond of the Taimu Maojian. It's much lighter and more delicate than the Chun Mei but still quite flavorful. I'd have no problem putting a tea like this one into regular daily rotation. Here's an excerpt from Teavivre's blurb:

This premium grade, 100% organic Taimu Maojian Green tea comes from Mt. Taimu in Fujian, and is made using traditional methods. It has a great taste, that combines a slightly sweet, delicate green tea taste with a hint of chestnut aroma and flavour. Maojian means “fluffy tips” in Chinese, which describes its appearance perfectly – this tea has a fine covering of white hairs that indicates its high quality.

I liked Chun Mei as well, but not quite as much as the Taimu Maojian. It steeps to a much a darker color in the cup and has a much more robust flavor, with perhaps just a hint of smokiness in there somewhere. This one was reminiscent of a milder variety of gunpowder tea. If you're fond of that sort of thing then this should be right up your alley. Teavivre has this to say about it:

Chun Mei – sometimes called Zhen Mei – is the most popular type of “eyebrow tea” in China, so named because when dry it's narrow, curved shape looks like a fine, painted on eyebrow. The traditional local drink of Anhui, it is also now widely grown in Zhejiang, Jiangxi provinces.

An earthy, slightly bitter tea with a plum aftertaste

Sample provided by Teavivre
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Tea Review 126 - Teavivre Xinyang Maojian

Xin Yang Mao Jian Green
Teavivre

This is the fourth and last of the samples I received from Teavivre. While I liked the others (two black and one green) I think I liked this one a bit more. I don't have a lot of experience with this type of tea, but I wouldn't mind experiencing it again. The dry leaves had a great aroma and the tea itself had a rather strong flavor, I thought, for a Chinese green tea.

Here's what Teavivre has to say about this one:

Xinyang Maojian is a traditional Chinese tea with a history stretching back over 1,000 years. Its name comes from the area it was first grown – Xinyang county in Henan – while Maojian refers to the teas appearance (fur covered tips of the leaves). Xinyang Maojian has a distinctive appearance and taste compared to most other Chinese green teas, that originated and are grown mostly in the warmer Fujian and Anhui provinces. This tea's leaves are generally smaller, with a darker green color, and its taste, while still unmistakeably that of a premium green tea, has a stronger, bolder character that sets it apart.

TeaVivre's Xinyang Maojian is grade 1 tea, made from the Spring picked leaves that produce the best quality and best tasting teas.

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Tea Review 126 - Teavivre Dragon Well

Dragon Well (Long Jing)
Teavivre

I've never met a Dragon Well I didn't like, but I've run across a few that were kind of bland. Fortunately this Long Jing from Teavivre rises above all that. Teavivre's site claims that Dragon Well tea was the variety that was served to the late President Richard Nixon on his groundbreaking visit to China some years back. I'm not sure what old Tricky Dick thought about it but if it was as good as this one he had nothing to complain about.

Here's an excerpt from what Teavivre has to say about their Dragon Well:

A great example of one of China's top teas, affordable enough to drink every day
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

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Tea Review 116 - Adagio Teas Gourmet Tea Collections

Artisan Comfort Collection
Sweet Medley Collection
Adagio Teas

Up today, two collections of gourmet tea from Adagio Teas. Each contains five pyramid bags of six different teas. The Artisan Comfort Collection features mostly unflavored black, white, green and oolong teas and the Sweet Medley Collection contains flavored black, white, green, oolong, rooibos and a tisane.

I won't comment on each one of these teas, but there are a few that stand out for me. Not surprisingly, given my preference for unflavored tea, those are the ones I liked best. Especially noteworthy, at least for me, the Dragonwell, Oolong Goddess, and especially the Golden Yunnan, all from the Artisan Comfort Collection.

As for the Sweet Medley Collection, I liked the Peach Oolong best and I always go for a good strong Peppermint. Also surprising, since I don't like Earl Grey or vanilla, is the relatively palatable blend I came up with when I blended the former with the Vanilla Rooibos.

Artisan Comfort Collection
Jasmine Pearls
Silver Needle
Dragonwell
Wuyi Oolong
Golden Yunnan
Oolong Goddess

Sweet Medley Collection
Earl Grey
Citrus Green
Peach Oolong
Peppermint
Blueberry White
Vanilla Rooibos

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Tea Review 112: Wiseman Tea Company

My apologies to the gang at Wiseman Tea Company for not getting around to this sooner. I've fallen behind on my reviewing lately but I'm making an effort to get caught up.

First things first. Wiseman sent samples of an Earl Grey and Genmaicha, but since these are both varieties that I've never cared much for I wont say much about them. Ditto for the Puerh. I will say that all of these seemed of a decent quality or better, if you're into this sort of thing.

Some of the Wiseman teas that I did like included a very good Rooibos. It might be tempting to think - as I used to - that all Rooibos is created equal, but this is definitely not the case. What set this one apart was simply that it was smoother and more flavorful than many Rooibos varieties I've tried.

Wiseman also provided a very nice Dragonwell. As far as reliability goes, Dragonwell might be among the tops of all tea varieties. I've been trying to think if I've ever run across one I didn't like and I'm coming up dry.

Among the surprises in this bunch were some of the flavored teas, which I typically don't get too excited about. Both the Shalimar Oolong (oolong, aronia berries, mango cubes, rose petals) and the Pearl of Fruits (green Tea, black tea, orange peels, rose petals, safflowers, and marigold petals) were interesting. But I think it was the South Sea Magic (black tea, rose blossoms, sunflower blossoms, cornflower blossoms) that stood out the most from this bunch. Not a bad combo as far as this sort of thing goes.

And how about that slogan?

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Tea Review 107 - Rishi Tea (x4)

Golden Yunnan
Keemun
Dragonwell
Hojicha
Rishi Tea


Golden Yunnan
I've said it before and I'll say it again - a truly great black tea is a thing of wonder. I'd rank Yunnan as my second favorite of the black teas, after Assam. But while dishwater Assams outnumber the great ones by far, I have yet to be disappointed by a Yunnan and this one beats all comers hands down. It has a rich, almost sweet flavor with just the faintest hint of spicinesss and a very smooth mouth feel with nary a trace of bitterness. Oh, be still my beating heart.

Keemun
Keemun is a Chinese black tea that seems to find its way into English Breakfast blends a lot. I don't have a lot of experience with it but of the three Keemuns I've reviewed since starting this site I'd put this one at the top of the pack by a nose. It has a nice full flavor and a hint of smokiness on the finish. The latter is something that usually puts me off, but it's subtle enough in this case that I found it appealing.

Dragonwell
A good solid Dragonwell, this one. Stellar? No, doesn't quite reach that level, but I could drink it on a regular basis. Rishi calls it "mellow and smooth with a fresh bittersweet finish and roasted chestnut aroma" and I see no reason to argue with that.

Hojicha
There are a number of teas that are clearly not for me. Hojicha is one of them. This is not a reflection on Rishi's Hojicha, of course. Anything smoky or roasted - hojicha is a Japanese green that falls into the latter category - is rarely to my liking. That doesn't mean that you won't like it, but for me to discourse on its merits is like asking a vegetarian to review a steakhouse.

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RedUmbrella Tea
Canada’s Loose Leaf Tea Co.

Tea Review 105 - Mighty Leaf Ginger Twist & More

Ginger Twist
Mighty Leaf

I'm kind of fond of all things ginger, so I was excited to try Mighty Leaf's Ginger Twist. As they describe it, "our Ginger Twist herbal tea is a harmonious mix of lemongrass, tropical fruits, and mint fueled with a touch of ginger and ginseng."

This is all well and good, but the ginger seems to be something of an afterthought. This was a bit disappointing, considering that it is ginger tea. Putting aside the relative gingerlessness, however, this was not a bad blend. I'm not enamored of lemongrass, but all the flavors are so subtle and well proportioned that the end result is quite appealing.

Here are some brief notes regarding some other teas Mighty Leaf has sent along. They seem to specialize in flavored blends, which are not necessarily my cup of tea, but some of them are not bad.

White Orchard
White tea, melon and peach. I've always had kind of a thing for peach-flavored tea so this one worked for me.

Orange Dulce
Black tea with orange, vanilla and jasmine. The vanilla spoiled it for me but your mileage may vary.

Green Tea Tropical
Green tea with pineapple and guava. Another nice blend, though, as in most cases with flavored blends, the actual tea is overpowered by the flavored stuff.

RedUmbrella Tea
Canada’s Loose Leaf Tea Co.

Tea Review 101 - Jing Tea Chinese Greens

Pre Rain Organic Dragon Well Supreme Green Tea
Pre Rain Organic Anji Bai Cha Green Tea
Jing Tea

Now this is more like it. I've had the good fortune to sample some nice Chinese greens lately, but nothing that really made me leap from my seat and click my heels. Until now.

Jing Tea refer to their Pre Rain Organic Dragon Well Supreme Green Tea as "our highest grade Dragon Well green tea" and I certainly wont quibble with that. It's a classic Dragonwell sensation - and if you've ever sampled a good one you'll know what that means - with a nice smooth feel and a much fuller flavor than most of the varieties I've tried.

Jing's Pre Rain Organic Anji Bai Cha Green Tea also compares rather favorably to some of the other Chinese greens I've tasted. In their words, "vivacious and exuberant flavours combine spring blossom scents with sweet sappiness, lush textures and beautiful floral top notes." Here here.

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Tea Review 100 - Mighty Leaf (x4)

Organic Emerald Pearls
Organic Yellow Flower
Marrakesh Mint Green
Orange Dulce
Might Leaf Tea Company

Organic Emerald Pearls
Organic Yellow Flower
A nice pair of loose-leaf Chinese green teas from Anhui province. Quite a delicate flavor in both cases. This can be a bit of a drawback if you're used to stronger stuff, but nothing really to complain about here.

Orange Dulce
There are a few flavored teas I like, but as a general rule I'm not the target audience for this sort of thing. Orange Dulce is a blend of black tea with orange, vanilla and jasmine. Not to my liking, so much, but your mileage is likely to vary.

Marrakesh Mint Green
As with most mint teas, the mint component of Marrakesh Mint tends to overpower the green tea. Not that this is necessarily a bad thing. For my money, a good peppermint tisane is as good as anything, but if you want a bit of a pick-me-up, you could do worse than this mix of China green teas and Moroccan mint that's been "cultivated on a mountainside in Tiznit."

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Tea Review 98 - My Cup of Tea (x4)

Breakfast Tea
Darjeeling
Earl Grey
Pure Green Tea
My Cup of Tea

Breakfast
I tend to approach breakfast teas with a bit of trepidation. Most that I've tried run the gamut from so-so to downright wretched. Perhaps I'd feel differently if I was a milk and sweetener kind of guy. I'd actually rate this blend at the higher end of the range. It has a nice flavor even without anything added.

Darjeeling
While I like a good Darjeeling as much as the next person, I've found that all Darjeelings are not created equal. I've also found that they tend to be rather sensitive to high temps and oversteeping. While I wouldn't put this one at the top of my Darjeeling list it certainly was not without its charms.

Pure Green
A nice, subtle green here. Hard to tell exactly what it was, but I'd guess that it hails from China. It suffers only by comparison to the very strong sencha I've been drinking lately, which tends to deaden my appreciation for subtler varieties.

Earl Grey
This might be a perfectly nice Earl Grey tea, but since I'm not a fan of that sort of thing I'm not the person to weigh in on its merits or lack thereof. It is quite pungent, so if strong Earl Grey is what grabs you, it's might be right up your alley.

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Tea Review 97 - Andrews & Dunham Damn Fine Tea

Ceylon
Dragonwell
Nepal
Andrews & Dunham Damn Fine Tea

As of this writing there's a prominent display ad from Andrews & Dunham posted at Tea Guy Speaks. Which is as good a time as any to discuss my review policies. Which I would gladly do but I don't really have any review policies. While it seems a conflict of interest to review an advertiser's product I attempt to be honest and not be influenced by the towering heaps of cash they're flinging my way.

But enough nattering about all that. Even before they signed on as an advertiser I was of the opinion that A&D might be on to something with their particular business model. To be honest, I'm growing weary of tea merchants who try to be all things to all people and thus offer a smattering of this and a bit of that and nothing that sets them apart from the mob.

Not that there's anything wrong with having a wide selection of great tea. I can think of a few merchants who pull that off very well indeed. But A&D don't even make an attempt to go that route. What they've done is narrow their focus to three different types of tea that they'll be releasing in one limited edition several times throughout the year. When that edition's gone it's on to the next limited edition.

Which is a nifty idea that means nothing if the tea is crap. Fortunately it's not. The Ceylon didn't quite sell me on the merits of that type of tea, but that's no surprise since I've yet to meet a Ceylon that I truly like. This one was close, but no cigar. Also in this edition was something of a curiosity - a black tea from Nepal. I'd liken this one to a not quite so aromatic Darjeeling. Where I found both of these varieties to shine was when I made them into a nice iced tea. Rounding out the edition is a Dragonwell, further proof of the age-old dictum (okay, I just made it up) that you can't go wrong with Dragonwell.

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Tea Review 95 - Sencha Ashikubo

Sencha Ashikubo
David's Tea

The short version of this review - outstanding!

To elaborate just a bit, if you're looking for over-the-top, in-your-face green tea-ness your best bet may be sencha - a Japanese variety of tea that tops most other comers when it comes to sheer intensity of flavor.

That being said, it's also important to note that not all sencha is created equal. I currently have a tin of it sitting in my tea cabinet that straddles that nebulous zone between being undrinkable and yet not quite so bad that you can bring yourself to toss it in the garbage.

Not so with David's Sencha Ashikubo, which ranks right up there with the best sencha I've tasted. From the moment you open the bag - as so often seems to be the case with the really good stuff - you're assaulted by an aroma so intense that its almost as good as tasting the tea. But not quite, of course, because the flavor is so intense that I'd walk ten miles in a blinding snowstorm just for a taste.

Or something like that.

Highly recommended.

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Tea Review 93 - Narien Teas

Dragonwell
Silver Needle
Narien Teas

If you're new to tea it might take some time to get used to the relatively subtle flavors of some varieties. This point was brought home to me when I recently tasted two samples from Narien Teas, an online tea merchant who got rolling in the summer of 2008.

While their Dragonwell (green) and Silver Needles (white) were both good, I'd been going through a phase where I was drinking stronger varieties, such as a robust Yunnan (black) and a strong Sencha (green). Which tended to color my perceptions of these two low-key teas. The moral, I guess, if there is one, is that what you've been drinking now is likely to have an effect on what you're drinking next.

If you'd like to sample Narien's wares, tell them Tea Guy sent you. Better yet use the coupon code "teaguyspeaks" and get %10 off.

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