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View this Post as a place for reader feedback.

Are there things you want me to keep doing? Do you want me to focus more on Tea or Teaware, or a specific type of tea? Should I return to an older style of tasting notes which I post my notes outlined as:

Nose:
Palate:
Finish:
Overall:

Or should I continue like I have been doing lately which mainly documents what strikes me most about the tea and those infusions.

Also do you like more random tea thought posts often labeled as musings?

So view this as the proper thread to speak up and let me know how you would like this blog to be improved.

Zhi Ming Du Ba Da Mountain

Some of these mountain series put my knowledge of Yunnan Geography to the test, and as I'm very poor in my knowlege of that area I often end up stumped, and resorting back to certain guides put together to help people like me. Some good photos were shown here.

So as promised I'm going to start posting weights. I had 5.7g of leaf in my 60 ml gaiwan. The rinse smells promising and is actually a very nice looking pale gold color. Though the overwhelming characterisic of the rinse aroma is a tobacco like smoke aroma.

The aroma is interesting, I'm having a hard time describing the main aroma as its seems like a chocolate/gelatine like aroma, something that is sweet but satisfying. But besides that there are quite a few good notes of melons and cucumbers.

Well this is interesting, though I am not sure if I can say I am thrilled with it, the initial taste is uninteresting but nothing to complain about, but the finish occurs in the front of the mouth. As in all in front of your back molars, it starts with a bitter/sourness then fades into like a sour apple, then fades into the sweetness. But mind you, I like those finish you can feel down your entire throat, you feel like you are still able to taste it right before it enters your stomach. But as for the intial taste its rather like Brussels sprouts.


In all reality there is not much wrong with this tea, it might partially be that I am not in the mood for a young puerh (I keep thinking of how its been awhile since I have had any aged puerh). Though I feel like this tea is not pulling on my heartstings, while the aroma is good, the taste seems to be not what I am looking for, though possibly not lacking for a young puerh. In fact I find it somewhat intriguing, though ultimately I am not interested. And though the many infusions I have done the finish has stayed the same as I have detailed, certainly interesting, just not what I was looking for.

It is a cold day outside, and somehow perhaps due to the nature of young puerh, I feel the warmth from this tea though its very warm in my mouth, seems to vanish the second it hits my throat.

So sorry for one of the shorter puerh reviews I have done in some time. Verdict on this tea, "Interesting, but not for me right now".

Horai-no-mukashi matcha

So far ippodo is the only place worth naming that I have gotten matcha from, and this is the second matcha of theirs I have gotten.

This produced a nice thick froth when being whisked, and while the aroma was of nothing but bittersweet chocolate, it tasted rather like seaweed.


I honestly think matcha reviews are going to be rather short.

Ippodo Nichi Getsu Sencha

I recieved an order from Ippodo today, and while I am cutting back on sencha, I am taking the time to try Gyokuro and Matcha. Though this was the sencha I had in the order, and hopefully I can stretch this and my teas into Shincha season (3-4 months?---probably not).

The aroma of this one is very nice, its got almost a candy like quality to it. Though it would be an odd candy as its very fresh, in terms of green leafy vegetables, but I guess what gives it the candy is there is this strong sweetness permeating through the entire aroma.

Its taste is rather sweet, with a slight hint of fish, but I love how it coats the mouth and has an intense lingering sweetness.

From Hagi in Use