Teavivre Fuding Shou Mei White Tea Cake 2012
Country of Origin: China Leaf Appearance: varied browns and greens with scattered visible buds Steep time: 10 seconds, increasing 5 seconds with each infusion Water Temperature: 200 degrees Preparation Method: glass gaiwan Liquor: orange-tinged amber Did you know that white can be aged? It’s become quite the rage but also very expensive. Reflective of the popularity of puerh, the leaves are commonly pressed into cakes and wrapped in paper. I’ve written A LOT of reviews of Teavivre’s teas over the years but this was my very first aged white tea from their catalog so I was really excited to dive into this one. The dry tea looks a bit like a pile of fall leaves,…
Teavivre Organic Hangzhou Tian Mu Qing Ding Green Tea 2017
Country of Origin: China Leaf Appearance: downy buds with one or two larger leaves Steep time: 30 seconds Water Temperature: 185 degrees Preparation Method: glass gaiwan Liquor: pale, greenish gold I thought the first day of summer was a perfect time to write about a fresh-as-can-be green tea. This one was only just picked on April 10th. It’s not quite a pre-qing ming pluck but pretty darned close. The name of this tea is quite a mouthful so let’s break things down a bit. Hangzhou is usually known for Dragonwell but many other teas produced there, including Qing Ding. The name means “green summit” which describes both the color of the leaf as…
Teavivre Yunnan Gongfu Fragrant Black Tea
Country of Origin: China Leaf Appearance: dark, twisted with golden tips Ingredients: black tea Steep time: 30 seconds Water Temperature: 195 degrees Preparation Method: porcelain gaiwan Liquor: reddish amber Here’s a fun fact, +TeaVivre currently holds the title of most reviewed company on +Tea for Me Please. This is the 39th tea that I’ve written about from them! This is partly because they’ve always been very generous in sharing samples and partly because I feel they never really get the attention they deserve. Black tea is probably the category that I drink the least of but I have a real soft spot for those from Yunnan. Once the weather starts turning chilly I get some serious…
Teavivre 2016 Organic Tian Mu Mao Feng
Country of Origin: China Leaf Appearance: twisted and curled, deep green Ingredients: green tea Steep time: 30 seconds Water Temperature: 195 degrees Preparation Method: glass gaiwan Liquor: pale yellow/green +TeaVivre just might hold the title for most reviewed company on this blog. This is the 38th review! One of my favorite things about them is the consistently good quality tea that won’t break the bank. They also carry a huge variety of Chinese teas from several regions. This is the third Mao Feng that I’ve written about but all three have been from different locations. Tian Mu is the name of the mountain where this tea is grown and it translates as eyes on…
Teavivre Guang Dong Phoenix Oolong Tea
Country of Origin: China Leaf Appearance: dark, long and twisted Ingredients: oolong tea Steep time: 15 seconds Water Temperature: 212 degrees Preparation Method: porcelain gaiwan Liquor: amber Phoenix oolongs are some of my favorites but I don’t get to drink them nearly as often as I would like. After giving the leaves a quick rinse I started out with relatively short infusions of 15 seconds. The first few infusions were very light, giving just a hint of things to come. Around the fourth infusion it started to really open up. Long and sweet floral notes mixed with aromas of peach and honey. There was also a sweet vegetal quality that reminded me of…
Teavivre Organic Nonpareil She Qian Dragon Well 2015
Country of Origin: China Leaf Appearance: small, flat, jade green Ingredients: green tea Steep time: 3 minutes Water Temperature: 180 degrees Preparation Method: glass teapot Liquor: very pale, almost clear I think +TeaVivre may hold the title of most reviewed company on this blog. This is the 36th tea that I’ve written about from them! Last year’s harvest of this tea was absolutely fantastic so I jumped for joy when I won a small bag of it from their Facebook contest. I’m happy to say that this year’s offering was just as enjoyable. The aroma of the dry leaves was incredibly fresh. They should be since they were only just picked on March 10th! They were comprised…
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