100th Post!

This blog reached its one year anniversary some time ago and now it has hit another milestone – the 100th post!

Wow! I have to admit that there were times I did not think this blog would make it that far. I am still in college and this fall will be the start of my senior year (Woot!). Because I am a full time student, free time tends to be a lack there of for me and hence writing blog entries gets pushed back on my to-do list sometimes. The reason for this is reviews can take a better part of an hour to complete because they include making the tea, tasting it, writing the review, taking pictures, editing, and publishing.

However, besides all of the wonderful tea I get to taste, there is one main motive that still keeps this blog on my to-do list at all… and that is YOU! Yes, you! If you are reading this, chances are that this is not the first time you have been to this blog… and I want to thank you for that! All of those who have commented on my blog via the comment section on here, Twitter, and/or Facebook… I want to personally thank you for your comments, encouragements, suggestions, etc.! I never thought I would say this, but I HAVE FANS! That right there is more than enough motivation to keep me going!

I originally started this blog for personal tasting notes and experiences only, which I still continue using it for such purposes today, but I never imagined that I would do formal reviews for vendors, as well. It has all been very exciting!

Since school is out for the summer, I have more time to concentrate on this blog. What I would like to do is work some more on the cosmetics and the layout of the blog, plus come up with ideas for better pictures and make sure I do more thorough reviews.

I have only studied tea for about two years now so I still have a lot to learn.

Mighty Leaf’s Organic Lu An Gua Pian Review

Type: Green
Origin: Anhui Province, China
Price: Sample (regular price - $16.95 for 4oz.)
Vendor: Mighty Leaf
Brewing Method: Per Instructed - 1 teaspoon of leaves, 1 cup of filtered water, heated to 170°F-180°F, steeped for 2 - 3 minutes
Overall Score: 4.7 out of 5

Organic Lu An Gua Pian is simply organic green tea from China. The leaves are very large, long, rolled strands with a mix of light and dark green colors. The aroma, although subtle, is vegetal – smells like grass basically.

The aroma of the tea is very grassy and vegetal. It has that fresh smell, kind of like dew. The liquor is a beautiful greenish-yellow color.

The taste is sweet and grassy. It has this lime-like flavor to it. The tea is not bitter or astringent. I would say that it is very mellow and has a delicate flavor overall. This blend is very simple in aroma and flavor which is perfectly fine with me. If you flavor a tea with too many ingredients then things can get complicated.

This is great stuff. I finished my cup and I am ready for another. Simple teas like this one always take me back to the heart of the tea plant and remind me of what true green tea is supposed to taste like.

Mighty Leaf’s Organic Earl Green Review

Type: Green
Origin: China
Price: Sample (regular price - $9.95 for 4oz.)
Vendor: Mighty Leaf
Brewing Method: Per Instructed - 1 teaspoon of leaves, 1 cup of filtered water, heated to 170°F-180°F, steeped for 2 - 3 minutes
Overall Score: 3.7 out of 5

Organic Earl Green is a base of Organic green tea infused with the oil of bergamot. The leaves for this tea are really dark for being a green tea. They are dark brown small, long strands which are very tightly rolled. The aroma of the bergamot oil rushed out when I opened the package. In fact, that is really all I can smell – the green tea aroma gets hidden.

I can smell more of the green tea as the leaves steep. The bergamot oil is still front and center, though. The liquor is a dark amber color.






The taste is basically a mouthful of bergamot. Because the green tea is so mellow, it stays in the background and all I taste is the sweet citrus flavor of the bergamot. Also, because of the green tea once again, this blend does not pack the same punch as its brother, Earl Grey.

It is not bitter, actually it is rather sweet. However, I am about half way through my cup and it has already dried my mouth out significantly. The vegetal taste of the green tea shows up more in the after taste. If you enjoy the taste of bergamot and do not want the bold black tea in tow, then this tea is for you.

My New Travel Cup

For Valentine’s Day (yeah, I know that was a while ago) my boyfriend got me this interesting travel cup. I think it is awesome for several reasons. 1) It is clear which I love because I like being able to see, and show off, the color of the tea. 2) It holds a large capacity. 3) It has a nifty little wire basket for loose leaf tea.

I thought the basket was the cutest thing. It is easy to remove, has small enough holes so the leaves do not get stuck in the strainer (I have that problem when a few other strainers that I have), and it has a latch on the top that keeps the lid closed while in the cup.

The only thing I don’t like about it is that it has a tight fitting lid rather than a screw top lid. I like to put my travel cups in my backpack, but I can’t do that with this cup because there is a very high chance of the lid getting knocked off while in my bag.

Nonetheless, it is a nice travel cup for people who like to brew loose leaf tea on the go!

Mighty Leaf’s Jade Oolong Review

Type: Oolong
Origin: China
Price: Sample (regular price - $28.95 for 4oz.)
Vendor: Mighty Leaf
Brewing Method: Per Instructed - 1 teaspoon of leaves, 1 cup of filtered water, heated to 200°F-205°F, steeped for 3 - 5 minutes
Overall Score: 4.1 out of 5

The leaves of the Jade Oolong are small, rolled balls about twice the size of gun powder tea. I can see a few stems still attached to the bottom of some leaves. The leaves are all shades of green but its more dark than light. Although the aroma of the dry leaves is very subtle, they smell fresh and grassy.

While brewing, the tea smells like a typical oolong. The aroma is quite vegetal. The liquor lives up to its name, Jade, because it is a pretty green color with a slightly yellow tint.





The taste is very crisp, clean, fresh, and vegetal. It is not bitter, but it is fairly astringent. This tea reminds me of spring with its sweet, vegetal taste and it’s earthy aftertaste… but I could be biased since I am looking out the window at all of the flowers starting to bloom as I’m tasting this tea.

The tea dries my mouth out a little, but the overall flavor of the tea is good. This tea is a greener oolong and I would say it is somewhere between light and medium bodied. I say this because it is not subtle by any means, however it still has a delicate flavor.

Mighty Leaf’s Wuyi Oolong Review

Type: Oolong
Origin: China
Price: Sample (regular price - $12.95 for 4oz.)
Vendor: Mighty Leaf
Brewing Method: Per Instructed - 1 teaspoon of leaves, 1 cup of filtered water, heated to 200°F-205°F, steeped for 3 - 5 minutes
Overall Score: 4.0 out of 5

The dry leaves of the Wuyi Oolong smell slightly fruity and earthy. The leaves are a dark brown mix of long, rolled pieces. However, I found a lot of tiny broken pieces in this particular bag.

The liquor is a bright yellow color – it kind of looks like honey. While brewing, the aroma reminds me of a very light bodied black tea – brisk and earthy.





The tea tastes sweet and fruity. It has a pleasant grape-like flavor to it. It is definitely a blacker oolong because of the rich, dark taste. The tea is smooth at first, but it does dry out my mouth more than I care for. The fruity flavor that comes from this tea makes it more sweet than bitter.

There is not too much to say about this tea – it is very simple. It gets right to the point with its flavor. Because of the grape-like flavor, the taste reminds me of a very subtle Darjeeling.

David's Tea's Quangzhou Milk Oolong Review

Type: Oolong
Origin: China
Price: Sample (regular price - $18.00 for 50g. Also available in 25g and 100g packages)
Vendor: David’s Tea
Brewing Method: Per Instructed - 1 teaspoon of leaves, 1 cup of filtered water, heated to 190°F-200°F, steeped for 3 - 5 minutes
Overall Score: 4.5 out of 5

Quangzhou Milk Oolong is milk infused oolong tea, hence the appropriate name. I have been scared to try this tea because the last milk oolong I had (from a different vendor) is still listed as the worst tea I have ever tasted. It smelled and tasted like sour milk.

When I opened the package of this milk oolong, I grimaced at the smell of the leaves. However, once I stopped cringing I realized the leaves smelled more like butter than milk. The leaves are large rolled balls that are covered with a mix of light and dark greens.

While brewing, the aroma of the tea, however subtle, is sweet and buttery. The liquor is a pretty yellowish-green color.







The taste is… very interesting. I was bracing myself for something awful, but I was pleasantly surprised. The tea tastes like buttered toast, seriously! It tastes like toast so much that I keep forgetting it is tea, because there is no bitterness or astringency at all. The tea is actually very creamy and smooth. Wait, did I just say that about a milk oolong?

The spent leaves are huge! There are a lot of whole leaves and even the leaves that are torn in half are still really big.

Although this milk oolong will stop past milk oolongs from giving me nightmares, I am still not completely turned on to the idea of milk infused tea. The more I drink this tea, the more interested I become, however.