12 Days of Chris-Tea-Mas: Epilogue

Again, sorry for the late reflection! Christmas and friends and family happened.

Anyway, this project was pretty fun. I got to try a wide range of teas– from pu'erh to green– from a variety of places, including Australia and Azores. Some of my favorites were Australia Sencha, China Fujian Jasmine 'Phoenix Eye', and Gu Ming Xiang Bing. I will admit that a few of my reviews were sub-par though, mostly because I haven't written a review in quite a while and I was rushing occasionally. I'll try to fix that in the future by expanding my tasting portfolio (either through tea or food; most likely the former, since I'm kind of a picky eater) and trying to fit my reviews in my free time. However, because of this project, I have been drinking a lot more tea; every morning, I've been sitting down with my tea set for breakfast and just going through a session with my Dad. I think my next goal/large block of reviews will be to buy a pu'erh tasting set or set of mini tuochas and review all of those, or to review sencha– my sister went to Japan and I paid her to bring me back a large amount of tea from there.

Expect an update after New Years, where I'll probably be talking about what's happened and what I expect in the future. You know, it's hard to believe that I've been working on this blog for almost a year now, and that I've reviewed around 120-130 different teas. Thanks for reading, and have a happy new year!

12 Days of Chris-Tea-Mas - Day 12: Azores Pekoe Black - What-Cha

Azores Pekoe Black - What-Cha
Type: Black (unflavored)
Appearance (dry): Thin, long, dark black/brown rolled leaves with a few twigs.
Recommended Brewing Parameters: 95°C, 1-2 tsps, 2-3 min.
Rating: B+ | 89/100
# of Brews: 6

Tasting Notes:
Last day! I'll probably write a reflection on this tomorrow or the day after. Anyway, even though this is a black tea, I'll be brewing this gongfu style. Today's album is Folie a Deux by Fall Out Boy.

Oddly enough, I think yesterday's oolong tasted more like a black tea (in terms of English breakfast or basic teas like that) than this one. The aroma of this was very smoky, woody, and malty, with the liquid a dark brown amber color. The flavor was actually pretty similar to the smell and surprisingly sour (but again, not as sour as the Australian Sencha), with the wood and smoke notes as the forefront. For some reason (probably the tanginess), I thought it was a bit similar to grapefruit (like the sports drink, Pocari Sweat) or lemon juice. As the brews went on, this fruity flavor became much more prevalent, losing the smoky taste. This tea was one of the shortest lived ones I've had, losing the majority of its flavor at around 4 brews. Overall, I enjoyed it very much, but I think I preferred the oolong from yesterday more. After this tea, I think I actually prefer some black teas brewed gongfu style rather than western style because it gives a much more wide flavor profile and gives the tea a bit more depth.  

Misc. Notes:

Merry Christmas! I hope you all have a wonderful day. Because it's Christmas Eve, I'll be doing stuff with my family, and as such I'll give the update and reflection tomorrow. Thanks!

12 Days of Chris-Tea-Mas - Day 11: Ceylon Moragalla Oolong - What-Cha

Ceylon Moragalla Oolong - What-Cha
Type: Oolong (unflavored)
Appearance (dry): Long, thin, dark brown tightly rolled leaves
Recommended Brewing Parameters: 85°C, 1-2 tsps, 2-3 min.
Rating: A- | 92/100
# of Brews: 6

Tasting Notes:
It's hard to believe I'm already almost done with this project, and that I've tried almost every tea I've bought during Black Friday; at the time, it looked like so much, but now it doesn't look like much at all. Today's album is The Bones of What You Believe by CHVRCHES.

Interesting tea today; it's more of a black tea than an oolong. Even with short brews, the liquid is a dark golden amber color, with a smell like compost, burnt wood, soy sauce and red wine. The flavor is a bit sour, with earthy and nutty notes. I could also notice a very slight fruity flavor too. It tasted mostly like a black tea (CTC Assam, I'm guessing), with a slight fishy puerh aftertaste. For some reason, I could only think of fuel (kerosene?) when drinking this, mainly because of the smell (it did not taste like kerosene; that would be bad).  Oddly, even though I used boiling water, the tea wasn't hot at all; it felt the perfect temperature even after immediately pouring off, and lacked any astringency. The temperature of the room probably played a factor in that. Overall, this tea was surprisingly tasty, and I'd actually suggest trying it with milk and sugar on account of its earthy flavor (it is  pretty good on its own, I will admit).

Misc. Notes:

If you noticed, today's review has kind of been half-assed. That's because I've had kind of a bad day and not that much motivation to write. I'll make it up for you guys tomorrow. Sorry.

12 Days of Chris-Tea-Mas - Day 10: 2015 Spring 'Gu Ming Xiang Bing' Yiwu-Bulang Blend - Crimson Lotus Tea

Spring 'Gu Ming Xiang Bing' Yiwu-Bulang Blend - Crimson Lotus Tea
Type: Sheng Puerh
Appearance (dry): Compressed chunks and loose pieces of light and dark green, brown, and white leaves
Recommended Brewing Parameters: ~100°C, 5-10 g, 6s
Rating: A- | 91/100
# of Brews: 9+

Tasting Notes:
Interesting tea today. I'm using around 7-8 g just because I wanted to use the whole sample, and I'll be following the recommended brewing instructions: using boiling water, 3 second wash, then quick 6 second steeps. However, I'll be drinking with my dad today and writing the review after, mainly because I want to focus on just the tea. Today's album is Just Know That I Love You by Priscilla Ahn.

Well, puerh certainly is an acquired taste. For the first few brews, the tea was very, very fishy tasting (not suspicious tasting, but rather like seafood), earthy, and bitter, even with a very short brew time. The liquid was a light amber color, and the leaves definitely smelled like the pile (as in, fermented). However, as brews went on, and as my water temperature decreased, the tea tasted much better; it lost the fishy taste and became a bit sweeter and citrusy. The texture also became more smooth. I stopped at 9 brews since I have to write this review and I'll be going out in an hour, but I'll definitely continue drinking this throughout the day. Overall, I did not like this tea at first, but once the fishiness went away, I enjoyed it very much in the later brews. It had pretty good tea energy, and while I didn't get as tea drunk with this tea as I did with Planet Jingmai, I still liked it (I'm looking forward to drinking more puerh!).

Misc. Notes:

So, yesterday was pretty fun. Didn't get a massage (will do that today), but I did have dinner with the girlfriend (my parents liked her and it was fun seeing her) and watched Star Wars (surprisingly, really good). Again, not really sure what I'm going to do today; I might finally start those applications, practice my journalist articles for Mock Trial, work on the science fair project, or put together a final study guide for AP Statistics, though. It's hard to believe that I really have no work this break; it turns out I finished all of the work that my teachers were planning to have us do over winter break a long time ago, so I don't really have much to do other than drink tea and watch movies. 

12 Days of Chris-Tea-Mas - Day 9: India Nilgiri 'Hari Ghatta' - What-Cha

India Nilgiri 'Hari Ghatta' - What-Cha
Type: Oolong (unflavored)
Appearance (dry): Small, dark green with streaks of brown white rolled & balled oolong
Recommended Brewing Parameters: 85°C, 1 tsp, 2-3 min.
Rating: C+ | 78/100
# of Brews: 6

Tasting Notes:
Don't really have any preliminary matters to attend to this review, so today's album is the Oldboy OST by Jo Yeong-wook (as my friends say, I'm always a slut for waltzes, and this soundtrack has quite a few).

From what I've noticed, it looks like a vast majority of Indian teas have a muscatel flavor, and this tea is no exception. The liquid is a golden orange, with an aroma similar to puerh (in terms of the fermented, maybe fishy smell), rain/wet grass, and fruit (perhaps apricot or peach). The texture was generally smooth, but it did dry my throat quite a bit at first. Unexpectedly, one of the strongest flavors at first was cilantro, which was followed by muscatel and finally citrus fruits. Over brews, however, the fruity muscat flavor became the main flavor, accompanied by something I can only describe as sweet dish soap; it was very bitter, then very sweet for a split second (I'm guessing the water temperature was too hot, and I was brewing for too long; this flavor came out once I reached around the 20 second mark). It did lose its dry quality over time, but I ended up stopping at 6 brews because the tea had gotten that bitter. It could go for a few more brews, and I'm guessing if you used a lower temperature water (I'm guessing mine was around 80-90°C) and brewed for shorter times, it would taste quite a bit better. Overall, a decent tea, but I think it requires very specific brewing parameters which, when not followed, make for a pretty terribly tasting tea.


Misc. Notes:

So, busy day today. I cleaned my room, started prepping for a second round of my experiment and cooked tonkatsu (I got that recipe perfected now, which is great since tonkatsu is one of my favorite Japanese dishes). Later, I'm going to get a massage with the family, have dinner with the girlfriend, and watch Star Wars. I'm pretty excited for it, and also for tomorrow, since I'll be tasting some puerh (the first real puerh I tried was Planet Jingmai, and it set the bar pretty high).

As for the rest of break, still not really sure as to what I should do, but I think I'm going to try and get all of my work/applications done in the first half of this week so I can spend next week and Christmas chilling. 

12 Days of Chris-Tea-Mas - Day 8: China Fujian Jasmine 'Phoenix Eye' - What-Cha

China Fujian Jasmine 'Phoenix Eye' - What-Cha
Type: Green (flavored)
Appearance (dry): Large pearls (.2 g each), dark green with white streaks
Recommended Brewing Parameters: 80°C, 1 tsp, 2-3 min
Rating: A- | 92/100
# of Brews: 11

Tasting Notes:
I'm actually surprised myself on how much green tea I've been drinking; for some reason, I've always felt that I drink way more oolong or black tea, despite the fact that I enjoy a good sencha quite a lot. Regardless, it's always good to try a variety of different types of tea to expand the flavors you've tried. Like yesterday, I'm going to be writing this review after I'm done drinking (I think I prefer doing it that way, since tea with food is pretty damn good). Today's album is XX by the XX.

So, I ended up picking up a sampler of this tea last minute for free shipping, and I don't think I regret it. The leaves/pearls are huge, the smell is amazing (I think jasmine is growing on me), and the flavoring lasts for an absurdly long time. The liquid was mainly a golden orange color with a strong jasmine aroma, only getting darker as time went on. The flavor didn't really change much throughout the entire drinking session; at the forefront were the sweet and floral jasmine notes, and at the end were some short, sour, vegetal (grassy?) notes. As brews went on, the tea became less and less bitter (I will note that this tea is very forgiving in terms of brewing; I used near-boiling water and it still tasting pretty good), and more and more sweet and sour. The texture was smooth for the most part, but by the time I finished, the tea felt like it coated my mouth (which stayed long after drinking). I ended up stopping at a surprising 11 brews today, and it looked like the tea (including the jasmine flavor) could go for a lot more brews. Overall, I liked this tea very much; in my opinion, it's on par with the jasmine oolong from Tea Ave (although I think I like the oolong more because of its creaminess, this one is very enjoyable also).

Misc. Notes:

Update on yesterday! I finished up my science fair application, got a haircut (it's eh), bought groceries, and watched a few movies- Oldboy (surprised at how good this was) and Little Witch Academia: Enchanted Parade (oh no I'm getting back into anime). Not really any plans today other than more grocery shopping since my asthma has been acting up and it's been getting cold and rainy outside (for California standards). I'll probably figure something out, though (if I remember, I'll try to make a plan or something for break and put it in the next review).

12 Days of Chris-Tea-Mas - Day 7: Vietnam 'Dragon Cloud' - What-Cha

Vietnam 'Dragon Cloud' - What-Cha
Type: Green (unflavored)
Appearance (dry): Small to medium length rolled (pan fried?), basil green leaves
Recommended Brewing Parameters: 75°C, 1-2 tsp, 10-20 sec
Rating: B | 86/100
# of Brews: 6

Tasting Notes:
Again, like Four Seasons, I've already tried this tea before, and so I'll be doing this review after my drinking session (unlike the other teas, so expect this one to be not as detailed). Today's album is Lumine [GST-04] by bansheebeat.

Anyway, this was a pretty decent tea. I ended up having to do flash brews to keep it from getting bitter (essentially, fill the gaiwan with water and immediately pour it off). The liquid was a nice yellow-green (more on the green side), but not as bright as other green teas. There was a strong umami flavor with grass and seaweed notes, and the aftertaste was a slightly sour taste, similar to the Australian Sencha (but not as strong or lasting as long). Over some brews it became a bit sweet, but I didn't really notice the mint flavor other people have noticed. I ended up stopping at 6 brews because I ran out of water and it was beginning to lose its flavor. Overall, I thought it was an enjoyable green tea– it went great with my breakfast of milkfish, cereal, and yogurt– but I will admit it is a bit standard for a green tea (I think I preferred the Australian Sencha over this).

Misc. Notes:

Slow day today. My plans for today are mostly just to watch movies (Star Wars maybe?), play some video games, do this review, get a haircut, read/do homework (if I have any), and finish my science fair application (just a risk assessment form that's due tomorrow). I might also start those internship applications, but hey, it's the first day of break and I should try to relax. Have a nice day! 

12 Days of Chris-Tea-Mas - Day 6: Jasmine Oolong - Tea Ave

Jasmine Oolong - Tea Ave
Type: Oolong (flavored)
Appearance (dry): Medium to large dark green balls of oolong
Recommended Brewing Parameters: 100°C, 8g, start at 1 min +30 sec each brew.
Rating: A | 93/100
# of Brews: 8

Tasting Notes:
So, it turns out that all of the Tea Ave samples I have are all 3 grams of tea, so I'll just be working with that instead of the planned 5 grams today (sorry!). Along with that, I'll be using a tasting set instead of the usual gaiwan, since I think it'll work better with the smaller amount of leaf and flavor, and since it will also give me more brews for the same amount of water. Today's album is a mashup album/mixtape by Starcadian; just released today, hear it at: https://www.mixcloud.com/lamusiquesismique/lms-mixtape-n2-starcadian/ .

Anyway, I started without a rinse this time and brewed for a full minute. The aroma was undoubtedly jasmine, but it was also very, very fruity and candy-like. The liquid was a light yellow; in relation, the flavor on the first few brews hadn't come out– all I could notice was the jasmine and perhaps a very light creaminess from the Jin Xuan base. However, it did leave a very sweet aftertaste in my mouth, and had a smooth texture. Over brews, the liquid became a much more bright yellow green, and the floral notes– both in the aroma and taste– became more pronounced. It did lose that sweet aftertaste, but in general, the body of the tea was sweet. I also noticed some sour and definitely grassy notes which appeared at the end of the taste; in my opinion, it complemented the sweet, floral taste of the tea very well and added a bit of depth to it. Over time, it became more savory in flavor– it had lost its sweetness– but it gained the milk flavor of Jin Xuan, and retained the creamy jasmine from the beginning (it was not, however, as creamy or sweet as their rose or plain Jin Xuan oolong). I ended up stopping at 8 brews, but it looked like the tea could go for a few more.

Like most Tea Ave teas, this tea suffers from a lack of flavor, most likely from the small amount of leaf I used. I've also noticed that Tea Ave's teas tend to do the best with a large amount of leaf over many brews because they have absurdly large leaves (in fact, by the time I finished brewing today, one leaf was maybe 2 inches; they're huge), and the flavor just tends to be weak in general at the beginning. However, as brewing continues, their teas tend to last a very long time, even in western brewing, staying strong in flavor (in fact, one time, I brought about 10g of Rose Oolong to a Chinese restaurant once, and it lasted the entire night in a tea pot, brewing the entire time). Overall, I enjoyed this tea very much, even though I'm not that much of a Jasmine kind of guy; as I said before, I prefer rose a lot more. However, while I did think it was fun to drink, I noticed that it lacks complexity in flavor, but it does make up for it by just being a tasty tea.


Misc. Notes:

Despite it being the last day of school before break, and a minimum day at that, today was surprisingly uneventful. I had class, went home early, had a nap (because of a headache), played some video games and watched videos/browsed the internet, watched Lee Daniels' The Butler (I actually liked it quite a bit), and am now writing this review. In fact, I actually still had that headache at the start of this review, but by the end, it's gone (I can't tell if it's because I was relaxed or because of the tea).

As for what I'm going to do over break, I'm not entirely sure. I am going to fill out a few applications for summer internships and write the essays (for both those internships and for a homestay in Japan over summer), work on my science fair project (the one with slime mold), read some books (When Marnie was There probably), drink tea, study/prepare for finals, work on writing that story with my girlfriend, hang out with people or just go outside, and just relax. I'll give updates on how that goes. Wish me luck! 

12 Days of Chris-Tea-Mas - Day 5: Four Seasons - What-Cha

Four Seasons - What-Cha
Type: Oolong (unflavored)
Appearance (dry): Large, dark yellow-green balled oolong
Recommended Brewing Parameters: 80°C, 1 tsp, 1-2 min
Rating: B+ | 89/100
# of Brews: 6

Tasting Notes:
So, I've actually already tried this tea before; it was one of the first teas I tried when my package from What-Cha came in. It was good, but I don't think I really paid that much attention at the time (which is what this review is for!). Today's album is Sunglasses & Solar Flares by the Y Axes.

From the first brew, the liquid was a clear, light yellow with an aroma similar to a roasted oolong (Tie guan yin?) and the sticky rice tea I've had before. The flavor was very smooth, with a very prevalent buttery, caramel taste. It was sweet, but not as sweet or creamy as other teas such as Jin Xuan (both flavored and unflavored). It did slightly dry my throat, and the buttery flavor lingered in my mouth as an aftertaste. Over brews, the color and aroma barely changed, only becoming very slightly darker. The flavor, on the other hand, became more sweet, but the aftertaste had gained a vegetal/grassy, slightly tangy note. The rice– possibly the sticky rice– also was much more noticeable in both the flavor and aftertaste. I ended up stopping at 6 brews because I'm feeling a bit tired (staying up late for the last week is catching up with me), but it looks like the leaves haven't actually fully unfurled, meaning that this tea could go for a large number of brews. Overall, I like this tea because it's a nice in between an unroasted and roasted oolong, with a sweet finish; however, like some of the other teas I've tried this project, it doesn't really have a taste that pops out at me.

Misc. Notes:

Woohoo! I'm finally done with all of my tests before winter break, and I think I did pretty well on them since they were mostly easy. I don't think I'll be writing much today, though, since I'm super tired and am kinda spacing out while writing this whole review. Sorry! Tomorrow will be better though, since school ends at 12:40. 

12 Days of Chris-Tea-Mas - Day 4: Nepal First Flush Oolong - What-Cha

Nepal First Flush Oolong - What-Cha
Type: Oolong (unflavored)
Appearance (dry): Rolled, brown, white, and olive drab leaves of medium to small size
Recommended Brewing Parameters: 85°C, 2 tsps, 60-90 sec
Rating: B- | 80/100
# of Brews: 5

Tasting Notes:
Hey! Short review today because I just got home from Mock Trial (oh hey, I need to give an update on that sometime) and have 4 tests to study for. Today's album is Sounds of System Breakdown's self-titled album. In my opinion, an average album (SOSB has some other good albums/singles), but some of the songs in it make up for the rest: namely, Underneath the Floorboards and Love's Only Chemicals.

Anyway, just from looking at this tea, I could notice quite a few similarities to Oriental Beauty. The leaves had similar colors, albeit smaller, and the first brews had a very similar aroma. It had the citrus notes of Oriental Beauty, but seemed much more malty or earthy (similar to a black tea). The flavor was interesting, to say the least. It was in the middle between a roasted oolong and a black tea, with notes such as malt, citrus, and muscatel; it also dried my throat and coated my mouth after drinking, similar to other black teas. The liquid was a light gold color, but as brews went on, it changed to a darker, more amber color. Over time, it began to become much more drying, but more and more fruity (in fact, it tasted almost the same as Muscat tea from Lupicia, which is flavored; this is not). There were also light smoky undertones, which complemented the muscatel flavor. I ended up stopping at the 5th brew because of time, but it looked like the tea could go for a few more brews (it had begun to lose its color, however). Overall, it's an average tea, but it's not really my cup, especially because it became really astringent/dry over time.

Misc. Notes:

Nothing much to say, really. School was alright, but after school was pretty fun. The girlfriend bought me pizza (not my choice; she insisted), and we studied SAT math. I'm actually feeling pretty confident about the math now, since it looks like most of my issues come from not focusing hard enough/not reading closely. As for tomorrow, I just need to study for quite a few tests– English (essay, vocab, and possibly a reading test), Biotechnology (DNA!), Statistics (sample proportions and means, not too hard but still), and Precalculus (not sure how I feel about this considering how I've been doing on my homework, but I've been doing pretty well on tests so far so not too worried)– so I'm going to be staying up a bit late tonight. Wish me luck! Once I'm done, I can finally relax for winter break. Oh, and also, I've started applications to summer internships (mainly Stanford and the Arthritis Foundation), so wish me luck on those too!

PS: Also, I've finally figured out my schedule for next year after talking to a few people; I'll be taking (or applying to) Comp Civics, Science Research, AP Chem, Video Production, AP Literature, and AP Gov/Macro.

12 Days of Chris-Tea-Mas - Day 3: Australia Sencha - What-Cha

Australia Sencha - What-Cha
Type: Green (unflavored)
Appearance (dry): Large/long, rolled green tea leaves with some light green and brown stems (?)
Recommended Brewing Parameters: 75°C, 1-2 tsps, 30-45 secs
Rating: B+ | 89/100
# of Brews: 5

Tasting Notes:
Woo, an unusual sencha! For this tea, I'll be back to the originally planned brewing parameters: 5 grams of tea, estimated water temperature, in a gaiwan. Today's album is After the Lights Failed by Curious Quail; I've seen these guys a few times live and each time has been pretty great, since a lot of the gigs they have are more personal due to less people showing up and smaller venues.

Anyway, since this is a sencha, I'll be using short brews, starting at 10 seconds and adding 5 seconds each brew. The first few brews were a very bright green, with an aroma similar to stewed or corned beef, dried seaweed, and string beans. Drinking it, I noticed that it was a bit tart (it was actually one of the most sour green teas I've had, and I felt it all on the back of my tongue which was interesting), with flavors similar to grass and citrus. In fact, the sour taste lingered in my mouth long after drinking, with some fruity (maybe blueberry?) notes appearing. Over brews, the color became much brighter and yellow, and the corn flavor that was described on the packaging began to come out. The tart, citrus flavor gave way to the corn and something I can only describe as rice, but I could still notice it in the back of my throat. It also became much sweeter and grassier, but retained a smooth texture throughout (it did make my mouth feel dry by the time I did finish brewing, however). I eventually stopped at 5 brews, since I ran out of water and have work to do, but the tea was still going strong. Overall, a very interesting sencha that I'll be sure to drink of more.

Misc. Notes:

So, apologies for the bad formatting. Like I've said before, this was a very last minute thing and I haven't had the time to fix everything to a more reader-friendly look (I will eventually go back and fix the formatting, but for now, I'm going to leave it until I'm done with tests). Anyway, today I'm just going to be finishing up homework so I can spend most of the day tomorrow studying for tests, doing mock trial stuff, and hanging out with the girlfriend.

But, also, I've been trying to figure out my schedule for next year; I'm planning on taking Science Research, AP Chem, AP Calc, AP Lit, Competition Civics, AP Gov/Macro, and Video Production. The issue is that I only have 6 periods and I have to take an art (Video Production- except apparently the teacher that will be taking over sucks), English (AP Lit), and a social studies class (AP Gov/Macro). I have to choose to drop Science Research, AP Chem, AP Calc, or Comp Civics, but I want to take all of those classes- Science research because I plan to have a career in that and I am especially interested in the subject, AP Chem because of, again, science and I haven't taken chemistry yet, AP Calc because a lot of sciences use calculus, and Comp Civics because I enjoy the subject. And I can't just take A period because I'm going to go crazy with stress and lack of sleep if I do take that. I just don't know.

12 Days of Chris-Tea-Mas - Day 2: Nepal First Flush Clonal Delight - What-Cha

Nepal First Flush Clonal Delight - What-Cha
Type: Black (unflavored)
Appearance (dry): Small, curled, dark reddish-brown leaves
Recommended Brewing Parameters: 95°C, 1-2 tsps, 2-3 min.
Rating: C+* | 79/100
# of Brews: 5

Tasting Notes:
This tea is actually one of the few that I didn't pick up at Black Friday. I think I bought this during Summer when What-Cha was selling them for 1p, and I'm now finally getting to drinking it. Personally, one of the reasons why I haven't gotten to this one is because I don't really drink black tea gongfu style (I usually only drink stuff like English Breakfast or flavored black teas western style). Anyway, since this is a Western black tea, I will be breaking my brewing parameters once again; this will be brewed with the tasting set, with 5 grams and +5 seconds each brew from 10 seconds. No specific album today while drinking, but I suggest the album Sky Parade [GST-05] by Galaxy Swim Team (another solid chip album).

So, from the first brew, this tea was already very earthy and smoky. The brew was a dark gold/amber color, with a smell similar to soy sauce. Along with the earthy and smoky notes, the tea was just very bitter (leading me to lower the brew time significantly) and tasted very similar to wood. I could also pick up some nutty notes, such as hazelnut, which combined with a sort of vegetal (asparagus? or just soupy) flavor to create a slightly sour taste. The later brews brought out the fruity, muscatel notes which were pleasing, but I eventually stopped at the fifth brew. This was due to a variety of factors- mainly the brew style and the time of day (I'm multitasking right now, since I have a bit of homework).

*Despite the flaws that I found with this tea, I think that it is actually a pretty good tea. The only reason it tasted overwhelmingly bitter was almost all my fault, since I think I used too much tea, not enough water, and long brewing times (in relation to the ratio). If you brew it according to the parameters on the container, I think it would taste great as a breakfast tea, with milk and sweeteners.

Misc. Notes:

Well, today was pretty eventful. Had class, went to work (asked the first of many teachers to write a letter of recommendation for a summer internship, and she said yes!), bought chocolate chips at the grocery store, went to piano class, baked cookies, and then did this review. I tried making some chocolate krinkles (a recipe from one of my aunts) without the cocoa powder, instead substituting it with chocolate chips. Instead of getting the intended result, I ended up with a dry, airy hybrid between a cake and cookie. Lesson learned, though. Anyway, there's day 2! Personally, I rushed a bit through this review because of all of the stuff I stated before, and wasn't really paying attention to the tea. When I tried the tea before, though, I thought it wasn't half bad- it was certainly worth the 1p I spent on it (thanks What-Cha!). 

12 Days of Christ-Tea-Mas - Day 1: Wenshan Baochong - Tea Ave

Wenshan Baochong - Tea Ave
Type: Unroasted Oolong
Appearance (dry): Dark green, rolled leaves with a large spread in sizes
Recommended Brewing Parameters: 95°C water, 10g(?) of tea, steep up to 30 sec
Rating: B | 83/100
# of Brews: 8

Tasting Notes:
Well, Day 1 and I already violated the brewing parameters I set for myself; I was given a sampler of this tea when I bought some Rose Oolong and a gaiwan, and it turns out that it only has 3 grams of tea. Anyway, it was a free sampler, so who cares. Today's album is he's not with us anymore by casio dad; pretty good chip-rock album, and it's free.

So, from the first brew, there was a very strong, sweet floral aroma- mainly, jasmine and roses- and the liquid was a surprising bright yellow-green. The flavor was similar to a tieguanyin, but not as roasted or astringent; rather it was smooth, brothy, and floral, like its smell. I could definitely taste the jasmine that was in the aroma. However, as time went on, it began to lose the floral notes and became more soup-like (in terms of viscosity and flavor); by the 4th brew, I could notice flavors such as cabbage, herbs (I'm guessing sage?), and a faint sweetness. However, by the 6th, the tea had begun to lose its flavor, but had gained sort of a Chinese-origin matcha (in terms of sweetness and floral notes). I stopped at brew #8, but it looks like it could go for a few more. Overall, a good tea, but it's a bit average for my preferences, mainly because it didn't really have any qualities that popped out to me.

Misc. Notes:
So, for these reviews, I'm going to go back to my original format in which I'll put the basic info (appearance, recommended brew parameters, a rating, number of brews, etc.) and a short section about flavor and how I brewed it. On another note, nice day today. Super strong winds and rain since I woke up to the time I'm writing this review. I'm mostly just going to do homework today, bake some stuff for friends, and head to UC Berkeley to finish up the sleep study (just an interview; I have another one at 6 months, and another at a year, and I'll be completely done!). See you guys tomorrow.

Welcome to the 12 Days of Chris-tea-mas!

Original name, yes, I know, but this was kind of a last minute thing.

Anyway, as I stated before, I'll be reviewing 12 different teas- essentially the teas I bought during Black Friday- in the days leading up to Christmas. There will be 1 review a day, starting tomorrow, and hopefully I'll finish on Christmas Eve.

As for brewing parameters, I'll be using:
-5 grams of tea
I finally got a balance/scale, so I can control that now! I still need to get a thermometer though.
-Varied temperature; depends on the tea
I'll be using boiling water from the tap, waiting for it to cool down to the recommended temperature on the packaging (I'll just be guessing the temperature, for the most part). I'll write down the actual specifics/recommendations for brewing on each review, though.
-A porcelain gaiwan
The new one from Tea Ave I bought; honestly, though, I just really want to use it. I'd use the competition tasting set, but I think I'll need a thermometer (or just use boiling water only) if I truly want to make everything equal. But, since I want to try enjoying and learning the tea, I'll be using a gaiwan.
-Varied brew time; depending on the tea, I'll most likely start from 10-15 seconds and working my way up
Since I'll be tasting a variety of teas in this (puerh, oolongs, greens, and blacks!), I can't really use the same brew times. I will include the exact times I used in the reviews, however.

And finally, here's the lineup:
Day 1. Tea Ave's Wenshan Baochong oolong
2. What-Cha's Nepal First Flush Clonal Delight black
3. What-Cha's Australia Sencha green
4. What-Cha's Nepal First Flush oolong
5. What-Cha's Four Seasons oolong
6. Tea Ave's Jasmine oolong
7. What-Cha's Vietnam 'Dragon Cloud' green
8. What-Cha's China Fujian Jasmin 'Phoenix Eye' green
9. What-Cha's India Nilgiri 'Hari Ghatta' oolong
10. Crimson Lotus Tea's 2015 Spring 'Gu Ming Xiang Bing' Yiwu-Bulang Blend sheng puerh
11. What-Cha's Ceylon Moragalla oolong
12. What-Cha's Azores Pekoe black

I promise I'll try to make this work, but I apologize if I miss a review. I have school this upcoming week, and some tests, so studying or extracurriculars may eat into tea time. Thanks for reading, though!

What's Going On? (Life Update - Part 2) 12/12/15

Well, here's an update for the past 2-3 months! There's a ton of stuff that happened, but I'll try to remember the important stuff. Apologies for the lack of updates and the length of this post.

As for school/schoolwork, it's been going pretty well. I can handle my course load decently, because of I've gotten better at time management (thanks sleep study!) and I've been pulling pretty good grades. In fact, as of right now, I have As in every class except AP US History, in which I have a B+ (I bombed an essay, and have been trying to recover since). The main thing I think I need to practice on is my writing, especially just essays under pressure (that reminds me; I got a 2050 on the SAT, which is OK but I'd prefer getting something closer to my high score of 2200). Anyway, since Winter break is this coming week- it starts the 18th/19th- I can finally relax because I finished all of the work for my hard classes last week and I only have tests for my easy ones.

Extracurriculars, on the other hand, have been quite a doozy lately. The fact that I'm actually doing stuff (compared to last year around this time), combined with the fact that I am kind of freaking out over what I should do because colleges are a thing (a very, very big thing at my school to add), has been quite a dilemma. Essentially, I have 3 main things I do: piano, tutoring (I got a job!), and Mock Trial. Piano, like usual, is Mondays; I've just been practicing recital pieces for Spring.  As for tutoring, I go to my old middle school and for an hour after school help kids in the library do homework. It pays relatively well ($10/hr), but I only work 2 hours a week so overall my paycheck isn't amazing, but it's something. Most of the time kids are in there doing homework on their own because their parents are working or something, and I usually end up tutoring Chinese kids in English, Math, or History (most of the people there are in English Learner's classes). Finally, for Mock Trial, I think it's been going pretty well. As a journalist, I haven't been really doing much (I'm actually procrastinating on an article I should write), but overall, the team is great. We went against another team for the first time today in San Francisco and that was pretty fun (except for something that happened at the end; I'll expand on it below). One of their defense attorneys was pretty cute, too.

Anyway, as for other extracurricular things, I'm currently trying to figure that out. Instead of a lot of the people I know at my school, I want to do activities that pertain to things I'm interested in (science, mainly biotech and statistics, and tea!). But, since this is the Bay Area, and I'm from a wealthy area, getting work like internships is very competitive. I'm currently trying to apply for some lab internships at Stanford/UCSF, but they're due in February and I have to get letters of recommendation, my transcript, things like that. In the same vein, I've been working on my science fair project for this year: using slime mold to measure the efficiency of public transport and roadways and design a better version. So far, I've only done most of the application paperwork and tested it out with BART, and I've had decent results (turns out BART is pretty efficient as it is; the main thing the slime mold changed was the connection of the Dublin/Pleasanton line to Bay Fair. Instead it connected to South Hayward, and also connected SFO to OAK, which would be interesting). Oh, and finally, the sleep study has been working well. Barring the past few days, since I've had a lot of stuff happening, I've been sleeping at around 10:30 PM and waking up at 7 AM, with no naps. It's been working surprisingly well, which I'm happy with.

So, how about friends and relationships? The friend group of last year has partly dissolved, but it's alright; we're all friends for the most part, but just have busy schedules. There's been quite a bit of drama which I'd rather not go into, but mainly it revolves around dating, relationships, and people interpreting things the wrong way and getting offended. One thing I've been pretty happy with though is I've made a few more friends (gasp- seniors!) because of mutual classes and my old friend group is wanting to hang out together over break. Anyway, remember how I dated that one girl, who broke up with me, and then went to Homecoming with someone else (I'd rather not remember homecoming, but oh well)? Well, funny story. The guy she went to Homecoming with, she ended up dating, which turned out horribly, and well, now we're back together. I guess it's not really socially acceptable for her to do that, but it's OK. One thing though is that most of the time (it really depends on the time, place, or how I feel), I don't like doing public displays of affection since I feel kind of uncomfortable with it, but my girlfriend enjoys them and wants to do them often. I don't know why I don't like them, but I think it might be the attention that you draw with them (and also the fact that some of our friends are super nosy or touchy? about it, considering all of the relationship drama that has happened lately). Also, this is a bit unrelated, but I've been practicing my creative writing & writing skills with her on a Google doc, which is fun. But, anyway, that's that.

On that note, here's what I've been doing lately that's unrelated to the above. I'm alright in terms of health, but I'm in the process of changing my diet due to issues with my digestion. I've also been cycling a lot more with my Dad because that's his hobby now, but since it's been quite cold in the mornings (even for California) and I've had projects and stuff, I haven't biked that often as I'd like. Oh, and our mountain bike got stolen at the BART today during the Mock Trial scrimmage- someone cut the cable lock and took it- which kind of sucks, but oh well; it was an old bike, we haven't been using it, and hopefully the person that stole it is going to use it or needs the money for something meaningful (not drugs). I'm going to start saving up the money I'm getting from tutoring so I can surprise my dad with a new mountain bike, hopefully for Christmas. Other than that, I've just been listening to a lot of music: I got some more records (the new Protomen single), went to an amazing concert (Curious Quail, the Y Axes, Dangermaker, Please Do Not Fight/Zen Zenith, Picture Atlantic), and have been downloading/buying new stuff. My girlfriend and I are also planning to try and start a tea-based charity and are currently in the process of figuring out paperwork and organization and everything. From what I envision, it'll mostly just be us setting up booths at town events, brewing tea gongfu style for people for free, possibly selling other tea drinks like milk tea, and asking for tips. All proceeds will go to some charity- maybe one in China, because tea- and since I have a ton of tea already, and am somewhat middle class, I'll be fine with losing money on this; after all, I'll be happy just because I'll be making tea for people and helping people out with the funds. I'll give updates on that, but it might just turn into a small thing where I put up a table at street fairs (after applying for one) as an unofficial group/organization and give whatever money we make to charity.

And finally, I have some tea news. Starting tomorrow, I'll be doing the 12 Days of Chris-tea-mas, in which I'll be starting up reviews again: a different tea every day until Christmas Eve. I have been drinking quite a bit of tea lately, but haven't practiced my reviews, so this'll be fun. Anyway, I'll post the info and lineup and everything in an info post later.

Thanks for reading!

What's Going On? (Life? Update) 12/7/15

Oh, hey there! It's been a long time. This is going to be a short update since I am super busy this week, but I  just wanted to let you guys what's been happening since I got a ton of tea this Black Friday. I'll try to keep my personal stuff out of it this time because I have a lot to catch up on, so here are some reviews to expect (for real now, since winter break is coming up and I'll have quite a bit of extra time):

Teas:
Crimson Lotus Tea- Planet Jingmai, 2015 Spring "Gu Ming Xiang Bing" Yiwu-Bulang Blend
[So, I've begun my foray into Pu'erh with Planet Jingmai. After trying one ball- I've bought multiple- I actually enjoy sheng pu'erh quite a bit and I'll be sure to get more when I have the money]
Tea Ave- Rose Oolong, Wenshan Baochong Oolong, Oriental Beauty, Jasmine Oolong
[Just bought the Rose Oolong again since I enjoyed it quite a bit, not sure if I'll do another review on it]
What Cha- Azores Pekoe Black, Ceylon Moragalla Oolong, Nepal First Flush Oolong, Vietnam 'Ta Jin Xuan' Green, Australia Sencha Green, Taiwan 'Jin Xuan' Milk Oolong, Thailand Sticky Rice 'Khao Hom' Oolong, China Fujian Jasmine 'Phoenix Eye' Green, Thailand Four Seasons Oolong, Vietnam 'Dragon Cloud' Green, India Nilgiri 'Hari Ghatta' Oolong
[Now this is quite a bit of tea. What-Cha is one of my favorite vendors since their tea is super cheap and Alistair, the owner, is really nice. I got all of this during their Black Friday sale]

I also got a new gaiwan and scale, so there's that. Now I can't promise that I'll be able to review every single one- a lot of these teas are in small sample bags, and I like to focus on just drinking- but I'll try to do as many I can.

Anyway, expect those reviews coming up and a full update on how my life is soon- hint: it's going alright.

See you guys then, and sorry for not posting that often!

What's Going On? (Life Update) 10/4/15

Well, long time no post, huh? Today's the last day of a three day weekend and I have quite a bit of free time today, since I got all my work done on Friday. In fact, I've actually just spent the last few hours lazing around because I just have nothing to do- and by nothing, I mean I have some stuff that I could do, but I don't have the motivation to. Anyway, let's get to what's happened this last month, shall we? The first month of school was pretty eventful, and will make for a really, really long post.

First off, it seems that my schoolwork has been going pretty well. My final schedule turned out to be AP Language/Composition, AP US History, AP Statistics, Japanese 3, Honors Precalculus, and Biotechnology. The workload and tests haven't been as hard as I expected, and right now I'm pulling off all A's. Well, except for APUSH; I got a B on my first essay which brought my grade down, but oh well- it's the first essay anyway. My teacher for AP Lang/Comp is super cool, APUSH is a fun subject for me, AP Stat is something I find really interesting, Japanese is always a fun class in general, Honors Precalc is easy because of a new curriculum, and Biotech is what I plan to major in, so there's that

Next, I've surprised even myself with the amount of extracurriculars I'm doing and how well I'm handling it, too.
1. I'm currently a co-founder of a club (with the science fair guys, so ehhh)- the Science Alliance- which is nearing approval from administration. In it, we essentially help elementary and middle school kids do science fair projects and garner an interest in STEM.
2. I'm planning to start another science fair project on my own, and I'm actually really excited to do it because of the topic.
3. I got into the Mock Trial team as a journalist, which is one of my largest commitments for this year.
4. UC Berkeley's sleep study has also been working pretty well, since I started sleep coaching and have been going to bed at 11:00 PM lately; the goal is to be sleeping at 10.
5. I'm applying to be a tutor at my old middle school, which is going to be a paid gig too.
6. Aviation club! There's a pretty high chance I'm going to be joining the rocketry team since I've been going to the meetings, helping them plan a few things, and am friends with a few members.
7. I still am taking piano classes, and might start fencing again in the coming weeks.
Even though all of this looks like a ton of stuff, I'm really excited to do it and I'm actually pretty proud of myself for not having a complete breakdown over the amount of work. Actually, I don't even feel that it has been that much, which may or may not be worrying.

Also this past few weeks, I went to freq.fest.norcal 2015 and APE 2015. Freq.fest was amazing, since it was the first year that it ever happened here and a few of the bands I like played. Slime Girls was amazing (even better than at California Extreme 2 or 3 years ago, since I could actually hear them), and I found a few new bands that I really like including Curious Quail, Here Between You Me, Paladin Shield, and more. The best part was that since it was a pretty small concert- I think half of the people there were actually musicians performing- everyone was super hyped. At one point during Astroskeleton's set, everyone started moshing together and we all sang We are the Crystal Gems in a big group (did I mention- I started watching Steven Universe because of my sister lately). APE 2015 was actually yesterday, and was alright. I got a ton of comics that I think my sister will like, a couple of prints, and talked to and discovered artists that I like.

For relationships and friends and everything, I don't really know what to think. A few weeks ago, my girlfriend broke up with me and we got stuck in a "are we dating or just really good friends that mess around" phase. Then, she's now actually dating another guy in our friend group, and honestly, I'm just kind of done with all of that now. It's not that I'm jealous, but I'm just a bit hurt that I got blindsided by it and she just decided to text me (plus the fact that it's all over Facebook and all that stuff). Needless to say, I'm not going to Homecoming since it seems like every year something super shitty happens (freshman year- the girl I asked texted me the day of, saying that she's not going; sophomore- I messed up and abandoned the girl I asked, but we're still pretty good friends; I just feel bad about it). My plan this year is to just dress up, bike over to the next town over, and watch a movie at this theater that has couches and food and everything inside the viewing area. Also, my friends convinced me to smoke with them for the first time ever- and I did. And I'll never do it again. Not because it ended up bad or anything, but it was nothing special (also the fact that my ex texted me that she started dating someone else in the friend group on that very night). The whole time they were super out of it, but I just felt a bit sleepy. I guess now I can say I tried it, but like I said, that's it. Not worth it at all. Some other stuff happened too, but I honestly can't really remember it or it just pales in comparison to these two things.

For tea stuff, I've just been drinking a ton of Twinings tea bags, since I haven't really gotten any new tea (kinda broke because of the stuff above and I still have a lot of the tea from the Week of Jin Xuan left over). I did participate in Reddit's first tea exchange, and my person gave me a few different green and herbal teas, and some black teabags (which was when I started drinking a lot of black tea with milk and sugar). I also bought some matcha from another tea blogger, Oolong Owl, which comes in the mail tomorrow. Expect reviews on that and a few more things, but I don't have any set release dates for those- I'll burn that bridge when I get to it.

A lot of stuff has happened in this last month, and it's been such a blur that I can't remember much of it. Most of the stuff that really stands out to me is in this post, but just know that a ton more happened and I just don't know what to make of it.

Anyway, to end on a slightly more happier note, here is a quote from one of the comics I got at APE (LP/Lavapunch 2). I think it'd be a good ending for this post, since it might be a while before I get another one up.
"Aren't you afraid?"
"Sure I am. But I don't make it my life."

Week of Jin Xuan - Epilogue

Well, that was a pretty fun project! Learned a bit about tea tasting like my limit (10 cups of tea, ugh), drinking water in between cups to prevent the flavors from mixing, using a flavor wheel, and a ton of other stuff. Ended on the last day of summer too, which was nice.

Anyway, my favorites in this project were the Taiwan Jin Xuan Milk Oolong, Vietnam Ta Jin Xuan Green, Milk Oolong (Vital Tea Leaf), Thailand Sticky Rise Khao Hom Oolong, and Rose Oolong (Tea Ave). I'll certainly buy them again if I ever get the money, but alas- I am only a poor high school student with no job.

Hopefully I can do this sort of thing again with a different varietal of tea- maybe sencha? I'll need to get a houhin or some sort of Japanese teapot first. I really did enjoy this project though, and it was great seeing the effect area, altitude, and preparation can have on the flavor of a tea. I don't really have much more to say since I'm so tired, and I got some work to do. Thanks for joining me on this project!

Week of Jin Xuan - Day 7 (FINAL): Thailand Winter Frost Jin Xuan Oolong & Alishan Jin Xuan Oolong

Last day of summer! I honestly don't know what I'm going to do today, but I will get something done. Some stuff on the itinerary is get my class schedule, watch Straight Outta Compton, go to piano class, and other stuff. I might write an update and finishing post for this project today, especially because I think it was pretty successful. Anyway, multiple albums today since they're kind of short: God of Love by Stereo Alchemy and Reptilians by STRFKR.


Thailand Winter Frost Jin Xuan Oolong - What-Cha
Type & Appearance: Dark green/brown, medium-sized balled oolong
Recommended Brew Time, Temp., Amount: 80°C, 1 tsp, 2 min.
Rating: B | 86/100
# of Brews: 7

Notes:
This tea began with a light golden yellow color and an aroma similar to that of citrus, fruits, grass, and wood. The flavor had notes of citrus, nuts, and cream with a mellow, slightly viscous mouthfeel. It's more on the sour side, with only small notes of sweetness. There's a fruity aftertaste that lingers in the mouth, but only stays on the breath for a short time. Over brews, it eventually became more bitter and grassy- somewhat similar to sencha. It became less sour and slightly more sweet, but after 6 brews, it began to lose most of its flavor. I stopped at 8 brews since it actually began to taste pretty bad, but the liquid still had color and the aftertaste. It's a good tea (better than yesterday's), but I think this tea might require more experimentation to get the best flavor; boiling water doesn't seem to cut it for this, leading to bitter notes.


Alishan Jin Xuan Oolong - Tea Ave
Type & Appearance: Unroasted Oolong - very large, bright green balls of oolong
Recommended Brew Time, Temp., Amount: 90-95°C, 8g, 1 min. + 20-30 sec each brew
Rating: B+ | 88/100
# of Brews:  8

Notes:
I've already reviewed this tea, so I'll keep this short. At the beginning of the tasting session, the liquid was a bright green with a sweet, milky aroma; I could also notice some honey, seaweed, and grass notes. The flavor was sweet, smooth, and mellow, with flavors such as grass, cream, and flowers (specifically roses and jasmine). Over time, it became more yellow and lost its sweet profile for a grassy, somewhat savory taste. I ended up stopping at 8 brews since it was losing almost all of its flavor, but it didn't get that same bad taste of the Winter Frost oolong.


Final Notes
Well, that was a good way to end this project. I got up early, drank tea before breakfast (writing only short notes), and then wrote this. I think these teas were much better than yesterday's, with my preference leaning towards the Alishan Jin Xuan Oolong from Tea Ave. I still can't get over how large the leaves were (at the beginning, I had relatively the same amount of leaves but the Alishan Jin Xuan ended up filling all of my large gaiwan. The Winter Frost was good, but it seems to be a bit finicky with time and temperature since some brews were really good, and some were marred by bitterness and just plain bad flavors. Anyway, expect a closing post on this whole project soon.

Week of Jin Xuan - Day 6: Vietnam Jin Xuan Oolong & Taiwan Ali Shan Jin Xuan Oolong

Welp, only 1 more day left before summer vacation ends. Today and yesterday, I practiced making matcha, went biking with the family and ate at an Indian restaurant. I think I'm going to go watch a movie with them after this, and then study. Oh, also, that Milk Oolong from Taiwan from yesterday's review is now my carry-around tea (used to be Rose Oolong). Honestly though, I don't know how I'm going to spend my last day of summer (I might watch Straight Outta Compton with my sister), but hopefully it'll be good before I get back to the grind. Anyway, today's album is The World! Evangelion Jazz Night by the Tokyo 3 Jazz Club.


Vietnam Jin Xuan Oolong - What-Cha
Type & Appearance: Unroasted Oolong - Medium sized, dark green balled oolong
Recommended Brew Time, Temp., Amount: 80°C, 1 tsp, 2 min.
Rating: B- | 82/100
# of Brews: 6

Notes:
At the beginning, the tea had a light golden yellow color and a wet earth and wood aroma, with some notes of burnt sugar. The flavor was a bit like dried fruits, hazelnuts, and milk/cream (only somewhat). It irritated my throat quite a bit, but left a very fruity, mango-like flavor in my mouth and breath. Over time, it became a bit more fruity and lost its drying qualities (for the most part). Overall, a pretty average oolong.


Taiwan Ali Shan Jin Xuan Oolong - What-Cha 
Type & Appearance: Unroasted Oolong - Small, light-green/brownish balled oolong
Recommended Brew Time, Temp., Amount: 80°C, 1 tsp, 2 min.
Rating: B- | 80/100
# of Brews: 6

Notes:
For this tea's first few brews, the liquid was a light straw yellow with an aroma similar to wood, a little bit of smoke, and cinnamon. There were notes of malt, peanuts, and very sweet rose with an aftertaste of caramel
It made my throat and mouth a little dry, but not as much compared to the Vietnam Jin Xuan. This tea is more earthier than the Vietnam Jin Xuan, but not stronger; they're relatively the same. After a couple of brews, this tea became more creamier, a tad bit bitter, and less astringent. It was okay, but I've tasted better.


Final Notes
So, I'm sure you can tell that today's review is a bit short. That's because my dad decided last minute to go out to the theatre (after we decided to watch at home), so I ended up rushing through. Both of today's teas were a bit average- more astringent than usual- but still enjoyable. I personally liked the Vietnam Jin Xuan more since it wasn't so dry and more fruity, but I can see some people enjoying the Jin Xuan from Ali Shan.

Week of Jin Xuan - Day 5: Fujian Anxi Jin Xuan Milk Oolong & Taiwan Jin Xuan Milk Oolong

Oh man, so I woke up super late today since I was super tired last night. I decided, last minute, to go bike ~30 miles (essentially across 3 towns) in 2 hours at 9 pm. I just finished watching O Brother, Where Art Thou?- a really good movie in my opinion- and had the idea of doing it since I had done nothing at all that day. Anyway, so this review is happening right after brunch since I just woke up and am really tired. Today's album is Sunset Blood by Starcadian. Oh, also, the reviews might be a little short too since I'm going to spend the day with family and I'll have to leave on short notice.


Fujian Anxi Jin Xuan Milk Oolong - What-Cha
Type & Appearance: Unroasted Oolong - Dark green, medium to large balls of oolong
Recommended Brew Time, Temp., Amount: 85°C, 1 tsp, 1-2 min
Rating: B | 86/100
# of Brews: 8

Notes:
Compared to the Taiwan Jin Xuan, this aroma of this oolong is much less milky and instead more fruity. The color of the liquid for the first few brews was a light, golden yellow. The flavor profile was creamy, with a bit of cotton candy (and related mouthfeel), Indian mangos, and a tiny bit of grape. It's very smooth with little astringency, only leaving a light tart note on the tongue after drinking. By the later brews, the mango flavor became very prevalent as an aftertaste, and I could even taste it on my breath long after. It became sweeter, losing the sour notes, but still retaining the fruity flavors. Overall, I liked it, but it was kind of average for what I've tried so far.


Taiwan Jin Xuan Milk Oolong - What-Cha
Type & Appearance: Flavored Oolong - Dark green, large balls of oolong
Recommended Brew Time, Temp., Amount: 85°C, 1 tsp, 1-2 min
Rating: A- | 91/100
# of Brews: 8

Notes:
Even before I brewed this tea, I could already smell the milk. The dry leaves have a smell similar to danish cookies, coconuts, and evaporated milk- and it's amazing. After brewing, the color is a light, blueish yellow with the same aroma as the dry leaves, albeit slightly more fruitier.  As for the taste, this tea is one of a kind. It tastes exactly how it smells, with notes like coconut milk, cookies, and some burnt sugar (or toffee/caramel, depending on where you're from). Over time, the flavor actually stayed relatively the same (maybe only a little milkier and slightly more sour)- mostly only weaker. Overall, a really enjoyable, unique oolong.

Final Notes
I ended up stopping the review early, but I'm pretty sure the teas can be brewed for a lot more than 8; at this point, the liquid was actually pretty brightly colored and the flavor was still strong. Both of these were pretty enjoyable, but like most other days so far, I've had a tea that's blown me away and another that's good, but nothing compared to the other. As for today, the tea that's blown me away is the Taiwan Jin Xuan Milk Oolong and the okay one is the Fujian Anxi. In fact, I was a bit suspicious of the Taiwan Jin Xuan because of how milky and flavorful it was, and I thought that it had been scented or flavored. I was proved wrong after a while, since the flavor stayed strong even after the 8th brew. Overall, today was also a good day for tea.

EDIT: Turns out that the Taiwan Jin Xuan Milk Oolong is actually flavored! I think that actually bumps up my score for it, since almost every flavored oolong I've tried has only lasted 3-4 brews max. This one was at 8 and still going strong, which was pretty amazing.

Week of Jin Xuan - Day 4: Rose Oolong & Thailand Jin Xuan Oolong

So, this review is happening right after brunch (1 PM). I honestly don't know what I'm going to do today, but I think I'll try to practice piano and do some reading/study after the tasting session. I am going to bike later tonight, though, when it cools down. As for what I have done, I've just done some cooking (fried rice!), eating, and a lot of osu! (and practice using Joy2Key). There will be 2 albums today since they're related and pretty short; they are History Repeating: Blue and Red by the Megas.


Rose Oolong - Tea Ave 
Type & Appearance: Flavored Oolong - large, dark and light green balls of oolong with bright pink/red rose petals
Recommended Brew Time, Temp., Amount: 100°C, 8g, 1 min + 30 sec each brew
Rating: A- | 90/100
# of Brews: 8

Notes:
If you've read my previous review on this tea, you can tell I really like it. This is/was actually the tea I carried around on me in a small case, until I used it at a dinner at some fancy restaurant (I ended up putting it in an empty tea pot and it lasted 4 brews while constantly brewing in western style, which was really surprising. Everyone really liked it too). So, I guess you can tell I'm pretty excited for this one. This review is going to be a bit lacking since I've already done a full review, but I'll still do some tasting notes. By the first brew, I could already smell the sweet, floral aroma coming from the light, greenish-blue liquid. The flavor wasn't as contaminated as the Milk Oolong from Vital Tea Leaf, but I could still notice very light cinnamon notes. The most dominant flavor was the rose, followed by grass, and finally cream. It's not overwhelmingly sweet and actually has a bit of bitterness, but is still very enjoyable. Over time, the color of the brew became a brighter green. The aroma stayed relatively the same, but the flavor began to lose the rose (which became an aftertaste) and move towards the Jin Xuan with a bit of a broccoli and grass flavor. It actually got a bit more astringent over time also. Overall, I still really like it (and wish that this wasn't my last set of leaves).


Thailand Jin Xuan Oolong - What-Cha
Type & Appearance: Unroasted Oolong - very large, light and dark green/brown balls of oolong
Recommended Brew Time, Temp., Amount: 80°C, 1 tsp, 2 min
Rating: B- | 82/100
# of Brews: 8

Notes:
As for this tea's first brew, it had a light golden yellow color and (surprisingly) little smell. The leaves, on the other hand, had honey and wood notes with a smell like tupig (Filipino sticky rice). It was surprisingly savory for a Jin Xuan, with flavors like raw walnut, a little almond, and (weirdly) hay. The creamy notes of the Jin Xuan weren't really coming out for the first few brew. There was also a slight bit of astringency, which made my throat feel very dry after drinking. Over time, the color became a bit more yellow and the aroma from the leaves could be smelled in the liquid. The flavor became more creamy, sweet, and Jin Xuan-like, but not as flavorful as Vital Tea Leaf's. More brews didn't help with the astringency, however. I will admit, though, that it got way better by the later brews and was still going strong by brew 7. Overall, an average Jin Xuan. It lasts long which is nice, but I don't really like the flavor.


Final Notes
I decided to end the review early since I was getting pretty full and kept running out of water (California drought woo). However, judging from the color of the teas, they could have kept going; in fact, it looked like the color of both teas was getting darker. Anyway, I think it's pretty clear that I liked the Rose Oolong much more. I just think that the Thailand Jin Xuan is too astringent and lacks a lot in terms of flavor compared to all of the other teas I've had so far. There wasn't really much special to it, and the teas it's being compared to are a lot, lot better.

Week of Jin Xuan - Day 3: Magnolia Oolong* & Thailand Sticky Rice 'Khao Hom' Oolong

So, today I've pretty much done nothing other than mail my package for Reddit's 1st White Elephant Tea Exchange and make french toast. I should really do something big before summer ends since school is coming up fast. Anyway, today's review is between two different scented oolongs. The album for the review is the Skullgirls Original Soundtrack PLUS by Michiru Yamane and others.


Magnolia Oolong - Tea Ave *NO REVIEW*
Type & Appearance: XX
Recommended Brew Time, Temp., Amount: 100°C, 8g, 1 min. + 30 sec. each brew
Rating: XX | XX/100
# of Brews: X

Notes:
To be completely honest, I screwed up. It turns out that the sample I thought was Magnolia Oolong was actually Monkey Picked Tie Guan Yin from Red Blossom Tea Co. As I started drinking, I realized that I drank the whole sample of Magnolia Oolong given to me a long time ago by Tea Ave and didn't save any of it at all. So, no review for this one today (it'll be coming later in a full review). I'll still be tasting it in order to create a frame of reference for the Sticky Rice oolong, however. Sorry again! (If I do remember though, the Magnolia Oolong was way too weak in terms of flavor, and the fact that I didn't have extra leaves didn't help; it was a really small sample.)


Thailand Sticky Rice 'Khao Hom' Oolong - What-Cha
Type & Appearance: Flavored Oolong - large, drab light green balls of oolon
Recommended Brew Time, Temp., Amount: 80°C, 1 tsp, 2 min.
Rating: 92 | A-/100
# of Brews:  10

Notes:
By the first brew, this tea had already begun to take on the sticky rice taste. The liquid had a very light golden color with a floral, sweet, and obviously rice-like aroma. The flavor starts off with a somewhat sour, muscatel flavor, then moves into the flavor of sticky rice (it's hard for me to explain, but if you've tasted it before you know what I mean; it's ). It finishes off on a sweet, light cinnamon note. Over brews, the color had begun to become darker, but the aroma stayed relatively the same. As for the flavor, the fruity notes became much more pronounced, but the sticky rice flavor remained and became even more stronger. In fact, the cinnamon notes were eventually lost and the sticky rice stayed as a very dominant aftertaste, which I could taste after drinking and exhaling. The creamy, milky notes of the Jin Xuan base began to come out, making the tea taste surprisingly a lot like milk- something which I haven't seen in a lot of Jin Xuan. The flavor began to wane after 7 brews, but it still tasted relatively the same. There was little astringency throughout the complete drinking session. Near the end, the creaminess of the Jin Xuan became the dominant flavor, and the sticky rice became a light aftertaste. Overall, a really, really great drinking experience.


Final Notes
Overall, I'm actually pretty happy, despite my blunder. The sticky rice oolong really made up for it with its flavor and I enjoyed drinking it very much. This is the longest a flavored oolong has lasted in terms of number of brews, and the taste stayed the same without changing much. I actually had to stop early (10 brews) since I ran out of water, but I'm almost certain it could go much longer. On par with the Vietnamese green I had yesterday.

Week of Jin Xuan - Day 2: Vietnam Ta Jin Xuan Green & Milk Oolong

So, today's review is between a green tea and an oolong, but that's fine! Vital Tea Leaf's Milk Oolong is unroasted/a green oolong, and anyway it'll be fun to compare. There isn't much stuff happening today other than registration for school, so this review is happening in the morning after breakfast. Today's album is THE BEST 'Blue' by Kalafina.

Vietnam Ta Jin Xuan Green - What-Cha
Type & Appearance: Green Tea - small, dark green curls; I'm guessing it's pan fried
Recommended Brew Time, Temp., Amount: 75°C, 1-2 tsp, 15-30 sec.
Rating: A | 93/100
# of Brews: 5

Notes:
So, this tea actually really surprised me before the first brew. Once I rinsed it, there was very, very strong seaweed smell mixed with a bit of a cooked meat (pork or beef) notes. It's similar to Japanese sencha, but it has a bit more punch; it's not as grassy. As for the first few brews, it had a very bright yellow-green color and moved towards a neon green. The taste was amazing; it had the umami, yet slightly grassy taste of Japanese sencha and finished on the creamy notes of a Jin Xuan. It was very, very smooth with little to no tannins or astringency. By brew 4, the tea had begun to lose its flavor and color. It began to move from the savory flavor of sencha to the milky, lightly tart flavor of Jin Xuan with a bit of cotton candy. The aroma had somehow become what I can only describe as a fresh watermelon, with a tiny bit of seaweed. I ended at 5 brews since it was becoming flavorless and I cold brew the leaves are I finish, but it could go for maybe 1 more. Although it doesn't last as long as other teas, this tea is an amazing experience for what it is.


Milk Oolong - Vital Tea Leaf
Type & Appearance: Unroasted Oolong - small, dark green balls of oolong
Recommended Brew Time, Temp., Amount: 180-190°F, 1-2 tbsp, 30 sec.
Rating: A- | 90/100
# of Brews:  up to 8 (recommended); stopped at 6

Notes:
I may have screwed this one up. I stored this tea (and actually all of the other teas from Tea Ave) next to some chai, so there is a very light cinnamon taste. I'm still getting the milk oolong flavor, but the light chai flavor is distracting. Anyway, for the first few brews, the tea, like the green tea, had a bright yellow-green color; however, I'd say this tea was more yellow than the Ta Jin Xuan. As it brewed more, it moved towards a highlighter yellow color. The aroma wasn't tainted with the chai, and smelled milky and grassy- just how I remember it. The flavor is very milky with grassy notes, like the aroma, but had a bit of tartness to it. I daresay the cinnamon actually helped the flavor a bit since it was so light, but it's good either way. By the time the Ta Jin Xuan was losing its flavor, this tea was still going strong. This began to lose flavor by brew 6, but still had a bright color. Overall, the flavor moved to a more grassy flavor with light milk notes and tart flavor. The aroma stayed a strong evaporated milk smell, and I'm more than sure you can reach the 8 brews on the box. Still one of my favorite milk oolongs.

Final Notes
Well, I think I just found one of my favorite green teas now. It might just be my craving for sencha talking, but I was just blown away by the Ta Jin Xuan's flavor. It's like two of my favorite teas combined and made an amazing flavor, with both complimenting each other very, very nicely. Kalafina helped a lot in setting the mood, heh. As for the Milk Oolong, it's still actually one of my favorite ones just because of its milkiness and green tea-like flavor, but today, the bar was just set too high by the Ta Jin Xuan. And also, a lesson learned: store smelly teas away from other teas, and pack teas in airtight bags. Today was a good day.

Week of Jin Xuan - Day 1: Guangdong Jin Xuan Mao Feng Black & Jin Xuan Pearl Black

So, while I am brewing gongfu style, I'm just going to do a short paragraph on what I think for both teas (instead of doing tasting notes for every brew). Today's is mostly just going to be a practice session of what's to come. Also, I'm relaxing while doing this after that filming session (more info in a later post), so I'm not really focused on this too much. Here's a new thing too: I'll be listening to a different album during each tasting session, and today's is ADHD by Kuba Oms- it's free on their Bandcamp, so feel free to pick it up!

Guangdong Jin Xuan Mao Feng Black - What-Cha
Type: Black - very long, thin rolled leaves
Recommended Brew Time, Temp., Amount: 95°C, 1-2 tsps, 3-4 min
Rating: B+ | 89/100

Notes:
At the beginning, this tea had sweet, honey notes along with an apricot flavor. It is very smooth and light, leaving little dryness in the mouth. The liquid was a light, golden-orange/amber color, with a fruity, almost red wine-like smell. It reached about 6 brews, but I think it could go for a few more. Throughout the drinking session, the flavor eventually became a bit more citrusy, with a flavor like lemon peel. The honey notes continued, and the creaminess characteristic of Jin Xuan came out as an aftertaste. By the end it was also becoming a bit more astringent, and felt more viscous in the mouth.


Jin Xuan Pearl Black - What-Cha
Type: Black - small, balled leaves
Recommended Brew Time, Temp., Amount: 90°C, 1 tsp, 3-4 min.
Rating: B | 86/100

Notes:
As for this tea at the beginning, it was a dark gold color with a light smoky, brown sugar aroma. The flavor was mostly smooth and sweet, with earthy caramel notes. However, it was a bit tannic, leaving the throat dry after drinking. Like the other tea, I was able to brew this 6 times. I'd say you can brew it a bit more, but at this point, the flavor was becoming very weak; the liquid still had color, however. Surprisingly, it became very chocolatey while retaining its honey notes. It never reached that creamy flavor, but it did have a slightly sweet flavor in the aftertaste/during inhaling.


Final Notes
Personally, I liked the Guangdong Jin Xuan Mao Feng Black more. I prefer the fruity sweet flavor that was present in the first few brews to the strong, darker flavor of the Jin Xuan Pearl Black. However, the Jin Xuan Pearl Black did seem a bit more available for longer brews, and I actually liked the chocolate flavor that appeared near the end of the tastings. Both are good teas, but depending on your taste preferences you may like one over the other (like I said, I enjoyed the Guangdong Jin Xuan Mao Feng Black a tiny bit more).

Welcome to the Week of Jin Xuan

What is Jin Xuan?
Essentially, Jin Xuan is a varietal of tea crossbred from the TRES #8 and Ying Zhi Hong Jing varietals. Also known as Golden Lily or Milk Oolong, this tea is known for its sweet, creamy, and milky taste. It originates from Taiwan and is usually found in unroasted oolong form, but can also be black or green tea.

So, what is the Week of Jin Xuan?
Since Jin Xuan is one of my favorite teas, I've accumulated quite a bit of it. I recently bought every type of Jin Xuan I could find on What-Cha, and I decided that I want to try to review and taste all of them. I've also added in some teas from Tea Ave and Vital Tea Leaf to make this project a full seven days. The plan is to taste two different types each day, and compare them to each other. This is also just a way for me to end summer with something

When does it start and end?
Start: hopefully tomorrow- 8/18/15 (it depends on how long the filming at UC Berkeley will take; if it will be a day long affair, I'll start on the 19th)
End: most likely 8/25/15 - the first day of school

How will you be tasting the tea?
As I said before, I'll be tasting 2 different teas each day. I'll be brewing gong-fu style using boiling (or close to it) water for about 30 seconds on the first brew. With each brew, the time will increase by 15-30 seconds. The tastings will alternate between each tea; for example, I will brew tea 1, taste, and then brew tea 2, taste, and repeat until both teas run out of flavor. I'll be using about a teaspoon of leaf per tasting, since I don't have a scale for exact measurements. I'll give an update if I ever find out. Overall, I plan to keep everything the same for science. Note that I will not use cupping for this since I'll be drinking with other people, and I want to enjoy the tea as I taste.

What are the teas?
Here's a list of the teas:
From What-Cha: 1. Thailand Jin Xuan Pearl Black, 2. Taiwan Ali Shan Jin Xuan Oolong, 3. Thailand Jin Xuan Oolong, 4. Taiwan Jin Xuan Milk Oolong, 5. Vietnam Jin Xuan Oolong, 6. Fujian Anxi Jin Xuan Milk Oolong, 7. Guangdong Jin Xuan Mao Feng Black, 8. Thailand Winter Frost Jin Xuan Oolong, 9. Vietnam Ta Jin Xuan Green, 10. Thailand Sticky Rice Khao Hom Oolong
From Vital Tea Leaf*: 11. Milk Oolong
From Tea Ave*: 12. Magnolia Oolong**, 13. Rose Oolong, 14. Alishan Jin Xuan Oolong
*The amount of tea I have might be lacking compared to the teas from What-Cha
**There is a chance this tea may not be reviewed due to my laziness regarding labeling my tea


What's the schedule?
I'll upload 1 post- containing both reviews for that day's teas- randomly that day. As for what teas when, I'll be tasting unscented teas with unscented, scented with scented, oolongs with oolongs- you get the deal. Some days will be a mix since I have an uneven number of each type of tea, but oh well; they're all Jin Xuans. I've made the schedule for each day with a random number generator.

Day 1. Guangdong Jin Xuan Mao Feng Black & Thailand Jin Xuan Pearl Black
Day 2. Vietnam Ta Jin Xuan Green & Milk Oolong (Vital Tea Leaf)
Day 3. Magnolia Oolong & Thailand Sticky Rice Khao Hom Oolong
Day 4. Rose Oolong & Thailand Jin Xuan Oolong
Day 5. Fujian Anxi Jin Xuan Milk Oolong & Taiwan Jin Xuan Milk Oolong
Day 6. Vietnam Jin Xuan Oolong & Taiwan Ali Shan Jin Xuan Oolong
Day 7. Thailand Winter Frost Jin Xuan Oolong & Alishan Jin Xuan Oolong (Tea Ave)

And there it is! I hope you're looking forward to it as much as I am.

Quick Update (Again) - 8/17/15

Sorry for the lack of posts lately- I've been busy with family stuff since my sister got back from college. Anyway, here's a quick rundown of everything that's happened and what I have in store:

First off, what I've done.

• Finished all summer homework in 2 binge sessions, so now all I have to worry about for school is the first week tests/socratic seminars/whatever and proofreading. 
• A lot of family stuff like eating and biking and crap
• Bought a ton of stuff and as a result am now broke; I bought the Protomen's Act 3 single on vinyl, quite a bit of tea (see below), a physical copy of Supernormal Step Encore (one of my first and favorite webcomics),  
• Watched Into the Woods with the girlfriend
• Started playing osu! (mostly just osu!mania though)

And what I plan to do in the coming weeks:

1. Tomorrow, I'm going to go be in an audience member in a new educational show about chemistry at UC Berkeley
2. Throughout this week & next: Jin Xuan tastings & reviews! I bought What-cha's complete catalog of Jin Xuan tea, including: Thailand Winter Frost Jin Xuan Oolong, Guangdong Jin Xuan Mao Feng Black, Fujian Anxi Jin Xuan Milk Oolong, Taiwan Jin Xuan Milk Oolong, Vietnam Jin Xuan Oolong, Thailand Jin Xuan Oolong, Taiwan Ali Shan Jin Xuan Oolong, Thailand Jin Xuan Pearl Black, Thailand Sticky Rice 'Khao Hom' Oolong, Vietnam Ta Jin Xuan Green. To stretch the tastings to a full 7 days (2 each day), I'm also going to re-review Vital Tea Leaf's Milk Oolong and Tea Aves' Rose Oolong, Magnolia Oolong, and Jin Xuan.
3. After that, review that Red Blossom Tea Co's Pi Lo Chun and Monkey-Picked Tieguanyin, What-cha's Thailand Oriental Beauty Pearl Oolong, Indonesia Harendong Twisted 'Cengkok' Green, and Nepal First Flush Clonal Delight Black. I might also throw in some instant tea reviews and Twinings' herbal tea. 
4. Study the shit out of everything, practice Japanese, etc.
5. Next week, school!!!
6. I joined Reddit's first White Elephant tea exchange, so hopefully something good comes out of that.
7. Next month, sleep study overnight stay
8. Soon (when I have enough money saved up), building an arcade stick. I've been reading up on it and I plan to buy the buttons, PCB, & wiring and put it all in a pizza box as practice
9. Other school related stuff like clubs that I'll probably put into its own post
10. Freq.Fest.Norcal in September (Crashfaster, Slime Girls, Petriform, Maxo, oh my!)

So, expect that. I'll try to start the week of Jin Xuan before summer vacation ends, but I'm trying to work out how I'm going to brew + review + all that stuff. Thanks for reading!

What's Going On? (Life Update) 8/2/15

I know I've been posting these too often lately but I really want to do something meaningful before summer ends- especially since I've been a hermit and done jack all this summer and everyone I know has gone somewhere on vacation, volunteered places, hung out with friends, got jobs, internships, whatever. I want to do something that makes me feel like I haven't wasted all this time, and August is going to be the time I do it. And so, I dub this month the "Really Get Shit Done" month and this update the "August Checklist" update. Welcome to Summer-land.

Anyway, stuff that's happened lately first. I had an interview for the sleep study, which went pretty well. They said I'm likely to continue in the study, and I got $30 in Amazon gift cards for participating so far. I'm going to get a call either tomorrow or Tuesday about staying in the study, so my fingers are crossed. The girlfriend also came back from Hawaii and I got her flowers, but both of us need to find free time before we hang out together (related, my sister came back last night and she's going to spend the month here). I also finished the SAT classes, with my last test grade being 2200 which was pretty great. Only 1 wrong on the math section, and over 700 on everything else. Other than that, not much because of the wrist and my own laziness (I did start the summer homework and am now 1/4th done).

Now that that's out of the way, here's my checklist for August, before school starts (in no particular order):

1. Finish all of the AP homework (English, History) and study for the tests
2. Practice piano (pieces I would like to learn, including this binder I got from my teacher full of songs)
3. Bike with my dad every other day; related- work out
4. Write more tea reviews and creative writing stuff
5. Hang out with friends
6. Practice SAT stuff using the books from class
7. Learn physics and maybe chem with the textbook and online videos (Khan Academy or UC Berkeley?); related- review Biology for the SAT subject test
8. Build the algae tank for the science fair or just prep for that
9. Do this project I've wanted to do for a long time (essentially, watch a movie every day/every other day for a full month and do a super quick review on it)
10. Email admin assistants at colleges about internships (thanks reddit!); related- email people about volunteer opportunities
11. Read books
12. Cook more since I haven't done too much of that lately
13. Other stuff that I can mention later

And that's it. It's a lot, but as long as I get at least a few done, I'll be happy. I do have two new life rules related to it (thanks to my British friend and also reddit), so here they are:

Everybody has the same amount of time. Everyone just chooses to do different things with it.

and

There is always more time.

Thanks for reading, and hopefully it all goes well!

Tea Review: Rose Oolong - Tea Ave

Brand
Tea Ave
Price
~$11 for 25g or ~1oz
Type
Green oolong
Recommended Brew Time, Temperature, Amount
Gongfu- brew up at 100°C with 8g of tea, adding 30s with each infusion up to 4 times
Leaf Appearance
Pre-steeped: Mix of large and small, dark and light green balled oolong leaves with bright pink and red rose petals
Steeped: Variety of different sized light, olive green leaves, most with stems (as is the case with balled oolong); didn't mention this in the other Tea Ave review, but their teas have some of the largest, unbroken leaves I have ever seen
Rating
A- | 90/100

Tasting notes and thoughts:
So, I'm sure you can tell that I enjoy rose tea. That I also enjoy milk/Jin Xuan oolong. So, what else would be better than to combine the two? I don't know, but let's see if this tea lives up to my expectations. However, I've actually already tried this. This review is using my last few leaves since I've been drinking this somewhat often gongfu style, but let's see how this tea holds up through cupping.

Brew 1 (5 min.):
As usual with my version of tea cupping, there is no rinse. I'm brewing for 5 minutes since I've found that that is the best time for the best flavor for oolongs (I do want to enjoy the tea, guys). I'm also using boiling water and a melon baller- 1 scoop- as a measuring spoon (it actually works and holds the tea pretty well because of the shape, and also I don't own a scale). The tea was a dark yellow green color with a very sweet, floral aroma- much sweeter than the Jin Xuan on its own.  The leaves were beginning to unravel, and the rose petals are beginning their color. The taste was a little bit bitter, with a bit of a tart, grassy taste. The milk flavor was actually very noticeable throughout the taste and also lingered a while afterwards. I didn't really notice it until after I inhaled after drinking, but I could really taste it afterwards. I could also notice a bit of a cotton candy/sugar after taste as well. One interesting thing to note is that the tea liquid, in the first few minutes of brewing, was actually aqua/teal colored; I don't know if it was the lighting, the set, or the tea. Very cool though.

Brew 2 (5 min.):
This brew was surprisingly much clearer than the previous, and a much brighter yellow (with some green). The aroma was still very sweet and floral, but now had very light milky/creamy notes. The rose petals are now almost a dull yellow, with their pink/red color drained, and the tea leaves are continuing to unfurl with the smaller leaves fully opened. The flavor was remarkably less bitter than the previous, but was still a tiny bit bitter. It was also less tart, and more grassy and vegetal; however, the milky, creamy taste continues to linger after drinking. There was a considerable lack of sweetness compared to the previous brew, but it was still very flavorful.

Brew 3 (5 min.):
At this point, the color was still as vibrant as the previous brew; however, it was not as dark, and was moving towards a yellow/golden color. The aroma is becoming weaker now, but is still similar to before. It has lost the sweet notes and instead is becoming more floral. In fact, I could really only smell the perfume of the roses. Almost all of the leaves are fully opened by now, and the roses are almost colorless (but are still a little pink). The taste, somehow, is more tart than before and much more grassy. The creamy milk flavor is only an aftertaste by now, and does not linger like it did previously. There is still a very slight bitterness, but it isn't very strong at all.

Brew 4 (Final; 5 min.):
So, this is the final brew since I'm following the directions on the packaging. It is, in fact, losing its flavor and color by now, but I think it can go for 5 total brews instead of just 4. The color of the brew is more green than previously, but is still that light golden-yellow color. The smell is much more lighter now too- all I could really notice was the rose along with some light sweet and creamy notes. Leaves, at this point, are fully opened, and the rose petals are drained of any color they had at the start. The taste had no evidence of any bitterness that was present before, and was actually mostly a milky taste. There wasn't much tartness, or any other taste at all, really. It did have a texture that wasn't present before in other brews, which felt a bit chewy and astringent. Weak now, but still pretty decent. I did also notice that cotton candy taste which I had in previous brews.

Final Notes:
Overall, I actually really liked it brewed this way. During gongfu, it came out somewhat flavorless, but during cupping, it tasted great (it might just be that I'm forced to pay more attention, but I still liked it a lot). As such, I think this tea benefits from longer brewing times instead of the usual 10-20 seconds in gongfu. I think this was much better than Tea Ave's Jin Xuan since it had a bit more flavor and was actually more milkier (probably due to a slightly lower- 0.5- oxidation level). The rose added a lot to the tea rather than completely overpowering it, which is the case in many other flower flavored teas. One of my favorites from Tea Ave, but I recommend experimenting with it a bit to get the best flavor. I ended up getting 5 total brews out of it (the fifth was even weaker than the fourth, but had some flavor still).

Other Notes:
So, since August is coming up, I really gotta get off my ass and do work. I'll post about my plan later, but one thing I have is to get more reviews up. However, I might run out of stuff to review soon since I only have that Pi Lo Chun, Monkey Picked Tie Guan Yin, Summer Rose Tea, and instant teas left. Buying tea isn't really a possibility since I'm actually broke now (I went from $550 in savings in March to $150 this month, which is pretty unacceptable considering I don't have any source of income). So, unless money starts coming in, I'll have to end reviews temporarily until I get back on my feet. I might post other stuff like life updates and creative writing, but there's that. Look out for another life/blog update coming soon, though.

Tea Review: The Rich Milk Tea - Twinings

Brand
Twinings (Japan)
Price
$6 for 190 g
Type
Instant/Powdered
Recommended Brew Time, Temperature, Amount
(Hot) Add three teaspoons (17g) of powder to 120 ml of boiling water
(Iced) Add three teaspoons (17g) of powder to 20 ml of boiling water, and then add 100 ml of cold water
Leaf Appearance
Very fine, light brown powder with some dark brown and sparkling specks
Rating
B- | 81/100

Tasting notes and thoughts:
So, I know a lot of people have an aversion to any instant tea, especially since its not even real tea, but I personally like it. The only reason is that during the time I spent in Philippines there wasn't any tea at all so I had to drink this stuff, which turned out to be somewhat decent (also the fact that I can be lazy in the mornings).

Anyway, I ended up buying this at a Japanese supermarket because I'm a sucker for Japanese milk teas (especially the canned/bottled ones). In fact, each time I've gone there I've bought a different brand or flavor of milk tea; I usually get Royal Milk Tea. As for this brand, I think it's one of the better instant milk teas I've had, especially since the taste is pretty close to the canned drinks. Unlike most other brands, it's not prepackaged into sticks so you can customize the strength of your flavor and reduce waste (I enjoyed the customization). The powder smells somewhat fruity and is obviously black tea; from the taste, I'm gonna guess that it's darjeeling mixed with ceylon tea, since it's very similar to the royal milk tea I make myself. It's not too bitter and not too sweet, which gives it a plus. It's hard to describe, but all I can say is that it tastes a lot like canned black milk tea.

My only problems with it is that the powder is weak-tasting, even if you follow the instructions (which leads to a really small cup), and that it isn't 'milky' enough. To add to this, it looks like the powder is also a bit hard to dissolve, which is a little weird.  To fix this, I suggest just filling up a cup 3/4ths of the way with hot water, adding the powder to taste, and then pouring in some milk. Adding milk works with almost any instant milk tea, and in my opinion, makes it taste so much better. Overall, this is one of the better instant teas that I've had but the price point makes it a tough buy; try it iced and with milk!

Other Notes:
Gonna do 2 reviews today since I haven't done them in a while + this isn't even actual tea. July is coming to an end and I've ended up not doing a lot of what I've planned, so I'm going to spend today setting up work for August and writing stuff. On another note, I'm surprised at how much I could read on the back of this teas' packaging, especially since it's all in Japanese (thanks katakana skills!).

What's Going On? (Life Update) 7/23/15

Short update today since I feel kinda weird posting 2 life updates without anything in between.

So, California Extreme was great this year, even though none of my friends went. I played a ton of arcade games (and screwed up my wrist in the process!), joined a Panic Park tournament and got eliminated on the first round, met a bunch of people during my volunteering shifts, had a hell of a time at the Rockage SJ concerts, and overall had a lot of fun. I'm super happy since I got to meet the Megas (they complimented me on my Protomen shirt!) and Kirby's Dream Band (first time I heard their music ever, and I was blown away). I spent a ton of my money on merch, and got a CD from Dog Party, a vinyl from Kirby's Dream Band, and a CD from The Megas. I got the vinyl and Megas CDs signed for me and my friend (and in the process got to meet the bands and talk to them- they're super nice). Way better than last year even though Police 911, my favorite arcade game, or my friends weren't there.

As for non-CAX stuff, there wasn't really much since I've been taking it easy with my wrist. For tea stuff, I had a free sample come in from Teazillo, and I was pretty surprised. I got rose flavored black tea, and it came within two days of it shipping. The guy put them in really nice tins and included an extra (I only ordered 1). I'll get a review on that up sometime, but from what I've tried so far, it's actually pretty good. I've also been practicing cupping with the teas from Red Blossom Tea Co and Tea Ave, and drinking Twinings' The Rich Milk Tea (review also coming soon).

For non-tea stuff, I took another SAT practice test and got 2000 on it (10 more than last time, woo). The only 'work'- I doubt it even counts as real work- that I've really done is learning Audacity and converting my vinyls to digital. I also shipped out a package to my British friend with that signed Megas CD and some Ghiradelli chocolate, since he's the one who introduced me to the Megas and he's been having some health problems lately (hopefully it cheers him up). I also tried emailing a local ice cream shop that just opened if they're hiring, but they haven't gotten back to me (note to self: start filling out those apps!). Lastly, the girlfriend has been in Hawaii with her family for the past week and will be until the end of July, so I haven't really been talking to much people other than a few internet friends, namely the British guy mentioned above. Actually, my parents are going to Hawaii next week so I'm going to be alone with the grandparents then (I dunno how I feel about it).

Finally, that sleep study is going well! I finished doing a week-long sleep diary in which they call me daily and ask me a few questions about my sleep. I have to actually go into their lab for an in person interview, but according to my dad, it looks like I'm going to be accepted for their actual study with the ActiWatch and sleep coaching and sleeping at the lab and everything. He says they told him that the study could really help me and that I'm a good candidate for it. We'll see how the interview goes next week; I'm pretty hyped for it.

That's all for now! Thanks for reading.