Review: Organic Green Dragon - Mighty Leaf

Type: Green
Producer: Mighty Leaf
Origin: Longjing
Brewing Parameters: 1 tea bag, boiling water, 3 min. (recommended)
Appearance: Square, nylon tea bag with a mix of light and dark green broken leaves and a few stems
Rating: A | 93/100
# of Brews: 2

Tasting Notes and Thoughts
Yet another tea bag review today– in all honesty, I think I only have tea bags left to review since I've done almost all of my loose leaf and most of my money is going to public transit and all. Unlike most of these other tea bag reviews lately, however, I haven't tried this specific tea (or any Longjing) before now. Also, I know that since this is a green tea, it should not be brewed with boiling water, but the pack doesn't really specify temperature and I can't really control specifics anyway. Just as a necessity, though, I let the water sit at room temperature to cool a bit.

Anyway, onto the review. One nice thing I've noticed about Mighty Leaf teas is that they use much higher quality leaves than most other tea bag producers– for them, the leaves are either whole or broken into large chunks, rather than fannings or dust. I ended up brewing for only 1 minute instead of the recommended 3 because of the higher temperatures, and I think it turned out pretty well.

The color was a dark yellowish green (not as dark as some sencha when brewed nicely can get), with a smell of freshly cut grass and the sea (I'm guessing seaweed or just salt water). Even with the heat, it was only a slight bit bitter, which is on par with other greens. As for the taste, it was surprisingly good– I haven't had a decent green tea in a while. Surprisingly, I thought it tasted more like a Japanese green rather than Chinese, even though it was produced (pan fired) like a standard Chinese tea. A vegetal taste, similar to green beans, gave way to a sweet herbal and nutty flavor. Along with a very light tart flavor which lasted long after drinking, I think the main sensation was a short and sweet taste. The texture was unusually smooth for a Chinese green, and the only dryness I felt was deep in the back of my throat for a short amount of time. I did notice that if you let it sit, it gradually becomes more bitter over time.

For a tea bag, this was actually really good; I enjoyed it quite a bit. Now, I think I'll need to try a loose leaf Long jing before I give my final decision, but all in all, Mighty Leaf did a pretty stellar job with this. I might actually try brewing the bag one or two more times just to see if I can get more to drink.

Other Notes

Today's album is Left to Our Own Devices by Le Cassette, a surprisingly very good synthwave album, probably because of the vocals (it's very similar to Phil Collins and David Bowie) and pop beats.

Here's an update on my work for this week. I'm done with maybe 3/5 of the Comp Civics journal, 3 essays for college applications, watched most of the DNC and parts of the RNC, and have memorized quite a bit of stuff for AP Chem with flashcards. Today, I plan to finish the Comp Civics journals and maybe write current events or the writeups for the DNC and RNC. I was planning on having more time, but it turns out I'm heading to SFMOMA and maybe De Young with my friends tomorrow, and Saturday I'm going to a Comp Civics workshop and visiting the Museum of the African Diaspora (to be honest, in these past few weeks, I've been to more museums than in the past few years).

I think that if I work my ass off today and next week, I should be good for the last few weeks. If I haven't mentioned it, here is the itinerary for the last 2-3 weeks of summer:
SFMOMA & De Young with friends; Comp Civics Workshop & MOAD; Visit Santa Barbara for college visits and to pick up my brother; see Mark Redito/Spazzkid play at the DNA Lounge; go to Hawaii with the family; and watch Freq.Fest.SF.
Looking at it, it probably doesn't seem like much, but hey it's a lot for me. See you tomorrow!

Review: Moroccan Mint - Numi

Type: Herbal
Producer: Numi
Origin: North Africa
Brewing Parameters: 1 tea bag, boiling water, for 5-6 min.
Appearance: Trapezoidal tea bag with  dark green/yellow fannings
Rating: B | 83/100
# of Brews: 1

Tasting Notes and Thoughts
Since this is a tea bag review (and I have some work to do), I'll try to keep it short.

So, I've actually never had Moroccan mint before, despite it being a very popular tisane (or so I've heard). Having brewed it though, it does seem pretty good; the liquid is a lot darker and brown than most mint-based tisanes I've had. The smell is almost all mint– it's not too strong, but it's definitely noticeable. As for the taste, it was not what I expected. The main flavor is a slightly sour taste, which moves into the mint, and ends with chocolate. The chocolate lingers in the mouth, with a bit of a cooling sensation (from the mint). Because it is a tisane, the texture is very smooth and the tea makes the throat only a little bit dry. Overall, it's a decent tea, but I don't really understand the hype. I think I've had better mint-based teas.

Other Notes

Nothing really to say here. See you guys tomorrow!

Review: Gold Mushroom Tea - World Heritage

Type: Powdered/Instant Herbal
Producer: World Heritage (?)
Origin: Hiraizumi
Brewing Parameters: 2 g of powder, 8 oz of boiling water
Appearance: Very light brown/beige colored powder with chunks of dried mushroom and flakes of gold
Rating: D | 64/100
# of Brews: 1

Tasting Notes and Thoughts
Very interesting tea today– apparently, a cultural tea from the area of Hiraizumi, Japan. I'm not really sure on the producer since my Japanese isn't that good (and the package is in all Japanese; really, the only things I could pull out were "use 2 grams of the powder" and "mushroom gold tea"). When I did brew this tea, however, I could tell that this was going to be a very different tea, to say the least.

Essentially, the dried powder smells like Funyuns or any other onion-flavored snack food with a bit of mushroom added. However, when it's added to water, the mushroom smell becomes overwhelmingly strong (to the point where I gag when I smell it)– and it lingers, too. When I got a bit of the powder on my hands, the smell wouldn't come off until I washed them very thoroughly twice. Oh, the packaging also had a cute little spoon that was measured for exactly 2 grams (if you only got powder), which was nice.

Now, to be honest, I'm not that much of a fan of mushrooms. This tea didn't help change my mind. While I'm writing this, it's hard for me to take even a second sip; I didn't like the first taste that much. It did get a little bit better when I kept drinking, though. The only thing I can compare it to is the broth of, say, tonkotsu ramen. It's a lot like drinking straight soup, with the mushroom taste lingering in your mouth and eventually permeating into your nose. The texture is very thick, and it leaves a slightly sweet, vegetal taste in your mouth very long after you drink. Now, I get that this is a historical tea and everything, but honestly, I can't stand it on its own. It might be good if you add it to food or use it in cooking, but it is not a tasty tea. You might like it if you enjoy mushrooms, but this is not for me.

Other Notes

Crunch time now! For the week, I'm going to rush through my summer homework so I can spend August relaxing (and studying) for the most part. I don't really have much to say here today since I did my updates yesterday. Come back later today or tomorrow for more reviews!

Today's album was Petal Port Music Vol. 2.
(I think I'll bring this back too, just because I thought it was a decent addition to the reviews)

Review: Earl Grey - Trader Joe's + Ambiance

Type: Flavored Black
Producer: Trader Joe's & Ambiance
Origin: Unknown
Brewing Parameters: 1 tea bag, 8 oz of boiling water, 3-5 min.
Appearance: Trapezoidal, paper tea bags with black fannings; the Ambiance bag has a slight yellow tint to it (lots of bergamot oil)
Rating: Trader Joe's: B | 86/100 & Ambiance: C+ | 78/100
# of Brews: 1

Tasting Notes and Thoughts
Today's review is going to be a side-by-side comparison of two grocery store Earl Greys. Both of these have been brewed at the same temperature and time (3 minutes), with no additives, such as sugar or milk. For the past few months, each has been a daily drink, albeit at different times, so I'll try to be as unbiased as possible.

After brewing, both teas were a very deep red, amber color. I think the Ambiance Earl Grey had a much stronger fruity smell compared to the Trader Joe's– probably because it had more bergamot, as evidenced by the darker colored dry teabag. Both had the earthy smell of the black tea base, but the Trader Joe's had more of the sour, somewhat sweat-like smell that can come from the oil. In general, the Ambiance is much more sweet smelling, while the Trader Joe's is more deep. Note: If you've never tried Earl Grey, I'd say its smell is very similar to Froot Loops or other artificial fruit-flavored foods.

Anyway, as for the taste, both were a bit bitter (probably due to the amount of water and leaf; I'd recommend masking it by adding milk, or brewing for shorter time). For the Ambiance Earl Grey, the main taste is the nutty, earthy taste of the tea base, which is followed by the sharp, citrusy-sour notes of the bergamot. It's a bit bitter, but has a smooth texture– and also leaves a dry note in the throat which goes away fast. The Trader Joe's Earl Grey is a lot less intense; the main note is somewhat coffee-like, and is also followed up with a sour– but not as strong– flavor. Interestingly, it has an aftertaste much more fruity than the Ambiance, similar to orange peels. The textures are pretty similar.

Overall, I think I prefer the Trader Joe's Earl Grey more than the Ambiance. It's a lot more mellow, which can be good or bad, depending on the person. In my opinion, if you enjoy stronger teas or the taste of bergamot, go with the Ambiance, but if you don't, go with the Trader Joe's. Either way, both make for a good morning daily drink.

Other Notes

Welp, I finally finished my final big summer activity– that environmental sciences summer camp at CSU East Bay. All in all, it was enjoyable; while I didn't necessarily learn much about environmental sciences (it was introductory stuff/general), we got to network with industry professionals and learn how it is to work in water, energy, and so on. Probably the best part of the week was when we went to a regional park– Big Break– and spent the day doing water quality tests and getting rid of invasive species in the Delta. The funny thing is, since I don't have a business card, I ended up printing out my abstract and giving it to people instead.

Now that that's over, I have three weeks left in my last high school summer (weird to think about, right?). For my summer homework, I just need to study for week one tests in AP Chem and AP Gov/Macro, do writeups on the national conventions for AP Gov, make a lesson about Montesquieu (which is pretty interesting) for Comp Civics, and analyze quotes for the Comp Civics journal. It looks like a lot, but my goal is to finish it this week and spend the rest of August before school relaxing. I've also started on my application essays, the first drafts of which I think are pretty good; I've expanded on my beliefs on US History, talked about the science fair, and analyzed how my environment– with racial diversity, but not economic– has affected my academics. I'll keep up the reviews in the meantime as something to break up the tedium of writing school stuff, but that's what's been up with me the past few weeks. 

Review: Fushigi Sanpin Cha - Higa Tea

Type: Flavored Green
Producer: Higa Tea
Origin: Okinawa
Brewing Parameters: 1 2g tea bag; brewed 1 min. with boiling water (recommended time and temp. not specified)
Appearance: Rectangular nylon tea bag with dark green tea fannings; there may be some Jasmine flower petals
Rating: B | 87/100
# of Brews: 1

Tasting Notes and Thoughts
Wow, it's been a while since I've done a teabag review. If you don't remember, the way I do these is just brewing the tea, and sipping on the cup until I get a decent flavor profile. In most cases, it's one cup, with no additives, like milk or sugar (even with teas like Earl Grey or English Breakfast, where I'd normally add something).

Anyway, here's the review. Now, I admit that brewing a green tea in boiling water isn't necessarily the best practice, but I'm surprised at how well it turned out. There was a very slight bitterness, which I believe isn't the result of mis-brewing, but rather the type of tea. From reading about it, Sanpin cha is a specialty of Okinawa; instead of being prepared like a traditional Japanese green (such as a sencha), it's prepared more like a Chinese green. I'm not necessarily sure on the processing techniques, but I'm going to guess that it's pan-heated rather than steamed. The taste is surprisingly similar to other Chinese green teas I've had– I can't put a name on it, but it's more easily brewed, tastier version of a Jasmine green from MK Teas (which I received from a tea exchange).

The profile goes like this: it starts out with the mellow, floral Jasmine notes, which quickly dissipate into a sharp tangy note with a hint of bitterness. As for the texture, it's smooth (bar that slight bitter taste) that leaves sort of a waxy taste in the mouth. The throat can get a bit dry if you drink this tea a bit fast, though. Overall, this is one of the better Jasmine teas I've had; I'd like to get my hands on some loose leaf of this tea, but for the convenience, the tea bags will have to do.

Other Notes

To be honest, the only reason I wrote today's review is so I could talk about this year's California Extreme, which was one of the best. Originally, I was going to go with two other friends, but one dropped out last minute (despite us planning this for a couple of months). We ended up replacing him, with it all working out since the friend that dropped out still had his info in the system (so the new guy got his name tag and everything). When we got there and had the whole missing friend-volunteer situation sorted out, we had a two hour shift of essentially just putting wristbands on people. During the shift, we made friends with one of our coworkers, who turned out to be a pretty stand up guy– friendly and entertaining (not in a bad way).

Afterwards, we picked up some free shirts, played a few games on the show floor, and walked to In N Out (which was a decent distance away) for lunch. Once we got back, we hung around a bit more on the floor playing more games; however, we felt like the games on the floor weren't all that great– mainly because they've been the same for the past few years and some of our favorite games were either gone or busy. We did play quite a bit of Ferrari simulator (time trial competition between the group), pinball, rhythm games, and Lupin the 3rd Typing (at least I did).

The highlight of the day comes from outside of the main floor, when we had an adventure around the hotel. Bored, we decided to take the elevator up to the 14th floor and then explored the stairwell. We eventually found our way to the Rockage SJ showcase, where we played a ton of Nidhogg and some sumo wrestler game on the arcade machine built by the Game Dev club at SJSU. The most memorable part of the night came when Super Soul Bros (the band playing at the time) told us to go onto Rainbow Road on Mario Kart 64. When we did, they began to play the theme of the course as a live soundtrack, even speeding up when we reached the final lap. After our race, they played one last song to close the concert, and we left.

Before going home, the three of us got onto our favorite game– The Grid. We played the last 20-30 minutes we had at CAX on those machines, went to have dinner, then went home. All in all, a pretty memorable night.

Review: Oriental Beauty - Ten Ren

Type: Oolong
Producer: Ten Ren Tea Co.
Origin: Northern Taiwan
Brewing Parameters: 3 g, brewing to taste
Appearance: Dark brown/black, thin, rolled leaves with a few twigs
Rating: A- | 91/100
# of Brews: 5

Tasting Notes and Thoughts
So, yesterday, I was in San Francisco with a friend and we went around town, visiting Japantown, Chinatown, and Pier 39. While there, I picked up two teas: some Sanpin cha (Okinawan Jasmine tea; expect a review later) at Japantown, and Oriental Beauty at Chinatown. I got stuck between choosing the Oriental Beauty and a small pu-erh cake at Ten Ren since they were the same price ($9), but finally decided on the Oriental Beauty since I haven't had it in a while– the last one I had was from Tea Ave, a sampler– and it came in a large bag.

Anyway, aside from Chinatown's ridiculous tea prices (really: the average price for some Jin Xuan was over $20), let's get to my first impressions and the review. Unlike the Tea Ave dry leaf, the Ten Ren leaves are a lot more darker and smell somewhat like urine. It's a bit disgusting, yes, I know, but it's comparable to a pu-erh; it's just less fishy-smelling.

As for the brewing, I started off with a rinse with boiling water. According to the Ten Ren site, this tea shouldn't be made with such hot water, so I let my water sit to cool afterwards and then began again. The first brew was pretty short– under 30 seconds– and the liquid came out a light, golden yellow, like a tie guan yin. It smelled a bit more better: honeyed, sweet, and like ginseng (I'm saying this because it's very similar to Blue People tea). The actual drink's flavor was pretty enjoyable, too– surprisingly. The first note I tasted was fruit, apricot, a little bit of lemon, which gave it a bit of a tanginess. Immediately after, it's followed by a slight moment of smokiness, and ends with the sweet honey that's in the smell. This sweet honey, combined with the fruit, lingers in the mouth for quite a while, and is generally clean. The texture, overall, seems to be very smooth, with little astringency or bite.

Overall, I thought this was a good tea especially considering the price. I got to 5 brews, with the tea eventually losing the honey and becoming a bit fruitier (but not very sour) in the later brews. In terms of taste, I think the Tea Ave Oriental Beauty was much better, but again, the price point of this tea makes it very appealing.

Other Notes
Well, I don't really have much to say here. I just finished reading Mother Night by Kurt Vonnegut (for the second time, I think, but I can't remember when I read it the first time), and am about to start to work on summer homework. Mother Night is a lot more darker than I remember it to be, but I did find that it has a strong moral message and existentialist meaning, especially considering that it's a novel about an American spy who acted as Nazi during World War 2; for example, here is the main lesson of the story: "We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful what we pretend to be."

Other than that, I'll be going to San Francisco again for Competition Civics workshops on Saturday, California Extreme for volunteering and games on Sunday, and an environmental science summer camp all next week. My goal is to finish the main portion of my summer homework by next week, or the week after; I already have all of AP Chem done, almost all of AP Gov done (just need to watch the Republican/Democratic conventions), and quite a bit to do for Comp Civics, even though it looks like I'm ahead of most people. One thing, though, that I've noticed (which is unrelated) is that I've started to become disillusioned with the people at my school, and the competitive college admissions atmosphere. Honestly, it seems that everything academic that one can do isn't enough, and for those that could do enough by my school's standards are able to do it because it's all a money game. I might write a longer piece on why I'm starting to become disappointed with the people I have to associate with, but that depends on if I have the motivation to or not. We'll see.

For tea stuff, I have a few reviews coming up soon. I have that Okinawan Jasmine tea I bought at Japantown, along with a bunch of different tea bags, including: Ambiance's Earl Grey, Trader Joe's Earl Grey (might do a side-by-side review of these two), Numi's Moroccan Mint, Mighty Leaf's Organic Green Dragon and Organic Detox Infusion, Ambiance's Soothing Chamomile, and Twining's Lemon and Ginger. Since they're tea bags, I might experiment with a shorter, quick-review style since I won't be able to get an entire profile from just one bag (and I only have one bag of each).

Review: Pi Lo Chun - Red Blossom Tea Co.

Type: Green
Producer: Red Blossom Tea Co.
Origin: Jiangsu, China*
Brewing Parameters: 2 g, brewing to taste
Appearance: Small, white to light-green curled leaves
Rating: A | 93/100
# of Brews: 5

Tasting Notes and Thoughts
What is this? It looks like I've finally gotten around to reviewing this tea, after talking about it for one or two years now! At this point, though, I think the flavor of the tea might be significantly different because of improper storage and also because of a very small amount of leaf. Regardless, let's see how this goes.

Because I only stored about 2 grams of this tea, I'm brewing in a tasting set/cup to balance the water to leaf ratio. My first brew was only thirty seconds; the liquid was very light colored, with a tint of pastel green. I'm not entirely sure on the aroma, but I can best describe it as sweet, somewhat like soy sauce, with meat and vegetables. For some reason, it smelled a bit like a puerh– metallic.

The flavor stayed relatively the same through the drinking session. It was very fruity, with a hint of sweetness that gave way to some bitterness by the end. Like many others have said, apricot is its dominant taste, followed by grassy notes. There's a smooth texture– it just felt like drinking water, unlike some other teas– that left little to no aftertaste in my mouth and on my breath. While the flavor didn't change much, there is one issue: it didn't last that many brews. After the first or second brews, it was very weak and got even weaker with each subsequent brew. I'm not sure if it's just because of the tea itself, or because I've had it for a very long time, but I'm willing to wager that it's the latter.

Overall, I'd forgotten how much I like this tea. It's not necessarily a complex tea, but it's very enjoyable and I can see it as a daily drink. Oh, and it works very well in cooking, too. It's a shame that it looks like Red Blossom Tea Co. isn't selling this tea anymore.

Other Notes
I hope you all have had a great 4th of July! I spent mine in Santa Barbara with the family, since we had to drop off my sister for summer classes at UCSB. Interestingly, on our drive back, we got to watch fireworks explode at eye-level as we went past the beach.

As for today, it's been a lazy day. I think the only things I've done were play video games with friends, cook some twice baked potatoes and baked avocados, and go to the library. I made my final summer reading list too: Mother Night, by Kurt Vonnegut; The House of Mirth, by Edith Wharton; Breakfast at Tiffany's, by Truman Capote; Complete Stories, by Zora Neale Hurston; The Confessions of Nat Turner, by William Styron; and Pygmalion by Bernard Shaw. I've already read Galapagos by Kurt Vonnegut and Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka, so I'm already two down.

Regarding my summer work, I've actually got a decent amount done. For AP Gov/Macro, all I need to do is watch and report on the Republican and Democratic Conventions, for AP Chem, read 3 more chapters and do their related problems, and for Competition Civics, write journals on all of the readings, read Ratification by Pauline Maier, and read and make a lesson on Spirit of Laws by Montesquieu. My plan is to finish it all before my environmental sciences summer camp at CSU EB in two weeks, so I've been working my ass off. In fact, since July 1st, I've been doing reading for Comp Civics each day, practicing my handwriting, and doing AP Chem chapters, and have gotten the majority of the work– the easy stuff, that is– out of the way.

Finally, here's some good news! Ended up with 5s on my AP Stats, English Lang, and US History exams, so there's that.

Review: Kawane-cha - Yamashiro

Type: Sencha
Producer: Yamashiro
Origin: Kawane, Shizuoka
Brewing Parameters: 5g; adjusting brewing params. to taste
Appearance: Thin, dark green rolled leaves of medium size (0.5 to 1 inch long)
Rating: B+ | 88/100
# of Brews: 3

Tasting Notes and Thoughts
So, I picked up this tea during a class trip in Japantown earlier this year. It was relatively cheap– about $10, if I remember correctly– for 70 g. Just as a note, I haven't been drinking tea that often lately; I have had Irish breakfast often, but nothing like sencha or oolong. It's probably a combination of the summer weather, lack of money, and no motivation, so please excuse me if this review is subpar.

Now that that's out of the way, the first few cups of this tea were a light green, which gradually got brighter over multiple brews. Interestingly, the most prominent smell I noticed was tuna; I couldn't really smell anything else, since most of it was overpowered by that fishy aroma. As for the taste, like most senchas, this one is a bit sour, with a grassy aftertaste. I can also a slight bitter, fruity taste, which I think is mostly similar to grapes– but not sweet, table grapes. It also left my throat feeling slightly dry, but not to the extent of other, harsher teas.

As the drinking session continued, the tea became even more bright, and started to lose its bitter taste. It mellowed out, with savory, seaweed notes becoming the main flavor. The fruity notes followed, lingering in the mouth with a sort of waxy texture on the cheeks and tongue. After that taste had gone, there was a vague sweet taste that came off of my breath and gradually became more intense.

Overall, I thought this was a decent sencha. While it is better in terms of brewing ability– it seemed hard to mess it up and make it very bitter, which is not the case with many other green teas– it lacked any characteristics that would set it apart. I ended up only having three brews since I ran out of water, but if I was drinking with others, I'd have more, and I'm sure that this tea could last for a while.

Other Notes
Now that my summer forensics program is finished, I can finally start that plan I mentioned in my previous post. So, for most of July, here's my plan with a few updates:
1. Read 50 pages of a required book OR 1 chapter/section from a textbook
2. Read at least 8 books of my choice before school starts
3. Write 1 personal thing, like this review or an application essay
4. Write 1 thing for homework, like a journal passage
5. Do some other school-related thing like editing the APUSH study guide I wrote, or making flashcards

Other than that, I'll just be going to another science summer camp for a week and hanging out with friends.