I promised I'd post all of my reviews here as well as my re-found
blog, so here goes:

Bi Lo Chun - teaspring.com (Sept. 10, 2007)

I've been under the weather lately but nothing was going to stop me
from breaking into my new stash from teaspring.com. I started with the
Bi Lo Chun. It is much lighter green than the photo on their site and
it more closely resembles their photo of the Dong Ting Bi Lo Chun
(I'll post a photo later). My taste buds aren't at their peak since
I'm sick but I could tell that even teaspring's most inexpensive BLC
was exceptional. It's taste is everything you think of with BLC:
clear, sweet, and slightly vegetal with a tiny hint of nuttiness... I
hate the term "nutty" as it is a turnoff for me with tea, but I guess
it is the closest approximation to the flavor. In any event it is very
subtle almost non-existent.

The tiny package weighs in at 50g of the dense little "snails" and is
a bargain for under $5! This is has replaced all other BLC on my list
and will be in constant supply both at home and work as a daily
drinker. It's that good. I have had better, but at much more of a
premium and truthfully this hits every base at a much more reasonable
cost. My only regret is that I didn't bring some to work to enjoy
here, that will be resolved tomorrow


Huang Shan Mao Feng - teaspring.com (Sept. 10, 2007)

OK, just so everyone doesn't think I only write glowing reviews or
that I somehow never hit on a dud... I give you my view on Huang Shan
Mao Feng. Also, I do realize I may be committing a massive sin by
daring to disparage one of the 10 famous teas, but I've never been one
to let other's opinions or awards to cloud my judgment. I will also
say that I have much more experimentation in store before I render
this verdict final. The jasmine oolong I got from Kam Man has worn out
of my favor and I believe that over time I've found there to be some
sort of chemical in there that has totally put me off, so I'm never
afraid to revisit or go back on previous reviews. My now strange love
of Kudingcha is another. I swore up and down that this bitter holly
leaf was unfit for even my worst enemies... and now I get cravings for
it every now and then, so Huang Shan Mao Feng may still win my favor
yet.

I guess my main issue is the light flavor. I didn't find it overly
complex or outstanding in any way that would wow me. It was thin,
light, clear, very slightly sweet, and a bit nutty. I have been a bit
sick so maybe my taste buds aren't at their peak. I tried the brewing
suggestions on the teaspring site, and it didn't change much for me.
I'm also left confused by the customer reviews of this tea. The site
claims it is a "strong" flavor, yet most customer reviews use and
reuse the term "delicate" and "light." Then there is the fact that
almost every review is different, some claim it worthy of six stars,
some say good, some say very good, some say bitter... it covers the
spectrum almost as if each person was tasting a different tea. When I
see this kind of disparity in a highly-rated tea I tend to believe
what is actually happening is that many people bought into a supposed
"top" tea and feel that it *has* to be good since it is one of China's
top 10. I mean, it's sort of expensive, 4.6 out of 5 rating, one of
the 10 famous Chinese teas, etc. how could someone dare to say
otherwise?

I think I just did.

- Dominic
http://teasphere.wordpress.com

I guess my main issue is the light flavor. I didn't find it overly
complex or outstanding in any way that would wow me. It was thin,
light, clear, very slightly sweet, and a bit nutty. I have been a bit
sick so maybe my taste buds aren't at their peak. I tried the brewing
suggestions on the teaspring site, and it didn't change much for me.
I'm also left confused by the customer reviews of this tea. The site
claims it is a "strong" flavor, yet most customer reviews use and
reuse the term "delicate" and "light." Then there is the fact that
almost every review is different, some claim it worthy of six stars,
some say good, some say very good, some say bitter... it covers the
spectrum almost as if each person was tasting a different tea. When I
see this kind of disparity in a highly-rated tea I tend to believe
what is actually happening is that many people bought into a supposed
"top" tea and feel that it *has* to be good since it is one of China's
top 10. I mean, it's sort of expensive, 4.6 out of 5 rating, one of
the 10 famous Chinese teas, etc. how could someone dare to say
otherwise?

That's odd. All of the Maofeng that I have tasted has seemed to be
pretty strongly fried; you can see it clearly in the dark liquor that
it produces. That would also count for the strong taste that the
website was boasting. Maybe you got some kind of Zhejiang green tea
instead. With the variance of those reviews, maybe teaspring is just
getting rid of their stock greens and calling it "maofeng". The best
"maofeng" style tea that I have ever drank, came from Sichuan.

I am sorta wary of online vendors because you never know what they are
going to ship you or where they get their stock from.

On Sep 11, 11:08 am, "Dominic T." wrote:
I promised I'd post all of my reviews here as well as my re-found
blog, so here goes:

Bi Lo Chun - teaspring.com (Sept. 10, 2007)

I've been under the weather lately but nothing was going to stop me
from breaking into my new stash from teaspring.com. I started with the
Bi Lo Chun. It is much lighter green than the photo on their site and
it more closely resembles their photo of the Dong Ting Bi Lo Chun
(I'll post a photo later). My taste buds aren't at their peak since
I'm sick but I could tell that even teaspring's most inexpensive BLC
was exceptional. It's taste is everything you think of with BLC:
clear, sweet, and slightly vegetal with a tiny hint of nuttiness... I
hate the term "nutty" as it is a turnoff for me with tea, but I guess
it is the closest approximation to the flavor. In any event it is very
subtle almost non-existent.

The tiny package weighs in at 50g of the dense little "snails" and is
a bargain for under $5! This is has replaced all other BLC on my list
and will be in constant supply both at home and work as a daily
drinker. It's that good. I have had better, but at much more of a
premium and truthfully this hits every base at a much more reasonable
cost. My only regret is that I didn't bring some to work to enjoy
here, that will be resolved tomorrow

Huang Shan Mao Feng - teaspring.com (Sept. 10, 2007)

OK, just so everyone doesn't think I only write glowing reviews or
that I somehow never hit on a dud... I give you my view on Huang Shan
Mao Feng. Also, I do realize I may be committing a massive sin by
daring to disparage one of the 10 famous teas, but I've never been one
to let other's opinions or awards to cloud my judgment. I will also
say that I have much more experimentation in store before I render
this verdict final. The jasmine oolong I got from Kam Man has worn out
of my favor and I believe that over time I've found there to be some
sort of chemical in there that has totally put me off, so I'm never
afraid to revisit or go back on previous reviews. My now strange love
of Kudingcha is another. I swore up and down that this bitter holly
leaf was unfit for even my worst enemies... and now I get cravings for
it every now and then, so Huang Shan Mao Feng may still win my favor
yet.

I guess my main issue is the light flavor. I didn't find it overly
complex or outstanding in any way that would wow me. It was thin,
light, clear, very slightly sweet, and a bit nutty. I have been a bit
sick so maybe my taste buds aren't at their peak. I tried the brewing
suggestions on the teaspring site, and it didn't change much for me.
I'm also left confused by the customer reviews of this tea. The site
claims it is a "strong" flavor, yet most customer reviews use and
reuse the term "delicate" and "light." Then there is the fact that
almost every review is different, some claim it worthy of six stars,
some say good, some say very good, some say bitter... it covers the
spectrum almost as if each person was tasting a different tea. When I
see this kind of disparity in a highly-rated tea I tend to believe
what is actually happening is that many people bought into a supposed
"top" tea and feel that it *has* to be good since it is one of China's
top 10. I mean, it's sort of expensive, 4.6 out of 5 rating, one of
the 10 famous Chinese teas, etc. how could someone dare to say
otherwise?

I think I just did.

- Dominichttp://teasphere.wordpress.com

UPDATE: After some more brewing and playing with temperature and
amount of leaf, I have finally come across something a bit more
noteworthy. Hotter water than I'd normally use for a green and more
leaf in my gaiwan produces much more sweetness and the orchid notes.
Now it's a strange creature in that to smell the leaf dry brings a ton
of roasted and nutty notes, but the brew is anything but! Basically,
it still follows with my first diagnosis but just intensified. The
sweetness lingers for a very long time in the middle to back of the
tongue after drinking, which is nice. I still do not see much more to
it than sweet orchid water, but at least that is a step up from what I
got during my first trials. It seems like a tea that could be good
every now and then, but certainly not a steady diet of it. A nice
novelty and the chameleon-like quality is about it for me.

- Dominic

UPDATE: After some more brewing and playing with temperature and
amount of leaf, I have finally come across something a bit more
noteworthy. Hotter water than I'd normally use for a green and more
leaf in my gaiwan produces much more sweetness and the orchid notes.
Now it's a strange creature in that to smell the leaf dry brings a ton
of roasted and nutty notes, but the brew is anything but! Basically,
it still follows with my first diagnosis but just intensified. The
sweetness lingers for a very long time in the middle to back of the
tongue after drinking, which is nice. I still do not see much more to
it than sweet orchid water, but at least that is a step up from what I
got during my first trials. It seems like a tea that could be good
every now and then, but certainly not a steady diet of it. A nice
novelty and the chameleon-like quality is about it for me.

Throw some in the bottom of a glass and pour water over it. See how
that does for the tea. I've never really drank green gongfu style;
always the "tall glass" brewing style. You can appreciate the visual
aspect.

In Sichuan, we usually fill the glass halfway and let it brew a while
before filling the rest of the glass up.