Hello hello! Kuura is a new tea company that specializes in puer, white, and black tea. Kuura has been slowly gaining popularity through social media — in part to their aesthetic. They’re based out of Melbourne Australia and source their tea from China. A few weeks ago, I was surprised to see that they sent me a box of tea, and included in this box was a beeng of 2017 Fall Xishuangbanna sheng puer titled ‘Vector’. So I must ask, what is this tea all about? Lets find out! Water Temperature - 185ºf Demensions - 4g in a 60ml gaiwan Beeng price - $34.50 for 200g Number of steeps - 12 Steeps 1 - 4 At first, Vector opened up to the faint notes of green grass which left a light floral aftertaste. After another steep, the green grass tasting notes began to transform into the notes of hay with a medicinal undertone. By the fourth steep, this tea was turning more and more savory, and had a light sweetness to compliment these notes. Steeps 5 - 12 The tasting notes of hay took over this teas body, as it held a leaf pile undertone. Vector held a broth-like texture, and seemed to be slightly medicinal in its aftertaste. This tea held these tasting notes up to the tenth infusion, which is when this tea’s strength began to lighten up a bit. By the eleventh infusion Vector was phasing out and by the twelfth infusion, this tea was finished and ready to be put away… Conclusion Kuura is a new tea company that started out by releasing a small amount of pressed teas for their fall collection. A part of this collection included a beeng titled ‘Vector’, which was pressed in November of 2017. One thing I liked about this tea is its accessibility, and had an overall pleasant texture to its body. Another thing I liked about this tea is its cleanliness and seemed to be pressed with great care. However, this beeng is compressed tighter than most other beengs that I’ve had, and took a good minute to pry apart. Overall, Vector is a great introduction to puer and is a tea I’d recommend to people who are new to sheng. For a tea company that is new, I’ll be looking forward to trying other teas from their catalogue…

Hello hello! When I first got into tea, I started shopping with Yunnan Sourcing. I was really interested in oolongs, so I went to their selection and started looking around. Since I have heard many stories of ‘bad oolong’, I didn’t want one of my first experiences with it to be a poor one. So what did I do? I bought one of Yunnan Sourcing’s most expensive oolongs: Competition Grade Tie Guan Yin of the Gande Village. When I first tried it, I fell head over heels for it and ended up ordering more. Since my first experience with that oolong, its been nearly two years since I’ve had the change to revisit it. Thankfully, Yunnan Sourcing sent me a small sample of the ‘up to date’ version of this oolong — the Autumn 2017 harvest to be exact. Since it’s been so long since I’ve had this oolong, I was apprehensive to drink it again because I’ve had so many pleasurable oolong experiences prior to now. So I must ask, was this tea as wonderful as I remember, or was it a disappointment? Let's dig in! Water Temperature - 185ºf Dimensions - 4.5g of tea for a 90ml vessel Price Per Gram - $0.78 Steeps 1 - 6 For this session, I started out with a thirty-second steep and got my first brew. At first, the prominent taste of freshly cut green grass hit the base of the tongue and left a sweet sugar snap pea aftertaste in the back of the throat. After a few more steeps, this oolong was fully opened up which brought up a faint, yet brilliant taste of melon. By the end of the sixth infusion, a faint floral finish of gardenia appeared. Steeps 7 - 12 By the seventh steep, this oolong’s texture was thick and full of life. The hints of gardenia grew stronger and stronger and mixed beautifully with the base of freshly cut green grass. However, by the eighth steep, this tea’s body began to thin out a bit as the notes of sugar snap peas and melon began to fade away; only leaving the floral notes. By the twelfth steep, this oolong decided it was finished and was time to be put away… Conclusion To start, this Competition Grade Tie Guan Yin first started out very grassy and tasted very fresh. As the session went on, the tasting notes grew complex in many different ways. Halfway through the session, this tea’s texture seemed to keep thickening, and lasted until the twelfth infusion. One thing I liked about this oolong was how aromatic it was, and how this teas aroma made my mouth water. Another thing I liked about this oolong is its complexity and wide array of tasting notes. Overall, I think Yunnan Sourcing did a fantastic job at sourcing this oolong. While I remember the spring version being more complex, the fall version was still tasty nonetheless. I would recommend this oolong to anyone who is into greener teas, especially oolong enthusiasts. Next time when I drink this Tie Guan Yin, I’ll be reminded of fond memories from when I first started drinking tea, as this tea has secured a slice of real-estate in my heart…

Hello hello! Lately I’ve been digging into the exploration of different oolongs, such as oolongs from China and Taiwan. However, there is one kind of oolong that’s new to me (and a lot of other people), and that’s because it hasn’t been around for very long. This is oolong tea that’s grown in New Zealand. Yes, you read that right. Today I’m going over an organic oolong tea, grown and sold by Zealong, which is grown exclusively in New Zealand. In fact, they sent me a box of their aromatic oolong to try. So I must ask, how does this oolong hold up to its Taiwanese and Chinese counterparts? Lets find out! Water Temperature - 185ºf Dimensions - 4.5ml of oolong for a 90ml tea pot Price Per Gram - $0.63 Steeps 1 - 6 At first, Zealong started out with faint undertones of vanilla which left a sweet and leaf pile aftertaste on the tongue. After a few more steeps, and after having a chance to open up, these tasting notes became more prominent in the mouth. With the combinations of vanilla and green leafy flavors, it almost resembled coconut water. After the fourth/fifth steeping, this tea fully resembled coconut water. By the sixth steeping, these flavors started to change and began to take a back seat. Steeping 6 - 12 Zealong’s tasting notes of vanilla and leaf pile started to take a back seat as a vegetal zucchini tasting note started to make its way to the front of the tongue. These vegetal tasting notes came on strong, and were smooth to the base of the tongue. This teas texture was smoother than before, and really started to make my mouth water for more. By the tenth infusion, this tea started to lighten up a bit. However, by the twelfth infusion, this tea had given it its all, and it was time to be put away.… Conclusion Zealong is a brand of tea that grows their own oolong right out of New Zealand. This tea comes in a 50g package, and is packed in its own unique box. One thing I liked about this variation of oolong is its unique taste that heavily reminded me of vanilla and coconut water — something I’ve never tasted in a green oolong before. Another thing I liked about this oolong is the number of steeps I was able to get out of it. However, despite that it’s grown in New Zealand, the prince point closely matches other high mountain Taiwanese oolongs. Overall, I think that Zealong was a fun experience, mainly because I haven’t tried too many other oolong teas that were grown outside of Taiwan or China. I think when considering this teas tasting notes, it’s safe to say that it was complex enough to make me want to place an order for more in the future. So next time when you want to try an oolong that’s uniquely and positively different, I would personally go with Zealong….

Hello hello! In the fall of 2017, White2Tea released a small selection of sheng and shou puer teas. One of those teas happens to be called Swinedog 76, and despite having a fabulous wrapper, it seemed to be overshadowed by the released of 2017 Flapjacks. Anyways, according to White2Tea, 2017 Swinedog 76 is described as being very potent with strong bitterness and body feels. So is this tea as bitter and as potent as White2Tea says? Lets find out! Water Temperature - 185ºf Dimensions - 4g in a 60ml gaiwan Beeng Price - $139.00 Number of Steeps - 14 Steeps 1 - 4 Swinedog 76 first opened up to a very faint bitterness, along with a sage and medicinal body. After a few more steeps, this tea produced the undertone of moss, and began to thicken up with a broth-like body. By the fourth steep, this tea was in full swing. Steeps 5 - 8 Swinedog 76’s bitterness took over this tea’s palate, as it took ever every aspect of this tea. This tea’s bitterness carried a powerful punch as it left a very faint green grass and light sage undertone. With this tea’s protruding bitterness, there was a light tang to its body, which seemed to widen the pupils of my eyes. By the eights steep, this tea was full on bitter. ​ Steeps 9 - 14 Swinedog 76’s bitterness still took over this teas palate, and didn’t seem to lighten up until the tenth steep. Despite this teas bitterness, it became mouthwatering and seemed to resemble something savory. However, by the twelfth steep, this tea’s power started to let up, and continued to taper off until the very last steep. Conclusion Swinedog 76 is a new 2017 fall tea released by White2Tea, and is described as bitter and powerful. Well, this would be a correct assessment because Swinedog 76 sure carried one hell of a punch, and was bitter throughout the session. Despite this tea’s bitterness, there was still other tasting notes in there as well such as the light green grass and sage undertones. Due to this tea’s texture, it tasted very similar (nearly identical) to other ‘wild’ tea’s that I’ve had in the past. If I had to guess, this tea possessed some sort of wild tea tree leaves. It even had powerful energy, which made me sweat halfway though the session. Overall, I don’t think Swinedog 76 is for everyone, which his part and due to the fact that it’s so powerful and bitter. Despite its bitterness, I could see where this tea would be favored by a lot of puer enthusiasts, mainly because of the punch and body feels that it carries. In conclusion, I think Swinedog 76 has some aging to do, and points to a brighter future ahead of it. Would I beeng this tea? - I would, and want to see how it ages Note - this small sample of tea was given to me as a gift in my last White2Tea order

Hello hello! In Spring of 2017, Bitter Leaf Teas released a series of teas called ‘Plum Beauty’, Mensong Sheng Puer. Plum Beauty comes in three different grades which are bronze, silver, and gold. Plum Beauty did exceptionally well, and was highly praised for their taste and energy. However, Bitter Leaf Teas decided to take their Plum Beauty Silver and make a shou from it! And I was fortunate enough to find a small sample of it in my last order from Bitter Leaf Teas. So is Plum Beauty Shou just as good as its sheng counterpart? Lets find out! Water Temperature - Boil Dimensions - I used 4g of tea in a 60ml gaiwan Beeng Price - $80.00 for 200g Number of Steeps - 12 Steeps 1 - 4 Plum Beauty Shou first started out very light earthy tasting note. After a few more steeps, it continued to open up to the mouth watering tasting notes of dirt and a faint wood. There was a sweetness to it, and with the combination of flavors, these early steeps reminded me of a black tea. Steeps 5 - 8 Plum Beauty Shou continued to open up with the base tasting notes of earth, but with a undertone of tree bark. This tea’s texture was smooth and malt-like, which still reminded me of a black tea. After a few more steeps, a light sodium aftertaste made itself known which lingered in the sides of the tongue. Steeps 9 - 12 The tasting notes of tree bark were much more noticeable than the previous infusions. The notes of tree bark took over the notes of earth, and still left a light sodium aftertaste on the sides of the tongue. Plum Beauty Shou’s texture was still very smooth, but light nonetheless. It was evident that this tea was still very humid, and after the twelve infusions it was time to say goodbye… Conclusion Plum Beauty Ripe is a shou puer, yet to be released by Bitter Leaf Teas. This tea is predicted to be released by January of 2018, and is being released late due to this teas humidness from pressing. One thing I liked about Plum Beauty Ripe was how smooth the texture was, and if it wasn’t for the earthy tasting notes, you could have convinced me I was drinking a hong. Another thing I liked about this tea was its energy, because despite this teas humidness, it made me feel tea drunk. Overall, Plum Beauty Shou is a shining exemplification of how much quality a shou should possess. I think this also makes for a fun experience if you were to drink this and Plum Beauty Silver (source material) side by side. Given that this tea is so young, it looks like it has a bright future ahead of it…

Hello hello! Tie Guan Yin is a Chinese green oolong that’s also known as ‘Iron Goddess of Mercy’. Tie Guan Yin is also traditionally roasted and sold as an oolong that's darker in color. However, Healthy Leaf is selling their 2017 un-roasted version of Tie Guan Yin, and sent me a little bit of it to review. So what’s so special about one of China’s most popular oolong teas? Let's find out! Water Temperature - 185ºf Dimensions - 4.5g of oolong for a 90ml vessel (5g per 100ml) Tea Price - $13.50 for 50g Steeps 1 - 4 At first, Iron Goddess tasted light and watery, as it didn’t have much flavor. However, as the tea had a chance to open up, a light green grass tasting note hit the tongue and left the mellow vegetal aftertaste of sugar snap peas. After a few more steeps, this tea’s body became thicker and ticker. Around the fourth steep, this tea was becoming a full-on broth. Steeps 5 - 12 Iron Goddess continued to open up to a broth-like body. The tasting notes of green grass turned a little more leafy, as it left a cooling and refreshing aftertaste in the back of the throat. By the eight steep, the tasting notes of sugar snap peas began to dwindle along with this teas broth-like body. By the twelfth steep, there wasn’t much left of this tea as it was getting more and more mellow. I think it’s safe to say that by this point, this oolong had given its all, and was time to be put away. This Iron Goddess no longer had any mercy… Conclusion At first, this tea had a wonderful sweet aroma of freshly cut grass and sugar snap peas. After brewing this tea for multiple sessions, the sweet aroma of this tea never gets old. One thing I liked about this tea is that it had a strong backbone that made its tasting notes last throughout the session. Another thing I liked about this tea is how fresh it seemed to be. However, with almost all oolongs, it took a few steeps to open up (since oolongs are typically rolled into nuggets). Overall, this tea is a great introduction to Chinese oolongs and is great for daily drinking. I recommend this tea to those who like green and un-roasted oolongs, along with those that enjoy something easy, yet complex and relaxing. So while Healthy Leaf Teas is just getting their start, they offer one relaxing version of Tie Guan Yin — which will continue to please many tea drinkers to come…

Hello hello! The world if tea is huge, which means theres a lot of tea out there thats ready to be purchased. But what happens when you buy a tea that you end up not liking? We’ve all experienced a tea that we ended up not liking, and we’ve learned to never buy it again. But now that you have a tea that you don't like, what can you learn from it? What do you do with it? Let's find out! What To Do There are several things you can do with tea you end up not liking. First, you can always regift the tea! This is one of the easiest things you can do with tea, but it mainly depends on the person you’re gifting it too. Earlier last year, a popular tea company was about to sell out on a highly rated black tea blend, and since it was about to sell out (and I thought I was going to miss my opportunity), I ended up buying three ounces of it. When it arrived in the mail, I realized three things. One, I don’t even like black tea. Two, I didn’t even like the black tea that I bought. Three, this tea company re-released this tea blend so I basically bought it on an impulse for nothing. So what did I do with the all of the tea that I had left? Well, I have a tea friend who LOVES black tea, so during a tea exchange, I handed it off to him. Thankfully, he ended up loving it. Besides regifting bad tea, there are other things you can do with it. Before handing off your tea, I highly recommend brewing it several different ways. With the 3oz of black tea that I bought, I brewed it two different ways, grand-pa style and gong-fu style. Despite that I don't like black tea, I didn’t want to spend money on this tea for nothing, so I experimented with it. More times than not, I’ve had a tea that I hated when brewed gong-fu style, but loved grand-pa style. So if you normally drink tea using one method, try brewing it in a different method. Lastly, I recommend using your tea as fertilizer for your garden. I’m an active gardener and I often use tea as fertilizer. I often take tea leaves and mix it in the soil with a shovel. Or, I’ll grind up the tea leaves into dust and brush it over the top of my garden. Tea makes for an excellent fertilizer, and if you have a tea that you absolutely hate, and don’t have any friends to gift it off to, then use it in your garden! After all, It came from the Earth so it must be good for it. And if you don’t have a garden, then you’re basically stuck with it. Or use your garbage disposal. How to Avoid Bad Tea A lot of times, you don’t have to learn from a large mistake. When buying tea, it’s easy to get lost in the seller's description of it. Or maybe a certain tea was given a good review by a blogger and struck you as interesting. However the case may be, one way you to avoid making a costly mistake is to sample a tea. Many tea companies offer smaller samples of the teas they sell, and more times than not, sample sizes are on the cheaper side. A good example is a lot of puer tea companies. A lot of companies that sell puer will often sell samples, so that way if you want to try a certain puer, you can easily buy a sample without buying an entire beeng. However, not all tea shops offer sample sizes of their tea, so what can you do now? First and foremost, most tea companies are here to sell a product. So I would highly recommend contacting the tea company their self and request trying a sample size. Most of the time, I’ve never run into any trouble ordering sample sizes from tea companies, especially when you message them. Taking a Risk So what do you do if a tea company doesn’t offer a sample size of a tea, and you’re curious to try it anyway? Well, sometimes, the best thing to do is take a risk and buy the tea anyways. Sometimes, the best thing to do is explore and try a new tea. It's not guaranteed that you’re going to like everything that you try, but sometimes exploring and trying new things is the best way to expand your palate. Besides, trying new things is the best way to discover that you like something! Imagine the world of possibilities that could be out there waiting for you, and all you have to do is take that first sip… “Blissfully Tea Drunk”

Hello hello! White2Tea released several fall teas for their Black Friday sale. One of these releases included a 2017 sheng puer titled Snoozefest. Only 100 of these beengs were made, and White2Tea listed it for only $15.00 (originally worth $40.00). After its midnight release, it sold out in record time because after an hour and a half, Snoozefest was gone. Three weeks later, mine arrived in the mail. So what’s so special about this tea, and was it really worth all of the hype? Lets find out! Water Temperature - 185ºf Dimensions - 4.5g of tea for a 65ml gaiwan Number of Steeps - 12 Steeps 1 - 4 Snoozefest opened up to a grass-like body and left an oily aftertaste in the throat. After opening up for another few steeps, Snoozefest’s body became a little thicker as a light stevia aftertaste lingered in the sides of the cheek. By the forth steep, this tea was already thickening and becoming stronger and stronger. Steeps 5 - 8 Snoozefest continued to open up to a vegetal and grass-like body, and the longer the steeps, the more savory and mouthwatering these tasting notes became. The notes of this tea kept transforming as it left a nice cloud of humidness in the mouth. By the eight steep, this tea was full on broth, and brought on the new tasting note of moss which became more and more detectable. Steeps 9 - 12 Snoozefest’s body began to settle down as the tasting notes of green grass turned into the tasting notes of hay. After a few more steeps, this tea kept mellowing out as its body became thinner and thinner. Despite that, it left a lingering grass-like tasting note on the base of the tongue. By the end of the tenth steep, this tea left a slight bitter aftertaste on the base of the tongue. However, by the twelfth steep, this tea was finished and was ready to be put away… Conclusion - Snoozefest is a 2017 sheng puer released by White2tea which sold out in an hour and a half of its release. Snoozefest first opened up pretty strong to the grass and vegetal-like tasting notes, and showed signs of being very fresh. It later turned thicker as its tasting notes became complex with a certain degree of depth. Towards the end of the session, this tea tapered off very quickly and showed signs that it was still humid from pressing, and needs to rest. One thing I liked about Snoozefest is its wide-array of tasting notes, and continuously changed throughout the session. In other words, this tea kept you on your toes. Another thing I liked about this tea is how accessible it was, and wasn’t aggressive if overstepped too long. In conclusion, Snoozefest was definitely worth the $15.00 and made for an excellent yet memorable Black Friday purchase…

Hello hello! In the month of 2017, the tea comminity had a fantastic year. A few weeks ago, I released my list of nominations for the best of 2017 which included best sheng puer, best shou puer, and even tea company of the year! Without futhther ado, here are your winners for the best fo 2017! Note - Winners will be highlighted in green. Best Tea Instagram The following are nominated for their work on social media —Instagram to be exact. These few individuals continue to impress with their photos, and impressed with beautiful photography. These are the following nominations and winners… Tea_Tography [Win] tea.squirrell BitterLeafTeas zerozen_artlab lou_pepe Moychay Best New Tea Blogger The following are nominated for their work in the tea blogging community, and are new to the community as of 2017… Sheng Gut [Win] Its Fucking Tea Time Tea With Tristan Best Potter The following are nominated for their work in making hand-made artisan tea ware. Their work is not only beautiful and breathtaking, their work has inspired us all and even shapes the way we drink our tea... Andrzej Bero [Win] Petr and Mirka of Keramik Studio Severo Vostok Om Inge Nielsen Best Tea Blogger The following are nominated for their work in the tea blogging community for the year of 2017… Jordan of TeaTography Amanda of Rambling Butterfly Thoughts Char of Oolong Owl Nicole of Tea For Me Please [Win] James of Tea DB Cwyn of Death By Tea Excellence in Innovation The following are nominated for their creativeness in bringing new light to the world of tea. These people push boundaries for their work in tea related content, and are recognized for taking steps in a fresh direction… White2Tea recognized for their 2017 bamboo stuffed white tea [Win] Essence of Tea recognized for their hand sown 2017 puer wrappers Bitter Leaf Teas recognized for their 2017 tea ware selections Best Tea Wrapper The following teas are nominated for their wrapper’s design. These designs are being recognized for their beauty, their art, and their creativeness… 2017 Magic Mountain DNA by White2Tea 2017 Turtle Dove by White2Tea [Win] 2017 Year of the Rooster by Bitter Leaf Teas 2017 Ban Pen by the Tea Urchin 2017 Jinggu Bang by Crimson Lotus Tea 2017 Nannuo Sheng Cha by Moychay Best Oolong Source - The following shops are being recognized for their ability to source and sell oolong tea, and pushed harder than any other company in the year of 2017… Taiwan Sourcing Beautiful Taiwan Tea Company [Win] Taiwan Tea Crafts Best Aged Puer The following teas are being nominated for their excellence in quality, body, energy, and tasting profile. These teas have been aged from before 2017, and released as new findings this year. 2010 Black Gold by Crimson Lotus Tea 2014 Yiwu Iron Forge Huang Pian by Crimson Lotus Tea 2007 Tiny Orange Tea by Bitter Leaf Teas [Win] Best Shou Puer The following teas are being nominated for their excellence in shou puer, and showcased the best in quality, body, energy, and tasting profile… 2017 Flapjacks by White2Tea 2017 Sunday Special by White2Tea 2017 Strombreaker by Crimson Lotus Tea [Win] 2017 Rooster King by Yunnan Sourcing 2017 Nannuo Mini Mushroom by Crimson Lotus Tea Best Sheng Puer The following teas are being nominated for their excellence in Sheng Puer, and showcased the best in quality, body, energy, and tasting profile… 2017 Secret Garden by Bitter Leaf Teas 2017 GuShu LaoManE by Pu.Erh.Sk 2017 Fuck What You Heard by White2Tea [Win] 2017 Midas Touch by Crimson Lotus Tea 2017 Wuliang H Ancient by The Essence of Tea 2017 Plum Beauty Gold by Bitter Leaf Teas 2017 Pussy by White2Tea Tea Company of the Year A few weeks ago, you had a chance to vote on your favorite tea company to win 'Tea Compnay of the Year'. However, I used a free surveying platform that was free until the first one hundred responses - as I only expected maybe twenty or thirty responses. Well, I recieved over 300 responses, and unless I pay a hefty price, I'm unable to see the results. So who wins tea company of the year? Well, every single one of these companies are very special and all did something worthy of high praise for their work in 2017. So without further explanition, I think it's safe to say that all of the tea comapnies who were nominated all tie 1st palce for company of the year! White2Tea Bitter Leaf Teas Mandala Tea Crimson Lotus Tea Pu-Erh.Sk Taiwan Tea Crafts Yunnan Souring Thank you to those who tuned into my blog for the year of 2017! I really appreciate your support, and I think I have the best readers out of any blogger out there. Thank you so much. I will see you all in 2018! ;-) “Blissfully Tea Drunk” -Cody

Hello hello! White2Tea recently released their new fall productions, which includes a large number of shou puer. One of these shou puers is a mini beeng called ‘Flap Jacks’ shou puer. Flap Jacks is a tea that’s only sold by the tong, which is only $4.50 each. Each tong includes 7 of these mini beengs, and is covered in art which depicts a pancake. White2Tea has tirelessly and repeatedly promoted this tea on their social media, so one must ask, are these Flap Jacks worth the social media attention that White2Tea has given it? Lets find out! Water Temperature - Boil Dimensions - 4.5g of tea for a 65ml vessel Tong Price - $4.50 Number of Steeps - 14 Steeps 1 - 4 Flap Jacks opened up to a buttery smooth texture of faint earthy tasting notes. After a few more steeps, Flap Jacks started to open up more to a sweet and cooling aftertaste that echoed in the mouth after the tea was gone. Towards the fourth steep, Flap Jacks texture was getting smoother and smoother, and was beginning to pick up strength. Steeps 5 - 8 Flap Jacks opened up and unleashed one hell of a beast. On the fifth infusion, this tea became syrupy thick, which brought on the tasting notes of earth and dirt. The tasting notes were so strong that it silenced any remaining sweetness. However, by the seventh and eight infusion, I could feel this tea in my gut and in my head. I was starting to get a nice buzz as their tea continued to get thicker and earthier. Steeps 9 - 14 Around the ninth infusion, this tea started to mellow out from its strong punch from earlier. Flap Jack’s earth and dirt tasting notes became mellow, as the teas sweetness was starting to make a comeback. After a few more steeps, this tea mellowed out to a clean and clear soup, which kept fading out. By the fourteenth steep, Flap Jacks was finished and it was time to move on. Conclusion Flap Jacks Shou Puer is a new tea released by White2Tea. Flap Jacks is only sold by the tong, which consists of 7 mini-beengs and is a tea that was intended to be made at home or on the go. One thing I liked about this tea is how accessible it is. It’s at a reasonable price point and was very easy to drink. Besides that, it was also very forgiving if over steeped. Despite this teas thickness, it showed signs of humidness towards the beginning and end of the session, and could benefit from resting. Overall, Flap Jacks is a tea that I recommend to people who are new to shou, because this one is really easy to enjoy. This tea also makes for an easy brew. Besides, I like being able to say that I can own a tong without spending a whole lot of money.

Hello hello! Earlier this month, I released a ‘Best of 2017 Nominations' list! On this list, I nominated tea shops for their hard work in 2017. These companies are recognized for their community efforts, their ability to make a delicious and accessible product, and having an all around great shop! These people pushed the limits on what it means to run a tea company, and for that, they were nominated for 'Company of the Year'. Here are the nominees… White2Tea Bitter Leaf Teas Mandala Tea Crimson Lotus Tea Pu-Erh.Sk Taiwan Tea Crafts Yunnan Souring There is one small issue however. I can't decide who to give the award to! So I created a survey and YOU will be voting for Company of the Year. Below is the link to the survey… [Voting is Now Closed] Thank you for those who voted! You can click HERE for the full list on nominations, and winners will be announced December 28th, 2017! Good luck! -Blissfully Tea Drunk ​

Hello hello! Welcome to the next edition of ‘Ask The Oolong Drunk’! Before we start, I wanted to mention that I'm currently fundraising for a trip for me to go speak at the Houston Tea Fest. I will be speaking about the basics of puer, and how to get started. Expenses include hotel, gas, and some food. If you would like to help out, here's a link to my gofundme! Anyways I've recieved a lot of questions from our fellow reader Mark who is interested in starting discussion along a few interesting questions, so lets start! Q: How long have you been casually drinking tea? A: I’ve been casually drinking tea my entire life. I grew up in the South, which means that every meal was served with a glass of sweet iced tea. Over the years, I never gave hot tea any thought, but around three years ago, I started my addiction with an oolong that I purchased from a local grocery store. At the time, I was a weight loss consultant and was finding more ways to get my clients to release their stranglehold over soda, and I came across an article that talked about how tea was good for you. Ever since then, its been the addiction that been fueling my soul. Q: What led you to puer and oolong? A: When I first discovered hot tea, I tried a wide variety of teas such as black, green, yellow, white tea, oolong, and puer. At first, I really fell in love with green and yellow tea, but slowly started to transition over to oolongs (green oolongs to be exact). I then became so obsessed with green oolongs that I decided to call myself ‘The Oolong Drunk’. One day I was browsing the tea community of Reddit and came across White2Tea. I was very intrigued by the idea of aged tea, and thought I’d give it a try! That night, I ordered 2015 Pin, and from then on puer has been my obsession. Q: How many teas do I go through in a year? A: I don't keep a record of all of the teas that I drink, but I have at least two sessions per day. This past year, I went through 4-5 different beengs of puer and a countless amount of oolong. Q: Do you review most of the teas you drink or do you pick the cream of the crop to spend your time writing about? A: For me, I drink twenty times more tea outside of what gets posted to my blog. I drink so many different teas that it would be too time-consuming to write about every single one. However, I do often post photos to Instagram which is more accurately updated with the number of teas that I drink. For the blog, I select teas that are either really good, really popular within the community, or teas that I get asked to review. I rarely give bad review of teas because one of the only times that I did (when I reviewed Cow Cunt Puer), I was heavily questioned as to why I bothered to review it to begin with. I mean, not every tea that I review is ‘out of this world delicious’, but I try to stay away from the ones that make me gag. Q: Do you think that noobs should try a bunch of samples or buy a few recommended cakes blind? A: When I first started drinking puer I purchased my first few cakes blindly. I was very lucky and fortunate that I ended up liking what I ordered, but there have been a few instances where I drop a pretty penny on a tea that I absolutely disliked. If I had to start over again, I would only buy samples until I figured out what I liked. If I tried a tea and end up not liking it, I’d be less upset over wasting a sample compared to wasting an entire beeng. If theres a question you wish to ask, you can contact me here! "Blissfully Tea Drunk"

Hello hello! 2017 was a fantastic year for tea. There were so many ups and down, especially the late winter that Yunnan experienced that negatively affected many tea yields. Despite the troubles, many tea companies came out with many surprises. This was not only a good year for tea, it was also a good year for the tea community as well. The reddit tea community reached over 100,000 followers this year, along with the shocking news of Teavana closing down. We even received the abrupt news that veteran tea blogger Amanda of ‘Rambling Butterfly Thoughts’ hung her blogging hat. So who helped make 2017 a great year for tea? Well, there are too many people and too many teas to mention, but these are some the best of the best. These are the nominations for the best of 2017…. Note: Each nomination is provided with a link - click link to be directed for more info on the nomination... Best Tea Instagram The following are nominated for their work on social media —Instagram to be exact. These few individuals continue to impress with their photos, and impressed with beautiful photography. These are the following nominations… Tea_Tography tea.squirrell BitterLeafTeas zerozen_artlab lou_pepe Moychay Best New Tea Blogger The following are nominated for their work in the tea blogging community, and are new to the community as of 2017… Sheng Gut Its Fucking Tea Time Tea With Tristan Best Potter The following are nominated for their work in making hand-made artisan tea ware. Their work is not only beautiful and breathtaking, their work has inspired us all and even shapes the way we drink our tea... Andrzej Bero Petr and Mirka of Keramik Studio Severo Vostok Om Inge Nielsen Best Tea Blogger The following are nominated for their work in the tea blogging community for the year of 2017… Jordan of TeaTography Amanda of Rambling Butterfly Thoughts Char of Oolong Owl Nicole of Tea For Me Please James of Tea DB Cwyn of Death By Tea Excellence in Innovation The following are nominated for their creativeness in bringing new light to the world of tea. These people push boundaries for their work in tea related content, and are recognized for taking steps in a fresh direction… White2Tea recognized for their 2017 bamboo stuffed white tea Essence of Tea recognized for their hand sown 2017 puer wrappers Bitter Leaf Teas recognized for their 2017 tea ware selections Best Tea Wrapper The following teas are nominated for their wrapper’s design. These designs are being recognized for their beauty, their art, and their creativeness… 2017 Magic Mountain DNA by White2Tea 2017 Turtle Dove by White2Tea 2017 Year of the Rooster by Bitter Leaf Teas 2017 Ban Pen by the Tea Urchin 2017 Jinggu Bang by Crimson Lotus Tea 2017 Nannuo Sheng Cha by Moychay Best Oolong Source - The following shops are being recognized for their ability to source and sell oolong tea, and pushed harder than any other company in the year of 2017… Taiwan Sourcing Beautiful Taiwan Tea Company Taiwan Tea Crafts Best Aged Puer The following teas are being nominated for their excellence in quality, body, energy, and tasting profile. These teas have been aged from before 2017, and released as new findings this year. 2010 Black Gold by Crimson Lotus Tea 2014 Yiwu Iron Forge Huang Pian by Crimson Lotus Tea 2007 Tiny Orange Tea by Bitter Leaf Teas Best Shou Puer The following teas are being nominated for their excellence in shou puer, and showcased the best in quality, body, energy, and tasting profile… 2017 Flapjacks by White2Tea 2017 Sunday Special by White2Tea 2017 Strombreaker by Crimson Lotus Tea 2017 Rooster King by Yunnan Sourcing 2017 Nannuo Mini Mushroom by Crimson Lotus Tea Best Sheng Puer The following teas are being nominated for their excellence in Sheng Puer, and showcased the best in quality, body, energy, and tasting profile… 2017 Secret Garden by Bitter Leaf Teas 2017 GuShu LaoManE by Pu.Erh.Sk 2017 Fuck What You Heard by White2Tea 2017 Midas Touch by Crimson Lotus Tea 2017 Wuliang H Ancient by The Essence of Tea 2017 Plum Beauty Gold by Bitter Leaf Teas 2017 Pussy by White2Tea Tea Company of the Year The following are nominated for their excellent work in 2017. All of these tea companies worked tirelessly to bring you the best teas possible, and without their innovation, the tea community wouldn't be where it is today. These companies are shaping the future of tea as we know it. Congratulations to these companies nominated for their best year yet. White2Tea Bitter Leaf Teas Mandala Tea Crimson Lotus Tea Pu-Erh.Sk Taiwan Tea Crafts Yunnan Souring You can vote for Tea Company of the Year HERE! Winners will be announced on December 28th, 2017. Congratulations to those who are nominated, as you are all winners for making 2017 such a great year for tea Tun in to see if your favorites will win! “Blissfully Tea Drunk” -Cody ~ Disclaimer The following are nominated for their work in 2017. I’m not represented or promoted by any entity, as this is a non-profit award. This was done in part to shed light on the exceptional work done by said entities, and the winners are selected unbiasedly. Any attempt to bribe/persuade yourself to win will automatically disqualify you from running.

Hello hello! Before I start, I waned to give a huge thank you for my readers/followers for the outpouring support I’ve been receiving. This community is an excellent one, and I thank you for all of the love. In case you missed it, here’s what Im referring to. Anyways, this week I opened a brand new beeng of 2017 Yunnan Sourcing ‘Mengku Huang Shan’ Wild Arbor Raw Puer. This puer was sent to me by Yunnan Sourcing, and this is one that Yunnan Sourcing has made since last year. So is this tea as good as it looks? Lets find out! Water Temperature - 185ºf Dimensions - I used 4.5g of tea for my 65ml gaiwan Beeng Price - $41.00 USD for 400g Steeps 1 - 4 First, Mengku Huang Shan gave off a faint wheat-like body, and left a medicinal aftertaste of barley and hay. After a few more steeps, this tea kept opening up to a medicinal forefront, which left a wheat/hay like aftertaste in the back of the throat. By the end of the fourth steep, this tea was getting stronger and thicker. Steeps 5 - 8 Mengku Huang Shan’s body kept expanding as the medicinal tasting note took over. The wheat and hay-like tasting notes kept getting swallowed by the medicinal tasting notes, and after a few more steeps, continued to transform into a light mushroom note. Steeps 9 - 12 Mengku Huang Shan’s body drastically transformed, as the moss-like undertones from earlier began to take over every aspect of this teas palate. The wheat/hay undertones weren't as noticeable as before, and the medicinal tasting note took a back seat to the wood and mushroom like notes that continued get stronger and thicker. This tea’s body was a little bit astringent, and kept getting thicker and fuller. However, by the twelfth steep, this tea began to show signs of mellowing out, and I was already sweating from this tea energy. I decided to end it here… Conclusion 2017 Mengku Huang Shan Wild Arbor Raw Puer first started out light, which gave off wheat and hay like tasting notes. As the session progressed, a medicinal undertone became thicker as notes of wood and moss made their self known. One thing I liked about this tea was how the tasting notes continued to change throughout the session. Another thing I liked about this tea was it’s energy — which made me break out in a sweat. However, this tea sits at $41.00 for a 400g beeng, which means that this tea is a little over $.09 a gram. 2017 Mengku Huang Shan Wild Arbor Raw Puer is a great example that sometimes, cheaper priced teas can taste good and have excellent energy. I think that if you’re a fan of earthy and grassy tasting sheng puer, I would definitely recommend trying this tea from Yunnan Sourcing…

Hello hello! Bitter Leaf Teas recently released their 2017 Fall productions, which includes a 2007 shou puer thats been stuffed in a mini orange! These mini oranges weigh around 10g each - which is perfect for a single session (or two mini-sessions). Bitter Leaf Teas also released a tangerine stuffed shou per last year, which quickly sold out. So how does this mini orange compare to last year’s mandarin stuffed shou puer? Let's find out! Water Temperature Boiling Dimensions For this session, I gutted the entire mini-orange. I measured 4.5g of shou puer for my 65ml gaiwan and used the entire orange peel. Steeps 1 - 4 At first, this mini orange gave off earthy tasting notes of dirt, and left a light tangy aftertaste on the sides of the tongue. After a few more infusions, a tart orange like flavor made itself known, and progressively took over my tongues palate. Steeps 5 - 8 This mini orange was getting smoother and smoother. The earthy tasting notes of dirt became increasingly creamy, as the notes of orange trailed quietly behind it. As the steeps went on, this tea progressively left a bitter aftertaste on the base of the tongue, as a light tang echoed in the mouth. Steeps 9 - 12 This mini orange was beginning to get more and more aggressive with its bitterness. The smooth and creamy base notes of earth began to mellow out as the tangy bitterness progressively took over. The longer the steep - the more potent this tea became. After the twelfth steep, this tea brought forth a bitterness that left an impression in the mouth that I still tasted thirty minutes after taking a sip. By this time, this mini orange had given its all, and was time to move on from this session… Conclusion 2017 Mini Orange Tea is a new tea released by Bitter Leaf Teas, which consists of a mini orange stuffed with ten-year-old aged shou puer. At first, I was impressed with the shou material because the earthly notes were creamy and smooth. Another thing I liked about this shou is that for me, it had a great deal of energy which made me a bit tea drunk after the session was over. However, I think I used too much orange peel because the longer the steeps got, the more bitter and aggressive the orange peel became. Overall, this mini orange is incredibly tasty for what you get, and is made with a great base material. However, I would recommend playing around with the dimensions of tea for your session because if you use too much orange peel, your session might be as bitter as mine turned out. However, this was a great experience and is one that compares similarly to Bitter Leaf Tea’s mandarin stuffed shou puer… disclaimer - This tea was sent to me by Bitter Leaf Teas for review. Although this tea was sent to me, this review was not paid for, and wasn't shown any mercy when reviewing ;)