Hello hello! In today’s blog post, I go over five different facts about myself that you probably didn’t know! Last year, the tea blogging community had a trend where they posted five interesting facts about themselves, and now that it’s a year later, I thought I’d jump in on the trend and give it a go! In my grandmom’s opinion, I’m a pretty cool guy, so hopefully you’ll think so too. 1. I work at a Tea Shop I live in the heart of the South and I work in a tea shop! In fact, it’s one of the only tea shops located in the metroplex. Without specifically saying where I work (for privacy reasons), I can tell you that my shop sells lose leaf tea, iced tea, hot tea, and boba tea! Before this, I briefly worked at Teavana for two months. One thing I liked about working at Teavana was the lack of restriction we were given on how much tea we could drink in a single setting. I took advantage of that, and often drank four to five drinks per shift. However, at my current job, I we’re only allowed one free drink per shift… It’s safe to say that I make the largest size. 2. I collect vinyl Besides tea, my second passion is music. I try to listen to as much music as I possibly can in any given day. Since I love music, I even own a turn table and often buy vinyl records. If you follow me on Instagram, you’ll often see (in my stories) some of the photos of vinyls that I buy. I own a lot of alternative music vinyls, and mainly listen to alternative rock, alternative pop, and some electronic music. Currently, Arcade Fire, Foster the People, St. Vincent, M83, and Lorde are my favorites, and often find their way to my record player…. 3. You’ve probably seen me on TV Back in my blunder years, I made a cringe-inducing video of myself making a prom proposal to Kristen Stewart… Besides the cringe-inducing video, and the sad reality that I used to be a major fan of Kristen Stewart, Daniel Tosh’s team picked up on the video and included it in a segment of Tosh.0. I walked into school one day and had multiple people tell me that they saw me on TV. After scratching my head all day and wondering what they meant, I finally asked my principal what everyone meant by it. Safe to say, a piece of me died when I turned on Comedy Central and saw myself on Tosh.0… 4. I’m Gayly Homosexual I came out one week after I graduated high school. It wasn’t a huge revelation, really. I just woke up one morning and it ‘clicked’. I was never attracted to the opposite sex, and often wondered why my hormones weren’t working right. Then, after watching Miley Cyrus perform at the VMA’s, half-naked and bald, I knew right then and there there that heterosexuality would never be my thing. Okay, in all seriousness, It was something that I struggled with for a long time, but once I made that realization, I decided that I needed to be living truthfully and honestly. So about five minutes after I realized who I really was, and without hesitation, I came out. 5. God is a woman and her name is Elizabeth Grant (AKA Lana Del Rey) These Beyonce fangirls need to move out of the way with their chants of, “Queen B”. You need to pull yourself together and face the facts because the real queen is Elizabeth Grant — a literal angel that was sent to us from the heavens to bless our ears with musical euphoria. My soul was blessed with the musical stylings of Lana Del Rey back when I was in the closet, and maybe its her fault that I didn’t come out sooner because, seriously though, have you seen how beautiful she is?! Lana Del Bae enchanted the world with her third-studio album ‘Ultraviolence’, and sings a hard and painful truth which so many people have faced in their life. She sings about a love that hurts and a love that isn’t fair. I think I relate to it so well because when I was younger, my father became ill and turned into a verbally abusive person. When he died, he was no longer the same person that I used to call ‘father’. He was as stranger that I didn’t know anymore. In the end, when he died, I drove eight hours to the beach and spread his ashes while listening to ‘Ultraviolence’ on repeat. On that day, and in that moment, I finally felt like someone understood what it felt like to miss the toxicity of the person you still loved so much. Besides connecting to the woman on a personal and emotional level, I look up to her because she is FABULOUS. Seriously, look up the definition of ‘classy’ and you’ll see a photo of her. It’s not just her music that I’m a fan of; I’m also a fan of her esthetic. It’s the tragic and old Hollywood themes that she presents in her older music that made me adore her. Throughout the years, she’s continued to mature to an even more fabulous, and a happier version of herself. Her latest album, ‘Lust for Life’, is what every pop album should strive to be. Okay sis, lets go over the facts. Lana is bae, Lana is queen, and lastly, God is a woman and her name is Elizabeth Grant…

Hello hello! For Christmas this past year I splurged and purchased a wide-variety of winter Taiwanese oolongs from Taiwan Tea Crafts. Out of all of the high mountain oolongs that they had, I wanted to be ‘wowed’. In doing so, I just happened to add one of their most expensive winter teas to my cart… for science. This tea is the 2017 Fushoushan High Mountain Winter Oolong, Lot 651. This oolong is described as being rich and exuberantly floral. So how does this oolong hold up to other high mountain oolongs sold at a lower price? Was the $17.00 price tag worth it? Lets find out! Water Temperature - 185ºf Dimensions - 5g of tea for a 100ml glass tea pot Price - $17.00 USD for 25g Number of Steeps - 12 Steeps 1 - 6 I started this session with a thirty-second infusion. Upon taking the first sip of this tea, the tasting note of sugarcane hit the tip of my tongue, as a fragrant floral body made its way past my throat. After a few more infusions, the brilliant floral notes of gardenia took over every aspect of this tea’s palate, as it left a faint jasmine and sugar snap pea aftertaste. Along with the extraordinary floral tasting notes, this tea was also as smooth as butter, and resembled dairy cream. By the sixth infusion, this tea was as rich as could be. Steeps 7 - 12 Around the seventh infusion, the tasting notes of sugarcane took a back seat as the new tasting note of freshly harvested green spinach made its way forward. After each infusion, this tea became more and more vegetal while retaining a ever-so-less dominating floral body. As the steeps went on, the cream and butter-like texture dwindled. By the last infusion, the taste of sugar snap peas, along with spinach and gardenia, echoed in the cascade of my mouth. It wasn’t as thick as the middle steeps, but it was still pleasant to the tongue. Conclusion Fushoushan High Mountain Oolong is a 2017 winter oolong sold by Taiwan Tea Crafts. This oolong is was described by Taiwan Tea Crafts to be rich and exuberantly floral. In the session I had with this tea, I can certainly confirm this tea was incredibly floral — brilliantly so I might add. One of my favorite aspects of this tea is how pungent and luscious the liquor was. Another aspect I liked about this tea is how rich and flavorful it was. Compared to other teas grown at a high elevation, this one certainly seemed to hold a better presentation compared to other high mountain oolongs. Overall, this oolong was definitely with the $17.00. I may not be drinking this tea on a regular basis, as I want to try and savor it. This oolong is a great oolong for those who like greener teas, especially favorable to oolong lovers. I just hope that you get the chance to try this tea for yourself sometime in the near future…

Hello hello, Today’s post isn’t really tea related, but I came across a troubling accusation about a popular tea company that really struck a chord with me, and it’s something that I cant stop thinking about. I lived through an unfortunate experience, and today, I’m here to share with you what I went through… In late 2015, I graduated from a Texas high school and one week later, I came out of the closet. I first came out to my mother, who didn’t take the news very well. In fact, her reaction was so negative that I feared for my own safety. In reaction, I started applying for work opportunities so I could move out and live away from the toxic environment I was in. While browsing the internet, I came across a job posting from a company called ‘Mary’s Weight Loss’ — a very popular weight loss company I had previously been to (and lost 80lbs with). Since I was so successful in their weight loss plan, I thought it would make for a perfect match. I applied for the job, and a few weeks later, I had two separate interviews. That following week, I got the job. By the time I was hired as a weight loss counselor, and the only male in the entire district, my situation at home was improving as my mother was adjusting to the idea of having a gay son. However, I just started dating my now-current boyfriend, so I still needed to move out to get much-needed privacy. After being hired at Mary’s Weight Loss for part-time employment, I started training on the other side of town. It was relatively close to where my grandparents live, so I stayed with them all week so I could easily make the commute to training. During that week, I learned a lot about the job of being a weight loss counselor and learned more and more about the program. When the week ended, and before I went back home, I sat my grandmother down and came out to her. I was welcomed with a hug, and after telling me that she loved me, I went back home to start my career in health. The very next Monday, I was greeted by Heather. Heather was the director of the Mary’s Weight Loss location that I was working at (to be even more sentimental, the same exact location I had visited when I went on my very own weight loss journey). Heather laid out all of the rules of the center and said that we were allowed to keep one memento in our personal office. For my memento, I placed a photograph of my now-current boyfriend to the side of my desk, and from there, started my first day of work. Over the course of the next month of working at Mary’s Weight Loss, I started building my clientele. At first, I only saw a few people a day. However, after a month of employment, my days we’re being booked. And since I was continuing to see clients, my part-time hours turned into full-time hours. Hell, even at one point, I asked Heather to promote me to full time so I could partake in the company benefits. I was told no because you had to be working at the company for an X amount of time before being promoted. A month had gone by and I had moved out into a place of my own. I was room mating with a nurse who was always gone, and I had the entire second level of the house to myself. I was actually feeling happy and more confident about myself. Fortunately, one morning I walked into work to find out that, in the entire district of Mary’s Weight Loss, I was seeing the 2nd highest weight loss among clients. Another month had gone by and I had won two in-center sales contests, along with being recognized company-wide for the highest sales in the district. I was receiving the highest possible monthly bonus and was making enough money that I started saving up with the prospect of going to college. After the second month had gone by, and working full-time hours, I again asked Heather if there was a way that I could officially be promoted to ‘full-time’ status. She said that it was up to her boss, and would report back to me. In the meantime, my co-workers and I were getting closer, and after seeing the photo of my now-current boyfriend on my desk, would often ask me unwarranted questions regarding my sexuality. At one point, they would only talk to me about gay media, and often talk about ‘woman problems’ in front of me and often would say, “Oh you're gay — you don't care if we talk about this stuff openly.” The often talked about sleeping with other men, their hook-up’s penile sizes, and vaginal-related topics in front of me and always would say, “Oh Cody doesn't care if we talk about this kind of stuff around him — he’s gay”. After having a few more successful months at Mary’s Weight Loss, and after being more comfortable with my identity, I was starting to be bothered by my co-worker's comments about my sexuality. However, only being 19, I kept quiet because I didn’t want to get my coworkers in trouble and create issues between us. Anyhow, I woke up on the morning of June 26th, 2015 to a few text messages saying ‘congratulations!’. It wasn’t my birthday and nothing special was planned in my calendar, so I got dressed and went to work. Upon my arrival, I was greeted by two of my clients with congratulatory statements. Upon asking for further elaboration, they said that the United States Supreme Court had overturned the ban on same-sex marriage, and congratulated me. Throughout that day, I had several more clients express their happiness for me, and how I was now viewed as equal in the eyes of our government. Until Heather stepped in. I just finished closing the center, and on my way out, Heather stopped me and asked that she have a word with me. When I asked her what it was about, she further demanded explanation on why my clients were celebrating me and asked why they knew that I was gay. I told her that I keep my conversations with my clients on the topic of their weight loss, and admitted that when clients saw the photo of my boyfriend on my desk, I’d admit to them who he really was in relation to me. My boss then told me to keep my business to myself, and that my lifestyle could run-off clientele. She then explained that since we live in a religious community, my lifestyle could be offensive to others and told me that my lifestyle could drive away clients. When I went back home that night, I went to bed feeling confused by Heather’s comments. One week later, she called me into her office for a meeting regarding my ‘behavior’. In the meeting, Heather wrote me up for having ‘inappropriate conversations’ with my clients. She then explained that I was being offensive, and I should have known better. She then proceeded to tell me that my request for being promoted full-time had been denied, and now that I was written up, I wouldn’t be eligible for any promotion in the future. The second the meeting ended with Heather, I called Mary’s Weigh Loss’s Human Resources department and complained that I was being discriminated against, and claimed that I demanded that the write-up be reversed. HR reassured me that the discrimination would stop and that they would have a sensitivity meeting with the entire staff at my work location. Two days after I called Human Resources, the district manager called me and told me that I should have gone to her and that I shouldn’t have gone to Human Resources. I told her that I was embarrassed, and wanted to report the situation to someone who didn’t know me. Then, a week later, Heather called me into her office. Heather told me that the entire staff had a meeting with higher up and that I was to no longer invited to weekly in-store sales meetings. When I asked her why I wasn’t allowed to attend meetings, she said it was because it would cause a problem and it was best I not attend. In the following weeks, my co-workers quit talking to me altogether. My co-workers didn’t even look in my direction, much less tell me when one of my clients have arrived for their appointment if I was in the back stocking items. They all started going out to lunch without me, and I made it very clear that I was not welcome. After being excluded from all further team meetings, I had another conversation with Human Resources. I explained to them that, whatever they did before wasn’t working, and that I was being shunned by everybody. Human Resources said they would investigate as to why I had been excluded from sales meetings. After I had my conversation with Human Resources, I had sat down with a new client named Penelope. After talking to Penelope about why she wanted to start losing weight, she told me that her husband and son we’re both killed in a car accident, and that she gained weight over the course of her mourning. Penelope began to cry, and in the midst of her crying, I closed the office door to give her a moment to weep. She had continued to tell me that she wanted to make sure that I would stick by her side, because she couldn’t deal with losing anyone else in her life. Right then and there, I promised Penelope that I would be there for her, and we can tackle this journey together…. That was the last time I saw Penelope. The next morning, I walked into Heather’s office to another write-up. She claimed that one of my co-workers overheard my conversation with Penelope, and claimed that I was running down the company to my new client. Dumbfounded, I refused to autograph the write-up. Heather backed-off and said that she’ll reinvestigate the allegation made towards me. Before I left her office, she told me that she left a copy of the next month's schedule on my desk. I walked into my office to find that, for the month of August, my hours had been cut from forty hours to ten hours a week. I didn’t know why my hours had been cut to ten hours a week, and upon asking Heather why my hours were cut, she said that she didn’t have the hours to give out. In the meantime, I couldn’t afford my rent, car payment, or even my cell phone bill with my new paycheck. While searching for new places to live, my boyfriend agreed to let me move in with him — an hour South of where my work location was. However, there was a Mary’s Weight Loss located right by where he lived, so I put in a request to transfer. My request was denied because, according to them, written up employees weren’t allowed to transfer within the company. I was beaten. I used the remainder of my savings, including my college fund, to try to live in my home. When I ran out of money, I was forced to move and moved in with my boyfriend and resign from my position. I lost every cent I owned, and couldn’t make payments on my car or cell phone bill. After losing my home, and being jobless, I almost lost my car. Thankfully, my mother stepped in to loan me the money to make payments until I was able to find more work. In the meantime, I set an appointment with an attorney who wanted to take a closer look at my case. However, while job searching, I came across an ad for a full-time position at Mary’s Weight Loss (which was insult to injury, considering they cut my hours short for not having ‘enough hours’)… I saw an attorney who took my case, and a few months later, we filed suit against Mary’s Weight Loss for retaliation. After months and months of going back and forth with Mary’s Weight Loss, they refused to settle and argued that we take them to court… Unfortunately, my case against Mary’s Weight Loss was rejected by the courts because, according to Title 7 Discrimination Laws, LGBT persons aren’t protected in the state of Texas. Although we filed for retaliation, there was a discrimination aspect of the suit, which is why it got rejected. Two years after filing suit, and after being forced out of this job, I lost. I lost to Mary’s Weight loss… I was devastated. I felt suicidal and was thrown into a major depression. Feelings of anger, sadness, and loss took over as I stayed in a cloud of misery. I often had nightmares about all of the clients that I let down by not being there for them. I often think back to Penelope and how much I let her down, especially considering I promised that I’d be there for her… Currently, I’m trying to recover and accept myself as a proud individual. I'm treating my depression, and I currently work at a tea shop where I’m accepted by my boss and co-workers. I stopped feeling suicidal, and over time, started to see my self-worth again. Although I’m still recovering from the incident, It will never leave me and will always be apart of me. I pass the time by writing tea reviews, posting photos to Instagram, and drinking as much tea that I can get my hands on. Every now and then I see commercials for Mary’s Weight Loss on TV, and even see ad’s posted from them on social media. Hell, I even got an email advertisement saying they wanted me back. It used to really bother me at first, but I’ve since become numb to it. If there’s any consolation to any of this, I received news that Heather was fired from Mary’s Weight Loss two days after we filed suit. Although I lost the case, in some ways, I feel like I won…..

Hello hello! Kuura is an Australian-based tea company that sources sheng, shou, white, and black tea. Kuura has become one of my new favorite tea companies for several reasons. To start, they stay out of reddit drama. Second, they don't need to make glossy claims about their tea to sell to their customers. Third, unlike other companies, they’re not racist against Native Americans… Anyways, in a recent review, I talked about one of their sheng puer titled: ’Vector’. However, in this review I will be talking about their shou puer titled ‘Discrete’. So whats so special about this shou puer? And considering that it’s their very first shou, how does it hold up? Lets find out! Water Temperature - Boil Demensions - 4.5g of tea for a 65ml gaiwan Beeng Price - $22.50 for a 200g beeng Number of Steeps - 12 Steeps 1 - 6 First, Discrete started off light in taste, and also left a light sweet earthy aftertaste on the tongue. After a few more steeps, this tea began to open up as its texture quickly turned from watery, to velvety smooth as a cocoa sweetness emerged on the sides of the tongue. By the fifth infusion, the sweetness took a back seat as a black-pepper spice took center stage of this tea’s palate. By the sixth infusion, this tea was in full swing as a mouthful of flavor hit me in the face. Steeps 7 - 12 Discrete kept going full force as a mouthful of earth and spice kept making its presence in my mouth. As the steeps went on, the smoothness of this tea seemed to keep increasing. However, by the ninth infusion, this tea began to settle down and lighten in color. By the eleventh infusion, the only tasting note left was a light amber sweetness, and by the twelfth infusion, the tea was gone and ready to be put away… ​Conclusion - Discrete is a beeng of 2016 shou material, which was pressed in 2017 and sold by Australian-based tea company Kuura. First, one thing I liked about Discrete was how rich and flavorful it was. Another thing I liked about Discrete was it had a lot of backbone and tasted great, even if overstepped. However, despite that this sample was a gift given to me by Kuura, I do regret not ordering a beeng of this tea already. You see, one of the highlights about this tea is its price point. Considering this teas depth and complexity, it makes this beeng’s price point is a steal. Overall, Discrete is an easy shou puer to drink and I’d recommend this tea to anyone who is a fan of puer. I’d also recommend this tea to anyone who is new to puer, because not only is this tea full of flavor, its easy to brew and isn’t very picky. So next time you visit Kuura’s site and want to spend your tax return money, consider adding a beeng of Discrete to your shopping cart... Would I Beeng This Tea? - Yes

Hello hello! White2Tea released a small selection of shou puer with their 2017 fall productions. Two of these teas are called Little O and Big O - which are both a shou puer mixed with orange peel. This kind of shou puer is a kind of puer called ‘Chenpi’, and comes in two different sizes. The ‘Little O’ is a mini tea coin thats anywhere from 6g-8g, and the ‘Big O’ is a larger tea cake that’s 200g in size. However, for me, I like the convenience of having the coin-sized shape because it easily fits into my vessel, so I ordered twenty of the Little O’s and have been making my way through them. So how exactly does this tea taste? Was it worth buying 20 of them? Lets find out! Water Temperature - Boil Dimensions - 6.6 coil for a 100ml vessel Beeng Price - $1.25/$29.00 Number of Steeps - 12 Steeps 1 - 6 For previous sessions with Little O, the coin took a while to break apart since it’s so compressed, however for this session, I broke it into smaller pieces so it would brew faster. Anyways, at first, Little O gave off the tasting notes of Earth with a light dirt-like aftertaste. After a few more steeps, this tea became increasingly smooth as it began to leave an undertone of citrus zest on the tongue. By the fifth and sixth infusion, this tea turned almost pitch black in color, as its strength went skyrocketed through the roof. Steeps 7 - 12 By the 7th infusion, this tea’s strength began to lighten up — almost just as fast as it came on. The taste of compost and dirt began to lighten up a bit as a light sweetness came out. By the eighth infusion, the light-zest undertone from earlier began to resemble orange peel very heavily. By the tenth infusion, the shou was nearly running out of fuel, but the taste of orange kept persisting. By the last infusion, any remnants of the the shou were gone except for the taste of sweet orange peel. It was time to put this session away, and have another go another time… Conclusion Little O first started out very earthy in taste. However, the longer Little O steeped for, the more it tasted like sweet orange peel. In fact, by the last infusion, the taste of orange peel was still going strong even though the tea leaves we’re spent. One thing I liked about this tea is its complexity, and the fact its taste and texture kept changing throughout the session. Another thing I liked about this tea is its sweet notes of orange peel. Although the notes of sweet orange peel were strong, they were relaxing and gave this tea a wonderful aftertaste. Overall, I’d recommend this tea to people who like shou or flavored teas in general. This tea is very easy to brew and was tasty, even when over steeped. To recap my earlier question, was I correct to order 20 Little O’s? I think I was correct to purchase 20 Little O’s in my last White2Tea order, and in the future, will continue to add more to my shopping cart…

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.