Once again, I went out of my way to take a picture of a tea but didn't post anything. This is the 100 taels hei cha from Tea Source. It's the cross section of what basically is a compressed pillar of tea that gets wrapped in woven bamboo. There are some small individual ones you can get and there are bigger ones the size of logs. I was worried I was going to need to use a band saw to make portions, but thankfully this one isn't too dense for my tea knife. This one tastes like...walnuts. Yum.

I forgot to post this tea! I tried this one a few days ago. 2013 KuZaZa. It's a loose ripe puerh tea. Pretty typical of a fermented tea in that it smells a lot like straw, old hay and soil. I guess some call it "barnyardy," but I feel like that just sounds too unappealing for something that is so enjoyable. One of the most distinct things about this tea type is a complete lack of astringency and it's hydrating benefits, so it's great for when your stomach is upset, empty or you're just hungover.

Genmaicha really is a perfect tea for this snowy, damp weather when you just want to get cozy but also want green tea. The smell of that toasted rice is like being wrapped up in a blanket. Always a type of tea I underestimate, but when I have it I'm left wondering why I don't drink it every day. #tea #genmaicha #greentea

Here's the Karigane I ordered. It's excellent, considering the price. Sometimes Karigane feels like a sin to drink because it's so rich and packs a huge punch since it's, well, it's basically the industrial waste of gyokuro production. The stems, scraggly bits of leaves and veins of a renounced type of fine tea and retains much of the charm. Umami and sweet in a vegetal grassy way, and very powerful, so it may become my morning routine again. #tea #karigane #shiraore

Teaposting again. I got so excited yesterday when my package came that I forgot to post about one yesterday, that'll be next. Here is the fu cha I was so excited about. It's definitely got that dried fruits smell common in aged teas, but the flavor is definitely hei cha. Light tobacco and hay, smooth, not astringent, almost has a hojicha quality to it but obviously not really roasty. It's thicker feeling than the tian jian I have. Also, it does have the yellow mold, which is neat. #tea #HeiCha

More teaposting. Here is the random tuo cha that they sent with that zi juan bing. I have no idea what it says or anything about it, but here it is. Lol. It's fairly smooth, but a little lacking in flavor, pretty one note, but not bad. Not fishy like some low quality shu, but it's also not begging me to track it down and lacks complexity. 1/2 #Tea #HeiCha

Check out the subtle difference in the sheng puerhs. The one on the left is a regular aged sheng (2017) and the one on the right is the zi juan sheng (2019) I posted. I was a little surprised by how green the zi juan looks post-brew. I noticed it with a shu puerh before, but I figured it was the processing. I had a couple of theories on why, but I'm fairly sure it's because it's the same compound in other purple veg, like purple green beans, which turn green when cooked. It's not chlorophyll.

My new tea came. 400g sheng puerh of the zi juan cultivar. Unique cultivar, since it was bred to be very purple, maybe moreso than the African purple teas. Unfortunately it's all clones, so genetic diversity is non-existent. Lots of anthocyanin in it, so it kind of has a cooling flavor like the skin of a very purple berry like blackberries. This would make a good summer tea. It also makes me hungry, so I think it's be good with/after an oily meal, like a lot of sheng puerh. #tea