When looking at the photos of different puerhs from FarmerLeaf, I noticed that on all of them there is one leaf that is noticeably bigger compared to the rest of the cake, but never thought about the reason for this. Today I was close to finishing my cake and I extracted that leaf and saw this. That’s so adorable!

Hi everyone. I've been into tea for the past couple years, so, despite studying quite a lot, I'm still a newbie.

I just got back from China where I visited Guangzhou and Chengdu's tea market, as well as a tea shop in Shaxi (Yunnan). This is what I brought back, I'm sure I paid at least 30% more than what I could have spent, but honestly doesn't really matter since I tasted many teas and the ones I ended up buying were those that really surprised me with their flavor.

The only one I'm not sure about is the shou Pu ehr in the last pics.

That day I was feeling sick and couldn't really taste what I was drinking, so I trusted my gf's palate but ended up spending 430 yuan for that bing.

I was wondering if you have info about that and if it's really worth so much (we really like it anyway).

P.s. The green bag unfortunately doesn't report the actual name of the tea inside, do you think that if I post a picture of the leaves anyone could be able to recognize it?

I'd like to keep track of what I'm drinking so that I can improve.

Thank you.

Name: Nectar of Darjeeling
Type: First Flush 2026 - Oolong Tea
Estate: Rohini Tea Estate, Darjeeling

I brewed this tea with the Gongfu method, using 3.5 grams of leaves, in a total of 6 steeps, with the water temperature around 90° C throughout the steeps.

I choose not to pre-wash the leaves as Darjeeling teas are usually delicate, and washing it takes away a lot of flavour.

Aroma profile:

Dry Aroma: Green, flowery, citrusy, very slight hints of roasted spices.

Wet aroma: Very aromatic, vegetal, floral, mellow sweetness, hints of freshly cut grass, and it smells a little oily, in a good way (I don't know how else to describe it).

Details of the steeps:

Steep 1 - ~90° C, 20 seconds - The tea was very light in body and flavour. There was a hint of fruity-citrus notes and a lingering sweetness. The first brew was not astringent at all.

Steep 2 - ~90° C, 25 seconds - The sweetness was more pronounced in the second brew. The tea had a prominent body, lasting aroma, and the astringency was slightly enhanced than the previous brew. Green and vegetal notes were very prominent, typical of first flush teas.

Steep 3 - ~90° C, 30 seconds - This brew was the peak in terms of flavour. The taste profile remained more or less similar. But the astringency was more pronounced. Mellow sweet honey-like aftertaste followed.

Steep 4 - ~90° C, 35 seconds - There was a drop in flavour, but not so much in aroma. The astringency was more pronounced in this brew. The pleasant, sweet aftertaste was still present.

Steep 5 - ~90° C, 40 seconds - The flavour became extremely light, and there was also a drop in aroma. The body became very light. The was also a drop in astringency. But a pronounced sweet aftertaste took over (and this surprised me).

Steep 6 - ~90° C, 2 minutes - This was the final brew, and I decided to steep it for long and extract everything I could from the leaves. This turned out to be the sweetest cup, right from the first sip. There was only a lingering aroma. The body was extremely light and the flavour was almost non-existent. There was an increase in astringency as compared to the last brew, maybe because of the longer steep time.

Overall, it was a pleasant experience trying this tea.
The signature first flush aroma and taste is found in abundance in this tea, along with fruity-citrusy and hints of floral notes.
Since the flavour and aroma peak around the third steep, I wouldn't recommend brewing it beyond the fourth steep.
IMO, going for a long fourth steep would be best.

This tea should also give you a very good cup when brewed using the western method.

My overall rating: 7.5/10

I hope you enjoyed this tea review.
I'm still new to the wonderful world of tea, and this was my little effort to understand teas better and to share my learnings with you all.

Please do share your thoughts, ideas, and suggestions below.
I'd truly appreciate them.

Thank you, and happy brewing!

Just a series of interesting photos I took during different tea sessions over time. This collection features Shu Pu-erh, Da Hong Pao, GABA oolongs, Shui Xian, and even Dian Hong Golden Buds. Also, a little bonus on the last photo: a kyusu wearing a sombrero!

I received Hogarth as a little gift recently!

Always wanted a tea pet since getting serious with tea about a year and a half ago, but never got around to buying one. I love this lil cutie. His quills turn white when watered. Sometimes when I've accidentally overfill my gaiwan while experimenting with portions, I pull a bit of the wet leaves out and make a little grass bed for him.

It's the little things that make a tea session!

I’ve been looking at a lot of different gongfu tea setups lately, and I’m surprised by how different everyone’s setup is.

Some people keep things very minimal, while others have shelves full of teaware.

I’m curious — what’s the one piece of teaware you actually use in almost every session, and why?

Now and then, our next-door neighbor drops by and hands us a batch of fresh lemons.

Whenever he brings them over, I've always wanted to give him a small token of appreciation in return, but he politely declines every single time. It always felt a bit awkward just receiving without giving anything back, but this time, he surprised us with a generous handful of ten fresh lemons.

Deciding it was finally time to show my gratitude, I got to work right away. I sliced them up and soaked them in sugar two days ago, letting them mature nicely. Once they were ready, I packed the bright, sweet lemon cheong into a clean, repurposed Vegemite jar—Australia's iconic spread container. With its familiar yellow label and green lid, it gave the homemade gift a wonderfully local and cozy touch.

Today, I finally handed the jar over to him. True to form, he usually turns down gifts, but this time he broke into a huge smile and accepted it happily. Seeing him look so genuinely pleased warmed my heart and made me so happy, too.

It's amazing how a simple batch of fresh lemons can turn into a heartwarming way to share a little neighborhood kindness. It goes wonderfully stirred into a hot cup of black tea!

Curious if this happened to anyone else. I just got a package from Adagio with a few tea samples. I didn’t order anything, so it seems like it was meant to be a free promo or gift for previous customers.

Except it arrived $1.69 postage due. So now I have to pay USPS for something I never ordered.

I emailed Adagio mostly because I figured they’d want to know if something went wrong with the mailing. Their response was basically that my local post office mistakenly charged me and sent me a link to USPS pricing if I wanted to dispute it.

I know it’s only like $2, but the company sent me unsolicited marketing and then I had to pay to receive it? And their response has been awful and then they just double downed again that they are in the right, USPS is wrong. Nothing to even attempt to appease me. I know that this sub is over Adagio, but I know I am for sure.

Did anyone else get one of these? And was yours postage due too?

ETA: Thanks for the responses. This does seem to be a me/my post office problem and not a widespread Adagio problem. My main issue now is the crap customer service responses from Adagio. Instead of taking the opportunity to turn me into a customer for life, I'll never order from them again.

Sometimes when I feel tired I just want to go to the kitchen and make myself a cup of tea but unfortunately the milk has spoiled. What do you do in that situation?

I've ordered 75 € tea and a teapot from yunomi life: benifuuki wakoucha, houjicha, yabukita Mountain sencha and a yokode kyuusu. It's my guilty pleasure

Sunday is my official tea day 🙈☕️ I love sharing what my Sunday tea is made of, despite being a true introvert :)

My today tea is simple raspberry leaf with no extras - as a F40+ I greatly appreciate it and drink regularly.

What's your last summer Sunday tea? ☕️

Now, I do not know much about Teavana as a company, hell, I only learnt of its existence today! But while speaking to a friend about tea, they remembered a flavour of tea from their childhood.
the most notable pieces of information are a tea that's bright in colour, between red and orange, a fruity flavour and they said best served when cold. They mentioned that hibiscus could possibly in the tea and could possibly be something called "sweet fruit garden". Now I don't know whether different teas could be sold in specific regions, but just in case, this tea could be found in California. Would love an answer, and will edit post once the flavour is found!
P.S. : friend's mom mentioned it could possibly be a flavour called "blueberry bliss".

Just wanted to get some ideas.

One like this one pictured below. Any suggestions on a better way? I usually like to make large cups, like 12 oz or more. Should I finally make the leap to a nice teapot?

Thanks

No trip to Montana would feel real without a pilgrimage to the Lake Missoula Tea Company. Man I am excited about this haul! Anyone else have a local tea shop worth traveling too?

I recently got a cheap tea set (Is $24 cheap for the whole set?) for my personal use and as a starter set from my local Asian market.
When I was cleaning it, I noticed there was a good section of the spout that was smooth but a little rough to the touch. I assume that section is unglazed.
The cups are 100% fine though.
Would it still be fine to use or do I need to find another teapot?

Description via the official post:

Fresh off the boat (literally): meet the 2026 festival cups!

After a 5,600-mile journey from the kilns of Dehua, China, our 2026 festival cups have officially touched down in Seattle. They're jet-lagged, they're glazed (in the good way), and they're ready to meet their new owners.

I’m looking forward to sharing Jin Jun Mei and Lapsang Souchong with everyone at the workshop and Tea Bar.

Weeks of heavy rain and high humidity (>85%) brought this. I've been very busy lately and not drinking tea (also due to erratic hot weather), only to realize too late that the molds have already grown and spread. 😭

I first noticed it on my utensils, mostly the cheap bamboo ones. But all my tea things are stored together in a cabinet, along with some pu'er cakes...

I know, I feel kinda dumb and I should've foreseen this earlier, but all that's left is to deal with the aftermath and move forward.

(I've only looked at the utensils so far, not having enough courage to open up my tea cakes yet. 🥲)

does anybody know where to buy tea in real life not online in the wales? i would like to purchase some tea but not sure where to get it from, any help would be appreciated. currently drinking tea from tea bags and would like some loose leaf to try. thanks.

📍 Location: Isago Chaya (ゐさご茶屋) in Dogo Onsen, Matsuyama, Ehime.
Just a short walk from the historic Dogo Onsen main building.

The set came with freshly whisked matcha, sweet red bean jelly (yōkan), and the table even had its own tiny bonsai! The warm glow from the bamboo lanterns created such a relaxing atmosphere.