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Mze yellow tea left, Qvevri gaba black right |
I picked this first sample to review randomly, Qvevri Etseri, not knowing that it was gaba processed. I tend to not like those. A sourness often comes across that makes the experience less pleasant than if it wasn't there.
I tried a second tea afterwards, their Mze Etseri (including the plantation name, per one description), to help keep moving through a broad set of samples they sent for review (many thanks for that!). It seems to tell more of a broader story about how personal preference mixes with more objective quality themes in evaluating teas.
Quality level is pretty good for their teas. I don't tend to mention flaws, as much as describing tea aspects and character that one might like or not like. Limitations in intensity or sweetness don't come up so much, but someone might see balance or refinement as issues, given the styles tend to be novel.
I can cite descriptions from a catalog that I've downloaded from their website in the past, which isn't available through the main links there to it now. They might be updating descriptions or types range in that. These had been listed in that reference through their main web page:
The grape flavor reference reminds me of how purple leaf Assamica tea versions tend to include sourness and fruit along the line of grape. Probably I would've "noticed it" if I'd read that description before the tasting, inclined towards that interpretation by that.
I don't think anyone's interpretation is a clear, objective, final description of tea aspects, but if you taste the teas a few times, and stay open to varying interpretations, the description outcome would be closer to that. It's not practical for tea blog review; trying them once and writing and editing notes takes hours, and it's too many hours doing two rounds and then merging notes.
I interpreted that flavor as floral and then fruity in later rounds, not exactly as citrus, but that could work, as a less intense version of that. I did mention honey and nuts; their description is fine. Marzipan is an interesting description, and one that's not familiar to me; here is Google's description of that (surely an AI compiled version):
What is Marzipan? Marzipan, also known as almond candy dough, is a smooth and pliable confectionary paste made from almonds that can be used as a cake icing or molded into candies. It features a clay-like consistency that makes it easy to handle.
Review, Qvevri Etseri gaba processed black tea
#1: that touch of sourness is definitely there, but it's balanced by other pleasant flavors, and not so pronounced. There's no chance this would be a favorite version as a result but it might be fine. Other people don't mind that aspect as much as I do; personal preference works that way.
Other warm tones are a bit malty; that part is nice. Mineral depth is pronounced, seeming to extent to a touch of salt. There's never salt in tea, I don't think, but it's interesting when some mineral range can resemble it. Some of the rest might lean a little towards cacao, but I'll do a more complete flavor list over the next round or the one after, when it all seems clearer.
#2: that transitioned a good bit, mostly in a positive sense, but one part is mixed in pleasantness. A wine-like character entered in; that's nice. A kind of funky vegetal flavor range also picked up, along the line of endive or mustard greens. Or maybe neither of those is right; I tend not to eat that kind of vegetable. It's like dandelion leaf, if that helps, which probably doesn't since that's not something people eat. Spice-like tones also pick up a little, but they're not easy to make out beyond the warm tones, touch of sourness, warm mineral, hint of cacao, and odd vegetal input.
#3: it falls into slightly better balance, but this is still really strange. It's hard to imagine someone drinking this and experiencing one of their most favorite flavor profiles, but then preferences do vary.
People tend to drink gaba processed teas for a relaxing effect, and I won't notice that. I'm not sensitive to drug-like effects from tea, and I'm feeling a bit hazy from experiencing an unrealistically long day yesterday. I ran 12k (8 miles), walked 5k doing errands, watched Kalani play for two hours, then did more errands, busy from 8 in the morning until 9 at night. I'm feeling it. I'm quite calm but tired.
#4: this is brewed a little stronger. I don't think that will help with separating and defining flavors, it's just to try it made differently. A sun-dried tomato savory aspect picks up. This would be quite pleasant without that one sour note. With it I wouldn't drink this just for flavor experience. At this point that savory edge stands out most, along with a wine-like background flavor, and then warm tones below that, some mineral, that sourness, and more vague warm flavor not so different than cacao, but really not distinct. It seems that one vegetal aspect evolved and split into a wine-like flavor and the savory sun-dried tomato part.
I'll probably drink one more round and then set this aside; it would be nice to try another version to get through more of their teas. Apparently they make a lot, and I'll be leaving Honolulu to go back to Bangkok in two weeks, for the summer, so it would be nice to finish more of this cycle of tastings.
#5: maybe this balances the best that it has so far; all the flavors are evolving to integrate better. It may be for the best to brew this Western style to get it all to mix from the first infusion. It comes across more like a standard black tea, with those odd flavor inclusions mixing and reduced in intensity.
In a sense this isn't a fair trial because I don't like gaba teas. Maybe a reader who does can read through all this and place how they would like it if that sourness wasn't interpreted as a negative inclusion.
Mze Etseri, yellow tea:
#1: this is nice. It's unusual, and interesting, but not as challenging as I found the gaba version to be. It reminds me of trying yellow teas in the past, but I may have only ever tried three versions of those, or at least that's all that come to mind. There's an unusual flavor aspect in them, as I remember, which is also included in this, a fermented light edge, not dis-similar to how one type of cardboard smells, like a shoe box. But it's better than that sounds; it mixes with other flavor range in a nice way.
Brighter honey and floral tones stand out, along with dry mineral and that cardboard edge, which might be closer to balsa wood. I suppose there is a faint hint of sourness in this as well, but it's hard to notice, and depends on judgment whether it is even that, where you couldn't miss it in the gaba version. A flavor that I'm describing here as floral stands out; it's distinctive, and I think truly in that range, but it could be interpreted differently. Warm sweetness makes it all integrate well, along the line of the taste of beeswax (or smell of it; beeswax is an odd thing to try and taste or eat).
#2: it's even better. A creaminess really picks up, in the feel, which can at times remind you of the taste of cream as well, as occurs in this. The flavors I described last round integrate a lot better, and they were already pleasant then. Those include rich floral tone, honey sweetness, warm mineral, towards beeswax, and then a touch of butter or cream. Feel is a bit thicker, and aftertaste lingers in a pleasant form, even though I brewed that last round fast.
At their best these Greengold teas can really catch lightning in a bottle, extending into really novel and pleasant range, balancing well, coming across as very refined. Then other versions aren't quite as polished, or include flavor range I don't like as much; they vary. Which versions are which, very novel and positive or else a bit of a miss, might vary with preference. In some cases trying a version more than once can shift interpretation, since novelty can be very positive or else a little hard to relate to. That might not apply as much to this version, but if someone had never tried anything similar to a yellow tea it might apply quite directly to this.
#3: another shift; a touch of fruit seems to come out. It's non-distinct enough that it's hard to place though; maybe along the line of yellow watermelon, a little sweeter and different than the red version. There's a freshness and brightness to this, which is odd, since that contrasts with the warm tone and hint of extra fermentation effect, a deepening of the flavors. But it integrates; it comes across as all one experience, even as one flavor, even though it's actually complex.
Maybe instead of describing the fermented range as like cardboard or balsa wood it's more like how a library smells; a mix of paper and binding materials scents, complex from relating to thousands of books, but also kind of distinct. To me it's pleasant when combined with the fresh floral and light fruit range, but then someone else might not like it; I think that part relates to personal preference (again) instead of objective judgement.
#4: an interesting spice tone picks up, quite similar to lemongrass, just maybe not exactly that. A long infusion might draw out something else entirely; I had planned to stop taking notes here but maybe I'll try one more round. A richness to the feel and flavor of this might also relate to nuts, to something like Brazil or macadamia nut (probably the second).
#5: that was a really long infusion; I got distracted and forgot the tea. It's still ok brewed extra strong, just with a stronger underlying base, which has shifted to light green wood tones brewed so strong. There is no astringency edge to come up but the related feel is stronger, a little towards structured or drier.
This isn't all that close to green tea character, not vegetal, without the same feel edge. It's hard to compare it to any other tea type; it seems most like yellow tea. The closest might be a mild green tea like Taiping Hokui, or a fresh and sweet oolong like Bao Zhong / Pouchong.
Conclusions:
Of course I liked the yellow tea version a lot more. Maybe it is even better (objectively), beyond just matching what I like most. Then again I never could relate to what people see in gaba tea versions, which supposedly has to do with feel effect, and it must also relate to preference or openness to that flavor range, the distinctive sourness.
To me the second yellow tea version was really distinctive, interesting, well-balanced, and positive. Parts of that apply to the first too, the gaba version, but it's hard for me to move completely past that one flavor note.
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where I run, beside Diamondhead, with extra clouds since it has been rainy lately |
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the kids! it was mix and match outfit day at her school. |
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