Favorite Teas Tasted In 2021

Posted: 2022-01-08

My trip to Texas this past July was life changing for me. It wasn't from seeing family, going to Walnut Creek Park (my favorite park), getting amazing sushi from Ichi-Umi (formally Haru and before that Hanabi), or going to get the best ramen on the planet (based on current life experience) at Ramen Tatsu-Ya (the original location on Research Blvd) in Austin. It was walking into The Steeping Room for the first time in years after moving away from Austin in 2014, after being there for only year, and buying my first tea cake. That first cake was 2020 Modern Witch from white2tea. Before that day I was a tea drinker, drinking loose leaf greens blacks, oolongs, and tuo cha puer (my first puer). After that fateful day, I became a TEA DRINKER. I wanted all tea cakes!

The opening of the tea rabbit hole presented itself to me through the the 2020 Modern Witch wrapper, yes the wrapper. I saw the cake of tea covered in a wrapper skeletons, skulls, and voodoo like imagary and I thought to myself, "Who the hell made that? I want to meet that person some day." Paul, the guy behind white2tea, is in my opinion a genius. His approach to the things he makes reminds me of all the artist/musician/designer friends I have and their love and attention to detail of what they bring into this world. Make what you love, who cares what anyone thinks, and people will find it.

With the help of my tea pal Emily, at The Steeping Room, my true tea adventure began. After these past 6 months, my wallet hates me, but my stomach and taste buds are in pure bliss.

The list below, the first of many to come over the years I hope, are the teas that I first discovered this year and knocked me on my ass in one way or another. Maybe you'll find your next favorite tea while perusing the list.

I will post my favorite teas of all time list in the very near future, but I am still brewing on that one. (Get it? I said brewing. Oh I know! We don't technically brew tea, we steep it, but you get the damn idea. Get off my back.)

  1. 2020 Modern Witch
    the compressed tea cake in it's white paper, the wrapper is black and contains imagery of skeletons and skulls, very voodoo in style, or death metal album cover in style the un-wrapped tea cake, dark brown, dark green, and tan colored leaves the tea, dark brown in color, in a small white cup the steeped leaves

    Type: Ripe Puer

    Vender: white2tea

    Scent: Cream, malt, and sugar

    Taste: Creamy, earthy, and slightly sweet

    Not my favorite tea of the year, but it is getting this spot because of the impact it had on me. This is the tea that sent me down the tea rabbit hole.

  2. 2020 Lumber Slut
    the compressed tea cake in it's white paper, on the wrapper there is a cartoon lumberjack holding to logs with hearts in his eyes the un-wrapped tea cake, dark brown leaves the tea, dark brown in color, in a small white cup the steeped leaves

    Type: Ripe Puer

    Vender: white2tea

    Scent: Wet bark, camphor, and a hint of licorice

    Taste: Woodsy and milky

    This is my current all time favorite tea.

  3. 2021 Smokeshou
    the compressed tea cake in it's paper wrapper which features a classic painting of a woman the un-wrapped tea cake, dark brown leaves the tea, dark brown in color, in a small white cup the steeped leaves

    Type: (Smoked) Ripe Puer

    Vender: white2tea

    Scent: The smell of a campfire

    Taste: Earthy, woodsy, creamy, and a hint of smoke

  4. Milk Oolong from Taiwan | Jin Xuan
    a brown mylar package with a white label on it explaining what the tea is a closeup of the leaves, tightly rolled leaves of greens, yellows, and tans the tea, yellow in color, in a small white cup the steeped leaves, un-rolled and open

    Type: Oolong

    Vender: The Steeping Room

    Scent: Buttered popcorn and cotton candy

    Taste: Butter, milk, and steamed spinach

  5. Old Style Liu Bao
    a brown mylar package with a white label on it explaining what the tea is a closeup of the leaves, compressed pieces of browns, tans, ambers, and grayish browns the tea, amber in color, in a small white cup the steeped leaves

    Type: Heicha

    Vender: The Steeping Room

    Scent: Wet bark and maybe camphor

    Taste: Woodsy and milky

  6. 2018 Turtle Dove
    the compressed tea cake in it's wrapper, a painting of middle eastern princess surrounded by flowers the compressed cake outside of it's wrapper, small and big leaves of tans, greens, and browns the tea, amber in color, in a small white cup the steeped leaves

    Type: White

    Vender: white2tea

    Scent: Citrus fruits and flowers

    Taste: Milky texture and citrus

  7. 2019 Yunnan Sourcing "Lucky Pig Mini Tuo"
    the wrapped tuo, white wrapper with a red drawing of a pig, think something that would appear on Chinese takeout the tuo out of the wrapper, dark greens and tan leaves the tea, light yellow in color, in a small white cup the steeped leaves

    Type: Raw Puer

    Vender: Yunnan Sourcing (U.S. site)

    Scent: Vegetable notes, mostly broccoli

    Taste: Milky texture with notes of broccoli, very slight bitterness in later infusions

  8. Late 90's Mystery Brick
    the compressed brick of dark and tan leave, and stems, sitting on it's white paper wrapper a closeup of the brick the tea, brown in color, in a small white cup the steeped leaves

    Type: Ripe Puer

    Vender: The Steeping Room

    Scent: Wet bark and history

    Taste: Woodsy and earthy

  9. Jinggu Sun-Dried Silver Needles (Spring 2021)
    the compressed cake of tea needles, green colors the needles in a brown gaiwan the tea, very light yellow in color, in a small white cup the steeped leaves/needles

    Type: White

    Vender: Yunnan Sourcing

    Scent: Flowers with lemon, lime, and orange peels

    Taste: Milky citrus notes with just a hint of flowers