Customer Reviews

China Tea Loose Leaf Sampler Gift Pack - 6 Tins (Pu Erh, Oolong, Jasmine, Dragonwell Green Tea, Tikuanyin oolong, China Green)

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I converted to drinking only loose leaf tea last year and gave this gift pack a try. While it was decent, I have since had better and will probably not be ordering it again.

For one, it is impossible to tell the age of the teas in the tins. For Pu-erh, that's not such a big deal, but for green teas and the Jasmine, you want normally want to get a batch that is a fresh as possible. PierMall is a big reseller of products from around the world, and there is no telling how long what you get had been sitting in some huge warehouse, slowly losing flavor. Another consideration is that you get a random sampling of Chinese teas, no the specific types that is implied by their Amazon listing. If you visit their website, you will see that they draw from this selection:

* China Black Tea
* Tiekuanyin (Iron Goddess of Mercy)
* Oolong
* Lung Ching DragonWell Green Tea
* Yunnan Pu-erh
* Jasmine Tea
* White Tea
* PuErh Tea with Chrysanthmum
* Lychee Black Tea
* Rose Black Tea
* Rose Green Tea
* Osthsmum Green Tea

I don't know about you, but I'd like a little more certainty when buying a product. If you are new to tea and trying different varieties out, or are getting this as a gift, then it isn't such a big deal. Of what I received, the Oolong was the best. The Pu-erh was okay, though nothing special, and the Jasmine has a slight aftertaste, leading me to believe it was artificially flavored. Good Jasmine tea should be flavored by the scent of the flower, nothing else. The green and blacks were just okay.

You could do worse if you were to buy teabags, but not much. I would recommend buying good loose leaf tea from dedicated tea vendors who are more upfront about what exactly they are selling you. At this price, you really can't expect to get quality tea. But if you are looking for an inexpensive gift for someone who doesn't know their tea, you could do worse. At least afterward you have some cute little tins in which to store future teas! It may cost a little more, but I think one would be much better served by ordering samples from a company like Heavenly Teas or Adagio.

I'm no tea expert. In fact I just started exploring all the tea varieties to cut back on the coffee I was drinking. I searched for 5 star teas based on other people's reviews. This one deserves the rating. It has a full and pleasant flavor.

I am rather new to Tea, but this sampler is great way to discover and choose your favorites. The tins are packed with, in my opinion, good quality dry packed leaves, no stems or dust, or at least nothing I could complain on.
Tins are clearly labeled, and the quick search for the labeled names on Wikipedia makes a great learning experience going along with the tasting as well.
I'm on my second round thru 6 tins, and with each teaspoon making more than one cup of tea by multiple steeping, I think these 6 tins may as well last for couple of months, much more than its "sample" title may reveal. For some teas, second steeping(s) may give a better or different quality than the 1st one - in any case it is a good experimenting exercise, along with water temperatures etc...
If you want to "try and see... what is this tea thing all about", go for this sample package!

I got this sampler because it came up after a search for Pu Erh. People wrote that they didn't get certain types of tea listed, but I got all 6 as listed. The tea is good quality, like everyday Chinese drink. I ordered some Rishi Pu Erh as well, and I must say, Pier Mall doesn't market as well as Rishi, but the tea is much better quality, regardless of wheter it is "Kosher" or not. That said, I bought other Jasmine Tea, which I initially preferred, but I saw that the leaf quality is better for this generic brand sent in the 6-pack and I have grown to appreciate the quality. Each box is about 5-7 servings, and has a good pure leaf taste. If I could get larger quantities wholesale, at a good price, I would buy this tea, because I think it is good quality and very drinkable, and at bulk, should be reasonably priced, as opposed to these overpriced places that sell tea at $6/ounce. So far, the best tea I've ordered off of Amazon, along with the Pu Erh cake from Generation Tea.

Purchased these as a gift. I was told by the recipient (an advent tea-drinker) that it tastes wonderful, and the leaves blossom very big. Pleased w/ my purchase. Be warned that they are samples, and are not big.

Items received weren't damaged or defective, merely reflective of bad advertising and labeling. The sampler pack is described as "6 tins (Pu Erh, Oolong, Jasmine, White Tea, DragonWell Green Tea & More!)" What came were two Oolongs, one "Black" that I guessed would be the Pu Ehr, two Green and one Jasmine. No White, and no explanation of what kinds of Oolongs and Greens were sent. The labels on the tin had only these descriptors and some Chinese labeling. Fortunately my son is fluent in Chinese, and I sent him a photo of the tins. He replied, "Well, you have one that just says Oolong tea, the other Oolong is a Tie Guan Yin, a nice flowery Oolong (unless its a Taiwanese Oolong, in which case it will be a darker). You were right about the black tea, it's pu-er. The green tea on the top middle just says Chinese green tea, so its anyone's guess what that is. The other green tea is West Lake Long Jing."

I've tried all the teas, and they're not bad. In fact, I really like the one that is labeled as just "Chinese green tea" and would love to know what kind of green tea it is. I just learned that Long Jing is another name for Dragon Well. So for $12 I get to taste a good variety of decent teas, but gain little knowledge about what I am tasting. I'm really disappointed I didn't get a white tea, since this is where my education is really lacking. If I'd been sent a white tea and told the exact kinds of green, jasmine and oolongs I was getting, I would have rated this a 5 star purchase.

I complained to Amazon and they refunded my credit card $2.50. OK, that's something. I hope they have this supplier deliver what they advertise and clearly label what their teas are.

The teas are fine and come in cute little containers. Remember it's a sampler so ya don't get a gang of tea, but more than many samplers contain. There are two teas labeled 'oolong' and I assume one is the puer? I'll need to find someone who reads Chinese to know for sure. One jasmine that I didn't like b/c it didn't have that fresh jasmine scent/taste. Overall, for the price (I paid around 11 bucks) it was OK.

I'm new to the tea drinking world so I thought a sampler pack would have a wider flavor range. This sampler all taste pretty much the same.

I was more interested in breakfast teas, but these turned out to be pretty good when mixed with some of the others that we have. The oolong and black tea would be perfect for dinner teas. A couple of the teas have the same name (Oolong and green tea), but different chinese characters, and the tea itself looks different, but I'm not quite sure of the difference. Overall, a fun sampler pack.

My Dad's favorite tea was Oolong so I have many happy memories when I have a cup. It's nice to try other teas as well, but the Oolong is still my favorite as well.