Tanzanian Black from Teas, Etc.

I ordered this sample of Tanzanian Black tea simply because it sounded interesting. There's no description on the site yet (at the time of this writing), but the name intrigued me.

I brewed this up a few times, both using a natural teabag because that's the quickest way for me to brew tea in the morning when I'm still mostly asleep. Well that, and I can't find a steeping chamber that will fit the narrow neck of my travel mug. This morning I brewed the leaves in my trusty teapot, so I could photograph the lovely color before pouring. I steeped it for 4 minutes at 212 degrees, which may be a minute too long...three might have been better.

It has a very light, oolong-like texture - almost fruity and very refreshing. It's a nice spring/summer tea for hot days (as opposed to a hearty Yunnan). The flavor is rather hard to pin down - it's almost like a cross between an oolong, a first-flush Darjeeling and a mild Assam, if that makes any sense. It leaves a slightly astringent, somewhat peppery finish, with just the tiniest bit of smoke. I think the tannic dryness might be alleviated by a slightly shorter steeping time.



It's just as good room temperature as hot, and serving over ice would bring out the more fruity undertones,I think. It's not something I'll probably buy again (my tastes run more to the bolder side of flavor), but it's a nice light tea, and if you like light oolongs or first-flush Darjeeling, you'll probably enjoy this particular tea as well.

Caramel Macchiato from Teas, Etc.

Brewed 4 minutes at 208 degrees

China teacup with a metal infuser

I’m not a coffee drinker, so I don’t have any taste comparison for this, but I can’t imagine anyone who likes sweet caramel with a hint of tobacco (pipe tobacco/sweet smell) not liking this tisane. Blended with rooibos, caramel pieces and essential oil, it is my new favorite dessert/late-night drink, hands down. Naturally sweet, it’s got a great medium texture and the rooibos and caramel complement each other perfectly.

I only had a sample pack to try, but I’m definitely going to be ordering a larger quantity soon. This will certainly be a staple in my tea cupboard from now on.

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Pu’erh from Teas, Etc.

I really didn’t expect to like this at all. I mean, pu’erh tea is earthy, woodsy in some cases, and while I enjoy it very much (well, depending), I couldn’t wrap my taste buds around the melding of that incredible basic pu’erh flavor with strawberries & chocolate. Frankly, I kind of figured they’d ruin each other, and end up tasting like sweet, dirty berries.

Either that, or I figured the tea would be overshadowed by the stronger berry and chocolate flavors, completely getting lost in the mix (actually, I figured that would be the best outcome).

Not so. Not even by a long shot.

Pu’erh is still the dominant flavor, which surprised me. The earthiness is muted, blending with the chocolate (there are actual chocolate curls in the mixture) for a very smooth, sweet, almost-but-not-quite smoky taste. The strawberry is more prominent on the finish, and adds a very light, refreshing quality to what is, overall, a rather thick tea.

The really interesting thing about this tea is, the flavors just blend seamlessly, so that unless you’re really focused, you don’t recognize them as separate flavors, but just as one very mellow, satisfying taste. It does leave a dryness behind typical of some pu’erh, but it’s quite pleasant overall.

If you already like pu’erh, and enjoy flavored teas, you’ll certainly like this one. If you’ve never tried pu’erh, this is a good way to sort of ease into it…and I dare say it would be a lovely substitute for hot chocolate as well.

I only ordered a sample tin. I’ll definitely be ordering a larger quantity next time…

Flavored Pu'erh?

It's Murphy's law, I tell you. I decide to open the tea blog back up, and then everything goes haywire, things break, and I suddenly barely have time to *drink* tea, much less talk about it. For a month. Yeah, I wasn't pleased either, but life happens.

In any case, things are more or less back to normal now, which makes me happy. And this week I got a shipment from Teas, Etc. including some flavored pu'erh tea that I had to order just for the novelty of it. Normally I'm not really a fan of loose pu'erh tea...I tend to prefer it right off the cake. But I could not imagine, with the already strong flavor of pu'erh, how flavors would work with that. Pu'erh is normally pretty earthy, so for strawberries & chocolate pu'erh, I'm having a hard time imagining how everything will mesh together into something palatable.

Tea tends to surprise me all the time though, so I'm game, and I've got several different flavors to try now. Stay tuned for reviews...

Have you tried flavored pu'erh? What did you think?

Ice It, Baby!

It's finally summer, and while I'm not a huge fan of overly hot temperatures, I am a fan of iced tea. No sugar, please, and made with good quality loose leaves whenever possible. I haven't ordered iced tea in a restaurant for ages, simply because...well, that is *not* real iced tea.

Excuse me, my tea snob side is showing again...

I do like sun tea, but haven't made it in a long time simply due to the time it takes. My normal method for iced tea is to brew up a pot just as I normally would, with maybe half to one teaspoon more leaves than normal. I fill a tempered glass pitcher with ice, and then pour the hot tea over it, swirling it around so it cools rapidly. That's it. No fuss, no muss, and it's always fabulous.

This week I've been drinking Assam Melody from Adagio over ice, pictured above - and it makes a really great glass because it's naturally a little sweeter than, say, a Ceylon tea would be. It's very rich and full-flavored, and still very refreshing.

Another tea I've been drinking iced is Perfectly Passionate from Teas, Etc - a black tea from Sri Lanka mixed with marigold petals that somehow manages to have a very fruity, almost mango-like taste. It's excellent...and the flavor is enhanced when it's chilled, in my opinion.

And of course, if you don't want the caffeine, do try iced Rooibos. I haven't made any yet this year, but it's quite a treat - very naturally sweet, and if you use the fruity flavors, very much like a dessert cocktail of sorts. More on that later when I've made a few batches.


Are you icing your tea this summer? What are your favorite leaves/flavors to chill?

A Quick Note...

...to let you know that I've joined Steepster, finally. There's a link to the left where you can find me there, if you so choose.

I know - I said I wouldn't post anymore. It's hard to pass a blog (in this case, I was fixing the twitterfeed & reviewing some tasting notes while preparing tea orders), and not post *something*. Blogging is addictive... ;-)

Four Twitter accounts is just too much (didn't know I had that many, eh?). I've deleted my Tea On Tap account because I wasn't posting to it anyway. Feel free to follow my main account (also linked on the left) if you'd like...it's mostly writing related, but my Steepster updates are there, as well as the occasional tea-related tweet. I do follow and list tea people back, of course.

You can use the labels at to the right to search for specific reviews, etc. Interestingly, I use my own reviews when ordering tea (as I was doing today) to remember the differences between teas. That's the danger in sampling *everything* (still fun though).

I was thinking of all this today because it's ordering day. For anyone interested, here's what I ordered (linked to reviews where possible):

From Adagio:

Yunnan Noir
Keemun Concerto
Golden Spring

Interestingly, my reviews for Golden Spring and Keemun Concerto were less than stellar, but I find myself enjoying them both now. Fickle palate? Or different harvests...

From Harney & Sons

Valentine Blend (roses & chocolate)
Irish Breakfast
Florence (chocolate/hazelnut)
Lapsang Souchong

From Teas, Etc

Perfectly Passionate (hmm...flowery citrus, very smooth & sweet)
Pink Grapefruit
Raspberry Tart

(Don't mind the name differences - they seem to have done some renaming here and there)

From Andrews & Dunham

Series 2
Series 4

Happy Sipping!

On Tap Recently

I know - I committed to posting once a week, then walked away for two. Bad blogger. Bad Twitterer. I apologize. I'll do better.

But aside from the fact that this is the busiest season of the year for me (both at work and at home), I've also been in a bit of a tea-drinking rut, having the same cups over and over and over just because it's easy and familiar in a hectic time.

On and off again, I've been drinking:

Keemuns from both Adagio & Teas, Etc. I do so love Keemun.

Yunnan Noir & Black Pearls from Adagio (strong, wake-me-up tea)

Assam Melody from Adagion - because sometimes, you just want that malty raisin flavor.

Lapsang Souchong from Adagio - the last dregs of my big canister, sadly. I must order more soon...'tis the season for smoky tea!

Fall Decadence from The NecessiTeas - I just can't get over the caramel/orange/cranberry blend. It's odd, and oddly inviting...as well as very warming in the snowy cold weather we've been having.

Tropical Green, also from The NecessiTeas - smells like Juicy Fruit, and we drank it over ice for dinner one night. Very yummy stuff, that.

Raspberry Tart from Teas, Etc. - in my cup today.

I've been thinking about my puerh cabinet lately. I haven't done a puerh tasting in quite awhile, and every time I open the cabinet to get a teapot out or put one back, the most wonderful earthy scent comes wafting out into the room. I'm well aware that my environment here in arid Montana isn't optimal (or even good) for aging puerh, but even if it's just sitting there, that lovely aroma calls to me every time I open the door.

I'm certainly no gongfu brewing expert, but when I do get out the yixing ware and brew up several cups of puerh, it's a very centering experience. Perhaps I'll make some time next week for a session in the midst of the last minute Halloween party prep chaos.

Golden Pearls from Teas, Etc.

Scent in package: light malt scent
Ratio: 1 heaping tsp to 10 oz water
Steeped: 5 min. @ boiling

These little tea pearls are very attractive, and unfurl into thin, elegant leaves while brewing. The scent is very light, but I wasn’t too worried, since the leaves are lighter as well. Unfortunately, though I really wanted to like it, I was left wanting by this particular tea.

The taste is very delicate – more what one might expect from a white tea. All focus must be on the tea as it swirls around the tongue to catch a hint of malt flavor. The aftertaste is somewhat fruity/muscatel – almost like you’d expect from a Darjeeling, but it’s so difficult to pinpoint that it’s hardly worth the effort.

There is a tiny bit of peppery zing on the tongue, which gives a little life to the medium liquor, but overall, this tea is just too much trouble for casual drinking. I would compare it to a good quality Yunnan if the flavors were more prominent, but delicacy is something I want in a white or green tea, not a black such as this.

I’ll pass on this one, and go for that stronger Yunnan instead.

Organic Mint Fusion from Teas, Etc.

Scent in package: Lemony-mint…like mint chewing gum
Brewed for: 5 min@ boiling

I’ve been drinking a lot of mint tea lately…last week I had a stomach flu of some sort (hubby had it too), and just sort of kept drinking on the mint teas I got out. This is one that sounds like it might not work – Indian black tea, lemon grass, peppermint, and spearmint. The blend is more green than black…the black tea seems to be obligatory in its amount.

I really like this blend though, and I think it’s because I really like lemongrass. The lemon flavor is strong, with the mint following closely behind. The black tea stays deep in the background, subtly there, but not really noticeable unless you’re searching for it.

It does have a lovely deep reddish brown color, and the scent is actually more mint than lemon. That actually adds to the complexity of flavor contained in the brew, since the fragrance is inhaled just before the flavor hits your tongue, layering mint, lemon, and then mint again. I enjoy this hot, but I imagine it would make a very good iced tea as well (maybe I’ll try that next weekend).

If you’re looking for something different, or just something good on a sore stomach, don’t hesitate to try this tea. Soothing, refreshing, and very satisfying, you won’t be sorry.

Organic Shui Xian from Teas, Etc

Scent in package: earthy, woody
Brewed in: glass teapot/glass infuser
Steeped: 4 min. @ just under boiling
Cup: Ceramic teacup

I got this as a sample in my Teas, etc. order. I normally like darker oolongs, so I was pleased to try this last night after my workout. The scent of the dry leaves is very earthy, almost musky like a puerh, which was somewhat surprising.

The tea brewed up typically of a dark oolong, with a light golden liquor reminiscent of a light black tea. The scent is light but still earthy, and reminded me of wet bark for some reason. It has that typical honey-like texture, though slightly thinner than one might expect, and I found it odd that the flavor had no hint of honey tones, as most oolongs seem to when they have that particular texture.

The flavor was somewhat enigmatic to me. Perhaps my taste buds were off, and it wasn’t bad, but it was very earthy and woody, like the forest after a rain storm. There was a hint of smoke in the brew as well, and a slight aftertaste of charcoal. It’s tempting to blame that on the amount of Lapsang I’ve been drinking, but I hadn’t had any smoky tea for many hours before, so I’d guess the smokiness was definitely there.

It wasn’t sweet, but not bitter either, it wasn’t astringent, and while it felt thick on the tongue at first, the texture seemed to dissipate on the tongue until the brew felt fairly thin in the mouth to finish. There were hints of pine, bark, and wet earth, but while it may sound unappetizing, it was strangely enjoyable at the same time.

I can’t say this tea was “good”, because that’s not really what came to mind while I was sipping it. It definitely wasn’t “bad” either…just very complex and “different”. If you like mysteries, and can imagine yourself in the woods after dark, experiencing a myriad of different smells and tastes, this is your tea. Would I buy it again? I can say with absolute certainty…maybe.

Lapsang Souchong from Teas, Etc

Scent in package: Mmmm…smoky and warm
Brewed in: Tea-for-one pot, metal infuser
Steeped: 5 min.@ 212 degrees
Cup: Café mug

The first time I tried lapsang tea, I about choked on the smokiness of it. It’s generally strong, and very much like drinking a bonefide campfire, so it’s not really for the faint of palate. It grew on me very quickly though, and now it’s one of my favorite teas for cold, snowy winter days (much like this one). There’s nothing like the scent of smoke in the air to warm me up when I get to work (or to make my boss ask, “What *is* that smell?”).

This is the second “version” of lapsang I’ve tried. The first was from Adagio, and it was pretty much like drinking liquid smoke (I did enjoy it). This one is a bit lighter, though still much stronger than the Bohea I drink from the same company. Of course one of my favorite things about lapsang Souchong is that even if you oversteep it, it tends to remain naturally sweet (and I tend to prefer the sweeter end of teas anyways).

This particular Lapsang is a bit more complex than Adagio’s. I can taste the wood and smoke (they make up the main taste profile, obviously), but the original “tea” taste isn’t completely overpowered. It’s obviously a good quality tea, with larger, twisted black leaves that unfurl into good sized leaf chunks of brown and green when steeped. It brews up lighter than one might expect, a deep golden brown that is as lovely to look at as it is to sip, and it leaves a pleasant “blackened” aftertaste on the tongue – like a good grilled steak. Continuing with the steak theme, the tea is almost “juicy”, if you can imagine, and almost literally makes my mouth water.

There is no astringency at all, and no bitterness, even when steeped for too long. It’s naturally sweet as I mentioned, and warming on the mouth, but without that charred burnt taste characteristic of too much smoke.

If you enjoy Lapsang, or if you’ve never tried it, this is a very good one – like most of the teas I’ve ordered from this company, it’s a very good quality tea for a reasonable price. If you live in a northern climate as I do, trust me – you need some smoky tea on these cold winter days!

Red Dragon Pearl from Teas, Etc

Scent in package: Malty, sweet, with a hint of alfalfa
Brewed in: glass teapot
Steeped: 4.5 min. @ boiling
Cup: Stoneware teacup

Teas, Etc has a knack for sending me samples of extraordinary teas with my orders. They're either really lucky, or they really pay good attention to the tastes of their customers - I prefer to think it's the later. Whatever the impetus, they've done it again. This tea knocked my socks off, if you'll forgive the cliché.

I knew it was going to be good the minute I opened the sample pack. Not only is the scent intoxicating with it's malty depth, but the little golden tippy pearls are intriguing in their appearance. After I set the tea to brew, I got the idea to use our new camera to capture some of the dance of the leaves in the pot. Unfortunately, the video was too large for my flash drive, and my connection at home is slower than molasses, so I can’t share it with you. But hopefully an upgrade in internet connectivity next month will fix that little problem. You’ll just have to take my word for it – the unfurling of those little pearls was beautiful and relaxing to watch. Since I was so busy playing with the video, I didn't manage to get a picture of the leaves steeping (permission to virtually slap me granted).
The brew isn't as highly fragranced, though that sweet malty/raisin smell still wafts gently off the dark, clear soup. The texture is lighter than I'd expected from the color...it's thin, but not unpleasantly so.

The taste is sweet, with a surprising hint of smokiness behind the alfalfa at first, then it gives way to the raisin malt flavor that I was looking forward to from the scent. The finish is a bit drying, but not at all bitter, and that raisin-like sweetness remains on the tongue.

This tea isn't as "deep" or as intricate as some, but it is truly a lovely cup, with a little of everything I love in a black tea. The tightly rolled pearls unfurl into long, skinny leaves, adding interest and wonder to the whole brewing process.

I'd highly recommend this tea, not just for yourself, but for sharing with company as well. And the perfect finishing touch would be a warm cinnamon roll, or oatmeal-raisin cookies. I can't imagine a better pairing for this particular cup. It’s not inexpensive, and 3oz. will set you back around $10, but in my opinion, it’s completely worth it. You’ll find it listed with the Black teas on the Teas,Etc. web site (linked to the left). I'll be ordering a bigger batch for myself right around payday!

Lemon Lavender Organic from Teas, Etc

Scent in package: very “clean” – a mixture of lemon and lavender
Brewed in: unbleached filter bag
Steeped: 4 min.@ boiling
Cup: café mug

I wish I’d remembered to take this tea home last night for a picture session. There’s nothing remarkable about the appearance of the brew, or the wet leaves, but the dry mix is a very interesting blend of medium size Indian black tea leaves, small lavender buds, and small bits of lemon myrtle leaves (I assume they’re lemon myrtle – because they don’t look like lemongrass, which is the only other thing in this blend). I wouldn’t say it’s “beautiful” exactly, just interesting with the different colors and textures. I ordered it to try while inspired by the Lemon Lavender Mint tisane from Monday's review.

The scent of this tea is…dare I say it? Very “clean”. Clean as in Lavender antiseptic and lemon pledge. If you like that sort of thing (which I generally do), you’ll love the fragrance that drifts out of the cup as this tea is steeping. If you don’t, it will remind you that there’s a dirty kitchen or bathroom somewhere that really needs a scrub-down!

The viscosity of the brew is nice – thick, but not unpleasantly so. The overall taste is of lemon, with the lavender adding a nice complimentary flavor in the background. The tea itself really doesn’t factor in much, as the lemon and lavender overwhelm it from the start. It’s naturally very sweet, and leaves just a hint of dryness at the top of the mouth. I hate to keep repeating myself, but the whole experience of this particular tea is just very “clean” and refreshing.

I wouldn’t drink it every day, and beware of over-steeping (I steeped it a minute too long yesterday, and it was very bitter and tart). But for an occasional drink, something new and refreshing, and potentially a lovely iced tea for summer, this one is worth trying. And if you get the urge to go mop the floor or write your grandma a letter while you’re drinking it, all the better.

Organic Qi Lan Oolong from Teas, Etc

Scent in package: Not much
Brewed in: tea for one pot, metal infuser
Steeped: 5 min. @ below boiling
Cup: Café mug

My nose still isn’t working all that well (and by extension my taste buds), so hopefully I can do justice to this tea today. I wasn’t able to discern much scent from the dried leaves, which are dark, long and twisted (very lovely, and everything you’d expect from a dark oolong). This was a free sample sent with one of my orders before Christmas.

The brewed tea is nicely fragrant, with a warm, roasted scent coming up from the liquor. It’s fairly light in color, golden and very clear. Quite beautiful to look at.

I’m sure the taste would be stronger if my own taste buds were working correctly. As it is, I’m quite enjoying it. It’s a sweet, roasted flavor, with just a hint of astringency at the finish. I almost want to call it smoky, though it’s really not – the roasted, almost nutty aspect of it combines to create the illusion of a light smoky undertone. As with most oolongs, it is very smooth in the mouth and pleasantly thick.

In the interest of being thorough, I brewed another cup this afternoon from the leaves. This one was lighter of course, and surprisingly, more astringent. There was less of the sweetness, and more of the strong, roasted flavor coming through. I have to say, I didn’t appreciate it as much as the first infusion. I really missed the sweet smoothness of the first cup.

It’s definitely worth a try though, if you’re an oolong drinker. Perhaps later infusions, or using a gong fu method would come out differently, but it’s worth drinking simply for the first cup in any case, in my opinion.

White Rose from Teas, Etc

Scent in package: lovely “wild roses”
Brewed in: glass teapot/glass infuser
Steeped: 5 min. @ 185 or so
Cup: Porcelain teacup

I got this sample in my recent order from Teas, Etc., and couldn’t wait to try it. I love black rose tea, or any tea scented with roses, so I figured this one had to be good as well. Needless to say, I wasn’t disappointed.

The dry leaves and rose buds are simply beautiful together, the tea clearly being of high quality with some full leaves present. The scent made my mouth water, and I couldn’t wait for the water to heat up. I poured, and that lovely sweet floral fragrance just intensified, filling the whole kitchen. This tea brews up darker than many white teas, to a lovely golden yellow color as you can see.
The taste is wonderful. The tea taste is very light, of course, and easily missed if you’re not thinking about it. The rose flavor is what really shines, sweet and decadent. It made me think of garden parties, ladies in lacy hats and gloves, and coolness on a hot summer day when the scent of a wild rose bush can waft through the yard on a light breeze. It was slightly drying, as many white teas are, but not unpleasantly so, and I was quite disappointed when the cup was empty.

Unfortunately, it was time for bed then…and the tea was so relaxing that I had no trouble laying down and falling right to sleep. I put the extra half-glass of tea in the fridge, and plan on drinking it cold this evening, and I think it will be quite lovely and refreshing over ice, possibly even sweeter.

The wet leaves were beautiful and vibrant, the rose buds open and very beautiful against the pale green spent leaves of the tea.
I’ve now tried black, green and white teas scented with roses, and honestly, I’ve loved every one of them. This one is definitely a keeper – if you like floral teas, try this one. You won’t regret it.

Black Grapefruit from Teas, Etc

Scent in package: very grapefruit-y- like the oolong version from last week.
Brewed in: small porcelain teapot
Steeped: 6 min. @ 212 degrees (got sidetracked)
Cup: big ceramic mug

I was home yesterday trying to convince my body that it really didn’t *want* to get the cold my husband has had for the past several weeks. It seems to be working, and I think the tea helps…I planned on posting this review yesterday, but just never quite got around to it.

In any case, you can imagine my delight when this free sample showed up in an order I got last week from Teas, Etc. Honestly, I didn’t eve know they had Black Grapefruit until I got the sample. Naturally, I was more than ready to try it after my really great experience with the Grapefruit Oolong from Adagio. The dry leaves of this flavored black were nice – smaller as expected, but in good shape as I’d also expect from this company. The tea smelled great as it steeped, wafting a lovely citrus scent throughout the kitchen.

I got back 6 minutes after I’d set it to steep, and was really worried that it would be over brewed. Since I used the whole sample for a pot, which did not really make me happy. And if the base tea had been the dreaded Ceylon, it would most certainly have been bitter and tannic. But the base tea for this is listed as “Chinese Black Tea”, and it withstood the over steeping well, without a hint of bitterness or extra astringency. Whew! I’m guessing it was a lower grade Yunnan tea, since I tasted a bit of maltiness (I actually thought it was an Assam until I visited the web site).

Either way, the base tea was delicious, which provided the perfect backdrop for the grapefruit flavoring. The flavor is light, and not really as strong as it could be, but it showcases the tea itself well, which is the whole idea anyways. It’s refreshing, but still a bold, dark tea with good viscosity and “presence” in the mouth.

I didn’t enjoy it quite as much as Adagio’s Grapefruit Oolong, because I would have liked a little more of that citrus flavor to come through. But overall, as a flavored black tea, it was very good, and very satisfying too. I’d certainly recommend it – a great morning tea to wake up with (which is what I used it for).

Bao Zhong from Teas, Etc

Scent in package: very light floral
Brewed in: tea for one w/metal infuser
Steeped: 3 min@ 180 deg., 4 min. @ 180 deg.
Cup: Café mug at work

Sigh. I received this green oolong tea as a sample in my last order from Teas, Etc., and waited to try it, because I wanted to make sure I had time for at least a few infusions. The sample was only big enough to brew once, so I wanted to make it last. I got two infusions yesterday before I ran out of time, and that was enough to get me completely hooked. I want more!

The tea brews up extremely light – it looks like plain water when pouring it until over half the cup is filled. The end result is a super-light yellow liquor that reminds me of a white tea more than a green or oolong. It’s beautiful, and when you hold it up to your nose, a honey-sweet floral scent wafts up gently out of the cup. It’s very light and delicate, but provocative, especially in the somewhat thick texture that lingers on the tongue. The aftertaste is sweet and mild, and stimulates a very relaxed state of mind.

With many oolongs, the second infusion is much different than the first, and the third is something else entirely. This particular tea was constant in the second infusion – same viscosity, same lovely scent, same relaxing floral sweetness. It was almost too relaxing for work, but at the same time, a welcome respite from the afternoon doldrums.

Needless to say, I enjoyed this tea very much, and wasn’t terribly surprised when I looked up the price on the web site, and found that 1 oz. would cost me $7.95, or I could get 3oz. for $19.95. But I will have to have more…I feel like I’ve only skimmed the surface of this tea, and with two incredibly constant infusions right from the start, I’m curious to see what else these beautiful green leaves have in store. I would not hesitate to serve this tea to guests…I’m positive it will be enjoyed by whoever drinks it. For a bit of luxury, try some…you won’t regret a single minute, and I have a feeling you’ll get more than your money’s worth from it!

Golden Dragon Aged Oolong from Teas, Etc.

Scent in package: warm, like raisin bread, with a malty fragrance
Brewed in: Tea for one pot (work)
Steeped: 4 min@180 or so, then 5 min. @180 (or so)
Cup: Café mug at work

This tea was another free sample sent with an order…I do love free samples. This one I loved so much I immediately ordered a larger bag, which is where the leaves I’m drinking now came from!

It’s an interesting tea to look at…large dried leaves of brown and green in a twiggy mixture that reminds me of something I’d see on the forest floor in autumn, minus the white mold spores. It smells faintly earthy and warm, almost like you’d expect from a cooked puerh, though not nearly as strong. There is a sweet, malty scent underlying, which smells like boiled raisins, malty, sweet and sticky.

I brewed the sample at home…with tap water, as I normally do. My filtered water at home just makes tea taste thin, while the tap water gives it body and more flavor. At work, I use spring water from the water cooler, which is kind of in between the two. I used the same brewing parameters at home, though there may have been more infusions (I don’t remember, and I didn’t take notes, unfortunately).

I love this tea mainly because it consistently tastes like warm raisin bread, and I *adore* raisin bread! That’s not to say that the taste excludes the quintessential oolong flavor, but rather it compliments it most nicely, intensifying the traditional oolong taste into something sweeter and more bold. It is a bit thinner with the spring water, and I will say I prefer it with tap water, but either way, the tea is sweet and absolutely delectable, like a dessert. If you like darker oolongs, and malty teas (think a very light Assam), this tea is definitely one you should try. I highly recommend it, and I may just go get some raisin bread to snack on next time I’m brewing a cup (or several). This would be a wonderful breakfast tea too, good with something that needs syrup, like pancakes or waffles.

Try it. You’ll love it.

Rosy Earl Grey from Teas, Etc.

Scent in package: Bergamot and roses…very soft and sweet.
Brewed in: unbleached filter bag (work)
Steeped: 5 min@ 212 degrees
Cup: Café mug

I honestly would never have tried this tea if not for a free sample sent with my order this week. The thought of bergamot and roses together just never really sounded appetizing. When I smelled the tea blend after opening my sample pack, I still wasn’t completely convinced, since the bergamot and roses and tea were all completely separate scents, not really mingling in the package.

I should note that the mix is absolutely beautiful with the rose petals and tea leaves…truly lovely to look at. It’s a blend of Jasmine green tea, black earl grey and rose petals.

And then I brewed it up this morning. It brews up a lovely light golden color, and the smell is to die for – sweet but not “sickly sweet”. And the taste…wow. It’s so smooth and mellow, the bergamot and roses blend together to create this incredibly light floral profile that is complimented by the honey-like texture of the brew (added, I would assume, by the jasmine green tea and the bergamot). It reminds me of high school, and days spent wandering through the incense-laden atmospheres of record shops & tattoo parlors (much softer though, of course). Overall, the tea is very soothing, and made me forget my pressing troubles, if only for a moment or two.

This tea is definitely on my “to order next time” list – with all the rose petals, there was only enough in the sample for this one cup, and already I’m mourning the loss. I won’t be waiting long to order a full-size pack of this (like next week), and it’s very affordable at $7.95 for 3 oz. Order some…I promise you won’t regret it!

Odds n’ Ends

I apologize for the long absence…I’ve been finishing up some of my tea stash, and drinking teas already reviewed to clear out my cupboard a bit and make way for new things. So now that I’m making headway with that goal, the new reviews will begin again tomorrow. I also have a few new teas on order that should arrive sometime this week, which will be fun. I’ve ordered a Black Rose from Teas, Etc. (to compare to the other rose teas I’ve tried lately), and Frost, another oolong from Art of Tea (I love the Mandarin Silk from them, and was ordering more White Summer Rain as a gift for my mom next month).

I'm very exited to receive the new teaware I ordered from Art of Tea as well…a Pearl Dragon Travel Set (pictured). It includes a gaiwan, pitcher, six cups and a set of tongs, all in a handy little travel case for less than $20. Believe it or not, I don’t have a gaiwan yet, and I’ve wanted a set for awhile. This little set will be perfect for my own personal tastings, as well as tastings for friends, as I assume it’s somewhat small. I doubt I’ll actually travel much with it, but you never know. I’m definitely looking forward to getting it.

Next week (May 20 – 25) is Puerh Week here at Tea on Tap. I have my teas all ready to go, and I plan to post pictures of my adventures in breaking up tea cakes and the complete brewing process for each tea, such as it is in my humble kitchen. All I need is a letter opener (or an actual puerh knife, if I can find one this week), and I think I’m good to go. It should be an interesting and hopefully enlightening journey, even with my inexpensive puerhs.

So that’s the story – stay tuned for more tea!