Jasmine Coconut Green Tea from Whispering Pines Tea Co.

Tea Information:

Leaf Type:  Pouchong & Rooibos

Where to Buy:  Whispering Pines Tea Co.

Tea Description:

Jasmine Coconut Green Tea combines the warm fragrant smell of jasmine scented green tea and red rooibos with freshly toasted organic coconut flakes for a smooth tropical tea. Deliciously perfect for any time of the day! Best enjoyed hot.

Learn more about this tea here.

Taster’s Review:

OK … whoa!  I did NOT expect to like this as much as I do!  Wow!

I don’t know exactly what I was thinking when I started to brew this blend, I guess I thought:  “jasmine and coconut seem like a pretty odd combination,” and even as I sip this, my mind still seems to think that the two components would not make a compatible pair, but, my taste buds think differently!  My mind can’t quite wrap itself around the thought of a Jasmine Coconut Green Tea.

But, it tastes amazing!

I think that the reason this works so well is that the jasmine is a lighter taste – it doesn’t smack you over the head with its heady floral essence – and so it mingles very well with the creamy, luscious taste of the coconut, and neither taste overwhelms the sweet notes of the Pouchong tea.

There is a well-achieved balance with this tea … at least when it comes to the tea leaves, coconut and jasmine.  I don’t taste a lot of the rooibos, and that’s just fine with me.  I suspect that the rooibos may lend a certain lightness to the overall cup, and perhaps a nutty earthiness as well, but, these are very faint characteristics to the tea, so much so that I hardly notice them at all.

But when it comes to the Pouchong tea, the coconut and the jasmine, I taste each note, but they all seem to work in harmony with one another.  It’s one of those teas that tastes so good that you’ll want to keep drinking it long after you’ve finished the cup … so I recommend making a pot of the tea so you can fill ‘er up once you’ve emptied your cup.  You’ll be really glad you did!

Mandarin Silk from The Persimmon Tree

Tea Information:

Leaf Type:  Oolong

Where to Buy:  The Persimmon Tree

Tea Description:

The smooth Mandarin Silk Oolong Tea introduces organic pouchong loose-leaf tea blended with lemon myrtle, marigolds, and natural essence of vanilla. Awakening the senses with hints of cream and a stimulating citrus finish, the Silk Mandarin Tea is a rich and fragrant choice for your tea experience.

Learn more about this tea here.

Taster’s Review:

This is lovely!  The vanilla and the pouchong together deliver such a creamy smooth texture and taste … so sweet and indeed silky!  It’s such a pleasure to sip.

The pouchong is a base that I don’t encounter very often in tea blends, it seems, and I wish that it was utilized more.  It is so wonderfully soft and easy to sip, and it has such a lovely taste that melds well with other flavors.  It tastes sweet and slightly vegetative on its own, but with these flavors of vanilla and lemon-y citrus, the palate seems to want to explore some of the pouchong’s fruity and floral tones, allowing for some of the flavors to come forward that I might otherwise overlook.

The citrus tones are subtle, and don’t seem to hit the palate right up front.  At first, it’s really all about the vanilla and the tea, but then by about the third or fourth sip, the citrus tones arrive on the palate, just in time to give the palate something new to explore.  The citrus notes start off gentle and sweet, and eventually become this very pleasantly tangy taste to offer some contrast to the creamy, sweet vanilla.

What I’m liking best about this tea is that it is a very gentle tea.  It doesn’t go overboard with any of the flavors at any time.  It has a very easy kind of flavor, something that you could easily curl up with while reading a good book or while relaxing in a bubble bath.  It’s one of those teas that can serve as a pleasant, contemplative cup, as well as one to sip when you need something to help you clear your head after a long, stressful day.

I like this tea!

Taiwan Wenshan Pouchong from Nuvola Tea

Tea Information:

Leaf Type:  Pouchong, Oolong

Where to Buy:  Nuvola Tea

Tea Description:

Wenshan Pouchong Tea has a radiant golden yellow colour and the pleasing fragrance of orchid. Its velvety body creates an exquisitely mellow mouth-feel and a sweet aftertaste which pampers the palate. This lingering flavour coupled with the subtle floral note ensures you an absolutely satisfying and delectable cup of tea.

Learn more about this tea here.

Taster’s Review:

 

Nuvola Tea brings us a very light delicate golden hued pouchong from Taiwan. The broth of this tea is thick and when I pull my steeping basket from my cup it looks like a thin light honey dripping elegantly downward back into my cup. It is quite pretty.

The aroma of the tea is beautifully floral mixed with the aroma of sugar cane.

My first steep was quite light, and I could detect the delicate floral notes, sugar notes, and the pouchong leaf itself which is delicious! However, the first steep is in fact quite light in color and taste. I could have poured this steep and considered it a rinse but it was too good to pour even though I prefer a heavier flavor in my tea. I continued to enjoy it appreciating the tea for its subtle but sweet nuances.

My second steep was more to my liking and more “robust” although this is far from a robust tea. Now admittedly I am one who likes robust flavors in my tea, and truth be told this tea has more than enough flavor and is really profound in what it offers so I do not want to minimize the depth of flavor this tea offers!

The mouth feel is heavy, creamy, broth-y, and full. There is a buttery and noticeable vegetal note dancing on my taste buds! The after taste is lingering mostly of the floral notes.

I realize that the description says “Orchid” however having little experience with orchid here in Kansas, where I live, I am detecting what I would identify or at least have a connection to, as honeysuckle. Which makes me wonder if the two flowers are somewhat similar perhaps. Regardless, I love the floral note in this tea.

I have to make a confession, when I saw how light this tea steeped up I was skeptical. I now find that I am falling in love with this tea. Between the sugary, honey dew, floral, green, and even fresh lively taste in this cup, I am imagining this being the type of tea you could enjoy in a tender romantic moment. Yet, at the same time this tea is also fitting for a luncheon with your grandmother, sister, or a group of friends. It makes me think of those quite contemplative moments as well. Perhaps another tea to add to my “meditative” tea list! I find this tea very grounding and centering. Yes, I am falling for this tea.

There is a drying sensation at the back of the throat between sips if you wait too long. That is alright, although not a favorite aspect in tea in my opinion. Although as long as I have another sip in my cup, there is nothing to worry about! As soon as I typed that however I realized its just about time for steep three. Which I am sure I will enjoy as the leaves still appear as they have much more to give, more imagery for me to contemplate.

Yes, Nuvola, you do offer a fine tea here. I look forward to trying more of your offerings!

Taiwan Pou Chong from Fong Mong Tea

Tea Information:

Leaf Type:  Pouchong

Where to Buy:  Fong Mong Tea on eBay

Tea Description:

Lightly fermented and also lightly baked, Pou Chong Oolong Tea preserves the most freshness than any other Oolong teas. Fresh tea leaves contain a large number of beneficial elements to human body. Pou Chong Oolong Tea is produced under the most original tea-making procedure, reserving the maximum and most natural fresh nutritions, without any additives, which you can absorb the most essence of the nature, and is also the finest companion to leisure life and health.

Learn more about this tea here.

Taster’s Review:

It’s been a while since I’ve had a Pouchong, and it is one of those teas that … every time I do have it … I find myself wondering why it has been so long for me to revisit it.  It is so delightful, similar and yet unlike other Oolong teas.  And this Pou Chong from Fong Mong Tea is absolutely amazing.

There are those who might argue with my choice to distinguish Pouchong tea in its own category, separate from other Oolong, but there is a reason that I do so.  I find Pouchong to be somewhere between green tea and other green Oolong teas.  It is not quite an Oolong … but not quite a green tea.  It is … a Pouchong.  It’s lighter than a typical Oolong, but still replete in sweet, creamy goodness.  It has lovely green tones that fall somewhere between sweet grass and mild steamed vegetables, lightly seasoned with melted butter.

With the first two infusions, I found myself enchanted by the sweet, creamy taste while the greenery seemed to peek through, hinting at a more vegetative taste to come in future infusions.  The second cup (infusions three and four) delivered the promised vegetative tones without coming off as a bitter grassy taste, instead, it was more like a sweet steamed vegetable complete with a soupy broth.  I also noticed a floral tone starting to emerge – is that orchid?  or perhaps honeysuckle?

With the third cup, the flavor became slightly more savory, with much of the creaminess having tapered off by this point.  It is still remarkably smooth, but in a slightly different way than the first cup.  Whereas the first cup was smooth because of the sweet creamy notes, the smoothness now comes from the uniting of flavors – the floral tones are less sharp, the vegetal tones are softer, this cup is more relaxed and soothing.

Overall, I found this to be a really enjoyable Pouchong.  One that is really worth exploring – and Fong Mong Tea has prices that makes the exploration affordable!

Coconut Pouchong from Golden Moon Tea

Tea Information:

Leaf Type:  Pouchong

Where to Buy:  Golden Moon Tea

Tea Description:

This South Pacific delicacy is composed of long, green leaves of rare elegance that produce a serene, light Cocount Pouchong tea. The subtle nectar of young coconut instills a tropical sweetness in this exquisite bouquet. Because of its simple sweetness, you will enjoy this delicious loose leaf Coconut Pouchong tea hot or iced.

Learn more about this tea here.

Taster’s Review:

As I have already tasted and reviewed this tea previously, you might think that I was less than enthused to have received it as part of this month’s Steepster Select box.  But, truth be told, I was actually quite happy to have more of this tea!  It’s one of my favorites from Golden Moon Tea and I’m very pleased to be able to revisit it.

The theme for this month’s Steepster Select is “Perfect Pairs.”  On the theme card, Steepster wrote this about the theme:

Some things just go better together.  Like wine, the complexity and range of flavors in tea make it a perfect complement to many meals.  Pairing these not only accentuate the taste of both but helps train your palate to identify and relate flavors.

I was very happy with this theme, mostly because tea pairings is something that interests me as well.  With most of the food reviews on my foodie blog, I try to include a tea suggestion on each post, and while I do not consider myself an expert on what flavor profiles go best with what types of foods, I know what tastes good to me.  I thought it would be interesting to explore the idea of “Perfect Pairs” with Steepster’s recommendations.  Here is what they recommended with this tea:

Pair with:  Chocolate.  The sweet nuttiness of coconut is a classic dessert pairing that blends smoothly with a hearty chocolate flavor.  The light flowery oolong notes soften the richness of chocolate for an ideal balance.  We have Marcus from Golden Moon Tea to thank for our Coconut Pouchong.  A childhood visit to Hong Kong and a quick stop at a parisian tea house after culinary school cemented his love for unique flavors which carries through to his many offerings today.

So, I rummaged through my stash to find an appropriate piece of chocolate… unfortunately (well, not unfortunately for me, but unfortunate for the purposes of this review) most of the chocolate that I have on hand at the moment are confection type of chocolates … however, I did come across a bit of raw dark chocolate from Stirs the SOUL that I happened to have on hand.

Raw chocolate lacks the richness that the roasting process imparts on the chocolate … and I really noticed that with this pairing.  However, I also noticed how the flavors of the Coconut Pouchong really came into focus with this simple pairing.  The Coconut Pouchong really brought out some of the fruitier aspects of the chocolate, which really appealed to me.  While the chocolate is not quite as rich with the roasted flavor, the pairing brought out the deeper flavors of the raw chocolate that I did not notice before, and I love how the fresh coconut really POPS when chocolate becomes part of the tasting.

I can’t wait to try this coconut Pouchong with the Hot Chocolate On A Stick that I have coming later this month!