Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: The Excellent Tea Company
Tea Description:
The Excellent Tea Company’s Superb Black Tea is a pesticide-free, Fair Trade Certified,* single-estate tea bag from the Mountains of the Moon in Rwanda, East Africa, where the high altitude, clean air, and fertile volcanic soils produce exceptionally smooth and highly prized tea without the use of pesticides or artificial fertilizers.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Hmm… I like this. It’s a decent black tea, rich and malty, and I like that it’s pesticide-free and Fair Trade.
I do find myself wishing it was not a bagged tea. Perhaps it’s just me, but, I could swear that I taste a “wet paper” kind of taste in there. It isn’t a strong taste, and it isn’t off-putting enough so that I want to stop drinking it … but I do still wish it wasn’t there, and I wonder if it is indeed from the filter paper bag.
But despite this one misgiving about the tea, I must say that it is a tasty tea, and it is quite economical too. The fact that it is bagged means that it’s convenient – ideal for one of those days when you don’t have time to go loose leaf (and we all have those days on occasion, don’t we?) And even though it is a bagged tea, it’s one of the better tasting bagged teas I’ve had in a while … even with that faint “wet paper” taste that I am detecting.
Overall, this is an enjoyable tea. I don’t know that I’d go so far as to call it Superb … but, I enjoyed it.
Morawaka Ceylon FBOP from KTeas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: KTeas
Tea Description:
This Flowery Broken Orange Pekoe consists of semi-leafy pieces with some tips. You may notice a more mellow liquor with a mild, fresh flavor, an inviting bouquet to your cup, and a finish that lingers attractively.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I thought I had completed my series of Morawaka estate Ceylon reviews, but I came across this sampling the other day as I was sorting through my stash (in an effort to get it organized … an effort, I fear, that is futile, and yet, I continue on!) I am happy, though, to have found this Ceylon as it is quite enjoyable.
The flavor is mild and bright, with hints of floral notes in the background. There is a fair amount of astringency that is more tangy than it is dry. That tangy note lingers into the aftertaste, imparting an almost citrus-y taste on the tongue. As I continue to sip on the tea, a sweetness develops that gives the cup more of a smooth, well-rounded character, and helps to soften the astringent finish. This particular grade of the single estate Morawaka Ceylon seems to be a bit more floral in taste than the others … assuming I am remembering correctly.
This has that brisk flavor that one might expect from a Ceylon. It makes for an excellent choice for a lighter breakfast tea, or a mild afternoon tea. It goes wonderfully with chocolate. (Then again, there aren’t many things that don’t go wonderfully with chocolate.) It also makes a wonderful iced tea, and takes additions well – try serving this with a thin slice of citrus for a glass of iced refreshment!
A very nice offering from KTeas!
Premium Sencha Zuiko from Den’s Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Den’s Tea
Product Description:
A top-tier Sencha grown at a high elevation. All Zuiko comes from a single tea garden where it is grown under the most meticulous and pampered conditions.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I am occasionally asked what I mean by certain terms that I use when I describe teas. One term that I’m asked about often is “brothy,” and I think I have found the perfect tea to recommend for someone who seeks out what I mean by brothy: Sencha Zuiko from Den’s Tea.
The texture of the tea is quite thick, similar to what you’d experience if you were to sip a cup of vegetable broth. The flavor is not that unlike a vegetable broth either … one that was made with primarily leafy green vegetables. It has a very strong vegetative taste, but it is a savory kind of vegetative taste. Not bitter, and not overtly grassy, although there are grassy notes to this. I consider them to be more of a savory taste than a bitter grass taste or even a sweet grass taste.
This tea possesses the faintest hint of a butter/cream note to this, as well as some sweet undertones to it, but, I really consider this to be more of a savory Sencha than a sweet one. It is a very well-rounded, palatable tea.
An exceptional green tea!
2011 Pre-Qingming Shi Feng Long Jing (Weng Jia Shan) from Life in Teacup
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Life in Teacup
Product Description:
Production Year: 2011
Production Season: Spring, harvested on April 5nd
Production Site: Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, Weng Jia Shan (Geographic Patent Site). Single estate.
Taster’s Review:
This is a delightful Long Jing. The liquor is a pale green … very pale green! It is so light in color that I thought that this would surely be a thin tasting tea, but, it is not. It is quite lush; thicker than the color would lead one to believe.
The flavor is sweet and it has a creaminess to it that is evident in both taste and texture. There are hints of nutty tones throughout the sip, and a very mild grassy tone. It’s a barely-there kind of grassy/vegetative note, noticeable but not strong.
I would like to say that I took the time to steep this one in my gaiwan, and ordinarily I would have. But, I was feeling lazy this evening, so I did it the easy way: in my Breville One-Touch. I steeped it for 2 minutes at 170° F, and it still produced a beautiful, lightly fragrant, delicious cup.
A truly refreshing, delicious Long Jing. I recommend this to all the green tea enthusiasts out there! It’s amazing!