Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Harney & Sons
Tea Description:
Smooth and full-bodied. Fantastic teas from India and China are combined to create this Breakfast Blend. A wonderful tippy Assam gives it full body that is then smoothed by the rich distinctive flavor of Hao Ya ‘B’ Keemun.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This is a strong brew! It has a very pleasing, robust flavor with some serious gusto to it – the kind of tea that you want to drink in the morning, when you need a good wake up tea.
The Assam gives it an enjoyable, full-bodied flavor and a delicious malty tone. The cup also has some sweetness to it, although I wouldn’t describe it as an overly sweet tea, and I do think that this tea would be nice with the addition of honey or sugar to help soften the edges a little. Some milk would add a delicious creamy element.
There is also some bitterness to this cup. I don’t think I oversteep it (I steeped it for just 2 1/2 minutes in boiling water), but a jarring bitterness does hit the palate about mid-sip. I don’t find it off-putting, though, nor is it something that would render the cup undrinkable. Instead, I think it kind of helps the tea … it seems to give me an added “jolt” that is helping to invigorate me.
The Keemun in this blend adds a lovely smoky element to the cup. It isn’t a strong smoky flavor; it is a flavor that does develop on the palate though, becoming increasingly stronger with each sip, although it never really becomes what I’d call a really bold smoky note.
I love the way the flavors come together in this cup. Malty, sweet, bitter, smoky … they all seem to meld together in a pleasing sort of way that I find agreeable. This tea makes waking up in the morning a much more pleasurable experience!
“Snow Dragon” Supreme Yunnan Pure Bud Green Tea from JAS eTea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Jas eTea
Tea Description:
“Snow Dragon” is made entirely from small bud shoots picked in a 3 day window of time when they are just the right size. They are meticulously hand-processed into these tight little curls. When brewed they will open slowly as they dance in the water. The brewed tea is almost totally transparent with a light fruity flavor akin to White tea.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This is such a cool looking tea: the leaves are curled into spirals, and they “dance” while they’re brewing. If you have a glass gaiwan or teacup, I recommend using it to steep this tea so that you can watch them dance!
The dry leaf has a very faint aroma that is vaguely vegetative – reminding me of the smell of the air in the morning after it’s rained all night: clean and fresh and somewhat grassy. The brewed tea smells a little stronger, like freshly steamed green beans. The color of the infused tea is a very pale color – looking much more like a white tea than a green tea.
The flavor is much less vegetal than the fragrance would suggest. Yes, there are some slightly grassy notes in there, but primarily what I’m tasting is a lovely sweetness. It’s a very pure kind of sweetness, it doesn’t really taste like honey or caramel or any of those other comparative terms that I use to describe a sweet flavor. This tastes so natural and clean – like fresh dew or mountain air. This reminds me – again – of a white tea, and not so much of a green tea.
There are the faintest nutty tones in the background that also contribute to this sweetness, or perhaps they are highlighted by it. Either way they work in a synergistic fashion to bring out the best of each.
After the first couple of sips, the sweetness shifts focus to a more fruit-like flavor – apricot? There is a mild astringency to this tea, and the finish is sweet, with a sweet grass aftertaste. It is in this aftertaste that I begin to recognize the green of this tea.
I love how this tea reveals itself in stages, showing first its dewy qualities, and then slowly giving me a little more flavor with the nutty tones. Sometime afterward, the fruit tones arrive. This tea keeps me guessing while giving me new flavors to explore.
What a memorable tea this is!
Keemun Mao Feng Supreme from Strand Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Strand Tea
Product Description:
Keemun Mao Feng Supreme from the mountain slopes of Anhui Provence is a great tasting whole leaf black tea. Typically Keemuns are breakfast teas, but the Mao Feng Supreme is a great ‘self drinker’ or stands milk well so can be taken any time of day. A beautiful twisted leaf yeilds a cup with little astringency and the classic toasty/winey notes of a good Keemun. We have 3 grades of Keemun and this is the middle grade. It is a well made tea and well worth the price.
Taster’s Review:
I placed an order a while back with Strand Tea, and received this tea as a free sample with my order (Strand Tea also included a small package of cookies with my order!) I’m really glad that I got the opportunity to try this Keemun – it’s fantastic!
The flavor is robust. It is sweet and slightly smoky. Hints of black currant and I can even taste some cocoa notes in the distance. Just as the description above suggests, there is very little astringency to this cup, and it does finish slightly dry: a wine-like finish. The sweet, wine-like taste lingers in the aftertaste.
This tea has a very autumnal kind of feel for me, and perhaps it’s just the fact that it IS autumn that I say that. But the toasty, slightly smoky character of this tea is a very cozy kind of taste – evoking thoughts of warm, comfy blankets and roaring fires in the fireplace. This is the kind of tea you want to have around to warm you up on a chilly afternoon!
A fabulous Keemun – and it is VERY reasonably priced!
Supreme Gongfu Black Tea from Bird Pick Tea & Herb
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Bird Pick Tea & Herb
Product Description:
The term Gongfu is a term used to describe the Chao Zhou and Min Nan way of preparing tea in a skillful manner. Rather than focusing on symbolic hand gestures like Japanese tea ceremonies, Gongfu focuses on accomplishing a great taste of tea to satisfy the soul. This tea is characterized by fine, unbroken twisted leaves.
Taster’s Review:
The dry leaf has a very interesting aroma. I can smell notes of cocoa, but I can also smell a distinct licorice note. I don’t recall ever smelling a licorice-y smell in a tea that didn’t actually contain licorice root (or anise or fennel). But, I don’t find this off-putting in the least; I adore licorice. I was actually quite excited to try it after smelling it. This licorice-y fragrance disappears when brewed and does not translate into the flavor.
That might be a little disappointing if the tea didn’t taste as fabulous as it does! This is a remarkable tea!
The flavor is quite rich and smooth. There are faint savory cocoa notes in the background as a sweet caramel-like note approaches the palate. There is an earthy quality to this tea as well although I do not find this to be overwhelming.
I can also taste intriguing notes of spice which seem to perk up the palate just as the sip finishes and they linger well into the aftertaste. There is a light astringency to this tea and even a faint hint of bitterness that contrasts nicely with the sweet tastes that I described a moment ago. I like how this tea seems to tempt all areas of the palate. A full-flavored, full-bodied, and fully pleasurable tea!