It is difficult to smell tea through the tea bag. No dry aroma really but a slight rose aroma when wet.
The woodsy and earthy tones are subdued by wonderful rose flavors. Literally like walking into a rose garden and being immersed in many different rose aromas. But it’s not an overwhelming sensation; instead, it is relaxing and uplifting. A great way to start the morning.
Heck, this is a great cuppa for midday or perfect for a tea party.
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Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: teakruthi
Description
Grown in an artisanal style, this special black tea is grown in a medium region that is of special note. Sri Lanka’s Kandy region, from which this tea hails, is where Ceylon tea was first founded. In 1867 a Scotsman named James Taylor started Sri Lanka’s first tea plantation estate. With a short brewing time, you’ll be able to enjoy this rich light copper coloured liquid in a matter of moments. Sweet overtones blend with the slight touch of bitters in this unique tea making it taste like an Earl Grey. Featuring both an aroma and flavour of a strawberry vanilla mix you’ll enjoy this tea best in the morning or afternoon.
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(photo credit: teakruthi)
Teahouse Matcha/Rishi -skysamurai-
Everyone once in awhile I will drink a tea or have a matcha that is the unfortunate victim to poor packaging.
The grey unassuming bag looks like it would be well suited for the job of protecting this matcha but I fear it failed. The dry aroma is nil.
It’s part of matcha that I love, so smelling a staleness, a sort of packaging type of smell was disappointing. Surprisingly the wet aroma immediately filled my nose with vegetal and slight nori notes. Gave me hope.
But that was dashed with the flavor. It tastes like the aroma. Not at all what I expected.
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Leaf Type: Green Tea/Matcha
Where to Buy: Rishi
Description
Our top grade of organic matcha is made from the first springtime harvest of tencha, savored for its umami sweetness, creamy taste and enlivening energy
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Island Heritage/teakruthi -skysamurai-
The dry aroma and the visual aspect of this tea scream Darjeeling.
The way Darjeeling smells, the slightly mineral, fresh, like a clean rainfall. It is a unique smell that I can only attribute to Darjeeling. Kinda like saying something tastes like chicken.
But what is the taste of chicken? I Don’t Know it just is! Oh, fudge… Now I’m tasting chicken. That’s a weird mix with tea.
Speaking of taste considering how it smells I don’t quite get those muscatel notes I’m looking for. And the aroma Darjeeling aroma disappears completely. This one is utterly perplexing.
I have tried both infuser in cup style and gong fu style but I feel both lack the Darjeeling punch I was looking for. If steeped too little there is no flavor. Steeped too long and it’s astringent with a bitter woods flavor.
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Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: teakruthi
Description
Grown in the hub of the largest Dimbulla tea-growing area in Sri Lanka, our Island Heritage tea offers a flowery, mild taste and boasts an orange appearance. This tea was plucked from tea bushes that were planted during the coffee era, around 1884-1885, so you can taste true Dimbulla tea-growing history in your cup. The blend features two distinctive leaves and a bud subjected to natural withering and then gently rolled in a well-type miniature roller. Afterwards, the tea is sun-dried and passed through a conventional dryer to eliminate moisture. The last step, of course, is finding its way to your cup.
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Master’s Supreme Blend/Matcha Project -skysamurai-
I’m a matcha enthusiast.
I love being able to try out different matcha from different regions and companies to see the unique differences that each one holds.
I was a little surprised that there was no aroma in the dry powder but the liquid holds nice vegetal and umami notes. Those notes also help develop the deep umami notes in the flavor along with some unique vegetal notes. Cut green beans and other fresh vegetal notes.
Deep and soft notes on the tongue mostly but the initial touch is sharp. Somewhat metallic.
Almost ruins the rest of the experience for me but the smoothness of the powder transfers over to a nicely balanced cup with very little silt and some astringency.
This will make an awesome Molotov Matcha.
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Leaf Type: Green/Matcha
Where to Buy: Matcha Project
Description
Produced from the very first harvest of Spring in Japan, our organic Master’s Supreme Ceremonial Matcha is crafted using only the most prized and tender baby tea leaves of Spring.
Our Master Blender has selected tea leaves from two different regions (Shizuoka & Kagoshima) in order to create a flavor profile that is perfectly balanced, smooth, and exceptionally delicious.
These baby tea leaves undergo a strict shading schedule prior to harvest where they are covered by black tarps for three weeks. This blocks nearly all sunlight in order to increase the richness & umami flavor of the matcha, while eliminating any unpleasant bitterness.
The leaves are then harvested, processed, dried, and finally ground into powder using the traditional and extremely time consuming stone grinding method, which has been used for 100s of years.
The result is this truly incredible and enjoyable matcha blend!
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
2020 Cai Cong Anxi Oolong/Verdant Tea -skysamurai-
This is one of the more difficult oolongs I’ve tried to decipher.
Some are your basic sudokus while others are kenkens. This one is a different puzzle. A kendoku!
It has mineral quality the twists along with a unique vegetal feel. They say cucumber as a descriptor and I can definitely taste a bit of that fresh vine picked taste but there is also a hint of green bean, freshly chopped. Feel like I am making a salad.
The flavor becomes a bit charcoal heavy as the steepings progress.
One of my nostrils is being difficult so I am having a bit of trouble evaluating what it is that is in my nose.
Citrus maybe? This is very different for one of Master Zhang’s oolongs but it just goes to show his breath of knowledge and tea making prowess.
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Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Verdant Tea
Description
This tea originally premiered in the Sept. 2020 Tea of the Month Club box! Master Zhang cultivates this rare Cai Cong (菜聪) varietal to encourage biodiversity on his high elevation plot in Daping, Anxi. His careful processing has brought out a surprisingly floral-fruit flavor in this tea along with deep osmanthus florals and a sweet, long aftertaste. The light oxidation of this tea’s traditional finish complements the dessert-like flavors of Cai Cong with a buttery, creamy finish.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!