The Backstreet Boys have a song on an early album that went, “If you wanna get it good, girl, get yourself a bad boy.” This is pretty rich coming from the Backstreet Boys, obviously, but one cannot deny the appeal of a bad boy. Cigarettes, leather, motorcycles, hard liquor, and a devil-may-care attitude.
In my teas (and in my real life), I tend toward the “good boy”: straight or sweetly-flavored teas. But every once in a while, the bad boy winks at me — and I see, for a moment, what all the other girls are gushing about.
This lapsang souchong is a trouble-maker. It’s smoky and rich and dark and mineral. Its flavor is “natural and subtle addition that came from drying the leaves in a wok heated by pine wood. The smoke from the pine wood naturally mixed with the tea, creating a deeper and more foresty flavor that accentuated the tea’s minerality.”
If you’d like to see that drying room in action (you know you do), you should go to the listing for the tea.
Although this tea isn’t my “type,” I totally see its appeal for other people, and think that, if you want to try a rich new lapsang souchong, this might be the one for you. It’s a wild, satisfying ride.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Verdant Tea
Description
The earliest Zheng Shan Xiao Zhong, (or Lapsang Souchong as it is commonly referred to in the West) was never deep-smoked. The smokiness was a natural and subtle addition that came from drying the leaves in a wok heated by pine wood. The smoke from the pine wood naturally mixed with the tea, creating a deeper and more foresty flavor that accentuated the tea’s minerality. The Li Family preserves this old-school aesthetic with careful application of smoke from local resinous pine. The sweet, roasted quality of the smoke processing blends with the rich flavor of the tea to yield a dark fruity flavor, and bring front and center the mineral texture of the soil of Wuyi.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Oriental Beauty from Qi Aerista. . . .
Qi Aerista’s Oriental Beauty oolong is so dark I’d probably have thought it was a black tea if I hadn’t been told otherwise by its name.
This tea has a really unique honey-black flavor that comes from, interestingly, its odd chemical makeup. These tea leaves were attacked by a certain kind of bug; so the tea, as a defense, released a chemical to attract its predators. This chemical (or the interaction with the bugs, not sure which) tastes like there’s pollen ground into the rich woodsy earth of the tea. Because it’s a straight black, I’m fairly sure this doesn’t translate into calories. Yessss.
I like this tea a lot. It has a good taste and a cool story. I offer up a thumb pointed to the sky, friends.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Qi Aerista
Description
This tea is no longer offered on the site but click below for teas that are.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Butter Brew/Bird & Blend. . . .
When I was in Harry Potter World in Universal, I tried “Butter Beer.” The over-hyped, lackluster beverage was $6 for a clear Solo cup’s worth. The flavor was like a cream soda mixed with a root beer. Meh.
After that disappointment, I was on the lookout for a better butter beer — and have found it with Butter Brew from Bird and Blend. (Alliteration, anyone?)
This blend is like an English Breakfast into which someone dumped molasses/sweetness/creamer. A LOT OF CREAMER. The warm dairy sweetness of this is POTENT.
This blend also includes calendula petals. I looked up this plant, because I keep seeing those petals everywhere. What’s their flavor? What’s their reason?
Turns out — in case you were wondering at all — that calendula is a type of flower that includes the marigold. (You may have seen it in gardens. Perhaps your own garden.) The flower has alleged anti-inflammatory properties. MOSTLY, however, calendula is used to give a pop of color to a dish. Which I totally get, because tea is so dull and brown without the flowers. I love a good inclusion. It says “here’s a fancy, pretty treat JUST FOR YOU, on this bitter and sad and cold morning.” The yellow also, I suppose, is the color of butter, now that I think of it.
Depending on who you are, the $6 soda concoction might be for you. But I, personally, prefer the MANY, MUCH BETTER cups of tea you can get for a comparable price at Bird & Blend.
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Bird & Blend
Description
This tea is no longer available but click below for teas that are.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Coconut Baozhong/Tea Queens. . . .
Imagine, if you will, the joys of a honey orchid oolong, a light, fruity, pollen-y, flowery ooling. Then sprinkle the delights of coconut (my current favorite flavor) atop it.
What do you have?
Sweet, willowy, airy heaven. All of the Earth’s natural delicacies, blended together into one warm, sunny Friday medley.
Every time I sip this, I’m like “ahhhhh, so good.” I have said it aloud.
This tea makes me feel like a person sitting outside in a big, lovely white hat. I am slightly fancy. I have good taste. The air is crisp. There are mountains in the background, vibrant and green.
If I were able to sing, I might.
But I won’t subject you to that. I am a restrained and classy person.
Enjoy the tea!
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Tea Queens
Description
Extraordinarily smooth, creamy and slightly fruity. The flavor of coconut and Baozhong compliment each other beautifully.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Zombie Cure from Down The Rabbit Hole. . . .
Morning me is a zombie. I feel like I’m rotting internally. I yearn to attack others. My skin looks frightful.
The cure? Tea. Possibly even, specifically, Zombie Cure by Down The Rabbit Hole!
This tea is a blend of different things that sounds complicated: “a blend of orange pekoe, green and Yerba mate. The flavoring is natural and it is vegan but not organic.” But the hodgepodge comes together beautifully. The mate is smooth and full of caffeine. The orange pekoe black is rich; and green perkiness rounds it out. The natural flavoring is sweet and creamy. This blend tastes milky without me having to actually put milk in it. And it’s vegan!
Zombie Cure comes from a cute little shop in downtown Jim Thorpe, PA. Jim Thorpe’s a town with a haunted jail and a lot of cute, hippie-ish stores. Down the Rabbit Hole, specifically, is a spot with eclectic jewelry, coffee, and tea — much of it with a whimsical/Alice in Wonderland sort of theme.
I can’t resist an Alice in Wonderland themed thing, ever. I have an Alice in Wonderland tattoo. I draw Alice in Wonderland illustrations.
Basically, if I lived in Jim Thorpe, I’d be in there all the time. Maybe I’d work there. Or just install myself in a corner and talk to people about tea. Not sure. But I’d definitely be ON THE SCENE.
If you’re not in Jim Thorpe, PA, often (or, uh, ever), they do take phone orders (484-767-3703) or facebook messages. The person I’ve been bothering on Facebook with ingredient queries has been very helpful and quick to reply.
Follow the rabbit to a wonderland of flavor!
(Sorry. I can’t help myself.)
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Down the Rabbit Hole
Description
Even though this store may not have an online presence, check out all their goodies below!
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!