This is my first herbal tisane post for SororiTea Sisters. . . or at least the first in a very long time.
As a purist I just tend to not drink much herbal but I do love Evening in Missoula and I was curious as to the taste of this one compared with that.
Let me tell you it is different. This one has a bit of a kick with the cinnamon. Personally I don’t find it very relaxing but then I may be biased with my love of the aforementioned tisane.
If you are a fan of cinnamon with hints of chamomile this could be a good fit for you.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: Great Tea Road Co.
Description:
Amazing aroma with great taste. This tea will help you relax after your long day.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Siam Ruby Oolong / Great Tea Road
What a truly wonderful oolong.
It is like life, so quick and fleeting. The aroma and the taste are wonderfully silky and light. This seems to be a medium oxidized oolong.
One can tell due to the color of the tightly curled leaf and slightly dark amber color of the liquid. When steeped too long it almost reminds me of a grapefruit. Perhaps that is where the ruby comes from?
Ruby red grapefruit. It has a bitter, metallic twang (only when steeped too long) that is unlike anything in a tea I’ve had before. So strange even the aroma on the aroma cup is so unique. Sweet, almost like candy. This was the second infusion.
We will try one final third infusion. Lost a bit to the over steeping but it still retains the floral qualities in the flavor. Floral mainly but I am also noticing some unique mineral notes. Truly a unique oolong.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Great Tea Road
Description:
From a high elevation mountain of Thailand. The steeped tea has a golden color. The aroma of dry tea is more like spinach but when brew its floral aroma is released. Smooth, complex and rich flavor. It has a notes of toasted hazelnut.
CAFFEINE LEVEL: Medium
BREWING DIRECTIONS: 1 Tea spoon | 7oz Water | 2-3 Minutes | 195 F | Multiple infuses.
ORIGIN: Thailand
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Da Hong Pao / Great Tea Road Co. . . .
If pu-erhs don’t suit your taste but you are looking for some of the same unique medicinal characteristics and timelessness (becomes better with age) then you should try out a Da Hong Pao, also known as Big Red Robe.
From the first time I tried it many years ago to now it has remained one of my favorite teas. It is a darker roasted oolong with lovely attributes. When the liquid first hits your tongue roasty and toasty notes flourish. Then subtly sweet plum and floral accents, almost jasmine in essence.
If you are having trouble deciphering these flavors make sure to steep between two to three minutes and swish it in your mouth a few times. I found this tea company while on the prowl for my favorite maple syrup (Faxon Farms, so amazing).
The owners truly know their tea and when I told them what I like to drink they immediately recommended Da Hong Pao. I will be a repeat customer for sure.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Great Tea Road Company
Description:
Da Hong Pao still grows in traditional, small-scale tea gardens, and each spring the farmers still climb the hills to implore the tea god to bring new shoots. It’s the combination of rock and water that gives Da Hong Pao its rich flavor. The rain that pours off the sheer rock walls, flowing down narrow streams and pretty waterfalls, becomes imbued with minerals, which then impart their goodness to the tea. A legends has sprung up around the original Da Hong Pao trees, which still perch precariously on a cliff face not far from the monastery.
What Da Hong Pao taste like? This is a medium charcoal roasting oolong. It gives a flavor of red dates and purple plums and slightly roasted with light floral / fruity aroma. It is clean finished and clear, medium-amber colored liquor.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Sun Moon Lake Black Tea #18/ Great Tea Road Co. . . . .
Do people get excited over coffee beans like tea drinkers do over beautiful tea leaves?
When I saw the sample for this tea while strolling though the farmers market I knew I had to try it. Long, black leaves twisted and curled slightly; an aroma of honey and cedar.
This is not a machine tea. Leaf perfection like this needs to be worked by hand.
The wet leaves become a chocolaty brown color and gives off a rather strange scent. It’s not bad, I’m just not quite sure of what to make of it. The liquor is silky smooth.
Nothing bitter to it.
Hits the palette just right with essences of honey, cedar, and forest floor.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Great Tea Road Co
Description:
Taiwan is an island near China. Although mountainous, its climate conditions make it ideal for farming. Many Taiwanese have either Chinese and/or original tribal heritage, and the countries main languages are Mandarin Chinese and Taiwanese (Min). This tea is uniquely produced with a mixture of local Taiwanese tea cultivar and Burmese tea cultivar. The leaves were picked by hand. Its smell is like light lotus and cinnamon which is uniquely produced in Taiwan.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!