Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Buddha Teas
Tea Description:
Over the years, many different varieties of oolong tea have been produced, each with their own style and flavor, however traditional oolong tea remains the most popular among these.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I had my doubts about this tea before I sat down and started writing about it. I mean, it’s an Oolong in a bag. I think I’ve mentioned how I feel about that at least once on this blog. But, I decided that I’d go into this experience with an open mind.
The box says that this is
A pleasantly aromatic brew known as the “Four Seasons” tea.
Based on my impressions of the first cup of tea – which surprisingly disappeared before I had a chance to type out what I thought of it! Yeah … it’s pretty tasty! – but even though it WAS pretty tasty, it didn’t taste to me like a “Four Seasons” Oolong. At least, it wasn’t like any Four Seasons that I’ve had in the past. Those teas were always a ‘greener’ type of Oolong, with stronger floral and vegetal notes.
This reminded me more of a Formosa Oolong. It was slightly toasty and warm, with more fruity notes than floral. I didn’t notice a vegetal tone. This was earthy and nutty. So I thought, huh? Maybe I did something wrong.
So, the next day, I decided to start again. I grabbed a new teabag, and this time, I decided to do something that I usually do with loose leaf Oolong teas but not something I usually do with any teabags: I “rinsed” the leaves. I did a quick rinse of the teabag – 15 seconds – and then I steeped the bag for 3 minutes.
Again, I’m getting that warm, toasty, nutty flavor that I’d find from a Formosa Oolong. Or perhaps a Da Hong Pao with it’s roasty-toasty nuts and background notes of smoke. But I’m certainly not tasting the flavors that I usually associate with a four seasons Oolong.
But that’s not to say that this isn’t a really enjoyable Oolong. This is really tasty! I love the roasty, toasty, nutty flavor profiles. The nut notes evoke thoughts of chestnuts roasting on an open fire. And this is the best time of year for such a treat.
It’s sweet and it has a thick, satisfying mouthfeel. It’s a very enjoyable tea. And since it is an Oolong, I decided that this time, I’d resteep the bag and see how it resteeps.
My second steep of this bag (I added another minute onto the steep time) is just as flavorful as the first. It has a similar profile: I still taste toasty, nutty flavors with hints of smoke, although the smoke has muted somewhat. I’m now also starting to pick up on some fruity tones. I taste hints of sweet peach! I like the way this flavor melds with the warm, nutty flavors.
This is a really nice Oolong – and yes, it’s a bagged Oolong!
Ginger Green Tea from Teatulia
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Teatulia
Tea Description:
Comforting and rustic with a flirt of ginger. Harmonious blend that enriches the whole.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Here in the Pacific Northwest, we’ve had a pretty unusual year weather wise. We had a very uncomfortably hot and humid summer, and those warm days lingered well into October! When the cold days finally arrived, they were very welcome, but now we’re having some really cold, wet weather. I certainly prefer the cooler weather because the hot tea tastes so much better when its cold outside.
And ginger is one of my favorite ingredients to enjoy in a tea blend this time of year. I love that extra warmth that I get from the ginger. And I’m really enjoying the way the ginger is celebrated in this Ginger Green Tea from Teatulia – one of their newest blends!
There is a pleasant note of lemongrass that adds a bright, citrus-y note that contrasts with the peppery zing of the ginger. The green tea is sweet, slightly vegetal and lightly buttery. It’s a very cozy and relaxing cup of tea to enjoy on a cold autumn evening.
And this is a very forgiving tea too. I accidentally forgot to set the timer and ended up oversteeping by a couple of minutes. But – no bitterness! Yay!
I prefer this blend served hot but that may just be the cold weather talking. The hot tea together with the heat of the ginger is so warming and wonderful. But, it’s also good iced! (Try cold-brewing this one. Yum!)
Teatulia is one of those companies that you can rely upon for organic teas. This is a company that is socially responsible. And I love their environmentally responsible packaging! A really good company that I like doing business with!
Serenity Ayurvedic Tea from TeaVeda
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black (Decaffeinated)
Where to Buy: The Veda Company
Tea Description:
Delicious and intriguing blends of peach, pineapple, organic decaffeinated black tea and passion fruit make our “Serenity” tea a welcoming treat to sip slowly and enjoy.
Learn more about the teas from TeaVeda here.
Taster’s Review:
Nice! Of the various TeaVeda Ayurvedic teas that I’ve tried thus far, I think that this Serenity Tea is my favorite. I love the fruit flavors of this blend. I also appreciate that I taste black tea here, but I don’t taste that “off” taste that I sort of expect (and dread) when it comes to decaffeinated teas. This tastes like black tea. It doesn’t taste like decaffeinated black tea even though this IS a decaffeinated black tea. So, like I said. NICE!
While the fruit flavors are strong, the decaffeinated black tea base is a solid flavor – it doesn’t taste or feel thin the way some decaf black teas do. Nor does it have that chemical aftertaste that some decaf teas do. This tastes like a rich, malty black tea. And it’s a robust black tea, strong enough to hold its own against the plentiful flavors of peach, pineapple and passion fruit!
These tropical fruit flavors are tasty! The peach is the strongest of the three fruit flavors and it tastes sweet and juicy. The pineapple adds a bright flavor to the cup. And the flavor that ties it all together is the passion fruit. It adds a sweet, luscious flavor that makes the peach taste a little more “tropical” and the pineapple a little more like a fruit from an orchard in Georgia. This medley of fruit is summery and refreshing and evokes thoughts of laying out on a hammock on a tropical island, watching the sun as it sets over the horizon. A very serene scene, indeed!
This is a very aptly named tea – sure to inspire Serenity from the inside out.
Cherry Chocolate Flavored Iced Black Tea from Southern Boy Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Zoomdweebies
Learn more about this tea here.
Learn about SBT’s subscriptions here.
Taster’s Review:
Occasionally – perhaps more often than ‘occasionally’ – Southern Boy Teas introduces a flavor that I’m not too sure about. I find myself wondering how well those flavors will meld with iced tea.
I’ve tried 52Teas (Southern Boy Teas parent company) Cherry Cordial Black Tea as well as their tribute to one of my all time favorite ice creams: Cherry Garcia. I enjoyed both of those. So I didn’t have a problem thinking that the flavors of chocolate and cherry would work with black tea. But how would this taste as an iced tea?
Well, it tastes like what the name of the tea suggests: It tastes like a chocolate cherry flavored iced tea!
To brew this, I used the hot brew method, heating 1 quart of water to 212°F and let the “jumbo tea bag” steep for 2 minutes. Then I repeated the process, letting the second quart steep for 2 1/2 minutes.
With my first few sips, I found myself looking for the chocolate flavors. You know me, I’m all about the chocolate! By the time I was finished with my second glass of the tea, I realized that even though the chocolate flavors are a bit lighter here than I would like them to be, the balance works. It works so well that I didn’t want to stop drinking it!
Right about here is where I’d say something like more chocolate = better. However, even though the chocolate notes here are not quite as chocolate-y as I would normally like, I find that as an iced tea, the lighter chocolate flavor works. If this was a hot tea, I’d want more chocolate, definitely.
But I’m enjoying this as it is! I think that a stronger chocolate flavor – while it would be awesomely delicious – it wouldn’t be as “refreshing” and “thirst quenching”. I think that a stronger chocolate note would be heavier on the palate. Here, the chocolate is strong enough to be tasted and enjoyed, but still light enough to be an iced drink that refreshes me.
The cherry is a sweeter cherry note. Because it melds with the black tea and chocolate notes in a harmonious way, it doesn’t come off as tasting cough syrupy to me. It is just a light, sweet, fruity note that accentuates the chocolate and black tea.
The black tea is a brisk, invigorating tea that doesn’t overpower the chocolate notes. Instead, I think that the chocolate and black tea play together very well, creating a slightly creamy, decadent, bittersweet chocolate flavor that melds with the black tea notes seamlessly.
A really tasty iced tea.
Mojito Mint Green Tea with Matcha from Stash
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Stash Tea
Tea Description:
Enjoy all the refreshing, minty flavor of a mojito in this uniquely appealing tea. All of the island flavor is here (minus the alcohol) plus Matcha, the exceptional Japanese green tea used in the traditional tea ceremony. Natural lime flavor accents the tea with just the right zesty flair. Makes a delicious iced tea.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I could smell the peppermint the moment I tore open the pouch! The notes of lime are also detectable in the aroma. It’s actually quite a nice fragrance: lime and peppermint with the herbaceous notes of green tea.
To infuse this tea bag, I pulled out my favorite teacup and steeped the bag in about 6 ounces of hot water (175°F) for 2 minutes. The brewed tea has a softer aroma than the dry tea.
The combination of lime and peppermint is quite tasty. I appreciate that the green tea is not masked by the flavors. Peppermint can be a very powerful flavor and take over a tea blend, and while the minty notes are strong here, they didn’t overwhelm the other flavors. I can taste the green tea and I’m also getting a fair amount of tart lime.
The green tea is sweet and the Matcha adds a slightly creamy texture to the cup. It tastes refreshing. A slight grassy note but not in a bitter way.
The lime is the real “star” of this cup. While the peppermint does come through strongest of the flavors, the lime perks up the cup and keeps me drinking. It’s a bright, zesty flavor that excites the palate.
Overall, a pleasant cup of tea. I’d drink this one again.