Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Justea
Tea Description:
This is a tea like you’ve never tasted before. Hand-rolled by the JusTeam in Kenya, the unique flavour profile is buttery, with notes of stone fruit and nuts. As the leaves unfurl, different tasting notes are revealed. Best enjoyed at a 1.5 minute steep time, this Oolong will last 2 or 3 steeps!
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Amoda Tea is implementing some changes to their format. This month’s tea tasting box is the last that I’ll be receiving – they’re no longer offering the tea tasting box. While I’m anxious and excited to learn about the changes that they’re making to the company, I’m also quite sad that this is the last box that I’ll be getting from them. I’ve enjoyed receiving my monthly tea box from Amoda! I’ll miss the joy of opening my mailbox every month around the 12th or so and finding that familiar, slim “letter box” from Amoda Tea.
For this month’s box, Amoda has chosen to focus on two different tea companies that I’m already familiar with: JusTea and Nepali Tea Traders. These two tea companies are dedicated to creating sustainability in the tea industry.
One of the teas from JusTea is one that I’ve already reviewed: African Chai. I probably won’t be writing another review about this tea, but, I’m more than happy to drink more of it! The second tea from JusTea is one that I’ve not yet tried until today – this Handcrafted Oolong Tea!
When I opened the pouch, I was greeted with the smell of freshly cut hay. It was a little unusual for me to experience that aroma with an Oolong, but it left me intrigued! Once I poured hot water over the leaves for the initial rinse, the hay-like fragrance was replaced with the distinct scent of molasses. Sweet!
My first cup (infusions 1 and 2 after the rinse) tasted just like it smells – that is to say, I am tasting a thin molasses. I’m not sure if I’m actually tasting “baked” notes in this, or if it’s just my mind playing delicious tricks on me, but I feel like I’m sipping on liquefied molasses cookies. In the distance, I also notice hints of vegetative tones.
This is one of the sweetest Oolong teas that I’ve ever tasted – and Oolong teas tend to be somewhat sweet! But even for an Oolong, this is so sweet and delectable!
My second cup (infusions 3 and 4) was not quite a sweet as the first cup. The first cup was very much like a thinned molasses. This cup still has some molasses notes, but, I’m noticing more fruit notes emerge with this cup, as well as a subtle hint of a woodsy note. The fruit notes are like something between a sweet plum and a ripe nectarine.
The third cup (infusions 5 and 6) was more fruit-like, and I could taste the sweet as well as hints of sour notes of a tree-ripened plum that have been cooked to extract the sweet juices of the fruit. The molasses notes are not completely gone, but they’ve become integrated with the plum notes. Think of the aforementioned cooked plum juices mixed with a little drizzle of molasses … that’s what you’ll taste with the later infusions of this tea.
This is an amazing Oolong – I highly recommend it to Oolong enthusiasts. It is so different from the Taiwanese and Chinese Oolong teas that I’ve reviewed in the past … oh, sure, I still love those! But this one is special and stands out from those and definitely deserves some attention from you!
I am sad to see my Amoda Tea Box go … but I’m glad to see that they decided to go out with a bang! This Handcrafted Oolong Tea from JusTea is so good!
Organic Sungma Darjeeling Black Tea First Flush 2014 from Happy Earth Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black (Darjeeling)
Where to Buy: Happy Earth Tea
Tea Description:
An enchanting Darjeeling first flush with a highly refined floral bouquet and well rounded flavors.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I was so excited to receive a selection of the fresh, spring harvested teas from Happy Earth Tea! This Organic Sungma Darjeeling Black Tea First Flush is the first that I’ve tried from their 2014 teas.
Ahh! It is crisp and invigorating when it washes over the palate. If your tea repertoire tends to be of the “usual” teas like blacks and greens, you really should incorporate a Darjeeling tea in there every once in a while. It really wakes up the palate!
And the flavor is smooth and sweet with notes of flower and fruit. I don’t get a strong “muscatel” from this Darjeeling, then again, it is a first flush and you can expect more muscatel from the second flush than the first. But this does have some wine-like notes that are muscatel-ish and make this fan of Darjeeling happy.
It has a nicely round flavor and less astringency than I would have expected from a Darjeeling. A really nice sweetness comes from the fruit notes. A sweet aftertaste. I find this to be more fruity and less woodsy than a typical Darjeeling.
Overall, this is one of the nicest first flush Darjeeling teas that I’ve tasted in a while. I love that it’s so fresh, I love that it’s Organic, and I love that it’s a Fair Trade and Rainforest Alliance tea. I love Happy Earth’s dedication to our planet! Everything about this tea – rocks!
Organic Ancient Green Tuo Cha Pu-Erh Tea from Arbor Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Pu-erh
Where to Buy: Arbor Teas
Tea Description:
This compressed Green Pu-erh is made with top-quality sun-dried buds from the antique tea trees of the Jing Mai Mangjing region of China’s southwest Yunnan province. Many of these tea trees range from 800 to 1200-years-old with the eldest exceeding 1300-years-old! The flavor of this organic Chinese tea is mildly sweet with a character of gentle white and green teas. This Pu-erh is created using the traditional sheng processing techinque and aged for eight years. The infusion of this exquisite organic tea is light brown with a rose hue, yielding the flavor and aroma of malted grains and sweet apples. The faintest hint of earthiness that is characteristic of organic pu-erh tea can also be detected. Each tuo cha is individually wrapped and perfect for a medium sized teapot or can be broken apart to accommodate a single serving.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Wow! This Organic Ancient Green Tuo Cha Pu-Erh Tea from Arbor Teas is one of the nicest and most unusual Tuo Cha Pu-Erh Teas I’ve yet to taste.
The dry appearance of the Tuo Cha is the first thing that took me by surprise … it doesn’t look like the typical Tuo Cha … the leaves are green and yellow-ish (like straw!) and it looks a bit more to me like hay that has been compressed into bails than it does a Pu-erh Tuo Cha. The aroma is quite different too, normally, I experience a strong earthy note from Pu-erh, but the aroma here is rather mild.
The flavor of the first infusion is just as mild as the fragrance. And I’m liking this mellow attitude that I’m getting from this tea. It is light and sweet, reminding me more of a gentle green tea or perhaps a delicate white tea than a Pu-erh. It doesn’t taste earthy, brine-y or fish-y or any other flavors that are often associated with Pu-erh. It is vaguely reminiscent of the flavor I’d get if I were to sip the simmering water from a pot of farro rather than what I would normally taste from a Pu-erh, and I’ve got to tell you … I like that a whole lot!
The second infusion offers a slightly deeper flavor. The flavor is a little more earthy … but again, it’s not the same kind of “earth” note I’d get from a typical Pu-erh. This is more like the earthiness I’d taste from a Shou Mei white. Sweet, almost hay-like. Notes of flower to this cup as well. There is a slight dryness to this infusion that I didn’t experience with the first infusion. Where I liked the mild, mellow flavor of the first cup, I’m liking the sweet, white tea-like flavor of this second cup … I like that this tea has different things to show me as I take this tea journey.
The third infusion is my favorite so far! The flavor is sweet and has a distinct fruit-like taste to it. The above description suggests notes of apple, and I’d agree with that … there are hints of the sweet apple-y notes as well as whisper of tartness. Nice contrast. The earthiness is no longer present, this is much more like a hay-ish taste, with notes of the aforementioned farro and the fruit tones. A crisp, light sweetness to this cup. Very nice!
And this tea is still going strong! I like that this tea offers me a taste of the lighter side of Pu-erh … it is smooth and sweet, but it is much crisper and more delicate than the typical Pu-erh tea. If you are a fan of Pu-erh and are looking for something a little different, you should give this one a try. On the other hand, if you typically find Pu-erh to be a little too earthy or brine-y for your liking … this one will change your mind about Pu-erh!
A really delightful Pu-erh!
Organic Silk Dragon Jasmine Green Tea from David’s Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: David’s Tea
Tea Description:
Made from premium green tea, our Silk Dragon is a limited-edition treasure. To create it, night-blooming jasmine is gathered in the morning and kept cool all day. In the evening, when the flowers burst open and release their scent, they are placed with the tea until midnight. This is repeated with fresh flowers over the course of five nights, infusing the tea with a most magical flavour.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Ahh, Jasmine. The last jasmine tea I had (a day or two ago) was made using a jasmine scented oil … and I know I’ve told you how much I detest that kind of jasmine tea. This Jasmine tea though … this Organic Silk Dragon Jasmine Green Tea from David’s Tea – it was scented properly. And when I have a jasmine tea that was properly scented like this one on the heels of a jasmine tea that has been flavored with jasmine oil … it makes me appreciate the efforts that go in to a properly scented jasmine tea all the more.
The jasmine here is sweet and soft … and absolutely LOVELY!
The green tea is earthy, sweet, and has a nice vegetative tone to it. It tastes slightly more on the “earthy” side than on the vegetative side … which is a bit unusual for green teas, but, I’m not finding it to be too earthy for me. It is smooth and has a very silky texture. It isn’t bitter, and there is very little astringency.
The jasmine is really pleasant. It isn’t an overly strong jasmine – those of you who don’t like an overly strong jasmine flavor would probably find this jasmine to be right up your alley. The jasmine notes are evident but not overwhelming.
This tea isn’t anything fancy … but then … sometimes, there’s nothing quite like a pleasant, simple cup of tea and that’s what I’m liking about this tea. It’s jasmine … and it’s a very enjoyable cuppa. I also like that this is an organic and fair trade certified tea. It’s good hot or cold, but, since the weather has been warm lately, I’ve really been liking this one iced!
Certified Organic Oolong Tea by the Takeo Family from Yunomi
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Yunomi
Learn more about this tea here.
About Yunomi:
Matcha Latte Media KK was launched in January 2012 as a result of founder Ian Chun’s work with Kyoto Obubu Tea Plantations (see Starting a Tea Business – Background). Our mission was to put Japanese culture into the hands of consumers around the world. We feel that many products, including Japanese tea, gain much of their value from an understanding of the culture and society behind them, not simply from their physical qualities. Many of these cultural products in Japan are produced by small-scale producers, and we had hoped to bring them to global markets by providing an e-commerce marketing service.
However, the Japanese tea industry called to us, and as a product so central to Japanese culture, we fell in love. 2013 marks our pivot from a consultancy into a tea business with the Yunomi.us website. We hope you will support us and follow along as we build a paradigm changing business.
Taster’s Review:
This Certified Organic Oolong Tea by the Takeo Family from Yunomi is quite unique … different from any Oolong that I’ve ever tried! And in this case … different is definitely GOOD!
The flavor is mild, sweet, and fruity. There is a sort of tangy note that tickles the tip of the tongue toward the finish, and that tingly sensation lasts into the aftertaste. Almost like a “sweet and sour” note! Quite intriguing…
This tea hints at floral notes in the distance … although I would not call this tea a floral tea. These are mere hints … like a whisper of a breeze that has passed through a field of flowers and picked up on just a hint of the floral essence … that’s what I detect here. This is much more fruity than floral, tasting of stone fruit, with hints of toasted nuts and a slight earthy tone and notes of mellow spice.
I brewed this tea in my gaiwan (as I do with most Oolong teas) and this allowed me to re-steep the leaves several times with very positive results. The flavor changed with each new cup of tea … the fruity notes became sweeter and more mild as I reached my third cup. By this time, those hints of flower in the distance have subsided, but there is still this lovely, sort of exotic sweet and sour note that keeps me captivated.
A really enjoyable Oolong … one I’d recommend to all Oolong enthusiasts … especially if you’re looking for something a little out of the ordinary! This is truly a unique Oolong – one that deserves discovery!