Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: White Two Tea
Tea Description:
Dark Feather Dancong oolong tea is a Dawuye variety oolong from the Guangdong province of China. The tea has a light to medium roast and is sweet, fragrant, and has a lasting complex finish. Best brewed Gongfu style, the Dark Feather can be resteeped many times.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Oh how lovely! This Dark Feather Oolong – Dawuye Dancong Tea from White Two Tea is a wonderful Oolong tea.
To brew, I went gongfu style and grabbed my gaiwan. I eyeballed a bamboo scoop size measurement (these leaves are too long and wiry to actually fit in the scoop) and put them in the bowl of my gaiwan. Then I heated water to 180° and poured enough water in the gaiwan to cover the leaves. I let this steep for 15 seconds to rinse the leaves. Then I strained the liquid and discarded it and started over with more hot water. This time I let the tea steep for 1 minute. Ordinarily, I will steep an Oolong 45 seconds for the first infusion, but after 45 seconds, the color was very pale so I went with another 15 seconds. I added 15 seconds onto each subsequent infusion. I combined the first and second infusions for my first cup; my second cup was infusions three and four … and so on!
My first cup: It’s so sweet and has delightful fruit and honeyed notes. The sip starts out with the honey flavors right away, filling the palate with delectable sweetness. Then I start to pick up on some hints of flower. Mere hints, this is not what I’d call a floral tea, but there are subtle whispers of flower in the distance. Then I taste the fruit. I taste notes of plum and peach. They are intensely sweet fruit notes – like cooked fruit (pie filling, perhaps!)
Just after mid-sip, I start to pick up on subtle notes that are slightly earthy and woodsy. Again, these flavors are very subtle, because this tea is mostly about the fruit and honey flavors! It’s all about SWEET with this tea – I like that! The texture is soft and thick, almost brothy. Before I knew it, the cup was empty and it was time to steep those leaves again and discover what the next two infusions had in store for me.
My second cup: This cup has a slightly lighter texture to it. The flavors are different than the first cup too. This is more focused on the fruit notes and I taste both sweet and savory elements from the fruit tones. I get a slight tart note to the flavor; it’s a nice contrast to the sweeter flavors of the tea. I taste a slight mineral-y note now. There are notes of honey, but these have thinned a bit from the first cup are not as dominate.
I can taste more of the roasted flavors now. They taste savory and slightly smoky, but, again, this smoked note is very slight. It’s not really a ‘nutty’ flavor the way so many other roasted Oolong teas taste, instead, this tastes more like the fruit has been drizzled with honey and then roasted. YUM!
My third (and final) cup: Because I noticed that the texture was lightening up in my second cup, I decided that my third cup would be the last for me. Oh, don’t get me wrong – the flavors are still there and still ABUNDANT! This tea is delivering many wonderful infusions, just like a good Oolong should.
And this third cup is probably my favorite of the three! Yes, the flavor and texture is lighter than the first and second cups, but I like the way the flavors have all melded together. It’s sweet with just enough savory flavor to bring a nice contrast to the palate. I’m picking up on light buttery notes and I find those to be so lovely! There is a light creaminess to this cup that I didn’t taste in the previous two cups – the texture is lighter but it’s creamier.
A really lovely cuppa. If you’re into Oolong teas (or even if you’re not!) this is a tea you should try. Those early fruit and honey flavors as well as the creamy, buttery notes of the later infusions make this a tea journey definitely worth the trip!
Lime Gelatin Salad Iced Green Tea from Southern Boy Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Zoomdweebies
Tea Description:
Grandma’s Jello!
Okay, but seriously, This is a tea that combines all of the goodness of lime gelatin, pineapple and marshmallow without forcing you to stare down the quivering mass that looks like something from outer space. When these flavors combine with our sweet, buttery Chinese sencha fannings, well, trust me, this is a tea that will blow you away.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Mmm! Lime Jello was one of my all time favorite teas from 52Teas, and I loved Southern Boy Teas’ black tea version of the Lime Jello too. So, I felt very confident that I’d love this Lime Gelatin Salad Iced Green Tea from Southern Boy Teas too.
And it is YUMMY! I have to admit that it isn’t quite as tasty as I remember the original Lime Jello tasting. It’s still really good though. Very refreshing. The flavors are delightful with bright notes of lime that’s sweet with just enough tart to keep it from tasting too sweet.
I also taste a little bit of marshmallow in there. The pineapple is a little more difficult to pick out. It doesn’t just jump right out and say “hello, I’m pineapple.” But you taste something a little different, something that’s fruity but not quite lime and after a while, my taste buds start to recognize it as pineapple.
This is a really enjoyable iced tea. I like that it’s sweet without adding anything to it – you don’t need to add sugar or other sweetener to this tea. It’s really enjoyable as it is.
And what I really LOVE about the green teas (and white teas) from SBT is that you can resteep the bag with no loss in flavor. Actually, I find that the second pitcher is even tastier than the first!
Please take a moment to check out Southern Boy Teas’ Indiegogo Campaign – they’re looking to take their teas to new heights and could really use your support!
Lapsang Souchong Black Tea from Simple Loose Leaf
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Simple Loose Leaf
Tea Description:
Our Lapsang Souchong is a black tea smoked to perfection. This tea is savory, smoky, slightly cool with a hint of menthol. Look for a crisp sweet pine flavor as you are vrewing this excellent black tea.
Learn more about this tea here.
Learn more about Simple Loose Leaf’s Co-Op Membership here.
Taster’s Review:
When I received this month’s Co-Op package from Simple Loose Leaf and found this Lapsang Souchong Black Tea among the five teas inside, I thought that I had already tried (and reviewed) it, but as it turns out, the tea I’m remembering is the Russian Caravan from Simple Loose Leaf. I knew I recalled tasting a smoky tea from them! (And I’m relieved that my memory is better than I thought it was.)
And this is definitely smokier than I remember the Russian Caravan being. This is a very heavily smoked Lapsang Souchong, so if you’re one of those who enjoy a very strong, smoky Lapsang Souchong – this is the tea for you.
Me, I’m not so much into the smoky notes, although I’m still enjoying this.
To brew this tea, I used my Kati Tumbler. One bamboo scoop of tea goes into the basket of my tumbler and 12 ounces of boiling water is poured over it. After 15 seconds, I discarded the liquid and poured a fresh 12 ounces of boiling water over the partially infused leaves.
The rinse! I find that this step is crucial for me because it helps to eliminate some of that smoke so it doesn’t overwhelm me. I’d find this far less enjoyable without the rinse.
After the rinse, I infused the leaves for 2 1/2 minutes in 12 ounces of boiling water. The result is a smoky cup – but not so overpoweringly smoky that I’m not able to bring the cup up to my lips to take a sip.
Actually, this is quite enjoyable. The smoke is strong, but the rinse really helps. For anyone who finds the smoky notes to be off-putting in a Lapsang Souchong, I strongly recommend doing the rinse of the leaves. It turns an otherwise undrinkable tea (for me) into quite a lovely tea experience and had I not discovered just how valuable a good rinsing of the leaves is to certain teas, I’d be missing out on a whole lot of tea enjoyment!
It’s got some lovely sweet notes to it. I taste notes of sweet plum and I love the way the plum and the smoke mingle. It’s very interesting and quite pleasant. I taste notes of honey too, and again, I like the way the honey and smoke flavors mingle. Imagine a plum, drizzled with honey, and then smoked over a smoldering fire. Yeah. That’s what I’m tasting.
It’s a remarkably smooth tea – I’m not tasting bitterness and while there is some astringency to this, it’s very slight.
It’s wonderful to curl up to on a chilly afternoon. (We’re not really experiencing a lot of ‘chilly’ at the moment, but it’s chilly enough to make me want the heater on, so I find this to be quite a cozy, comforting tea.) This one gets a thumbs up from me!
Tangerine Dream Oolong Tea from M&K’s Tea Company
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: M&K’s Tea Company on Etsy
Tea Description:
Chinese tangerine peel and California orange peel surround Phoenix Dan Cong (Mi Lan Xiang & Yu Lan Xiang) loose leaf oolong teas lightly coated with orange blossom flower extract and tangerine oil. This tea is part of M&K’s Original 20 Blends.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Nice! This Tangerine Dream Oolong Tea from M&K’s Tea Company has a really lovely tangerine flavor to it. I like how the tangerine complements the Phoenix Dan Cong Oolong tea.
To brew this, I decided to go ahead and use my Kati Tumbler instead of my gaiwan, mostly because after examining the sampler package, it appeared to be just the right amount of leaf for my tumbler. So I poured the sampler pouch into the basket of my Kati and added 12 ounces of 180°F water. I let it steep for 3 minutes (following a 15 second rinse).
I really like this. The tangerine flavor is not overwhelming. I like that I taste the lovely Oolong tea above the tangerine, but the tangerine is an obvious flavor. It definitely tastes like tangerine. The background suggests flavors of sweet potato and honey. The texture is silky.
And of course, it IS an Oolong so you know I’ve got to resteep it, right? When I resteeped the leaves, I added 30 seconds brew time to it.
The second cup is flavorful, although some of the tangerine notes have waned. I’m still picking up on faint tangerine flavors but this cup is much more about the Oolong than the tangerine. Which is alright because this is a mighty fine Oolong tea!
The tangerine notes are most noticeable in the aftertaste now, where I’m picking up on a lightly sweet, citrus note. This cup is offering a stronger honey taste, although it’s a little less ‘silky’ in texture. The first cup was definitely smoother as I detected no astringency with the first cup, and now I’m getting just a wee bit. Still not a lot of astringency, but I’m noticing a little bit of dryness to this cup.
The flavors are a lot more mellow with this infusion. The sweet potato notes are not as apparent as they were in the previous cup. I’m tasting distant woodsy notes now. This is a different tea than the first cup, but it’s still really enjoyable and definitely worth the effort of the resteep.
Superfine Keemun Mao Feng Black Tea from Teavivre
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Teavivre
Tea Description:
Keemum Mao Feng, one special variety of Keemun black tea origins from Qi Men County in Anhui province of China, has famous reputation for its peculiar aroma and shape. It has also been made widely familiar as one of the four world’s best black tea. It is carefully processed so that the shape of the tea leaves resemble that of the Mao Feng Green Tea. This is why it got the name “Keemum Mao Feng“.
With the thin and twisted strips of tea leaves and peculiar aroma (fruity mixed with orchid-like), those russet interwoven tea leaves look neat and taste wonderful.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I’ve tried a couple of different Keemun black teas from Teavivre and enjoyed the ones that I’ve tasted – so it’s no surprise to me that I’m also enjoying this Keemun Mao Feng from Teavivre. What can I say? Teavivre has never failed me yet!
When I opened the pouch of this tea, I could smell the fruity notes immediately. Hints of flower just beneath the delightful fruit notes with hints of earth in the background.
To brew this, I used my Breville One-Touch. Two bamboo scoops were measured into the basket of the tea maker and 500ml of water was poured into the jug. Then I set the parameters for 212°F (boiling) and 2 1/2 minutes. A few minutes later, I had a delightfully fragrant pot of tea. The fruit and flower notes are still there, tempting me to take a sip.
I’m not one to resist temptation, so after allowing the tea to cool to a drinkable temperature, I gave in to the temptation and began to enjoy this wonderful tea.
The fruit and floral aromas translate to the flavor. It tastes fruity, reminiscent of stone fruit (I taste plum) and notes of orchid. I also taste a raisin-y sweetness to this. It has some wine-like notes to it too, I taste notes of black currant toward the finish and the slightly dry astringency toward the tail play to that wine-like character.
Quite often with a Keemun tea, I experience a smoky note, but I’m not getting a strong smokiness from this one. Perhaps hints of smoke in the distance. This one is more fruity and wine-like than it is smoky.
It’s a satisfying tea, I think I’d want this one as an afternoon pick-me-up rather than a morning tea. It doesn’t have the really strong, malty flavors that I like a morning tea to have (and generally, Keemun teas don’t!) but it does have that beautiful fruity flavor that I like in an afternoon tea.
A really nice Keemun. Then again, you can’t go wrong with Teavivre. If you haven’t yet tried a tea from Teavivre, you really should! They are one of the finest tea companies from which I’ve had the great honor to review teas.