Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Samovar Tea Lounge
Tea Description:
Origin: Wuyi Mountans, Fujian, China
Flavor Profile: Deep and complex…with a rich body, a roasted aroma, and sweet finish of raisin sugar, honeysuckle, and roasted barley. Warm and earthy notes of bittersweet chocolate and peat moss. Expertly dark roasted, the Wuyi oolong has very little floral notes. If you are a coffee lover, this tea will steal your heart away.
Tea Story: This long rolled oolong tea harks from the remote and ancient cliffs Wu Yi Mountains in Northern Fujian province. Produced in China since the 18th century, our dark-roasted Wuyi is also know as Wuyi Qi Lan, Wuyi’s Profound Orchid.
Our Wuyi’s nutty, dark-roasted flavor profile has won over many a coffee-drinker. If you’re someone who’s trying to wean themselves from coffee, this Wuyi is the perfect step into the world of tea. Trust us, we’ve seen many stave off coffee-withdrawal with a smile, sipping the Wuyi.
Samovarian Poetry: A climactic eruption of tea intoxication. Hauntingly ambrosial, with an evolving complexity of carmelized raisins, roasted barley, smoked bittersweet chocolate, & aged peat moss.
Food Pairing: This is the best oolong for pairing with deserts. The roasted, nutty flavors pair excellently with dark and milk chocolate, sweet creams, and the dense sweetness of baked figs or juicy dates stuffed with chevre.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Wuyi Oolong Organic Dark Roast from Samovar Tea Lounge is a good starter Wuyi but at the price for this specific tea may not be worth it to those just starting out. This is a good tea, with notes of honey, cocoa, rock mineral, peat, salt, and lingering floral after notes, but with that said there are many other Wuyi Oolong out there at a much more affordable price tag, that are just as good, if not better.
Please don’t take this wrong, as I do enjoy this tea quite a bit but there is a slight bitter note left behind when I recall what I paid for this tea, which leaves me a bit disenchanted with Samovar.
On the good side of this Wuyi Oolong Dark Roast from Samovar Tea Lounge, there is a hardy, robust, flavor that would be excellent to serve to your coffee drinking pals. There is absolutely depth to this cup and some really wonderful flavors to explore. I also can detect some nuttiness and a creamy mouthfeel within the sip.
I feel this is an excellent tea to introduce your non tea drinking friends to as well as a great place to begin a tea journey. While there may be less expensive options out there to explore, this tea does provide one with a great starting place and a baseline to compare all others to. It has the elements one should expect and require of a good Wuyi however perhaps lacking in some elements it has all of the base notes one would need to start their knowledge from.
I do not regret this purchase, it was one of my first purchases back when I got into loose leaf tea and I do absolutely feel it set the parameter for what to expect from a good Wuyi.
Chocolate Mint Whisper White Tea from Nature’s Tea Leaf
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: Nature’s Tea Leaf
Tea Description:
Chocolate Mint Whisper White Tea is an exclusive blend of a select White Peony tea with pure peppermint leaves and rich Belgian chocolate. The whole leaf tea is evenly mixed with fresh cut mint leaves that are dried naturally to preserve their flavor. Belgian semisweet dark chocolate curls are expertly combined to provide the drinker with a tea that is decadent in aroma but with a flavor that is fresh and minty with hints of rich and velvety chocolate.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I gotta tell ya, the more I try chocolate blends from Nature’s Tea Leaf, like this Chocolate Mint Whisper White Tea, the more I’m liking them. First of all, I love the big curls of chocolate that this blend has. Not just dark Belgian chocolate, but, white chocolate curls too! Sure … the chocolate melts and there are some that will argue that the melted chocolate in the tea clouds up the tea. And it does. But, I don’t care! It’s CHOCOLATE! And when this chocoholic sees cute little chocolate curls mixed into the dry leaf of a tea … the inner child in me squeals with delight.
The White Peony tea leaves seem to respond to this blend differently … that is to say, this doesn’t taste like a typical Bai Mu Dan. There are similar qualities, of course, like the straw-like taste (imagine the air that surrounds a dry hay stack) but, I don’t really notice a vegetative quality or other notes that I often associate with a white tea. But one thing that I do notice here … is an earthy undertone to the white tea that is often overlooked. So … while the ingredients in this blend may have overwhelmed some of the nuances of the white tea, it has also brought forward some flavors of the white tea that is not usually noticed. Like I said … the tea responds differently to this blend … and I, for one, like it.
The mint was a little … difficult to detect with the first few sips. The whole “Whisper” in the name made sense … because the peppermint was indeed a whisper of a taste. And now that I am more than halfway finished with my cup of tea, I notice more mint taste than i did with my first couple of sips … it is still quite a delicate flavor, noticed mostly when I suck in a breath and allow the air to flow over my palate. It is then that I notice a crisp, clean note that is distinctly mint.
This tea is deliciously chocolate-y, and what I really liked about this blend is that even though it was a white tea, it had a pleasing amount of chocolate flavor … but not so much that I lost sight of the fact that it was tea that I was drinking. I liked that I could taste the white tea, and I liked that this tea offered me a different perspective of white tea. A very interesting blend – one that I’d recommend to any chocolate lover.
Raspberry Truffle Flavored Matcha from Red Leaf Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green (Matcha)
Where to Buy: Red Leaf Tea
Tea Description:
Raspberry Truffle Matcha is the perfectly designed treat that literally melts in the mouth with its mix of sweetness and Matcha undertones. This treat can make the perfect in-between meals treat that is perfect for enticing the taste buds to want much more. It can also make the perfect desert when people want to sample the different alternatives that are available for the palate to partake. For children, this exceptional treat can be one of many favorite offerings on their special occasions.
Learn more about this Matcha here.
Taster’s Review:
OK… how could I NOT try this matcha from Red Leaf Tea? Raspberry Truffle flavored Matcha? It sounded way too good, you know had to try it!
I went with my “usual” specifications for this Matcha, using the classic grade of green Matcha and the distinctive level of flavoring. The first time I prepared it, I was a little bit disappointed because I could taste an artificial taste to it. Then I decided to prepare it differently for my second attempt … and make it into a latte.
And as a result, I’ve come to the conclusion that this Matcha should be prepared as a latte. That chemical-y, artificial taste is gone now, and all that I taste is sweet, creamy, raspberry and chocolate truffle with Matcha! YUM!
To make my latte, I used 1% milk – primarily because it was the only milk I had in the house. I don’t typically like 1% milk, but that’s what my husband likes, and since he’s the milk consumer in this house … that’s what we get. Usually, I enhance the 1% milk with some half & half (using a ratio of 2 parts milk to 1 part half & half) to keep the milk from tasting too much like creamy water. But I didn’t even have half & half on hand, so, I just went with the 1% milk … and it worked PERFECTLY for this application.
I heated the milk, then sifted the flavored matcha powder over the milk and used my hand-held frothing tool to whisk in the matcha (I prefer not to use my chasen when I make lattes, because I fear the milk will impart bacteria on my bamboo whisk) and the result is a yummy, creamy, delicious bowl of Matcha goodness. I taste the matcha – it is slightly vegetative and sweet and smooth. The raspberry comes through and it tastes sweet-tart and bright … and then I taste the creamy, rich taste of chocolate. Because of the milk, it tastes more like a milk chocolate to me than a dark chocolate … but it is delicious all the same.
Now, the milk doesn’t exactly make this as low calorie as it would be if it were prepared with water, but, given that the water preparation didn’t taste as good as the milk preparation, I’ve still got to recommend you try this as a latte. You won’t be sorry!
By the way … keep watching the SororiTea Sisters blog … I’ll be giving away a pouch of this exact Matcha … same specifications – a full 30g pouch of it – very soon!
Mad Tea Party from Indie Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Pu-erh
Where to Buy: Indie Tea
Tea Description:
Steeping Steeping Little Pot, How I Love You Quite A Lot, Chocolate, Chiles, Cherries Too, Make A Tasty Pu-Erh Brew!
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I didn’t read the description of this Mad Party tea from Indie Tea before I brewed it, and by a quick look at the leaves, I figured it was a black tea blend … not a pu-erh! Had I known it was pu-erh, I probably would have done a quick pre-rinse, but, as it is, this is really quite enjoyable … even without the pre-rinse. The aroma is quite earthy, the flavor is not quite as earthy … which is usually why I like to pre-rinse my pu-erh anyway … to rinse away some of the earthy flavor.
The first couple of sips – sipped while still fresh from the teapot hot – were earthy … and tasted of strong pu-erh. After the cup cooled slightly, the flavors of chocolate, cherry and chili began to pop. I noticed a hint of smokiness to the cup. The pu-erh base is rich and mellow, and allows the flavors to express themselves in a really delicious way.
The chocolate tastes rich and smooth … the cherry has a sweet yet tart taste to it, and the chili … while spicy … doesn’t attempt to offend the tastebuds by overwhelming them with heat. It’s a gentle heat … and it slowly builds as I continue to sip. But even now, as I pass the halfway point of my cup … the heat is still quite subtle and really very lovely. The back of the throat feels warm without feeling assaulted by chipotle chili.
The chocolate is the real star of this cup … and I suspect this has a lot to do with the pu-erh base as well, because the chocolate really seems to come alive in the presence of the pu-erh. It’s really quite enjoyable.
Really yummy. This is a pu-erh I’d consider keeping on hand … I like the heat level, I love the chocolate-y tones, I love that it is a little earthy and smoky but it never goes overboard on these two tastes. I love the way the sweet-tart notes of the cherry come through … again, subtly … and really beautifully.
Two thumbs up on this one.
Premium Taiwanese Assam from Butiki Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black, Assam
Where to Buy: Butiki Teas
Tea Description:
Our Premium Taiwanese Assam is sourced from Yuchih Township in Nantou County, Taiwan. Assam bushes were brought to Taiwan in the early twentieth century but have since been refined by the Taiwan Research and Extension Station. The long dark chocolate-colored leaves produce a sweet fruity aroma. This malty tea has rich chocolate notes with notes of cinnamon, clove, and raisins.
Ingredients: Taiwanese Black Tea
Recommended Brew Time: 3 minutes
Recommended Amount: 2 teaspoons of tea for 8oz of water
Recommended Temperature: 212 F (boiling)
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Premium Taiwanese Assam from Butiki Teas is one of my favorite black teas. The leaves of this tea are stunning! Twisty and wirey with almost a blue tone hue to them.
Some of you who read my updates on steepster may have already read a portion of this as I am using a part of my review from there.
The steeped cup is a lovely deep golden amber tone and smells of sweet potato and chocolate. This cup is DELICIOUS! If you are not used to really high quality amazing tea like this just understand – this is not your mother’s or grandmother’s Lipton tea! Haha, my grandmother, bless her heart would drink that instant powdered tea daily, you know the stuff that came in the glass jar with the green lid. Today it is probably in plastic but regardless – this is a true delight and anyone who is even considering trying a different black tea should give this one a go!
There is a very sweet aspect to the tea, it has notes of sweet potato pie, even a bake-y element to it but it is not that sweet – not like as if someone spooned sugar into the cup – just a very natural sweetness. There are strong notes of chocolate and also notes of honey. A very rich cup yet the mouthfeel is bright and cheery. It is not too heavy or syrupy.
The only regret I have is that I did not try this tea sooner. It has become one of my stash favorites. It has a permanent home in my tea cabinet.
There is a slight very light note of cinnamon or some kick of spiciness here but nothing that would cause those who are spice shy to shy away from. There is also a bit of a saffron note!
As the tea cools a bit it does become slightly thicker with a heavier mouthfeel and notes of maple syrup begin to peek through.
I know it sounds like I am talking about a dessert not a tea yet this is not a dessert tea but rather a wonderful black tea that anyone would love!
The only downside I have found to this tea is that when steeping western style, it does not re-steep very well. However if you opt for gong fu style steeping it holds up to many steeps giving you layers of wonderful notes to discover cup by cup.