Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
This tea is available from Amoda Tea.
Tea Description:
Classic green tea leaves possessing a natural honeyed sweetness blossom with an even sweeter aroma of freshly plucked jasmine.
Learn more about subscribing to Amoda Tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I’ve had a few questionable jasmine teas lately. By questionable, I mean jasmine teas that were flavored with jasmine oil instead of scented with jasmine blossoms. When a tea is flavored with jasmine oil, the result is usually not good. I’ve tasted a few flavored jasmine teas that turned out alright but for the most part, they’re just far too perfume-y for my liking.
Fortunately, this Jasmine Mist Green Tea from Sloane Tea Company was not flavored with jasmine oil. Instead, it was scented with jasmine blossoms. This is the best way to impart jasmine essence onto the tea leaf!
The dry leaf smells like jasmine and it’s a pleasantly strong fragrance. Not too overwhelming. I also noticed that there were no jasmine petals in the blend. This is a sign of a good quality jasmine tea! The aroma of the brewed tea is a gentle jasmine note with notes of fresh, light green tea.
And that’s what I’m tasting too. The jasmine note is distinct without tasting of perfume or soap. It tastes like beautiful, exotic jasmine! It doesn’t taste like perfume oil that’s been poured over tea leaves and then brewed into a liquid that’s much more suited for bathing than it is for drinking.
The green tea is a sweet, delicately grassy taste. It’s soft and buttery and complements the lightly sweet, exquisite flavor of jasmine.
In other words, this is the good stuff, folks! I’m happy that Amoda Tea chose to include this in this month’s box – if for no other reason than to remind me what a good jasmine tea is supposed to taste like!
Thank you, Amoda!
Honey Citrus Raspberry Green Tea from M&K’s Tea Company
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: M&K’s Tea Company on Etsy
Tea Description:
M&K’s own unique blend! We take Chinese green teas, blend them with three citrus fruits, licorice root roasted in honey, and actual raspberries! Not too fruity, not too simple, it’s a perfect blend of green tea and fruit. We use local honey from California beekeepers and local California orange peel.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
After having tried quite a few different teas from M&K’s Tea Company, I must admit that this one isn’t my favorite. And I thought it would be one I like quite a bit because the name offers quite a bit of promise! Citrus, Honey and Raspberry flavors in a Green Tea? Yes, please!
But the execution is a little off for me and I can’t really pinpoint it yet, so maybe in the process of writing this review, I can figure it out.
To brew this tea, I measured 1 bamboo scoop of the loose leaf tea into the basket of my Kati Tumbler. Then I added 12 ounces of 175°F water and let the tea steep for 2 minutes.
The green tea base is pleasant: it’s a combination of two Chinese green teas: gunpowder and Huangshan Maofeng. Together they give the tea an enjoyable texture – soft and creamy – and a smooth, lightly buttery taste with hints of smoke and vegetation.
The citrus note is subtle to this and most discernible when the tea is slurped (this helps aerate the liquid on the palate and it “enlivens” the flavors for your palate). I taste tart and tangy notes of citrus with a light sweetness of the honey. I also get a hint of bitter from the citrus peel.
Then I pick up on the sweet notes of licorice. Because the licorice root has been roasted in honey, the flavor of the licorice has been softened – I’m not getting that sharpness that I often get from licorice root. I think that this works for this particular blend because if the licorice root hadn’t been softened somewhat, it might have taken over the blend and we’d have Licorice Citrus Raspberry Green Tea instead of Honey Citrus Raspberry Green Tea.
Instead the licorice just adds a hint of almost candy-like sweetness to the cup that I actually enjoy. It might be my favorite thing about this particular blend
The raspberry is also quite subtle and I think that is what I’m thinking is off. I feel like I’m tasting more hibiscus and raspberry leaf to accentuate the raspberry than I’m actually tasting raspberry and that’s unfortunate.
So, there you have it, I’ve pinpointed my issue with this tea: I’d like the flavors of citrus and raspberry to be a little more prominent in the blend. I do like that the green tea is a dominant flavor here and I like the little contrast that the licorice root adds, but I think that because this tea is called Honey Citrus Raspberry Green Tea that I’m wanting a little more focus on the citrus and berry notes.
It’s not a bad tea but it’s not as great as I thought it would be. I’ve enjoyed many of M&K’s blends though, so I won’t hold this against them, because while it’s not my favorite tea that I’ve had from them, it’s tasty. It’s good, just not as great as some of the other M&K’s experiences that I’ve had.
Bvumbwe Malawian White Tea from M&K’s Tea Company
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: M&K’s Tea Company on Etsy
Tea Description:
Bvumbwe white tea is harvested in Africa in the country of Malawi! Similar to a Chinese Shou Mei white tea, Bvumbwe white tea offers something different than the usual White Peony (Bai Mudan) or Silver Needle Chinese white teas. With a lovely caramel note that lingers on the tongue, this Malawian tea offers tea drinkers (experienced and beginners alike) a different experience and will open the door to the world of Malawian tea!
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I was excited to try this Bvumbwe Malawian White Tea from M&K’s Tea Company. I’ve tried many different white teas, but very few of those are from Africa. In fact, I think I’ve only tried one other white tea from Africa so I was excited to have the opportunity to try another.
This is really nice. The flavor is delicate – like I’d expect from a white tea. It has a really pleasant, soft mouthfeel. It has a flavor similar to what I might experience from a Chinese white tea – it’s a gentle flavor with notes of hay and a crisp, airy sort of flavor. I’m also picking up on soft notes of fruit. It has a very clean and refreshing sort of taste. Soothing and mild.
As I continue to sip, I start to pick up on some flavors that I wouldn’t normally expect from a white tea: a hint of caramel! I don’t think that I’ve ever encountered a pure white tea with a caramel-y sweetness like I’m experiencing with this tea.
Then I notice gentle notes of warm, peppery spice. Like white pepper and a hint of cinnamon. It’s warm and a rustic sort of flavor. For such a delicate taste, there is a whole lot of dimension to this cup!
A really lovely white tea – one I’d recommend to any tea drinker. The complex flavors of this cup are something to be experienced!
Halpewatte Ceylon Black Tea from M&K’s Tea Company
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: M&K’s Tea Company on Etsy
Tea Description:
The basis of Earl Grey tea! Ceylon tea is a sweet, brightly orange colored (once-brewed) black tea harvested in the lush hills of the island of Sri Lanka (formerly known as Ceylon). This is a fantastic introductory tea, a great tea for the black tea lover, and an extraordinary tea for blending purposes. Ceylon tea is just brisk enough to be uplifting, but light enough to not be bitter or off-putting. It truly is a remarkable black tea that belongs in every tea-lover’s collection.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This Halpewatte Ceylon Black Tea from M&K’s Tea Company is a really nice Ceylon. It’s very much what I expect from a Ceylon tea – a mild, even-toned, medium-bodied black tea.
But what it doesn’t have that other Ceylon teas often do: It’s not overly astringent nor am I picking up on any indication of bitterness. This Ceylon has a really pleasant, smooth delivery.
To brew it, I used my Breville One Touch and measured 2 bamboo scoops into the basket. Then I poured 500ml of water into the kettle of the tea maker and set the thermometer for 212°F (boiling!) and the steep time for 2 1/2 minutes.
The tea brews up coppery and has a pleasant fragrance. I pick up on light floral notes in the aroma. Nice.
The flavor, as I said, is smooth. It’s brisk and invigorating without being aggressive. Notes of flower in the distance and a touch of citrus at the finish. It’s really quite enjoyable and much of what I’d expect from a Ceylon.
It’s flavorful – it tastes like tea. It tastes like a good black tea. It’s the kind of tea that I think every tea drinker can appreciate.
I personally prefer this tea straight up. I think that it would take the addition of honey or sugar well, if you like to add those to your tea. It would probably even take the addition of milk or cream well, although I think that this tea could be easily overwhelmed so add it with a light hand.
Delightful hot, really nice iced too. Add a thin slice of lemon or a sprig of mint and enjoy!
Iron Buddha Oolong Tea from Canton Tea Co.
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Canton Tea Co.
Tea Description:
This classic Tie Guan Yin produces a delicious, light-coloured, medium-bodied liquor. The first infusion combines toasty, floral notes with a touch of honey and becomes more fruity with successive infusions.
The dark, lightly oxidised green leaves are rolled into small tight fists. The liquor is amber-green with a smooth, heavy texture on the tongue. The flowery and fruity profile of this tea has a touch of honey and at first releases the pleasant orchid notes – after a couple of brews it yields the soft fruitier notes and has a sweet long lasting after taste.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Tonight’s Oolong is this lovely Iron Buddha Oolong Tea from Canton Tea Co.!
My first cup (infusions 1 and 2) is very much like the above description suggests: a medium-bodied tea with a soft, silky texture. Warm, toasty notes with hints of nutty flavors and beautiful floral tones that hint at a honey-like sweetness. The cup is sweet and flowery. Delightful!
My second cup (infusions 3 and 4) is where I begin to notice some fruit notes emerging. I taste notes of apricot. The honey notes that I picked up on in the first cup are still here and I love the way the apricot and honey play together on the palate. Sweet and delectable. The nutty flavors I noticed in the first cup have waned somewhat, this cup is less ‘toasty’ and more about the notes of fruit and flower. The body of this cup is a little creamier than the first cup.
My third cup (infusions 5 and 6) is a marriage of most of the flavors that I mentioned previously. The flavors of honey and apricot have melded together to create a unified flavor. The floral notes are a little sharper now because this cup isn’t quite as creamy as the second cup was, which seems to allow the floral notes to come into focus. I taste very little of the toasty notes of the first cup now, this cup is much more floral than either of the two previous cups were.
I really enjoyed how the flavors transitioned as I sipped on each cup. It was a lovely tea journey, one I was very happy to take!