Tea Information:
Leaf Type:
Where to Buy: T-OolongTea
Tea Description:
All Natural Tea
Season: 2012 Spring (harvested in 2012 April)
Altitude: 300 meter above sea level
Varietal: Qingxin Dapa
Origin: Hsinchu County, Taiwan
Semioxidized
Packing Method: Vacuum packagingThis high quality Taiwan Honey Black Tea Oolong is all natural, handpicked, handcrafted and produced from Qingxin Dapa varietal, the tea leaves used to produce Oriental Beauty. This tea has an intense honey aroma and taste, very pleasant and enjoyable. The taste is a mixture of black tea and oriental beauty oolong. This tea is very rich, complex, smooth and delectable with almost no bitterness and astringency. The aftertaste is very sweet and long lasting and makes you want another sip.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Taiwan Honey Black Tea from T-OolongTea has the most decedent, honey kissed, chocolate, flavor one could imagine, it
gives such a sweet thick mouthfeel that just begs to be savored slowly.
There are also some sweet dark cocoa notes within the cup as well which are not to be overlooked as this cocoa note provides even more depth and complexity to the cup.
Then just as you think you have this tea figured out you will experience some caramel notes followed by candied plums playfully hiding in the background and peeking out now and then.
This is a very thick and rich brew that may please some coffee lovers because of the deepness of the flavor and robust flavors. This is not a shy tea! There is also a feeling in the throat that is more like a coffee than a tea in how full it feels.
Really this tea is like drinking a melted candy bar, its just that much of a treat! No bitterness, no astringency, so smooth, and invigorating. An excellent wake up tea for those lazy Sundays when you just want to snuggle into the covers of your soft warm bed, and sip slowly, reverently, and savor each pleasurable drop.
I for one love a tea that really stands up and demands to be recognized. This is a tea with attitude, “recognize” it states boldly – and I do! Yet it is so sweet, so succulent, that it woos me, makes me want to just keep breathing in its aroma.
A bold tea, with muscle, that has a soft romantic side. Oh yes!
Wuyi Oolong Organic Dark Roast from Samovar Tea Lounge
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.
Superfine Tan Yang Gong Fu Black Tea from Teavivre
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Teavivre
Tea Description:
Origin: Tanyang Village (坦洋村) in Fu’an, Fujian, China
Ingredients: Tea buds with pure leaves
Harvest time: May, 2012
Taste: It presents slight aroma of sweet potato when brewed; tastes smooth and mellow with sweet aftertaste
Being the first one among Fujian’s three best Gong Fu Black Teas (Bai Lin Gong Fu, Zheng He Gong Fu, Tan Yang Gong Fu), Tan Yang Gong Fu Black Tea has tight and thin leaves, looks glossy, which could be seen from TeaVivre’s product photo. When looking at this tea, the golden pekoe is particularly eye-catching, strongly connected to its high quality. Under the effect of photosynthesis, fresh buds contain the largest amount of beneficial substances than other parts. Moreover, the traditional making method of black tea has retained the nutrition in the most volume.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Superfine Tan Yang Gong Fu Black Tea from Teavivre offers quite a different experience. It has a lot of the same flavor notes that one gets from a Fujian black tea such as sweet potato, malt, and cocoa but Superfine Tan Gong Fu is much lighter both in flavor and mouthfeel.
It is quite relaxing and soothing in the way it makes me feel thus a good afternoon or early evening black. I don’t think I would particularly select this tea for morning as I find it brings about a tea high state rather than the wake up call I need.
As I sipped on this tea I found myself so relaxed, and spaced out that I checked my blood sugar (I’m type 1 diabetic) just to be sure I was not running too high. High blood sugars often mimic a spaced out state of dizziness and being sleepy. My blood sugar was perfectly fine. Outside of aliens having zapped my brain I am pretty sure it was the tea. I have had tea highs before, generally with pu’erh but now and then I get it in other leaf types. This is one of those times.
The tea itself is rather sweet and has a fruit nectar note to it. There is also very much a pipe tobacco note within this tea as I have noticed a couple of other reviews mentioning. It causes the throat to feel a bit dry after the sip, a little scratchy too but that feeling does not last too long.
Seriously – I keep spacing out writing this review so I am going to close by saying – a truly unique experience. I am very glad that I had a sample of it from my last Teavivre order.
Coconut Cacao from The Persimmon Tree
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Organic Pu erh
Where to Buy: The Persimmon Tree
Tea Description:
The Coconut Puerh Tea is a unique blend of organic pu-erh loose-leaf tea, cocoa nibs and coconut provides a smooth, full, slightly sweet flavor with a mild hazelnut finish.
This loose-leaf puerh tea with coconut flavor can be steeped multiple times.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Coconut Cacao from The Persimmon Tree is a lovely way to experience your daily pu erh intake! I love pu erh for its health benefits but I also simply love the deep flavors of pu erh itself. Some however do not care for pu erh let alone unadulterated pu erh so they may tend toward something like this to get their health benefits.
There is absolutely none of that “fishiness” that many people experience in pu erh. Now as for me, I don’t feel a quality pu erh should taste fishy and an initial rinse usually takes care of any of that unsavory flavor, however Coconut Cacao from The Persimmon Tree is simply a deep base tea with a lovely coconut and chocolate decedent flavor!
I will say that I am not too fond of the initial aroma of this tea in its dry form or its steeped form. I personally find the aroma a bit off putting. As for the taste however, its lovely!
The chocolate notes are strong but do not mask the base flavor nor the coconut flavor, and the chocolate notes are very tasty, not a cheap artificial chocolate at all. I also find that all too often coconut notes seem too oily, or cloying, but again, not in this tea. This coconut taste very fresh and ripe to me.
The combination of chocolate and coconut into a pu erh base is genius! One reviewer on The Persimmon Tree website, and fellow Steepster, calls it their tea latte without milk! I have to agree, it is quite creamy, full, earthy without being too earthy, and just sinfully delicious. I don’t even find it too sweet either which shows what a masterful blend it is!
Another thing I respect about The Persimmon Tree is their committment to our environment. On their “About” page located here you will find the following:
We, at The Persimmon Tree®, contribute to the sustainability of our planet. Where possible, we use recycled and recyclable materials in our shipping supplies and printed materials. Using recycled products increases the demand for recycled material, which increases the rate of recyclability. Our passion is to instigate and experience positive change through the simple things, and we encourage our customers to do the same.
Now personally, this is not my personal all time favorite pu erh as I lean more toward that really earthy, mushroomy, mineral, pu erh flavor found in unadulterated pu erh’s but to be fair, this is a really delicious alternative!
Drink pu erh for enjoyment, or for its health benefits! I tell you in my experience, nothing soothes a hurting tummy like a good pu erh tea!
“Like” them on Facebook here.
Bailin Gongfu Black Tea from Teavivre
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Teavivre
Tea Description:
Bailin Gongfu is the highest quality Fujian black tea. This Bailin Gonfu is a premium quality tea produced at Mt. Taimu in Fujian, and is crafted from Fuding DaBai and Da Hao trees. This delicious tea has a great refreshing sweet taste and fragrance.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Bailin Gongfu Black Tea from Teavivre is one of my black tea staples. I always have plenty of this on hand. Sure I enjoy other black teas, and have plenty of them for variety, but this black tea, this is my “go to” tea in the morning. It is always spot on for the flavors I crave to wake up to.
Some mornings I have more time to get motivated, and I may go for something different in a black tea but in most cases, I just need what I know will really do the trick.
Bailin Gongfu Black Tea from Teavivre has every element in a black tea that I would want. Malty notes, hints of a cocoa flavor, caramel notes, depth, and complexity, robust, and strong without any bitterness or astringency.
This is one of Teavivre’s most popular teas. There is good reason for this! This tea is warm and toasty with a taste reminiscent of boutique beer, malty and chocolatey. This is THE black tea that made me realize not all black teas are created equal. Sipping this outstanding tea is like sitting back at a campfire with a good friend. It just makes you feel comfy! The flavors are simply decadent yet is so easy to sip with a bright cheery feel!
What is really interesting about this black tea is that within all these flavors, on the after taste, is this wonderful vegetal note! It may not be really noticeable to everyone, but I get a green bean note in the lingering of the after taste that is quite surprising! A black tea with a green bean note? Yes, its in here! Add to that a full, creamy mouthfeel, what more could one ask for in their morning wake up tea?
Perhaps this tea sounds confusing to some, cheery and bright, yet also robust and full? Creamy cocoa, caramel, malty notes with vegetal? Well what we can’t disagree on is that it is interesting! To add to that all of these notes are present in one steeping, and hold up through a second steep. After that you will enjoy several more infusions of the same leaf but the layers begin to slowly ween themselves out leaving behind a lovely black with more attention on the caramel, cocoa, and base tea notes which are equally lovely.
I think, but please don’t hold me to any decisions on this, if I could only have one black unadulterated (unflavored / flavored by nature only) tea for the rest of my life, this would be the one. Granted I would never, ever, want that to happen!