Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Culinary Teas
Tea Description:
Irish Breakfast Green is full bodied with the ‘umpf’ of black tea but the gentleness of green tea. Enticing toasty hint of flavour. Massively Irish.
Learn more about this blend here.
Taster’s Review:
I don’t usually turn to a green tea as a breakfast tea. I usually want the kind of gusto a black tea provides, but this green tea packs a swift kick! Yes, the “kick” is a bit milder than what I’d get if I were drinking a strong Assam black tea, but I could see grabbing this tea as a breakfast tea (even though I’m drinking this as an afternoon tea at the moment.) It has a very satisfying flavor.
Yes, this is a blend, but that doesn’t make it complicated to brew. I grabbed my Kati Tumbler – really, this is one of the greatest tea brewing systems that I own! I turn to it frequently because it works great for teas that I have just enough for 1 serving of. And since I’ll be sharing this sampling with my SororiTea Sister, TeaEqualsBliss, I want to make sure I have enough left to send her way!
I used 1 bamboo scoop of tea for 12 ounces of hot water. I heated the water to 180°F and I steeped the blend for 1 1/2 minutes. And wa-lah! A lovely green tea!
This really is lovely! A very flavorful green tea blend. I knew when I brewed the tea that the teas were from China, Japan and Kenya, but I wasn’t sure which teas from these regions were used int he blend. From looking at the dry blend, I would guess that the Chinese tea is a Gunpowder. It’s a little harder to distinguish which teas from Japan and Kenya were used, but I think that the Kenyan is the larger, rolled green tea (see the photo above) and I think that the Japanese tea is a Houjicha (or a roasted Bancha type tea). Of those three guesses, the only one that I’m pretty confident about is the Gunpowder.
I like the way the flavors come together. The sip starts out sweet. Right away I start to pick up on the toasty, nutty flavors. It’s not an overly vegetal/grassy tasting tea but there certainly is a “green” sort of taste to it that’s a little vegetative. There’s a hint of buttery flavor. After my palate becomes acclimated to the nutty, buttery, and vegetal notes of the tea, I start to notice floral notes. There is also a fruity note that I taste that is vaguely reminiscent of melon. In the distance, I pick up a light “smokiness” to the cup that is quite intriguing.
Overall, I found this tea to be a rather enjoyable cuppa. If you’re looking for a way to start your day with a green tea, this would be a great choice. I wouldn’t add milk to it the way many do with a breakfast blend – I think that milk would really overwhelm the tea.
Plus: Milk + Green Tea usually = ICK. So best not to try that.
Instead, try this one straight up. It’s got a really nice flavor without any additions at all. If you must add something to your breakfast tea, try a dollop of locally harvested, raw honey (added health benefits with that!) or even better: a thin slice of lemon or lime!
Peach Apricot Tea from Culinary Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Culinary Teas
Tea Description:
A flavory and tasty combination of mellow peaches with deep full flavored apricots. Try a cup for yourself and discover what makes this one of our most special flavored teas.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I love peaches and apricots. I can’t think of any two fruits that say “summer” to me more than peach and apricot. My grandmother had a very prolific apricot tree in her backyard when I was young, and not only did it provide the family with lots of juicy apricots in the mid-to-late summer weeks, but it also was our favorite climbing tree! I remember climbing that tree and sitting in it while eating a fresh, tree-ripened apricot. YUM!
My grandmother also had a peach tree, but it wasn’t as prolific as the apricot, so instead of peach cobbler, she’d make apricot-peach cobbler and this was one of my favorite desserts. This tea brings all those delicious dessert memories back! And it tastes a little like the filling of the cobbler – liquefied – and then added to a pleasant, medium-bodied Ceylon tea.
The dry leaf is beautiful: dark brown tea leaves mixed with bright yellowish-orange petals and pieces of dried fruit. The dry leaf smells – not surprisingly – like peaches and apricots! It evokes thoughts of a farmer’s fruit stand in the middle of summer!
To brew this tea, I used my Kati Tumbler. I added 1 bamboo scoop of tea to the basket and poured boiling water into the tumbler. Then I steeped the tea for three minutes. This seems like the perfect steep time for my palate – the tea tastes strong without any bitterness and I’m getting LOTS of fruit flavor from the peach and apricot.
The base is brisk and invigorating without being too aggressive. It’s got a light to moderate astringency to it. It’s a good base for the flavors because it’s strong enough to be tasted. There’s no doubt that what I’m drinking is indeed tea. It tastes like tea! However, there is plenty of sweet, juicy peach and apricot flavor too.
The peach and apricot flavors here are so strong and delicious. It reminds me of those summer days when I’d bite into a peach or an apricot that was just picked from the tree. That fruit essence has been captured in this tea: it tastes fresh, sweet and true to the fruit. Most of all, it tastes delicious.
Sleepy Hollow Pumpkin Chai from Culinary Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Culinary Teas
Tea Description:
So, what goes into a tea named after the terrifying tale of Ichabod Crane and the Headless Horseman? Pumpkin, of course. (The story goes that the horseman had the head of a pumpkin.) Add to this a select blend of herbs and spices, chai mix, cinnamon and ginger pieces. The taste of Sleepy Hollow Pumpkin Chai, it goes without saying, is to die for!
Learn more about this chai blend here.
Taster’s Review:
I previously reviewed the Sleepy Hollow Pumpkin Chai from Culinary Teas, however, this appears to be a slightly different tea! The tea that I reviewed back in 2011 had candy sprinkles in it, and this doesn’t. Perhaps everything else is the same except for the sprinkles … if that is the case, then I’m revisiting this chai!
To brew this, I used my Kati tumbler. I placed a heaping bamboo scoop of tea into the basket and then I poured boiling water into the tumbler. I let it steep for 3 1/2 minutes. And the aroma wafting out of my tea tumbler right now is warm and spicy and pumpkin-y and … so delightfully autumnal!
This is really yummy. I like that I taste the ginger and I can taste the cinnamon. The spices are very warm; the ginger packs a peppery punch! I suspect that there may be pepper in this too, although the website doesn’t offer an ingredient list so I can’t be certain. But there is definitely some peppery heat that warms the back of the throat. Don’t take that as my inferring that this is too spicy, though, because it’s a moderate heat, there’s just a really pleasant gingery/peppery note to it.
The black tea is smooth and rich. It’s not quite as robust as I would have expected, but I like the smooth flavor and it’s nicely round. It’s a satisfying flavor. There’s not a lot of astringency to the tea. It’s really pleasant.
I found the pumpkin to be somewhat reserved a flavor at first. It wasn’t until I had consumed about 1/4th of the cup that I started to pick up on the sweet-savory pumpkin notes and at that point, they were rather delicate. As I continued to sip, the pumpkin notes developed and now I’m discovering more delicious pumpkin-y flavor.
This chai is a really delightful Halloween treat!
Matcha Green Tea Powder from Culinary Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Culinary Teas
Tea Description:
Our Matcha is a thin Matcha called Usucha and best for the everyday Matcha drinker. It is the perfect quality for enjoying the genuine taste of Matcha. Our Matcha is a light creamy liquid with a very sweet and mild flavor.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I’ve tried quite a few different Matcha teas over the years. And while I must admit that the best Matcha teas are those that come from companies that specialize in offering only the very best Japanese teas, I’ve quite enjoyed Matcha teas from other sources as well. Like this Matcha from Culinary Teas.
To prepare this Matcha, I used my chashaku to scoop out three scoops of Matcha powder into my sifter (I just use a basic wire mesh sieve that I picked up in the grocery store in the kitchen utensil aisle for a couple of bucks. It’s small enough to fit in my tea bowl and it’s got a couple of “feet” on it that hook onto the edge of the bowl, a plastic handle and a wire mesh “bowl”.) I then sifted the powder.
Now, I don’t consider myself a Matcha expert by any stretch of the imagination, so I’ll just offer my opinion as to why Matcha is sifted. I think that it not only eliminates clumps (clumps will turn into lumps of dry powder in the finished product and that doesn’t sound very yummy) but I believe it also aerates the powder a little bit – lightens it? So that the proper flavor and texture is achieved in the final product. That’s my opinion and not necessarily fact but I do know that I find that I prefer the Matcha when I sift it.
After I’ve sifted the powder, then I add hot water (160°F) and here’s where I become less useful to the beginner/novice Matcha drinker, because I don’t measure out the water. I eyeball it. Yeah, I told you that it wouldn’t be helpful, didn’t I? I pour in about what I think is the right amount, aiming for “less” than “more” than the right amount, if you get what I’m saying, because you can always add a little more water but you can’t really take it away once it’s been poured into the bowl (chawan).
Then I whisk away. I whisk with my chasen vigorously in a “W” motion until I’m confident that all the powder has been incorporated. Then I give it a taste and see if it needs more water. Usually, I need a little bit more because as I said, I tend to aim for “less” than I need than more than I need. And I did today. Now that I’ve added a final splash of water to the Matcha, I whisk again and then I enjoy!
The color of this Matcha is not quite as bright and vibrant as some of the pricier Matcha teas that I’ve tried. But it does whisk up well and the powder stays incorporated until I’ve finished the last sip. The tea froths up nicely with lots of bubbles. It’s more of a bubbly, dry froth than it is a silky froth. If you’ve consumed many different types of Matcha, you understand what I mean by that. Some Matcha has a very fluffy, bubbly kind of froth, and some of it is a very silky froth with very fine bubbles.
The froth stays around for a little while and eventually disappears. The flavor of this Matcha is nice. It’s got a smooth, buttery flavor and a creamy smooth texture. I notice notes of raw cacao, which I like Matcha to have. Its sweet with some bittersweet notes.
Overall, I found this Matcha to be quite enjoyable and the price of this Matcha is extraordinarily affordable! If you’re one who wants to drink Matcha everyday but find the prices of some Matcha offerings to be to excessive, you should give this Matcha a try! You’ll get more Matcha bang for your buck!
Crime of Passion Green Tea from Culinary Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Culinary Teas
Tea Description:
Memories of the Copacabana Beach in Rio. Papaya pieces, sunflower petals and criminally exotic passion fruit notes infuse superior green tea.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Mmm! This Crime of Passion Green Tea from Culinary Teas takes me (or at least my taste buds!) on a tropical vacation! The sweet passion fruit and papaya flavors meld together with the lush, green tea to present a really tasty tea with tropical flair.
The green tea base is a Chinese Sencha, and it lends a sweet, buttery and slightly vegetal note to the cup. I’m not finding this to be overly vegetative or grassy. It’s a light “grassiness” – I find the buttery/creamy notes of this tea to be stronger than the grassy/vegetal tones to be. The texture of the buttery notes give this a very smooth mouthfeel.
The passion fruit and papaya are beautifully sweet. There are hints of tartness in there too, but mostly, I taste sweet tropical fruit. The fruit notes here are strong and are edging out the flavor of the green tea just a tad – that is to say that the flavor is stronger than the green tea – but it’s so tasty that I am finding it difficult to find fault with this, especially since I can taste the green tea. It just isn’t as strong as the fruit notes.
A really tasty tea. It tastes great served hot (and makes a nice mental va-cay during the cold winter when you want to think of warm tropical breezes, the sun and the surf!) but it’s even better iced. Very refreshing!