Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Whittard of Chelsea
Tea Description:
A truly superb robust Oolong from the Fujian Province with a honeyed sweetness.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I have loved Oolong teas since my very first encounter with an Oolong tea. I even remember that very first Oolong experience! It was a Formosa style Oolong, with leaves dark and curly like these, and the flavor was sublime! Sweet with peach-y notes and the most amazingly soft mouthfeel. I think it was at that moment that I realized that I truly loved tea.
Since that time, I’ve tried many teas, and many Oolong teas … and some that I enjoy even more than a delicious Formosa Oolong. I’ve tried many Oolongs from many different regions in the world. This Organic China Oolong, while it does look a lot like my beloved Formosa Oolong, it possesses quite a different flavor.
The tea starts out soft, with hints of stone fruit in the front of the sip. But as the sip progresses, the flavor develops. Nutty tones reveal themselves at about mid-sip, and by the end of the sip, I’m noticing a deep, woodsy, almost charcoal-y kind of flavor. Very roasty-toasty, and this complements the nutty tones very nicely, and gives the light fruit tones some depth. There is an undercurrent of honey-like sweetness throughout, and the sip ends with a moderate amount of astringency. The aftertaste is slightly smoky and sweet.
This tea has a very autumnal taste and feel to it – like the early days of autumn, as the weather begins to cool and the dry leaves crackle as you walk along the sidewalk. The air is filled with the smell of wood burning in the fireplaces. That is what I think of as I sip on this deliciously toasty tea … it is very comforting and wonderful.
Sweet Roast Green Tea (Dark Roast) from Mauna Kea Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Mauna Kea Tea
Tea Description:
Selectively harvested for naturally low caffeine contents.
Organically grown at our farm in Hawaii
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Of the three teas/tisanes that I received in this month’s Steepster Select box, this was the tea I was most excited about, because it was the one of the three that I had not yet tried. (OK, technically, I had not tried the Honey Bush from The Tea Smith, but I have tried honeybush on many occasions, just not from that particular vendor)
When I opened the pouch, I was surprised to find smaller leaf pieces that have been cut and torn. It actually looks a bit more like a green Yerba Matéthan a green tea, the leaves even had a lighter feel to them than what I’m typically used to with Camellia Sinensis; the leaves have a lightness to them, almost wispy, much like what I’d expect from Yerba Maté or Guayusa.
But, even though this looks a bit like green Yerba Maté, it doesn’t taste like it. Then again, it doesn’t really taste like a typical green tea either. It is very light-bodied with a nice roasty-toasty taste. When I think of a roasted green tea, immediately I think of Houjicha, but this doesn’t quite taste like Houjicha either. With the first couple of sips, it almost tasted like a thin, toasty Matcha, which I thought was a little weird until I did a little bit of snooping around on the Mauna Kea website and found this:
The tea leaves used here are for our “Sweet Roast Green Tea”. Our sweet roast process is a hybrid process between matcha, or powdered tea used for Japanese tea ceremony, and orthodox style leaf tea. Because of type of leaf used in sweet roast process, roasting becomes critical part of sweet roast flavor.
It’s a very unique flavor – quite unexpected! – and I really like it. I recommend this to those who are looking for something a little different! It would also be an excellent choice for those who find the roasted quality of Houjicha to be somewhat heavy for their palate, I think that this is lighter than Houjicha while maintaining that sweet, toasty flavor.
Dark Chocolate with Earl Grey Tea from Dolfin
Information:
Dark Chocolate Bar
Where to Buy: The Meadow and other locations where Dolfin Chocolates are sold.
Chocolate Bar Description:
A perfect mix of contrasts: the refreshing sweetness of the bergamot blends perfectly with the strong taste of the chocolate. For afternoon tea, a chocolate with a British accent.
Learn more about Dolfin here.
Taster’s Review:
Recently, I visited the North Portland location of Little Big Burger, and as I walked toward Little Big Burger, I couldn’t help but notice this little shop called The Meadow. They sell flowers, an array of finishing salts, bitters and chocolate. Yes, I said CHOCOLATE! How could I ignore this little shop? It begged me to stop in and at least take a look around.
But, of course, if I am around chocolate, I can hardly just “look around.” I must have chocolate! They have an entire wall dedicated to high quality chocolates from around the world. I can feel myself start to drool just thinking about it!
While it was difficult to settle upon just one (or two) chocolate bars, I knew my husband was waiting for me so I needed to hurry! Finally, I settled upon this Dark Chocolate Bar with Earl Grey Tea! This is a 52% Belgian dark chocolate bar with crushed Earl Grey Tea leaves. Not an “infused” chocolate, but, a chocolate bar with real bits of tea leaves.
The first thing I notice about this bar is the packaging. Very impressive! The package is a double folded “envelope” that keeps the left over chocolate (it’s quite a large bar!) fresh until you’re ready to eat more. I really like the package, it is clear that Dolfin is committed to maintaining their product’s integrity even after the package has been opened!
Breaking off a piece of the chocolate, I notice the snap of dark chocolate. Allowing the flavors to melt on my tongue, I can taste the smooth, rich flavor of bittersweet dark chocolate meld with the tangy citrus notes of bergamot. As I eat this chocolate, I can feel the tiny bits of tea leaf in the chocolate. The leaves add a little bit of crunch without feeling gritty and because the tea has been finely ground, it won’t leave leaf particles stuck in between the teeth!
While I don’t taste a lot of black tea flavor (there is some, just not a lot), I definitely taste the bergamot, and when it comes to Earl Grey tea, I want to taste BERGAMOT. The black tea becomes more distinct as I continue to enjoy the chocolate bar, and it is more prominent when I allow the chocolate to melt on the tongue as opposed to biting into it.
This chocolate bar from Dolfin provides an amazing chocolate experience for the tea lover! And if your Valentine loves chocolate and Earl Grey … you should consider adding this to their gift. (How about a Chocolate and Earl Grey Gift Basket?) They’ll LOVE you for it!
Zealong Dark from Tula Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Tula Teas
Tea Description:
Dry, the large, twiggy, army-green and pine-blue leaves of Zealong Dark smell roasty and nutty. Fleeting floral undertones in the dry leaf emerge alongside aromas of toasted almonds, warming spices and charred hardwoods as the leaves brew into leaf-and-bud sets. The golden-hued brew is rich — think toasted almonds, cinnamon sticks and roasted grains — and it is neither bitter nor too sweet, thanks in part to delicate floral notes and hints of Wuyi-oolong-like minerality. The finish of this unusual oolong is roasty, floral and slightly drying, with a persistent raw almond flavour.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Having previously tasted and reviewed their Zealong Pure, I thought that this one might be like it, but, they are really quite different. This Zealong Dark has been roasted, which has given the sweet, buttery character more of a toasted nut kind of flavor. The roasting has also imparted a charred quality to this tea, almost like charcoal. This tea that woodsy and rustic kind of flavor to it.
My first cup of this tea (the combination of my first two infusions) delivered mostly that charred wood kind of taste, as well as the nutty flavor I described, and a sweet, honey-like undertone. With the second cup (infusions three and four), revealed more of a floral note which provided a sharp contrast to the now softer rustic, woodsy taste. My final cup (infusions five and six), I found that the honey-esque sweetness really emerged, complimented by the floral tones and the sweet nutty flavor.
There was also a savory element to this last cup, one that was only hinted toward in the second cup but now is much more pronounced. It isn’t exactly bitter, and not exactly sour either… but somewhere between these two savory elements. Very intriguing, indeed.
I have been very impressed with the New Zealand Oolongs that I’ve tasted from Tula Teas. If you are an Oolong enthusiast, these are definitely worth exploring!
Stong Fire Oolong from The Tao of Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: The Tao of Tea
Product Description:
Native Name: Dark Tieguanyin
Named after the Chinese Goddess of Mercy Kuan Yin, Tieguanyin is one of the more popular rolled oolongs. Although Tieguanyin varietals are native and to Anxi county in Fujian province, many other areas in China are now also cultivating this varietal. There are apparent differences between the various Tieguanyin varietals, each with its own unique characteristics.
In making Strong Fire only the mature, hardy leaves are plucked. They are then withered in the sun for a few hours to reduce moisture. Once suitable suppleness is achieved in the leaves, traditional rolling techniques (at least 13 different motions) are applied in conjunction with light roasting to achieve the optimum shape and flavor. A final high roast is given to complete the processing.
Taster’s Review:
This one scared me a bit. The name “Strong Fire” suggests to me that this might be a very smoky tea. And while it does have well-pronounced smoked tones to it, it certainly is not at all what I expected. The smoky flavor is so perfectly balanced with a roasty-toasty flavor that it doesn’t come off as liquid smoke. It’s actually quite pleasant.
The roasting of these leaves imparts a certain wood-like taste to the cup, as well as the aforementioned roasted flavor and smoky undertones. These bring out the natural sweetness of the Oolong tea, converting what might otherwise be a fruity or floral sweetness to a well-caramelized sweetness. The high roasting imparts a savory, almost burnt flavor to the leaves, enhancing the burnt sugar quality of the caramel flavor.
I like this so much more than I thought I would, and I am finding that each subsequent infusion (I got six incredible infusions from one measurement of leaves) is equally as lovely. I guess it just goes to show you not to judge a tea by its name!