Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Herbal Tisane
Where to Buy: Chi Whole Leaf
Tea Description:
A beautiful blend of Indian Rose Petals, Egyptian Hibiscus and Jasmine.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I keep wanting to call this matcha…
Honestly; I was a tiny bit scared to try this one. Hibiscus is one of three ingredients in this one, but frankly the entire thing looks like ground up, powdered hibiscus and unless you’re really into hibiscus in the first place that sounds pretty horrible.
That said, after the hot water hit the powder in the bottom of the mug and I had this all whisked up all of that fear melted away. The aroma is very floral and feminine but maintains a wonderful delicateness. How often do you get to call a blend with hibiscus delicate!? Not often – that’s for sure. More so than anything else I thought the rose was the most flavourful component of this tea but it’s not even close to the intensity necisarry for this blend to come off tasting chemical, artificial, or even perfumey. As a whole, it’s actually delightfully mellow.
Maybe it’s because hibiscus is so often paired with berries, but in addition to the sweet and supple floral notes I feel like there’s a hint of watered down berry flavour. The jasmine is the hardest part of this for me to taste; it’s blending in with the rose very well. I really enjoy this blend a lot. My only word of caution would be for people who dislike overly floral teas; but even they might like this because it’s been tastefully done. Even people who are generally turned off by hibiscus would likely like this. Bonus points for being quite affordable; $10.00 for 100g, and it really doesn’t take much at all to make a mug – approximately 1/2 tsp.
Also, many thanks to Will at Chi Whole Leaf tea for sending me the full range of teas currently offered on their site for reviewing! He was very quick to ship things, and in addition to the tea itself he included a very informative pamphlet that broke down the ingredients of each tea. I look forward to trying the rest of the set!
Yunnan Wild Black from Cultivate Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Locally at Cultivate Tea
Tea Description:
An easy-drinking wild black tea from a family-owned tea garden that is unique, friendly and aromatic.
Learn more about this tea on Steepster.
Taster’s Review:
Went into this one without much of an idea what to expect; there’s very little information on the retailer’s website (it looks like they’re more set up for local in person shopping than online orders) and there aren’t any Steepster reviews yet other than my own. But this was really good!
In fact, it was actually so good I did two infusions of it which is something I hardly ever do for anything other than oolong when I’m steeping Western style. It’s really rare for me, personally, to want to drink the same tea multiple times in one day; I just want to experience as much as possible! So that definitely says something.
The dry leaves are really pretty; they’re long and twisty and have this rusty kind of tint to them that really popped as they were steeping; very tawny and autumn like! The steeped up brew was a really pretty amber colour. It kind of reminded me of the colour of a good beer, actually.
This was actually a lot less brisk and full bodied than I had expected it to be; there was some light astringency with the first steep but that went away with the second. Other than that bit of astringency both infusions were very similar though; they had a gentle sweetness to them with top notes of fragile honeycombs and really gentle undercurrents of malt and fresh baked French bread. The finish went back to sweeter honey with floral notes as well.
This is NOT a tea to drink with milk; you would absolutely drown out the subtler, delicate flavours that are present. It’s a shame it’s not really something I can get online and it’s not available to me locally because if it was available for a reasonable price I’d totally be interest in getting a bit more of this one.
Rui Feng Jin Xuan from Tea From Taiwan
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Tea From Taiwan
Tea Description:
Winter 2009
This is a Jin-Xuan tea from Rui-Feng in the Alishan tea district.
When Jin-Xuan tea leaves are lightly roasted during processing, they have a unique milk flavor which is called nai xiang or milk oolong.
Rui-Feng Jin Xuan has a slightly astringent flavor which mellows with subsequent brewings. The milk flavor is evident in the aftertaste, and combines with a pleasing herbaceous aroma for a complex flavor which changes slightly with each brewing.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I was delighted when I opened the box and saw the pretty packages this tea arrived in! I love decorative, pretty things and when tea comes in pretty packaging I squeal. Okay I’m a girl, but truly the packages were so pretty I didn’t even want to cut this one open to try the tea. However, you are here to read about the tea so here it is:
A lovely light oolong that is easy on the palate. This won’t be the most taste bud busting oolong you try but if you appreciate an all natural milk oolong with subtle, more delicate flavor notes then this is for you!
There is a lovely lilting floral note that dances playfully with a very slight buttery note. These notes are backed up by a very airy green flavor. When mixed with the floral notes it is reminiscent of sniffing a bouquet of herbaceous flowers, sweet yet lightly savory.
The after taste is refreshing and makes for a lovely after dinner tea.
While it is not in your face with flavors that are popping all over the place it is somewhat surprisingly soothing. A nice mediative tea.
I also feel this would be a great tea to use as an introductory oolong to those just trying oolong for the first time. What it lacks in shock value of that “in your face flavor” it makes up for with its delicate palate of not being too overpowering.
One could arguably say that the true design of this tea is for those who want to sit back and savor something more complex than a tea that vies for your every bit of attention. Yet some may argue this tea lacks complexity by being so laid back.
Which ever side you fall on I can say that this tea offers pleasant aromas, sweet milky indulgence, floral notes that are quite beautiful, and airy, grassy, vegetative green flavors that please the palate wonderfully.
This would not be my all time go-to oolong as I do fall more on the side of the obvious flavors yet there is something about this tea that makes me sit back, relax, unwind, and enjoy the polite mannerisms it offers.
Peach Oolong from Art of Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Art of Tea
Tea Description:
Delightful and refreshing, this wonderfully distinctive tea exhibits a rich Autumnal flavor of ripened peaches with lingering hints of oak and a long honey finish.
Water Temperature: 185 – 206 F degrees
Caffeine Content: Medium
Steep Time: 3-5 minutes
Suggested Serving Size: 1 Tbsp/8oz
Ingredients: Organic Oolong Tea, Organic Rosehips, Organic Marigolds, Natural Flavors
Origin: Art of Tea Blend
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I was happy to receive this tea from a tea swap partner recently. I love peach flavored teas and I love oolong! I also recently placed my first order with Art of Tea so I was excited to sample their teas before my order arrives.
I have to say that I am not getting much peach in this cup. Granted it is a naturally flavored tea and organic which I love, and like in many organic and naturally flavored teas the flavor is going to be a bit lighter, so I anticipated this. However, it still seems to be a little too much on the light side for my liking. If I had not been aware that this was supposed to be peach flavored it would have been difficult for me to determine what if any flavor was in it.
I attempted to liven up the flavor of the peach by adding german rock sugar but unfortunately that only made my tea sweet.
In all honesty – the oolong base itself was not all that outstanding. Not a bad base, nothing unsavory about it, just not that strong or bold.
In all fairness, desperate to figure out if I was simply missing the boat on this tea, I searched up other’s reviews on it. What I discovered is that most others felt as I did about this tea, while there are a few who loved how subtle the peach notes were. So for some, this tea is splendrous so if you are one who really likes a tea with subtle, gentle flavors, this may be the perfect peach for you!
It is indeed a gentle tea. Still I am looking forward to my order from Art of Tea, the flavors I have coming sound scrumptious! This just simply is not MY cup of tea.
Thé des Alizés from Le Palais des Thes
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Le Palais Des Thés
Tea Description:
A green tea enlivened by flower petals and delicately scented with pieces of white peach, kiwi and watermelon. The green tea and the juicy freshness of the fruit are wonderfully balanced. Can be drunk hot or iced.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I am not usually one for watermelon flavored things outside of watermelon itself, but this delicate tea by Le Palais des Thes has me enjoying a watermelon blend. Granted it is not just a watermelon flavored tea, there are other wonderful fruit flavors in here accompanying the watermelon, peach is one of those flavors, and I am quite partial to peach teas! Kiwi is pretty good in teas although I have not seen it used often, so this is a really nice flavor blend.
Just as in the description offered by the company, it is in fact quite a “juicy” tea. As you sip your mouth almost waters with the burst of fruit flavors.
Also the green tea base holds its own against quite a few somewhat strong flavors. The base cold easily have been overcome, but it is not. In fact it not only holds its own, but the base is the main flavor I taste, which is good because when it comes to tea, sometimes I do enjoy a tea that is overwhelming with flavor, but for the most part I want to savor the tea over any flavorings within it.
I will say that it can be difficult to pick out any one flavor in the tea between the different fruits. One would not sip this and instantly say “Watermelon!” or “Kiwi!” for example. Rather it is more like a fruit punch flavor – a tropical punch, without the cloying sugar sweetness, yet it is nicely sweet, a natural sweet.
While this is not one of my favorite stash buster teas, it is always one that is lovely to return to. It is inviting enough that I am interested in trying more teas from Le Palais des Thes, which I intend to do in the future if this is any indication of their tea quality I should be quite pleased!