Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Samovar
Tea Description:
Because it was grown and processed in Hawaii, this oolong’s flavor profile is a singular experience. The leaves are young, artfully consistent and vibrantly colored with slightly oxidized edges. They brew into a sophisticated, delicate, pale yellow-green infusion. The flavor of the brew is elusive and complex. It’s somewhat reminiscent of a Baochong oolong, but less fruity. It has some of the grassiness of a sencha, but it’s not brothy. It’s flinty, crisp, smooth and cooling, with mild, tropical notes of green papaya. Fleeting hints of pine, evergreen, Kahili ginger flowers (which are locally abundant) and honey add to the complexity of this enticing brew.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Amazing! I absolutely am loving the Hawaiian-grown teas. They truly are unique.
I can indeed taste the influence that the tropical climate and surroundings have had on these leaves. I can absolutely taste the papaya and the woodsy tones, as well as the floral notes. It has a delectable sweetness that is quite honey-like.
The sip starts with sweetness, honey undertones and a hint of woody spice (cinnamon?) … but just a hint. Just enough to make my taste buds say “whoa, what was that?” and then it’s gone just as quickly as it presented itself. Throughout the sip, there is a floral overtone, with hints of papaya where notes of peach would probably be if this were another Oolong. Sweet and even a little sour, but nothing that overwhelms the palate.
The mouthfeel is smooth and supple, with a buttery-like quality. In subsequent infusions, I notice that the mouthfeel becomes lighter, and the silkiness subsides. The sip ends cleanly, with a hint of lingering sweet, flowery notes.
Truly a worthwhile experience to anyone who enjoys Oolong teas.
Mauka Oolong Tea (Hawaiian Grown) from KTeas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: KTeas
Product Description:
Single-Estate tea: Volcano Tea Garden – Farm Collective; Growing elevation: 3600′, Volcano Village, Hawaii USAArtfully consistent leaves are vibrantly colored with slightly oxidized edges. Elusive and complex flavor in the cup with a sophisticated, delicate, pale yellow infusion.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
One of the things I love most about Oolong teas is that I’m always surprised by them. Just when I think I might know what to expect from an Oolong, something like this Mauka Oolong from KTeas comes along and surprises me with it’s unique flavor profile, and it is quite unlike anything I’ve tried before.
I steeped this in my gaiwan, using short steep times to extract multiple infusions. My first cup – the combined result of the first and second infusions – was intensely flavored. There was a pungent fruit note that was both sweet and sour. I could also taste a resinous pine flavor. The flavor was very crisp and almost sharp, but not in an off-putting way. It was very intriguing, and like I said previously, it was quite unlike any Oolong I had tasted before.
The second cup (infusions three and four) had become smoother, and I noticed that the sweet and sour fruit flavor that I tasted before was still present, although the sweet and sour tones had mellowed and sort of morphed into a unified flavor. Still sweet and still sour, but, more seamless this time. The resinous pine note has dissipated, and has been replaced with a woodier note.
The third cup (infusions five and six) is smoother still, with a honey-esque sweetness emerging that I had not experienced in the first and second cup. That sweetness has washed over the aforementioned sour notes and softened them. There is a crispness to this cup, but not so much a sharp note as before. Everything is softer … silkier. As I near the end of the cup, I begin to recognize notes of papaya.
An interesting Oolong, indeed. If you love Oolong, you must try this one! You’ll be happy you did.
Sun Dried White Tea from Sakuma Bros.
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: Sakuma Bros.
Product Description:
A refreshing unique tea grown in the rich alluvial soil of Washington State’s Skagit Valley. Our high latitude location give Camilla Sinensus a distinctive taste.
Sakuma Tea is a unique type of WhiteTea.
Taster’s Review:
A friend of mine sent me a bit of this tea to try, and having so much tea in my cupboard, I just kind of put it in there and forgot about it. Sorry Geoff! But, mostly, I’m sorry for myself, because, what a wonderful tea I’ve just discovered!
First of all, I’m super excited about this tea because it’s grown RIGHT HERE in Washington State! Wow! I didn’t know there were any tea farms here in Washington. What a joy it is to be tasting a tea grown locally.
Second, this tastes like no other white tea I’ve ever tried. It has many similar qualities to other white teas: a delicate nature, a soft sweetness and a fresh lightness. But there are other qualities to it that were rather unexpected but quite enjoyable.
It has a creamy sort of consistency to it, with a mouthfeel that is soft and luxurious. There is just a hint of fresh cream taste that remains on the palate when I sip this. It’s quite remarkable and reminds me a bit of a fine quality milk Oolong, although it isn’t quite as thick as one. The astringency here is quite light. I notice a slight drying of the palate in the aftertaste, but that it.
There is also a hint of fruit to this tea that reminds me of apples. Maybe it’s just my mind playing tricks on me because Washington is known for its apples so maybe when I taste this fruity note in the background, my mind immediately conjures up images of an orchard of apple trees that might be grown near the tea bushes. That being said, I distinctly taste a fruit-like note in the background.
I love this tea… a love it a whole lot! Now… I just have to be patient for the spring harvest, because this tea will not be available until then!
Kilauea Forest (Hawaiian Grown) White Tea from KTeas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: KTeas
Product Description:
Hand-plucked Single-Estate tea: Volcano Village – Home Grown Estate FarmGrowing elevation: 4000′, Volcano Village, Hawaii USAThese leaves are long, loose, downy. The flavor of this shade-grown tea remains delightfully floral throughout multiple steepings.
Taster’s Review:
LOVE!
I really love this tea. This is definitely my favorite (thus far) of the Hawaiian-Grown teas that KTeas offers (although I haven’t yet tried their Oolong, that one is next on my list!) This white tea might even be my favorite white tea I’ve ever tasted. Yes, it’s that good.
The leaves are long and slightly curled and covered with white fuzz. They brew to a light, clear amber color that smells fresh and somewhat earthy, with hints of flower in the background. The aroma does not reveal what is about to be experienced by the palate, though.
The flavor is amazing. At first sip, I noticed many similarities to a high quality Bai Mu Dan. But, after a couple of sips, the complexity of this white began to reveal itself: a lush sweetness and hints of a grassy flavor. A floral quality that begins ever-so-quietly and develops as I continue to sip – and develops even more as I steep these leaves for a second and third time.
The tea has a rather hearty flavor and is surprisingly rich for a white tea. This is not a delicate white tea! If you love tea – try this one! If you have tried white teas in the past and found them to be too softly flavored for your liking – try this one! Everyone should really try this tea!
Hawaii Grown Black Tea from Samovar
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Samovar
Company Description:
Origin: Hawaii Island, Hawaii, USA
Flavor Profile: Thanks to the emerging terroir of Hawaii, this black tea’s flavor profile is completely different from that of any other tea. It is tremendously clean, smooth and refined, with no astringency or bitterness even when brewed for long periods.
High-quality leaves brew into a crystalline amber infusion. A thin, crisp body yields delicate notes of mugicha (roasted barley tea), caramel, barley malt and rice syrup, with a slight taste of roasted sweet potato. Each sip warms, refreshes and reveals new dimensions of flavor.
Taster’s Review:
As I sit here, writing this, it is the first time tasting this amazing tea. I’ve known about it for quite some time, but it is a rare tea that seems to sell out very quickly… and it’s become available again only very recently. This was the first chance I had to order some… and I am glad that I did!
I was quite reluctant at first, because it seemed a bit pricey to me. But after hearing so many people on Steepster RAVE about this tea, I HAD to bite the bullet and order some. And let me tell you – this tea is worth every penny.
This is one of the best teas I’ve ever tasted. And it makes me so happy that it’s hard to contain myself to find the words to describe it for you. Yes, it’s really that good.
It has a deep, rich sweetness to it that I would describe as a burnt sugar sweetness… SO GOOD. There is a bread-like flavor to it too, I’ve seen other people on Steepster describe it as a Rye bread kind of flavor, and I agree with that comparison.
There is absolutely no astringency to this – which is rather unique for a black tea. There is also no hint of bitterness.
Now I must come clean here and admit that I didn’t brew it according to the package directions… I went into “auto mode” and measured some of the leaves into my Kati tumbler. Because these leaves are ENORMOUS and curly it is difficult to measure the way I typically would (via tea spoon), so instead, I just eyeballed it. I allowed it to steep for 3 minutes, and the result is what sits in front of me now, and I’m quite elated with this cuppa. Plus, by the look of the leaves, I can get at least one more infusion out of this, possibly two!
Next time I brew it I will use my gaiwan using shorter steep times and see if I can note any differences in flavor.
Everyone should try this tea. Even if you don’t like tea, you should try this tea. Even if you don’t like black tea, you should try this tea. It is amazing!