Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Butiki Teas
Tea Description:
Our Organic Kundaly is sourced from the Kanan Devan Hills Plantation in Kerala, India. This extra special Pekoe grade tea has floral and roasted walnut notes. Organic Kundaly is an assertive lightly astringent black tea.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This is a really wonderful black tea that reminds me of autumn. It has a warm, roasted nut flavor that I associate with the crispness of fall, when the air begins to cool and the leaves begin to change.
I haven’t heard of Kundaly tea before, at first I thought it might be the name of the plantation on which the tea is grown, but I then noticed in the description that the name of the plantation in India is the Kanan Devan Hills Plantation. So, I began to carefully sip the tea, trying to place it.
Is it a Ceylon? It has some notes that remind me of a Ceylon, like hints of floral tones, and an astringency that makes me think of Ceylon tea. Is it an Assam? It doesn’t have the malty tone that I usually associate with an Assam. It is a fairly assertive type of black tea, I’d place it somewhere between a Ceylon and Assam in terms of strength.
But, it really isn’t quite like either one of these teas. The nutty flavors that I mentioned earlier seem to develop as I sip, and I really taste the walnut-like flavors as mentioned in the description from Butiki Teas. But, I was still quite curious about this tea, so I decided to drop a note to Stacy from Butiki Teas to learn more about it. Here’s what she had to say:
This tea comes from the Nilgiri tea region in south India. It has characteristics of most Nilgiri teas but it is sweeter and lighter than most Nilgiris that I have tasted. Its sourced from the Kanan Devan Hills Plantation in Munnar in Kerala state.
Kundaly is one of 3 rivers in Munnar. I had originally purchased this tea solely to use as a base tea for some flavored teas but decided to also sell it separately because I was enjoying it so much. It’s the base of our Almond Indulgence and Raspberry Truffle tea.
I hadn’t even guessed a Nilgiri because I usually think of Nilgiri to be more similar to Assam teas with a slightly malty note and deep, rich flavor. I brewed another pot to see if I might notice more of a Nilgiri type flavor, and when it’s freshly brewed and just poured from the teapot hot, I notice some malty taste an a richness that is definitely very Nilgiri-like.
But since I don’t usually drink my teas straight from the teapot (I like them to cool slightly, at least!) I didn’t notice it before. As the tea cools, the malty notes take on a more sweet toasted nut flavor. It is certainly lighter in texture and taste than most Nilgiri teas I’ve tasted, but, it does have a pleasant assertiveness and strength to it.
This is a very enjoyable black tea – one that is strong enough for a morning tea, but also quite nice as a contemplative afternoon cup. It is one of those teas that is absolutely worth exploring – I highly recommend it!
Organic Decaf Masala Chai from Arbor Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black (Decaffeinated)
Where to Buy: Arbor Teas
Tea Description:
Finally, our customers that only drink decaffeinated tea can indulge in a chai latte! This Fair Trade Certified Masala Chai Organic black tea blend has a medium-body with exceptionally spicy flavor and aroma. Surprisingly similar to our caffeinated version of Masala Chai (and offered at the same price!) our Organic Decaf Masala Chai Black Tea uses a broken leaf grade black tea (BOP) blended with cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and black pepper. In contrast to our caffeinated version, we amped up the pepper for a slightly hotter mouth feel. The clove and ginger really come through, with a wonderful cardamom finish. As with all our decaf teas, this tea is decaffeinated using a state-of-the-art carbon dioxide (CO2) decaffeination process that does not involve the use of harmful chemicals. We recommend steeping a triple-strength cup of this organic Indian tea and serving it with honey and steamed milk.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Another decaffeinated tea that surprises me!
Truly, I have had fewer decaffeinated teas that I have not enjoyed versus those that I found to be very good (or better than very good, like this one!) but yet, the memory of those few that I disliked remain to taint my initial reaction to decaffeinated tea. Those thin-tasting decaffeinated teas with chemical aftertastes still haunt me. Fortunately, this decaffeinated chai from Arbor Teas is neither thin in taste nor does it have that icky chemical aftertaste. This is actually so good, I find it hard to believe that it’s decaffeinated!
As mentioned in the above description from Arbor Teas, there is a bit more of a peppery bite to this one compared to the pepper level that I recall from Arbor Teas’ caffeinated version. In that review, I had mentioned that the pepper stood out, and here, it stands out a bit stronger, but without tasting over-peppered. Instead, the pepper seems to meld quite nicely with the flavors of the other spices. There isn’t too much ginger or cinnamon here, which is also a plus given the fact that with so many chai blends seem to rely too heavily on the cinnamon or ginger to deliver their spicy impact. Not that it’s bad to have a chai that’s been heavily laden with cinnamon or ginger, but it is nice to find one that allows the flavors of the cloves and cardamom to shine through.
This has such a unified flavor – everything is so well rounded! The black tea has a strong flavor – without a strong decaffeinated flavor – and it melds seamlessly with the flavors of the spices. It tastes spicy and exotic. It is a beautifully executed chai … and I find it so delicious that I don’t even miss the caffeine!
I enjoyed my sampling of this tea hot with a little bit of turbinado sugar to complement the spices. I did not add milk to it to make a latte, but, I think that the spicy composure of this chai would make for a very harmonious chai latte, so if you prefer your chai as a latte, I’d say go for it!
I’d recommend this whole-heartedly to those who are looking for delicious decaffeinated teas … this one is a keeper!
Oothu Garden Green Tea from Choice Organic Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Choice Organic Teas
Product Description:
Brighten your day with this sophisticated, single estate tea from one of India’s first organic tea gardens. Nestled in the Western Ghats Mountains, Oothu’s surrounding rainforest is home to a tiger reserve and many other endangered species. The taste is crisp and lively with a sunny color sure to inspire.
Taster’s Review:
This is a really decent, bagged green tea.
This single state green tea from India has a sweet, vegetative taste. I would classify this vegetative taste as more grassy than steamed vegetable, although I can taste a slight “steamed spinach” kind of flavor as well. It is a very pleasant taste with no bitterness, and very little astringency.
As the tea cools, I notice that the grassy flavor intensifies, although it never becomes a bitter grassy taste. It remains sweet, but as the grassy flavor grows stronger I notice it becoming slightly sharper as well. Still a pleasant cup, but, I think I prefer it when it’s hot.
Besides the obvious convenience of the tea bag, I like that Choice Organic Teas supports the Jane Goodall Institute, and that some of the proceeds of the sale of this tea is donated to the institute. And of course, I love that this is organic.
A good tea that is also good for the earth!
Kali Cha from The Tao of Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: The Tao of Tea
Product Description:
Grown at an altitude of 4800 feet and twenty miles from Darjeeling (the famous tea growing region of India), Kali Cha is one of the first authentic style oolongs from India. The region of Kurseong “The Land of White Orchids” has several tea estates known to make light, fragrant black teas.
Taster’s Review:
When I opened the tin, I thought I was about to brew a black tea. It looks like a black tea. So, I steeped this the way I would normally steep a black tea: using my Breville, I steeped it using boiling water at 2 1/2 minutes. And even though this is, in fact, an Oolong, it is an incredibly forgiving Oolong, as it still withstood the higher temperature and produced a very flavorful cup.
This has many of the same characteristics of a Fujian black tea. It has that cocoa flavor in the foreground with a deep, caramel-y sweetness in the background. It is incredibly flavorful and rich. In fact, had I not looked this tea up on the Tao of Tea website and learned it was an Oolong, I’d probably be writing this review under the guise that I’m sipping a black tea.
Of course, it simply wouldn’t do for me to write a review without brewing this tea properly, so I got out my gaiwan and measured out the leaves, and heated the water to just 190° F. While it tastes very similar to the first “black tea brewed” cup, I can notice more complexity to this cup and less astringency. In fact, the sip is incredibly smooth, with very little astringency and a dry, sweet finish.
This cup seems more aromatic than the first. I can smell as well as taste a wonderful floral note … orchid? Or perhaps honeysuckle? I still taste the fabulous cocoa notes with this cup, as well as the caramel sweetness in the background. The mouthfeel is soft and velvet-y. I managed six extraordinary infusions of this tea using my gaiwan.
I definitely preferred the flavors that brewing in my gaiwan offered, but it is nice to know that this tea is so forgiving that it will let you treat it like a black and it will still offer you a fantastic cup of tea without getting all bitter on you. This tea is like a good friend – it understands that you can make mistakes … and it stays true to you despite your shortcomings.
Makaibari First Flush Darjeeling from Silver Tips Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Silver Tips Tea
Product Description:
The prize crop of Darjeeling, the champagne of teas! This is first flush at its best – slightly astringent, a green hue to the leaf and a pleasant floral tone to the cup. Enjoy the spirit of the Himalayas – Organic, Biodynamic & Fair Trade.
Taster’s Review:
As I’ve said many times before, I love Darjeeling. So, I’m always happy to try new Darjeeling teas. This Darjeeling I received as part of the Steepster Select monthly subscription. This new program from Steepster is really great. For just $19 per month, I receive three packages of tea (an ounce of each tea, I think?) I love receiving tea in the mail, and I was all giddy (like a kid on Christmas morning) when this package arrived last week.
But… let’s get on with the review, shall we?
This First Flush Darjeeling from the Makaibari estate is very pleasant. It has that clean, crisp flavor and lightness that I have come to expect from a first flush Darjeeling. The muscatel of this tea really stands out. It is deliciously fruity with a very wine-like finish.
About mid-sip, I notice a sharp bitterness. It isn’t an unpleasant bitter tone, but it does seem to shift the flavor focus from sweet to bitter. However, just as quickly as the bitterness displaces the sweetness, the astringency seems to cut out the bitterness. It is a very smooth transition from sweet fruit notes to sharp bitterness to tangy astringency. The aftertaste is mildly sweet with an almost wood-like flavor in the distance.
I generally do not drink Darjeeling teas as iced tea, but I found this one to be exceptionally tasty when it cools. The bitterness becomes more of an afterthought, and the astringency nearly disappears as well. It becomes less focused – somewhat like a blurry photograph – but, even without the hot tea’s complexity this is still incredibly flavorful.
I really like this. I’m glad it was part of the Steepster Select box this month!