Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Foxfire Teas
Tea Description:
Delicious Assam black tea flavored with black currant gives this tea a nice fruity pop; super delicious iced or hot and a great mixer for cocktails
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
As it turns out, this is going to be a day for Portland teas … at least for me. I just got finished writing a review for Mt. Hood Vanilla tea from Townshend’s Tea that will appear later this evening, and now I am trying tea from another Portland company – one I’ve not yet tried but have wanted to for quite some time now: Foxfire Teas!
From the moment I opened the pouch of this tea, I couldn’t stop smelling it. The aroma is AMAZING! It smells so sweet and fruity, it brings me back in time to when my gramma had a grapevine in her backyard and she’d cook the grapes and make grape jelly. She eventually removed the grapevine and replaced it with ollaliberries, but that’s another story.
Now, as I’ve stated before, I’m not generally a big fan of grape flavored things. I don’t really care for grape juice (I mean, it’s alright, but I’d prefer other juices), and I won’t eat grape flavored ice pops or grape flavored candies. I don’t really even like grape jelly, although I did like gramma’s grape jelly, and I think that is why I am loving the fragrance of this tea so much … it smells so much like my gramma’s kitchen when she’d make grape jelly.
But of course, this is not a grape flavored tea, it is a Black Currant flavored tea. However, I’ve not eaten a lot of fresh black currants (they’re not especially easy to find, I was surprised a few weeks ago while shopping at my local Whole Foods to find them there), so I can’t really compare the scent to currants. But currants and grapes are very similar in aroma, and fermented grapes (aka wine) often taste of currants.
And I’m glad to say that this indeed does taste like black currants and not of grapes. It has a very bright, fruity flavor which is both sweet and tart, leaning a bit more toward the tart than to the sweet. It is not too tart, though, at least not for my palate, and as I tend to not like a strong tart flavor that’s a good thing.
The black tea base is an Assam, and it definitely lets you know that its there. It’s has a very powerful flavor – strong and bold! This Assam is leaning slightly toward the wine-y tasting Assam rather than the malty; however there are some delightful malty tones in there as well. Of course, the black currant flavor also lends to that wine-y taste.
I am sipping this hot, but I suspect that it would also make a delightful iced tea with its strong fruit notes. This is certainly one of the best black currant teas that I’ve tried. I love the strong, full-bodied taste of the Assam and and how nicely it melds with the flavor of the currant.
An excellent tea – and I’m very proud that it’s a local company. And even if you don’t live near Portland, you can still try this tea as they do sell their teas online. I’ve had the opportunity to converse with Katherine via email and she has such a wonderfully warm personality. I love it when I find a tea company that offers great teas and excellent customer service!
Organic Korakundah from Butiki Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Butiki Teas
Tea Description:
This green tea originates from the Korakundah Estate in Nilgiri, India and is grown at an elevation of 8,000 feet. Organic Korakundah is an FOP (Flowery Orange Pekoe) grade. The Korakundah Estate is biodynamic, pesticide free, and socially responsible. This tea is very unique and almost difficult to describe. Notes of bitter greens and baby spinach are present with some smokiness. It is lightly astringent yet somewhat sweet.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I’ve had this tea a couple of times now, and I’ve really enjoyed it. It’s a refreshing change from the sweeter Chinese green teas that I’ve tasted. This has a sweet flavor to it too, but, it’s quite different from the sweeter, creamier type green teas that I so often review.
This tea has a very interesting balance between bitter and sweet. The flavor is quite vegetal, with notes of grass, smoked spinach and dandelion greens. Yes, that’s right, I said “smoked” spinach, rather than steamed spinach. It has that mild, sweet flavor that one would experience with steamed baby spinach, but there is a smoky tone to this too, so imagine if the baby spinach were smoked instead of steamed … what that might taste like. That’s what I taste with this tea.
I love the complexity of the “green” flavor of this tea – it doesn’t just taste “fresh” or “vegetative” … it has a palate-pleasing sweetness that contrasts nicely with bitter tones, and a hint of smoky flavor that is also quite “green” tasting. There is a smooth astringency at the tail that is quite different from the astringency in other teas too. I often suggest an astringency is “dry” or “tangy” … but this is different. It is smooth with a hint of sourness to it … almost tangy, but not quite. It leaves the palate feeling clean and very refreshed.
A lovely green tea – uniquely different from the Chinese and Japanese greens, but every bit as interesting.
Tulsi Green Tea from Happy Earth Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green Tea & Tulsi
Where to Buy: Happy Earth Tea
Tea Description:
This is a delicious and soothing blend of Indian green tea and Tulsi, also known as holy basil. The sweet, spicy and floral notes of the basil overlay the mellow astringency of green tea to produce an unexpectedly calming result. A few sharp notes – almost peppery – will be felt at the start, but it rounds off to an undertone of fresh straw that fuses nicely with the rest.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This is a tasty blend that seems to be primarily focused on the combination of tulsi leaves (this blend uses three different varietals of the herb), rather than the green tea, as I found myself noticing more tulsi than green tea in the dry loose leaf blend before I infused the tea, and tasting more of the tulsi than green tea post infusion.
Not a complaint really – just an observation. The tulsi provides a pleasant herbaceous note that is warm and zesty, with a hint of sweetness and a cooling sensation that is almost mint-like. It gives this drinker a sense of calm as I drink the tea, and as I’ve been dealing with a bit of a cough these last couple of days, I find it rather soothing to the throat as well. (It’s allergy time!)
The green tea flavor seems to be only barely there. It is most noticeable in the texture of the tea, providing a slight broth/soup like consistency to the brew. It is also noticeable in the astringency, which is light but develops as I continue to sip.
I would have liked the green tea to be a bit more prominent in this, I think, but, overall, I found this to be a very enjoyable cup of tea. It is a very gentle, calming and soothing tea to drink. I drank it later in the evening and I found that it didn’t stimulate me the way most green teas would, instead, the tulsi started working toward instilling a sense of relaxation. I liked that quite a bit.
Chocolate Cherry Bomb! from The Tea Spot
Savings Alert! Don’t miss out! Please read the note at the bottom of the review for additional savings when you purchase this tea from The Tea Spot!
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: The Tea Spot
Tea Description:
This chocolate covered cherry will having you feeling like a kid in a candy store! Think hand-dipped chocolate cherry truffle… sweet, plump, juicy, decadent – without the calories. Its cherry scent and velvety smooth chocolate notes work to enchant, but not overwhelm. Handcrafted from two black teas this gourmet cherry delight is a dessert tea that you can enjoy even for breakfast. The base of black leaf teas from India and China is balanced, deep, and strong enough for milk and sugar, if that’s your cuppa.
Learn more about this chocolate cherry tea here.
Taster’s Review:
There was a time when chocolate covered cherries were the pinnacle of chocolate decadence for me, it was my absolute favorite confection! My taste buds have matured since then and I’ve come to appreciate other foods and enjoy other sweets more than chocolate covered cherries, but, there is still a special spot in my heart for chocolate covered cherries (so long as they’re the good ones!) So, I was pretty sure I’d enjoy this tea … especially since I so enjoyed the Chocolate “O” from The Tea Spot. I figured the addition of cherry flavor to this amazing chocolate tea would make it even more amazing.
Mmm! It is good. I don’t know that I enjoy this more than I enjoy the Chocolate “O” but, I really like it. The chocolate flavors are rich and taste of deep, dark chocolate. YUM! And the cherry notes start out subtle, and develop as I continue to sip. They never become overwhelming, and I like that. The cherry serves more as an accent to the rich, creamy taste of the chocolate rather than a stand alone flavor. And I really like that it doesn’t taste like cough syrup, which I’ve noticed sometimes happens with cherry flavored teas.
The black tea is a bolder taste than I expected for a flavored tea – it almost took me by surprise. It is not content with sitting off in the background offering support for the flavors of this blend, it wants some of the attention for itself! The black tea blend is strong and invigorating – strong enough to even serve as a breakfast tea if you’re so inclined to have a Chocolate Cherry Bomb! for breakfast. There is a fair amount of dry astringency to this cup as well, an aspect I find rather enjoyable as it gives the chocolate tones a bit of a powdery cocoa kind of taste.
I do recommend allowing this to cool a bit before sipping it. The flavor becomes so much smoother after it’s had time to cool to a drinkable temperature. I also recommend not over-doing it when you measure the tea leaves – this tea is plenty strong without the extra leaf, and I found that the extra leaf just leads to a slightly harsh tasting tea. It’s better to measure carefully with this tea … the proper measurement will lead to a very satisfying cuppa with no harshness! This is delicious hot (after it’s cooled for about five minutes, of course!) and would make a very flavorful iced tea as well. It would also make a very delightful latte!
SAVINGS ALERT! Now through September 15th, you can save an additional 15% on the Chocolate Cherry Bomb! tea from The Tea Spot. Just enter the code chocolove in the coupon field at checkout to enjoy your savings!
Nilgiri Frost Oolong from Butiki Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Butiki Teas
Tea Description:
Our Nilgiri Frost Oolong originates from Nilgiri, in Southern India and is graded TGFOP (Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe). Since this tea is grown at a high elevation, the leaves are exposed to a light frost during some nights of the winter months. The long thin chocolate colored leaves are hand twisted and produce a weighty body. This smooth tea has notes of citrus, peach, pecan, and oak. There are many qualities similar to a Nilgiri black tea; however, the frost oolong is much gentler and sweeter. This tea is produced in very limited quantities due to the short harvest period and special conditions that must exist.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This is not your average flowery Oolong! In fact, this is the Oolong I’d recommend to those who tend to shy away from Oolong teas because they find them to be too floral tasting or too delicate. This has a smoother, robust flavor that reminds me a bit of an masculine, aged bourbon that has been aged in an oak cask … but without that strong alcohol taste!
OK … so that is more of me imagining what a good, strong, aged bourbon might taste like, because I’m certainly no connoisseur, and hopefully, I didn’t come off sounding like I had no idea of what I was talking about. For all I know, bourbon doesn’t taste really masculine or woody or anything else. I’m just shooting from the hip here, imagining how this might compare to the flavor of a top-notch bourbon.
But, what I do experience – immediately – when I taste this tea is the peach tones. So distinct and sweet and yummy! There are also notes of citrus, just as the description above suggests. At first, the citrus notes revealed themselves to be the sweeter side of citrus, but, as I continue to sip, I notice a clear sour note that hits right before mid-sip, and just as quickly as it appears, it disappears. It seems to just drop in for a moment, to offer an interesting contrast.
Nutty flavors, yes, I get those too. Lovely woody notes as I mentioned earlier… and virtually no floral-y notes whatsoever. Even if this does not measure up to the bourbon qualities that I mentioned earlier, this is definitely masculine and absolutely fantastic. And , actually, I think it doesn’t HAVE to measure up, because I’d rather drink this than the finest, most expensive bourbon that’s out there!
This is definitely one of the best “darker” Oolong teas I’ve ever tasted! If you love Oolong like I do, you really MUST try this one.