Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Tea Description:
Prickly Pear is a cactus fruit native to Mexico and the Southwest Desert of the United States. Its succulent flavor compliments our Indian black Nilgiri tea to create an astoundingly rich and delicious regional tea. This tea serves wonderfully hot and creates a beautiful iced tea to sip on those warm, Southwestern afternoons.
Learn more about Simple Loose Leaf’s Co-Op Membership here.
Taster’s Review:
I received this Prickly Pear Black Tea from Simple Loose Leaf some time ago but I put off reviewing it in favor of the teas in their subscription program. As I was going through my stash of teas, I found the unopened, still sealed package of tea so I decided that NOW was the time! I apologize to Simple Loose Leaf for the length of time it took me to get to reviewing this tea!
And now that I’m tasting this tea, I’m really sorry that I put off trying it until now – this is fabulous!
There’s a really pleasing balance between tart, savory and sweet. For those of you who are unfamiliar with what a prickly pear tastes like, it has a sweet-tart taste that reminds me of a raspberry. More accurately, it tastes like a combination of raspberry and melon, so it’s a little sweeter than a typical raspberry and a little more tart than a typical melon. And this tea has captured the flavor of prickly pear quite well!
The sip starts out sweet and fruity. As the sip progresses to mid-sip, I pick up on some of the robust flavors of the Nilgiri black tea base. It’s a sweet, malty tasting tea. It’s smooth with very little astringency, and what astringency I do experience at the tail plays really well with the tartier notes of the prickly pear flavor. It’s not bitter. It has an invigorating quality to it but it’s not overly aggressive.
As the sip approaches the finish, I taste more of the sweetness of the cactus fruit. At the finish, I get some of the tart notes. The aftertaste is tart and tingly, sort of like what I’d experience if I ate a raspberry: that tingly sensation on the tongue.
As the above description suggests, this tea tastes great served hot or cold. I had a glass of it over ice with dinner and found it very refreshing and thirst quenching. For a mid-day cup of tea, I enjoyed this hot and found that the flavor was much more defined served hot. So for a more pronounced flavor, serve it hot – for a sweet, delightful glass of refreshment, serve it iced!
This is a tea that Simple Loose Leaf isn’t carrying at the moment, I do hope they’ll bring it back because I’d love for my readers to get an opportunity to try it! It’s really tasty!
Lemon Grass Herbal Tisane from Simple Loose Leaf
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: Simple Loose Leaf
Tea Description:
Lemon Grass is a native herb of Southeast Asia. It is said to help with digestion, calms the nerves, and helps with high blood pressure. Our Lemon Grass has a delicate Meyer lemon flavor with a hint of sweet ginger and an uplifting floral aroma.
Learn more about this tea here.
Learn more about Simple Loose Leaf’s Co-Op Membership here.
Taster’s Review:
It’s been a little while since I’ve had pure lemon grass. It’s not something I drink often but I do enjoy it when I drink it, so I wasn’t at all disappointed to find it in last month’s Co-Op box from Simple Loose leaf. It’s a lovely herbal tisane: soft, soothing, and uplifting.
I brewed this in my Breville, using three bamboo scoops (I usually use more leaf when I’m brewing an herbal than when I’m brewing a tea) to 500ml of water. I set the temperature to 195°F (my go-to temperature for herbals) and the timer was set for 10 minutes. Because this is a pure lemon grass, I didn’t have to worry about tannins making it bitter.
This is a fine quality lemon grass and it tastes very much like I’d expect a good quality lemon grass to taste. It’s smooth and buttery with a sweet, lemon-y note. The lemon taste of lemon grass isn’t a pucker-y tart, it’s more like a lemon curd. The description above suggests a Meyer lemon, which tends to be a little sweeter than a typical lemon, but I think that it’s even a little sweeter than a Meyer lemon.
The description above also suggests a sweet ginger note and I can pick up on a hint of spice. I don’t know if I’m tasting ginger but it is a subtle note of spice, reminiscent of white pepper.
It’s a really nice tisane to drink after I’ve had several cups of tea – it’s a nice change of pace to the caffeinated beverage. It’s naturally caffeine free and it’s quite soothing to sip. I like to keep lemon grass on hand for times when I’m starting to feel a sore throat come on because it’s very comforting to my throat. It’s also makes a refreshing cold beverage – my daughter loves it!
Sheng Cha Oolong Tea from Simple Loose Leaf
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Simple Loose Leaf
Tea Description:
Sheng Cha is an oolong tea grown at 1,100 m elevation and is grown wild. Sheng Cha is made from tea plants left to grow for decades in the wild, this imparts a more earthy palate to the leaf. Look for notes of sesame seed biscuits, toast and wheat.
Learn more about this tea here.
Learn more about Simple Loose Leaf’s Co-Op Membership here.
Taster’s Review:
I’m liking this Sheng Cha Oolong Tea from Simple Loose Leaf a LOT! I’ve tried a lot of different Oolong teas over the years and the ones that really stand out to me are the ones that are different from the rest. This is one of those teas.
To brew it, I used my gaiwan. I measured a bamboo scoop into the bowl of the gaiwan and then added just enough hot water to cover the leaves (180°F water) and let that steep for 15 seconds. Then I strained the liquid and discarded it – that is known as the rinse or the ‘awakening of the leaves.’ A lot of people overlook this step, but I’ve learned over the years that the rinse is essential for getting the best flavor from Oolong teas (this is also true of pu-erh teas!)
Then I filled the gaiwan with more hot water and steeped the first infusion for 1 minute. For each infusion to follow, I added another 15 seconds onto the steep time.
My first cup is comprised of the first and second infusion. With this cup, I’m already discovering that the description above is pretty spot on, I’m getting an earthy flavor to the cup. I taste nutty notes that remind me of toasted sesame seeds and whole, multi-grain toasted bread. It’s sweet and warm. It has a nice, roasty-toasty flavor – it’s a comforting, cozy sort of flavor that you just want to curl up to.
The second cup (infusions 3 and 4) was a bit stronger in flavor than the first. The first was still quite a robustly flavored Oolong – ordinarily with Oolong teas, I find that my first cup is somewhat delicate in flavor but that wasn’t the case with this Sheng Cha. This second cup is even stronger than that first cup was. It is only slightly astringent, but I am noticing more astringency than with the first cup – where it seemed almost non-existent. This time, I’m experiencing a slightly dry astringency at the tail – slight, yet it’s there.
This tea is savory as well as sweet. I taste the sweet, nutty tones, but the bready notes and the warm, toasted flavors have a savory quality to them. It’s quite a nice contrast, and with this second cup, I’m noticing more savory than sweet.
Mmm! My third cup (infusions 5 and 6) proved to be my favorite of the three cups that I brewed of this tea. The astringency has gone back to the ‘almost non-existent’ that I experienced with my first cup, and I’m also tasting more sweetness than I tasted with the second cup. This cup still has those savory notes too. Sweet, nutty, toasted sesame and whole grains. A slight earthiness and a woodsy note. It’s a really comforting tea to sip. It has an autumnal flavor – so it’s something that I find especially rewarding to sip on a chilly evening.
Gyokuro Green Tea from Simple Loose Leaf
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Simple Loose Leaf
Tea Description:
Gyokuro is matured under full shade for three weeks and has an aroma of orange blossoms. With savory and earthy tones this tea also has the memories of nori with a faint whisper of french beans and cucumbers. Gyokuro is an exceptional tea that demands a unique brewing method to reach its full potential. Using a lower water temperature is key. Use water between 120 F and 140 F when brewing. Use 1 to 2 grams of tea per ounce of water and let the tea steep for 5 minutes for the first steeping. Subsequent steepings require only a minute or two.
Learn more about this tea here.
Learn more about Simple Loose Leaf’s Co-Op Membership here.
Taster’s Review:
What a pleasant surprise it was to find Gyokuro in my Simple Loose Leaf Co-Op box this month! This premium green tea is not one that you’d expect to find in a subscription box, you know what I mean?
To brew this tea, I actually followed the advice in the above description. (I know, weird, right?) I steeped this in my Kati Tumbler, using 1 bamboo scoop of tea (which I’m not sure if that’s the recommended amount, I don’t weigh my tea. I just don’t. I’m not into all that gadgetry when it comes to tea. Tea should be simple.) I heated the water to 140°F and poured 12 ounces of the heated water into the tumbler and I let that steep for 5 minutes. I was surprised at how light in color the brewed tea was! It was a beautiful, pale chartreuse. My second infusion I steeped for only 2 minutes.
What a lovely Gyokuro! It’s delightfully sweet. The vegetable notes are profound. I taste a lovely buttery note with notes of green bean and asparagus. It’s very crisp and light and invigorating to sip. A very smooth tasting tea, the buttery notes give it a creamy texture but it’s not really heavy the way some buttery teas can be. This has a lighter texture overall versus other ‘buttery’ teas I’ve tasted.
There is very little astringency to this, and most of that is noticeable at the very tail. It’s quite smooth from start to finish, and then just at the tip of the tail, I pick up on a slightly dry, slightly tangy astringency. No bitterness despite being steeped for 5 minutes!
My second cup might even be sweeter than the first. I think I am enjoying the second infusion even more than the first – the flavor is about the same strength as the first (even though I only steeped it for 2 minutes) but the flavors are a little less focused on the vegetal notes and a little more focused on the sweeter flavors. The butter notes are still there, but they’re a little softer and not quite as creamy as the first cup was.
A really, really lovely Gyokuro.
Lapsang Souchong Black Tea from Simple Loose Leaf
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Simple Loose Leaf
Tea Description:
Our Lapsang Souchong is a black tea smoked to perfection. This tea is savory, smoky, slightly cool with a hint of menthol. Look for a crisp sweet pine flavor as you are vrewing this excellent black tea.
Learn more about this tea here.
Learn more about Simple Loose Leaf’s Co-Op Membership here.
Taster’s Review:
When I received this month’s Co-Op package from Simple Loose Leaf and found this Lapsang Souchong Black Tea among the five teas inside, I thought that I had already tried (and reviewed) it, but as it turns out, the tea I’m remembering is the Russian Caravan from Simple Loose Leaf. I knew I recalled tasting a smoky tea from them! (And I’m relieved that my memory is better than I thought it was.)
And this is definitely smokier than I remember the Russian Caravan being. This is a very heavily smoked Lapsang Souchong, so if you’re one of those who enjoy a very strong, smoky Lapsang Souchong – this is the tea for you.
Me, I’m not so much into the smoky notes, although I’m still enjoying this.
To brew this tea, I used my Kati Tumbler. One bamboo scoop of tea goes into the basket of my tumbler and 12 ounces of boiling water is poured over it. After 15 seconds, I discarded the liquid and poured a fresh 12 ounces of boiling water over the partially infused leaves.
The rinse! I find that this step is crucial for me because it helps to eliminate some of that smoke so it doesn’t overwhelm me. I’d find this far less enjoyable without the rinse.
After the rinse, I infused the leaves for 2 1/2 minutes in 12 ounces of boiling water. The result is a smoky cup – but not so overpoweringly smoky that I’m not able to bring the cup up to my lips to take a sip.
Actually, this is quite enjoyable. The smoke is strong, but the rinse really helps. For anyone who finds the smoky notes to be off-putting in a Lapsang Souchong, I strongly recommend doing the rinse of the leaves. It turns an otherwise undrinkable tea (for me) into quite a lovely tea experience and had I not discovered just how valuable a good rinsing of the leaves is to certain teas, I’d be missing out on a whole lot of tea enjoyment!
It’s got some lovely sweet notes to it. I taste notes of sweet plum and I love the way the plum and the smoke mingle. It’s very interesting and quite pleasant. I taste notes of honey too, and again, I like the way the honey and smoke flavors mingle. Imagine a plum, drizzled with honey, and then smoked over a smoldering fire. Yeah. That’s what I’m tasting.
It’s a remarkably smooth tea – I’m not tasting bitterness and while there is some astringency to this, it’s very slight.
It’s wonderful to curl up to on a chilly afternoon. (We’re not really experiencing a lot of ‘chilly’ at the moment, but it’s chilly enough to make me want the heater on, so I find this to be quite a cozy, comforting tea.) This one gets a thumbs up from me!