An afternoon of meetings calls for a sweet, ripe pu’erh, or at least, that’s how I feel about it.
I grabbed this tea for the first time, and it delivered. I got something rich. Something heavy. Something that could help me beat up the opposition.
This isn’t a fishy or old-tasting or spicy pu’erh. It’s a beautiful older woman. It’s basically a bunch of flowers, wisened with age, kind of tough. Like Olenna Tyrell.
This tea is called “forest song” because — as I discovered on Global Tea Hut’s blog — trees respond to sound. It turns out that plants grow best when they’re exposed to the same sort of pitches as birdsong. Birds are the sign of a healthy forest. So when trees hear those pitches, they grow better.
As nature gets trashed by global warming, deforestation, extinction, etc, the songs of the forest are going to change. And tea production is going to change.
That’s right, guys: our planet’s tea is at risk.
Call Captain Planet.
We’ve gotta fix this.
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Pu-erh
Where to Buy: Global Tea Hut
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
High Mountain Oolong from Qi Aerista. . . . .
This tea is sturdy and sophisticated, like a sweater vest on a college professor who is woke to the kids’ causes. It is tasteful. It is educated. It knows how to reap the health benefits of green tea AND black tea.
There are notes here of plum, stone, moss, and maybe some algae, which I say with utter love and absolutely no derision. It’s earthy and wet and vegetal and a little bit juicy.
It somehow manages to make me feel like I know what’s going on. Like drinking it has made me a better person. Like maybe, very slightly, I have it together.
I do not, just to clarify.
I do not at all.
But the tea is very nice.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Qi Aerista
Description
Aroma is honey, woody and with a lightly roasted aroma. Flavor is smooth, crisp, with a sweet aftertaste. To dry and enhance flavor profile, the tea leaves underwent a slow roasting process with charcoal for 9 straight hours to produce its characteristic smooth flavors.
This High Mountain Oolong is grown on Xiyan mountain in Dapu county. This beautiful county is known as the Shangri-La of the Hakka world, where Hakka is one of the ethnic subgroups in China.
What makes this cup of High Mountain Oolong incredibly delightful is that these tea plants are grown at high altitude with an age of more than 60 years old
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Blood Orange Herbal from Simple Loose Leaf. . . .
I purchased myself a subscription to Simple Loose Leaf because I simply did not have enough tea in my house. *
* (Full disclosure: this is a filthy, no-holds-barred lie).
My most recent package had an Earl Grey tea, a genmaicha, an oolong, and this herbal tea, which I think is a nice, well-rounded mix. Lots of flavor profiles. Great intro, especially to someone who perhaps doesn’t know tea very well.
The Blood Orange Herbal contains “Rooibos, Orange peel, Hibiscus, Rosehips, Apple pieces, Safflowers, and Rose petals with Orange, vanilla, and lemon flavor.” Simple Loose Leaf says this is a summery blend, which I totally agree with, so I decided to ice it to accompany my dinner.
I’m glad I did! The sweetness of the rooibos and apple play nicely against the tang of the orange and hibiscus. A velvety sweet lemon balances gallantly atop the tableau, almost an afterthought, a kiss.
This tea is essentially a maypole dance of flavors. It has me looking forward to when the spring/summer finally comes. This tea gives me hope that sunshine is around the corner!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: Simple Loose Leaf
Description
Blood Orange is a melody of orange and apple with the earthy flavor of rooibos as the backdrop. It will remind you of summer no matter the time of year.
Ingredients: Rooibos, Orange peel, Hibiscus, Rosehips, Apple pieces, Safflowers, and Rose petals with Orange, vanilla, and lemon flavor
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Life is Rosey from Simplicity Teas. . . .
My friend signed up for Simplicity Teas’ subscription/blind box, and has begun passing me some of her samples! HIP HIP HOORAY for MORE REVIEWS!
Today’s pick is “Life is Rosey,” a black tea with rose petals & flavoring. It comes in a charming test tube that you can observe here.
My friend gave it to me because she believes that roses taste like soap. She is not, to be fair, entirely wrong on this point. I often also feel like I’m using hand-wash in my mouth if florals aren’t done delicately.
Fortunately, for me, this particular rose is nicely crafted. The rose adds a charming, grandmotherly stateliness without being an overwhelming love-gush from Bath and Body Works. (A great store. But not for eating.) The black base is a very neutral stoic foil for the rose. The duo reminds me of flamenco dancers: The man dons a simple black outfit; and the woman wears a frilly, showy dress.
And did I mention the test tube? It’s the cutest way to receive tea, I’ve decided. The packaging appeals to my inner science nerd; the rose appeals to my inner hopeless romantic. It’s a fusion of joys!
Though you can’t buy this tea specifically on Simplicity Teas’ site, they do have a blind box subscription to which you can subscribe to try other offerings. I am super into blind boxes. They’re a great way to try new things. Your favorite could be just around the corner.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Monthly Tea Subscription Plan
Where to Buy: Simplicity Teas
Description
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Organic Fruit Jam from Tea Sparrow. . . .
When it comes to getting me gifts, my friends and family often turn to one of two things: mugs or tea subscriptions. One such subscription that I received as my Secret Santa gift this past holiday season was several months of tea from Tea Sparrow. If I am being honest, as someone who loves really out there flavors, I have been underwhelmed by the more basic options I’ve been receiving.
With that said, this Organic Fruit Jam tea did catch my eye. It has the usual fruit tea ingredients such as apples, hibiscus, rosehips, and strawberries but it also has more exciting flavors like barley malt, cream extract, etc.
I made this iced in light of the potential for tartness thanks to the hibiscus and rosehips. Unfortunately, despite the unique ingredients, this tastes a lot like many of the other fruit tisanes I have had before, tart and with a vague fruitiness. It also has a sharp tart note atop the rest of the tartness that hits the back of your mouth near the end of the sip. Alas there is nothing here that says “jam” to me.
I also brewed this hot and intended to try it that way to compare it with the iced tea but life got in the way and the mug cooled before I got to it. However, the hot brewed tea which has then cooled is smoother than the iced tea. It also is a bit less tart than the iced tea which makes more room for a muddled fruit flavor to come through. Still not a “jam” tea to me but this cup is definitely closer to that desired flavor than the iced tea given there is more sweetness here.
Ultimately, I just feel like I’ve had this tea time and time again. The hibiscus/rosehip tartness is overwhelming with a generic fruitiness taking a back seat. The unique ingredients that intrigued me in the first place add nothing or if they do, their addition is drowned out. It’s not bad per se but it just doesn’t stand out at all in a world filled with tea.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Tisane
Where to Buy: Tea Sparrow
Description
With your Tea Sparrow subscription, you’ll receive 4 select loose-leaf teas each month: one black, one green, one rooibos and one herbal tea. You can expect about 35 cups of tea per month: more than enough to spread the love or completely hoard for yourself.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
