Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Pu-erh
Where to Buy: Butiki Teas
Tea Description:
Our Organic Ancient Phoenix Puerh originates from a sustainable farm on Wuliang Mountain in China and is handpicked by the Yi tribe of Yunnan. This Shou (ripe) puerh was harvested in 2011 from organic ancient trees. The tea is pressed into cakes using only skilled hands and a unique fragrant wood. Organic Ancient Phoenix Puerh is smooth and rich with raw cocoa, oak, and sweet tobacco notes. This high quality tea can handle a substantial amount of infusions.
Read more about this tea on Steepster.
Taster’s Review:
A few weeks ago, Butiki Teas announced on Steepster that it was closing permanently very soon. I was very sad about this announcement because Butiki Teas is one of my favorite purveyors. So, I started sorting through my stash to see if I had any teas on hand from Butiki that I had not yet reviewed so that I could offer a goodbye to one of my favorite tea companies here on SororiTea Sisters – and this is the tea that I found. So, yeah, this tea is no longer available from Butiki Teas, but this review is less about the tea for me and more about offering a heartfelt farewell to a wonderful tea company.
And this Ancient Phoenix Pu-erh is absolutely lovely. It doesn’t surprise me, because I can’t say that I’ve had anything from Butiki that I wasn’t impressed with! (Which is why I’m sad to see them go!)
These tiny Pu-erh cakes are about the size (in diameter) of a quarter although they’re a bit thicker than a coin. It makes portioning rather simple, I just dropped one of the “coins” into my gaiwan and covered it with hot water (190°F) for 15 seconds to awaken the leaves. Then I strained and discarded the liquid. I poured the water over the coin – which is already starting to break apart – and infused it for a minute. Then I poured the tea into my teacup and enjoyed. Pu-erh offers multiple infusions and this was just the first of many cups that I’d enjoy this evening.
My first cup is sweet. It’s almost a sugary sweetness. There are notes of earth to the cup as well, but the sweetness is stronger than the earthy qualities. (I like that in a pu-erh!) It’s a very soft tasting tea, this first cup. Much softer than I’m used to from a pu-erh. There are light spice notes.
The second cup was also steeped for 1 minute. Usually, I add 15 seconds onto the steep time but that wasn’t needed here. This has a much deeper flavor. Some of the earthy notes have emerged now. I’m still getting those spice notes I mentioned with the first cup, as well as the sweetness. I taste notes of leather and cacao and wood. This is a very complex cup. Very smooth. No astringency. No bitterness.
The third cup – well, the third cup and I didn’t really agree. I steeped it for a full minute again and I found it to be a little reminiscent of a thick cup of coffee. Not a good coffee either. Kind of like a tar-like coffee you might find in one of those 24-hour truck stop diners that don’t get a lot of traffic so the coffee’s been sitting there for the last six or seven hours. I found it interesting that at least one of the tasters of this tea on Steepster experienced a less than favorable third infusion as well. Weird.
So, I tossed that cup and went for infusion #4. This time, rather than setting a timer, I just watched the color and when the color was dark I poured it. I would estimate that the fourth infusion was about 20 seconds. Much better than infusion #3, this is earthy, kind of mushroom-y, with notes of leather and cacao. I am picking up an undertone of molasses-like sweetness. A very smooth, mellow and deeply flavored cup.
I kept on steeping. I found that by the fifth cup, this had become a very pleasant tea. This is a tea that you can’t really set a timer – you just need to watch it. When the color becomes dark, it’s time to pour and enjoy. Sweet with notes of spice. Cacao! The earthy notes are starting to become less prominent and allowing the sweeter characteristics to come forward.
As I sip this tea, I raise my cup to the greatness that is Butiki Teas. I recommend to all of you – if you haven’t yet tried any of this company’s teas, shop now before you lose that opportunity. I will miss you, Butiki Teas!
Apple Cider Flavored Iced Green Tea from Southern Boy Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Zoomdweebies
Tea Description:
Premium Organic green tea with organic flavors.
Learn more about this tea here.
Learn more about how to subscribe to Southern Boy Teas here.
Taster’s Review:
This Apple Cider Iced Green Tea from SBT is really tasty! The flavor is distinctly apple cider. Lovely notes of apple and cinnamon!
The green tea is light, sweet and buttery. It has a very fresh taste without tasting grassy or overly vegetative. I really love the light taste of it … it’s very refreshing on these hot summer days!
I also like that the apple cider flavors do not overpower the lighter green tea base. I can taste the apple, the warm spice and the green tea, and my palate isn’t overwhelmed with any one flavor. All the flavors are present but my taste buds aren’t burdened with heavy flavors.
With these “new” green teas from Southern Boy Teas, I’m discovering that the best way to get the most out of the teas is to hot brew the sachet in 1 quart of 170°F water for 1 1/2 minutes, and then resteep the sachet in another quart of water (same temperature) for 2 minutes to fill my half gallon iced tea pitcher.
And here’s the best part, with the green teas, you can resteep the sachet for another half gallon of iced tea! Simply stash the sachet in a airtight container and store in the refrigerator, and then when you’re ready to start steeping again, using the same temperature water, steep for 2 1/2 minutes for the first quart and 3 minutes for the second quart. The second pitcher of iced is almost nearly as flavorful as the first.
When I received my order with this tea in it, I hadn’t realized that I actually ordered 2 pouches of this tea (I had meant to only order 1 pouch), but now I’m glad that I have two of this one, because I really like it!
With the second pouch, I decided to experiment a little bit and try it as a cold-brew! I tossed the pouch into my iced tea pitcher and then filled it with freshly drawn and filtered water and put the lid on it. Then I stashed it in my refrigerator overnight. In the morning, I removed the pouch and put it in an airtight container and put it in the fridge (to resteep again later) and I enjoyed the cold-brewed Apple Cider iced tea!
The verdict: this is even better cold-brewed! The apple notes are crisper and better defined with the cold-steep process.
Oh yeah, I’ll be getting more of this!
Sourenee Black Blossom – Organic – 2nd Flush 2013 – Darjeeling from Lochan Tea Limited
Tea Type:
Black Tea
Where To Buy:
Lochan Tea Limited
Product Description:
Tea no longer available on website
Tasters Review:
Eventho this tea is no longer on the Lochan Tea Limited Website I thought it was still worth a mention. So much so that I hope that Lochan Tea is able to get a 2014 or 2015 Flush of Sourenee Black Blossom. The 2013 that I tried was a 2nd flush of this previous Darjeeling and I thought it was fabulous!
Dry – the leaves were fairly tight – but when the hot water was added – the enlarged and flattened out to a much larger size. I’m chalking the multiple infusion capabilities to this leaf characteristic. But that’s just my theory. I was able to get at least 7 infusions out of the same batch over loose leaves. The color was a darker brown once infused. And if you like your black tea stronger – and tend to add more loose leaf to the water like I do (but infuse for a tad shorter) this stands up to the elements quite well. It doesn’t go bitter…at least from my experiences. It’s malty but at the same time it’s bright and brisk, too. Just when you think the leaves are towards the end of their flavor intensity is when I think the iced tea factor comes in to play. Yes…this tea also makes a pretty wonderful iced tea, too!
Overall – it’s safe to say I’m a BIG fan of this offering from Lochan Tea Limited but it just goes to show you that this company prides itself on offering the freshest flushes to its customers and you should get them before they are gone!
White Coconut Crème Tea from Art of Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: Art of Tea
Tea Description:
Immerse yourself into a cup of this dreamy tropical infusion! With its light body and smooth creamy texture, it’s no wonder this tea is a favorite of many Art of Tea customers! Delivers a sweet and soothing balance of coconut and is great hot, iced or as a dessert tea.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Yum!
I figured I’d like this tea. I mean, I like coconut and the lighter flavor of the white tea base would really allow those coconut flavors to shine through nicely. And this is a really tasty tea!
To brew it, I grabbed my reliable Kati tumbler and put 1 1/2 bamboo scoops of tea into the basket (when it comes to brewing white teas, I usually use a little extra leaf) and heated the water to 180°F. That was an absent minded mistake, actually. I usually use a lower temperature for white teas, but, I was thinking “green tea” when I started brewing this tea. I’m not sure why, exactly. I steeped the tea for 3 minutes.
Fortunately, my absent minded mistake while setting the temperature for the kettle didn’t upset the tea!
The coconut is really strong and flavorful. And it tastes like genuine coconut. It doesn’t have a fake or artificial flavor. It’s smooth and it has that slick “coconut” flavor.
The white tea base is sweet and light in flavor. It’s a delicate tea. The Art of Tea website doesn’t reveal what type of white tea this is – or at least, I couldn’t find the identification of the white tea anywhere on the website. But to this tea drinker’s eye, I would say that it is either a White Peony or a Shou Mei. The sampling that I had of this tea appeared to look more like a Shou Mei or at the very least like a combination of both White Peony and Shou Mei.
I like that while the coconut is a strong taste in this cup, it doesn’t overpower the hay-like notes of the white tea. It has a sweet crispness to it. The white tea is tasted but it still allows the blend to serve as a celebration of the sweet, creamy joyful taste that is coconut!
This tea would make a really delightful dessert tea, and it tastes great hot or cold. (Note: the tea actually seems to get “creamier” as it cools! Mmm!) I found the tea to be really enjoyable and I’d recommend this tea to anyone looking for a delicious coconut tea!
Oolong Tea from Teatulia
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Teatulia
Tea Description:
A stunning, full-bodied cup with hints of fresh pie crust, lemon and sake.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I was really excited to learn that Teatulia began offering an Oolong tea! I’ve tried other teas from this company in the past and have enjoyed them so I was eager to try their new Oolong.
What sets Teatulia apart from other tea companies is that their organic teas are grown in Bangladesh. You can learn more about the Teatulia Organic Tea Garden here.
I love the packaging of Teatulia. Their “eco-canisters” are completely biodegradable. And while I prefer my Oolongs loose, I do appreciate that the pyramid sachets are made from corn silk. Another plus: the leaves appear to be large, not chopped into dust the way many teas in sachets or bags are.
Normally, when I steep my Oolong teas, I grab my gaiwan. But because this tea is in a sachet, I didn’t do that. (I suppose I could have cut the sachet and poured the leaf into my gaiwan, but I didn’t do that either. I decided to brew this as the purveyor intended.) However, I did perform a 15 second rinse on the teabag. What can I say? I’m sold on the reawakening of the tea leaves. Oolongs just seem to taste better when I take that extra 15 seconds to do the rinse. After the rinse, I steeped one sachet in 8 ounces of water that had been heated to 180° for 3 minutes.
The aroma is intriguing! I smell notes of smoke. I also smell something sweet … like butterscotch: smoky butterscotch! Notes of earth and wood. I don’t think I’ve smelled an Oolong quite like this one.
The flavor is delightful! Sweet! I taste the notes of butterscotch. The above description suggests notes of fresh pie crust, lemon and sake. I’m not a drinker of alcohol and it’s been years since my one and only cup of sake, so I can’t tell you if I’m actually tasting sake or not. But I do taste notes of lemon!
Bright, sunny lemon. I also taste a slight pastry note. The pastry note really pops when I slurp the sip to aerate it. I can also taste subtle notes of smoke and woodsy tones. It’s a rather interesting Oolong!
And since it is an Oolong, I decided to take it for a resteep. The second cup is just as delicious as the first – maybe even better! I am getting more of that butterscotch-like sweetness with the second cup! Not so much of the smoke this time, but I am picking up on a slight woodsy tone. The pastry notes are more subdued now, but I’m still getting light lemony notes.
A really lovely Oolong!