Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: New Mexico Tea Company
Tea Description:
The tea is bright and lively with a unique sharpness accented with bouquet and a slight touch of herb. The body is deep and long for a baked green tea. Its character differentiates it well from other varieties in this region and adds an unmistakeable breadth in the taste spectrum of Chinese green teas.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I have loved New Mexico Tea Company for some time. Their teas are fresh and vibrant. The packaging is fantastic and the art work on their packages is phenomenal. Everything about them is just brilliant and I have recommended them to so many tea drinkers, newbies and tea enthusiasts alike. They have a tea blend for everyone.
This tea I picked up some time ago, I think from a Steepster Stash Sale. I am always on the look out for new green teas to check out and just hadn’t had a chance to try this one until now. When I first opened the bag, I was in awe of the gorgeous longer leaves that filled the pouch. I scooped a few spoonfuls into my tea pot and poured in the prepped water. I loved watching the tea leaves dance in the water.
First sip in and shame on me for not trying this tea sooner. This tea is one of those green teas that give you everything. Slightly floral with subtle vegetal notes and a buttery finish. Just delicious. One of those teas that you crave more of and hate to see your tea pot empty. I’ve already drank a few infusions out of this first serving and I have to say each infusion delivers that same gorgeous flavor. This is one of those satisfying teas that delivers on the flavor it promises. This one is a keeper!
Casale’s Green from 212 Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: 212 Tea
Tea Description:
Named after our friends Chris and Melissa Casale, owners of The Fix Barbershop here in lake Oswego. They were the first local business to serve our tea and instantly fell in love with this blend. Casale’s Green is the perfect blend of Pacific Northwest Peppermint and roasted Japanese Houjicha. The result is a smooth toasty green tea note followed by a clean mint finish.
Mellow with a sweet mint flavor, a pleasant toasty note and hints of chocolate.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Alright, do yourself a favor. . .if you haven’t tried or checked out 212 Tea take a moment and do just that. They are a tea company out of Portland that know how to do tea right. They are passionate and enthusiastic, attributes that you want in a tea company. They even encourage you to send them tea jokes. Now that is seriously my kind of tea company!
This particular tea is something special! I instantly fell in love with the toasted sweetness I was picking up along with traces of mint from the dry leaves. I couldn’t get water into my tea kettle fast enough!
Brewed this delight up with water at about 190 degrees and allowed the tea to steep for about 4 minutes. I didn’t even allow the tea to cool off. I instantly took a sip and was greeted with some tea loving! This tea had lovely notes of a rich buttery base of green tea that had a nice well balanced solid note of a roasted flavor while the mint gave the tea a freshness that made you just devour it as fast as you could. Seriously, I have already inhaled about three cuppas of this delight from one session and am warming water for a fourth. It is that amazing.
The tea is a cooling refreshing one that warms at the same time. One of those teas that help you melt the day away while indulging your taste buds. I will say towards the third infusion I was getting a slight chocolate note but for the most part I didn’t really pick up any chocolate and I am completely fine with that. I’m loving the cuppa that I’m getting out of the tea right now!
Dark Forest from The Jasmine Pearl Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: The Jasmine Pearl Tea Company
Tea Description:
A great coffee alternative! Smooth dark and rich this blend of chicory, cacao, cinnamon and many other delicious herbs create a satisfying brew for morning or afternoon. Due to the presence of cacao nibs, which contain caffeine, don’t drink Dark Forest near bedtime.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I have loved every tea that I have tried from The Jasmine Pearl Tea Company. Their teas are delicious and just knock your socks off sort of fantastic. This particular blend I am trying is their Dark Forest Herbal Tea. Now the description from what the tea consists of online and what I have in hand is different so I think they may have changed up the formula. The blend I have consists of chamomile, ginger, eucalyptus, lemon myrtle, and peppermint.
To begin with, I am not a huge ginger fan. I do like it on occasion but it isn’t my favorite. I know ginger is great for the body so I will drink ginger teas and even enjoy it in food every once in a while, but I do not go searching for it.
So let’s talk about the journey it was to actually drink this tea. First off, I dropped the bag and half of the contents fell out. Ugh. I boiled the water and forgot about it. Boo. And I measured way too water for my new Doctor Who mug and I had tea all over my desk (I used a gravitea steeper). Yep. It seemed like this tea was doomed from the start. By the time I was able to take a drink of this tea I was ready!
The dry leaf reminded me of a sweet pumpkin spice bar. The mixture just smelled heavenly. I prepped my water and allowed the tea to steep for about 5 minutes. And I would recommend that being the time you allow the tea to steep if aren’t a fan of ginger like me. I have a feeling any long than that and the ginger would overtake the tea.
My first sip of this tea and I was surprised and how lovely it was. I was afraid the ginger would overpower and leave the rest of the flavors behind but that wasn’t the case at all. Each flavor was noticeable at different times and mingled together so nicely. The ginger was light but there to spice the tea up, the lemon myrtle provided a bit of that citrus undertone, the chamomile was giving the tea a familiar herbal feel to it and the peppermint gave the tea a fresh flavor. Really well done. Who would have thought those ingredients would make such a lovely herbal?
As delicious as this was, the new upgraded blend sounds just as good! I’m going to have to try that one soon!
Another impressive tea from The Jasmine Pearl!
Snowflake Kenyan Earth from Williamson Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Williamson Tea
Tea Description:
Our take on the classic English Breakfast. Kenyan Earth is named after the coppery red soils that symbolize Kenya and this bright, brisk cup of tea. Grown on the high altitude slopes of Kapchorua and picked in the early morning sunshine our Kenyan Earth is an awakening, full bodied liquor that stimulates the body and mind.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Before you read my review. You have to take a look at the tea tin this tea comes in. That tin is gorgeous! Makes me want to place several orders for the tins alone. Not sure what I would do with them but who cares, they are stunning 🙂
Ok, the tea geek out is over and we can move on to the tea itself. Ha!
Williamson Tea is a tea I’ve never tried before. I’ve see and heard other reviews and pictures of their tea before but I just haven’t ever ordered from them. I have a feeling that is soon to change.
This particular Snowflake Kenyan Earth tea that I tried was tea bagged form and I have to say, you could see some pretty huge tea leaves hanging out in each tea pyramid. The tea itself has a nice sweetened aroma which I found a little difference since this is supposed to be a breakfast tea. Typically those tend to be a bit more malty and astringent.
Brewed this up with water freshly boiled and allowed the tea to sit a tad too long, totally my bad, multi-tasking failed me! But after what I’m guessing was about a 7 minute steep, I took my first sip.
For being a tea that I oversteeped, you really couldn’t tell at all! This tea was delicious at all fronts. Malty and rich with a slightly earth flavor here and there. This is the kind of tea that kicks your taste buds into gear! So rich and indulging. The tea was on the point of asking for a touch of cream or milk to really drink it proper. Towards the end while it cooled and became astringent (drink this one up hot if you don’t like astringent teas), there seemed to be a need for sweetening but wow. What a lovely tea to really give me a change of pace from the flavored teas I have been drinking. I’m not sure where that sweetness was coming from when I first checked the tea out but I have to say, this cuppa was just fantastic.
This is the kind of tea you want to greet you first thing in the morning!
Orchid Oolong from Conundrum Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Conundrum Teas
Tea Description:
This semi-balled oolong was processed with medium oxidation it has a roasted chestnut and honey flavor with a refreshing mint finish. Balled Oolong’s are best enjoyed over multiple short infusions, as the ball unfurls throughout the steeps, different flavors are released along with the leaves. The brewed tea has an intense yellow color and it smells like a bamboo forest filled with orchids.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
So far every tea that I have tried from Conundrum has been simply amazing. Their teas are high quality and take you on an tea infused adventure with every sip. Recently I tried their Orchid Oolong and I have to say, the tea delivered on the flavors promised in the description!
Orchid Oolong is described as having a yellow color and a fragrance similar to a bamboo forest filled with orchids. I can’t say I know exactly what that smells like but it sounds amazing! The fragrance I was getting from this gorgeous dry leaf was one that I would compare to as being a roasted vegetal aroma with a twist of sweetness.
Brewed this up in my GROSCHE steeper (I just love that steeper!) and prepped my water at 190 degrees or so. I allowed the tea to steep for about 4 minutes before placing the steeper on my mug for the tea to be released. I loved watching the tea leaves uncurl and unfurl while dancing around in the water and steeping. Such a fun sight!
I allowed the tea to cool for a moment and took a huge sip. Oh my! This tea is just delicious. Gorgeous and romantic while being a bit mysterious as well. You have the lovely roasted tones as your backdrop for this tea while there is a sweetness towards the middle of the sip. Towards the end you almost get a buttery note that reminded me of a green tea and a simply to die for floral note. I could sit here and drink this all day and I think I will. This is just the first session with this tea. I can’t imagine what the flavor will transform into after a few more sittings.