Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: In Pursuit of Tea
Tea Description:
This tea is made from a cultivar that can be harvested year-round- Si Ji Chun, which means four seasons like spring. It’s grown in Ming Jian Township in mountainous Nantou County, Taiwan. The mature leaves are lightly oxidized and rolled into ball shapes; as they open through multiple infusions, a sweet flavor and lush, orchidlike aroma is released.
Read other Steepster thoughts on this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
The aroma of the dry leaf of this Nantou Four Seasons Oolong Tea from In Pursuit of Tea is sweet with notes of flower and distant hints of vegetation.
I prepared this tea the same way I would approach most Oolong teas: in my gaiwan, using short steeps following a quick rinse (15 seconds). I combined the first two infusions for the first cup, and the third and fourth infusions were combined for the second cup, and so on. I managed to get eight delicious infusions this way (four cups). I probably could have gotten more, but, I was satisfied after my four cups of this tea. More than satisfied because this is a seriously delicious Oolong!
My first sip, I noticed a creaminess and a slight floral tone. Then I began to notice more complexity to the cup. The creaminess was somewhere between a buttery taste and texture and a sweet cream taste. Very smooth and very yummy. The floral tones are soft in this first cup. By mid-cup, I started to pick up on faint fruit-like notes. I also noticed some of the vegetal tones in the distant background. Toward the end of this cup, I picked up on a note that I can only think to describe as vanilla-esque! This, together with the sweet cream/buttery notes is quite delectable … decadent even!
Subsequent infusions began to “unlock” the floral tones just a bit more. The creaminess began to wane by the third cup, which was still creamy, but much less so than the first two cups. While I noticed some vegetative notes throughout the time I spent with this tea, they were always quite distant. For those who tend to shy away from the greener Oolong teas because they don’t care for the vegetal tones of these types of Oolong, I think this Nantou Four Seasons would be a good one for you to try.
In the third cup, I started to pick up on more of a nutty tone. The fruit-like notes never really came forward enough for me to be able to discern what kind of fruit I was tasting … it remained “fruit-like” but indistinct.
This is an excellent Four Seasons Oolong – one of the nicest that I’ve tried. And I don’t think I would have had this experience if it wasn’t for Steepster Select! It’s a great way to explore the world of tea. And if you’d like to try what December had to offer, I am currently selling my second sample packages of the December Steepster Select. You can check out the listing here.
Karigane #22 from Tea Wing
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Tea Wing
Tea Description:
A blend of stems and leaves which are shaded 20 days prior to harvest. This kabuse is naturally sweet and bright with a beautiful aroma. The shaded leaves are a deep green and the steeped liquor yield has an almost “chewy” mouthfeel. Lots of flavor.
Read other Steepster thoughts on this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This Karigane #22 from Tea Wing represents the third of the five teas that I’m tasting from the inaugural Steepster Select box. (Well, it’s the first after a year plus hiatus, anyway!)
The aroma of the dry leaf is grassy, evocative of freshly cut grass. I noticed a lot of stems and finely cut leaves, looking as though both have been finely shredded, reminding me of a Japanese Sencha. The brewed tea smells very vegetative … and tastes vegetative too.
The flavor tastes of sweet grass and lightly buttered vegetables. It is a strong vegetal taste, so if you’re one who tends to shy away from green teas with that strong leafy taste, this tea might not be the one for you. Me, I like it. It has a very clean and pure kind of flavor, and it’s pleasantly invigorating.
As the tea cools slightly, I am picking up on some creamy notes, and I find that these creamy notes develop as I continue to sip. Maybe slightly buttery, but also … tasting of sweet cream.
The finish is agreeably sweet, and it’s a sweetness that reminds me of agave nectar! At first I thought that maybe, somehow … I had added some agave nectar to the cup, but, since there isn’t any agave nectar in the house at the moment, I don’t know how that would have happened.
A very enjoyable cup of tea with a thick, brothy mouthfeel that complements the vegetal, creamy taste of the tea. Another WIN from Steepster Select! If you haven’t yet signed up for it, why not? You should get yourself here and sign up as soon as possible! You’ll be happy you did!
Golden Yunnan Black Tea from In Pursuit of Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: In Pursuit of Tea
Tea Description:
This hand harvested black tea is meticulously crafted from a white tea varietal and pile fermented for 45 days. Truly a labor of love and one of the finest examples of hand-made tea available.
Read other Steepster thoughts on this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This is the second tea from my Steepster Select tea that I decided to try: Golden Yunnan Black Tea from In Pursuit of Tea. I was very excited to see this company featured in this month’s box (with not just one but TWO teas!) because I can’t recall ever having tried teas from them. I love it when I’m introduced to new-to-me tea companies!
And this tea is fantastic. The dry leaf is gorgeous with curly leaves of chocolate brown that are tipped in gold. Beautiful! There isn’t a strong aroma to the dry leaf, but the brewed tea smells rich and sweet, with notes of earth, leather and tobacco.
The flavor is complex with earthy notes. I taste notes of tobacco, malt and honey. I find that the tobacco is particularly noticeable if I slurp to aerate the sip, and the drying sensation toward the tail of the sip seems to enhance the tobacco notes. There is an undertone of caramel and a hint of cacao to this cup as well.
A very masculine cuppa. Toward mid-cup, I start to pick up on notes of leather in the distance. There is an interesting balance between these savory notes of leather and tobacco and the sweetness of honey, malt, and cacao.
The second infusion is even better than the first! I don’t say that often about a black tea … in fact, I don’t often take a black tea for a second infusion because it isn’t often that I find one that holds up in the second infusion, but this tea definitely does.
The flavor of the second infusion is sweeter than the first, with the tobacco notes less prevalent. The earthy tones have softened here, making way for the delicious honeyed caramel notes and rich malty notes of this tea.
A remarkable Golden Yunnan! I did not find this tea on the In Pursuit of Tea website under Black Teas; however, it does appear that this tea may be available through this samples listing. This is a must try for Yunnan enthusiasts out there, and really, anyone who appreciates high quality tea!
On The Third Day of Christmas, Della Terra Teas Sent Me This Tea…
It’s the third day already! Christmas is almost here! Wow!
Without further ado, I will go right into today’s tea, because it’s a good one!
Peppermint Perfection
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Della Terra Teas
Tea Description:
On the third day of Christmas we have ourselves some French hens. Well, that is fine of course, but wouldn’t you rather have a cup of some amazing peppermint tea?
Well, here it is! Peppermint Perfection, pure vanilla and peppermint create this creamy, peppermint-y tea!
Taster’s Review:
I couldn’t find this tea on Della Terra Teas’ website, but I did find their Peppermint Bark tea, and I thought that they might be the same tea, so I contacted Della Terra Teas to find out! (And may I just say that the customer service at Della Terra Teas is top notch! They get back to me via email promptly whenever I have an issue. I like that in a company.)
I asked them whether or not the Peppermint Perfection and the Peppermint Bark teas were the same teas, and here is what they told me:
Actually, though similar, the peppermint perfection has one part more vanilla than the peppermint bark.
That’s really about the only difference other than maybe just a wee bit more mint flake.
So, this tea is similar to the Peppermint Bark, which is formerly known as Candy Cane Lane. So let’s find out how much the additional vanilla and a wee bit more mint flake changes things up, shall we?
Mmm! This is really good. The aroma of the dry leaf is reminiscent of the aforementioned Candy Cane Lane, although I think that the extra vanilla seems to enhance the chocolate-y fragrance just a tad, because I could really smell the chocolate when I opened the pouch this time.
And I can really taste the chocolate too. There is a delicious concinnity of chocolate and vanilla to this cup, and the peppermint is strong without overpowering the cup. The black tea is a little less represented than the flavors here, but, I find that as the tea cools slightly, that I’m picking up on more black tea notes. Everything balances out very well.
This is a tea that certainly benefits from a few moments to allow the tea to cool slightly. The flavors become more distinct after about three minutes of cool time. It’s still a tea that I prefer to drink hot (just not straight from the teapot hot!) and it’s a perfect tea for this time of year.
This was one of my oldest daughter’s favorite teas from last year’s box (well, the Candy Cane Lane was!) so I am happy that a new version of it was included in this year’s box so that I can share some more of this tea with her.
On The First Day of Christmas, Della Terra Teas Sent To Me …
Wow! Can you believe that it’s already December 14th, people? Well, every year, I do a 12 days of Christmas Teas countdown, and this year, I’m not just doing one countdown … but two! However, my second countdown will start a little late because … I haven’t yet received that package! Hopefully it will arrive sometime today so that I will only be behind by one day. Who knows, maybe I’ll do the second 12 Days of Christmas batch starting on Christmas Day … and continue through the 11 days that follow.
Isn’t it cute!
In the meantime, it’s time to get my Della Terra Teas 12 Days of Christmas Tea countdown started! The box arrived wrapped in brown paper, and when I tore away the paper, I saw the beautiful box! I love the packaging that Della Terra Teas uses for their countdown – it’s a gift in itself.
Inside the box is an array of twelve festive “goody” bags tied off with tags to indicate which day the bag is for, and inside each bag is the secret tea of the day. Today’s tea is:
Spiced Pear
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Della Terra Teas
Tea Description:
On the first day of Christmas something delicious was given to me, and that was a Spiced Pear tea!
On this first day of your 12 Days of Christmas, please sit back and enjoy a cup of this delightful, spiced pear tea that is exclusive to the sets of twelve! What a way to start!
Taster’s Review:
Last Year’s “first day of Christmas Tea” was also a pear tea, but, I was certainly not disappointed to find another pear tea as this year’s first tea. I love pear teas! And I was especially happy to see that this is one of the exclusive to the holiday countdown box teas – I LOVE that Della Terra Teas does this! It might not seem like a big deal but it makes the whole countdown box seem that much more special when there’s exclusive teas in it, you know?
Ahhh … this Spiced Pear Tea from Della Terra Teas is nice! When the tea first finished brewing, it looked a little “light” in color in my glass teapot. I was worried that it wasn’t going to be flavorful enough. But it’s just right. I can taste the sweet pear notes, the spice tones and the black tea in the background. It’s a nicely rounded tea.
The pear flavor is strong here and as has often been my complaint when it comes to pear teas, there is often just not enough pear flavor to satisfy me! I love pears, but because it is kind of a delicate tasting fruit it is sometimes difficult for the right flavor to be captured in a tea, especially one with a black tea base like this.
So, now that I think about it, perhaps it was a good thing that the tea looked a bit light in color, a stronger, more robustly flavored tea would have overpowered the softer pear tones. As it is, there is a nice balance between black tea and pear.
And then there is the spice. It’s a gently spiced tea, just enough to add some warmth to the cup without dominating the taste buds with a powerful spice flavor.
This is a very soothing tea to sip … it’s very nice on these cold winter days, and a really delightful tea to start off the 12 Days of Christmas! YUM!