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!
Citrus Hibiscus Herbal Tisane from Simple Loose Leaf
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Rooibos & Fruit/Herbal Tisane
Where to Buy: Simple Loose Leaf
Tea Description:
This lovely and colorful blend of hibiscus, rose hips, lemon grass, orange peel and organic rooibos infuses a ruby red herbal with a refreshing citrus and tart flavor containing light spice tones. Excellent over ice for a zingy citrus treat, and enjoy hot to help punch out a cold or flu.
Hibiscus Flowers, Rose Hips, Rooibos, Lemongrass, Orange Peel, Juicy Lemon and Orange Flavors
Learn more about this tea here.
Learn more about Simple Loose Leaf’s Selection Club subscription program here.
Taster’s Review:
Wow! This smells AMAZING! I love the bright citrus-y scent of this tisane.
Now, as you can imagine, the name of this tisane scared me just a little bit. Citrus Hibiscus Herbal. Hibiscus just isn’t my thing. But, I’ve had some really positive experiences with hibiscus lately, and the last hibiscus based tisane that I tasted from Simple Loose Leaf turned out to be alright. And this smells really good … so with those things in mind, I kept my fingers crossed and I brewed myself a cup of it.
OK … there is a bit more hibiscus in this than I would like there to be. That said, there are some other flavors in this that appeal to me. I like the citrus-y notes to this, and I do like how the rooibos lightens up the thick body that would normally accompany such a hibiscus-heavy tisane, making it much more palatable.
While this isn’t my favorite tisane , I found it tastes better served iced. Some of the hibiscus zing seems to chill with the cold, making this much more enjoyable, and just like the Cranberry Breeze from last month, my youngest daughter found these two drinks to be especially enjoyable, and hey, I’d rather her be drinking this than something sugary.
Another tasty way to enjoy this: add a couple of cloves and some cinnamon to the teapot before you pour in the hot water to start steeping. Let the spices steep with the tisane … it doesn’t end up too spicy, but the warmth of the cinnamon and cloves add some delightful contrast to the tart citrus and hibiscus.
It’s not a bad tisane, but it isn’t my favorite tisane, either. Then again, I didn’t expect it to be. But that’s the beauty of the Selection Club from Simple Loose Leaf. I get to try out five different teas every month and if there’s one in that five that doesn’t make me do the happy dance, that’s OK. It’s a sample size, and I still have four other teas that I can enjoy.
It’s all about the power of choice!
At the beginning of every month, I receive an email from Simple Loose Leaf that details the teas that will be featured in the next month’s box. I can choose to receive two large packages of two teas that appeal to me. I can choose which two teas I want from their menu of five teas. What if I want to try all five? Well, then I can choose to receive the sampler package, which offers five samples, one of each tea of the five on the menu.
That’s what I usually choose, because I’m a taster. That’s what I do. I taste a tea … try it out, and then I tell you about it. Most of the teas and tisanes from Simple Loose Leaf, I’ve really enjoyed! Occasionally, I’m going to encounter one or two that just doesn’t excite me, like this one. And that’s OK because I do have the power of choice with this program!
And whatever you choose to do – that’s OK too. This program gives you the power of choice!
Use this code: SISTERSELECTION25 to get a 25% discount when you sign up for the selection club. This discount is not applicable on the retail selection of teas, and is only good for the selection club subscription.
Want even more incentive to join the Selection club? Then, check THIS OUT! Now through June 20th, all new subscribers will receive a FREE teapot with their first shipment. WOW! What an awesome deal!
Darjeeling Second Flush Black Tea from Simple Loose Leaf
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black (Darjeeling)
Where to Buy: Simple Loose Leaf
Tea Description:
This 2nd Flush Darjeeling black tea is harvested in June and embodies aromatic deep earthen leaves that brew a gentle golden amber, full bodied, subtly sweet, and satisfying cup every time. So gentle and smooth, our Darjeeling 2nd Flush is the perfect afternoon tea. Best served hot.
Learn more about May’s Tea Menu for the Selection Club here.
Learn more about Simple Loose Leaf’s Selection Club subscription program here.
Use this code: SISTERSELECTION25 to get a 25% discount when you sign up for the selection club. This discount is not applicable on the retail selection of teas, and is only good for the selection club subscription.
Taster’s Review:
This 2nd Flush Darjeeling from my May’s Tea Box from Simple Loose Leaf is absolutely LOVELY! It has a lovely, well-rounded taste with beautiful fruit notes. I am tasting that lovely muscat grape note that evokes thoughts of a fine wine.
Of course, since I don’t typically drink wine, I mostly just imagine that this is what a fine wine would taste like if it were served hot and the alcohol content was somehow removed. But it has that smooth, uplifting, grape-y note that hits the palate around mid-sip and toward the finish becomes a bit more like a black currant. Delightful.
The flavor is sweet and smooth and there is a slightly tangy astringency toward the tail. I’ve found that with some adjustments in brewing parameters, I encounter less astringency with my Darjeeling teas than I would if I would have gone with a boiling temperature and 3 – 4 minutes brew time. Instead, I brew a Darjeeling at 195°F and steep for just 2 1/2 minutes. This offers a very pleasing flavor without a strong astringent bite that Darjeeling teas often have. There is still some dry astringency to this, but it isn’t quite as obvious as it would have been if I steeped it hotter or longer.
This is a very fine Darjeeling tea. A nice sweetness that contrasts nicely with hints of earth and wood. Juicy fruit notes meld with light floral tones. A really pleasant Darjeeling – this is one I’d recommend to those looking for a nice afternoon tea to serve while curling up to a good book or to offer to guests.
A really good Darjeeling.