The tea leaves are long, twisty, intact, and dark green. I used the entire sample packet and steeped it for 3 minutes at 175 degrees in about 6 ounces of water.
This tea starts to smell quite buttery and floral while steeping. The water’s not turning color much, but it smells very nice. (When I saw the leaves and smelled the sweet and buttery flavor I kind of forgot this was a green tea rather than an oolong tea, so I was expecting the water to get darker than it did.)
After steeping, the tea liquid is a light whitish yellow; there’s not really much green in it at all. It tastes astringent, floral, and a bit sweet (honey-like?). It has fruity and orchardy notes and maybe a hint of umami. It really tastes much more like an oolong to me than a green tea, with its orchid-fruity taste and lack of the usual green tea flavors like jasmine/grass/seaweed/etc. Although there’s a bit of umami, there’s not a lot of vegetal flavor. The leaves looked oolongy too–super long and twisty.
As I continued drinking this tea, I found it to be a very complex, fulfilling cup. It has more than enough flavor notes to stand on its own without sugar or milk, and is interesting enough that I didn’t get tired of the flavor and found myself wishing for more when I’d finished. I normally consider myself more of a dark-tea person (and don’t drink oolongs or greens much) so that’s quite impressive.
The tea company has a focus on natural tea production and harvesting tea leaves in their natural state (grown pesticide/fertilizer free and plantation free in the forest), which means their processing tends to be a bit different than conventional processing. This may account for the super-high quality of the leaves and the fact that it has elements of oolong as well as of green tea (at least in my opinion). I’m kind of in love with this tea now so I might just have to go and buy some more from their website now. And if you enjoy complex oolong-y flavors and high-quality tea leaves in your cup, you might want to do the same. š
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Ā Green
Where to Buy: Ā Love Some Tea
Description
Green Tea natural and wild, the way nature intended. Our green tea is wild picked from the mountains of Northern Thailand.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Blissful Buds from Mellow Monk . . . .
Tea has become more of a mindfulness exercise for me lately, rather than simply a means to caffeination. I reverently begin this tasting by getting on the level with the loose, green grinds. Dry leaves are sweet-smelling like a japanese tea. Ā They tease me with something that almost smells of raspberry, though I know there is none in this blend.
After brewing the tea leaves got much lighter in color and presented a cloudy olive-green infusion with lots of tiny stowaways from the gravity brewer into my cup.
I cannot stress enough, as with all green and white teas, watch your temperature or you will be drinking something akin to Satanās bath water (to put it nicely).
I started off with my usual 175F for 2 min but was caught off guard by the bitter chemical type taste. Iād overbrewed it, serious bummer. The leaves were ruined and Iād have to start again from scratch. My second try was with half the steep time. Better tasting, but still a tannic nirvana (different from Darjeeling though). Not my cup of tea. You know those monks are seriously being tested when they drink a tea this strong all day. It for sure keeps them awake in church! I certainly couldn’t keep a vow of silence after drinking it.
As proud as I am of my scientific problem solving approach, I should’ve just read the package instructions. At 160F and right around a minute brew time, the third try was a charm. This delicate leaf brews strong! Tangy still, with a long lingering pucker-worthy aftertaste. But much more palatable than Satanās bathwater. Upon resteeping, it was a much different flavor because a bit more of the sweetness came out.
This blend is described as sweet like other Japanese teas but that was not my experience, even with a cold brew attempt. But on a good note, I learned my lesson about reading the package instructions. Thank you monks!
Here’s the scoop!
Type of Tea: Ā Green
Where to Buy: Ā Mellow Monk
Description:
Blissful Budsā¢ is made by picking the small young buds at the pinnacle of the tea plant ā the leaves richest in catechins. These tender leaves yield a refreshingly sweet infusion, redolent of apples, with berry-like tangy overtones and much less astringency than conventional senchas. This type of tea is also served at the end of a meal at fine Japanese restaurants. (In sushi lingo, this type of tea is referred to as agari.)
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Whole Leaf Green from Chai Safari. . .
I’ve been sampling some really ‘out there’ flavored teas lately. While I am a HUGE fan of that on most days – it’s always nice to have a tea that is ‘stand alone’ GOOD. That’s where Whole Leaf Green from Chai Safari comes in.
According to the company’s website their Whole Leaf Green hails from the Himalayan Hill Estates and uses the entire leaf that has been delicately rolled.
The aroma is gentle, the briskness is on the more mellow to mellow-medium strength, and it’s even a little drier on the tongue that most greens are but not in a bitter or grassy way. Maybe a more bittersweet with a small boost of robustness to it, too, while still being a SMOOTH cuppa! Maybe even on the verge of slightly savory – come to think of it.
Overall – the flavor isn’t overly intense but still extremely valid and satisfying. This is a Green Tea I would gladly SHARE and SUGGEST to the masses!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Ā Green
Where to Buy: Ā Chai Safari
Description
Especially chosen from the Himalayan hill estates, this tea is made out of very tender WHOLE-LEAF as evident in the infusion; delicately rolled and completely unoxidised to give you a very light pale greenish-yellow Liquor with a smooth taste you are sure to fall in love with. Bid adieu to the bitterness in taste widely associated with Green tea. We bet you will fall in love with this Tea more as a savory then a health drink. Needless to say, this is extremely rich in antioxidants.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Skysamurai checks out Lu Shan Yun Wu from Teavivre. . . .
After reading my review go to the webpage listed before for this tea. It is packed full of great information regarding where the tea came from, how it was processed, and even how the climate affects the leaves. One who loves tea should also love to learn. . . . .
Let’s start off with the dry leaves. They have a truly unique aroma. Mainly chocolate and malt. If you were to pass this sample around I can guarantee you that only a few people would guess that it is not flavored.
Knowing that these tea leaves are hand rolled makes me want to be extra gentle with them. Xie Xie to whoever worked on this sample of tea.
The wet leaves have no chocolate to them. Which is good. That would freak me out. Only the essences of sweet grass and a somewhat nutty aroma reside now. Ā The flavor is nice and crisp with a golden water color to match.
Overall the flavor is grassy. For those who enjoys grassy flavors this is a must try. It’s so refreshing.
Next time I would like to brew it Gongfu style to see if it opens any other tasting notes. Anyone who has been to China will automatically be pulled back into their memories while drinking this.
Personally, I’m thinking about the college trip I took there for my marketing major.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy:Ā Teavivre
Description
- Grown in Lushan Mountain (åŗå±±) in Jiangxi Province, China
-
Harvest time: April 16, 2016.
- Lushan Mountain (åŗå±±) in Jiangxi Province
- Tea Liquid: bight, clean in light green color
- Flavor: brisk and refreshing, heavy sweet flavor with light roasted chestnut fragrance. Has sweet aftertaste and long-lasting brisk fragrance in your mouth.
- Low caffeine (Less than 10%ās amount in a cup of coffee)
The fresh tea leaves of Lu Shan Yun Wu are picked under strict requirement of one bud with one leaf or one bud with two leaves. After processed, the leaves will shape into tight, curly and strong strips. The liquid presents bright and green color while showing brisk fragrance. The scent of roasted chestnut lasts long. This Lu Shan Yun Wu is better to be brewed with big glass. It will has brisk and refreshing flavor and sweet taste. After several steeps, you will see the tea leaves tenderly stretched and showing its soft and light yellow appearance.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Be wary of the Wendigo …… Wendigo Green Tea
For those of who know the legend of the Wendigo (and those of you who played the video game Until Dawn) know that the tale is a terrifying one. To sum it up, a Wendigo is a creature that has an insatiable hunger for human flesh. Yes, it does sound grizzly but this tea is the exact opposite!
The Wendigo green tea is definitely a lot more pleasant than the creature by the same name.Ā It has a fresh earthiness to it but it is not too in your face. And since I am more partial to black tea myself I thought this green tea was a nice change of pace. So I believe this green tea will be perfect for black tea drinkers who want a something green but not to the matcha levels of green. And with a teaspoon or so of sugar, this tea had the perfect subtle sweetness to it.
Now on to the price and the steeping specifics of this tea which I believe is pretty fair given the quality of the tea. It is $11.99 for 2 oz and $27.99 for 5 oz.Ā This is also very quick to steep as well. For 1-2 teaspoons it takes about 1-2 minutes to steep. I recommend using boiling water that is to the point of steaming and not to where the kettle whistles. That is about 170 degrees Fahrenheit for all of you perfectionists out there.
Now if any of you are like me, you would be very curious as to why the name of this company is Wendigo Tea Company. Well, I happened upon the “origin” portion of their site and I was happy to find an enthusiastic man named Sky White.Ā His reasonings for starting this company were simple: he wanted to drink the very best teas in the world and I can absolutely relate. And if I say so myself, based on my opinions of his Wendigo Green Tea, he is guaranteed to have another customer for I am very curious on what else he has to offer. Now throughout this whole entire section, he doesn’t mention where he got the inspiration to call his company by the name of Wendigo. But I believe that since Mr. White has a desire to be different from other tea companies naming your company after a Native American legend would be a great way to stand out from the crowd.
All in all, I like this green tea and when I run out I will definitely restock. It has a great mellowness and flexibility to it that I can actually see myself drinking this as iced tea as well.
As always I will be posting pictures of this tea and others to my Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram (official_karatics)
See you for the next cuppa!
Kara
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type:Ā Green Tea
Where to Buy: Wendigo Tea Co.
Description:
I am Wendigo Green Tea -beholdĀ my beauty and greenness. Imagine picking up the planet Earth and licking a big green part of it in the middle of spring. That is what you can expect out of a glass of my greatness.Ā Once you have tasted my naturally smooth-yet-complex flavors, you will crave nothingĀ otherĀ than to get your hands on more.
My leaves are organically grown, clipped from the highest-quality tea plants, and packaged without any additional flavors or preservatives. Drink me, and you are drinking nature itself.
I am perfect for brand-new tea drinkers, lovers of green tea who want to experience a higher quality than they are used to, and purists seeking something special alike.
You could call me aĀ Premium Grade Pure Organic Japanese Sencha… if you must. But none before me have a taste quite like Wendigo Green Tea.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
