Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Steepster Select
Tea Description:
Roasted in small batches, this houjicha comes from exclusive 1st flush leaves and stems. Constant monitoring during production ensures a perfectly balanced sweet (caramel-like) and salty (umami richness) flavor profile. A daily favorite at Steepster!
Taster’s Review:
When I opened the single serving pouch of this Houjicha Ichiban Green Tea from Steepster (the second tea that I’m sampling from my February Steepster Select Box!) I was greeted with a delicious, roasty-toasty scent. I love the aroma of a good Houjicha, it smells so warm and cozy, like comfort food. Houjicha is comfort tea!
And this is an amazing Houjicha! It is sweet and delicious with its warm, toasty nut flavor. Some of the other tasting notes written about this tea suggest a grassy taste, but I don’t get a lot of grassy/vegetative notes from this tea nor can I recall any Houjicha right off hand that I’ve tasted where I’ve experienced a vegetative note. Usually, the roasting of the leaves turns the vegetal notes of the green tea into a nuttier flavor, and that’s what I’m tasting now.
But I do taste a slight buttery quality and hints of chocolate … a very subtle chocolate note that I can’t recall noticing in a Houjicha before. Interesting! And I also do taste a slight “saltiness” to this that accentuates the nutty flavors very nicely. It’s a nice balance between savory and sweet.
This is a mighty fine Houjicha! I’m glad I got to try it!
Learn more about Steepster Select here.
Malabar Estate Java OP Clonal Black Tea from Upton Tea Imports
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Upton Tea Imports
Tea Description:
This selection was harvested at the peak of the summer flavory season. Dark, crepy leaves, combined with gold and silver downy tips produce a dark, clear liquor. The cup has interesting flavor notes and a hint of mahogany wood in the aroma. This is one of the best high-grown Java teas we have seen in years.
Learn more about this tea here.
Learn more about Steepster Select here.
Taster’s Review:
This Malabar Estate Java OP Clonal Black Tea from Upton Tea Imports is the first of the five teas that I’ll be sampling as part of this month’s Steepster Select box. Every month, I receive two individually packaged single serving size of high quality, loose leaf tea of FIVE different teas.
The dry leaf of this tea is beautiful with its dark chocolate-y brown leaves with golden tips. The tea brews up dark in color and rich in flavor.
The tea has a sweet undertone of caramel. I detect notes of malt. It’s a strong, robust sort of tea, one that would make a good first cup of the day. I find that as I sip this tea, I am invigorated. An excellent pick-me-up sort of tea.
Beyond that first impression, I am noticing some complexity. I can taste fruit notes. There are some grape flavors in there, evoking thoughts of wine. And there is a sort of dry, astringent note toward the end of the sip which is similar to what I’d experience with a glass of wine too.
Mid-sip, I notice a slight orange-y note, as if this might be a “blend” with orange rind in it. I can even taste the slight bitterness from the pith of the orange. The orange notes seem to intensify as I continue to sip. Others who have tasted this tea have mentioned a cinnamon note to this, and I get a very subtle, warm cinnamon note that seems to weave its way in and out of the sip.
Overall, a very good cuppa. I’d happily drink this again.
Organic Long Jing #03 from Steepster
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Steepster Select
Tea Description:
Our Long Jing (or Dragon Well) is produced by one of the most respected organic growers in Anhui.
Read other Steepster thoughts on this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I’ve tasted and reviewed a lot of Long Jing (also known as Dragon Well) green teas over the years. And while many of those that I’ve tried taste very similar to others, every once in a while I’ll taste one that sort of “stands out” among the others that I’ve sampled. This Organic Long Jing #03 from Steepster (from my January Steepster Select box!) is one of those Dragon Well teas that stands out.
And what makes me say that? Well, for one thing, just a few moments ago – after allowing the tea to cool slightly – I took a sip and I lightly slapped my lips and murmured “mmm!” Now … I do that from time to time when I taste teas. But, I can’t recall the last time I did that after taking a sip of a Dragon Well.
Like I said, many of my Dragon Well memories sort of melt into one another, like one big Long Jing conglomerate. That doesn’t mean that I didn’t enjoy those other Long Jing/Dragon Well teas – because I did. I enjoyed them immensely. However, as I said in the previous paragraph, every once in a while one just stands out.
What I’m trying to say, very simply, is this: this Long Jing ROCKS!
This is sweet and nutty, and there is a roasted note to it that reminds me of sweet, toasted chestnuts. One of the things I look forward to when the holidays approach is roasting some chestnuts over my roaring fireplace, and eating the shelled chestnuts while they’re still warm. Yum!
Well, that lip-smacking “mmm” moment I mentioned a while ago was from the warm, creamy chestnut taste that I get from this tea. The tasting notes from Steepster state:
Nutty and vegetal with hints of baked earth.
And yeah, I’m getting that “baked earth” sort of flavor, as well as the vegetative tones that are reminiscent of lightly buttered lima beans. But it’s the nutty flavors of this tea that really does for me. So sweet and delicious.
A really, REALLY good Long Jing!
Crème Brulee Black Tea from Simple Loose Leaf
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Simple Loose Leaf
Tea Description:
This luxurious tea is almost as fun to drink as it is to crack the crust of the famed dessert. A crisp black tea balances the creamy, caramel-like flavour of Crème Brulee for a delectable cup of tea, perfect for an after-dinner treat. This creamy tea is best served hot.
Learn more about this tea here.
Learn more about Simple Loose Leaf’s NEW Selection Club subscription program here.
Taster’s Review:
My fifth installment of my customized subscription with Simple Loose Leaf arrived the other day! It’s a happy mail day whenever there’s tea in the mailbox! And I was really looking forward to this package from Simple Loose Leaf because I had a feeling that I’d love this Crème Brulee Black Tea from Simple Loose Leaf Black Tea!
I’m sure I’ve probably mentioned this once or twice on this blog: crème brulee is my favorite dessert. I’ve tried a few different teas that have attempted to capture the flavors of crème brulee and some have been pretty successful at bringing the decadent flavor of the dessert to the teacup.
This one is really good! I can taste the creamy, smooth flavors of vanilla intertwined with the robust notes of black tea. These two distinct notes seem to swirl together and are present throughout the sip. The tea is strong, slightly malty, and has some distant fruit notes that are especially discernible in the aftertaste.
And then there is a caramel-y taste to this that tastes very much like the caramelized sugar that is browned on top of a crème brulee custard. All that’s missing here is that crackle of the crispy sugar crust! This tea is incredibly YUM!
Before I posted this review, Simple Loose Leaf got in touch with me to tell me about their new “Selection Club” subscription. Here is some information about this subscription:
The Selection Club is the only member curated Tea of the Month Club. Each month Simple Loose Leaf assembles a menu of 5 unique teas (a traditional green, a traditional black, a white, a oolong or pu’er, and a flavored tea) for our club member’s consideration. From this menu each member selects the two teas they want included in their next box of tea. Alternatively members can select to receive a half-weight sample of each of the 5 teas. Simple Loose Leaf also includes a list of the teas being featured on the next month’s menu and each member gets to select one of these 5 teas and we include a free 6 gram sample of the selected tea.
This allows you to try more teas each month, but you still get to customize your experience! Sounds pretty awesome, right? Well, I’ve got some more awesomeness for you! Use this code: SISTERSELECTION25 and 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.
I really like this company. They are very accessible! They respond to email inquiries in a VERY timely manner, and as I’ve mentioned before, they go above and beyond to make their customers happy! And they’ve got yummy teas too! Sounds like a winning combination to me.
Genmai Hojicha from Sara’s Tea Caddie
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Sara’s Tea Caddie
Tea Description:
A variation on two classic Japanese green teas: Genmaicha and Hojicha. With this blend you get the sweetness and buttery popcorn of a genmaicha and the toastiness of a roasted hojicha. Savoury and sweet, nutty and smooth. This tea is a perfect warming green tea for winter weather.
Learn more about this blend here.
Learn more about subscribing to Amoda’s Monthly Tea Tasting Box here.
Taster’s Review:
It’s a happy day when I go out to the mailbox and find my monthly Amoda Tea box in there! But I have to admit that when I opened my Amoda Box this month, I was a little disappointed. There was a repeat of a tea that we’ve had from Amoda in the box before: Minty Winter Wonderland from Tiesta Tea. I mean, sure, the tea is tasty. I enjoyed it last winter when it was part of December 2012’s box. But I subscribed to Amoda Tea to experience new teas, not to be reintroduced to teas that I’ve already tried. So I’m hoping that this isn’t going to be a trend on the part of Amoda Tea.
But, I am glad that this month’s box also included a packet of Genmai Hojicha from Sara’s Tea Caddie. This is a really tasty Genmai. I love the way the sweetness of the toasty Hojicha brings out the sweet, toasted rice flavor.
In a “typical” Genmaicha, the bittersweet grassy tones of the Sencha (or Bancha) are softened and sweetened by the addition of toasted rice. Here, the sweet, roasted flavor of the hojicha is compounded by the toasted rice – creating a deeper roasty-toasty flavor that is sweet and a little bit buttery.
It is a warm, cozy kind of flavor that is comforting when served hot, and very relaxing and refreshing when served chilled. I found that the toasty notes still came through nicely with the iced version – I liked that. When served iced, it’s especially tasty with a drizzle of honey!