Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Boutique Teas
Tea Description:
Grown on the highest mountain ranges in Taiwan, Pear Mountain oolong is a lightly oxidized rolled oolong. It brews a light liquid with floral notes and a sweet butter cream finish.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This Pear Mountain (Li Shan) Oolong Tea from Boutique Teas is really delightful!
The aroma of the dry leaf is soft and floral with hints of vegetation. I found the brewed tea to be more fragrant than the dry leaf, the floral notes are very distinct now, although I wouldn’t call them overwhelming or even “strong” … but they do make themselves very obvious to the nose.
As with most Oolongs, I took this one through several infusions, brewing the tea in my gaiwan and combining two infusions in one cup. My first cup (the combination of infusions one and two) is very light in body and taste. The floral notes are sharp but subtle. The finish is soft and smooth. This first cup is a very delicate tasting cup, but, don’t let that scare you off! If you take this tea through its paces, you’ll be rewarded with the next few infusions, I promise you!
My second cup (infusions three and four) offered a stronger flavor than the first, with more pronounced floral notes, and even a hint of fruit in the background. This cup is not as soft but just as sweet as the first cup … perhaps sweeter because the flavors are more defined now. The astringency here is very light … lighter than the first cup.
My third cup (infusions five and six) was almost as equally as strong as the second cup, but the flavors seemed to meld together better with this cup. The floral notes were not quite as sharp and distinguished, and the sweet fruit notes in the background came forward a little more. I tasted a thin, flowery, honey-like sweetness that was quite enjoyable in this cup.
I liked this Oolong quite a bit … I liked the way the dimensions of flavor revealed themselves slowly, in their own time, so that each layer of flavor could be recognized and enjoyed. Another great tea from Boutique Teas!
Organic Putharjhora Green Leaf from Supple Skin Boutique
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Supple Skin Boutique
Tea Description:
The liquor has a typical lively India green tea taste. Front of the pallete flavor. The word means ‘stone streams’. Putharjhora is in the plains beneath the hills of Darjeeling, India. The Putharjhora gardens are famously home to the wild elephants.
Learn more about this green tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I’ve had this two times now, the first time I brewed it, I brewed it at 175°F and for just 1 minute 30 seconds. That’s my usual “go-to” brew parameters for green teas, so I went with that. But, really, the flavor was very lacking. I was worried I had a bad batch or something. But, I didn’t give up on it, and today, I changed the parameters a bit: 160°F and a steep time of 3 minutes 30 seconds. This has made all the difference in the world!
The flavor is not just there now, but, it’s REALLY there. The difference between the two cups is like night and day! Apples and oranges! All those other cliched comparisons.
This has a very soothing quality to it. It is a very green tasting tea – that is to say, it has a grassy tone to it, but not a bitter grass taste. More like a savory grass taste, with a lovely sweet undertone. There is hints of raw spice – gentle, not spicy. Like green peppercorns or something. I also taste a slight woodsy taste to this, and a floral note. The fruity tones start off really soft – almost indistinct! But as I continue to sip, I notice the fruit flavors developing.
There is a nice astringency to this toward the finish, leaving the palate feeling clean. The aftertaste is slightly vegetative and sweet. This one is great iced too! As the tea cools, the flavors become really smooth and unified – slightly buttery taste and texture, smooth vegetative taste that is less grassy now. Overall, a very refreshing cuppa.
I guess it just goes to show you, if you are disappointed by that first cup of a new-to-you tea, don’t give up on it. Try it again, try adjusting the parameters somewhat and you may end up with a very satisfying cup of tea!
Red Bush Tea (Rooibos) – Fair Trade & Organic – from Supple Skin Boutique
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: Supple Skin Boutique
Tisane Description:
Rooibos is caffeine free, rich in naturally occurring trace elements, and contains healthy amounts of Iron, Magnesium, Potassium, Fluoride, Manganese, Zinc, Calcium, and Vitamin C. It also contains fair amounts of alpha-hydroxy acid, which is known to promote healthy skin.
Learn more about this tisane here.
Taster’s Review:
I have mentioned several times the fact that I’m not a particular fan of plain, unflavored rooibos. That being said, I have found a significant difference in flavor between organic and conventionally grown rooibos, and I prefer organic. In fact, while I do not usually enjoy unflavored, conventionally grown rooibos, I actually do enjoy unflavored, organic rooibos.
And, apparently, the consumption of rooibos is good for one’s skin, due to the fact that the South African herb contains alpha-hydroxy acids. And that is a good reason to start drinking more rooibos… so if I am going to drink it, I want to enjoy it! And I am enjoying this. It’s not my favorite, but, it is tasty and a nice tisane to enjoy later in the evening, when I’m trying to limit my caffeine intake, as it’s a naturally caffeine-free tisane.
This unflavored rooibos from Supple Skin Boutique is nice, with a woody undertone and a pleasantly sweet, nutty overtone. The “funky sweet aftertaste” that I sometimes mention when I write about rooibos is not as prevalent with this organic rooibos as it is with the conventionally grown rooibos, which is why I tend to prefer the herb to be organically grown.
A tasty way to achieve a healthy glow!
Cacao Nibs from Supple Skin Boutique
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Tisane
Where to Buy: Supple Skin Boutique
Product Description:
Cacao beans and nibs contain a number of components that have been proven beneficial in research. Many of these constituents are destroyed or lessened by processing (i.e. milk chocolate is not as healthy as dark chocolate which is not as healthy as unprocessed cacao). For this reason health practitioners recommend that anyone interested in eating cacao for its health benefits use raw, unprocessed cacao beans and nibs rather than processed chocolate.
Taster’s Review:
Mmm … chocolate! And it really doesn’t get more chocolate-y than this, does it? This is pure, unprocessed cacao!
I didn’t steep this as recommended on the Supple Skin website, instead, I reached for my Libre Mug, and put the cacao nibs in the main chamber of the mug, added the boiling water and tightened the filter lid on the mug. As the mug sits here in front of me, the nibs continue to steep. The pure cacao flavor continues to intensify as I sit here sipping it!
The flavor is indeed intensely chocolate. It has a sweet, creamy chocolate-y taste, but there is a pleasant bitter chocolate flavor to it too. But this isn’t the kind of chocolate taste you can find in a typical chocolate bar, because it has that raw aspect to it too. If you’ve tried a raw chocolate bar (I’ve recently discovered these at my local Whole Foods market), you’ll know what I’m talking about. It also has an almost “powdery” taste to it that is especially noticeable in the finish and early aftertaste, a taste that is similar to unsweetened powdered cocoa.
Pure, chocolate-y deliciousness!
And don’t forget about the Special Groupon/Supple Skin Boutique offer! Click on the link for more details … and if you hurry, you might still be able to get in on the free sample offer just for our readers! Use the coupon code teareviewer and receive a free sample of Organic Oolong along with your Supple Skin Boutique order using the Groupon discount! Savings PLUS free tea? Yay!
A Special Offer from Groupon & Supple Skin Boutique!
As most of you probably already know, here at SororiTea Sisters, we are all about reviews of all things tea. But, sometimes, something special crosses our desk that we just have to share with our readers…
We have reviewed several teas from Supple Skin Boutique, like their Chai (mmm… warm and inviting!), their Japanese Sencha (sweet with a light, buttery tone), and many others.
Well, apparently we aren’t the only ones who have noticed that Supple Skin Boutique has some pretty amazing teas! Groupon has, and right now Groupon subscribers in Houston can receive a 50% discount ($16 worth of teas for just $8!) on Supple Skin Boutique’s awesome teas. But, why should Houston get all the fun?
To our loyal readers, we are offering you the chance to get in on this special savings too! And… here’s a special incentive that is available to ONLY our readers: Order this special offer from Groupon, and when you place your order with Supple Skin Boutique using this discount, add the coupon code: teareviewer. The first 50 readers who use this code will receive (absolutely free!) an additional sample (.5 ounces) of their Organic Oolong!
Savings PLUS free tea? See? It pays to read our blog!
This offer is available to the first 50 readers who use the special coupon code along with the Groupon discount. Don’t forget to use the coupon code: teareviewer for your free Organic Oolong! Hurry, the Groupon offer expires on October 31, and the free sample of Organic Oolong is available to only the first 50 who use the coupon code!