Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Octavia Tea
Tea Description:
This is sweet and creamy with decadent caramel. It’s certainly rich with flavour, but balanced out enough by the profile of the dark oolong that you can enjoy every last sip without getting overwhelmed. The oolong lends an amazing roasted character that blends perfectly with the hazelnut.
Learn more about this tea here.
Learn more about subscribing to Amoda’s Monthly Tea Tasting Box here.
Taster’s Review:
Oh … yum! This Caramel Toffee Flavored Oolong Tea from Octavia Tea is so good, and as I’m sipping on this tea and writing this review, this song came on my Pandora Radio – a perfect tune for this tea experience!
I had high expectations going in to this tea experience. With a tea called “Caramel Toffee Oolong,” well, it better be good, right? And it is.
The caramel/toffee notes are very well-defined and they meld so beautifully with the dark Oolong. The Oolong has a slightly smoky character that complements the toffee. It’s a sweet, smooth and silky Oolong. I typically find that darker Oolong teas have more of a fruity character than a floral one, and that is true of this tea base.
The caramel and toffee bring a sweet flavor and a hint of bitter burnt sugar taste to the cup. The natural nutty tones of the Oolong are enhanced with the notes of hazelnut flavoring, creating a very delicious, dessert-y sort of flavor that would make a great next-to-no calorie substitution for something fattening. It tastes like it should be naughty but it isn’t.
A truly decadent and delicious tea treat – I’m glad that this one was in my Amoda Tea Tasting Box for this month!
Master Han’s 2013 Sheng Pu-er Tea from Verdant Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Pu-erh
Where to Buy: Verdant Tea
Tea Description:
Beautifully complex, this young pu’er is creamy with citrus notes and a floral finish. Steep small and short infusions up to 10 times and experience this tea transforming on your tastebuds. Starting sweet, this brand new pu’er develops woody and nut characteristics. Enjoy the bright astringency of this tea as it layers over each steeping.
Learn more about this tea here.
Learn more about subscribing to Amoda’s Monthly Tea Tasting Box here.
Taster’s Review:
Yeah, I’m really behind on the February teas from my Amoda Tea Tasting Box! I’ve already received my box for March, and I haven’t finished sampling the teas from February! This Pu-er Tea from Verdant Tea – Master Han’s 2013 Sheng – is the last from my February box.
I guess it just goes to show how I tend to procrastinate when it comes to pu-erh teas. And I really shouldn’t, because I have enjoyed most of the pu-erh teas that I’ve tried in the last couple of years. After learning the proper way (or at least the proper way for ME) to brew a pu-erh, I’ve come to appreciate a good pu-erh. And this one from Verdant is a good one!
Then again, I can’t think of a time when I’ve been disappointed by Verdant Tea!
This pu-erh is quite special. The aroma is not at all what I’d expect from a pu-erh. Usually, I detect some earthy notes – even from a young Sheng – but, all I smell here is a strong vegetative note that falls somewhere between kelp and steamed spinach.
After a quick rinse, the first infusion was steeped for 1 minute. Normally, I would go for just 30 – 45 minutes, but, I got distracted and it steeped for a full minute. This cup was light and refreshing! Sweet! It has a creaminess to it that I don’t recall ever experiencing with a pu-erh tea. There is a distant nutty tone to this, and a crisp, bright citrus note.
My second cup (also infused for 1 minute) has a stronger flavor. There is a slight floral note to this cup – again, not a flavor I’d usually associate with a pu-erh – and it is somewhat sharp. This cup is less creamy and delicate than the first was. I can also taste the woodsy notes start to develop and the distant nutty tone start to emerge.
Subsequent infusions brought those woodsy notes forward, and the warm, sweet nutty flavors were more pronounced. The citrus notes were still present in the third cup, but by the fourth cup, I couldn’t find them without really focusing on the flavors swirling around on the palate. The fruit notes seem to have melded with the other notes. The same is true of the creamy notes that I noticed in the first two cups.
Most of the flavors started to taste more mellow and unified with the third cup and this seemed to continue with the infusions that would follow. The floral notes were delicate in the third cup, but I really enjoyed their presence. I liked the slight sharpness and the contrast it brought to the cup.
Despite my misgivings about having a Pu-erh in my Amoda Tea box for February … I really enjoyed this. I shouldn’t have been so apprehensive – it is, after all, a tea from Verdant Tea!
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!
Wuyishan Black Tea from Steepster
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Steepster Select
Tea Description:
A rare and innovative black tea from Fujian, China. Sweet and smooth with notes of caramel and sour cherry. Unlike traditional black tea, our Wuyishan Black is made from oolong varietals. This unorthodox method imbues our Wuyishan with complex fruit aromatics and a deep flavor that reveals itself through multiple infusions.
Read other Steepster thoughts on this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This Wuyishan Black Tea from Steepster is AWESOME! Of the five teas that were featured in December’s Steepster Select box, this one is definitely my favorite. I love the smoky tones to this, as well as the caramel-y undertone and the hints of fruit in the background.
I steeped this tea twice. The first infusion was rich and full-flavored. It tasted and felt smooth as it washed over the palate. A nicely round tea. The second infusion was also delightful. I found the second infusion to be less astringent, but the flavors of the tea were all intact. The second cup was more flavorful, smoother and even more delicious than the first – so it’s definitely worth the effort to resteep this tea!
I found that slurping this tea was important to aerate the tea before it hit the palate. While slurping may not sound really “polite” depending upon whose company you are keeping, it definitely improves a tea experience by allowing all the flavors in the drink to be enjoyed.
The sip begins with a smoky tone. I like the way the smoke comes through in this tea – it is smoky but not overly so. Then I notice notes of fruit that are both sweet and sour, and I like the way these notes contrast with the smokiness. The aforementioned caramel-y undertones are there from start to finish, but, I notice them less at the start and as the sip progresses, the caramel flavors develop.
A very rich and satisfying tea – this is a tea that I’d recommend to any tea connoisseur, or even a tea novice for that matter! This is a tea that everyone should try!
This tea was wonderful and made the first Steepster Select box worthwhile – and I enjoyed the other four teas too! But this one is the standout for me. It’s especially nice when served with a dark chocolate bar. (Then again, what isn’t better when served with chocolate?)
Have you signed up for Steepster Select yet? If not, you really should!
Nantou Four Seasons Oolong Tea from In Pursuit of Tea
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.