teakruthi is a company that focuses on Ceylon teas. Personally, I did not think I was a fan of Ceylon teas since I always found them to be rather tannic and astringent. However, teakruthi was wonderful and shared generous samples of their teas in exchange for honest reviews. I have tried several of their teas now and I am happy to report that they have really changed my outlook on Ceylons. While I have not loved all of their teas, some have been quite enjoyable. In the enjoyable category is a blend called Two Seasons.
Two Seasons is one of a few blends that teakruthi carries as their focus is mostly on plain teas. Two Seasons is a mix of Pure Ceylon Black tea, Flowery Broken Orange Pekoe (FBOP), ginger root, and peach. I steeped the tea per teakruthi’s recommended steeping parameters: 3 minutes in 95C water.
Drinking the tea, Two Seasons definitely seems like a fitting name. It’s got warming ginger notes that are flavorful but not very spicy and to balance that, it has a soft fruitiness from the peach. As such, the tea captures both flavors that represent Winter and Summer. The flavors are present but mild which allows the full/medium-bodied base to come through as well. The base tea is floral, which the peach plays off nicely. Also, It can be a touch astringent at the end of the sip but not overly so.
This tea is a nice bridge between flavored and unflavored teas. While it definitely has flavoring to it, it’s not overwhelming which allows you to appreciate the base tea as well. Softer flavoring also means you are less likely to tire of it quickly, which makes this easy to drink over and over again.
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: teakruthi
Description
Mild in flavour, the high- and medium-grown black tea perfectly supports the delicate flavour infusion of ginger and peach. Hand-selected from the Sri Lankan wetlands on which it grows, the ginger in this tea boasts a subtle spiciness that harmonises with the flavour of the black tea. The sweet flavour of peach brings balance and peace to the spiciness of the black tea and ginger blend. Brewing to a deep copper in your cup, this tea is brimming with a tantalising blend of spicy, floral, and woody notes that are exclusively designed to exhilarate your taste buds while bringing peace to your mind.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Pre-Ming Dragonwell /Mei Mei Tea
A few years ago had you had asked me if the time of year matters for when you plucked a leaf I would have shrugged my shoulders. But once you really delve into the world of tea it’s amazing what you will learn.
Pre-Ming for example is any tea harvested before a specific date, this being the Qing Ming festival. In this year of the Dragon 2020, the festival falls on April 4th.
These teas are usually considered higher quality. I could go on forever about this but go look it up and you’ll see what I mean. Once you do you’ll understand a bit more about why I am excited to drink this tea.
Without further ado and because I can’t stand sitting here any longer staring at this package, let’s steep!
The dry aroma is very slight. Maybe because this is only a small sample. But have no fear the wet aroma is fantastic.
Sweet, grassy, with some hints of indistinct florals. The liquid is silky on the tongue. Oh heavens that is nice. Slight astringency with overwhelming (in a good way) grass and hay notes.
This is the first time I’ve done a dragonwell Gong fu style and I must admit it is tough. But so worth it. Oh unique! With the second steeping, I am getting an aroma of asparagus. The flavor remains the same. Maybe a bit more grassy then before.
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Mei Mei Tea
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
photo/logo credit: Mei Mei Tea
Ashmanra tries a GABA Oolong. . . Sparrow/Whispering Pines Tea
I have been wanting to try a GABA oolong for a long time and finally had the chance! GABA tea is supposed to be very supportive when dealing with stress. Who doesn’t have a bit of that?
I love that many of the teas from Whispering Pines are named for the memory or feeling they evoke, or for nostalgic places they bring to mind.
This is a listed as a heavily oxidized oolong. Don’t you love how much variation there is in oolong tea? They can be green or dark, smokey or floral, sweet or savory. But this doesn’t come out dark or smokey. It is golden grain-like.
I did not give this a rinse as I wanted to enjoy every drop. I made this in a gaiwan and timed it as the company recommends. The leaves expanded into beautiful, large leaves.
I used a scent cup because I want to fully experience this tea. The aroma in the scent cup is creamy grain, lightly savory, vegetal, and then…CHOCOLATE! More like melted milk chocolate bar than cacao, I suppose because of the creaminess.
The tea has a round mouthfeel with medium body. The flavor is cream and grain, and strongly reminds me of an olive leaf tisane I drank a few years ago. This is a most unusual oolong, unlike any I have tried!
Although the package gives instructions for three steeps, I kept it going for six. I extended the steeping time each steep until it reached five minutes and held it there. It never grew bitter or sour, but kept the same characteristics as the first steeps with a little lighter flavor.
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Whispering Pines Tea
Description
This heavily oxidized GABA oolong is bursting with rich aromatics and a super complex body! First impressions are of chex mix and chocolate, and it actually strongly reminds me of a baked chocolate chex mix that my mom makes sometimes. Other notes are a tartness almost akin to cherry and some slight spice in the finish. Really active mouthfeel and a creamy sweet finish! One of my go-to’s recently, Sparrow is also one of the best cost/value ratio teas I’ve come across.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Steeping Notes on GABA Oolong/Wang Family
Often times while drinking a new tea I like to have a session where I won’t read the companies description of flavor and aroma to avoid the influence.
But this one has been stumping me.
Sweet potatoes. Not a yam, do not confuse the two as many stores do. They are quite different.
Anyway, the dry aroma is very slight. Somewhat fruity, kinda creamy. Wet aroma reminded me of buttered noodles a few times but more often it is vegetal. And then the mysterious flavor of sweet potatoes in the golden liquid. It’s smooth on the tongue. Creamy but also has unique woodsy accents.
Mahogany maybe?
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Wang Family Tea
Description
Dry leaves are dark brown, and smell like dried fruit. This tea brews up a bright golden-yellow color. First round of brewing has a flavor and aroma that is reminiscent of roasted sweet potatoes. It tastes soft and mellow, and the aftertaste is lightly sweet. The second round brews up soft, but very thick. There is a strong GABA aroma in the air. The flavor has become slightly acidic, with a dominant flavor of dried fruit. The third round is fruity, slightly acidic, strongly fruitly, and still retains a hint of roasted sweet potato. The energy of this tea is deeply relaxing.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
“An Afternoon Of Meetings Calls for Pu-erh” Forest Song/Global Tea Hut
An afternoon of meetings calls for a sweet, ripe pu’erh, or at least, that’s how I feel about it.
I grabbed this tea for the first time, and it delivered. I got something rich. Something heavy. Something that could help me beat up the opposition.
This isn’t a fishy or old-tasting or spicy pu’erh. It’s a beautiful older woman. It’s basically a bunch of flowers, wisened with age, kind of tough. Like Olenna Tyrell.
This tea is called “forest song” because — as I discovered on Global Tea Hut’s blog — trees respond to sound. It turns out that plants grow best when they’re exposed to the same sort of pitches as birdsong. Birds are the sign of a healthy forest. So when trees hear those pitches, they grow better.
As nature gets trashed by global warming, deforestation, extinction, etc, the songs of the forest are going to change. And tea production is going to change.
That’s right, guys: our planet’s tea is at risk.
Call Captain Planet.
We’ve gotta fix this.
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Pu-erh
Where to Buy: Global Tea Hut
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
