Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Buddha Teas
Tea Description:
Over the years, many different varieties of oolong tea have been produced, each with their own style and flavor, however traditional oolong tea remains the most popular among these.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I had my doubts about this tea before I sat down and started writing about it. I mean, it’s an Oolong in a bag. I think I’ve mentioned how I feel about that at least once on this blog. But, I decided that I’d go into this experience with an open mind.
The box says that this is
A pleasantly aromatic brew known as the “Four Seasons” tea.
Based on my impressions of the first cup of tea – which surprisingly disappeared before I had a chance to type out what I thought of it! Yeah … it’s pretty tasty! – but even though it WAS pretty tasty, it didn’t taste to me like a “Four Seasons” Oolong. At least, it wasn’t like any Four Seasons that I’ve had in the past. Those teas were always a ‘greener’ type of Oolong, with stronger floral and vegetal notes.
This reminded me more of a Formosa Oolong. It was slightly toasty and warm, with more fruity notes than floral. I didn’t notice a vegetal tone. This was earthy and nutty. So I thought, huh? Maybe I did something wrong.
So, the next day, I decided to start again. I grabbed a new teabag, and this time, I decided to do something that I usually do with loose leaf Oolong teas but not something I usually do with any teabags: I “rinsed” the leaves. I did a quick rinse of the teabag – 15 seconds – and then I steeped the bag for 3 minutes.
Again, I’m getting that warm, toasty, nutty flavor that I’d find from a Formosa Oolong. Or perhaps a Da Hong Pao with it’s roasty-toasty nuts and background notes of smoke. But I’m certainly not tasting the flavors that I usually associate with a four seasons Oolong.
But that’s not to say that this isn’t a really enjoyable Oolong. This is really tasty! I love the roasty, toasty, nutty flavor profiles. The nut notes evoke thoughts of chestnuts roasting on an open fire. And this is the best time of year for such a treat.
It’s sweet and it has a thick, satisfying mouthfeel. It’s a very enjoyable tea. And since it is an Oolong, I decided that this time, I’d resteep the bag and see how it resteeps.
My second steep of this bag (I added another minute onto the steep time) is just as flavorful as the first. It has a similar profile: I still taste toasty, nutty flavors with hints of smoke, although the smoke has muted somewhat. I’m now also starting to pick up on some fruity tones. I taste hints of sweet peach! I like the way this flavor melds with the warm, nutty flavors.
This is a really nice Oolong – and yes, it’s a bagged Oolong!
Apple Spice Tea from Culinary Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Culinary Teas
Tea Description:
Our Apple Spice Tea takes our apple tea and add a dollop of cinnamon – excellent fireside tea.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
What a lovely autumnal tea, this Apple Spice tea from Culinary Teas. It’s got a rich and flavorful black tea base, deliciously sweet apple notes and warm cinnamon tones. Culinary Teas has captured the essence of autumn in a teacup!
To brew this tea, I used 1 bamboo scoop to 12 ounces of boiling water and I let it steep for 3 minutes. This produced a coppery colored liquid that smells as good as it tastes. The aroma of cinnamon is so cozy and delicious and just beneath the cinnamon I can pick up on notes of apple. Mmm!
The sip starts out sweet and immediately I start picking up on the cinnamon notes. It’s a warm cinnamon. This tastes like the kind of cinnamon that’s in your spice cabinet, not the kind of cinnamon that you’ll find in the candy aisle. You know, those spicy cinnamon gummy bears? Yeah, this doesn’t taste like that kind of cinnamon.
This cinnamon warmly accents the apple, bringing the sweet, juicy flavors of the fruit forward. There are hints of tart to the apple too. It’s more sweet than tart, but there is just enough tartness to offer contrast.
The black Ceylon base is bright and brisk. It’s got a smooth, crisp character. It’s moderately astringent. The aftertaste is clean with mere traces of the cinnamon that had been there during the sip.
This is delicious served hot – it’s a comforting, soothing drink. I drank it straight up, but I think it would take the additions of honey well, and it might be quite delightful with a splash of milk. (A La Mode!) But, I found this tea to be quite nice served iced as well. It would make a refreshing alternative for your holiday beverage.
Taiwan AliShan High Mountain Oolong Tea (Premium Grade) from Cameron Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Cameron Tea
Tea Description:
AliShan is one the famous oolong tea growing areas in Taiwan. Located at altitude of 1500m, the mountain has a rich soil and ideal climactic conditions. The cool climate and moist from daily mists make the plants to grow very slowly and produce tender, flavourful tea leaves and buds.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Not too long ago, I reviewed the Competition Grade of Cameron Tea’s AliShan High Mountain Oolong Tea. According to the website, one notable difference between the two grades is that the Competition Grade has been lightly roasted. And tasting this Premium Grade AliShan, I can say that the roasting definitely does make a difference in flavor.
That doesn’t mean that this one is better nor does it mean that it’s not as good. I really enjoy both! This tea has less of the roasted, nutty flavors that I discovered in the Competition Grade. But I’m tasting more of a creamy note here as well as a floral tone that melds beautifully with the natural vegetal tones of the green Oolong tea.
As I’ve said many times, AliShan is my very favorite type of Oolong. I love the creaminess of the tea and how that almost vanilla-esque note softens the somewhat sharp flowery tones. I love how the two flavors meet on my palate – sweet and sharp – and how they interact with one another. And I love the soft, silky, lush texture of AliShan. I love AliShan so much that I bought a special mug just for AliShan tea!
And this AliShan is simply magnificient.
The dry leaves look very much like what you might expect from a greener Oolong type tea: they’re tightly wound into pellets and they’re a dark, forest green color. They are very aromatic, smelling of flower and vegetable.
I brew these leaves in my gaiwan using 180°F water and short steeps. The first infusion – the “rinse” cycle as I sometimes call it – lasts for just 15 seconds and I strain off the liquid and discard it. This process is often referred to an ‘awakening’ of the tea leaves and it’s something that I think is crucial to ensuring a properly brewed cup of tea.
Then I infused the leaves again, this time for 45 seconds and I strained the liquid into my special Yi Xing “Ali Shan” mug, and I started infusing the leaves again … and again … and again! I added an extra 15 seconds onto each subsequent brew time, and kept on resteeping until my mug was full (this usually takes 5 steeps).
The combination of the first five infusions (following the rinse cycle) is smooth, sweet, and amazingly good. There is sweetness from the floral tones as well as the aforementioned vanilla-like flavors. There is a lightly savory aspect to the flavor from the very faint vegetal tones, although there is definitely more sweet than savory to this cup. It’s like a blanket of sweetness that envelops the palate. Like liquid candy, except that it’s not cloying.
Love this tea!
And I got 2 mugs full of tea from the same leaves. This is a very high quality AliShan, one of the finest I’ve had the opportunity to taste. I highly recommend it to all you Oolong fans out there … and if you love AliShan the way that I do, then you simply must – I said MUST – try this tea!
Well, what are you waiting for? Put it on your must try list now! Once you try it, you’ll be glad you took my advice!
You Had Me At Pekoe Black Tea from Tease
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Tease
Tea Description:
A classic Kenyan black tea in traditional orange pekoe style. Perfect for adding milk &sugar. Equally satisfying iced with your favourite sweetener.
Learn more about July’s Postal Teas shipment here.
Learn more about subscribing to Postal Teas here.
Taster’s Review:
I recently subscribed to Postal Teas – just to check them out. I’m always interested in seeing what other companies out there have to offer, and I especially enjoy subscription services such as this one. I like the idea of a “mystery box” coming my way each month where the teas have been curated with a theme in mind.
So I was really excited when the “One Classy Lady” themed tea box arrived filled with three ‘classic tea staples.’ To be honest, these three teas – A Kenyan Orange Pekoe, a Genmaicha, and a Lapsang Souchong – didn’t really generate a lot of excitement with me because these are teas that I’ve had on more than one occasion (although not from this specific vendor) and I was kind of hoping for a new tea experience.
However, I was happy to find a hand-written note in my box. Here’s what they wrote to me:
Anne,
We’re super excited to have you experience these teas!
We decided to go with some well made classics that everyone should try at least once.
Let us know which is your fav!
-Postal Teas
OK, I understand a little more about why they selected these teas and I’m good with that explanation, because I agree! I think that everyone should try these three teas. Also included in the box was a nifty little 48-page notebook for “tea notes” (and I like that they took the time to write “tea” on this notebook. It’s a little detail, certainly, but I like that it is one that wasn’t overlooked.)
But that’s enough about the box … let’s get into this tea!
When I first read that this is an Orange Pekoe tea, my immediate thought was “oh, another Ceylon.” Not that Ceylon teas are bad, mind you! I love a good Ceylon tea and I’ve discovered MANY wonderful Ceylon teas in the time that I’ve been reviewing teas. Some very surprising Ceylon teas … some Ceylon teas that have changed my original belief about Ceylon. But, I’ve had a lot of Ceylon and I was just hoping for something a little different.
But this isn’t a Ceylon!
It’s a Kenyan Black tea! Now, Kenyan teas, I’ve had quite a few, but far fewer than I’ve had Ceylon teas. And I’m always happy to try a Kenyan black from a tea company I’ve not tried before – and I’ve not tried any teas from Tease, Postal Teas featured tea purveyor this month.
Robust! Full-flavored! Smooth and rich! These are all words I’d choose to describe this Pekoe. It’s rich and malty with a pleasing mouthfeel. It has that sort of “chewy” taste that evokes thoughts of freshly baked bread crust.
Our local grocery store always has fresh French bread – hot and right out of the oven – at the top of the hour in the afternoon. We like to plan our visit to this store around this time of the day so that we can pick up a loaf of the bread to devour in the car after we’ve finished shopping. No butter, no jam … just warm, soft, freshly-baked goodness. My favorite part is the caramelized, crispy-chewy crust … and that’s what this tea reminds me of!
This is an ideal tea to choose for that all-important first tea of the day because it’s bold and has some invigorating GUSTO to it – it will give you that kick you need to get the day started. It also takes well to the additions of milk and honey if you like to add those to your breakfast tea.
As for me, I like this one served straight up. It has a light sweetness to it that is reminiscent of honey and caramel, with lovely floral tones in the distance that accent these sweet notes perfectly. There is a mild, cleansing astringency that readies my palate for the next sip. A really lovely CTC Kenyan.
And despite my first thoughts on the overll package, I have to say that it was a very fun package to receive so I’m going to go with at least one more month from Postal Teas to see what August has in store. So far, I’m enjoying this familiar journey with Postal Teas.
Jasmine Phoenix Pearls from Adagio Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Adagio Teas
Product Description:
Jasmine Phoenix Pearls are perfumy, hand-rolled jewels of tea from Fuding, in Fujian province, China. Any fan of jasmine tea should try this specially crafted wonder. When added to hot water, Jasmine Phoenix Pearls majestically unfurl, releasing their delicate scent and flavor. Also known as ‘Jasmine Dragon Pearls’, their liquor is sweet and almost sugary. Very soft, airy mouthfeel. The delicate quality of the flavor is due in part to the leaves used to produce this tea: two tender, tiny new leaves and one plump unopened leaf bud. Younger leaves will yield softer flavor.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This is a little bit like my revisiting a tea, because I did previously review Jasmine Pearls from Adagio. However, since these are loose pearls, and my review was of Adagio’s sacheted Jasmine Pearls – which were part of Adagio Teas’ lovely Artisan Comfort gift box – I feel like I can get away with revisiting this one.
And as you are probably aware by now (assuming that you’ve been reading my blog regularly!), I adore Jasmine Pearls!
I brewed these pearls in my gaiwan and I combined the first five infusions in my designated especially for Jasmine Tea Yixing Mug. And what a lovely experience these Jasmine Phoenix Pearls from Adagio offer! The jasmine notes are soft and sweet and exotic. The green tea has a fresh, subtle vegetal tone that marries beautifully with the flowery essence that has been imparted onto the tender tea leaves by the jasmine flower.
And the fragrance is heavenly! Every time I lift the lid of my Yixing mug and raise it to my lips, my nose is enchanted by the aroma of jasmine and green tea. It’s so wonderfully perfumed without coming across as something you’d find in a bottle of perfume. It doesn’t come across as something that belongs at a department store cologne counter. It is light, airy … almost like a sweet breeze that has been delicately scented with the flower as it passed through the vines of a jasmine plant. So beautiful!
The sip begins with the sweet notes of jasmine that wash over the palate, and as my taste buds experience the soft floral notes, they start to also pick up on the notes of lush green tea. Not really grassy, and there isn’t a heavy vegetative flavor. Instead it just has a soft “green” sort of flavor. It has a soft, silky texture and there’s a hint of buttery flavor to it. The flavor remains smooth through to the finish, and there’s very little notable astringency. The aftertaste is sweet with floral tones.
A really good Jasmine!