Tea Type:
Black Tea/White Tea Blend, Chai
Where to Buy:
Uniq Teas
Product Description:
Under Creative Commons License: Attribution
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Tasters Review:
If you are a regular reader of ours here at Sororitea Sisters you are aware that Uniq Teas allowed the 3 of us here to blend our own tea and this is mine in the series of 3!
The Tri Pi Chai was the one I blended thru their wonderful service!
You can find this blend here
http://www.uniqteas.com/products/sororiteas-tri-pi-chai#ixzz2DRbhkaPT
It’s made up of:
70% White Chai / 15% Caramelicious / 15% Raspberry
I wanted to do a Chai but not a ‘regular’ chai. I’ve always been intrigued by WHITE Chai’s – I can’t really explain why but I like them and like the tinker with them. This was the very first thought I had when I saw that as an option on their site!
But I also wanted both WHITE and BLACK Teas in them. I didn’t want the black tea to over power the white, tho. BUT…I did want to taste both. Most of the other attempts I have tried with the black and white combined you can’t taste the white…so…fingers crossed!
I also wanted this to be just a little sweet and a tad fruity so that is why I went with a little bit of the caramel and raspberry combo-ed offerings!
I wanted to try infusing this a 1 minute or under FIRST so that is what I did.
Here were my findings:
First…the DRY leaf aroma – right from the tin – smells like white tea, gentle spices, raspberries, citrus, a pinch of sugary and I am chalking that up to the caramel, as well as a little woodsy. It has some interesting yin and yang or masculine and feminine type aromas to it. I like how the opposites seem to attract in this!
This blend – at 1 minute or under – infuses to a medium brown color with a neat copper glow.
To the nose – the liquor smells warming, comforting, mellower, and slightly fruity, floral, and woodsy…all at the same time! WOW! How different…but that is what I was HOPING for!!!
Now the taste…
“Oh…WOW!” were the first two words that came out of my mouth! WHITE TEA! YAY! But there was MORE to it!
It has a nice white tea flavor up front that is mellower but still pushing thru and noticeable. The Chai Spices are subtle and I am ok with that! I didn’t want them to over power! The white tea also provides an interesting floral flavor working with the spices or maybe just a tad more than the spices. The Caramel is also hiding out in the background and does contribute an oh-so-small-hint of sweetness to possibly tone down the floral flavor. More importantly – I think the Caramel assists with the texture and gives it a nice creaminess to the middle of the sip. However, as it continues to cool at room temperature I can taste the caramel more and I like it! I also think the black tea working with the caramel works well, here, again, I didn’t want it to overpower the white and I really don’t think it did. YAY! Also as it cools the Raspberry started to come out to play more and it’s really welcoming and fun! It’s just enough to make you say “What’s that? Fruit!?” So, yeah, I guess I just really wanted this to be complex…but I wanted it to be interesting and diverse, but jive in it’s own certain way. Just like a Sorority I guess. So far…I think this reached those things.
I named this Tri Pi Chai for a few reasons! One being…The SororiTEA Sisters are made up of 3 Tea Lovin’ Sista’s…Liberteas, Azzrian, and myself. We are all different but we all love tea and we all work well together. I also named this Tri Pi Chai to do a little Play on Words to work hand-in-hand with SororiTEA Sisters. Also because I used 3 different offerings Uniq Teas offered.
The more I drink this the more I like it and as it cools the flavors dance around and become more youthful and seem to morph at different temperatures!
I will experiment with this at different temperatures but I am really liking it with a shorter infusion time, so far.
Special THANKS to Uniq Teas for this awesomely-fun opportunity!
Taiwan Jin Xuan Milk Oolong Tea Flavored from Teavivre
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Teavivre
Tea Description:
Different from our Unflavored Taiwan Jin Xuan Milk Oolong Tea, this Flavored Jin Xuan Oolong Tea is produced by adding edible flavoring to accentuate the milk flavor. So the milk aroma of this Flavored Taiwan Jin Xuan Milk Oolong is stronger. It is better for people who like strong milk fragrance.
This Jin Xuan Milk Oolong Tea we selected is imported directly from Taiwan to Fujian, China. This tea meets the most strictly European low pesticide residues standard for agricultural products.
View Quality Safety Analyzing ReportThe flavor used for this Flavored Jin Xuan Milk Tea is from Mane (Shanghai), the branch company of the famous Flavours and Fragrances company “Mane”, which is founded in 1871 in the Grasse area, France.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Taiwan Jin Xuan Milk Oolong Tea Flavored from Teavivre is creamy, soothing, and delicious, just what I want in a milk oolong! I really quite enjoy this tea for its creamy goodness. While I love Teavivre’s unflavored version this version provides a bit more sweetness, almost a caramel note.
I typically enjoy a darker roasted oolong as a rule however now and then I prefer something on the green side of oolongs. This is a nice departure with more vegetal notes, and buttery goodness!
Some have said this reminds them of a cream cheese frosting more than milk and I tend to agree with that assessment. There is something so intriguing about this tea flavor that it is really difficult to describe and has to be experience for yourself. Now with that said, its not too sweet, its not sappy or cloying, so don’t be afraid to give it a go if you are not one who appreciates sweeter teas. Its not even the kind of sweetness one would get from tea with honey or maple notes. The sour cream frosting flavor really isn’t all that sweet, but there is some sort of bite to the milkiness, or just a hint at a sour note that keeps me trying to dissect it. You see the more I attempt to describe this tea the worse I feel I make it sound. Its not sour like sour milk where one’s mind may naturally go to considering it is a milk flavored tea right? But its not like that either. There is nothing off putting about this tea whatsoever. Its very soothing, very mellow, very relaxing, sedating almost.
For me it brings back childhood memories of my great great grandmother’s milk toast she used to feed me when I was little especially when I had tummy aches. I still love milk toast and I love this tea.
Jade Oolong from The Mountain Tea Company
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: The Mountain Tea Company
Tea Description:
Our Jade Oolong is a light-medium bodied tea that yields a buttery, pale-green liquor. We taste strong notes of cream and sweet corn.
Very well known among tea drinkers this semi-oxidized tea from the mountainous region of Nantou, Taiwan has a delightful flowery aroma, brisk flavor, smooth body, and fruity finish, all of which combine to make this a pantry stocker.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Ohhhh Yes!! This is one of those teas that makes me realize how far I have come as a tea drinker. I remember not too long ago I began my loose leaf journey somewhat haphazardly. I was rather lucky to start off with some really good loose leaf teas but stumbled across a few that were subpar. Along my journey I have went up a few hills and down a few hills, but at the summit of this Mountain Tea is where all good things are found! A tea like this makes me appreciate how far I have come as a tea drinker and what a truly excellent tea experience feels like. Yes, feels like, not just tastes like. A truly excellent tea will make you feel something, be it excited, or refreshed, or soothed, some emotion accompanies the tea drinking experience, and sipping this tea is an experience.
Jade, from The Mountain Tea Company, is a delight! Fresh and refreshing, yet buttery and soothing. Vegetal green notes with the essence of steamed corn on the palate are some of the flavors that just spring forward. The after taste is lingering and delicious. There is somewhat of a high or tea drunk feeling that sneaks in rather quickly with this one. Things just slow down around you. I find myself not quite so annoyed by my doggies incessant barking at the neighbor’s dog, not quite so bothered by the television blasting noise from the other room, not quite so anxious. Through all that noise I rather am picking up on the birds chirping happily outside, the sun is streaming into the house more brightly, and I just feel peaceful.
Isn’t it amazing how this little leaf, from a simple plant, can make something so delicious? I am often bewildered, astounded, that these leaves can be so different, give off such rich flavors, so many varieties to delight us. It makes me want to start steeping everything green I find! I realize that may sound strange, or make no sense, but tea just amazes me. This tea amazes me.
As the tea cools the flavors become a little stronger and there is an almost numbing sensation in the mouth from a herbaceous note. The mouthfeel is lightly creamy. There are subtle notes of peach, somewhat on the bitter side, but enjoyable. A bit like a peach that is not quite ripe enough to be eaten yet but temping nonetheless. There is a subtle sweetness as well somewhat like honey but not cloying. A nutty note plays around but disappears quickly, lingering fresh asparagus, dandelion, and fresh flower notes prevail.
This is a light roast oolong that is tightly rolled and when steeped unfurls into lovely tips with two leaves. Quite beautiful.
Tea like this is why I drink tea!
Tie Guan Yin Iron Goddess Oolong from Teavivre
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Teavivre
Tea Description:
Tie Guan Yin tea is a type of Oolong tea, and is – deservedly – one of the most revered and sought after type tea in China. Sometimes also written as Ti Kuan Yin or Iron Goddess Oolong Tea. Apart from its amazing taste, this tea also has great health benefits, being high in amino acids, vitamins and antioxidants.
more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Lord this tea smells so very good! That is in the dry leaf state! Don’t even get me started on the steeped leaf! I am weak in the knees at the aroma of this tea.
It has almost a brown sugar, or maple like essence. Oh my!
When steeped however it also develops some more notes such as floral, but not overly so, and vegetal, but again its not so vegetal that those who are not fond of green tea would be turned off.
To me, the predominant notes are of dessert-y, baked good aromas.
This is a tea that not only can be steeped many times, but deserves to be steeped many times! Having a gong fu session is best with this type of tea as each steep releases different notes, different characteristics, different elements trapped within the tea. It is our duty to release each and every one to be enjoyed fully.
Now it is no secret that I adore Teavivre teas but this specific tea is one of my favorites from them.
The first steep provides a light infusion of crisp floral and vegetal notes that are only slightly buttery. There is a slight yet noticeable lime note in this infusion but it is not tart, just juicy and bright. The lingering after taste is that of steamed greens, almost a celery flavor, very fresh from the market tasting.
Now if you are not using a gaiwan or yixing pot be sure you are using a large enough brew basket as these leaves really expand, a lot! Seriously, lol even my Gaiwan was a bit too full with this leaf! This however is not a bad thing.
Steep two is very similar to the first steep, however providing a slightly more buttery and nutty flavor. The mouthfeel is also slightly thicker and heavier. Drinking this tea makes me want to reach for some butter cookies. It just seems to be the perfect pairing! I only wish I had some.
Steeps three and four are where the flavor profile really begins to shift, with new notes emerging. There is a fruity essence coming forth and that all to well known to me flavor that most all oolong have is really forefront. A flavor that is difficult to describe and only those who have sipped a good oolong can understand.
Oolong is my favorite type of tea. I love the earthiness of it similar to puerh, the sweet vegetal notes like that of green tea, the fruity notes that you can find in many teas types, the boldness of a black. With the delicate nature of a yellow or white tea, with distinct flavor notes all of its own. Everything I love about all other teas can be found right here in an oolong, and this oolong is top notch.
Steeps three and four become more buttery with a more rich mouthfeel, savory from herbaceous notes, the floral has relaxed a little but is still an undertone to the cup. The vegetal is not as strong either but is replaced by a nuttier flavor yet in the after taste evolves again! I will get at least two more if not three or four more steeps out of this leaf and I look forward to each one!
Such a delightful, expressive cup.
Sencha de Miyazaki, Oku Yutaka Tea from Thes du Japon
Tea Type:
Green Tea
Where To Buy:
Thes du Japon
Product Description:
A fine normal steamed sencha from Miyazaki. Purity and mellowness are the words that describe this delicious tea with an excellent price-quality ratio.
Tasters Review:
I always LOVE a good Sencha. But lately I have really enjoyed steamed teas. Put the two together and you get this little gem!
Upon first sniff this smells like pure spinach.
The product description says this is “pure” and “mellow”…well, I disagree with the MELLOW description…I think it’s very hardy…and I think this is a wonderful thing! It’s grassy-green, vegetal, and gives a pretty powerful punch.
I, do really like this…I think it’s a good green…as far as the grassier greens are concerned. I like the steamed aspect, the spinach-like aroma, and the vegetal taste, too!
