Tea - Loose Leaf Tea - Ramblings

Archive for September, 2008

Oh, Serenity, how happy I am to have found you! I have several herbal teas that are my go-to night time teas. This one will be joining them soon. I do enjoy a relaxing tea with chamomille at night after I put that 2 year old wrecking ball to bed…lol. Tavalon lists the ingredients for Serenity as chamomille, peppermint, lemongrass, rooibos and vanilla. When I initially read them I was concerned that the peppermint would totally dominate the blend and that the vanilla would be an afterthought if at all detectable.

This one is prepared like a typical herbal–212 water temp and steep for 5 minutes. It brews up to a nice yellow-orange color and smells wonderful. Obviously, peppermint is the dominate scent and taste, but I can also detect some chamomille and vanilla! The lemongrass and rooibos aren’t too prominent for me, but this wonderful. I do like that it has a little rooibos because one can never get enough antioxidants. I tasted this one both with and without a little sugar and could drink it either way. I also love having a bit of peppermint with my night time tea as it is naturally soothing to the tummy and it leaves your mouth feeling clean. However, for me it is that hint of vanilla that makes this tea special though. It is a little subtle but makes it even more soothing and delicious.

I could stand for this to have a touch more vanilla and may add a bit of vanilla rooibos to the concoction so that I can have it. However, I just love this and am pleased that I think I can still get two more cups from my sample! I suspect this one will be a regular in my tea stash. It is a tiny bit pricey unless you order it in larger quantities so I am gonna hurry and place my order while that 20% discount for Teaviews readers is still available! If you are seeking a good night time herbal with rooibos, then you should too!

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Laura
Teaviews.com Reviewer

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Teavana’s Formosa Nut Oolong is one of those teas that, based on its online description and appearance, had me beyond excited to sample. Teavana describes the blend as “A complex combination of Chinese and Taiwanese oolong teas with sweet fruity and nutty overtones from apples, pistachios, almonds, and candied violet flowers”. My first reaction to this description was: “Candied violet flowers?????” Sure enough, when I received my sample, the candied violet flowers were the visual star in this sample. Covered in pastel purple sugar, the flowers almost resembled shriveled Peeps marshmallow candies. The blend also contained large pieces of apple, slivered almonds, and pieces of pistachio. The fruit and nut ingredients are all flavors I really enjoy, and I was intrigued by the candied violet flowers, so needless to say I was really looking forward to tasting this tea. I prepared the tea as recommended by Teavana, steeping the tea in sub-boiling water for 3 minutes, although I used a little more than the recommended one teaspoon of leaves. As with many good-quality oolongs, the leaves, when infused, became very large and voluminous. So far, this was looking to be a tasty treat. But, eventually my high expectations gave rise to some minor disappointment. My first sip of this tea produced a very awkward aftertaste, although as I progressed through the cup, the aftertaste became less noticeable. The aftertaste was a sugary-almond flavor, but was just a little too strong. I felt as though rather than melding tea base and flavors together, the oolong tea was first on the palette, followed separately by a general fruit-and-nut flavor. Additionally, I was surprised that the tea seemed watered down, despite my using more than the directed amount of leaves. I never really tasted much of the candied violet flowers…perhaps the sugar contributed to some of the sweet flavors, but I couldn’t really taste any violet notes in the blend. In all, although this tea was certainly drinkable and a bit different than your average oolong, I didn’t love it nearly as much as I thought I would. I think this is one of those teas that sounds good in theory, and whose appearance looks impressive and appealing. But, as many of us have noted before, ultimately, tea is for drinking. If the blend can’t deliver on the flavor, than not even all of the candied violet flowers in the world will redeem it.

In researching and reviewing this tea I learned that Jasmine tea pairs well with Chinese Dim Sum foods such as pot stickers and dumplings, I am going to give that a try the next time I go to a Chinese restaurant.

The jasmine flower aroma came though strongly with the dry leaves but when they were infused, more traditional green tea undertones were presented. You could definitely taste the jasmine in the tea, but the floral notes were kind of flat and had an almost artificial feel to them. It was richer then the average green tea but I had hoped for a fresher authentic jasmine feel. There were some astringent undertones with a little bitterness. It was somewhat refreshing so I decided to try it iced. Unfortunately, when cold, the artificial taste became more pronounced and the tea became bitter - don’t try this. The tea is okay hot, but there are better jasmine green teas out there.

One interesting note: I found that jasmine tea can stay fresh up to three years because of scenting process.

According to Wikipedia, Sencha is a Japanese green tea that is made without grinding the tea leaves. It is first steamed and then the leaves are rolled, shaped, and dried. Finally, after drying, the leaves are fired to aid in their preservation and to add flavor. This tea came packaged in a silky tea pyramid that was very similar to the kind several other companies use. The leaves were a deep green color. I was a little disappointed to see that most of the leaves were not whole. I?m not sure if it is supposed to be that way or if the leaves were broken en route .

There was no detectable aroma from the leaves before brewing. When I added water it instantly became a cloudy, almost neon green color. The taste seemed a bit off. It was too astringent for my tastes. I like my green teas to be much more vegetal than this. A large amount of leaf particles had settled on the bottom of my cup before I even finished drinking. That was a bit of a turn off for me as it reminded me of algae. I would probably not recommend this tea.

I selected this tea to sample because you usually don’t see such an interesting combination of flavors in a white tea. I love tropical flavors, and ginger’s warm bite.

I’ve been thoroughly impressed with Tea Guys thus far, and this tea continues the trend. It smells like papayas and lemons, with honey-like undertones. It’s scent is both uplifting and relaxing.

The papaya flavor is what’s dominant here. I wish the ginger had more of a presence, but it’s there nonetheless, and it gives the tea pleasant depth. Quiet citrus undertones add to this. This tea has full flavor, and is almost like a tropical fruity herbal tea.
I am really pleased with this tea. It’s great hot or iced, sweetened or unsweetened. This is a great blend for summer, refreshing and bright. This one is a keeper for me.

Caramel Rooibos is one of my favorite dessert teas. My first experience with loose tea was a caramel rooibos and toffee rooibos mixed in a hot drink and I was hooked! Now, it is always in my tea cabinet and is one of things that I don’t ever want to run out of. I have purchased it from a couple of different sources and have kinda started to subscribe to theory that once you had one, you’ve had them all. Mind you, they are all good. However, out of curiosity, I decided to compare TeaGschwendner’s version to my current supply to see if there are any negligible differences.

TeaGschwendner’s website lists the ingredients for this cream caramel rooibush as rooibush tea, caramel bits, and natural flavor. My sample did not contain any caramel bits, which is unfortunate. By the way, rooibush is aka rooibos and red tea. The ingredients of the caramel creme rooibos in my personal cabinet were red rooibos, candied hazelnuts and safflowers. Thus, there are some differences between the two.

So I boiled up enough water to steep a cup of each. While I was waiting for the cups to cool I did a sniff test. TeaGschwendner’s has a more of a creamy aroma while my personal stash is that more of a hazelnut aroma. Based on smell alone, I would prefer that of the hazelnut version. Intrigued, I did a side-by-side taste test and thoroughly enjoyed the merits of both versions of the tea.

The difference in the aroma holds true for the taste as well. TeaGschwendner’s is more creamy tasting, almost as if a splash of cream has been added to the cup. The one in my current stash is a bit less creamy and lends itself to more of a hazelnut flavor. Both are delicious–it would just be a matter of your personal preferences, whether that be more for a creamy taste or something that errors on the side of tasting a little like hazelnut. I think my experience with TeaGschwendner’s version would have been further enhanced by having a few of the caramel pieces to melt into the drink. This caused for a small point deduction in my overall rating of the tea.

TeaGschwendner’s Rooibush Cream Caramel is a creamy and delicious cup. I loved every last drop! In case you are wondering, TeaGschwendner’s creamy version of caramel rooibos was my favorite!!! While I didn’t prepare any of my sample this way, the website does indicate that it is great iced–and I have had caramel rooibos cold–Delicious! I can also tell you that this type of tea is great blended with many other teas such as Formosa oolongs, spicy teas, and toffee rooibos to name a few. TeaGschwendner offers free shipping on orders over $35 and I would encourage you to make this a part of your order.

I really don’t understand why this tea didn’t hit all the right buttons for me. Tea and cocoa beans are the ingredients listed and it seemed perfect in its simplicity. I even followed the instructions per the website, adding a splash of milk. But for some reason I cannot pinpoint, it just didn’t jive for me. The only explanation I can think of is that it seems like this tea is trying to be more maté-like and failing.

It was a bit too strong and astringent for me. The cocoa element did nothing to sooth the bitter edge that seeped into the flavor. I like a strong black tea as well as the next person as long as it has that soft quality to it. Had that been the case here, the cocoa would have been a welcome addition. Instead, the two flavors combined to form a bitter brew that was just too robust for my liking.

Not that I found this tea undrinkable; in an emergency I would drink it happily. But as I’ve stated before, no such emergency seems possible due to the large quantities of tea in my cupboard. Therefore, I recommend this tea to those who love a heavy-duty black tea in the morning. It would really be a great substitute for coffee addicts who want to switch from coffee and drink tea. It is a fully-loaded intense morning brew. But for me, I’ll stick to their dainty Afternoon Apricot which is more up my alley.

Were you told not to play with your food when you were a child? Most of us were. I often times think that one reason I love premium oolong teas are because they are so playful. And with teas like this Tiwanese Bao Zhong Oolong from Rishi Tea, taking the few extra steps to “play” with my tea adds to the enjoyment.

I start by examining the dry leaf – twisted and still remarkably green. There is a wide range of leaf sizes from large, whole leaf to dust. There is distinctively floral aroma.

I’m more careful to attend to the temperature of the water that I would be with black teas. Rishi suggests that 1 tablespoon per cup be brewed at 195°F for 3 minutes. But my playfulness kicks in. I double the quantity and cut the time of a first steeping to 1 minute. As you experience more loose-leaf teas, you will naturally want to bend the “rules” and recommendations of the tea companies and tea educators. You will find your own way.
This first quick steeping washes the leaves and begins a gradual restoration of the leaves. In one minute, the color is a light golden green. I pull some of the leaves from the pot to see the partially opened leaves. They are still firm and feel remarkably fresh. This first cup will have more caffeine; subsequent infusions should have less. But I like the whole mouth sensation of this tea and the bit of buzz as my first morning tea. It is sweet without additives and I have no reason to want to add anything to this tea. For someone new to tea who has not developed the taste, a tiny bit of honey might be nice.
The second steeping - same water temperature for the full three – four minutes. I still have more leaves in my teapot relative to the amount of water I’m adding but the liquor remains a lovely golden color. The flavor is a bit smoother and somewhat sweeter to my taste. It is in the second steeping that I appreciate the whole leaf and the choice made by the tea master in the garden to stop the oxidation of the fresh leaf. When I pull the wet leaves from the teapot and flatten them in the palm of my hand, I can observe the delicate pink on the edge of the larger leaves. Some of them are 1.5 inches. And there are also tiny leaves, barely 1/2”.

This is the time when tea becomes play. Spreading some of the leaves out now is when you can actually “read” the leaves. The twists of dry leaf open into different shapes. The bits and pieces of broken leaf cling to the sides of the cup and you can spot shapes much as you would look for recognizable symbols in clouds. At this point, I keep the remaining leaves from the second steeping in the teapot for the rest of the day. They dry out a bit but they are not finished yet. When I return in the evening, they will brew at least one more satisfying cup before I reach into the pot and remove huge handful of fully restored leaves and spread them out on a white plate. Playtime.

Thunderbolt, as I have said before, specializes in Darjeelings so my expectations go up when I try one of their teas. This one was good, but not great. I’m sure a Darjeeling purist would be pleased with it, but it was not to my taste. The dry leaves smelled sweet and light, but when I brewed the tea the aroma reminded me of cooked greens, with buttery notes (maybe I’ve lived in the south too long.) It had a light color and nice whole leaves. The taste was crisp and light, with a little bitterness. It was not a very complex flavor. It did have a nice, full mouthfeel. I know you don’t normally add milk or sugar to a first flush Darjeeling, but I really wanted to give this tea a chance to impress me. It was definitely better without the additives. I am still looking for a first flush Darjeeling that I really love.

The first thing I noticed about my sample of Blue Raven’s Orange Blossom Oolong was that the leaves appeared much thinner and longer than the other oolongs I have tried. I have learned from experience to generally use less oolong leaves than other varieties because they tend to grow so much once water is added. I wasn’t sure if that would be the case with these leaves, but went ahead and prepared using less leaf. The dry leaves have a very light floral scent as well as what seemed to me could have been a very light vanilla aroma. While the leaves themselves did not increase in size like other oolongs, the orange blossoms in the blend did open up into large blossoms that were quite beautiful floating around. As I live in Florida and orange blossoms have caused allergy problems for me in the past, I was quite pleased to find that these orange blossoms did not have the distinct strong scent that I am more used to. I was actually expecting this to be more of a flavored oolong, but in the end, it appeared to be more of a scented oolong along the lines of a jasmine green. The flavor was delicately sweet, very good and all oolong.
I would recommend this tea to anyone who is a fan of the more floral, fruity oolongs as well as to anyone interested in trying oolongs for the first time. The taste is light and sweet and allows you to savor the oolong instead of it being covered up in other flavors while the aroma is quite pleasant and not at all overwhelming.