Tea - Loose Leaf Tea - Ramblings

Archive for October, 2008

This is a mellow version of an Earl Grey tea. It has a little less bergamot than the average Earl Grey tea which makes it an excellent brew for Earl Grey nay-sayers to try. The taste is pleasantly smooth, a calmer blend that still has good citrus flavor in the forefront. The floral notes remain in the finish and leave a pleasant aftertaste.

My family and I decided that this was the perfect English tea. We are huge Earl Grey fans it kind of goes with our love of high teas. This tea goes perfectly with scones, tea breads and any number of tea foods. You will enjoy trying a taste of food from the tea tray, a taste of tea, then another taste of a different food. It stands up to milk and sugar well providing a smoothing of the astringency coupled with an enhancement of the bergamot and citrus flavors.

We tried this one iced, which evoked a sweet, vanilla taste that was good, but I would prefer drinking it hot. Try this tea even if you dont like Earl Grey, or if you just want to try something different but still a classic tea.

Kari
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This tea looks pretty in the pot. The long rolled pale to medium green leaves stretch and twist so wildly around each other, a teaspoon or two takes up a lot of space. The leaves are mostly large whole and broken leaves and stems, and the liquid is a light springtime green. The aroma is on the gentler side of other oolongs: slightly brothy, slightly green. The taste is consistent with the scent; this is like oolong Jr. This is a tea to consider if you like your oolongs to taste subtle and light. This is a relatively user friendly tea, thought the oolong scent is unmasked and may be too different for the new oolong drinker to appreciate. For people who are already familiar with oolong and favor strong flavors, this may be too plain to hold their interest.

Numi
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Golden Moon’s Irish Breakfast Special Reserve is a wonderfully blended full bodied black tea. I tend to steep this tea just a bit under 5 minutes. Once steeped, you are getting a deep chocolate color tea. This tea is rich, strong, and packs a nice punch of flavor that can be described as nutty, and bold without the bitterness. This tea has a really smooth taste even though it is very strong, a sign of a high quality tea in my opinion.

I love this tea served without sweetener, as there is a slight sweetness already. When I enjoy this tea, I tend to focus more on the boldness. You could serve this tea with a splash of milk, but I think it tastes best served by itself served piping hot. As this tea cools, you can pick up more of this tea’s sweetness.

If you are fond of teas like Earl Grey or other strong black teas, then I would highly suggest giving Golden Moon’s Irish Breakfast Special Reserve a try. What a way to start your day, or a perfect close to your evening.

Barbara
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This is my first review for a TeaGschwender product, and I was really excited to try Assam Marangi, especially after learning that this tea earned a Best Tea award in the “Black Super” category at the 2008 World Tea Championships. Assams, in general, are wonderful teas for those that enjoy a rich and hearty brew, and Assam Marangi should be no exception. This tea starts out with heavy malty notes, but then also offers some strong fruity endnotes, almost as if it were a Darjeeling on steroids (and I mean that as positively as can be for a steroid accusation). This tea has a really complex flavor profile, and as I worked through my cup, I noticed the appearance of subtle and different flavors. I detected a sweet caramel note which was especially pleasant. The TeaGschwender website mentions the flavor of Brazilnuts. I have to admit that I did not taste a specific Brazilnut flavor, although this tea did have a general nuttiness to it. My only negative comment is that the tea has a bit of an astrigency/bitterness (although some may appreciate the little kick this bitterness provided). I added just a touch of sugar to counteract the astringency and found myself thoroughly enjoying the cup. This is an ideal breakfast tea because it is strong, flavorful, and packs a punch. This tea tends towards the pricier side (about $25 for 100 grams), but justifiably so since it is clearly a high-quality tea. Because of the cost, this tea is probably not an everyday tea for the average person, but rather something to be savored on days when one really needs a nice morning pick-me-up cup of tea.

Vanessa
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Let me start by saying that flavored green teas are either a love it or hate it relationship with me. I was pretty sure that would be the case with Teajo’s Vanilla Bean Green–either I would be ready to place an order by the end of the cup or I would consider dumping it at some point.

Whenever I receive a sample, I like to look at the leaves and other ingredients and take a couple nice breaths of the aroma. To me, that is part of the process of enjoying tea (similar to drinking wine I suppose). This one looked a little strange to me–darker than most green teas I’ve encountered. There were some decent sized leaves, but also a fair amount of shake as well. The sample did have a nice vanilla aroma that stimulated my taste buds and made me anxious to taste it.

Fortunately, my sample packet was big enough to get three servings out of it because I needed all three attempts to try to get a cup that didn’t taste bitter–there were no brewing instructions on the sample.

1st attempt: water beginning to have bubbles coming to the top and steeped for 2 minutes. Result: Very bitter.

2nd attempt: bottom of pot starting to be covered in bubbles and steeped for just under 2 minutes.  Result: Very bitter.

3rd attempt: bubbles just starting to form on bottom of pot and steeped for just over 1 minutes.  Result: Very bitter.

Maybe I just couldn’t get this right? I very rarely make a bitter or burned tea. Further, possibly because it was bitter, the vanilla did not taste good to me. Kinda artificial tasting–not a yummy one.

Teajo describes this as:

Real vanilla beans and green tea combine to create a very unique, smooth and creamy blend of flavors. If you enjoy green tea and prefer a richer taste, this is your tea!

For me, this was bitter and I found no creamy vanilla taste. Further, it is a tad on the pricey side. Sorry, but I cannot recommend this.

Laura
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As I have said before, BlueRaven has a creative approach - to be on an adventure with your tea. Londonnerry is a malty tea that has a blend of black tea, lemon peel, and clover. It has been a British delicacy for hundreds of years.

Somehow I smelled mint from the aroma of the dry leaves. I guess that could be considered a natural flavor since the description didn’t say it had mint in it. A lot of us know that the definition of a natural flavor can mean almost anything. There were pieces of lemon peel and the tea leaves were small. The aroma was better in the cup, no one scent stood out - it was a nice fruity fragrance. The taste was malty with a nice combination of flavors. After a couple swallows it became more astringent. It was good iced and I recommend it to those who like a malty, astringent, slighty fruity tea.

Kari
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I was introduced to Irish breakfast tea by my father when I was a very young girl. I’ve always loved the heady scent of the dried leaves and this was one of the most luscious I’ve ever experienced. If I ever have
the opportunity to design a perfume, it will be based on this very fine black tea. The bouquet was rich, sweet and intoxicating.

I like my tea exceptionally strong so let this one brew a good 8-10
minutes before taking my first sip. As an experiment, I tried it first
without my normal milk and sugar. It was very bitter, just as one would expect. I believe it would have been quite mellow if I’d thought to taste it earlier in the process. With milk and sugar, it was a dream. The bitterness was completely counteracted and transformed in to maybe the best cuppa I’ve ever had. It had a rich feel on the tongue and a delightful aftertaste as well, almost as if I’d just eaten a marzipan covered chocolate. My son, who prefers green tea, had a cup as well. He downed the whole thing in less than two minutes. In my house, that is a sign of a raging success.

I’d say my only disappointment with this tea was that I only had enough for one pot!

Kendall
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During my time last summer in Argentina, I was introduced to mate, a tea that is pretty much their national beverage (especially outside of Buenos Aires), though it is also popular in several other South American countries. Compared to coffee, soda and many other tea varieties that Americans are used to, it is an extremely bitter drink.

However, Zoomdweebie’s Check Mate, compared its South American cousins “Rosamonte” or “Nobleza Gaucha,” is a lot lighter, milder and, on the whole, better suited to my Yankee (they say Jhankee) taste. While still retaining its characteristic grassy flavor, it is less overwhelming and has some delightful high and light notes. The lemongrass and lime flavors are a nice, unique touch that adds an energizing “zing.” Though I drank it hot, it seems to be popular as an ice tea at Zoomdweebie’s Tea Bar.

To add to the experience, give the yerba a whiff or two before adding hot water. It smells great.

This tea would also be perfect for beginners who are interested in exploring the mate tradition, but aren’t quite ready for the more bitter and thicker, though probably more “authentic,” South American yerba brands. Personally, I liked Zoomdweebie’s mate better anyway. If you’re tired of traditional teas and are looking for a change in taste, Zoomdweebie’s Check Mate is an excellent place to start.

DL
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Well, after I read the description of this tea (generous malted notes of barley and an ale fruity depth….) I had to try it because it made me think of beer - I am also a beer drinker.

Tea Gschwendner has many highly rated tasting teas, as well as a wide selection. The dry leaves have a smell of raisins. The infused leaves had a delicate sweetness and a nice amber/copper color. The taste was barley-like and malty with an astringent after taste. It was good iced but got dulled down after putting milk and sugar in it.
I would recommend this to those who like malty, more astringent teas. You don’t have to be a beer drinker to enjoy this.

Kari
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Teajo does not have an ingredient list on their website but this tea obviously contains both green tea and vanilla beans. I also noticed some yellow and blue flower petals. The aroma was reminiscent of vanilla but in a syrupy sweet way. I brewed it using my Zarafina Tea Maker set on strong green. I do wish they listed the ingredients since I always like to know what went into a particular tea.

This tea was a little darker than I would expect from a green tea. It tasted slightly vegetal but the vanilla was a little overwhelming, almost too sweet. The second and third infusions were much better because it lessened the sweetness. For someone with a sweet tooth, it might be ideal but it was not really for me. I would recommend this tea to the right person but I probably wouldn?t buy it for myself.

Nicole
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