Tea - Loose Leaf Tea - Ramblings

Archive for November, 2008

Background:
This is a tea to take courting. The smell of roses is evident without hesitation. Along with it comes the Silver Needle a fine compliment. The dried flowers have a nice pink hue providing a nice balance to the tea. All in all this is tea that shows great promise. The Silver Needle is such a wonderful looking tea with the needles long, rolled, white/grey, and with peach fuzz. It is such a nice tea to look at.

Brewing:
I am particularly careful steeping certain white teas. This is clearly one of them. This tea is best brewed with a water temperature of around 180 degrees for bout 3 minutes. That is what I tried for.

Taste/Impressions:
The aroma from the brewed tea is captivating. There clearly scents that are inviting, drawing you in. I like that kind of tea. There is no question that a large part of the taste of tea, as well as food and drink, is the scent/aroma. The rose smell is quite distinguishable. It is a good compliment as it is neutral with respect to sweet or sour. There is a hint almost like a citrus bite and something suggesting great flavor.

The tea is very delicate like the flower it contains. There is no bitterness or sourness at all. The tea has a very light sweet character though it has other flavors involved. There layers present not found in single ingredient teas. I like there is no unpleasantness to the tea. Even as this cools the way the taste remains constant and confident. Usually I enjoy white blends that include fruit, whether it is strawberry, peach, blueberry, etc. Of those I haven’t found many I don’t like. This is the first I have enjoyed that has non-fruit ingredients. The flavors are so varied in this tea. I really suggest you give this a try.

Conclusion:
This is a wonderful white tea. The rose is a perfect compliment to the Silver Needle. This tea is a fine example of a flavored white. One of the best I have tried. It is a good companion for a quiet night, conversations with friends, and other times like these.

Mighty Leaf’s Chocolate Orange Truffle tea is a black tea that is part of their award-winning truffle tea collection. Previously, I only had the Pu-erh truffle which failed to win me over, but only because I really detest Pu-erh tea. The chocolate orange truffle tea is described by Mighty Leaf as a blend of Madagascar vanilla, chocolate cacao nibs, and orange peels blended with Ceylon and China black tea leaves. Being a self-admitted chocoholic, this tea sounded right up my alley, and I couldn’t wait to brew myself a cup. In fact, after just receiving my latest batch of samples to review, I wasted no time in immediately brewing Mighty Leaf’s Chocolate Orange Truffle tea as my first new sample to review. The smell of the tea is just shy of heavenly, with a wonderful mingling of sweetness and citrus. The sweetness is more of a general sweetness than a chocolaty sweetness, but still the faint aroma of cocoa is definitely detectable. I steeped the leaves for just over three minutes in boiling water; these are pretty standard parameters for brewing black tea and are also the recommended guidelines on Mighty Leaf’s web page. The brewed tea was, for me, just a bit disappointing because the chocolate flavor was weaker than I would have preferred. The citrus flavor provided a nice finish to the end of each sip, although I also tasted bitter notes to this tea, perhaps most comparable to burnt coffee. In the end, this tea was certainly drinkable, but it simply was not as decadent as its name implies. While this tea is probably great as an accompaniment to a rich dessert, I wouldn’t recommend this tea as a dessert replacement (in contrast to some other teas that are so rich that they can stand alone and satisfy dessert cravings) In my opinion, the chocolate element needs to be bumped up quite a bit for the tea to fully earn its truffle name. Also, another reason for the somewhat low rating is that I found it peculiar that despite the fact that sweet citrus and chocolate are the major flavors here, I was compelled to add sugar to the tea. This could have been more of a response to the bitter overtones of the tea rather than to the lack of natural sweetness, but either way, this tea seems like it should be able to forgo sugar additions. I don’t think I will be buying this tea for myself, and while I won’t outright discourage others from giving this a try, I do think that there are better chocolate-orange blends out there.

When a fellow Teaviews reviewer offered this tea up for grabs, I jumped on it because I had meaning to try the Mighty Leaf Chocolate Truffle line for some time. Mighty Leaf lists the ingredients as including black tea, pear, caramel, cacao nibs, chocolate chips and flavors. The aroma of the dry leaves was heavenly, chocolaty and sweet in just the right proportions. I brewed this tea using my Zarafina tea maker, set on strong black. The liquor was a deep red and the smelled just as delicious as the leaves did.

I wish I could say the same for the taste. I don’t know why but most chocolate teas that I have tried came off as bitter rather than a sweet indulgence. I could not taste any of the pear or caramel. Perhaps it was the combination of cacao nibs and chocolate chips that ruined this blend. The bitterness was still there but was slightly reduced with a second steeping. I am glad that I was able to try a sample before springing for the sampler pack. I would not recommend this tea.

A lot of Zhi’s teas are organic. They give you a free sample with your order, however they say that’s going to stop at the end of the year - I hope not. It’s a good marketing scheme that always keeps me coming back. As I have said before, it’s very easy to move around their website.

I thought this was interesting - it says the tea can be infused 2-3 times. You don’t usually see that for a black tea. The aroma of the dry leaves was delicious. I thought of a coconut chicken dinner I had in Hawaii at a restaurant in Waikiki. The tea was sweet. There were a lot of coconut slivers of coconut in the mix, which held up when the water was poured over them. The infused aroma was more mellow and the coconut was more subtle. I love this tea. It may become one of my favorites. It’s rich, creamy, sweet and has real coconut flavor. You really don’t need to add anything to it. The iced version was great also. I did infuse it again and it was still good, just a little less coconut flavor. I will definitely buy this - what more could you ask for - smell, taste and quality.

Background:
The first set of teas I ordered were from Zhi. The teas came in an oval tin that is totally cool. I hadn’t heard of the Shizandra berry before but not being one to shy away from new things I ordered some. The tea is a blend of white peony, Shizandra berries, safflowers, and natural tangerine flavoring.

Some web searching turned up that the Schizandra berry has been used for medicinal purposes for a very long time. Apparently, it can wake you up or calm you down based on whether you are feeling the opposite or not. You can search on the web for this information. It sounds very interesting.

The smell is very unusual. It has a very tart and biting smell. If you work at it you can pick up an underlying scent of the tangerine but it takes some time. The first part of the smell profile is definitely very tart. It was not something that I was expecting and for me it took some getting used to.

Zhi claims that you can get multiple infusions from the leaves. They do with all of their teas. I usually do this and the second cups is quite enjoyable.

Brewing:
Brewed for 2 – 3 minutes with two teaspoons in about 14 ounces of water.

Taste/Impressions:
Now for my taste test/impression. This tea took some getting used to. For me this has become an acquired taste, which I drink regularly (that should tell you something). I was very surprised the first test. I didn’t know the Schizandra berry would be so tart. It has an unusual flavor that lasts and lasts. I have now come to enjoy the tart bite on my tongue. A lot of the flavor is centered on the tongue and the roof of the mouth. The taste is very long lasting. Fascinating that as tart as the end of the taste is the initial flavor has a sweet component. Let the tea flow over the front of your tongue to get to taste the sweeter components of the tea. Also, as the tea cools off the bite decreases somewhat.

Conclusion:
A remarkable tea I have come to enjoy after several cups. For me the tartness and bite are an acquired taste. Before ordering a larger quantity try a sample from Zhi. You might just find that you come to enjoy this too. You will come to want that taste. I never would have expected a blend like this to be such a good combination and so successful. This is a tea for the adventurous and those that like strong, distinctive flavors.

There’s something dark, woody, and slighty touched with deep red wine in this oolong. This smells comforting and is very smooth. The woodiness is not something I prefer, but its smoothness balances the flavors extremely well and would probably please people who are looking for the tea equivalent of a deep, relaxing breath. This is similar to what you normally find in Chinese restaurants, only a bit better. This is more refreshing, non-acidic, and yet would probably cut all the greasiness of a dim sum meal just as well as theirs. I tried this both hot and iced and loved the iced version. Somehow iced it became a touch drier, which added more interest and texture to me. For anyone looking for a simple, good tea, this is one to check out.

Background:
Opening up this sample releases a very strong aroma influenced by the Osmanthus. A quick look at Wikipedia shows Osmanthus consists of about 30 different species in the genus. It’s a flowering plant, though those of us in the upper climes would not have the opportunity to appreciate it as it grows in warmer climates.
I don’t have experience with Osmanthus so I can’t provide any guidance on the taste or scent. It clearly influences the overall bouquet as it is far different than a Silver Needle tea on it’s own. The scent is pungent with a citrus like quality. I am reminded of the interest and surprise that I experienced trying Schizandra for the first time not knowing what to expect.

Brewing:
I steeped the tea for 3 minutes with water that had not fully boiled.

Taste/Impressions:
The tea smells exactly like the dry leaf. The Silver Needle adds a nice base to the tea. The Osmanthus really affects the taste. I am trying to find the right descriptive qualities. It is not sweet and it doesn’t have a bite like citrus. The taste is not fruity but vegetative and sour. It leaves my mouth feeling dry.

I think the blend could use some other ingredient. I don’t find the combination particularly appealing though that very well could be a matter of personal preference. It seems to me the Osmanthus might be nice with other flavors. But as the only other ingredient it just doesn’t work for me. It hides the overall flavor of the tea while adding a very one-dimensional quality to the taste

Conclusion:
The tea is clearly made with high quality ingredients. The overall blend does not impress me. I guess when it comes down to it I prefer white tea blends with fruit even if it is tart like Schizandra. If you prefer a tea that has a sour quality or you like Osmanthus, I bet you will enjoy this.

This one took me a few cups to fully appreciate how complex the flavor is, and I actually think that’s a good thing. A good cup of tea should reveal something new each time you drink it, and this one did just that.

The visual aspect of oolong teas could possibly be my favorite part of them. This particular tea’s leaves were little rolled balls, which, when steeped, unrolled to reveal huge full leaves, and many stems with leaves and buds still attached. I’m always amazed at how such a small amount of little dried tea leaves expands to fill half the tea pot given just a bit of hot water.

The smell intrigues me, too, with all of its complexities. It’s vegetal, first and foremost, but not grassy. It’s sweet, but not in a sugary way. Once brewed, the sweetness is still there, but it’s not as strong and it’s even more ‘natural’ smelling. The brewed tea tastes mostly vegetal still, but a touch of the sweetness in the smell can be detected, along with a touch of astringency. Normally I hate astringency, but it’s not a bad thing here. There’s also a hint of a smokey undertone, which goes well with the slight astringency and overall vegetal flavor.

Bottom Line: This is a winner, if you give it a chance. If you’re looking for a complex flavor, this is the one to try; each cup reveals a bit more to the drinker, so things never get old while drinking.

“Organic Cinnamon Plum is rich with currants, succulent hibiscus, hints of plum and accented with notes of cinnamon and naturally sweet licorice root. Warm and soothing, Organic Cinnamon Plum is deliciously fruity and full-bodied with a deep red infusion. Perfect served hot, iced or brewed as mulled tea.” — Rishi website.

First of all, this is a Rishi Limited Edition Seasonal Tea so if it interests you, then don’t wait. Further they are donating 25% of profits from sales of this tea to Clean Water Fund, a grassroots organization dedicated to restoring and protecting America’s waters. Rishi has a recipe on their website to make a Cinnamon Plum Cider with this! It essentially involves putting some apple cider into a saucepan with some of the tea and simmering for 10 min. Since I just got a brand new jug of apple cider at Trader Joe’s today, I decided to make a regular hot cup of this and a cup of the hot Cinnamon Plum Cider as well. I made both of them according to Rishi’s steeping instructions and sweetened the plain cup with a full tsp of rock cane sugar due to the hibiscus presence.

The plain cup steeped up to a beautiful wine/red color. Warning: Hibiscus blends tend to stain; consider this before giving to small children or very clumsy people in your house lol. I was bracing for something to pass my taste buds that was far more tart and strongly flavored. However, this was a bit less tart compared to many blends that rely on hibiscus. As this cooled, I could identify the licorice root in the blend, which was a bit odd tasting to me. The cinnamon is detectable, but not very distinct.

The Cinnamon Plum Cider cup was very good. I am so glad that I took the few extra minutes it took to make that cup. I have to confess though that hot apple cider is the reason that I can cope with the passing of summer. The Cinnamon Plum blend does add a bit of extra tartness and zip to the hot cider drink. Again, the addition of Rishi’s blend did not make it super tart (though hot apple cider does have some natural tartness) and the cinnamon is barely detectable.

This is definitely a blend made to be enjoyed in the fall and winter. I could have done with a little less licorice root and a little more cinnamon. This does have some tartness but the hibiscus is a little less of a bulldog than usual. Further, the versatility to become a cider drink gives it bonus points with me. The cider tasted like a mulled wine and was quite good. This is great option for designated drivers at Holiday parties (however do not lot the guests walk around on the carpet with this–this should be enjoyed over linoleum–not even tile as it could stain the grout). This is reasonably priced at $8 for a 3.7 oz tin.

Vanilla Mint Bliss Decaf is a wonderful blend of decaf black tea and mint leaves. This is the third Summit Tea product that I have reviewed, and I can say that this one by far has the most appealing and most promising flavor. This tea is a blend of decaffeinated China black tea and spearmint and peppermint leaves infused with vanilla. The dry tea blend has an aroma that I would describe as exquisite: it is fresh and crisp, with intense minty overtones and a delicate vanilla undertone. Even though I instantly fell in love with the aroma of the dry blend, I was cautious upon my approach to this tea, as my two previous samplings of Summit Tea blends resulted in disappointment with the fact that the enticing aroma didn’t fully translate into the flavor. Luckily, that was not the case with this tea: the brewed liquid was full of flavor, and delicious flavor at that. If you are a mint lover, then this is the tea for you. The spearmint and peppermint flavors are definitely present, but not overwhelming (i.e. it manages to avoid tasting like mouthwash). The vanilla flavor is really subdued in the taste, but is present just enough to soften out the mint. This would be an excellent dessert tea because the vanilla-mint combo offers a sweet and palette-cleansing experience. Rather than have this as a dessert tea, however, I actually sampled this tea first thing in the morning; I must note that even though this is a decaf tea, the crisp mint flavors were enough of a pick-me-up that I didn’t even miss the caffeine. As an added side note, I should mention that on my first cup of this tea, I accidentally over-steeped the leaves by about 3 minutes, but the blend held up quite well without turning the least bit bitter (which is unusual for black tea leaves, particularly for decaffeinated black tea which seems to be even more sensitive to over-steeping even more than regular black tea). In conclusion, I really enjoyed this blend, and I will be recommending this tea to mint lovers because it offers a nice twist on a plain herbal mint tea, but still maintains a healthy mint flavor.