Tea Reviews | It's All About The Leaf

Posts Tagged ‘drink tea’

Ok, a warning up front that this review will be slightly more technical, and full of jargon that is not usually characteristic of my writing. So if you want to get to the juicy bit fast – bottom line – this tea gooooood.

Tea from the Darjeeling region of India is known as the “Champagne” of tea. Until now, I have never really understood why that is, but after drinking this TeaGschwender Darjeeling Phuguri FTGFOP1, I have a clearer idea of what it means.

First of all, the technical details. FTGFOP1 stands for Finest Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe 1. Plainly put – it doesn’t get any better that this. It is important to note that tea gradings like this are based on the appearance of the tea only, not the taste, and are not standardized. However, in this case, given the reputation of the vendor and the estate (Phuguri) we are going to take it at face value, backed up with the white tips in the dry tea that is a character of the “Tippy Golden” part of that grading.

Along with the tea, TeaGschwender included their measuring device, the Teelamass, which is basically a plastic tea spoon. As well, a thick book with all of their teas and the appropriate measurements for brewing (based on the Teelamass) was also included. I could have figured it out, but for beginners, that would be a very much appreciated bonus I am sure.

Before I brewed up my “tasting” cup – I had brewed a couple of cups up just for drinking (trust me, there is a difference, mostly in the note taking…) and I have to say that I went into the tasting with much anticipation. I am not normally big on drinking blacks – I do enjoy them, but not as my “standard” teas. However, my drinking cups were so enjoyable, I could not wait to review this.

I brewed the tea using 2tsp in about 16oz of boiling water, 3 minutes. This produced a light amber liqueur, with a pleasant, almost, but not quite floral aroma. The leaves unfurled nicely, and the high quality of the leaf was again proven with the white tips and greener leaves as well as your standard oxidized leaf.

The brew is slightly astringent (drying in the mouth) with a sweet cooling finish that is again, indicative of a quality Darjeeling tea. The taste is smooth and light, with refreshing muscatel notes that are reminiscent of some muscat wines, but only slightly. Being a second flush, I expected a fuller bodied and bolder tea, and it delivered but not too much so, leaving an enjoyable cup of tea that I will go back to again and again.

There is no need for sugar or milk, and in fact I believe that it would ruin the nuance of the flavouring of this single estate tea. I am not one for milk or sugar in tea in any case, and prefer to drink it au-natural.

It is easy to see now why Darjeeling tea is known as the “Champagne” of teas, it is tea, but on a different level. At $39.90/100 grams I am not about to go and stock up on it, but it is certainly a wonderful treat, and it will become a permanent addition to my Christmas list for the relatives that just never know what to get me!

You can purchase TeaGschwendner Darjeeling Phuguri FTGFOP1 directly from their website.

Mighty Leaf is one of few popular Canadian tea companies. As a Canadian, I celebrate that fact, and always look forward to sampling a new Mighty Leaf tea. However, in this case, I am left with a bit of a *meh* feeling.

I picked out the Green Tea Tropical from the samples that Mighty Leaf sent us, anticipating visions and flavours of tropical vacations to Mexico and Costa Rica, and the initial scent of the un-brewed leaves gave me just that. It is of course, packaged in the signature Mighty Leaf stitched pillow teabag, and the leaf appeared to be fairly large and full, and as such, of seemingly high quality.

The first brewing was as suggested, 180 degrees for 3 minutes. As the teabag went in, the scent started to become more muted. After 3 minutes, I was left with a dark amber liquor, and mildly tropical scented water.

As I sipped, I noted that the tea was not in the least bit astringent (aka “bitter” for some), leading me to again, believe that the green tea was of good quality. However, the flavouring of the tea was strangely blended together, not really allowing me to sort out different tropical flavours, tho the scent was “Guava” like. I found overall, the tea not “incredible” – but a decent cup of tea, but yet, unremarkable, leaving me with that *meh* that I mentioned before – a take it or leave it kind of feeling.

As I make notes on this tea, the taste does slightly linger, while leaving my teeth feeling a bit fuzzy, and my mouth a bit dry, again, green tea characteristics. The problem I think here, is that the actual green tea flavour gets lost in the tropical fruit flavouring, never really rising to the top to be complemented by the flavours. The second steeping (4 min @ 180 deg) was even more unremarkable, with a little flavour, but less so that the original, and again, the green tea not coming to the fore.

So my overall impression of this tea is that it would be a good starting tea for a convert, someone that is not used to green tea and could get turned off by the earthier aspects of a straight green. This tea has maybe a wider appeal, but I am not sure if it is good enough to be called a “premium” tea or to charge premium prices for.

All that being said, it is not a bad tea, and Mighty Leaf produces some top quality teas, which is maybe why this one leaves me wanting more.

You can purchase Mighty Leaf Green Tea Tropical directly from their website.

EDIT: I was informed by an astute commenter that Mighty Leaf is NOT a Canadian company, and much to my chagrin, they are correct. My apologies for the mistake in this review!

This rooibos blend from Tea Frog Tea is well named – I LOVE this tea!! According to Tea Frog: “Our most popular Rooibos blend, the Love blend is an aromatic delight that you will not be able to resist! This tea is so good, we sample it at every show, and sell out at every show! The scent and flavor are simply to die for!”. The ingredients are listed as Rooibos, Safflower, Sunflower, Calendula Flower, Roses, Cornflower and Orange Peel.

The loose tea is a striking combination of colors; red rooibos leaf and rose petals, pieces of orange peel and sunny yellow calendula flowers, contrasting with vivid cornflower blue. Even before brewing the aroma is heavenly – the familiar sweetness of rooibos with strong orange notes, and although it isn’t listed as an ingredient there is a hint of vanilla.

Following Tea Frog’s guidelines of 1 teaspoon per cup and steeping for 5 minutes resulted in a rich rooibos red (how’s that for alliteration?) cup of tea losing none of its delicious aroma in the process. The taste didn’t disappoint and the combination of flavors is just right – sweet but not sugary sweet with a refreshing taste of citrus. I was able to get a second brewing with a milder but still pleasant flavor.

I haven’t tried yet, but I’m sure that this blend would lend itself to an excellent iced tea – mixed 50/50 with either lemonade or orange juice and float some fresh flower petals on the surface for presentation – yummy!! With the weather getting cooler I’m more inclined to drink my tea hot but as soon as winter is over and the summer returns I will definitely give it a try.

You can purchase TeaFrog Love Flavoured Rooibos directly from their website.

The Mighty Leaf Organic Earl Grey tea is quite a delight. Opening the package to find a silk tea bag is very impressive and allows the customer to use the loose leaf tea without the usual mess and effort. I definitely love the tea pouch style.

The smell of the Organic Earl Grey tea from Mighty Leaf is very pleasant and has a warming aroma; nothing too overpowering and it has a nice blended smell. This makes a great afternoon relaxing tea – nice and light, not too rich in flavour or aftertaste. The smell and taste fit flawlessly in a great cup of tea, mixed with a splash of milk and a cube of sugar.

I truly enjoy my black teas. I love rich blends and light blends; this one from Mighty Leaf is most undoubtedly a great light blend and the colour matches the taste – “Mighty Leaf perfects the classic tea with an elegant, balanced and full flavored cup. Earl Grey himself would be proud”. The classic earl grey tea is one one of my favourites. I love the essences of bergamot and jasmine that is blended in this particular brand.

I steeped this tea a litte longer than my usual standby classics, but the taste and colour did not become too dark or overpowering. It was steeped for about four minutes as recommended on the Mighty Leaf pouch package.

I loved the presentation and the aroma. Some teas you try are great to start with but you can not finish the entire cup as it becomes bitter or the taste changes near the end of the cup, but this is not the case with the Earl Grey Mighty Leaf. Basically, great to the last drop as they say.

You can purchase Mighty Leaf Tea Organic Earl Grey directly from their website.

“Luscious, succulent raspberries highlight this ruby red hibiscus flower infusion. Pleasantly tart and extraordinarily sweet.”

Well, that about says it all! Tea Forte has become one of my favorite go-to tea companies for robust tasting teas. So far, they have not disappointed on any of the teas I have tried, and this one is no exception.

The second I put the unique (and quite neat!) pyramid shaped tea bag into the water, a bloom of red spread throughout the water, so deeply red I had to check myself for cuts! Then the scent hit me, and I knew without a shadow of a doubt that this was a raspberry tea I was about to indulge in.

Forget the ingredients list, this is purely raspberry, through and through. A tangy, mildly sweet taste of raspberries straight off the vine filled my mouth at the first sip, and lingered long after I licked every drop out of the cup! If you are not a raspberry fan, then this is not for you, as there is no doubt this is all raspberry, and nothing but the raspberry!

There is not much more to say, other than, again, Tea Forte delivers. I do have to say, that it is a little high in the price range for the bagged tea, so go loose if you are going to purchase it directly from Tea Forte. For my money, this is one I would actually consider stocking the cupboard with, as I can imagine that as an iced tea, it would be just as good as it is a hot tea, and a perfect refreshing drink for a hot summers day.

You can purchase Tea Forte Raspberry Nectar directly from their website.