Tea Reviews | It's All About The Leaf

Posts Tagged ‘Glass Teapot’

Flowering teas are a wrapped present. The inside and the resulting tea are always a surprise. The little bundle felt very substantial and almost overly heavy before I placed it in the steaming water. It then began to open, and it looked a little, well, shoddy. Pieces of the exterior tea leaves fell off and the bright orange flower in the center was lopsided. The color palate was gorgeous however, and the bloom filled by glass teapot like a beautiful, if battle scarred, marine creature. After about a three minute steep, the liquor was a slightly cloudy light yellow.

The aroma was slightly similar to honeysuckle, but very faint. The flavor started off tasting slightly creamy, and then melted into a delicate honey and melon, the honey getting stronger and almost toasted as the brew cooled. A second steeping resulted in a more floral scented brew with a toastier flavor. Overall this was an enjoyable and aesthetically pleasing tea.

You can purchase the Sweet Osmanthus Flowering Tea directly from the Canton Tea Co. website.

For this review I decided to brew this tea using a two-cup glass teapot. Canton Tea Co’s website suggests using 1 tsp of pearls per cup, which is difficult to estimate using pearls, so I believe I added about 35-40 of the small pearls to the teapot. Continuing to follow the directions, I steeped the pearls about three minutes, stopping to taste the tea after two minutes (the website had recommended 2-3 minutes).At two minutes, the taste really wasn’t very far developed, but I could already tell that this was one very sweet tea.

With the dry pearls, one could very much smell the jasmine, yet the scent was not overpowering, nor was it almost sickly-sweet, as some teas are that contain jasmine. The aroma of the brewed tea was even less bold and had an even softer nose, with only faint hints of jasmine.

Upon taking the first big sip, the tea flow smooth and thick across the tongue, and the fruity sweet taste of jasmine infiltrated my entire mouth. If a flower could be described as being delicious, this would be the epitome of such a description. The amount of jasmine is enough to lend great character to the tea, while not completely dominating it.

The website recommends steeping this for at least three separate infusions. I most certainly shall.

On my personal enjoyment scale, I rate this tea an 85/100.

You can purchase the Jasmine Pearls directly from the Canton Tea Co. website. Save 15% right now when you use the code LEAF at checkout!

To brew this tea, I used about a tablespoon of leaves and four cups of boiling water. Steeped in a glass teapot, it was easy to see the leaves as they released a burnt orange liquor. Upon initially steeping this tea, the first thing I noticed was the incredibly light mouthfeel. After the first cup, the flavour continued to linger in my mouth. This oolong has a much lighter taste than other oolongs I have tried. It’s a delicate taste, and very good.

The taste itself…in the first few sips of a cup, one can really taste the leaf, but the flavour seems to fade as one finishes a cup. Perhaps the initial flavour, light as it is, coats the taste buds in one’s mouth so that subsequent sips merely slide through the mouth.

Overall, I very much enjoyed this tea. The flavour was a bit too light for me, but it was still enjoyable to drink. This was very reminiscent of the oolong served in Chinese restaurants with Dim Sum.

I’ve decided that I will give teas that I review an approximate rating, on a scale of 0-100, based on my personal enjoyment of this tea (not it’s comparison in specific areas to other teas). Canton Tea Co’s Big Red Robe oolong receives a 92/100 for its exceptionally delicate taste, light mouthfeel, and lasting flavour.

EDIT: I later tried resteeping these same leaves. This was a major disappointment, as I got barely half of the original body and flavour. This lack of “stamina” in the leaves significantly decreased my rating of this tea (now an 85/100).

You can purchase the Da Hong Pao (Big Red Robe) Oolong directly from the Canton Tea Co. website. Save 15% right now when you use the code LEAF at checkout!

Ahhh, Moroccan Mint tea! You are either an otherworldly refreshing, soothing treat, or a musty, nasty muddle. The bad ones tend to be old stale pre pack tea sold in ethnic stores, over brewed, with boiling water. This results in a nasty, bitter, musty, medicinal cup. The best are fresh and light, invigorating and restoring. These teas are a blend of dried mint and green tea – usually peppermint or spearmint mixed with Imperial gunpowder or other chinese green. Usually served with sugar or honey, these teas are great hot or cold.

This tea, from those great folks at Rishi Tea, is a mix of peppermint, green tea, and jasmine flowers. The un-steeped tea has a strong peppermint aroma, with some sweetness contributed by the jasmine. Good green leaf tea and nice sized mint pieces with a good amount of jasmine flowers.

Brewing: 1.5tsp (3g) tea per 8oz water in my small glass teapot, 195F water for 4 minutes. Excellent mint nose, with a flowery note, golden in cup. Strong mint taste, with just a bit of dryness, and a sweet aftertaste. Light on the tongue, and not overpowering.

My next cup I added about a teaspoon of sugar, and this really brightened the flavors and aroma, and made the mouth feel a little more substantial. The peppermint flavor is just moderated a touch by the jasmine. This tea steeped twice, the second was a pleasant – I think do to the strong nature of the mint. 3 steep was bitter, I think the green got washed out.

This is what I expect from Rishi, and excellent example of a tea. Very good in the evenings, when you want to moderate the caffeine. Or on a hot afternoon – either hot or iced. (I think this cold also be an excellent tea for cold brewing.) If you are looking for something different, this is well worth the try.

You can purchase Rishi Teas Moroccan Mint, Organic Fair Trade Green Tea directly from their website.