Tea Reviews | It's All About The Leaf

Posts Tagged ‘Infusions’

Ah, this tea smells tasty. The aroma of the dried leaf is very fruity, if also a bit floral. There are some spicy tones as well. It would appear the mixture is composed of rooibos, rose petals, and perhaps some dried citrus, among other things.

For my first infusions, I steeped a teaspoon and a half of this for five minutes in a cup of just-boiled water. The Shanti Tea website does not give many details regarding this tea, but judging by the fact that it has rooibos, I decided on the tea measurement and steep times. The steeped cup smells of sweet fruit, with big hints of apricot and citrus of some sort. The impression of the first sip is…subdued. Quite a bit of lemon and orange flavours, but not a lot else that stands out. More sips bring out the rooibos and mixed fruit flavours. They blend quite well, and the tea makes for a pleasant evening cuppa.

On my personal enjoyment scale, I would rate this tea a 68/100.

You can purchase the African Carnival directly from the Shanti Tea website.

Flowering teas originate from Southwestern Yunnan Province. Flowering teas are prepared primarily for their aesthetics; often in glass / transparent vessels so that the blooming of a flower right before your eyes within seconds can be fully enjoyed. The tea leaves are harvested and while damp, they are sewn into various shapes and bundles with cotton thread. One single, more elaborate bundle may take as long as ten minutes to sew. Flowers commonly used are globe amaranth, chrysanthemum, jasmine, lily, hibiscus, and osmanthus. Flowering teas can be refreshed several times, and do not get bitter with extended steeping. The taste profile is usually light, fragrant, and aromatic. Here I have posted pictures of my steeping of Canton Tea’s Sweet Osmanthus.

This flowering tea is in the shape of a bulb. It is made up of silver needle and orange osmanthus flowers so I steeped it at 88C. The aroma coming off the pot smelled very sweet like nectar and a little like medicinal herbs. It did not smell floral at all.

The infusion was a light orange colour similar to the colour of the osmanthus flower that emerged from the bulb. This is interesting for a silver needle. Most infusions of industrial white teas are yellowish-orange but not premium quality white tea which brings up the point of the quality of the tea that goes into flowering teas. I would think that they are on the lower end as the point of flowering teas is more for aesthetics than for taste.

The bulb opened up completely in about 3 minutes, just enough time for the tea to steep. The website said the tea tastes like lilies and orange osmanthus. I do not know what that tastes like but this tea did not taste floral or fruity, or crisp or refreshing but it is on the opposite end – more robust, grounded, a hardier taste. It tastes a bit like sugar cane. Not bad if that is what you like. Sometimes I opt for the less fruity and floral teas myself.

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

My preference when it comes to pu’erh is certainly for a nice cooked and aged pu, but all the same, this 2004 Ji Xing Yi Wu sheng pu’erh was a gift from a friend and came highly recommended. So I decided to first give it a shot in my gaiwan and take it through it’s fragrant paces.

After the first infusion, the wet leaves smell a bit smoky, like burning logs, and quite musty. The infused liquor is a lot lighter, still with mustiness. My first cup left my mouth with a distinctive dry feeling. The earthy, vegetal taste is quite full and leaves a lasting impression on the tongue. Quite frankly, this pu’erh has the biggest aftertaste of any pu’erh I have ever had.

For the second infusion, I let it steep for 30 seconds, which I found to be a bit too long for this tea, when using the recommended amount of 3-4 grams. 20 seconds will be certainly sufficient for the first few infusions. This second, strong infusion very much emphasizes the dry notes of this tea. As I finish this infusion, I very much enjoy how robust the flavour of this uncooked pu’erh is.

After five additional steepings, these leaves were beginning to lose much of their robustness. Canton Tea Co.’s website does recommend at least six infusions for this tea. Overall, this tea was an excellently smooth example of a tasty raw pu’erh. My rating for this tea is 85/100.

You can purchase the 2004 CNNP Ji Xing Yi Wu Raw Beeng Cha directly from the Canton Tea Co. website.

“A perfectly balanced blend of superb Assam teas steeps a great cup, morning, noon or evening. Enjoy with milk and a touch of sugar.” This description from Tea Forte sums up what I said when I first took a sniff of the dry pyramid and then my first sip “balanced and surprisingly mild for an EB.”

Two minute infusion time yielded a dark brown brew that tasted like it needed an additive. I reached for milk and viola…perfection in a cup. I did not add sugar, but if you like sweet in your tea then add away, this tea could handle whatever you throw in your cup!

This particular blend is made with different types of Assam leaves. This may be why I do not think it is very robust. My PG Tips are much more robust than this tea. The combination of the same type of tea results in a balanced brew, one that I am enjoying very much. Mild is the word I would use to describe this tea. The second and third infusions reveal a brownish red brew in my cup. As I sip this cup, coffee comes to mind: The richness of coffee. Memories come flooding back of “milk coffee” that is what my Grandma called the coffee/milk mix that she put in my bottle when I was a baby. I have always blamed “milk coffee” for my 5’1″ height!

I love it when teas invoke a fond memory. Holding a hot cup of tea reminds me of my Mother, thoughtful as she embraced her morning cup planning out the quilt she would work on that day. I am so glad the cooler weather is upon me, I missed holding my morning cup this summer. Thank you Tea Forte for all the nice memories this morning!

You can purchase the English Breakfast directly from the Tea Forte website.

The dry leaves are two inches in length, black in color and appear to be tightly rolled. The smell of the dry leaves is sweet.

A two minute infusion reveals a champagne colored tea, the smell is nutty. It reminds me of a Genmaicha.

Three minute infusion deepens the color in my cup. Now, the taste is meaty and full bodied. The leaves are still rolled.

Four minute infusion and the leaves have unfurled completely. The brew is back to the original champagne color. The taste is now much lighter than the previous infusions.

Five minute infusion and the taste is similar to the last, a light smooth oolong.

Since the leaves are long and wiry, be careful of the amount of leaves that you use in your infuser basket. Someone once told me to use half the amount of leaves for oolongs than you would other teas. The reason for this advice is that the oolong leaves tend to be more tightly rolled than other teas. The leaves unfurl with each infusion yielding a different layer to the tea. Using a smaller vessel to brew an oolong tea is also good advice and it will allow you to enjoy the many aspects of an oolong with very little leaf in your brewing vessel. I used my Korean Seokjung (clay tea set) to brew this wonderful Phoenix Oolong.

You can purchase the products directly from the Tao Tea Leaf website.