Tea Reviews | It's All About The Leaf

Posts Tagged ‘Loose Leaf’

English breakfast labels are slapped on such a wide variety of teas–from blecchy generic bagged leaf clippings to good quality full-leaf Ceylons and Assams–that you never really know what to expect when you try one. Even the commonly accepted definition of English breakfast is a little vague: “full, robust, takes milk and sugar well.” Fortunately, with Tea Forte’s translation of that definition, you are getting a nice, hefty blend of Assam teas instead of generic hot leaf juice.

My sample came in Tea Forte’s trademark pyramid linen filterbag, which masked the appearance and aroma of the dry leaves a little bit. (Only as I type this do I remember reading on Steepster.com about somebody who actually cut the bag open and brewed its contents loose-leaf; duh–why didn’t I think of that?) Though the leaves were small, I noted some little gold tippy pieces–a good sign that what you’re about to drink has some quality to it.

Didn’t take long, with boiling water, for the liquid to turn a beautiful garnet red-brown. Steeped aroma was dark and red and rooty with what reminded me of sasparilla dancing around in the background. Steeped flavor was rich with a little bitter bite. The bite lingers on the tongue if you prefer your EB’s straight up; if not, a teeny bit of milk tames it without dulling the flavor.

All in all, a jolly good premium blend for a tea-ophile’s collection.

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

This Assam Reserve tea was a World Tea Champion in 2009 and was manufactured for SpecialTea Brew of Redmond, Washington. The 5.6 gram sample shows a golden tippy, beautifully curled and twisted loose leaf Assam. For a black tea, the leaf is large and typical of a good whole leaf black Indian tea. I can imagine what the panellists were expecting. I am expecting a mellow malt, dense texture and malty cup of dark brew.

I checked the SpecialTea Brew site but there was no further information given about this award winning tea. Usually when a tea manufacturer calls the tea “Reserve” it is for a reason. There is some special characteristic about the tea that is put aside and is in limited quantities and is usually set at as a premium tea on the market due to its rarity. Too bad we don’t know more about this tea. I’m assuming this is a newly started business and is still under development. So, let’s see what the tea has to offer.

For tasting, I used 2.5 grams in 5 oz for 3 minutes. Following traditional preparation for an assam tea, use one teaspoon per person (approximately 2.grams) in a teapot with 8oz.boiling water over it and steep for 3- 4 minutes.

The tea was clear and bright, not dense with spicy nutmeg notes. With a low astringency or low briskness, the natural sweetness carries well in a full liquor. The malt flavours held true even with added milk. I was thinking of the hot Ovaltine drink and memories of my childhood came back. I found the tea complex with many malt notes to explore. There was something comforting and yet invigorating about the tea. Most remarkable is the malt flavouring in a bright clear cup. That takes a lot of skill. Please try this tea if you like different assams as it is very elegant as assam usually know for more robust qualities. Maybe the lighter tone of the tea is a new direction for Assam.

You can purchase the Assam Reserve directly from the SpecialTea Brew website.

Leaf Spa’s Organic loose leaf “Bi Luo Chun” green tea is a delight. The dry aroma evokes a strongly wooded vegetation–almost like a green vegetable garden with fragrant grasses that abuts right against a forest of trees.  In the distance one can detect a tertiary floral aroma–perhaps some light jasmine.  It’s most certainly an inviting, even alluring fragrance. The dry leaves are a medium  curly length;  they are not the coiled or tightly rolled balls that I’ve seen with some Bi Luo Chun teas.  

Steeped, the leaves unfurl into the typical bright green color.  The tea liquor is very brisk and bright. It does not have a lot of the buttery taste of some greens, but I’m not missing the butter here because this is more of a woodsy journey.  This astringent green tea is less delicate than many greens but the compensation is in the deep, robust flavor.  It would be a great morning tea for those who drink only green teas. It is delicious and drinking it evokes a walk in the fragrant  woods instead of a more genteel visit to a solarium or a small greenhouse. I’ve just enjoyed my third steeping and I think that this tea is good for at least one more, so it’s also an economical tea.

You can purchase the Organic Bi Luo Chun Tea directly from the Leaf Spa Tea website.

The Product Description on the Tea Forte Site is:
Our double-wall ceramic tumbler and integrated stainless steel infuser make brewing loose tea by the cup simple. The innovative double-wall construction keeps tea hot and the tumbler cozy to hold. Brews a generous 12 oz cup and is dishwasher safe.

My findings on the products…
First – I would like to mention the tumbler itself…
It’s heavy-duty which I LOVE. I am keeping this at work so I tend to walk around with my WORK mug. I will say that THIS has officially REPLACED my old ‘mug’ completely. I really LOVE the design! Like I said, it’s the GRASS one and it’s “so me” because some people refer to me as a tree hugger or hippie! It’s earthy, natural-looking, and FUN!

I really appreciate the fact that it has a LID. ONE…because it keeps the tea itself warmer than if the tea is exposed while steeping or infusing like I did it before. And TWO because I am a klutz and will really benefit from the usage of this lid!

The double-wall ceramic that the description refers to – is something else I must mention!  I also like this feature because you are still able to pick it up while hot. YES, it’s still warm to touch but I would have to say it cuts down on the ‘holding temperature’ by about half…this is my estimated guess I haven’t officially or technically tested it…but this is just to give you an idea of the ‘heat to hand’ comparison..

As for the “integrated stainless steel infuser” I would give it a thumbs up as well! I did find it a little less heavy duty than other strainers I have used but it also allows for more movement of the loose leaf. Having said that – it’s also easy to remold into the original shape. 

The Strainer PERFECTLY fits the tumbler! While the loose leaf is infusing the leaves stay put regardless. They DO NOT “Jump Over Board” into the liquid…NO FLOATIES!  YAY!

When you discard your loose leaves they do stick a little but it’s nothing I can’t deal with.  Just simple whack or flick the ‘leftover’ loose leaf out or rinse, even.  I have tried this tumbler and strainer with all kinds of teas.  I have found that Green Tea tends to be more stubborn than others, generally speaking.  I have also done Rooibos in the KATI and haven’t had much of a problem with the very thin Rooibos sneaking thru the cracks…that’s a definite PLUS.  Heck I have even tried a teabag (minus the strainer, of course) and the tumbler works well…as a matter of fact, I have noticed that all of the tea bags I have tried in there so far have floated to the top when fully wet so there is no fishing around in your tea for the bag to discard because it’s right there!

The only thing I miss is a handle on the side…but because I am so excited about the actual product and ‘know’ it’s supposed to be ‘different from a mug’ I will certainly look past that!

So far I give the Tea Forte KATI 2 thumbs up! It’s a great addition to ANY Tea Lovers Collection!  I even have non-tea drinkers EYE BALLING it!  By getting this KATI it just might encourage me to get into more accessory hunting/purchasing.  When you purchase this little darling you will receive the Tumbler, Strainer, Lid, and 3 Loose Leaf Tea Forte Samples.  A great deal for the price!

You can purchase the Kati Loose Tea System directly from the Tea Forte website.

African Summer is a very pleasant herbal tisane from Red Leaf Tea it is a blend of Honeybush, Lemongrass, Lemon Myrtle, Rose Hips, Eucalyptus, Hibiscus, Safflower, and Marigolds. I was intrigued by the description on Red Leaf’s website: “The beguilingly hot climate of the African Serengeti serves as the inspiration for African Summer tea, with its unique combination of herbs that are known for their healing and nourishing properties. Its main ingredient is honey bush-which is related to rooibos-and additional vitamins and minerals are provided by eucalyptus, hibiscus, safflower, and marigolds. African Summer also contains citrus and rosehips that help boost your immune system.”

The loose leaf is a pleasing earthy mix of color – fresh greens of lemongrass, myrtle and eucalyptus, mellow brown and yellow honeybush leaf, safflower and marigold and bright splashes of hibiscus and rose hip. The lemongrass seems to be predominant in the blend and the citrus scent comes through before and after brewing.

I was surprised at how dark the brewed tea was with nice red tones – certainly a family resemblance with rooibos. The flavor, not surprisingly, was mild and mostly lemony with the honeybush hinting sweetness and the floral notes contributing a bit of tang. Happily I didn’t notice a strong enough eucalyptus flavor to remind me of a cough drop. Overall African Summer is a pleasing cup of tea; very refreshing, and according to the Red Leaf people – good for you too!

Red Leaf is currently shipping orders of more than $40 for free and also have a promotion running – “Buy 4 Teas get 1 FREE / Buy 7 Teas get 2 FREE”.

You can purchase Red Leaf Tea Rooibos Africana directly from their website.