Tea Reviews | It's All About The Leaf

Posts Tagged ‘Offerings’

Grace Tea Company’s product line is not large, but it is clear from their offerings that they prefer to highlight the quality and complexity of the various teas themselves—not multiple flavorings and blend-ins.

In the case of Grace’s Connoisseur Master Blend, I was amazed a simple blend of leaves could produce this flavor without extra help. The dry leaves smell a little sharp and astringent—I’m pretty sure there’s some Keemun in there—but steeped according to Grace’s recommendations, the color is deeper (nearly mahogany) and the flavor is fruitier than you’d expect.

When I did a blind taste before checking out the ingredients, I was sure there were some winey, grape-y additives. (If you’ve ever tasted Culinary Teas’ Canadian Ice Wine, this is its cousin.)  Though I’ve been told Keemuns are OK with milk, I think milk would just tone down the fruity notes that seem to be this tea’s selling point.

If you’re looking for a hearty, stout, kick-you-out-of-bed morning tea, Connoisseur Master Blend probably isn’t it. This one is better for a rainy and philosophical afternoon when you have time and the mental capacity to mull over the character of this interesting combination.

You can purchase the Connoisseur directly from the Grace Tea Company website.

I was extremely curious to try Wild Orange Pu-erh, when I saw the photo of dried tea leaves stuffed in an orange on the Chicago Tea Garden website. The vendor generously sells samples for $3 (including shipping); so I could not resist a purchase. And, I was surprised when I opened the sample package to see a tea leaf stuffed miniature orange, similar to the photo. According to the vendor, the tea-oranges were obtained in China and then aged in U.S. pu-erh caves for over 5 years. As expected, the orange peel was showing its age with a withered, dried look. If you are looking for a novelty gift for the tea-lover in your life, this is definitely one option.

As I measured out the tea, unlike some lower quality pu-erhs, no fishy flavors were noted. Following the vendor’s detailed instructions (which were printed on handy cards), I steeped the tea briefly for 30 seconds and added a piece of dried orange peel. I was surprised by the resulting brew, which was not a brown liquor typically seen for pu-erhs; instead, the tea brews to a pale orange color. The flavor has a very slight earthy flavor but certainly not as potent as a typical pu’erh. The taste can be described as smooth, light, and mellow. The subtle citrus note in the background is not tart and is surprisingly sweet, so this tea does not require sugar to balance any tartness from the citrus. Although this tea is mild, it can hold up to multiple infusions. To bring out the earthy pu’erh flavors, I experimented with longer steeping times (up to 4 minutes). The resulting brew was more typical of standard pu’erhs but then the lightness of the orange flavor was not as noticeable.

As this is a light and fragrant brew, I highly recommend this tea for pu-erh beginners. Also, why not check out Chicago Tea Garden’s website? With $3 samples, it is affordable to sample their other offerings.

You can purchase the Wild Orange Pu-erh directly from the Chicago Tea Garden website.