Tea Reviews | It's All About The Leaf

Posts Tagged ‘Orange Color’

It has been a while since I’ve been able to sit down and relax long enough to review some teas. I appreciate all types of tea but the tea that I’m having today is really special. It’s a Darjeeling and it is beautiful. It appears to be a second flush, dark brown, thin leaves with a sprinkling of tips. The dry leaves smell like typical black tea only a bit more musky, reminds me of my grandfather hmm. This is the first time I’ve had tea from the Maikaibari Estate (Kurseong, Darjeeling in West Bengal ,India) and I get the feeling I’m going to be impressed with it.

Steeping it in boiling water for three minutes. It has settled to a light orange color with a sweet and still musky scent to it. It does appear to be a Summer flush, possibly a late Summer though… The tea tastes rich and full, a bit sweet, with a perfect muscatel after taste. The color has lightened after a few steeps but the flavor is still strong. It is spicey and warming, perhaps more of a winter tea, but I am still going to cold steep some for later.

Love teas from India, also love that this one is organic and Fairtrade certified. Can’t wait to try more teas from Hampstead, the quality in this tea and its packaging is outstanding.

Namaste.

You can purchase the Organic Fairtrade Darjeeling directly from the Hampstead Tea website.

Alright, so I spent some time in the hospital and, as a parting gift, I woke up this morning with a nasty (hopefully not the flu) infection. Thankfully, I have one more cup of GingerLove Tea left and there could not be a better time for it.

I received my surprise package from them (all the way from Belgium) some time ago and I am thrilled to be able to share my new taste adventure with you. They sent a gorgeously bright and cheery cup and saucer with the tea – love it, thanks – it’s all warmed up and ready to go.

The tea comes pre measured in single serving packages and I’m honestly not sure what the ingredients are… thinking secret mystery ingredients because that just makes it all the more fun for me. The powder looks and smells a lot like Tang – it’s admittedly been years since I’ve had Tang but that scent/flavor kind of seems to have stayed with me.  Poured the powder into my lovingly warmed teacup then filled it with boiling water. It foams up instantly, perfectly, and the smell of ginger fills the air above it.  Stirred twice (per instructions), then sipped.

The foam is a light orange color and it tastes like a Creamsicle to me (yes, another childhood reference, I get those a lot when I’m feeling meh sick).  Taking a bigger sip and the ginger hits me, soothing and warming on the back of my irritated throat.  Have to admit that it’s way better than the ginger tea I’ve made for myself in the past.  The ginger taste is balanced nicely with a smooth taste of orange that seems to be a combination of Mandarin and Sanguine.  This tea is a difficult one to explain because I don’t remember ever tasting anything quite like it. Definitely a burn of ginger, definitely an orange taste, but there’s something else in the flavor that I can’t make out.  The only logical conclusion that I can come to is to say that, with 100% scientific deduction, the mystery ingredient has to be magic.  Seriously though, Sting drinks this and he’s magic…

I sat down to have this tea this morning with my throat on fire and my stomach dancing some sort of hybrid Polka.  Now the fire has been doused and my stomach has settled, feeling better save the fact that I am now officially out of GingerLove… Calling Belgium….

You can purchase the Ginger Love directly from the Ginger Love website.

Canton has become one of my preferred tea companies and today I’m reviewing one of their flowering teas. It’s called Sweet Osmanthus and I expect it will be both beautiful and delicious. My glass teapot met my ceramic floor about a month ago so I’m making do with one of my Brandy glass, hoping it will have enough room to steep properly.

The dry ‘bulb’ is tightly woven into an unusual shape (unusual compared to other similar teas I’ve had), and it smells slightly floral. Placed it in my glass and poured almost boiling water on it – steeping it as I would any other Silver Needle. It started to bloom almost instantly, exposing the orange Osmanthus leaves that were hidden away in it’s center. The liquor turned a light orange color which surpised and delighted me and the scent grew more floral by the minute. The scent reminds me of lilies but with a hint of mandarin with it. Steeped it for 3 minutes then tasted it and it is really good. I expected it to taste perfumy but it doesn’t, slightly nutty with a smooth finish and a clean lingering aftertaste.

When I was finished savoring it, I rinsed the flower in cool water to put on display – hoping it will hold it’s shape for a few days so I can enjoy it…

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