This tea is made of contractions. Lovely, lovely contradictions. It’s both mild and brash. Untamed and civilized. Light yet strong.

The leaves are big and twisty and unruly with the typical white tea fluffiness. Darker than I expected. They’ve got a sweet, hay-like aroma, similar to other white teas.

Brewed up, it’s a pale yellow color. And the flavor is very strong for a white tea. Very bold. But it’s still a white tea, so while strong and bold, it’s still delicate and light. It’s a hay flavor, with some fruit overtones. Other tasters mention citrus or melon tones which I don’t really get. I do get a generic fruity flowery bright tone. But, it’s lovely. This is my perfect type of white tea I like stronger flavored teas, and this has the best of both worlds. White tea flavor turned up to 11.

This may be for you if: you think white tea is interesting, but too wussy for your tastes

You can purchase the Ye Sheng Wild White Tea directly from the Canton Tea Co. website.

I am obsessed with genmaicha and try to drink it every day. Needless to say, I was excited to try this and I wasn’t disappointed.

The dry leaf contains various shades of green with a healthy dose of toasted brown rice. The aroma was nutty, but very light.

The first time I had this tea, I steeped it for 3 minutes which produced a rich, nutty aroma while brewing. The liquor was a pale gold that I find to be typical of many greens. The tea tasted of toasted popcorn, not burnt or stale, which I have found in other genmaichas. The second infusion lasted for 5 minutes and had more of a buttery quality, but less popcorn presence.

I wanted to try this tea again with different infusion times in order to hopefully produce the perfect cup of genmaicha. The tea was brewed for 2 minutes which resulted in a lighter, but still nutty and popcorn-like infusion. While the first infusion was lighter at 2 minutes, it allowed the 3 minute second infusion to have a fuller mouthfeel and more balanced taste. I was able to get a decent third infusion, but the tea mainly tasted of sencha without the presence of the toasted rice.

Overall, this tea is a nice example of what genmaicha should be. It wasn’t burnt or stale tasting and had a nice buttery quality which I love. I wish the toasted rice came through stronger in the taste, but honestly, I love bold flavors and I wish almost every tea had a stronger taste. I would definitely recommend this tea for someone who wanted to try genmaicha or prefers light, nuanced flavors.

You can purchase the Genmaicha Organic directly from the TeaFrog website.

Company Product Description:
A tea blended in honor of Malachi McCormick, that tea author of Irish blood. His out-of-print book “A Decent Cup of Tea” is small, but speaks volumes concerning the difficulty in finding well-prepared tea in hotels.

I start each day with at least 1 black or black flavored tea…my day “tea day” progresses from there…each day a new tea adventure.  BUT…I always HAVE to have some good, solid Black or Black Flavored Tea Favorites or Standby’s nearby.  With all the tea I drink I MUST have a HUGE variety in my stash. 

Recently I sampled Malachi McCormick’s Blend from Harney & Sons for the first time.  I received it from a friend in a tea swap!  Let’s just say it’s very satisfying and I am fairly certain that’s on its way to my Standby Pile…if not my “go-to” pile! 

It’s a medium strength Black Tea that is toasty yet sweet and oh-so-smooth!  It seems to be the perfect tea to sip or – if you are in a rush – gulp.

I don’t know what it is about this tea…but I think it’s a winner!

You can purchase the Malachi McCormick’s Blend directly from the Harney & Sons website.

After all the tea balls that I have broken and battled with over the years it is a relief to find something as perfectly functional and simple as the Finum Basket. Who hasn’t had the unpleasant experience of a tea ball opening up while you’re brewing tea? What a mess!!

The Finum Brewing Basket is a re-usable filter perfect for tea (or coffee) and constructed of a stainless steel mesh in a plastic frame. You simply place the basket in your mug or tea pot, add the loose leaf tea, and pour the water over the tea. When the tea is steeped to your liking just lift the basket out and place it on the lid which doubles as a drip tray. How easy is that? Another improvement over a tea ball is the volume that the tea leaves have to expand in – the tea is able to steep evenly and the flavor to fully develop. The mesh is fine enough that even Rooibos doesn’t escape through the filter. Over time and with regular use the stainless steel mesh does become a bit stained but it is dishwasher safe and I have found that vinegar cleans it up nicely.

This is a Must-Have accessory for anyone who drinks tea and I would recommend buying more than one – it’s perfect to use at the office or when you are traveling.

You can purchase TeaFrog Finum Tea Brewing Basket directly from their website.