Tea Reviews | It's All About The Leaf

Posts Tagged ‘Red Tea’

It doesn’t happen very often these days, but I would say about once every couple o’ months, something catches my eye in an “ooo shiny!” fashion. Okay, okay, I do that a lot…but not AS often with tea. I have a list saved as a Gmail draft that I call my “Tea WANT!” list. On it are several orthodox (and some plain out-there) teas that I hope to try someday. At present, I’ve notched off half of it. Some of the more difficult things were more easily obtained than I thought.

What’s this got to do with Shang Tea? Well, I ran across their operation via a tea social network called Steepster. (Think Facebook for cuppers.) Someone was waxing poetic about this black tea blend they recently tried. What caught my “shiny!” gland was the mention of tangerine blossoms. In case it isn’t readily apparent, I’m a tangerine fiend – been addicted to ‘em ever since I was a wee tot. I never knew those damn fruit trees had blossoms to them. Had I known, I would’ve built a fort out of ‘em.

Shang Tea is an operation out of Kansas City, MO. Other than being another brick-n-mortar tea shop in a mall, they have another thing to their credit. They own their own high-altitude tea garden in Fujian province, China. Their specialty happens to be Silver Needle white tea, but they also play around with the same cultivar to make red (or black) tea. This fermented option was blended with tangerine blossoms.

I bought a sampler pack that included this, along with several other white teas and blends. Needless to say, I first tore open the Tangerine Blossom black. Almost like an addict, even. It smelled beyond superb. Along with the slightly smoky/earthy black tea base was a scent similar to jasmine flowers and citrus rind – sweet yet floral. The tea leaves themselves were thin and twisty; the blossoms looked like – well – blossoms. Very…uh…blossomy.

The brewing instructions they recommended were a tad confusing, especially the measurements for the tea leaves. I skipped theirs and went with my own prep – 1 heaping teaspoon of leaves in 8oz of 205F water for three minutes. A bit light, sure, but it seemed the wisest approach.

The liquor brewed to a color that I would call “oolong amber”. The liquid aroma echoed the semi-fermented tea comparison with a fruity/lightly-astringent nose. As for taste, this completely floored me. It began with a regular Dian Hong-ish forefront that was immediately followed up with a strong citrus lean in the middle. That tapered off into a honey-floral aftertaste that simply lingered. I could find no fault with this blend. At all. It was perfect. I’m only upset that I’m all out of it now.

You can purchase the Tangerine Blossom Red Tea directly from the Shang Tea website.

So this is an interesting herbal tisane. Of course I’ve heard of a mulberry bush but I’ve never seen one and had no idea people used it for tea. A bit of research and I found that it has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for thousands of years. Most notably, used in the treatment on Diabetes, sounds like it shares some of the same qualities as Stevia. This particular tisane is organically grown and processed by a small, woman-owned company in Northeastern Thailand.

The dry leaves are whole and very aromatic, they smell just like a roasted Chinese red tea. Prepared the tea using the recommendations on the Tula Teas site, rinsed leaves, “old man” boiling water, steeped for three minutes. It steeps to a nice, light green colour and the scent magically changes from that of a green to a fruity herbal. It tastes like blackberries mixed with salmon berries but with a slightly nutty after taste. Second steep brings out more of a raspberry flavour and it is sweet but not overly so (like Stevia).

Now, Tula Teas suggests icing this tisane with a bit of milk and sugar. I am interested enough to try that later, not sure about it though. I added some milk to the hot brew and it wasn’t for me. I think it is sweet enough without adding anything else.

You can purchase the Green Mulberry Leaf directly from the Tula Teas website.

I was really excited to taste this tea. The ingredients of orange peel, cinnamon and cloves sounded wonderfully delicious. The directions recommend steeping 1.5 tsp per cup of water for 5-6 minutes. I was using a 2-cup teapot, so I doubled my amount of tea and steeped it, using boiling water, for five minutes. The smell of cloves and cinnamon wafts up from the pot to my nose enticingly. This tea is aptly named, as it reminds me of sitting next to a fire, perhaps during the Christmas season, where these smells are often common around my home.

Pouring myself a cup of this dark, red-orange tea, cloves take the greatest part of its aroma, with edgings of cinnamon in that scent. Sipping this tea, it goes down smooth, the biggest flavour being the cinnamon and the rooibos (which is pleasantly not overpowered as in many rooibos blends I have tried). The orange aftertaste is quite appealing.

My overall impressions were that this tea has very well-balanced flavours and really does make for a very soothing beverage. I certainly enjoyed it and would rate it a 90/100.

You can purchase the Fireside Rooibos directly from the TeaFrog website.

In 1875, a failed civil servant traveled from his home in Anhui Province, China to Fujian Province. The goal was to learn the secrets to black tea production. While Fujian was mainly known for its white teas and oolongs, the region also had Golden Monkey to brag about. He returned and set to work on a type of his own. The results were a hearty and sweet “red tea” that exceeded his wildest dreams. The new beverage took the name of the county where it was created – Qimen. Or as we “Anglish” know it, Keemun.

The tea also gained popularity as an export, becoming the principle ingredient for the titular English Breakfast blend. There are five true Keemun varieties in existence and one “faux” Keemun produced in a province west of Anhui. I had no idea that a Keemun variant was produced in Taiwan, but leave it to Mark T. Wendell Company to surprise me. Their site mentioned that this silver-leafed tea was one of their founder’s favorites, referring to it as the “Burgundy of tea”.

Rarely has Mark T. Wendell let me down in their selection of Formosa (or Taiwanese) teas. The first of theirs I ever sampled was the much-lauded Hu-Kwa – a Lapsang Souchong-inspired smoke tea. The notes were subtler than its campfire kin and also possessed a strange floral presence. From then on, I knew Taiwan could make a black tea. Their Formosa Keemun also promised something unusual. At first sight, the leaves were indeed as silvery as the site description proclaimed; they were also longer and twistier than their Chinese inspiration. The aroma was an odd mixture of dust, earth, nuts, rice and spice – like I was smelling a pu-erh blended with flowers and herbs.

Black tea brewing instructions on the MTW site called for a four-to-five-minute steep in 190F-200F (88C-93C) water. That was much stronger than I took my black teas. I had to give in to my palate preference on this one. I raised the water temp to 205F, used 1 heaping teaspoon of leaves in 8oz, and steeped for three minutes.

The results were a far lighter-looking beverage than I anticipated. The liquor ended up a dark gold color with a middling smoky/nutty nose to it. The lightness was probably due to my steep preference, but most Keemuns I had sipped fared well at three minutes. The flavor – as is often the case – was where this showed promise. Keemun proper usually possessed a bitter foretaste then settled into its sweeter notes. This, on the other hand, went straight for an earthy (almost leathery) prologue and settled into a textured pinecone-like middle. The aftertaste was understated but not unwelcome.

I can’t say this lives up to some of the best Keemuns I’ve tried. Keemun Gongfu does figure-eights around this variant on nuance alone. That said, the earthy characteristics give it a body and taste similar to another Formosa offering – Ruby Black. And from my sipping perspective, that isn’t bad company to keep. It’s still quite an acceptable alternative.

You can purchase the Formosa Keemun directly from the Mark T. Wendall Tea Company website.

Da.u.de samples always come in lovely tins with beautiful labels. Opening this tin an AMAZING scent washes over you. Dark fruit, sweet berries, and lovely sweet tones and floral high tones. I would wear this scent daily this scent as a perfume if I could. However, teas with amazing aromas such as this one always make me nervous – will the flavor live up to the aroma? Or will your tongue call your nose a liar?

I am happy to report that for this tea, your tongue will congratulate your nose on its taste and discretion.

Brewed up, the aroma continues and the deep ruby red tea looks rich and inviting. The flavors are sweet, fruity, and juicy with a base level of tartness. This is likely due to the hibiscus. I tend to detest hibiscus in herbal teas, but here it adds just the right base note for the other lighter flavors to use as a springboard, launching the entire blend into balance and harmony. I realize I’m likely mixing metaphors here, but the tea is just darned good.

I did slightly sweeten the brew, as I tend to like my herbals sweet, but this could be enjoyed unsweetened – it is sweet without needing to add anything.

This is a great blend. This would be perfect for evening drinking, or iced on a hot sunny afternoon.