Tea Reviews | It's All About The Leaf

Posts Tagged ‘Sampling’

When the average American first learns of tea, then tend to learn about black tea (often Lipton-eqsue types of black tea) or herbals. If they’re lucky enough to start to explore the genre of tea, then the worlds of greens, whites and oolongs come into focus, but the pu-erhs often remain uncharted territory. Of all types of tea, pu-erhs seem the most mis-understood and mysterious teas out there. I often see people new to tea mention that they are *scared* of them. And, that can be understandable; some of the adjectives often associated with pu-erhs are big, strong, bold words like “leathery,” “earthy,” and in worst case scenarios “fish-tank-y.” I don’t want to drink a fish tank. Ew!

Personally, I’ve only started to stratch the surface of pu-erhs. And even in this small sampling I’ve had some that I’ve spit out, and some that I’ve absolutely adored. So I went into this tea with a very open mind – this one could be anything. It came in cute little mini-cakes smelling vaguely of rose. But it wasn’t as scented as the name suggested – I was expecting more floral On brewing, it steeped at a rich carmely brown – a little lighter than I’d expected. And the flavor was very smooth with a hint of a sweet finish. Not as much of the earthy strong characteristics I’ve come to associate with pu-erhs, but rather a medium-bodied brew. And again, not much floral, either in the scent or the flavor.

This is a rich and soft brew. Don’t come to this tea expecting lots of rose. You won’t find it. But you will find a nice mellow pu-erh. This would be a good springboard pu-erh for those afraid or hesitant to try them.

You can purchase the Rose Scenter directly from the Chicago Tea Garden website.

I love this tea.

Enough said? Not even close. Honeybee Oolong from The Simple Leaf is, simply put, affordable heaven in a cup! Harvested in the mountains of Nepal, this traditionally made Oolong tea is produced only in tiny quantities, according to the Simple Leaf website. It is worth a trip to the Simple Leaf website to learn more about the background of this tea, in an interview with the producer of the Honeybee Oolong (click here to read the interview).

When I first opened the sample bag (The Simple Leaf provides MASSIVE 1oz sample packs, x3 for our reviewers), the scent immediately reminded me of a high quality Darjeeling. I even opened up some (very expensive) Single Estate Darjeeling to compare, and they are remarkably similar. The leaf is dark in color, full leafed, and clearly hand picked and rolled.

I brewed the first cup at 90 deg C, 1 tsp (approx. 2 grams) in my cup, and steeped it for about 3 minutes. The result was bang on. It seems to hold the characteristics of again, a Darjeeling tea, but not as malty, in fact, it is extremely pleasant. I would call it, subtle, but flavorful. Not at all what I have come to associate Oolong teas with! The aftertaste lingers on my tongue, slightly sweet, with a light peachy taste.

At only $13.95 for 4oz of this beauty, it is extremly affordable. I would rate this tea equivilent to some $40/3.5 oz tea that I have had the pleasure of sampling (but don’t tell The Simple Leaf, they may be tempted to raise the price!).

Absoultely fantastic. The balance of this sample is going in my cupboard, and when it is gone, going on my shopping list! Congratulations Simple Leaf, you have found a beautifully crafted and produced tea in this Oolong, thank you for sharing it with us!

Did I mention that I really like it?

You can purchase Honeybee Oolong directly from the Simple Leaf website.