Tea Reviews | It's All About The Leaf

Posts Tagged ‘Tea Garden’

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.

When you start reviewing a large number of teas, it may feel like you are reviewing many that are just mediocre and coming across a real gem may seem hard to come by. But of course it is really worth it when you do find that one tea that stands out above the rest. “Pure Zealong,” a New Zealand Oolong tea is just that special tea. And you know you’ve had a good tea when the review starts to write itself.

This tea came with a brochure that boasts its purity, and that is the perfect description for it; it is clean and pure and refreshing. Pure it certainly is. Unlike with Chinese and Taiwan Oolongs where the first infusion is usually poured away to rid of impurities and the second infusion is consumed, with the Pure Zealong the first and second infusion are just as drinkable. Moreover, it is difficult to be refreshing when you are a hot tea but the Pure Zealong has that bit of tang you get when you taste something refreshing. It is long in the mouth having a lingering aftertaste, a sign of a quality tea. Be careful with the time and temperature used in steeping as poor time and temperature can lead to a soapy taste. I recommend 90-93C for 2 to 4 minutes. It has a bit of an aftertaste that is sweet like a Baimudan. I’d say the taste is in between the taste of a Baimudan and a lightly oxidized oolong.

Before seeing this tea, I never knew New Zealand produced teas, and why not? As they say on their website, New Zealand has a pure, clean, fertile environment. That coupled with the hand pick of the finest tea leaves and plants from Taiwan, and processed with the best Chinese traditions and world leading food safety standards, you inevitably are left with the “world’s purest Oolong tea, with superb fragrance and flavour.” And I agree. This is certainly a special tea. The price at $58.00 for 100grams certainly attests to that. But it is worth it, with a delicate green infusion, soft perfumy aroma, and refreshingly sweet aftertaste. This is a superb tea. And superb teas are best to be taken on its own. I would not pair it with any food. Maybe try serving it gongfu-style to appreciate the nuances of each infusion. Imagine that, superb tea with good company and good conversation – one way this tea can be and enjoyed. Just the way I like it.

You can purchase the Zealong Pure directly from the Chicago Tea Garden website.

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.

Most tea estates have a utilitarian-only online presence, so it’s surprising that the first search result for Glenburn Tea Estate brings up a rich, multi-layered website touting their luxury hotel, bungalows, and vacation tours. Need to relax? Make a cuppa, put your feet up and just bask in the Flash Player slide show of the rooms and grounds.

But behind the huge open porches and the colonial-style four-poster beds at Glenburn is a working tea estate producing teas that rival the quality of their accommodations. According to the website, Glenburn was “started by a Scottish tea company in 1859, [and] has now passed into the hands of one of India’s pioneering tea planting families – The Prakashes, who have over the years come to be known as the “Chaiwala family” – which literally means “tea planters.”

The first flush Glenburn Darjeeling obtained by Lochan Tea is fine—not fine as in “it’ll do;” fine as in good china and real linen tablecloths. The fresh leaves reminded me of an Assam in aroma (a little malty, a little fermented), but not in appearance–they retain a good bit of green color, along with the blond first-flush tips.

A Darjeeling-appropriate steep time (water just under boiling, about 3 minutes) results in a beautiful fruity golden tea, light to the eye and to the palate. The first taste equivalent that comes to mind is Sun-Maid golden raisins when you first open the box. The fruit tang stays on the tongue long after you swallow.

If this is the result of the best pickings of a tea garden irrigated by two snow-fed Himalayan rivers (or so Lochan Tea tells us), sign me up for more. I believe I know where I want to go on my next vacation.

You can find Lochan Teas directly from the Lochan Tea website.

“Tuo Cha” means block of tea. Tea blocks are compressed tea made from the leaves of wild trees, not cultivated tea bushes. The leaves are harvested and steamed into shaped molds. There is usually an indentation in the mold to prevent the tea from sticking. Thus, you will see most tea cakes have a bowl-shaped dent in the middle. It is a bit of a novelty to have a small cake of pressed tea, often called a” mini tou cha” such as the sample from Chicago Tea Garden. You will also see a small indentation in the mini tou chas. The Chrysanthemum Pu-Erh Tuocha is a “cooked” variety of pu-erh, a fermented tea that is processed further than the raw form that is aged naturally.

If interested in he health benefits of this tea, medical experiments in France showed that with regular consumption of pu-erh, blood lipids (cholesterol levels) were lowered by 13% (3 cups/day in one month). Other benefits include: cuts fat consumption, as an aid in digestion and lymphatic secretions, invigorates the spleen and dispels toxins.

The pu-erh tuo cha sample is typical of a single 4 gram serving for a 150 ml Gaiwan or traditional Xishing tea pot. I used boiling water and poured off the first infusion to rehydrate the leaves. The second steep was 15 seconds. The liquor was a red-brown colour and smelled as pu-erh does, a bit musty and bit like damp earth. You are not going to examine much of the leaf because its quite chopped. You can try about 4-5 steeping from this tea provided you pour off quickly.

The mini tuo cha will have a chrysanthemum flower tucked into the bottom, so look for this flower as the tea opens up. Chrysanthemum gives a distinctive floral flavour. Any floral scent will tend to get a bit lost in the cooked pu-erh because the earthy smells can overpower the florals. Still, you can taste a light fruitiness to the tea. The chrysanthemum while quite small does the job to provide some sweetness on the aftertaste. I didn’t agree with the description that there is a nutty and smokey flavour as my sample lacked these flavours.

The Chrysanthenmum Pu-erh Tuo Cha is not a very deep tea as some pu-erhs are. It is fermented, yes, but light enough to enjoy as a beginner pu-erh tea for someone new to its flavours. It also makes a light refreshment with a meal or on its own as it is smooth. This tea is not as full in the mouth as an older pu-erh, but it is easy to prepare, can’t be over-steeped and holds up to multiple steepings.

You can purchase the Chrysanthemum Pu-erh Tuocha directly from the Chicago Tea Garden website.