It's All About The Leaf

Posts Tagged ‘Tea Leaves’

TeaGschwender describes it as: Mysterious myths entwine this treasure. Handpicked feathery buds shimmer tenderly. The cup is clear as crystal with a smooth touch of green. A truly precious tea experience!

This is one of my all time favorite silver needles- Yin Zhen: Silver needle or “white beatitude”. And it absolutely lives up to the description given by TeaGschwender. This tea is so light and clean and it brews up so clear that it’s hard to believe that it could possibly carry as many health benefits as it does. The flavor is delicate and yet powerful at the same time, complex yet simple. I could drink this tea all day and still truly enjoy it.

I brewed it exactly as was suggested and was glad that I did. It’s such a delicate taste that I suspect you wouldn’t get the full nuances if it wasn’t brewed with filtered water.Drinking it now and smiling at how unique it is and how it makes me feel. It has a soft scent that begs you to hold your cup close so you can inhale it. I can’t think of any words to describe it other than delicate and clean, so I’m going to close my laptop and enjoy this treasure. Hopefully the adjectives will come to me.

You can purchase TeaGschwendner China Yin Zhen Silver Needle directly from their website.

I love Tea Forte. Every single tea that I have tried to date has been flavourful, without being overwhelming. I also quite enjoy Oolong Tea. To date, I have mostly focused on the darker, more oxidized Formosa Oolongs, and enjoy the robust flavours that they produce. With that in mind, I reached for the Tea Forte Silk Oolong this morning to give it a try.

First of all, Tea Forte has packaging nailed. The Chest that was sent to us contains the teas nicely, and the pyramid tea bags and wrapping are minimalist enough to let you focus on the tea, while giving you the impression that, even tho this is a teabag, you are about to embark on a high quality tea experience. In the past, I found for the most part the bags give enough room for the teas to expand, so I was not too worried about this here, even tho it is an Oolong that should expand enough to release all the flavours.

I have to say, that this is the first Tea Forte that has disappointed me. Perhaps my expectations were too high going into it. First of all, clearly there was not enough room for the tea to expand in the tea bag. After brewing it at about 195 deg F for about 3 minutes, the tea leaves were straining the confines of the bag. Usually, you can get a nice scent of the tea through the bag, and certainly once it has hit the water, but here, I found the scent to be very muted and almost undetectable.

The tea it’s self is nothing to write home about. It is very light, bordering on almost tasteless. It is certainly smooth as the name “Silk Oolong” implies, but has no interesting aftertaste that lingers, and is overall, unmemorable. Perhaps being used to stronger Oolong infusions I was prepared for a stronger tea, but this certainly is not that. It leaves me feeling indifferent enough to it that I am not even going to bother with a second or third infusion.

Maybe if you steeped it for much longer, you could coax more flavour out of it, or even cutting the leaves out of the bag, buy why do that when you receive it in a bag? You can purchase the loose leaves from Tea Forte directly, but for the price (Tea Forte teas can tend to the expensive side), I don’t see the value on this tea.

Overall, Tea Forte is a fantastic company producing fantastic teas, but in this case, it is one tea that I would remove from the lineup, as it does not seem to fit into the flavourful, memorable teas that I have come to know Tea Forte for.

You can purchase Tea Forte Silk Oolong directly from their website.

Let me start by saying, I am not a coffee drinker. For me, the tea I choose to drink throughout the day will be dependent on my mood. This tea would be one that I would use to start my day, as I think it has the ability to give you that initial morning burst that many people claim to get from that first pot of java.

My first impression of any teas is usually in the form of smell. I was a little surprised to find the aroma of the Yunnan Noir to be earthy in nature, as I was expecting a soft and supple aroma. I do like teas that are full bodied and stronger in taste!

The tea leaves were noticeably large in size, and looked like they had been tightly rolled up, possibly to keep in their flavor. This tea has a woodsy smoked flavor bordering on bitter, but not quite. It has an almost rustic taste. As with many of the other teas that I consume on a daily basis, I added milk and 2 sugars. I don’t think I would drink this after a fine meal or sitting down at the end of the day.

I think, for anyone trying to transition from coffee to tea, this will hit the spot, unlike many of the store bought nationally branded products I used to buy!

I would definitely drink it again, without hesitation. If you are looking for something to give you a little pick me up, it will fit the bill.

You can purchase Adagio Yunnan Noir directly from their 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.

Ok, a warning up front that this review will be slightly more technical, and full of jargon that is not usually characteristic of my writing. So if you want to get to the juicy bit fast – bottom line – this tea gooooood.

Tea from the Darjeeling region of India is known as the “Champagne” of tea. Until now, I have never really understood why that is, but after drinking this TeaGschwender Darjeeling Phuguri FTGFOP1, I have a clearer idea of what it means.

First of all, the technical details. FTGFOP1 stands for Finest Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe 1. Plainly put – it doesn’t get any better that this. It is important to note that tea gradings like this are based on the appearance of the tea only, not the taste, and are not standardized. However, in this case, given the reputation of the vendor and the estate (Phuguri) we are going to take it at face value, backed up with the white tips in the dry tea that is a character of the “Tippy Golden” part of that grading.

Along with the tea, TeaGschwender included their measuring device, the Teelamass, which is basically a plastic tea spoon. As well, a thick book with all of their teas and the appropriate measurements for brewing (based on the Teelamass) was also included. I could have figured it out, but for beginners, that would be a very much appreciated bonus I am sure.

Before I brewed up my “tasting” cup – I had brewed a couple of cups up just for drinking (trust me, there is a difference, mostly in the note taking…) and I have to say that I went into the tasting with much anticipation. I am not normally big on drinking blacks – I do enjoy them, but not as my “standard” teas. However, my drinking cups were so enjoyable, I could not wait to review this.

I brewed the tea using 2tsp in about 16oz of boiling water, 3 minutes. This produced a light amber liqueur, with a pleasant, almost, but not quite floral aroma. The leaves unfurled nicely, and the high quality of the leaf was again proven with the white tips and greener leaves as well as your standard oxidized leaf.

The brew is slightly astringent (drying in the mouth) with a sweet cooling finish that is again, indicative of a quality Darjeeling tea. The taste is smooth and light, with refreshing muscatel notes that are reminiscent of some muscat wines, but only slightly. Being a second flush, I expected a fuller bodied and bolder tea, and it delivered but not too much so, leaving an enjoyable cup of tea that I will go back to again and again.

There is no need for sugar or milk, and in fact I believe that it would ruin the nuance of the flavouring of this single estate tea. I am not one for milk or sugar in tea in any case, and prefer to drink it au-natural.

It is easy to see now why Darjeeling tea is known as the “Champagne” of teas, it is tea, but on a different level. At $39.90/100 grams I am not about to go and stock up on it, but it is certainly a wonderful treat, and it will become a permanent addition to my Christmas list for the relatives that just never know what to get me!

You can purchase TeaGschwendner Darjeeling Phuguri FTGFOP1 directly from their website.