Tea Reviews | It's All About The Leaf

Posts Tagged ‘Teas’

Much to my delight, I recently received a shipment of 3 teas from Davids Tea. I have been looking forward to sampling and reviewing tea from Davids ever since a store opened close to me here. They are truly a Canadian company (unlike the mistake I made with Mighty Leaf, Davids really was started, and is run, in Canada ), and I have been itching to feature them in a review.

Out of the 3 samples I was sent, the Mojito Mint was the one that caught my eye first. It could have been because after my wife going to Cuba, she has been on a Mojito kick, and we finally perfected our own Mojito recipe here, or it could be because of the sweet smell to the tea, or perhaps the odd mixing of Black tea and Rooibos. Whatever the reason, the Mojito Mint gets the nod for the first review.

This blend is part of Davids Tea’s Summer 2010 collection. I have, in all my years of tasting, never seen a blend of Black Tea and Rooibos together. In the bag, I get a sweet scent, with definite coconut and pineapple, and an undertone of the mint.

The instructions called for 80 deg. Celsius water – again, odd for a Black Tea and Rooibos both – usually you use boiling water for each one of these, but I am always for first trying it the suggested route, so that is what I did. They suggested a 3-4 min steep, so I went for a 4 min, as it seemed a good compromise between my 6 min usual Rooibos, and 3 min usual Black Tea.

The colour of the liquor is a reddish, muddy brown, mid-clear. It is not the dark Black, nor the red Rooibos, again speaking to the compromise that I am seeing in this tea already. Straight out of the steep the coconut scent dominated, but as it cooled, the sweet nutty Rooibos scent, and more mint started to peek through.

The flavour of this tea is amazing. Mojito it is not, I did not get any sense of that, but the name aside, I am really enjoying this tea. There is not a hint of tannin bitterness, in fact, the Black tea really seems to be only a supporting cast member. The dominant base is Rooibos, and each of the flavours seem to come through at different points – first sip I got coconut and a bit of rum’ish flavour, then the fruity pineapple flavouring peeks up – the final appearance from the mint leaves a refreshed taste in my mouth, and encourages another sip to start the cycle all over again.

I am still not sure why the Mojito name, since a Mojito is traditionally a rum/lime flavour, but frankly I don’t care what it is called! I have enjoyed cup after cup of this tea, and keep going back for more. Thumbs up recommendation for a Canadian company making it’s debut with us with a bang!

You can purchase the Mojito Mint Magic directly from the Davids Tea website.

This tea is confusing, and complex. When I first opened the packet I did a double take – bubble gum! But I was opening tea, not gum…? On a second sniff I could identify the vanilla and in the background found a subtle hidden jasmine note. But overall – bubble gum.

My first sip tasted odd… the flavors were complex and hard to pin down. My tongue was confused. I got some creaminess from the vanilla, but couldn’t really taste the jasmine. But I did get a cooling aftertaste in my mouth after the liquid had passed which I think may have been the jasmine. There was a fleeting overtone of “artificiality” in the brew. When I added a little sweetener, I tasted some of the “cream soda” flavor other tasters have reported. But it wasn’t a strong resemblance.

I then tried it cooled, and enjoyed it much more. The melded vanilla and jasmine each stand out as separate yet complimentary flavors.

As an iced tea, this was wonderful. I can very much see myself sitting outside on a warm night, drinking this tea, and being very content. As a warm tea, it wasn’t my favorite, however I know of many others who appreciate it very much. This is one of those teas you’ll have to try for yourself. But, if you do – make sure to try it iced.

You can purchase the Vanilla Jasmine directly from the Golden Moon Tea website.

I gave this tea two tries before I wrote up my review because the first round was rather rushed and I felt I could have gotten a better feel for the tea.

The dry tea is an interesting-looking dark-green/grey colour, shot through with silver.  It has a scent sort of like fresh hay with a bit of nuttiness.  But wow, does it ever change drastically when I add the water!  The smell morphs into something that I can only liken to dried seaweed – some people have called it ‘fishy’ but it’s not really that – to me it smells like the nori used to wrap sushi.  It’s a surprisingly pale-looking tea for all the scent and flavour that it has – a light, clear yellow.

Initially I followed Adagio’s steeping recommendations and steeped it for three minutes, but the second time I drank this tea I backed off on the steeping time a bit because I’ve noticed that Adagio tends to set them rather high.  Despite people’s opinions of the scent, the tea doesn’t taste fishy (thankfully).  It does have a savory note to it that gives the tea more body – this isn’t a fresh, light, delicate-tasting green. It has a nutty quality to it and a sort of green sweetness as well and it actually reminds me of some Dragonwell (Lung Ching) teas that I’ve tried in the past.  There wasn’t a huge difference in taste that I noticed between the first and second time I drank it, however the quicker steep the second time seems to have done this tea some good as the flavour is more subdued, but not dulled and I can still taste all the various nuances of the tea.

The tea seems to resteep well (@3:30 min), but it lacks much of the flavour profile of the original steeping. It has sort of lightly nutty, sweet flavour with little trace of the earlier savory notes.

I’m not sure what I think of this tea – I don’t love it, but it’s isn’t gack-worthy either. I think I’d have to be in a particular mood to drink this tea – I don’t think it’ll become my go-to green or anything like that.  Steepster Rating: 71/100

You can purchase the Xue Ya Ballad directly from the Adagio website.

Teafrog has brought a lot of really unique blends to the table so I shouldn’t be surprised by this one. But still, Mango and yogurt? Hmm…

It’s a curious mix, can definitely smell the yogurt – reminds me of the yogurt covered raisins that always leave me with a twinge of ‘guilty pleasure’ after I eat them. Can smell all of the different fruits in this blend but the mango is definitely the most bold. Curious too is the fact that I have all the ingredients in my cupboard (except the yogurt) and it never occurred to me to blend them. Thinking this would make a fantastic snack, straight out of the bag.

Steeped it for five minutes and it’s a beautiful shade of mango (is mango a color, can someone check their Crayolas?). It’s an orangey peach color, if that helps. Oh, and it’s delicious, really tangy and tart at the same time. Must be the yogurt giving me the tart side of it, apple in the blend is helping it too. This is really good and I will need to order some more. It’s a fun tisane that holds it’s own but I’d imagine it would also be fantastic to add to other teas as well. I’ve got some Silver Needle that could use a little zest….

Oh and just so you know, it does make for a satisfying nibble, straight out of the bag.

You can purchase the Mango And Yogurt directly from the TeaFrog website.

Keemun Hao Ya B is one of the very best grades of  Keemun teas from China, so I brewed Vicony’s import with great anticipation.  I was not a bit disappointed–indeed, I felt rapturous.  A good Keemun tea opens up a universe of surprising and complexly melded taste treats.   This tea is fairly tippy and has a distinctive floral aroma in addition to the naturally malty taste that a good Keemun provides.   There’s an underlying but subtle smoky aroma and taste which serves as a vehicle to enhance the floral aroma.

The deep brownish-red liquor is splendidly inviting to look at and would grace a glass pot.  As one continues to drink, other flavors unfold and rise up.  I could detect a bit of toasty chocolate and chestnut.  I enjoyed this Keemun Hao Ya B from Vicony teas black and appreciated a touch of natural sweetness.  The tea is strong and robust enough to stand up to additions of cream and sweetener. 

After enjoying this tea, my mouth was left with the an exceptionally  pleasant smoky, toasty, floral flavor.    All of the best Keemun’s I’ve enjoyed are both hearty, robust teas with a capacity to roll out waves of wonderful flavors that can be almost ethereal.  Vicony’s Keemun Hao Ya B outstandingly  highlights the complex beauty of tea.  I plan to make a full purchase because Vicony’s tea morphed, in just a few minutes, from an unknown brand and brew to an essential ingredient to my happiness.   Strongest recommendation.

You can purchase the Keemun Hao Ya B directly from the Vicony Tea website.