Sunday, April 12, 2015

Tealated White Peachy Cream Review

This is the second sample I received from Tealated. I have to say I did like the coconut one better but I'm a coconut fiend so that's not surprising ;-). There was a background flavor that I wasn't very fond of but I can't quite tell exactly what that is. I'm thinking it's something to do with the flowers they added into this one. In general I'm not a huge fan of flowers in teas, but that's just me. Other than that this tea was peachy goodness! While I'm on the fence as to whether I myself would order it in large amounts in the future or not I will definitely enjoy the rest of the sample. If I know someone that loves peach flavor I would definitely recommend it to them. The white tea flavor gets masked a bit more in this one too. I've read a few comments mentioning the belief that this tea uses Shou Mei White tea which is I think 3rd tier tea behind Silver Needle and Bai Mudan.

Main Flavors: Peachy Goodness, Slight White Tea Hints, Unidentified "Flower" Flavor?

Friday, April 10, 2015

Tealated Cream of White Coconut

I was very pleased to find some Tealated samples in my mailbox yesterday. Of those samples I was so far able to try this one. This tea is marvelous! It makes me think of sandy beaches and warm sunshine as I'm sipping my way through it. I grew up in tropical countries and so ate my fair share of coconuts and drank plenty of their water as well. In short, I love coconut anything. So for me this tea was right on the money!

The nice thing about this tea from a tea lover's perspective [leaving my love of coconut out of it] is that it is very well balanced. I've had plenty of blended teas where all you can taste is the added flavor, be it citrus or something else. In the case of this tea you can definitely taste the tea leaves themselves along with the coconut. This was quite a nice surprise. 

All in all I think this is a tea I'll have to actually purchase at some point in the future.

Main Flavors: White Tea, Coconut, Creamy Aspect [can't quite describe it] 

Tuesday, April 7, 2015

Obubu: Yanagi Bancha



Probably one of the most easily drinkable green teas I've ever tried. I tend to prefer the world of lighter tea flavors over their heavier black brethren anyway. 

I would highly recommend this tea to those drinkers out there that shy away from heavily green/grassy flavors.

This tea brews a light yellowish liquor as expected from a less grassy flavored green. This is one of those teas that is very refreshing and can be had multiple times the same day without really getting tired of it. That's the nice bonus of lighter greens and white teas.

Now Bancha is basically on the lower end of the grade scale for green teas. This means it is usually made from the leftover torn leaves and sometimes stems that were rejected for higher grades like Sencha. It is still higher on the quality scale than say a typical green tea bag like Bigelow Green Tea. Bigelow and similar companies use sweepings/fannings leftover after the good tea is packaged. Tea dust is another good way to describe what is put in many green tea bags.

Main Flavors/Attributes: Light Green/Grassy flavor, very lightly vegetal, slight sweetness.

Saturday, April 4, 2015

Tea History


For those of you really new to the tea world, the following videos may help give some background. The videos specialize in discussion about the origins of Pu'er tea but you also get a good sense as to where tea in general originated. We're of course talking about real tea and not "tisane" which means not tea. Tisane has been around as long as someone tossed something in hot water and then drank it.

Video Part 1

Video Part 2

Fu Brick Tea






Today we're talking about Fu Bricks. The first image is a full 1000g brick in packaging while the second image is a close-up to show the special 'golden flower' fungus that makes this pressed fermented tea special.

This review is about the Jing Wei Fu Brick:


This is my second time drinking this wonderful tea. The first time I made it the first steep was the best and I did not rinse the tea first. This time I tried giving them a quick rinse before steeping. I’m not sure if that was the cause or if this bunch didn’t have as much golden flower fungus in it but it didn’t taste quite the same. The amazing flavors were still there but they seemed a lot less distinct and more muted. On my second steep of the same leaves I steeped it for longer and I did get a bit more spices type of a flavor but the sweetness was still missing a little bit. This time around I also detect a bit more wet wood type of a scent and flavor. All in all I still quite enjoyed this tea but it wasn’t quite as good as the first time around I had tried it.


Main Flavors: Spices, Wet Wood


Friday, April 3, 2015

Bigelow: Constant Comment Review


Going to start this blog out on a familiar note to some. This happens to be free where I work so it's an easy grab when my loose leaf is at home. So here we go!

I’m pretty much riding the fence any time I drink this tea. On the one hand it’s pretty decent for a bagged black tea. But on the other hand compared to some of the good loose leaf I’ve had it doesn’t come close.
Even if the taste doesn’t make you scream out for joy, the smell is quite nice. Definitely a scent that would be soothing and relaxing on a cold or stressful day.
I taste and smell the orange flavor for sure. It lingers as the aftertaste for quite awhile too. The spices are right there in the background when you take a sip.
Wouldn't write home about this tea, but it’s a decent tea bag.

Main Flavors: Orange Zest, Spices

What's This Blog About?




Tea, that is what this blog is all about.

Inquiring minds will be informed with facts about tea, from the plant in the field to the warm deliciousness in your cup.

Reviews will be plentiful as I explore the wonderful world of tea with various preparation methods and various tea varieties.

So stick with me, and experience the world of tea through my senses and perhaps if you wish to join me on this journey, your own.