Spotlight: Tea Horse

Tea Horse is a British company that sells teas, teaware and also offers a monthly subscription program. Sign up and each month you will be greeted by a package of carefully selected teas along with filters for steeping and an informational booklet. The company generously sent me three large samples to try, and I loved all three.

Panyong Golden Needle

Panyong Golden Needle

The first sample is the Panyong Golden Needle. With the first sniff of the brew, I knew this was a tea for me. I love Chinese black tea, especially when loaded with golden tips. Sweet caramel, and an earthy deep cocoa aroma brought a smile to my lips. The taste was of cocoa and spice with dried apricots and a touch of honey. Very delicious. This is the type of tea I reach for in the morning to wake me up and keep me going.

Gui Fei Oolong

Gui Fei Oolong

The next tea I tried was the Gui Fei, (Honey) Oolong. The leaves are beautifully rolled and smell of honey, just as described. I did one quick 'wash' of the leaves here, to make sure they fully opened during their steep. The first steep was sweet with a strong honey note and a delicate floral taste. I steeped this a second time to make sure the leaves fully opened, and this steep was much more earthy. It reminded me of Korean barley tea- very nutty, and subtly sweet. I was surprised at how quickly this changed from sweet to earthy.

The Jade Oolong, another beautifully rolled tea, has an intoxicating sweet and floral aroma. It was as if I held a bouquet of fresh flowers to my nose. The tea has a sweet jasmine taste with a hint of fresh grass. This is a beautiful tea to drink any time of day. I'm picturing a huge vase of colorful flowers while I sip. It instantly lifts my mood. It also makes a light and refreshing iced tea.

Jade Oolong

All three teas are of wonderful quality, which intrigues me to try more of their teas. The packaging is environmentally friendly with an attractive minimalist design. I love that the steeping instructions are right on the package. It seems like common sense to include this, but many companies don't. I often have to search around online to find steeping instructions.

Tea Horse gets their name from "Tea Horse Road" which is the ancient trade route from China to Tibet. The history behind the road is very interesting, and you can learn more about it here.

To learn even more about this company, stay tuned in the coming days for an interview with the founder of Tea Horse, Ali Silk!