Review: East Frisian BOP from Upton Tea Imports

Last week I wrote about the East Frisian tea ritual that creates a deeply satisfying cup of tea. I loved learning the history and culture behind this tea. This week's post is a review of the East Frisian BOP blend from Upton Tea Imports that I used in last week's post. I've been drinking it all week with and without the added cream and sugar, so it's definitely time I give it a full review.

It's not easy to find true East Frisian blends in the US, and I was excited to see that Upton sells more than one. Upton has two main blends to choose from, the BOP (broken orange pekoe) blend and the TGFOP blend (tippy golden flowery orange pekoe). I'd normally go for the TGFOP which has full leaves, lots of tips, and more complexity. But, I wanted the closest thing to a strong East Frisian blend, so I went with the BOP. The broken leaves steep up quickly and produce a stronger brew. Also, Upton referred to the BOP blend as the 'classic' brew, so that sealed the deal for me.

The dry leaves

The dry leaves have a raisiny aroma, with honey and a bit of malt. Smells like an Indian or Sri Lankan tea blend, and Upton's website says it's an Assam blend. The leaves are orthodox (whole, not CTC) broken leaves, with some lovely golden tips peppered throughout.

Tea without cream and sugar, so you can see the color

I tasted the tea two ways- straight, and prepared with the addition of sugar and cream in the East Frisian tradition. This tea was blended for the addition of cream and sugar (as many breakfast blends are as well), but I wanted to try it both ways to get a true feeling for the tea. I prepared the tea as instructed- 1 tsp per 6 ounces of water, steeped with boiled water for 3 minutes. The tea steeps up to a beautiful dark mahogany color. Sips of the tea on its own are quite bracing but surprisingly not too astringent. There isn't much nuance, but it's malty with bitter notes of unsweetened chocolate. The liquor is a bit drying on the palate with a malty finish. It's fully bodied and thick. I think I'd cut back slightly on the amount of tea if I was drinking this straight. 

The wet leaves

Pouring this tea over a lump of sugar (kluntje) and adding cream (no stirring!) creates a different cup altogether. It's still quite strong but the cream and sugar tempers the bitterness. The first few sips are quite potent, then the cream turns everything turns into a big cozy hug. It's quite decadent, especially when you get the sweetness from the kluntje. 

This is a great tea for the morning, I've been sipping on it while getting the kids ready for school and it gives me quite a caffeine jolt. This stuff is potent! As I mentioned, if you are preparing it straight you may want to play around with the amount of leaf if it's a little too strong for your taste. With cream and sugar, this is the perfect way to unwind on a chilly winter afternoon. I don't usually prefer adding milk and sweetener to my tea, but this blend really benefits from it. Each sip feels as if you're being wrapped in a cozy blanket.

I definitely want to give the TGFOP blend I mentioned earlier a try, just to see how much it differs from the BOP blend. That could be an interesting comparison of the leaf grades. I imagine the TGFOP blend would also be more drinkable without milk, as I usually prefer not to add it to my morning cup. If you are sensitive to caffeine, definitely keep this as a morning sip. But if you're not prone to the jitters, it's also a great afternoon pick-me-up. I'd recommend brewing the BOP blend in a Western style teapot, as the leaves are too small for a gongfu method. But of course, it's always fun to experiment.

To lean more about this tea you can visit the Upton Tea Imports website here. As I mentioned, they have other East Frisian blends to check out as well. To learn more about the East Frisian ritual of taking tea, you can read my write-up here. Thank you to Upton Tea Imports for this sample! It helped me learn all about the East Frisian tea tradition.

Review: The Little Red Cup Tea Da Hong Pao

If you enjoy Chinese oolongs, chances are you've had a few versions of Da Hong Pao. A tea that should be high-quality, it can actually vary greatly in quality and flavor depending on the source. I've had everything from the insipid to the truly inspiring.

Today's review is a Da Hong Pao from the little red cup tea co. This tea is mountain grown in Enshi Prefecture, in southwestern Hubei Province. I usually think of Da Hong Pao coming from Fujian, and I'm curious to learn more about the location of these tea trees. I didn't have time to gather more information before this review, so I will either update this post or create a new one once I find out more. But let's discuss the leaves at hand...

This Da Hong Pao is very aromatic. The dry leaves are sweet, fruity, and quite tempting. This tea brews up a deep dark amber color. Lovely to look at, and feels very appropriate for the fall weather that's lurking just around the corner.

The brewed tea echos the fruitiness of the dry leaves, with the addition of strong mineral notes. It brings to mind an autumn hike near a waterfall. There is a lingering hint of spice that helps nurture those fall weather feelings. There is a touch of astringency to the tea, reminding me of plum skin. The hint of astringency doesn't actually lead to a bitter brew, which is quite nice. It's very smooth. I was heavy handed with the leaf and steep time, and everything was still quite well balanced.


This tea is nice and hearty, a good choice for the late morning or early afternoon. The mineral notes mellow out the brew just a touch, so I wouldn't have it first thing since I like a punchy morning tea. I prepared this tea in a gaiwan, one that is quite thick to retain the water's heat. This would also work well in a small teapot. It would be lovely to cozy up with a few steeps of this tea on a chilly day.

According to the little red cup website, finding this tea was quite a challenge which makes me even more curious to learn about the source:

It has taken us nearly ten years since we began our search for a great Da Hong Pao that is both organic and Fair Trade to get to the point where we can add this special oolong to our offerings.

I did an interview with the little red cup founder Martin Connelly back in 2015, be sure to check out our conversation to learn more about the company. Thank you to the little red cup tea co. for this sample! To learn more about this tea, you can visit the little red cup website.

Teaware Review: Teaglass

I love collecting teaware, and always look out for unique pieces. I recently started seeing a company called Teaglass posting pictures of a strange looking drinking vessel on Instagram. The vessel was originally created for yerba mate, to mimic drinking from a mate gourd and bombilla (straw) but the creators realized you can use the vessel with loose leaf tea as well. They reached out to see if I'd like to review one of the vessels, and I was curious to give it a try. Here are my findings...

Review: Good Morning tea by Tea Plays

When I need a bit of a mood boost, tea always comes to the rescue. The experience of preparing a favorite tea and tasting it truly cheers the soul. This is the concept behind Tea Plays, a small tea company trying to bring a bit whimsy to our tea ritual. The Tea Plays teas are designed to be chosen based on your current mood and situation.The blends are aptly named Brainstorming, Sweet Home, Good Morning, and After Lunch.

The teas are referred to as 'bonbons' and they are compressed into a ball and packaged in colorful wrappers. The teas are in a translucent box, so you can see all of the cheerful bonbons inside. I decided to focus this review on the Good Morning tea, as I was sleepy when I opened the package. Tea Plays describes the Good Morning tea as, 'First fragrance of calendula, accompanied by honey-aromatic Dianhong black tea from Yunnan, China'. The full ingredient list is dianhong, calendula, and mint.

The dry compressed leaves smell like chocolate, with a sweet floral/herbacious aroma which I'm guessing is the calendula (I don't think I've ever had calendula before). The steeped tea has smooth honey and chocolate notes from the dianhong, but there is also the mint, which masks the full flavor of the black tea for me. Mint always seems to dominate my palate, no matter what else is in the ingredients (although it does blend well with chocolate). The calendula mellows the flavors out, making it a bit more balanced. It's pleasant, but the calendula makes this blend feel a bit soothing, which isn't what I prefer first thing in the morning. The addition of the mint may be for refreshment, but it's not a flavor I look for in my tea, especially in the morning.

Tea Plays tea ball in the filter

The bonbons are supposed to be prepared using disposable tea filters included in the package. I normally wouldn't use these, but I did so to make sure I tasted the tea the way the vendor intended. Per the instructions I put the tea in the filter, popped it in a cup, poured hot water in and let it sit for a few minutes (directions said to let it sit for 'roughly one minute', which barely produced any flavor).  I nudged the teabag around quite a bit during the steeping process and the tea ball unfurled a tiny bit. The tea was a bit weak, so I decided another bonbon in a small teapot with a large infuser basket. The teapot allowed the compressed tea ball to unfurl on the very first steep. The tea in the teapot was much more flavorful, and I based my tasting notes on this steep.

Tea ball hasn't really unfurled in the filter

A note on the filters: they appear to be made out of plastic, but I couldn't verify this. I sent a question to the Tea Plays team and will update this post once I find out. Whatever the materials are, I wouldn't recommend using the filters for this tea as they constrict the leaves too much.

The bonbons are very cute and playful, keeping with the company name. The colorful wrappers are enticing. I'd say keep these out of the line of sight for little ones, as both of my kids immediately thought they were candy!  The Good Morning bonbon wasn't for me, but if you enjoy mint and calendula with your tea, this is definitely one to try. Just make sure you give the tea room to expand. Try it with a small glass teapot or mug, as it's fun to watch the leaves unfurl.

Thank you to Tea Plays for providing this sample for review! To learn more about the tea you can visit their website, and to purchase you can find them on Amazon.

Tasting: Golden Tips Tea Spring 2018 Teas

Spring Sonata

I am on a Darjeeling kick after my last review, so I figured I'd keep the momentum going. Golden Tips Tea Company provided a large package of their first flush 2018 teas, and I thought I'd focus on two in particular for this review. The names suggest they pair nicely together, just like musical notes on a page. During my workday I usually listen to a NYC classical music station, so it's fitting that I was able to sample Spring Sonata and Spring Harmony to elevate my workday.

Spring Sonata leaves

Spring Sonata, is an organic first flush 2018 Darjeeling black tea. The Golden Tips website mentions this tea is grown at mid-altitude. The leaves are long and twisted, cloaked in various shades of brown and khaki. There are a few fuzzy buds throughout. When I sniffed the dry leaves, the initial thing I thought of was nut butter. I found this thought surprising, but there is a rich nuttiness, along with the aroma of dried grass and a slight sweet fruitiness. A tempting fragrance that made me crave almond butter with grape jelly.

Spring Sonata wet leaves

The flavor of the brewed tea tells a different story from the dry leaves. It's fruity and floral, with muted notes of honey sweetness. The nuttiness is every so slightly there, in the background. It makes me think of delicate spring flowers and fuzzy white peaches. When I think about first flush Darjeeling teas, I imagine delicate flavors such as these.

Spring Harmony

On to Spring Harmony, also an organic first flush 2018 Darjeeling tea. The website says this is a low to medium altitude tea. The leaves are very different from the Sonata. These are much smaller, but with a similar array of colors to its musical partner. There are quite a few fuzzy buds present as well. The dry leaves smell green to me, not very sweet, with stronger notes of dried grass. The brew tastes fruity and thick, with hints of green. This tea is a bit stronger than the Sonata, which makes sense since the leaves are smaller. It brews up quicker, with more heft. The flavor lingers for a very long time.

Spring Harmony

Since the Harmony has a bit more of a punch to it, I'd pick it as a morning tea. The Sonata is more delicate and smooth, a melodic way to spend an afternoon. The two teas are very different, but both have the slight green and fruity characteristics of Darjeeling. Drink them both in succession, and you'll have a symphonic performance worthy of uplifting a dull workday.

Spring Harmony wet leaves

Thank you to Golden Tips Tea Company for providing the samples. I look forward to trying the others included in the first flush package. To learn more about these teas you can visit their website.

Review: Junpgana Second Flush 2018 from Lochan Tea

 

When you spend time with legendary Tea Man Rajiv Lochan at World Tea Expo, you're sure to be entertained and educated. This 'Ambassador of Tea' sells and grows tea, and is more than happy to talk tea. Rajiv has many years of tea knowledge and his passion for tea comes through loud and clear. If he hands you a sample of tea at World Tea Expo, you know you're in for a treat.

The sample I received is an organic black tea from the Jungpana estate in Darjeeling. This is a 2nd flush tea, picked in late May or early June. The tea was packed on June 6th (World Tea Expo was June 12th-14th), making it extremely fresh. Everyone talks about First Flush Darjeelings, how they are so delicate and lovely. But honestly, give me a 2nd flush (or later in the year), and I'm very happy. I enjoy a more robust tea, and this tea from Jungpana is exactly that.

The dry leaves smell super sweet, fruity, and soft. I love the fuzzy silver buds strewn among the hues of brown. The brewed tea has a very pleasant thickness, and is quite fruity. This combination reminds me of a velvety fruit nectar. It is also a bit floral, with whispers of that 1st flush green-ness. The brew is not nearly as sweet as the dry leaves promised, but still quite enjoyable.

You do need to watch your steeping time with this tea. I used a gaiwan so I could get a real feel for the flavors, but I needed to pay more attention to the steep length. The first time I made it, I got distracted and let the leaves brew for about 30 seconds too long (way too long), and I ended up with a very astringent cup that masked all of the other flavors. Stick with a shorter brewing time and you'll be gifted with a smooth, nuanced cup.

For the catalogue of Lochan teas, you can visit the website here. Thank you for the sample, Rajiv! I look forward to our future conversations.

Tea Review: 3-Finger Black by Smith Teamaker

Tea reviews are fun to write, and give me the opportunity to share my tea tasting adventures with you. They can be helpful if you are mulling over what teas to buy, or looking for a particular brand or variety. Keep in mind that taste is subjective, and depending on how you prepare the tea and the water you use, you may have different results. I usually prepare the tea as instructed by the vendor, unless otherwise noted. If at first you're not happy with a tea, try adjusting your water temp, steep time, and amount of leaf. Keep experimenting and tasting!

I find tea has a sensory experience akin to listening to music. Both conjure up strong emotions and mindfulness. In fact, I wrote a little post about this maaannny years ago. I think they both also stimulate creativity and meditative thinking. Music and tea are deeply related, and it makes perfect sense that Smith Teamaker has partnered with 'banjo badass' (their phrase, but quite appropriate) Béla Fleck for the newest release in their Maker's Series, 3-Finger Black. You should definitely check out the story of the partnership on the Smith Tea website, as it gives entertaining information on how the blend came to be.

Review: Rooibos Rocks Sampler Tin

Tea reviews are fun to write, and give me the opportunity to share my tea tasting adventures with you. They can be helpful if you are mulling over what teas to buy, or looking for a particular brand or variety. Keep in mind that taste is subjective, and depending on how you prepare the tea and the water you use, you may have different results. I usually prepare the tea as instructed by the vendor, unless otherwise noted. If at first you're not happy with a tea, try adjusting your water temp, steep time, and amount of leaf. Keep experimenting and tasting!

If you've been following this blog for any length of time, you'll know that I don't particularly care for rooibos. I know countless people that swear by it, but it just doesn't usually grab me. So, when Rooibos Rocks reached out to send a sampler, I was hesitant. But then I decided I've been keeping an open mind lately, and it has led me to try some interesting things. So, I decided to agree to accept the sampler tin. I'm glad I did, as I learned there are a couple of tisanes I didn't know I liked.

First off, rooibos is not tea. It doesn't come from the camellia sinensis plant. Rooibos (pronounced roy-boss) is an evergreen shrub found in the Cederberg region of South Africa. To create the tisane, the needle-shaped leaves are picked and allowed to oxidize. Green rooibos (which is included in this sampler pack) is not allowed to oxidize so the flavor profile is a little different. 

The sampler contains four types of tisanes: natural rooibos, chai rooibos, honey bush, and green rooibos. Here are my thoughts on all four types...

Green Rooibos

Green Rooibos: Even though natural rooibos isn't my favorite thing, I enjoyed the green rooibos. It still has a faint flavor that I associate with rooibos, but it's very mild. It's sweet and a little bit earthy. It also has hints of dried grass. I can definitely see myself reaching for this gentle tea in the evening.

Honey Bush: I was pleasantly surprised by this tea. It has a strong honey note, of course. It's smooth, mild and very sweet, reminding me of the honey notes I get when I sip chamomile, if that makes any sense (but not necessarily the floral notes). I don't care for chamomile, but I liked honey bush quite a bit! It would be a nice way to unwind after a stressful day.

Natural Rooibos: Since I'm not the biggest fan of rooibos, it makes sense that I'm not in love with this tisane. The strong after taste just isn't for me. It reminds me of the way I feel about cilantro (not in taste, just in idea)- I can taste it even in a small amount in any dish, and it it just isn't for me. It's slightly sweet and earthy and has a vanilla note, but there is something I just can't describe that lingers for ages on my palate. Almost tobacco-like, but not exactly. It's consistent with every rooibos I've tried.

Chai Rooibos: Since it has the natural rooibos, I wasn't the biggest fan. The blend is mildly spiced with chai flavors. The ingredients cite cinnamon, cardamom, star anise, pepper, and ginger. I mostly detected ginger and cardamom. But it could also be that my brain had a hard time tasting anything but the rooibos (again, a trait that's similar to cilantro for me).

I am a sucker for good packaging, and the sampler tin is adorable. It's colorful, sweet, and would make a great gift for the rooibos-lover in your life. Thank you to Rooibos Rocks for sending this sampler tin. If I hadn't given it a try I never would have learned that I enjoy honey bush and green rooibos. The tea is sold on Amazon, and you can visit the Rooibos Rocks website for more information. I'll be passing the natural rooibos and the chai on to a few people, but I'll be keeping the honey bush and green rooibos for myself! 

Review: Global Tea Hut Tieguanyin 2017 Traditional Oolong

Tea reviews are fun to write, and give me the opportunity to share my tea tasting adventures with you. They can be helpful if you are mulling over what teas to buy, or looking for a particular brand or variety. Keep in mind that taste is subjective, and depending on how you prepare the tea and the water you use, you may have different results. I usually prepare the tea as instructed by the vendor, unless otherwise noted. If at first you're not happy with a tea, try adjusting your water temp, steep time, and amount of leaf. Keep experimenting and tasting!

I have to admit, I don't often reach for Tie Guan Yin. It's either too green and floral, or the roast isn't right for me. There are a few exceptions, and lately I've noticed more traditionally roasted Tie Guan Yin (TGY) popping up.

Today's tea is TGY is from Global Tea Hut. The weather has been cold and I'm reaching for many roasted, darker teas. Traditional Tie Guan Yin is definitely appropriate for this time of year. Global Tea Hut is an organization dedicated to spreading their love of tea around the world. They run a monthly subscription program that includes a tea magazine and a tin of tea every month.

I subscribed to Global Tea Hut for quite some time, but decided to end my subscription because I couldn't keep up with reading all the magazines and drinking all the tea. I still have a huge pile of tea and magazine from about a year ago to get through. Such tea blogger problems! I do recommend it if you are looking for a monthly tea subscription that is unique, and full of information. It's an interesting look at tea farmers, tea culture, history, and teaware. In each issue you can also meet members of 'The Hut' and learn about their tea journey.

I was recently sent the January 2018 issue which is all about TGY. I was excited to try this version, and see where it fell in the 'too green' or 'too roasted' categories. I apologize that in my excitement I didn't take full notes, so I don't have a record on the aroma of the dry leaf. I prepared the sample in my small white porcelain gaiwan. My water temp was originally 200F, and it made a gentle, smooth brew. I prefer my traditional TGY with a little bit more bite, so I changed the temp to 212º F, and I got the more dynamic flavor I was looking for. It did have a little astringency at this temperature, but that's what I prefer. If you're looking for a clean and smooth flavor, go with 200º.

The brewed tea is roasty, with notes of toasted sourdough bread. After one sip I could see freshly baked sourdough bread, cooling on the kitchen counter. There is a hint of tartness within the toasted bread flavor, so my mind went to the sourdough. It also has a juicy flavor I've come to recognize with TGY.  I think it's similar to stewed apples. Flavor is clean, and the roast isn't too aggressive. It is nicely balanced. Definitely a nice version of a traditional TGY.

Thank you to Global Tea Hut for providing the magazine and sample! I enjoyed sipping and reading all the info in the magazine. I hope to subscribe again when I find myself with a little extra time for reading.

To see what fruit I'd pair with a roasted Tie Guan Yin, check out the Oolong and Fruit Tea Pairing 101 I did with my tea pairing friends last year. For a comprehensive look at the tea reviews I've done, you can check out this link, here.

Review: Totem Tea Oriental Beauty Reserve

If pressed on what tea I drink most, I almost always say oolong. Usually a more oxidized one. I find them warming in the colder months, and refreshing as a cold-brew when the temperature rises. Today's review is for one of the more oxidized oolongs, Oriental Beauty Reserve from Totem Tea. It's a classic Taiwanese oolong also called bai hao, which translates to white down. This refers to the fuzzy white hairs on the buds.

Bai Hao oolong is a bug-bitten Taiwanese tea. I'm sure you've read about this type of tea before. Little green leafhopper bugs called Jacobiasca formosana munch on the leaves during the summer season, which causes a chemical reaction in the plants. When bitten, the plant releases the chemicals as a defense mechanism. The chemical defense is specifically made for the leaf-hopper critters, and it turns out this process also creates a delicious and aromatic leaf. The aroma and flavor is intensified during the oxidation process of the leaves. According to Totem's website, the tea leaves are oxidized to about 60%. The cultivar for this tea is Qing Xin Dapan.

For me, a good Bai Hao oolong is aromatic and fruity. This version from Totem tea definitely ticks off both boxes. The dry leaves have a muscatel-grape aroma going on, along with something earthy and fruity. Upon inspection there are quite a few of those fuzzy white buds.

The steeped tea s is a lovely amber/light coppery color, and smells juicy and sweet. The first taste reminds me of caramelized...grapes? I've never had caramelized grapes before, but this is what I imagine they would taste like! It's as if the grapes were stewed with honey. Fruity, sweet, a little hint of something sour. The flavor is deep with a full body. There is also a floral note, but as if I'm chewing on a flower petal, not actually steeped in flowers, if that makes sense. I can feel the softness of the petal. As I mentioned earlier, it's got a muscatel grape aroma that is similar to a darjeeling, but it's much darker.

I steeped this tea in a very small teapot, gongfu style. I like brewing oolongs like this in a gaiwan or small teapot, to truly get the essence of the leaves. You may need a few infusions before the leaves start to open up and tell their story. Since this tea can give quite a few steeps, I will often throw the leaves in a pitcher of cool water after my tea session, and put it in the fridge overnight. It makes a delicious iced tea, even when the leaves have been used a few times!

Thank you to Totem Tea for providing this sample for review. To learn more about the tea, you can visit their website here.

Teaware Review: Aloha Aina Ceramics Cup

Teaware is quite personal. Some people prefer fancy porcelain cups and pots, while others want everything necessary for a traditional gongfu session. Teaware fanatics like me want all of it! It's not necessary to have lots of teaware, a few simple pieces will do. But many of us like to collect it and I'm always looking out for potters and artisans that create special pieces.

I recently received a beautiful cup from Aloha Aina Ceramics, so it's time for a teaware review! Aloha Aina Ceramics is based in the south of Mexico. The company was started by Alex Krotkov a teaware obsessive that decided to start making and selling cups (I checked in with Alex and they were not hit by the terrible earthquake). Alex is Russian, and the cups are made using a traditional Russian technique that involves multiple firings. According to Alex, the first two are at about 950° celsius, and then a third at a lower temperature that uses the addition of milk to give the clay additional protection and a unique distressed/wooden look. Alex told me this technique was used in Russia centuries ago and in some workshops they keep passing that technology.

The cup is a perfect size for my daily use. It's about 7 ounces, and holds a full pour from the gaiwan I regularly use. I like this as I can use just one large cup when I'm having a tea session just for me. It's a luxurious feeling to have the large cup of tea all to myself! It also makes it easier if I'm taking my tea set outside since I wouldn't need a separate pitcher.

The cup is perfect to use with any type of tea, as the thick walls will keep the heat in but also spare your fingers. It's easy to hold in both hands (or it'll fit in one, of course) to cozy up with on a chilly day. The designs on the outside of the cup are organic and reflect objects found in nature. The appearance makes it a nice piece to use for a tea meditation. My cup also has a nice crackle glaze on the inside. I can see myself taking this cup along for some tea in the park, or after a hike in the woods. Alex also sent a smaller cup as well, which could be used if you want to share your tea, or give a little tea critic a taste. It's very sweet and I love the designs on it.

Thank you to Alex and Aloha Aina Ceramics for this beautiful cup! If you would like to learn more about the company, you can visit the etsy store here.

Review: everydayteas 2016 Nan Nuo Shan

I love to share tea and do so weekly with my Office Tea Club. Today's review is for a tea we recently enjoyed, a 2016 Nan Nuo Shan by everydayteas. This tea turned out to be quite popular among the Tea Club members, and I think it's because it's a sheng puerh that suits many different palates. It's balanced yet 'punchy' and vegetal, with a hint of something sweet.

The Company
On their site, everydayteas considers their product 'Quality teas for the daily drinker'. The site is simple, clean and easy to navigate. The look and feel is reflected in the teas they offer. I like that this clear vision that carries through to the tea.

The Tea
The tea is a 2016 raw puerh from Nan Nuo mountain, in the village of Ban Po Xin Zhai. According to everydayteas, the Puer cakes are stored here in the northeast US in a climate controlled room with 70% Humidity and a temperature of 70ºF year round. This ensures the tea won't dry out during our unfortunate northeast winter weather (my skin feels dry just thinking about it).

We were so quick to dive in to this tea that I didn't take notes on the dry leaves (my apologies!). The wet leaves smelled of steamed spinach and wet rocks. The tea itself tastes strongly of deep green vegetables. Tea Club members observed flavors of kale and cooked spinach. There is also a little bit of what I like to call 'leather', a sharp peaty-scotch essence that reminds me of a leather jacket. Not super strong, but definitely there. I think this essence plus a bit of astringency is what gives it that 'punchy' feeling I described earlier.

The Verdict
These leaves have many steeps to share. We only had a limited amount of time during Office Tea Club, and I enjoyed a few more steeps of the tea after our break was over. As I mentioned before, this tea is satisfying, and...punchy. It has the presence of a young sheng you'd expect, and it's well balanced. A good daily drinker. I can definitely see myself steeping this tea throughout the day, or serving it to friends during a long afternoon of relaxed conversation.

Thank you to everydayteas for the sample! You can learn more about this tea here, and I found out that they'll soon have the 2017 Nan Nuo from the same farmer. I have two more teas from them to share with you, reviews will be coming soon.

Tasting a CTC Malaysian Tea from BOH

BOH Cameronian Gold Blend 

Chances are you've had a CTC tea at some point. CTC stands for crush, tear, curl, which is the way the leaves are processed. This method was invented in the 1930s as a quick and consistent way to process lower grade leaves destined to become black tea. It's an easy way to get a product that creates a uniform brew, since consistency is key with large tea producers. You can't have your brand name tea change in flavor from batch to batch. The leaves are cut, crushed, bruised, and rolled to speed up oxidation process. Because of the processing and size, this tea steeps up quickly and quite strong. CTC teas are usually consumed with the addition of milk, which tames the astringency. You'll most often find CTC teas in tea bags from Sri Lanka, Kenya, and parts of India.

CTC can often be found in tea bags and breakfast blends. The small surface area allows the brew to infuse quickly and with a strong flavor. It infuses quickly, and is often used in blends where milk is added (to tame the bitterness and strength). Many tea aficionados turn their noses up at CTC tea. The quality is usually lower than orthodox teas (whole leaf teas), and the flavor is usually fairly flat. As with any teas, if you start with higher quality leaves, even the CTC leaves will have a better flavor, although they still do not have the depth of a whole leaf brew. I've actually had a few CTC teas that were quite enjoyable as a morning blend, and I keep one in particular around for the mornings when I really need a wake-up punch.

The tea I'm reviewing today comes from the Cameron highlands of Malaysia, which is a fertile area perfect for growing tea. The BOH plantation was the first in Malaysia, and remains the largest tea producer in the country. To be honest, I didn't know anything at all about Malaysian grown teas before I was contacted by BOH to review some samples. Doing a bit of research I found an interesting 2013 article from World Tea News, which mentions the BOH plantation:

Over the years, BOH Plantations grew to become the largest highland tea producer in Malaysia. BOH remains the largest tea producer in Malaysia, with nearly 47 percent of the landmass in the country dedicated to tea production. This translates to approximately 1,200 hectares out of a total 2,533 hectares of land.

Today's tea is the Cameronian Gold Blend. A look at the leaves shows the CTC production. The dry leaves smell like dry fall leaves- slightly earthy. There is also a hint of sweetness and a bit of something floral. The aroma is stronger than I would have expected.

The brew smells slightly sweet. The flavor is subtle, without much depth. It has that sweetness and earthiness with a whisper of tobacco. It is reminiscent of a fairly strong tea bag. It's quite smooth which is surprising, since CTC tea infuses super quickly and usually gets astringent. This has no astringency whatsoever. It's not flavorful enough for me, but it would be fine as a breakfast tea, especially if you are partial to adding milk and sugar. I think it would be a suitable iced tea as well, made super strong and perhaps adding in some simple syrup and mint.

Thank you to BOH for the sample. I have a few flavored blends to also try. To learn more about this tea, you can visit the company's website here. Or check out their offerings on Amazon.

Tasting: Organic Roasted Bancha by The Tea Crane

Last week's weather of 'sweltering hot and humid' seems to be hanging around. That's summer in NYC. I've been trying to catch up on tea reviews lately, which hasn't been easy since I have such an imposing pile to get through. But drinking hot tea actually cools the body, so I've been drinking hot tea just as much as the iced brews. Today's tasting is a roasted bancha tea from The Tea Crane. A mountain grown organic roasted bancha called 'The Mountains At Rest', to be exact. I love this name! It's poetic and quite visual. I can imagine a happily relaxed mountain, carefully tending to her tea trees surrounded by gently rolling mist.

The Tea Crane's owner Tyas Huybrechts has a wonderful blog that you should follow if you don't already know about it. He's a Belgian ex-pat living in Japan, and has become a certified Japanese tea instructor. His blog is extremely interesting and informative.

The Tea Crane's website describes the tea as:

Bancha employs that more fully-grown tea-leaf which is too mature, and has therefore become too bitter, for use in producing high-quality sencha, and is harvested later; such leaf is first processed just as for sencha – by means of a combination of steaming, rolling and drying – but is then stored until it is required, whereupon it is roasted immediately before packaging and shipping.  

The dry leaves are shades of dark army green and browns. There are some twigs, full, and broken leaves in the mix, which makes sense for a tea of this style. The leaves are quite large, and have an aroma similar to hojicha, but something slightly more vegetal and woody, not just earthy and toasty. I'm thinking of dried beans and old tree branches.

The brew gives off an amazingly strong roasty aroma, it reminds me of coffee. It's earthy but there is a hint of something vegetal. Maybe like those beans I mentioned?

The tea holds on to that roast, and coffee-inspired flavor. It is woodsy, earthy, roasted, with a toasted bread flavor. There is also a slight vegetal something, again I think of beans. I want to just put my feet up and sip it for hours. There is a lingering smoky flavor on my palate. It stuck around for a very long time. Quite impressive! This tea has a nice body and mouthfeel. It's comforting yet complex.

I can't wait to try and cold-brew this tea. I think it'll be incredibly refreshing, similar to the tea I reviewed last week. I would like to pair this tea with something smokey and savory, I'm thinking of a flavorful Chinese BBQ pork bun. Ok, now my tummy is rumbling...

Thank you Tias for the amazing sample! I have a few more to try, so stay tuned. I hope everyone is having a great week.

Tasting: Kumagawa from Mellow Monk

In NYC the season changes from spring, to sweltering hot and humid. There isn't much of a ramp up to summer; damp and unbearably hot seems to happen overnight. I like to drink hot tea year round, even on the hottest days but when that humidity gets unbearable, only a cold tea will do. I like to cold brew most of my teas. It's super easy to do and imparts a very smooth flavor. Jee of Oh How Civilized recently published a great how-to on cold brew, check it out here if you need a tutorial.

When I was recently given the choice of samples to review from Mellow Monk tea, Kumagawa caught my eye. This lightly roasted green tea comes in cold-brewable sachets, made for the fridge. I don't normally go for bagged teas but I love cold-brewed hojicha and Paul from Mellow Monk said it was a bit lighter than hojicha, but very refreshing. How could I say no to that? 

This green tea comes from tea maker Kazuo Watanabe, a grower and artisan in Kumamoto. The dry leaf is nutty and roasty, very similar to hojicha. It has a slight something different, something a bit more pungent, but it's difficult to describe. The Mellow Monk site describes a 'hickory' note, so that's what I'll say it is. It's a bit woody but something more savory. Actually the aroma is a bit smoky too, which leads me to think this tea would be good in a barbecue sauce. I'll have to think about that a bit...

I added 3 sachets for a 2 quart pitcher. This is a little more than suggested but I like my iced tea super strong. I popped it in the fridge for about 5-6 hours, and ended up with an extremely refreshing tea. I accidentally left the bags in the pitcher overnight and it was just as good after about 9 more hours of steeping. The brew never got bitter or overpowering. It's nutty, slightly grassy, has a little hint of what I imagine is 'hickory' and smoke, and is extremely refreshing. My family and I have been drinking this tea all week, and I took it on a walk through the park on a typical disgustingly hot, soupy day. It takes a powerful tea to cut through the NYC haze, and this one did the trick. 

This tea is light enough to reach for throughout the day. I don't think I'd start my day with it as I like something with a bit more body and heft, but this is a great choice for mid-morning, through to the evening. It can also be brewed hot, which I haven't tried yet since I love it so much out of the fridge.

To learn more about this tea you can visit the Mellow Monk website here. Thank you to Paul for the sample! I have a few more to review, can't wait to try them.