Mighty Leaf Tea

This is my first Mighty Leaf Tea, and I like it quite a bit. Grassy notes.

Took this to class with me last night. I sat down in a seat while wearing my orange Chicago Bears (Matt Forte) jersey. I took a sip of tea right as the professor said “I see we have Tennessee orange today.” /swallow choke cough/

Rewinding a bit… while making this tea, I noticed that the package says “Black Tea” right under the title of “Wuyi Oolong.” Needless to say, that confused me. But, it does taste more like black tea than oolong. It had an average bit of dryness with a slightly smoky flavor. Not bitter at all. The color was an orangy-yellow.

Overall it was a decent cup… but I am still confused that the title is “Wuyi Oolong” and it tastes like black tea.

I had made this a daily drinker. Then for a while, I went with a Genmaicha, as I wanted the soothing nature of roasted grain. But Genmaicha can be greener, grassy, and I wanted a roasted tea with a roasted grain.

What’s a girl to do? Re-invent. I found some organic hull-less barley at the natural foods store, in bulk. I roast about two-days worth at a time on the stove top, in a frying pan. And then combine with the tea for a rich, soothing, roasty-toasty cup.

I admit I find it a bit heavy in warm weather, and move to tea or tea and fuit combos. But it hasn’t been that hot, and I find a morning and an evening cup of this keeps me gently alert and happy.

So I don’t do tea bags much these days. I happened to get a chance to request a sample, from the company, and decided to try a “tea sachet” of the same stuff I drink hearty, strong, thick mug-fulls on a regualar basis.

I tried a cup of this at work. The tea has qualities that I don’t have a chance to savor when I overwhelm the flavor with lots of tea in the cup. This is a good reminder to explore, and not be so rigid with my brewing style.

As this is my daily drink, I’m surprised to find a few changes in the latest batch I got in. There are fewer twigs than my last few 1-pound bags, and the tea appears a little darker roasted. The flavor, while not light, is a hint sweeter, too. To me this tea has plenty of that savory quality, umami.

I start my day with a teaspoon now, in a lidded, ceramic mug, loose. As I go through my day, I add another teaspoon or two, finishing at night with just hot water on the still flavorful leaves. While I dip into other teas quite a bit, this one is like a comfortable pair of slippers…always welcome.

Played with this at the office today. The soft water and low temp in our filter dispenser leaves me wanting…..so I used a boatload at a time, maybe 3 tablespoons, and drank and refilled my ceramic travel cup all day. It’s definitely not a palate elevating experience, but it’s not a distraction at work, either. And I rather like the harsh first cups, which help me brace for the morning onslaught.

Hojicha is my favorite daily drinker. This one is just fine for the first thing in the morning. Great cuppa later in the afternoon, when thoughts move beyond the work day.

I’m a night time Rooibos- feen. I aim to try just about all of them out there. This one caught my attention. I’m not sure why. Maybe it just had a nice label (I know, bad reason)
Anyway, personal note, red peppercorns in tea, do not repeat.

Took this with me to class tonight (the liquid not the leaves). I am not a huge fan of oolongs, but I do crave them every now and then. I really wanted some green tea, but I am out of the good stuff and wasn’t about to settle for gunpowder.

Anyways, this tea had the typical oolong taste which I have yet to figure out how to put into words. It was on the greener side of things with the gentle grassy and smooth vegetal flavors. It was not bitter or astringent at all. The liquor was mostly yellow with a slight green tint to it. Overall I was pleased… it gave me something to do while lazily taking notes about American History in the 1800s.

Tastes just like a warm, rooibusy version of the Cheesecake Factory’s Tropical Iced Tea, and I mean that in the best way possible.

Not to sound harsh but all Earl Greys taste the same… this one is no exception. HOWEVER, with the right amount of cream and sugar this tea really makes for a delightful afternoon tea (especially if it’s raining!). Don’t worry to much about over steeping, and again I do recommend experimenting with different amounts of cream and sugar.

Eh. Maybe I’m not a HUGE fan of Chai teas. This black, while flavorful didn’t give any indication of moving on from ordinary to extraordinary. Probably a lot of people’s “staple” chai who enjoy Mighty Leaf. Didn’t blow me away.

Yuck! I can’t believe it, a Mighty Leaf I don’t like. Had to dump this one!

Finished this up today. Thankfully it was better this time around. So…I will up the rating. Don’t think I would buy but was an OK tea.

A neat reddish brown color with little scent. It’s a Medium strength black tea – pretty even steven – not bad

A nice basic Earl Grey, but not quite as smooth as some of the more high-end varieties out there. Astringent (which is OK for some Earl drinkers), and satisfying, but not impressive.

And it’s gone!! Even though this was a bagged tea, it was still good and I’m adding it to the shopping list. It’s nice to have at least a few things that I like available at the local grocery store.

I’m already tired, and I think this tea is making me sleepy.

Chamomile is really good with lemon flavors! Who knew? The lemon grass and the lemon myrtle really come through in this, and give it a nice bright flavor.

Nice tea to start the morning. Should probably add some honey…

got this as a sample with my ML order. i have to say it is nothing special and it is that rich black tea taste that i enjoy. this too is a no nonsense black tea. i can see this becoming a staple in my cabinet for those lazy days when a bag is preferable seeing as school does start next week and i have a 40min drive to school! tea in a snap is preferable on the days i think im running late lol.