t Leaf T

Lovely black tea from the Yunnan province. I could drink this as an everyday tea, no maltiness (that I dislike) and can resteep even if it does lose a little flavour. I can easily brew 2 two-person teapots using just a rounded teaspoon of the tea leaves. First brew had slight resemblance to something in the loose leaf pu-erh I drank last night from the same company. Possibly they sourced it from the same place. I found this familiarity comforting. If I was given some of this in a blind taste test I could probably tell this is Yunnan going by the flavour alone (which is something seeing I’m still somewhat of a tea newbie).

It’s not all tips but a mixture, but it’s price does not suggest it should be all tips. I am going to venture into some of t Leaf T’s other black tea types that are hopefully not malty.

Quite possibly didn’t use enough of this tea. Instructions said to use 1-2 tsp per tea pot (I used 1 as I know these leaves swell up considerably in water and I was being conservative). Large green leaves after steeping, fairly bright yellowish hue of the tea). I was surprised it lacked the complexity of the other oolongs I’ve tried. Maybe my mistake for not using enough, or maybe a characteristic of this tea. Think I prefer Iron Goddess of Mercy. The scent of the dry leaves reminds me of some kind of putty/paint, a bit of a chemical smell. I love love love most oolongs but this one’s a bit different to what I usually like. I will give it a try with double the amount of leaves next time and see if there’s anything different.

Drinkable pineapply coconutty tea. Pretty sure this is my first flavoured green besides the standard jasmine or genmaicha additions to some green teas. It’s a little weird in that I’m not really tasting tea but the flavouring. In saying that, it is moderately light and tastes pleasant. (Read – no hibiscus icky ness that some fruit flavoured teas have). Would I buy more? Possibly not, I have a few more samples to get through first but I’m looking to stock up on a fave tea I can have when I’m out of milk. Most black teas I need to add milk and I’m not always in the mood for oolongs or genmaicha. So to find a pleasing flavoured green would be good but don’t think this is it.

Had this as iced tea, second time around. Wasn’t really sure how much to use but all in all added 1 heaped tablespoon to around a liter of water. I did this in two steeps, first steep was around 15 mins, poured brew into a glass bottle, then steeped same leaves again for some time until I felt I’d got as much of the flavour out as possible. Added to same bottle and topped up with water, placed in fridge till cold.

Conclusion – making your own iced tea is cheap and thirst quenching and beats store-bought (sugary or artificially flavoured) carbonated drinks. I will be making more! I can imagine though that the choice of tea plays a big part in how nice it is.

Obviously due to chilling time you’re gonna make this by the bottle, not per cup.

About the tea – Red African Fire, its an orange flavoured rooibos and I let it steep a long time, but prob should’ve used more tea for the volume of water. The colour was there, but it wasn’t orangy enough in flavour. I got a hint of the same medicinal compound that I recognise from my first ever rooibos – this didn’t bother me, but I’m sure now it’s from the rooibos.

Exotic name, but that’s where it ends. The red refers to the rooibos, Africa maybe it’s origin, but where’s the fire? It’s a natural orange flavoured rooibos, with tiny safflower petals to make it look pretty. Doesn’t really have the wow factor I was hoping for. Maybe it’s nicer iced.

Definitely taste the raspberry in this flavoured rooibos, even if it’s probably mostly from artificial flavouring. Vanilla? Not sure that I can taste that. This tea has a palatable flavour, but the raspberry doesn’t make it through to a second steep. This would be nice with a high tea or Devonshire tea (think scones with raspberry jam and whipped cream). Being caffeine-free is a plus point, but I think I prefer t leaf T’s strawberry rooibos

A delicious oolong from Taiwan. Not my absolute favourite though. That honour goes to Da Hong Pao. This Formosa Oolong is less vegetal, less robust but still pretty good. I’m slowly making my way through samples of all t leaf T’s oolongs – 6 in total if you don’t count the homegrown Zealong (New Zealand), which I might add is ridiculously expensive! (And you cannot buy samples). This oolong from Taiwan would suit beginners new to oolong tea. I do recommend it even if I like something else better. :-)

Meh, not a lot of flavour. I think I’ve gone off flavoured black tea, where you rely on something other than the tea leaves themselves for the flavour. I guess over the past month my tastes have progressed to another level. Not sure what the vanilla is in here (real or imitation) but there is no oomph, just bland uninteresting. Sorry t Leaf T, but I still like your creme brûlée.

This is silver needle with jasmine. Since I could barely taste anything with the straight silver needle tea I thought the jasmine might be a nice addition. I do like my jasmine tea on the mild side so I didn’t brew it for long. The jasmine scent seems genuine (not imitation) and it tastes very nice as well – clean, delicate and mild. This tea is pretty pricey so I am not intending on buying any after my 2 samples are used up. The jasmine can be found elsewhere for cheaper such as in green tea. The silver needle here didn’t really add anything to the taste as it’s so mild in itself.

Disappointing. I was hoping the manuka would shine through but all I can taste is a strong bold Assam. Brewed it for 3 min. Will try a shorter steep and see what happens. This tastes no better than generic supermarket English breakfast tea. Why even bother with adding something to a base this strong?

My second-ever sampling of pu-erh. This is loose leaf from my current favourite tea shop – still on a gentle introduction to this kind of tea – but it’s a step up from the tea bag pu-erh I tried previously. It most definitely has the characteristic scent and taste. Makes me think of old wooden furniture, it’s earthy, mushroom-y. After this sample is finished it is probably time to step up a notch and try a pu-erh in cake form. I am still intrigued and want to see what all the fuss is about. :-) I know of at least one Asian grocer around here that sells the circular ones. No idea of the quality tho. Either that or aliexpress. :-)

Find this tea very pleasant to drink. Pale green with a nutty aroma/flavour from the roasted rice. Quite delicate but at the same time flavourful. Am likely to purchase more of this. Wonder how it compares to the ‘Genmaicha Japan’ (ie. without matcha).

Oh my goodness! This Big Red Robe oolong brings my tea drinking to a whole new level! Such complexity of flavour from a single ingredient. My first thoughts went from hm, this smells a bit like matcha but it looks very different, it has big dark leaves. I also thought I could detect a hint of roasted coffee or something, and a little smokiness that went away. Tasting it after an initial rinse (x2) and a 3 min steep I was blown away and immediately googled it further. I am probably making it wrong but these were the somewhat generic instructions on the sample. Except I rinsed twice not once.

Feeling like I’m finally drinking “real” tea, not flavoured something-or-other. Would love to make a whole pot of this and just sip it all day long. Hoping someone can chime in with getting the best re-steeps and best brewing method.

Left this one steeping longer than I should have. Came back to a murky brown opaque liquid which is probably from the (melted) chocolate pieces. Drank it straight without any milk or sugar. It is a strange brew. I would have loved to have loved this tea but I can only detect a slight hint of chilli (or am I imagining it?). The muddy brown liquid just looks odd, for a tea. A chilli hot chocolate would be better if they could come up with an improved recipe. I think the “Apple” just acts as a filler as the chocolate overpowers it.

Would like to see this company adding the chilli component to their “coconut rough” rooibos tea and see what happens. This is also a cocoa/carob based tea but with cocoa beans rather than chocolate pieces.

A fairly nice herbal liquorice/minty tea, though not my favourite. Besides licorice root, there is peppermint and fennel seed in this tea. There is NO anise/aniseed. My palate is very familiar with both licorice root and aniseed (they are 2 different ingredients) and I like both to be present. But that’s just my personal preference. It is recommended on the packet to use up to double the quantity that I would normally use (and I like my licorice ‘tea’ strong). There is a slightly minty aftertaste.

PS. Unlike popular belief, fennel seed and anise seed are not the same, they come from different plants. :)

A strawberry flavoured rooibos tea. Nothing spectacular, very drinkable, but I’m after that wow factor. It’s far more palatable than their “Strawberries and Cream” black flavoured tea though. Second steep – the strawberry flavour is more or less gone. I’d drink this if it was the only tea available but unsure if I’d buy more. Still, this tea is a hundred times better than Twinings strawberry fruit tea/tisane. Not that you can compare them but if I ever had to recommend a strawberry flavoured “tea” this would have to be it.

Edited to add: I find I keep coming back to this one (although now only have a teaspoonful of the sample left). I guess that means it’s got some comfort factor for me after all. Have increased my rating accordingly.

Wow. Impressive. This tea is divine with cocoa kernels, coconut chips, and carob pieces mingled in a red rooibos base. It’s scent is reminiscent of some kind of chocolate liqueur, very decadent. The taste is hard to describe, it is exotic and not just watery chocolate – it is something far more complex. I even fished out some of the cocoa kernels and coconut to chew on, after the tea had steeped. This may well be my next large size purchase, as I want more!

Very underwhelming. Barely a hint of any caramel. Had this on the same day as the Creme brûlée so I could compare the two. The latter wins by a mile. Steeping for longer only made the tea stronger, didn’t increase the caramel. There is some extra ingredient in the Creme Brûlée that’s not in the Mmm Caramel flavoured tea.

This tea didn’t do it for me. Could detect an unpleasant scent of soured milk, with every sip. Had to check if maybe the milk I used was off but that wasn’t it. Must be the cream part of its namesake. Not nice. Re-steeped an hour later and didn’t add milk. No strawberry and cream flavour detected at all, just tasted like a weak black tea. Thankfully I have my awesome Tea Total Wild Cherry which beats this by a million miles.

Interesting…. At first. Notes I detect are pine, smokey ness, wood, campfire, ash. Exotic and unique, I’d wanted something unusual and I got it in this tea. I just can’t think of any occasion I’d drink this for, other than maybe with eating smoked salmon or other smoked fish. I think it would complement it. What I didn’t know is that I went straight for the smokiest tea, maybe should’ve gone for Russian Caravan first as a more gentle introduction. Life and tea are an adventure so I’m glad I tried this anyway. I had a second cup (re-steeped) with honey, and finished it. Maybe it’s an acquired taste.

Edited to add:
Unfortunately I spent the next 3 hours feeling nauseous from the lingering “ash/smokey-ness” on my palate. So out it goes.

I’m sorry but this tea for me doesn’t taste like anything at all?! Barely if any scent or flavour. Maybe I didn’t use enough leaves? 2 teaspoons for a large mug, 7 mins total steeping time, 70-80 degreesCelsius. I will have to add another teaspoon and re-steep. I’m not a strong tea fan by any means but this is going in the other direction, too delicate barely there. Should I try a flavoured white next time, or just give up. Light golden hue when brewed but where is the flavour. I’m confused.

Nice but not outstanding. Just finished off the last of this sample. I’m also getting notes of very weak coffee in there, burnt caramel from the creme brûlée flavouring. I really want to try their “mmm caramel” flavoured tea now and compare. I love dessert teas but will keep on searching for the wow factor.

Yummy dessert tea! You definitely want to add milk and sugar to bring out the caramel flavour. Notes of vanilla, caramel, nutty, creamy, sweet (but not too sweet). The taste and scent subtly lingers even after your cup is empty. Make sure you use enough tea and don’t skimp on anything, to get the full creme brûlée taste.

I tried this in a tea shop. Definitely lives up to its name – it has a distinct peppery taste. Under different circumstances I might like to try more of this. However I’m trying to lose a few pounds (and drinking lots of tea to hydrate) so a peppery heat is probably not what I’m after. Did some research, amongst other things the herb in this tea is an appetite stimulant. But I like peppery/chilli heat (in food at least) so I may revisit this tea at some stage in future.