Tea-Guy

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This oolong teas’ leaves are slender and more of a brown and white mixture than some of the greener or blacker oolongs I’ve been drinking or late. The aroma is light and sweet.

The leaves brew a wonderful golden liquor piquant with notes of peach and nactarine and hints of honey.

On the tongue the brew is smooth with minor peeks of astringency which never truly surface in any notable way. Light vegetal notes during the early tasting with more stone fruit textures of peach and nectarine through the bulk and finish. This tea doesn’t have much of a tail to speak of. The brewed aroma is very light.

I would recommend this Oolong to oolong fans, those who enjoy fruit flavored teas and milk teas.

The leaves of this fabled tea are a mix of light brown, white and green and the aroma reminds of stone fruits such as peach or plum.

When brewed the liquor turns an amber hue with tinges of yellow at the edges. The steeped aroma turns more to hay or Autumn leaves with hints of a sweet nectar.

When imbibing I found peach and nectarine flavors while the smooth liquor evoked images of a sweet cobbler.

A slight astringency leads to a light drying of the roof of the mouth with the flavor of Autumnal leaves making its way into the finish and holding for a fairly long tail.

I would recommend this oolong to fans of Himalayan teas, Orthodox Assams, very light black teas, Silver Tips teas and other oolongs.

For an oolong this tea’s leaves are very dark. Much more reminiscent of a black tea than an oolong. The leaves are large, roughly an inch in length on average and twisted not balled. The aroma is lightly fired and every so slightly floral.

A wonderful amber liquor results from steeping the leaves. The infused aroma remains light and roasty and reminds me a bit of a Hojicha.

On the tongue fired notes emerge accompanied by some astringency and the slightest lip pucker. The tail is very light and lingers only a little while but causes the palate to yearn for more.

The loose material for this tea is pretty basic. You have an Indian black tea, with occasion safflower and some pomegranate arils thrown in. The aroma is notably sweet.

One brewed, the liquor turns to a slightly dark amber hue. The aroma from the spent leaves and liquor are brisker and less sweet than that of the dry leaves.

The flavor is much less astringent than I expected. While there is a slight dryness that persists on the outer edges of the tongue there’s a lingering sweetness through the tail. Unexpectedly there’s no real tartness such as you would get with an actual pomegranate, but I think it would have destroyed this tea.

The leaves for this furtive tea are made in the fashion of Taiwanese Oolongs. They’re tightly curled balls of a dark green with some stems attached. The dry leaf aroma is clearly roasted with some vegetal undertones of steamed cabbage.

This oolong brews a radiant yellow-gold liquor and provides a sweet vegetal aroma similar to that of the dry leaf, but with the roasted notes a bit subdued.

The texture and flavor are smooth on the palate with no appreciable astringency. A bit of vegetal bitterness combines with a buttery sweetness and a bit of a roasty tail keeps this tea interesting every time.

I recommend this oolong to fans of oolong teas and milk teas.

The liquor brews to a dark brown. New Vithanakanda describes it as a russet color, and after comparing the two, I have to agree. The steeped aroma from the spent leaves and from the liquor itself are remarkably similar to the dry leaf aroma with overtones of honey and only the faintest heat notes.

When drinking this tea, the light astringency sets in and excites the palate. The honeyed overtones remain, but accompanied by the astringency creates an interesting contrast.

This tea is good for two or three steepings with good flavor, but it does fade quickly after the first brew. Each new set of leaves provides a remarkably consistent flavor profile though and I’ve found I can count on this tea to give me the same experience nearly every time.

The dry aroma is sweet but minty, almost like a stick of mint chewing gum. It’s fresh and piquant. The sweetness I would guess comes only partly from the vanilla, and somewhat from the spearmint.

The brewed concoction presents a golden liquor where the aroma is mostly of spearmint though a hit of vegetal freshness also emerges.

Once on the palate the brew is excitingly fresh. Its mint mixture produces just the right amount of palate activity to draw a long tailing finish without overwhelming your tastebuds. The vanilla does seem to soften the brisk excitement caused by the mint as well.

There’s no drying of the palate or real astringency here. There is however a twinge of vegetal bite while the brew swirls in the mouth. However, it lasts just long enough to be replaced by the minty infusion.

I would recommend this to to fans of Senchas, flavored teas and mint teas. Fans of fresh Muscatel Darjeelings may also find this brew enjoyable.

This BOP quality black tea contains some stems within a mish-mash of brown, darker-brown and black leaves. The aroma is standard Earl Grey (oil of bergamot) but more assertive than most.

The used leaves retain the bergamot scenting as does the dark amber and cloudy liquor. Although, the liquor also has other hints of citrus and faint heated notes, the bergamot is the most prominent aroma by design.

The flavor of the bergamot fruit is the only one I get from this black tea. There’s a standard level of astringency from this tea as well. However, a pleasant surprise is the elongated finish and tail on this tea.

I found this tea pleasant and enjoyed it’s more prominent aroma and flavor profiles compared to other Earl Grey teas.

Primarily I can make out nice large white tea buds, Jasmine green tea pearls, cornflower petals and green rooibos needles. There’s more there, but those are the highlights. The aroma is somewhat fruity (guava and passion fruit) and somewhat floral (jasmine).

The liquor brews to a stunningly beautiful orange gold color. The aroma from the loose material migrates more to the fruity side than the floral side. The aroma from the liquor is much more subtle, but has similar trends.

The flavor is much more astringent than the smooth aroma eludes to. I figured this for a creamier tea based on the aroma, though the ingredients should have pointed to a more puckery assertion. I guess you can blame that one on me. The fruity overtones start the flavor profile while the floral notes combine for the finish and an unusually long tail.

The loose tea leaves are curled and twisted. Their color a mix from white to dark green and black with some brown intermingled in. The dry aroma is of dry grass, hay and fresh spring tree leaves.

Once brewed the leaves aroma turns sweeter and loses the hay and the dry grass takes a back seat to the spring leaves. It’s rather interesting and refreshing for a green tea.

Quixotically, the aroma from the liquor retains the hay scent. A beautiful golden caramel colored liquor pairs well with this relaxing brew.

The flavor is more astringent than I anticipated. There’s a sweetness in the initial profile but there’s a vegetal twinge which reminds me of steamed spinach or turnip greens, especially with the way it sticks to the tip of the tongue.

This tea is good for about three steeps and should be sipped to savor. Fans of gunpowder green teas, deep shade grown (Fukamushi style) Japanese greens and Darjeeling teas will appreciate this brew.

The leaves here are uniformly dark and around 1/4 an inch in length. The aroma is extremely pungent and smells heavily of dark wood and campfire smoke.

The aroma from the spent leaves is decidedly weaker. I’d say less than half as strong, but clearly still camp firey. There’s light sweetness to the spent aroma which doesn’t carry through any of the infusions, though it’s also lingering in the aroma from the extra-dark amber liquor.

The smokey, fired, woody flavors some out nicely throughout the brew and across three or four steepings. Unlike lesser grade versions of this tea, there’s relatively little astringency and almost no dryness on the palate. Just a smooth, steady, consistent campfire flavor.

If you like smokey teas, you’ll love this Lapsong Souchong. You may also enjoy it if you like Pu’erhs.

The loose material this tisane is made up of is very colorful. Lots of rosehips, some chamomile and valerian root are the most prominent visuals here. The aroma however, is most heavily of chamomile with some light rose scent and a bit of fresh sweetness.

The liquor brews to a medium caramel with some dusting seeping through the infuser making the brew itself a bit cloudy at first. The aroma is light consisting primarily or chamomile. The rose scent is considerably lessened and the sweetness I noted in the dry aroma is also notably subdued.

The flavors are more astringent than I expected. There’s no drying of the tongue by a heavy chamomile presence linkers through an unusually long tailing finish. The softness of the rosehips is present, but none of the flavor.

This blend seems primarily of chamomile even if it’s only one of a number of ingredients. I would recommend this blend to fans of chamomile tea, mint tea and rose petal teas.

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The dry leaves are brown and black with some stems and plenty of grapefruit pieces. The aroma the ingredients provide is tart and light but with overtones of sweetness.

The liquor brews a deep brown-amber with tinges of yellow around the outside. The aroma becomes more savory but is essentially the same as the dry profile holding on to the tart grapefruit overtones and a mild sweetness.

The flavor is smoother than expected. There is a simple bite at the tip of the tongue and some light dryness as well, but very little astringency. The tail keeps going and going with a tart dryness remaining persistent. The grapefruit sweetness holds for the first few moments but dissipates somewhat quickly.

I would recommend this tea to any fan of Oolong, Grapefruit, fruit flavored teas and Darjeeling teas.

This blend is visually stunning. It’s full of so much stuff it could keep you occupied just identifying all its parts. Normally that’s something I balk at. I’m one to prefer fewer ingredients to extra ones. But in this case, it all works out well.

You’ll clearly see the chamomile, rosehips, cardamom, calendula, ginger and fruit pieces. I had issues identifying everything, and I’m certain I missed plenty of ingredients, including which fruits were included. The dry aroma is mostly mint. Every time I tried to capture more nuance I just ended up sneezing though so I gave up after ten or fifteen attempts.

Once steeped, the liquor brews a sensuous golden color. The aroma is a combination of the mint and chomomile, with only the slightest hints of stones fruits such as peach or apricot. Some camphor can also be noted. The briskness of this tisane blend is limited to the mint. Everything else seems to soften the blow.

I recommend this blend to anyone with a sore throat and to fans of chamomile and mint teas.

There wasn’t much of this tea left, so I’m extremely excited they were willing to provide me some of this tea.

This Pu’er is loose, not pressed into a cake. Its leaves a mixture of light and medium brown. The aroma is light and earthy, more of dirt than moss with some hints are a woody quality I thought similar of a tree bark.

The liquor steeps to a wonderful dark motor oil brown and has a smooth airy aroma with similar earth overtones as in the aroma and more mild wood notes. The second steeping is equally aromatic and flavorful.

The texture of the brew is extremely smooth. There’s almost no astringency or acidity at all. The flavor profile is also more of earthen qualities and less mossy than I expected.

The loose leaves for this tea are spectacular. They’re roughly one and a half to two inches long, twisted and a mix from light to dark green. The aroma is somewhat light with more vegetal tones than grassy ones.

The liquor is a light yellowed amber. The aroma once brewed is grassier than it is vegertal, but there are some floral notes as well.

Once you’re imbibing the brew though the vegetal overtones return. There’s not much astringency here at all. I taste avacado and maybe light hints of spinach and orchid in the brew. The texture is smooth, similar to an oolong.

I would recommend this tea to any green tea fan, whether you prefer Chinese or Japanese greens. Oolong fans are also likely to enjoy this brew.

Marigold petals and apricot pieces added to a splended black tea make for a nice looking assortment in the pouch this tea came in. The dry aroma is sweet and very creamy.

This tea brews a beautiful yellow-caramel liquor which effuses a subdued fruity and creamy aroma. I think I was expecting something stronger, but this was nice.

From the brew comes a light flavor profile containing the lightest of floral notes and fruit tones. You can clearly taste the apricot and the marigold petals comes through rather nicely in the finish and hold through the tail.

Brewed properly this blend has very little astringency and only the slightest hints of bitterness on the tongue.

The leaves for this black tea are twisted and curled roughly 1/16 inch in length and a brown-black hue with occasional lighter (as in whiter) leaves mixed in. I did not see any buds or stems.

The aroma is hayish with light toasty notes when dry and sweeter, like peaches after steeping. The liquor is a very dark amber and produced a malty aroma with peach notes and hints of honeysuckle.

On the palate though, the flavor is more subdued. There’s a minimal drying of the tongue and roof of the mouth. Some astringency and pucker finds its way into the mix with notes of peach and maybe nectarine and a malty texture in the finish.

The dry aroma smells heavily of fruit and reminds me most of papaya or guava, though neither exist in this tea. Once brewed the aroma becomes much more floral. The rosehips come out most readily with the hibiscus not far behind.

Producing a very very light yellow-orange liquor, the flavors get complicated. There’s an unexpected astringency here which I blame the citrus peels (orange and lemon) for. I don’t sense any mango smoothness or natural sweetness from the hibiscus. Instead I mostly get the sour cherry and rose petal coming through.

Snow Geisha causes a notable dryness of the palate which I also did not expect for a white tea.

While the aroma was satisfying I would have liked less complication in this blend flavor-wise. Maybe drop the fruit peels and the rosehips and see how that turns out. As it is, I felt this blend fell short of my expectations.

Fans of fruity teas may like this blend, but be forewarned some sweetener may be handy to keep this tea from drying your palate too much.

This blend is made of plenty of honeybush with large chunks of pineapple and coconut shavings mixed in. It’s really something to see and the aroma is so close to an actual pina colada I can’t stress how wet my palate was while waiting for the ensemble to brew the suggested 10 minutes.

The liquor brews an interestingly dark amber-brown. The aroma foretells the sweetness in the flavor. However the pineapple is subdued a bit with the coconut taking the forefront in the steeped aroma.

Once this tea is in the mouth it’s unbelievably smooth. For a tea without milk, this is a bit surprising. I enjoyed the play of the coconut on the palate with the pineapple tartness lightly teasing the edges of the mouth.

I recommend this tisane to everyone. It’s really something which needs to be tried, and at only roughly $8 (including shipping) you can’t go wrong!

Visually this blend is enticingly complex. You can pick out each of the spices easily, and there are plenty of them all. The aroma is lightly spiced with hints of an underlying sweetness.

Kama Sutra Chai brews a wonderful amber liquor. It alsmost reminds me of a malt whiskey. The brewed aroma is much softer than that of the dry leaves. I certainly catch some of the vanilla here.

This tea is a bit brisk. The spices twinge the tongue and some dryness of the palate occurs. The standard chai spiciness is inherent throughout the brew. The cardamom, clove and cinnamon play in the forefront with the vanilla bean notably taking a backseat.

The palate dryness and the briskness of this tea are appreciably reduced by adding milk and sugar. Traditionally one would add 3 parts milk to 5 parts water, and two or three teaspoons of sugar… but I suggest sugar to taste as three is far too much for me personally. The sugar helps to bring out the profiles for each of the spices.