Ola'a

Wow, this green is just . . . there are absolutely no words. It looks and smells like a white, and taste wise? There’s green notes and white notes and hints of mango and just . . . this is practically heaven in a tea cup. Hawaiian tea may be a rare thing, in fact I’d never heard of it before this week, but wow is it amazing. This is the first speciality tea that I can actually see myself paying the premium costs for.

Extra kudos to The Tea Haus for selling such a rare amazing tea, and even more so for selling it at such a fair price. (And for letting us try it before it hits their store!)

There is just one word written in the comments column of my tasting notes: AMAZEBALLS.

As part of the tasting, not only were we given the chance to try this amazing tea, we learned about the growing tea production in Hawaii; if given the chance, I think Hawaii could be a major competitor in the specialty tea market. The two Hawaiian teas we sampled today were so incredibly beyond anything I have tasted of their type that I almost cried when I found out the price tag.

This is a straight green. This is not a blend of any kind. So imagine my shock when I took the first sip – the tea being extremely pale in colour, almost clear – and immediately tasted pineapple and mangos. It was light, fruity, sweet without being cloying, and with a fuzzy edge to it that kept it from being too severe. The second steep, while even clearer in colour, was even more fruity, the complex notes and flavours of the tea coming out in force.

I feel extremely lucky to have been able to try some of this tea, and afford a small sample of it. I know it’s an indulgence, but teas like this are rare, and they need to be enjoyed while they can, and in the proper way (with an eye to time and the low temperature). Amazeballs.