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Having a quick cup before I leave the office for the year!!! I really love this tea although it’s not the most holiday minded. It is very pleasing to the stomach and I love the super roasted taste. It also shares a coffee-like quality in the bitterness. I also think it tastes like a puffed wheat cereal as some other reviews noted. I’m interested in trying this iced, but I think I’ll wait for a little warmer weather before I do so.

I hope everyone has a lovely, joy-filled holiday! Take care and see you on Steepster in the new year! :)

My love of all things roasted and toasted has lead me to a tin of this tea. The look of the dry “leaves” was a little startling after spending the last year looking at quality tea leaves. Of course I know what Houjicha consists of…but still, the tea is pretty ratty looking to say the least. The tin contained mostly ragged leaf fragments and a good portion of sticks and stems. It smells kind of like a puffed cereal…and roasted tree bark. Houjicha has an interesting, comforting flavor to me. It’s one of those teas that seem so simple and plain but the taste ends up being complex and reassuring.

I’ve had this tea both hot and cold and both are lovely in their own way. The hot tea made my stomach feel nice and warm and settled. I can totally see why it would be used as a digestive aid. Houjicha has that tummy-friendly feeling as well as a unique roasted, nutty flavor. Not medicinal…but helpful and tasty. When the tea was chilled it had a nice mix of nuttiness, deep malt and a lingering sweetness. I must say that I’m a fan. And it’s technically green tea…not my usual oolongs or black teas. Yay! I can’t wait to try other Houjichas, but for the time being, this suits me just fine.

I’ve been on a little tea hiatus as of late. Well, kinda sort of. I’ve been super busy with my new craft projects and of course my regular 9 to 5. More like 7:30-4:30, but I digress. This morning I needed a hot cup of goodness to wrap my sore hands around. I’ve recently been working on a really big stained glass project, and my hands are worn out. The little cuts are one thing, but the amount of pressure you have to put on your fingertips is currently what’s getting to me.

Anyway, on to the tea. It’s nothing flashy, but I’m ok with that. The roasted flavor is mild and pleasing. I’m picking up earthy and mineral-y qualities. I also taste a little note of wood over the earthiness. It’s nothing at all like the woody taste of rooibos, but more of a “leaves and bark” taste. :) There is a slight puckering of astringency, but overall very simple and balanced. Nothing too complex or in your face, just a basic oolong. I’ll be re-steeping a few times and hopefully finishing up this sample. Easy does it.

The holiday madness will soon begin.

I swear this tea tastes different every time I drink it. This time I tasted notes of leather, spicy tobacco, smoke and minerals. It wasn’t unpleasant…just different from the last time I made a cup. Admittedly, I steeped the heck out it. Probably a good 8 minutes at least. It was dark! I’m sure it would have been better if I could have focused a little more on tea and less on being pulled 10 different directions at the office. I used boiling water again, since it had such nice results last time. I’m off to make another cup of this ever evolving tea. But this time I’ll use my tea timer!

Weak lemon water. Not horrid-tasting but lacking so much flavor, I’d rather just drink a glass of water. I’m a big fan of lemongrass, but this must only have a tiny sprinkle. Blah.

YUM YUM YUM! I was not expecting such a delicious oolong. I have a feeling that this tea could provide a lot of diversity in taste. Since I had such yummy results using boiling water with Samovar’s Wuyi Dark Roast, I went straight for the boiling water first. Apparently it was a good idea. I love it! I think the boiling water intensifies the roasted flavor. The liquor is dark amber. The taste is smooth and certainly robust…very flavorful for a dark oolong. The roasted notes are very prominent. I’m also picking up soba and a light sweetness like mild honey. There is also an earthy stoutness. I think if this tea was steeped at a lower temp and time, that it would yield a much different result. Milder and perhaps a little sweeter with heightened notes of orchid. I’ll have to play around with it. As it stands now, this is a power packed oolong…and great for breakfast.

Thank you TeaEqualsBliss for such a fantastic sample! :)

I can’t say that I’m a fan. The vanilla smell is barely present and smells artificial. (The vanilla smell was stronger as the tea cooled.) The vanilla in the taste is very subdued and only present in the background. It’s just ok. I steeped for the recommended 4 minutes. While the flavor of the tea is light to me, I think steeping longer would yield a very bitter cup. I should have added milk and sugar to help doctor it up. Oh well. It’s better than no tea at all. This wasn’t bad…just “meh”.

I mentioned in a past tasting note that this tea reminds me of tasting honeysuckle with my Grandfather. It’s a really great memory…one of the countless memories I have of him. I lost him this Saturday, so I’m drinking this tea and thinking of him.

Mmmm! I love it! This is a great everyday tea.

It’s still super hot (over 90 degrees) in the afternoon, but our mornings and nights in Tennessee are starting to cool down. One of my favorite things to do is to sit out on my back deck on a cooler morning and drink my tea while reading a book. I can already see myself clad in a hoodie and yoga capris drinking this tea in the aforementioned scenario. Probably barefoot. Yep, I think that sounds about wonderful.

This tea is everything that has been mentioned before. Very malty and raisin-y. I’m drinking the tea without any additives, but the idea of adding brown sugar is appealing. I wouldn’t add too much because the tea is already naturally mild and slightly sweet. I’m not picking up any bitterness at all. Overall, this is a very pleasant cup and I look forward to a few more steeps.

And yes, I just added Hong Jing Luo to my shopping list.