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Thank you to Tea Bento for the free sample.

This tastes characteristically of a Ceylon black. Lightly tannic black tea (what you might expect from a straight ceylon), light honey and nectar notes that are emphasised by the tea flowers. The honey flavour is most prominent in the second and third steeps. The first steep is the most brisk, verging on bitter but never quite getting there. The liquid brews a beautiful deep amber, which matches the taste quite well.

This tastes more like a daily drinker than a “keep for special occasions” sort of tea. The flavour profile is not unique, although the tea itself is high quality. While it was interesting to try, I do not find it to be anything special. If you like straight blacks and afternoon blends, this is probably a great addition to your cupboard. If you don’t drink a lot of plain Ceylons, you might enjoy a sampler size, but I wouldn’t recommend a large pouch unless it’s your thing.

Thank you to Tea Bento for the free sample of this!

I had no idea what to expect from a GABA oolong, but this was a delicious morning cup. The main flavours are grain (brown rice, barley), toasty and slightly sweet. I did not experience any side effects from the GABA, but it was a very tasty cup and I will continue to experiment with GABA.

While this has a distinctly toasted oolong vibe to it, it emphasises the toasted grain so well it reminds me a lot of genmaicha. The aftertaste starts heading towards that bitterness that some tasted oolongs have, but then steers away towards molasses and tapioca pudding.

The mouth feel is thick, malty. It brews a lovely amber colour. As you re steep, it starts brewing light gold. New notes of hay and honey appear in later steeps (3-4).

Not my favourite green base, as it is quite vegetal (sencha-like) and tends to get bitter if oversteeped. I’ve found coldbrewing is the best approach.

Thank you to Tea Bento for the free sample.

Coldbrew: 350 mL, 1 tsp leaf, ~30 minutes

The dry leaf is gorgeous. It is made up of fuzzy orange curls. The leaves unroll beautifully once steeped. The prominant notes in the brew are typical of Dian Hong. Dark wet wood, raw cocoa, carob.

Thank you to Tea Bento for the free samples! I will be reviewing a few today, and the rest in coming designated caffeine days (once or twice per week). I have received this tea for free in exchange for an unbiased review.

This tastes more like a black tea to me, but it is still very nice. The most prominent notes are honey, floral, wood, tulip, saffron. I can see how people might taste chocolate/malt in this, although I didn’t taste any. This oolong is very distinctly Taiwanese with its characteristic floral/honey flavour. The sweet notes really make for an aromatic and beautiful morning cup. Oddly enough, I can see this oolong getting even better if milk is added. I might try that with the remaining leaf.