Roasted Matcha and Mochi Muffins from Third Culture Bakery

Continuing my previous review of Third Culture Bakery teas, today we have Roasted Matcha! Isn’t Roasted Matcha just Hojicha Powder? Hojicha is made from roasted Sencha or Bancha. Matcha is made with Tencha, which is specifically grown for Matcha. That said, this is a Roasted Tencha Matcha. I can understand why I haven’t had Roasted Matcha, it isn’t as common and search results confuse it with Hojicha. Matcha Powder and Preparation The smell is closer to cutting hardwood than roast. Roasted Matcha has a warm brown colour showing off the rich roasting job. The first few tries with this tea… Continue reading, hoot!

Jasmine Tea Sampler from iTeaworld

iTeaworld has been knocking on my owl house for months for a review. I figured other writers had it covered. However, iTeaworld approached me with a Jasmine Tea Sampler that I’d never seen before – four jasmine teas with different levels of scenting. This is educational, but also interesting as not too often tea vendors cite how much scenting is done. Even though I don’t like green tea I want to experience the jasmine levels. A good jasmine (or any floral tea) tea is scented with fresh flowers over time. I often see jasmine teas getting their floral essence from… Continue reading, hoot!

Brigadoon Tea from Adagio Teas

Breakfast teas have made a comeback in my tea drinking. My work schedule is just too busy to gongfu. Lazy style just gets over brewed. I have time for a 3pm pick me up with tea and a biscuit. I’ve heard about Adagio’s Brigadoon Tea from others, but never got it as it is sold only on February 29th, so only 1 day every 4 years. I reliably get suckered by limited edition things. Adagio kindly sent me a tin of Brigadoon early. So what’s up with Brigadoon? This tea is named after a Scottish legend of an enchanted town… Continue reading, hoot!

Red and Honey Bug Bite Oolong from Third Culture Bakery

Today’s oolongs are from Third Culture Bakery – a brick-and-mortar California shop known for its Mochi Muffins! It is awesome to see a cafe carrying good tea, but also the ability to purchase online. The sourcing of these oolongs is a 3rd generation farm in Luye Valley of Southern Taiwan, which is 20 minutes from the Third Culture Bakery owner’s mother’s house! Red Oolong from Third Culture Bakery At this time, Third Culture Bakery sells their oolong in compostable tea bags. Each bag has 3 grams of leaf, which is awesome for flavorful tea. Most bagged teas contain only 1-2… Continue reading, hoot!

Oolong Owl 2023 Tea Year in Review

Welcome to 2024! 2023 went incredibly fast for me with all the caffeine and crafting. 2024 is looking to be a large shift compared to previous years. I’ve been Oolong Owling for 12 years now. A decade public display of my tea guzzling, teaware collecting, addiction, and wallet destruction. Oolong Owl’s Tea Stash Google Sheet Template of my Tea Stash Spreadsheet! Save a copy and start keeping track of your stash. Spreadsheets are forever, flexible, and unitaskers – you’ll never be at the mercy of an app or website. Previous Years2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 I managed to track my tea stash for… Continue reading, hoot!

Kuura Esprit De Corp 2023 Tea Club – Spring Raw Sheng Puer

This is my most anticipated teas of the year – the Kuura Esprit De Corp 2023 Tea Club. When they announced it, I didn’t even hesitate to join. I’m a sucker for limited quantities, and there were only 50 spots. This club has 2 shipments, which include 3 teas, a teacup, tea cloth, and “surprises”. I was also able to add on other Kuura teas to ship with the club. The first shipment, which arrived in September, included a booklet, teacup, and 200g raw sheng puer cake. The cup has delicate walls and a griddy unglazed texture on the outside.… Continue reading, hoot!

Aozora Matcha from Naoki Matcha

Today’s tea is a Single-origin organic Matcha from the Isagawa region of Shizuoka, Japan – Naoki Matcha’s Aozora Matcha. I’ve had a couple of Naoki Matcha’s Master Collection, the most recent one being Mame Matcha, and they are fantastic. The powder smells fantastic! It is sweet and grassy with a vibrant green hue. It is recommended that this matcha be sifted first and to use 65c / 150F water. I failed both. I used a paste method, adding a little water and whisking till smooth, then slowly topping up with 71c/ 160F water. Aozora Matcha whisked up fantastic and thick,… Continue reading, hoot!

2023 Space Girls Raw Puer from Crimson Lotus Tea

Space Girls is an ongoing series of raw puer by Crimson Lotus Tea. For the 2023 Space Girls version, you get a tong of four 50 gram cakes. This gives you the tong experience for a low price and you won’t be stuck with a lot of tea. The tong fits in my hands. I love opening tongs. It is almost like I’m doing something I shouldn’t, like it should stay incased. The cute artwork on the wrappers is done by Stasia Burrington. Each cake has a different space girl on it. The compression is on the tight side, not… Continue reading, hoot!

2023 NW Tea Festival Seattle – Hooty Tea Travels

Tea Festival season is back, peeps! The NW Tea Festival was held on September 23 and 24th in Seattle Washington. 2019 was the last time this festival was held. NW Tea Festival is the biggest tea festival, likely because the PNW tea scene is strong. This year we had a few from outside PNW in attendance. Unfortunately, I could only attend the Saturday as I had other engagements on Sunday. NW Tea Festival was packed with a long queue to get in. There were times I couldn’t walk down an aisle as it was just full of people. From years… Continue reading, hoot!

2023 March White2tea Club feat. Lapsun, Predawn Dark, and Harlequin

The 2023 March White2tea club arrived with a selection of oolongs. But also included are a couple of new roasted White2tea teas that are teas that are not typically roasted – Predawn Dark Roasted Shou, Hareliqun Roasted Sheng, as well as Lapsun, a puer material black made into Lapsang Souchong. All these teas come in both 8g mini balls and 200g cakes. I figure most would be more interested in reviews of those teas, which you can get outside the White2tea Club, so let’s do those! 2023 Predawn Dark Roasted Shou Puer Predawn Dark is a White2tea shou blend roasted… Continue reading, hoot!