Category: Tea Reviews

Tea reviews and tea tastings

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Roasted Matcha and Mochi Muffins from Third Culture Bakery

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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!

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Jasmine Tea Sampler from iTeaworld

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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!

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Brigadoon Tea from Adagio Teas

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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!

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Red and Honey Bug Bite Oolong from Third Culture Bakery

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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!

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

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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!

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Aozora Matcha from Naoki Matcha

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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!

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2023 Space Girls Raw Puer from Crimson Lotus Tea

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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!

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

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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!

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Owl’s first tong – Bitterleaf Tea’s 2022 Body & Soul Black and Shou Puer

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10 years of drinking puer and I never officially tonged, until this one tea. I’ve always enjoyed drinking something new. There are always new boutique blends coming. Each year and season is a new flavor. I also have no delusions that my puer cakes are reselling investments. But the day came – I tonged 2022 Body & Soul from Bitterleaf Teas. I just love Bitterleaf Tea’s Body & Soul blend, it is a shou and black tea blend. The 2020 Body & Soul I drank the sample and wish I got more. I have almost guzzled a whole 2021 cake… Continue reading, hoot!

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Vanilla Bean Dream Machine from Intergalactic Tea

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The creator of Intergalactic Tea stumbled upon one of my tea reviews and was inspired by the unusual vanilla notes. Vanilla notes, naturally occurring, are very rare. Intergalactic tea took it a step further in the direction I like to see – adding actual vanilla bean into a shou blend and pressing it into cakes. I’m sure there is a population that is utterly horrified at flavors added into puer cakes, but that is more for the rest of us. I don’t see it any different than adding chenpi orange or agarwood. Vanilla Bean Dream Machine shou blend has actual… Continue reading, hoot!