Tag: black tea

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2016 Denong Black Tea from Denong Tea

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I sampled the 2016 Denong Black tea at Denong Tea’s shop in Pasadena and recall it being very smooth and likable. It is a tea that they like to serve at tastings and festivals as it is friendly yet luxurious. I didn’t end up purchasing it though, as I threw a lot of money at their puer. Denong eventually sent me a tin for review. The first thing you’ll notice is the paper container they package their black tea in is gorgeous! WOW! I will forever keep this container. Leaf and Steeping Method Denong’s 2016 Black tea doesn’t have much… Continue reading, hoot!

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Simple Steeps by The Tea Spot

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I have been in travel mode this summer, both for tea festivals and escaping the home office as I lack an air conditioner. The Tea Spot sent me some of their teas packaged as Simple Steeps, which are pre-portioned to go teas for $5 a box. I sneaked a few tea tastings while I traveled, but let’s sit down and give them a full tasting. Simple Steeps Matcha I believe I’ve had Tea Spot’s matcha before in their Matcha Fitness set, which came in a cute tiny tin. This time we have matcha in a thin packet which Tea Spot got… Continue reading, hoot!

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Guava Smoked Thyolo Moto Black Tea from Tea and Whisk

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This Guava Smoked Thyolo Moto Black tea was a tea drunk purchase as I’m easy to upsell tea drunk with money burning in my pocket. I was at the World Tea Expo after party at Tea and Whisk. Lazy Literatus saw this tea and I bought it as I was like “This is nuts, what the hoot smokes guavas?” It turned out it is guava tree wood that is the smoking of this Malawi tea. I got to try it but iced, blended with some other teas, which the owner said he does to take the edge off the smoke.… Continue reading, hoot!

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Honey Oolong and Honey Black from Floating Leaves Tea

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At my last visit to Floating Leaves Tea, I tried their Honey Oolong and Black Honey teas. I liked them both and the prices were great, so I purchased an ounce of each to play with at my own tea table. Let’s go! Floating Leaves Tea’s Honey Oolong Honey Oolong is actually Guifei Meiren (or Mixiang Oolong), the Oriental Beauty of Dong Ding oolongs. Dry Leaf and Steeping Infusions: The rolled balls of oolong smell like dried fruits. I used around 1 gram of leaf to 15ml of vessel size. Floating Leaves Tea’s oolongs love boiling water, so I used that. The… Continue reading, hoot!

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Berry Malt Black Tea from White2Tea

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I purchased White2Tea’s Berry Malt during the dry spell without their magical Anburn black tea. It is promised to be a good daily drinker. Berry Malt is processed as a Dian Hong, but made of large leaf puer material. I got this tea back in March 2018 and actually finished the entire bag in May. Dry Leaf and Steeping Method: Berry Malt is gorgeous and smells of yeasty bread and fresh berries. Total crack how good this leaf smells. I used 1 gram of tea to 15ml of vessel size. I steeped gongfu style with boiling water. Tasting of White2Tea’s Berry… Continue reading, hoot!

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Kusmi Tea Russian Blends Set

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I’ve been feeling the call of afternoon tea with lots of snacks. I’ve been cutting down my sweet snacks which has been making me cranky. My In-Laws recently went to Paris, which lead me to look at various tea sellers based in France, many of which you can’t get here in the US without paying an arm and a leg on already expensive tea. Kusmi Tea had perfect timing and offered to send me teas and I selected the Russian Blends assortment. Kusmi Tea has a base in New York, so you can get this French tea easily online. This… Continue reading, hoot!

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Jeju Island Matcha and Black Tea from Teas Unique

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Teas Unique sent me a box of unusual Korean teas. I most often come across green tea or hwangcha, but here I have matcha and a black tea. Teas Unique’s Hwangcha was pretty good with a big selection. Out of the box, I picked out the Jeju Island teas to review. Teas Unique’s Jeju Island Ceremonial Grade Organic Matcha I haven’t had good Korean Matcha. Note, yes we can be pedantic and this isn’t matcha, but green tea powder. I’m sticking with matcha as it is faster. This Jeju Island Matcha from Teas Unique is a first flush, single estate,… Continue reading, hoot!

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Black and Oolong Teas from Everyday Teas

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Everyday Teas‘ focus is quality daily drinker teas. I previously reviewed two years of Everyday Teas’ puer. Let’s try their black and oolongs! Gongfu Black Gongfu Black is a Da Ye cultivar black grown in Lincang, Yunnan China. It is described to be a very forgiving black tea. Dry Leaf and Steeping Method:  Gongfu Black smells nicely fruity. There is a rare fleck of gold or two but otherwise is a pitch black leaf. I used 1 gram of leaf to 12ml of vessel size, steeped in boiling water. First and Second Infusion: Not a bad hong for the price. The… Continue reading, hoot!

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Incense and Tea Testing – featuring Totem Tea

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If you didn’t know, incense and tea is a thing. There are cool tea and incense photos on Instagram, or maybe you have seen it at a gongfu session with all the fixings. Early on, I was put off as I bought a teapot from a tea shop that lit incense and it took work to get the smell out of my pot. That reason alone, I do not recommend lighting incense around your tea. I am big on scent – I think my sense of smell is the majority of my skill and enjoyment in tea drinking. I’m no supertaster… Continue reading, hoot!

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Daintree Tea and Tim Tam Slams

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Austrailian Tea Special! I’ve tried Daintree Tea before, but it was fairly old loose leaf not stored well. My husband’s coworker recently came back from Australia and I was given a Wallaby and a sample box of Daintree tea bags. Around the same time, I got a package from Influenster (they send free products for review, I mostly signed up for makeup swag) to review some unexpected random crap like a tin of corn, tub of margarine, fried jalapenos, and a package of Tim Tams. I’ve heard about Tim Tams as being an Aussie fav treat. I recently saw Tim Tams at… Continue reading, hoot!