Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Far Leaves
Tea Description:
This famous pan-fired green tea was bought direct from this champagne region. Its green spears provide a sweet buttery brew and conjure up pastoral scenes and clear mountain springs.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
My relationship with Dragon Well tea has not always been such a fond relationship, there was a time when I didn’t really care for the stuff much. But, I’m glad that has changed, because I am loving this Dragon Well Green Tea from Far Leaves!
So, how did I come around from a point where I actually disliked Dragon Well to a point where I love it? Well, my first cup of Dragon Well I had when I was still learning the best ways to brew tea … and I did not know that green tea should be brewed at a lower temperature than black teas. I used to brew everything in boiling water, and my first cup of Dragon Well was BITTER! Ugh!
Now, I brew Dragon Well at a hot but not too hot 175°F for just 2 minutes. This produces a really lovely cuppa. The flavor is pleasantly sweet, vegetative, and not at all bitter. It is smooth and nearly free of astringency (there is just a bit of astringency, but, it is barely noticeable).
I love the buttery tones of this Dragon Well. The buttery taste gives the overall cup a taste that reminds me of mild steamed vegetables that have been topped with melted butter … but sweeter! Delicious!
It tastes pure and refreshing. A really pleasant cuppa. Do yourself and infuse these leaves a second time – add another 30 seconds to the brew time – the tea is even better with the second infusion!
Dong Ding Oolong from Far Leaves Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Far Leaves Tea
Tea Description:
A classic Taiwan Oolong, grown high above lugu valley this summit tea has a soaring floral opening and a rich lasting finish
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
A truly lovely Oolong, this Dong Ding Oolong from Far Leaves Tea!
I’ve spent the last couple of evenings with this Dong Ding Oolong. It tastes wonderful – with a delicate caramel-like undertone and a delicious nutty flavor, with notes of fruit and flower in the background. It has a lovely complexity that I love experiencing as it unfolds throughout the many infusions it offers.
The first cup (a combination of the first and second infusions following a quick 15 second rinse) is softly flavored, with a mild floral overtone that lacks the sometimes sharper bite that some other green Oolongs possess. This has the sweet, exotic floral taste … but none of that perfume-y bite. The caramel undertones are subtle here, as are the nutty flavors that come to life in the future infusions.
The second cup (infusions three and four) becomes sweeter, with a distinct caramel-y taste. This cup is my favorite of the four that I brewed from the same measurement of leaves, because of this strong caramel-y tone and I also enjoy the way the caramel notes mingle with the nutty flavors … almost like a nut toffee. I also notice a plum-like taste that is delicious.
With the third cup, I find that the floral tones are significantly softer than they were in the first cup, and they seem to have melded with the other flavors to create a unified taste that really isn’t flower, or fruit, or nut, or caramel … but something of a cross of all four distinctly different tastes. The fourth cup (infusions seven and eight) the flavor is very smooth and feels almost like silk on the palate.
There is very little astringency to this cup, and no bitterness at all. It is so pleasant to sip … one of those teas that you want to enjoy over the course of a couple of hours … enjoying the many layers of flavor. Another winner from Far Leaves!
Rest Well (Certified Organic) from Far Leaves
Tisane Information:
Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: Far Leaves
Tisane Description:
Pure herbal bliss; certified organic chamomile, peppermint, lavender, and valerian caress achy temperaments and sooth minor ailments – CAFFEINE FREE
Learn more about this tisane here.
Taster’s Review:
I always tend to be a little apprehensive when it comes to herbal infusions with chamomile, but I found the fact that this Certified Organic Rest Well infusion from Far Leaves also contains lavender and peppermint reassuring. I thought there was a good chance that I’d like this one.
And I am enjoying it. The ingredients come together in a very flavorful way. The peppermint is a strong flavor, but it is not presented in a way that tastes too minty or like someone squeezed a dab of toothpaste in my cup. It tastes smooth and comforting in the cup … it doesn’t have that typical zesty, cool peppermint taste to it here. Instead, it seems to meld with the other flavors to create a herbaceous flavor that is more soothing than medicinal.
In fact, I don’t find this to taste medicinal at all. Instead, I find it … relaxing. Everything is so nicely balanced. Floral tones are sweet without being sharp. It doesn’t taste strongly of any one ingredient. I taste notes of each without feeling overwhelmed by any of them.
This is a very nice cup to cozy up to on those nights that you find it difficult to calm down so that you can get a good night’s rest.
White Tip Oolong Tea from Far Leaves Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Far Leaves Tea
Tea Description:
“champagneEoolong; these silver tipped leaves embody the clarity of green, the compassion of oolong, and the vigor of black teas.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This is a really amazing Oolong! It is so different from the other Oolong teas I’ve been drinking lately … different, but yet, similar enough to provide that comfort than only Oolong can offer.
The clearest note that I notice right away is the sweet yet sour note that I taste. It reminds me of a fresh plum that is just a teeny bit under-ripe. It is still sweet and juicy, but, there is just a twinge of tartness to it, that little bit of sourness that speaks of its under-ripened state. The sweetness I taste is not only fruit-like, but there is a certain exotic sweetness as well that is reminiscent of orchid. Sweet and slightly floral, but this is not what I’d consider a “floral” Oolong.
There are some woodsy notes in there as well, and just a hint of earthiness. There is also a delicate tone to this that reminds me a bit of the delicateness of a white tea. Vaguely vegetative is this delicate note, like the air that you might taste a day or two after the hay has been harvested in a hayfield.
Overall, I find this to be such a crisp and refreshing Oolong tea. It doesn’t have a heavy texture to it, it isn’t buttery or creamy … and while I do enjoy those qualities about Oolong, it is nice every now and again to come across an Oolong that challenges what you think you know about the tea. This tea does just that.