Another advent tea gift. I find it interesting that while this one is a rolled style the others I have come upon are shaped into balls.
So it makes me wonder why the farmer decided to make that change. It is a gorgeous leaf. Dark chocolate in color with light brown flecks here and there. The flavor is mineral, musty, and filled with wet wood notes. There is honey in the after taste. It isn’t strong but the way it lingers is very unique.
My aroma cup doesn’t reveal much for the liquid but the wet leaf is earthy and kinda mineral. I say kinda because it hides. Sometimes you sense it and sometimes you don’t. Some oolongs can last for many steepings but this one seems to have had its limelight in the first and second steepings.
Though as I’m coming upon my 7th? infusion now I’m find some of the sweeter notes are really shining. The instructions also say to brew four minutes, which I assume would be western style. I’ve tried both western and gong fu but so far I prefer the gong fu. It offers the ability to test it out more at more stages, not that you can’t in western but it just doesn’t steep the same.
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Simpson & Vail
Description
This exquisite oolong comes to us from Northern Vietnam, where some of the old tea plants are still partially grown wild. Local villagers traditionally process these leaves and the resulting tea is unique and delicious.
The large leaves resemble a black tea, however, the brewed cup is distinctively oolong in character. The aroma is bright with slight spice and floral notes. The amber cup imparts a toasty aftertaste with a slight honey sweet flavor.
Brew tea at 212º – steep for 4 minutes.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Nepal Organic Gold Pathivara Black Tea from Simpson and Vail. . . .
Nepal is one place I have always wanted to travel to. I try and picture the place, the people, the culture. Since I probably will never have the opportunity to go there I will be living my wanderlust thru tea sipping. Nepal Organic Gold Pathivara Black Tea from Simpson & Vail helped me with this recently.
Nepal is located in South Asia, and bordered by China and India, and home to some of the largest mountains in the world, including Mount Everest which is the highest point anywhere on Earth. According to S&V and other sources – Nepal is comprised of 75 districts, one of which is the district of Panchthar. Panchthar is located in the Mechi Zone in the easternmost part of Nepal. It borders the Darjeeling region of West Bengal, India, and enjoys the same soil and climatic conditions as Darjeeling.
This certified organic garden is located in Panchthar, Nepal at an elevation of 1900 to 2100 meters above sea level. Simpson and Vail’s product description of this tea says that this garden sits among beautiful forested areas and has a stunning view of Mount Kumbhakarna. Pathivara Tea was planted in 1990 and is a relatively young garden that employs 35 people (mostly women). Pathivara almost borders the Sikkim border and the location is quite remote. The yields from Pathivara are not large which allows the growers to concentrate on producing this high-quality tea.
Nepal Organic Gold Pathivara Black Tea from Simpson & Vail consists of large black, golden, and well formed leaves that brew to an amber cup. It gives off a delicate yet full flavor on the tongue. The astringency (that is found in many high-grown Himalayan teas) is present in the cup although it is on the lighter side of things. The taste is smooth with a slightly sweet rose taste. An truly delightful cup of tea that I – for one – am thrilled they offer! Yet another great cuppa from our friends at S&V!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Simpson and Vail
Description
Pathivara Gold tea consists of large black and golden well formed leaves that brew to an amber cup with a delicate yet full flavored taste. The astringency that is found in many high-grown Himalayan teas is present in the cup although it is slight. The taste is smooth with a slightly sweet rose taste. A truly delightful cup of tea that we are thrilled to offer.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Celtic Cream Green Tea from Simpson & Vail. . . .
This is, quite simply, my favorite green tea of the moment. I’ve been drinking it almost every day, but always at a time when I am nowhere near a computer to write about it. So today — TODAY, MY TEAPLE — I will write this review.
Sometimes green teas are a little bit tart/vegetal, which is fine, but I’m a sweet-tooth kinda girl. What I really want in a tea, honestly, is calorie-free dessert.
So this tea’s creamy sweetness is totally on point. It’s, like, a buttercream delight. I can still taste the authentic green underneath, too.
It’s the best of both worlds. This is great because whenever doctors are like “tea is good for you!”, they’re typically talking about green tea. Green tea, according to medical professionals, will, like, make your skin glow and your hair get long and your weight drop and your muscles big. You will be completely hydrated and sleep exactly 8 hours, 15 minutes every single night. You will turn into an Avenger who specializes in yoga. (I guess maybe that’s Pepper Potts’ real-life Gwenyth Paltrow persona, actually.)
And you know what? I *am* feeling strong. And I *did* lose a pound last week. MAYBE IT WAS THIS TEA. Who knows? You should try it and get back to me about your health progress, too.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Simpson and Vail
Description
In honor of the Emerald Isle and St. Patrick’s Day we have blended a delightful green tea with Irish cream flavor. The emerald green liquor complements the unique smooth & creamy flavor. Warm up with this healthy good tasting tea.
Ingredients: green tea and flavoring.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Spiced Mulled Wine by Simpson and Vail. . . .
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Simpson and Vail
Description
Looking for a winter concoction without the alcohol? Then, this brew is for you! The blend produces a reddish cup with a sweet fragrant aroma and taste. The tannic taste is reminiscent of red wine and it is perfectly complemented by the light spice taste and the earthy undertones.
Ingredients: black teas, orange peel, beet root, spiced mulled wine flavoring and malva blossoms.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Dragonfruit Fusion Teabags from Simpson and Vail.. . . .
June was National Iced Tea Month so I thought a few Iced Tea attempts were surely in order! To kick things off I brewed some Dragonfuit Fusion Tea Bags from Simpson & Vail.
As many of you know Hibiscus scares me and Rosehips are creeping on that list as well. When I saw how intensely pinkish-red this was after brewing I ASSUMED it was going to be that dreaded tarty-sour Hibiscus I was so frightened of. BUT…I don’t know how S&V did it but it worked well here! It wasn’t overly tart or overly sweet. Perhaps it was the Green Rooibos base that helped even it out?
Ingredients include Organic green rooibos, organic rosehips, organic hibiscus, organic orange peel, organic lemon peel and natural flavors. I will say that I could taste the citrusy peels mentioned in the list of ingredients and that seemed to really contribute to the overall flavor of this tea!
The rebel that I am – I sipped a half of a cup of this tea hot before icing and it was pretty good hot, too!
I have a very large thermo container that I will be traveling with a lot this summer and I can see myself keeping iced teas in there very soon! I’m looking forward to Iced Tea Season. Are you?
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Herbal/Tisane
Where to Buy: Simpson & Vail
Description
Perfect for lazy summer days, this organic herbal blend brews to a ruby red color with a tropical fruit taste. Caffeine free and bursting with flavor, this “tea” will be enjoyed by young and old alike. Add a little sweetener or seltzer to brighten up the taste!
Ingredients: Organic green rooibos, organic rosehips, organic hibiscus, organic orange peel, organic lemon peel and natural flavors.
To brew:
Put teabag in a gallon container. Pour boiling water over the teabag to cover, steep for 5 minutes then remove the bag. Add cold water to fill the container and stir. Refrigerate. Serve over ice as is or with your choice of sweetener.
Iced tea in the refrigerator may turn cloudy. If this should occur, pour a little boiling water into the tea after removal from the refrigerator.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!