Black Tea & Lemongrass from Chiang Rai Tea House

Black+tea+lemongrassTea Information:

Leaf Type:  Black

Where to Buy:   Chiang Rai Tea House

Tea Description:

Enjoy your black tea with lemongrass, another great ally of your body with a lemony flavor that soothes and tastes delicious! Sip it hot after a meal for an easy digestion, or pour it over ice cubes for a refreshing summer treat.

Learn more about this tea here.

Taster’s Review:

Another interesting tea from Chiang Rai Tea House!  This time, it’s a combination of black tea leaves from Thailand and the curly pieces of Lemongrass that I enjoyed so much in their Lemongrass & Ginger blend.  I don’t know if the cutting process that produces the curls in the lemongrass makes a difference in the flavor or if it’s because this is lemongrass from Thailand – but the lemongrass that I’ve tasted in both these blends has been a substantial lemon-y flavor – much more so than I’ve experienced from the typical chopped pieces of lemongrass.

The lemon-y notes are sweet and tart, but not pucker-y tart.  Just tart enough to make this taste like lemon has been added to the tea rather than a sweeter lemon curd type flavor.  Just tart enough to perk up the taste buds and really brighten the cup!

The black tea base is a very mellow tasting black tea.  It’s not particularly robust, so I’m happy to have the sunny flavor of lemon in this tea.  It’s invigorating from the refreshing lemon notes with a background of smooth, sweet black tea.

A really nice blend – not quite as strong as I’d want from a breakfast tea, but this would make a wonderfully refreshing iced tea or a great afternoon tea.

Matcha from Chiang Rai Tea House

ChiangMatcha1Tea Information:

Leaf Type:  Green (Matcha)

Where to Buy:  Chiang Rai Tea House

Tea Description:

Matcha -green tea powder- is an antioxidant powerhouse (ORAC rating of 1,300 units/gram compared to 105 units/gram for pomegranates) and its list of health benefits goes on and on -fights viruses and bacteria, lowers cholesterol and blood sugar, L-Theanine relaxes and supports concentration, boosts metabolism and burns calories, contains the unique and powerful antioxidant catechin EGCg.

Learn more about this tea here.

Taster’s Review:

It’s been a while since I’ve written about Matcha.  And even though it’s been a little while since I’ve written about Matcha, that doesn’t mean that it’s been a while since I’ve consumed it.  I try to drink a bowl of Matcha (or do a cold-water shake-up of Matcha in my water bottle) at least every other day.  Occasionally, I might skip a day or two, but, I do try to drink it regularly – the stuff is magical!  It’s not only tasty but it also makes me feel so good after I’ve had it.  It’s one of the most revitalizing, energizing and spiritually uplifting teas I know of.

So, I was really intrigued when Chiang Rai Tea House sent me some of their Matcha to try.  Traditionally, Matcha is a Japanese tea, but the tea that was ground into this powdered green tea is from Thailand.  So, I was interested to find out if it would be different from the traditional Matcha.

ChiangMatcha
The color in this photo is brighter than the color of the tea in the package I received.

The dry powder is not the vivid Apple Green that you’d find with most top quality Matcha teas from Japan.  This tea was more like an Army Green color.  Kind of drab and dull.  This worried me because it’s been my experience that when it comes to Matcha, the color is very telling of what I’ll be tasting.

But, I’m going to try it and see how it goes.  I measured out some of the Matcha into my sifter and sifted into my Chawan and added hot water (160°F) and whisked the Matcha with my Chasen.  The Matcha incorporated quickly.  There was some froth to the prepared Matcha but it disappeared as quickly as it formed.

On their webpage, Chiang Rai Tea House says this about their Matcha:

We are particularly proud of our matcha, which we honestly believe can rival any Japanese matcha. This is a high-grade, 100% pure green tea powder made following strict guidelines. It has a smooth texture, a sweet aftertaste and an intense flavor, without the bitterness characteristic of lesser matchas.

I don’t know if this can rival any Japanese Matcha, but I will say that it’s better than some of the lower quality Japanese Matcha that I’ve tried.  It is smooth and sweet.  I’m not getting any of the bitterness or even the bitter-sweet notes that I’d taste from a lesser quality Matcha from Japan.  I’m actually quite surprised by that – because I expected this to taste a lot like that!  I expected this to taste like some of those average or even less-than-average Matcha teas that I’ve tried over the years.

This has a strong flavor that is a lightly buttery and there are pleasant notes of cacao.  It’s smooth and even though there were a couple of chalky moments, overall, I find this to be a very tasty Matcha.  The powder remained suspended in the liquid and didn’t settle to the bottom which was a big bonus as far as I’m concerned.  I liked that the consistency of the tea remained the same from the first sip to the last.

Overall, this was a pleasant Matcha experience.  This isn’t the best Matcha that I’ve ever tried, but it certainly wasn’t the worst.  If you’re someone who drinks Matcha daily and is looking for a good alternative to the average Matcha, try this.  This has a very pleasant flavor that I don’t always find in the average Matcha.

Green Tea & Peppermint from Chiang Rai Tea House

GreenTeaPeppermintTea Information:

Leaf Type:  Green

Where to Buy:  Chiang Rai Tea House

Tea Description:

Everything that goes in our teas is organic and traditionally grown at the farm. Just like the peppermint in this amazing blend. As green tea boosts the metabolism and reduces appetite, it may help burn calories. Meanwhile, peppermint can improve your workouts by allowing higher brain oxygen concentration and reducing lactate build-up, while also helping your digestion. Oh, did we mention it smells and tastes delicious, hot or on ice?

Learn more about this tea here.

Taster’s Review:

I generally enjoy minty teas, but I especially like it when the mint isn’t so powerful that it ends up tasting more like mouthwash than tea.  This Green Tea & Peppermint from Chiang Rai Tea House has got the balance of flavors just right!

It’s minty, but not overly so.  It is more like a soft, subtle whisper of mint that accents the sweet green tea.  It has that cool, refreshing flavor that I want from mint teas, but, I’m tasting more green tea here than I’m tasting mint and for that, Chiang Rai Tea House gets bonus points.

The green tea leaves are large and whole and I could see the fine, fuzzy hairs on the leaves.  I was kind of surprised at the appearance of the leaves because I’m used to Chinese or Japanese green teas that are much greener – these are a pale green with silvery tips!  In fact, these looked more like a Bai Mu Dan tea than most green teas I’ve seen.

Then again, these tea leaves are from Thailand and I can’t say that I’ve experienced a whole lot of teas from Thailand.

But I like what I’m tasting – I’m enjoying this tea a lot!  It’s sweet and it tastes fresh and lightly vegetal.  The vegetal notes aren’t so much like grass.  It has a slight ‘hay-like’ flavor (another nod to the previous Bai Mu Dan comparison) and there are notes of sweet fruit – evoking thoughts of honeydew melon.

A really surprising tea on many different levels.  And it’s been a very happy set of surprises!  A really delightful tea!

Organic Oolong 17 from Driftwood Tea

Organic Oolong 17 from Driftwood Tea
Organic Oolong 17 from Driftwood Tea

Tea Information:

Leaf Type: Oolong

Where to Buy: Driftwood Tea

Tea Description:

Organic Oolong 17 is considered to be Thailand’s finest tea. Oolong 17 was developed from imported Taiwanese stock and, given Mae Salong’s similar altitude and climate, is highly comparable to the quality and taste of high mountain teas grown in Taiwan.

Key Flavours: Oriental flora, edges of soft cream and a delicate tropical fruit aftertaste.

Learn more about this tea here.

Taster’s Review:

Organic Oolong 17 from Driftwood Tea brings us an oolong that is for the faint of heart. That’s right, IS, rather than isn’t. This is a very delicate, soft, gentle, oolong that does not pack a powerful punch. It is lilting, and lovely. This is the perfect oolong for those that typically do not like oolong’s rougher edge.

There is a slight resemblance to a Dong Ding, but more like Dong Ding’s well-mannered female cousin. She is younger, more playful, and less intense, yet has enough of that robust nature that you know your drinking a tea of quality. Yet on the other side you get her floral breath that beckons you to come out and play with her in the sunniness of her color, and she makes everything feel cozy and smooth with her creaminess.

I detect a hay like essence, but the lingering after taste is that of the bouquet’s companion of baby’s breath. A light mineral note also plays a key role. As for fruity, perhaps, but not as much as I had expected from the key flavors listed by Driftwood Tea. Perhaps a light touch of starfruit juice, maybe a tiny splash of not yet ripe pineapple, but only very slight.

I feel this would be an excellent beginners oolong, or an oolong to try if you have not yet found an oolong you enjoy fully and want something a bit lighter than those you have tried before.

I can see why this is considered Thailand’s finest tea though, with it’s polite mannerism I can easily see this being a tea sipped in many households.

Bangkok Green Tea Blend from Harney & Sons

bangkokTea Information:

Leaf Type:  Green

Where to Buy:  Harney & Sons

Tea Description:

The rich flavors of Thailand are the inspiration for this tasty blend. It is a combination of green tea, lemongrass, vanilla, coconut and ginger.

Learn more about this tea here.

Taster’s Review:

This tea really surprised me.  I expected a strong ginger flavor from it, and while I can definitely taste the ginger in this Bangkok Green Tea Blend from Harney & Sons, the ginger is remarkably subdued … it offers a slight peppery taste but, not at all what I expected!

I guess that’s because so often in blends with ginger in them, the ginger just takes over!  But this blend has been masterfully crafted to provide just enough ginger to give it a gentle nudge of ginger but not enough for the full-on kick in the mouth that ginger is sometimes known to give.

I love the way the flavors come together here.  The green tea has a soft, silky mouthfeel and a taste that is slightly buttery, sweet, and with a lovely vegetative note.  The buttery tones are accentuated by the presence of lemongrass, which gives the cup a lovely citrus-y note that is especially noticeable in the aftertaste (I’m getting a slight citrus-y tartness in the aftertaste).

The vanilla gives the cup a creaminess but this certainly doesn’t taste overly “vanilla-y” … I notice just a little bit of vanilla’s sweetness and the creamy taste and texture of it, but not a profound vanilla note.  And as I eluded to earlier, the ginger is just enough for a slight peppery note on the tongue …

I really enjoyed this.  I like the way the flavors are all balanced together … I taste each of the components without any one of them overpowering the others.  A surprisingly good cuppa!