Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Yunomi.us
Tea Description:
The Morita family’s quality sencha is a result of 10 generations of tea farming. This Sayama region green tea is can be steeped to be very astringent with a touch of umami (savoriness) using hot water, or with a great balance between astringency (shibumi) and umami savoriness using warm water.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Yes! Green tea season is here! It is in this blogger’s personal preference to drink tea by the seasons. I often find myself craving one specific type of tea throughout a single time frame. And it makes perfect since too, I like higher oxidized teas that require hotter water in the winter, and lower or non-oxidized teas in the spring and summer for their fresh vegetal notes and their lower brewing temperature. With the weather turning warmer I have not even thought about boiling my water for a shou or a black tea, and have turned instead to Japanese greens, Taiwanese jade oolongs and sheng. The Morita family’s Sayama Sencha from Yunomi fits the bill quite nicely.
I love the smell of sencha tea every time I open a package and dive in. It just smells so buttery and fresh… like hot off the bamboo steamer steamed edamame, salty and so hot that it burns my tongue. Except that I use cooler water than I would for steaming the legume… but, I digress.
This tea lays all it’s cards on the table when I pour out the steeped leaves into my yunomi tea cup. The smell is fresh and intense. It’s so vegetal and marine-like, I can almost picture myself sitting on the beach while downing each sip.
Morita Tea Garden’s is a great Japanese green that hits all the right notes. I have yet to be disappointed by any of the farmers’ teas and offerings at Yunomi, and really, anything you choose will surely be a hit. I’d drink this all day everyday if I could! But then all of my other teas would get lonely.
Shan Black Tea from Shan Valley
Tea Type:
Black Tea
Where To Buy:
Shan Valley
Product Description:
This is a first flush black tea, and is processed as is local tradition in Myanmar, the tea leaves are a little more uneven and have a balanced flavor. This tea is similar to the Kyaukme Black Tea. We get our green tea directly from local tea growers in Myanmar (Burma), which include family and farmers, we do not import anything from other companies!
Tasters Review:
Shan Black Tea from Shan Valley quickly became one of those go-to teas to kick start my mornings! After my initial first taste it was easy for me to do follow-up cups without having to put too much thought into it. Therefore, I think it was a good ole stand-by. Don’t get me wrong – I’m not saying this to ‘cheapen’ this tea. It’s a very good solid black tea. It’s straight-forward and transparent in a sense that it has nothing to hide. I like that.
To try and give you a ‘visual’ of my experience…after steeping or infusing the tea for about 3 minutes the post-infusion color in the cup was a VERY dark brown nearing black. The aroma was a medium- strength black tea with no flavorings or hints at other natural scents. It wasn’t flowery, it wasn’t really malty per say, and it wasn’t what I consider cakey or bready. All I DO know is that I really enjoyed the cuppa. If anything it was more woodsy, I suppose. But not overly-so. It was pretty smooth. And it was even thirst-quenching for a bold black tea base…yet another thing I appreciated about this tea. Give it a try!
Makaibari First Flush Vintage – Single Estate Black Tea from Tea People
Tea Type:
Black Tea
Where to Buy:
Tea People
Product Description:
I was unable to locate this specific tea on their website so instead of adding the product description here I thought I would write a little bit about the company and their Single Estate offerings.
Tea People was founded by Neeraj and Vishaka, a husband wife duo along with their Scottish friend Gillian. Neeraj and Vishaka hail from the beautiful tea growing region of Darjeeling in India and have been living in the UK since 2005. In 2009 they came across a school in their hometown of Darjeeling that was in urgent need of some repairs and assistance. The school, known as MSK School, Sonadaserved the children of tea garden workers and other impoverished villagers in the area.
As the duo attributed their own success to the education they had received and firmly believed in the role of education in providing equal opportunities and in alleviating poverty, they decided to help. They teamed up with Gillian who at that time was running her own charity. The three of them together raised the required funds and provided the much needed assistance.
As for their Single Estate Teas…”Single estate” refers to any tea that comes from only one tea estate or garden, as opposed to being a blend from various estates. Single Estate Tea is unblended. These teas tend to have unique characteristics particular to that estate for that season. Like fine wines, they will vary somewhat from year to year. Single estate tea can be identified by the name of the estate, such as “Makaibari” or “Bannockburn,” that will appear in the name of the tea. People who have tried our single estate teas describe it as a revealing taste experience – similar to savouring a top of the range chateau bottled wine.
Tasters Review:
This is a no-nonsense type black tea. Considered one of their finest Darjeeling offerings I would tend to agree. It’s also one of their Single Estate Black Teas which was explained above. This Makaibari First Flush Vintage tea I was honored to try while it was still available.
The flavor of this specific tea was slightly woodsy, a bit florally-fresh, and even a little sweet. I didn’t notice as much in the 1st infusion – but follow-up infusions seem to have a nod of jasmine flavor in the end sip on to the after-taste. This is a pleasant tea that would be great to have on hand anytime you are in the mood for a straight-up Darjeeling Black tea or sharing with friends.
Arya Ruby (Organic) First Flush 2014 from Happy Earth Tea
Tea Type:
Black Tea
Where To Buy:
Happy Earth Tea
Product Description:
This Arya Ruby is finely crafted with its signature fragrance deep and rich in complexity that will cheer a Darjeeling enthusiast.
DRY TEA: Well rolled and wiry, green and gray leaf with a strikingly sweet fragrance. Abundant silver tips, and overall a bit more oxidized than most Darjeeling first flushes. Clean leaf with a bloom.
INFUSION: A uniform infusion of olive color with a nose of exquisite sweetness found recalling tropical flowers. Also ripe peach notes present. A touch of camphor.
CUP: A clear light gold with sweet floral and fruity (strawberry and peach) aromas. The flavors turn more floral and delicate on the mouth. Smooth and well balanced with very little astringency. The sweet refreshing aftertaste lingers.
Tasters Review:
It’s been a while since I have visited the website of Happy Earth Tea and they have made some changes that stuck out right away. One thing I really LOVED is the addition of multiple photos for each tea including the dry leaf photo as well as what the leaves look like when they are wet – post infusion – and of course – the infused tea liquid in the cup! Very nice!
Not every Darjeeling tea tastes the same. There are so many different characteristics and it took me a while to realize that. When I first started drink Darjeeling Teas I thought they were all similar but I think it was because I wasn’t drinking the highest quality of Darjeelings because now I really enjoy them. I enjoy picking out how they are different. Sure – some I like more than others – but – I will say that this Arya Ruby First Flush from Happy Earth Tea is right up there among my favorites.
It infuses to a paler light brown. It’s sweet and almost has tropical flower/fruit aroma and first sip to it which I find fascinating! It’s smooth and ends on a sweet note – thankfully – because with other Darjeelings I have tried some can leave a somewhat strange aftertaste – NOT THIS ONE! My nose could pick up on the aroma of a hint of peach but also a bit of ‘crust’ or bake-like aroma.
I found this tea to be delicious! If you are a Darjeeling Tea Fan or if you are looking for something different but with layers of aromas and flavors on the tongue…give this one a whirl!
Darjeeling Blend from Harney & Sons
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Harney & Sons
Tea Description:
High in the mountains, deep in the mists that surround the Himalayas is Darjeeling: “Queen of Teas”. Our Darjeeling tea is a blend of First Flush and Autumnal teas from the best gardens. This mixture yields a light color in the cup – a fragrant “nose”. A great value.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I received a sample sachet of this Darjeeling Blend from Harney & Sons with my most recent order from them – I was very happy to receive not just one but two samples with my order – especially since the last time I placed an order with them, I didn’t get any samples! I’m glad to see that they’ve resumed their practice of including samples with every order.
And this is a really enjoyable blend of Darjeeling teas. According to the description (above) this is a combination of first flush and autumnal harvests. The aroma of the dry leaf was slightly woody with fruity overtures, notes of earth and hints of flower. All those notes translate in the brewed tea flavor.
The fruity tones are what I notice first, notes that are vaguely reminiscent of grapes and currants. Sweet and a little tangy. This is not quite as astringent as some Darjeeling teas that I’ve tasted, this has a much smoother, rounder finish. Once the sweetness of the fruit subsides on the palate, the notes of earth and wood peek through, and there is just a whisper of floral notes in the distance.
A pleasant, complex cup. While I generally prefer a second flush Darjeeling, I am enjoying this blend, it is certainly tasty, and is priced right! A nice, well-rounded cuppa.
