Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green (Matcha)
Where to Buy: DōMatcha
Tea Description:
Certified organic by JONA (Japan Organic and Natural Foods Association), this premium, organic ceremonial Matcha is the purest and most sustainable way to enjoy the ancient Matcha tradition. Our DoMatcha™ Ceremonial Organic Matcha is produced in Kagoshima, Japan.
Learn more about this Matcha here.
Taster’s Review:
One question I’m asked often by tea drinkers is: What is the best Matcha available? When I first started out as a tea reviewer, my answer to that question was always, immediately, unequivocally: DōMatcha.
Since that time, I have sampled MANY different Matcha teas, and I’ve enjoyed many of Matcha teas that I’ve tried. Like other products, I can say that I liked some more than others. And now, the aforementioned question regarding what Matcha is the best is a bit more difficult to answer because my experience has allowed me the unique opportunity to sample many amazing Matcha teas. But, DōMatcha remains right up there close to the top of the list. And this Organic Ceremonial Grade Matcha from DōMatcha is one of the best that you’ll ever taste.
It has a bright, fresh, and lively flavor to it. It tastes remarkably fresh. When prepared traditionally – scooped, sifted and then whisked with a chasen until completely incorporated – it becomes a frothy, bright green liquid that keeps its froth until you finish the bowl. (Not that finishing the bowl takes long with this stuff – it tastes so good that it’s difficult to stop sipping!)
I love that the powdered green tea stays sustained in the liquid until I take that last sip. I don’t get a gritty or chalky sort of texture from any sip. It stays smooth and sweet and delicious until I’ve finished the bowl.
It tastes sweet and vegetal. I experience a “bittersweet” sort of taste from it, similar to what I’d experience if I had bitten into a bar of high quality dark chocolate. It’s not “bitter” but there is contrast to the sweetness of the leaf. The palate feels enlivened as I sip it, and I can feel the liquid go to work and begin to invigorate me. This is the stuff!
I love that this is organic. I love that it’s a ceremonial grade Matcha so it works with a koicha preparation (thick soup) or usucha preparation (thin soup). I prefer somewhere in between, and I don’t usually do precise measurement when I prepare Matcha. I scoop some out, sift it, and then pour in hot water, whisking the mixture into a thick paste, and then add water until I’ve reached my desired consistency.
A really superb Matcha – this is one that I’d continue to recommend to those who are looking for a top-notch Matcha. It’s the good stuff!
Coconut Chai Black Tea Blend from Zhi Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Zhi Tea
Tea Description:
Our unique Coconut Chai begins with organic coconut pieces and our top-quality organic Assam Black whole leaf tea.
Accompanying this superb pairing is a medley cinnamon, ginger, and whole cardamom. Bursting with the essence of the tropics, this handcrafted blend will soothe, nourish, and uplift your spirits. Share a steaming mug with a good friend.
Learn more about this chai here.
Taster’s Review:
The aroma of the dry leaf is tempting with notes of sweet coconut and spicy cinnamon and ginger. I waited anxiously for this Coconut Chai Black Tea Blend from Zhi Tea to finish steeping … three minutes seems like forever when you can’t wait to taste the tea! (And then there’s the cooling time! Argh! The anticipation!!!)
But this chai is well worth the wait! YUM! It’s a delicious way to warm you up. The spices are sweet yet spicy, and mingle in a very enjoyable way with the sweet, creamy coconut notes. I like that the coconut adds just the right creaminess to the cup; no dairy is needed to enjoy a latte-like experience. However, if you want to enhance those creamy tones, a splash of milk will do that for you.
The black tea base is an Assam tea, and I can taste the richness it provides. It has a smooth texture and a malty flavor that melds well with the sweetness of the coconut. The tea is full-flavored and has a sweet, caramel-esque undertone, and it is moderately astringent. It is bold enough to stand up to the strength of the spices, and I like that I can enjoy the flavor of this Assam as well as the other ingredients of the blend.
This is not an overtly spicy chai. The cinnamon tastes sweet, the ginger adds a pepper-ish kick to the cup while the cardamom adds a touch of warmth to the cup. It isn’t what I’d call a hot or spicy chai, rather, I would call it warm and inviting. This is the kind of chai that I think most people could enjoy – even the ones who tend to shy away from chai because they’re a bit too much for them. I think that the coconut mellows out the spices just enough to make this a warm chai but not a spicy one.
Lemon Black Tea from TeaGschwendner
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: TeaGschwendner
Tea Description:
Pure Sicilian lemon oil powers this classic black tea.
Ingredients: Black tea from South India, lemon peel and natural lemon oil
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Lemon flavored teas are not typically my “go to” flavored tea, mostly because they seem … so ordinary. You know? I mean, lemon is the traditional garnish for a cup of tea. You go to a restaurant, and they’re likely to put a lemon slice on your glass of iced tea, or serve you a small bowl of lemon wedges with your hot tea. So, when a friend sent me a sampling of this Lemon Black Tea from TeaGschwendner, I accepted it happily and with appreciation, but, I wasn’t all that excited to try a lemon flavored black tea.
But this lemon tea is quite refreshing! The lemon flavoring here is more sweet than it is tart, reminding me more of a lemon curd than of the freshly squeezed juice from a lemon. It has a bright, zesty flavor that I’d get from that freshly squeezed lemon, but, it doesn’t have the pucker-y tartness of it. I like that.
The black tea is a smooth, even-tempered sort of tea, which leads me to suspect that this is probably a Ceylon base. It has a good flavor and it is a pleasant, medium-bodied black tea. Sort of mellow, and perhaps it is this mild attitude that I get from the tea that makes the lemon seem less intense.
It’s a very tasty lemon tea – this is one I’d recommend for iced tea brewing because it has that really smooth, well-rounded flavor that would work well for an iced tea. It’s also quite nice served hot.
Organic Singampatti Oothu Black Tea from Arbor Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Arbor Teas
Tea Description:
This very fine black tea hails from the Oothu estate in the Indian state of Kerala, just miles from the southern tip of the Indian peninsula. Isolated from the rest of the country by the Western Ghats, tea grows at the Oothu Estate amid lush green rainforest and stunning natural beauty. In fact, Oothu translates to “spring of water.” The Singampatti group of estates produce the largest amount of organic tea in the world. This organic, Fair Trade Certified black tea is full-bodied, smooth, and subtly sweet with light to medium astringency.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Organic Singampatti Oothu Black Tea from Arbor Teas – while the name is quite a twisted mouthful! – the tea itself is so smooth and rich and absolutely delightful to sip!
This is a very pleasantly smooth tea. It starts out with a sweet note that is reminiscent of a caramel note – a light caramel note. Throughout the sip, I notice hints of fruit and flower. There are very subtle spice tones to the tea as well as a touch of malt. It has a sort of “chewy” bake-y flavor that evokes thoughts of the chewy crust of a warm, freshly baked French Bread.
It is a warm, robust tea, but I like that it is not a bitter tea. No, I didn’t over-steep the tea, but, sometimes, with Indian teas there are very subtle notes of something there that suggest to me that if I had over-steeped the tea that I would have a bitter tasting brew. There is no inclination of that with this tea. Just smooth, sweet, delicious flavor.
There is some astringency that is slightly dry. I notice this dry sensation on my palate toward the finish, but it isn’t an overbearingly dry tea either. The dryness reminds me of a fine wine, with notes of black currant toward the finish, and a slight dryness on the palate as the sip concludes.
Overall, this is a very enjoyable tea! It is one that I’d like as that all-important first cup of the day (in fact, that is what it is today!) because it’s strong enough to provide a that little kick of gusto that I need to get going. But it is not an aggressive tea, and it would also make an agreeable afternoon pick-me-up kind of tea as well. Nice with milk and honey (or other sweetener) but, equally as nice without!
And I really can’t say enough good things about Arbor Teas as a company. They are definitely tops in my book. I love that all their teas are organic and fair trade – and that they are dedicated to providing the best quality organic and fair trade teas to their customers. I also LOVE that they are devoted to the environment, using biodegradable packaging and focusing their efforts toward a greener planet. These things are important to me, and I love that they are also important to Arbor Teas!
Bai Hao Silver Needle (Yin Zhen) from Life in Teacup
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Where to Buy: Life in Teacup
Tea Description:
Production Year – 2012
Production Season – Spring, first day havest
Production Region – Fujian, Fuding County
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I can always count on Life in Teacup to offer some of the very best teas … and this Bai Hao Silver Needle – also known as Yin Zhen – is a perfect example of what I mean by that. The dry leaves are so beautiful with the coloration ranging from pale green to silvery white, and each needle is soft and covered with fluffy fuzz. The aroma of the dry leaf is soft, with notes of flower and hay.
The flavor is delightful. On the Life in Teacup website, there is a short discussion on brewing this tea using boiling water … this is something I’ve not tried (or if I have, I don’t recall having tried it!) I’ve always used a lower temperature, but today I was feeling a little rebellious and while I wasn’t feeling quite so courageous to try boiling water, I did turn up the heat just a little, using water brought to 185° instead of the customary 160° that I usually would use for a silver needle. The flavor is stronger … but not too strong. But … it certainly is no longer the “delicate” flavor that I’d expect from a silver needle.
And while I have a great appreciation for the delicateness of a white tea, I like the slightly bolder flavor of this cup using a higher temperature. Maybe next time, I might even try boiling water on my white tea!
As it is, though, I’m finding this to be quite delightful. The flavor is sweet and vegetative … but not a green tea vegetative taste. It’s more like the flavor of sweet flowers and hay … similar to the fragrance I enjoyed from the dry leaf. There is an earthiness to this as well … and I find that the earthiness here is where I notice the biggest difference between the lower temperature and higher temperature brewing water. The earthiness really comes out with the hotter water.
There are subtle notes of fruit to this cup as well, and I notice that as I continue to sip, the fruit notes become more distinguished. Overall, the cup is sweet, refreshing and light … but with a fullness to it that I find really satisfying.
If you are one who generally finds white teas to be too soft or delicate in flavor, I recommend trying a slightly higher temperature … this really brings out the flavor, and I am not noticing any bitterness or scalded tea taste from the higher temperature.
A really enjoyable tea experience – thanks to Life in Teacup!