Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Cameron Tea
Tea Description:
Sun Moon Lake is located at altitude of 700m, surrounded with mountains and lakes with remarkable environment and typical climate. Heavy moist and stable yearly average temperature make the tea trees grow thick and rich tea leaves which produce carmine and perfectly clear liquor.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I previously reviewed Cameron Tea’s Competition Grade of the Sun Moon Lake Assam Black Tea from Taiwan, so I was eager to also try this Premium Grade of the Sun Moon Lake Assam. I also found myself curious to know what the difference was between the Premium Grade and the Competition Grade teas. Here’s how Cameron Tea explains it in their FAQ section:
The competition grade means the tea leaves are being specially prepared (normally by selecting with extra fine leaves) to the highest standard for regional tea competitions. The competition grade only means that the tea has the same process treatments as the competition ones, it does not necessary mean that the tea has entered/won the regional competitions. The premium grade also uses carefully selected leaves, therefore sometimes the difference between “competition” and “premium” are very minor.
So I don’t know if I’ll be able to notice much difference between the two teas. But, as the Competition Grade of this Sun Moon Lake Assam Black was a really outstanding tea, I’m really looking forward to trying the Premium Grade!
The leaves look very much like I remember the Competition Grade looked: each is long and curly and each is a dark, rich chocolate-y color. They smell sweet and fruity. The brewed tea has less of a fruit smell and more of a sweet molasses-y scent.
And it tastes very similar to what I remember from the Competition Grade: Sweet, lighter in body than a typical Assam but still rich and flavorful. There is a lovely note of malt that marries beautifully with a caramel note. The result is a rich, satisfying taste and texture. I also find myself appreciating that this has neither the astringency of a typical Assam – the astringency is soft here – nor does this have the slight twinge of bitterness that an Assam often carries.
Notes of molasses, honey and cacao! I taste an earthy quality to this: notes of leather and a slight woodsy note. It’s smooth and it has a thick texture – very satisfying! – and while it would make an enjoyable morning cuppa … this may be the tea that you want to save for those mornings where you don’t have to rush off. This isn’t a get up and get going type of tea. This is the type of tea that you want to sit back and enjoy for a while.
I loved the Competition Grade of this tea, and I’m loving the Premium Grade too! This is a tea that … is just worthy of LOTS of love! It’s a really great tea.
Premium Tai Ping Hou Kui Green Tea from Teavivre
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: Teavivre
Tea Description:
TaiPing HouKui green tea has uniquely long, flat leaves that make an amazing sight when brewed in a clear glass – which we strongly recommend! The tea is made from one bud with two leaves that come from a large leaf variety of the tea plant found only in Anhui province. During processing the leaves are pressed flat in an oven, giving the tea its unique shape.
TeaVivre’s TaiPing KouKui has a fresh, orchid like fragrance with a classic sweet green tea taste. When brewed it has a bright green color, that combine with the size of the leaves to make a tea that is great to admire in a tall clear glass. This tea is not bitter in the least, and retains its sweet taste even after many infusions.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Another sample I was more than happy to review! Tai Ping is one of my coveted, favorite green teas, probably my favorite of the Chinese green teas. So when Teavivre sent me this Premium Tai Ping Hou Kui Green Tea to review … YES!
It has been a little while since I had my last cup of Tai Ping, so I had to think a moment about how I was going to brew it. While I brew most of my green teas in my Breville One-Touch, I really love to watch the long, beautiful leaves of a Tai Ping tea steep. I could put them in my gaiwan and leave the lid off of it, but then I wouldn’t get to enjoy the leaves as they begin to stand straight up.
Does it make me a tea nerd that I like to watch this tea brew? And I kind of emit an excited squeal when the leaves begin to stand up and gently sway in the water?
So I decided to get out my glass teacup. The same one I brew flowering teas in so that I can watch that cool tea show. I let the tea brew for 1 minute and 45 seconds in 180°F water. Then I strained and took my first sip.
The aroma is so gentle and sweet. It reminds me of early mornings at the beginning of spring, when the new signs of life are starting to show themselves. On the nights after a spring rain, the morning you step out onto the doorstep and the aroma of the air, fresh and flowery and ‘green’ – I love that smell, and that’s what I smell as I lift this cup to my nose to inhale the fragrance.
The flavor is sublime! The above description suggests a “classic green tea flavor” and I suppose I get that, but, since that doesn’t really tell you just what I’m experiencing, I think I’ll go into a bit more detail.
The sip begins softly. A gentle sweetness washes over the palate. Notes of orchid and hints of sweet grass mingle with a buttery note. The butter is a sweet, creamy butter taste, and there is a slight creaminess to the texture that accentuates the butter notes. The finish is slightly dry but only slightly. This isn’t what I’d refer to as an astringent tea, so if you tend to steer clear of those, you’re safe with this one (and you really SHOULD try it!) The texture is soft … almost fluffy. Almost vanilla-esque. Quite nice! The aftertaste is sweet and I taste that sweetness for quite a while after the sip.
For a truly MEMORABLE cup of tea, I’m of the opinion that you really can’t go wrong with a Tai Ping. And as Teavivre has proven to me time and time again that they are one of the very top sources for Chinese teas, this would be the place to get yourself some Tai Ping. And it didn’t escape my notice that this tea is currently 20% off either! Time to stock up on this freshly harvested tea (it was harvested in April!)
Taiwan Beipu Oriental Beauty Black Tea (Premium Grade) from Cameron Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Cameron Tea
Tea Description:
*This black tea is a fully oxidised version of traditional Oriental Beauty.
Region: Beipu, Taiwan
Type: Black Tea
Harvest Time: Winter 2013
Oxidation level: Fully oxidised
Taste: Refreshing floral aroma with fruity and honey taste.
When to drink: Throughout the day
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Wow! This Beipu Oriental Beauty Black Tea is absolutely DELIGHTFUL. I’ve had quite a few Oriental Beauty Oolong teas, but only maybe a handful of Oriental Beauty Black teas, and of those that I can remember … they really impressed me with their amazing flavor. This one is also quite impressive.
The dry leaf aroma is somewhat earthy, reminding me of damp, mossy earth (there’s a lot of that up here in the Pacific Northwest) with notes of flower in the distance. Once the tea is brewed, more of those floral notes emerge, and the earthy notes have subsided somewhat. It smells rich and inviting.
It has the soft, buttery texture of an Oolong tea, but with the well-rounded, full flavor of a black tea. The softer texture means that this is not as hearty a tea as many black teas out there. This isn’t a tea I’d turn to as that first tea in the morning. I’d choose this for a late morning or early afternoon tea.
The flavor is sweet. It has a distinct honey note and it’s the first flavor that I can really distinguish in the sip. The honey notes are intense and almost have a molasses-y undertone. Then I start to pick up on the fruit notes. It tastes of stone fruit, evoking thoughts of freshly-picked, tree-ripened peaches and apricots, bursting with flavor and still warm from the sun.
There are some faint (very faint!) floral tones to this, and I find that they’re most noticeable when I slurp the sip. Mostly I taste the sweet honey, hints of molasses and the juicy peach and apricot flavors. Such incredible flavor to this tea!
Taiwan Sun Moon Lake Ruby Black Tea (Premium Grade) from Cameron Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Cameron Tea
Tea Description:
Region: Sun Moon Lake, Taiwan
Type: Black Tea
Harvest Time: Winter 2013
Oxidation level: Fully oxidised
Taste: Natural flavour of cinnamon with a slight hint of mint.
When to drink: Throughout the day
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Another gorgeous black tea leaf from Cameron Teas! When I opened the package of this Sun Moon Lake Ruby Tea, what I found were leaves that looked exactly like the photo above – beautiful, chocolate brown to black tea leaves, long with wiry curls.
The aroma of the leaves reminds me of leather with very subtle spice notes. Once the leaves are brewed, the spice notes emerge. The tea smells of warm spice and leather and wood. It’s a very masculine fragrance.
The last tea that I sampled from Cameron Teas was a Sun Moon Lake Assam tea, so as I was brewing this tea, I found myself wondering how different this would taste from that Assam.
There are some similarities to that memorable tea: most specifically, notes of caramel, cocoa and malt with some earthy notes. Both of these teas share these characteristics, but they definitely DO taste different. I think that the Assam has more malt to the cup and more of that caramel-y undertone, while this tea has some distinct warm spice notes of cinnamon – just as the description above suggests – as well as a subtle yet crisp, mint-like finish and aftertaste.
This tea has less of the fruity notes and more of a rich cacao and spice flavor than the Assam. They are distinct differences between the two, and I would find it a difficult undertaking to recommend one over the other because I enjoyed both and rather than recommend one over the other, I’d simply say that you should also try both and determine which you like best!
Both teas are rich and satisfying, but if I were to choose one for that all important first cup of the day, I think I’d reach for this one. The Assam, while delicious and rich in it’s own way, it has more of an “afternoon tea” type of flavor to me with it’s fruit notes, while this one has the kind of flavor that I think would stand up nicely to a splash of milk and a drizzle of honey if you care to add it to your morning cuppa.
This tea seems more robust to me, which almost seems odd for me to say and to read as I type it … because I generally consider Assam to be a bold, robust sort of tea. But when it comes to these Sun Moon Lake varieties, I think that this Ruby has a slightly “heftier” flavor and texture than the Assam. That isn’t to say that I’d recommend this one over the Assam … only that this one offered more of a “breakfast tea” experience to me while the Assam offered me an “afternoon tea” experience.
This is a really excellent Sun Moon Lake tea. I’m very impressed with these teas that I’ve been trying from Cameron Tea!
Earl Grey Premium Black Tea from Ocean of Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Ocean of Tea
Tea Description:
Perhaps the most famous blend of black tea in the western world, Earl Grey Tea remains a cherished favorite. This is our favorite of the Earl Greys. Made from the finest black tea blended with just the right amount of oil of bergamot, this show-stopper will renew your love of Earl Grey and have you craving a second cup.
Wonderfully smooth, slightly tangy and extremely well balanced. The aroma is amazing and you will love the smell of a freshly opened bag!
This team is passionately named after Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey and Prime Minister of Great Britain. Legend says that the recipe for this tea is said to have been given to Grey by a grateful Chinese man whose son had just been rescued by one of the Earl’s men.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Earl Grey! Yay!
And this Earl Grey Premium from Ocean of Tea is one mighty fine Earl Grey! First, I must address the aroma, right? Because that’s always the first excitement that I get when I open a package of Earl Grey is that delightful fragrance of bergamot!
Well, actually, the first real excitement I get is seeing the words “Earl Grey” on a package. I love Earl Grey and the prospect of sipping on a cup of this tea often elicits a squeal of joy from me!
The scent of bergamot is strong and pleasant, and the brewed tea doesn’t lose the potency. That distinctive bergamot fragrance remains strong! This can be a good … or a bad thing … depending upon the quality of the bergamot used to flavor the tea. Sometimes too much bergamot proves to be a curse and ends up leaving the tea tasting more like a cup of warm perfume rather than a cup of delicious tea. Fortunately, that’s not the case here. The bergamot IS strong but it is a high-quality bergamot. What I taste is not perfume-ish or soapy, I taste the bright, uplifting flavor of the tangy-sweet Italian citrus fruit.
This is a remarkably smooth and well-rounded tea. The black tea base is a flavorful, satisfying tea. It’s full-flavored and robust, and it is the perfect base for the bergamot. The base stands strong alongside the powerful flavor of bergamot, which is tangy and a little sweet. This bergamot is juicy, tasting very much like the Italian orange, and there is not quite so much of the floral aspect of the bergamot here. Hints of flower peek though here and there but it is a very subtle note. This bergamot is all about the fruit!
Not too long ago, one of my favorite Earl Grey teas had been discontinued by the company selling it, and this Earl Grey Premium from Ocean of Tea might just be the right tea to replace it. This is one of the very best Earl Grey teas I’ve yet to taste. It belongs in my top five … and probably my top three! Yes, it’s that good!