Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: The Tao of Tea
Product Description:
Made at a 100% organic tea garden with a mix of black and gold tipped leaves. The golden color emerges during processing and after accurate withering, moisture drying of the leaves. Few areas in Yunnan contain these type of plants. Other areas known to have golden tipped varietals Hunan and Fujian in China and Assam in India.
Taster’s Review:
This is an incredible Yunnan!
The aroma is delightful. This is one of those teas that you want to take a moment to inhale the fragrance of the tea before taking a sip, allowing the aroma to permeate the senses.
The flavor is rich and smooth. There is a delicious malty overtone. There is a beautiful sweetness as well as a savory note that hits just before the tail-end of the sip. The aftertaste is both sweet and savory.
This is a tea that I would recommend sipping on a Saturday morning (perhaps for brunch?) It has a strength that is good for morning (or possibly early afternoon), but it isn’t one of those “get-up-and-go” kind of teas, it’s one of those “sit-back-and-enjoy-life” kind of teas.
Another amazing tea from The Tao of Tea!
Vert du Vietnam from The Tao of Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: The Tao of Tea
Product Description:
For the purist, unscented green tea from the mountains of Thai Nguyen is considered the best choice for savoring the intricacies of Vietnamese tea. The soil and climate of this region are ideal for producing a flavorful, aromatic brew.
Vert du Vietnam green tea has been carefully crafted using a particular combination of pan-firing, rolling and oven roasting to maintain a rich, jade-green color and a distinctive, slender, beautifully twisted leaf.
A golden, buttery infusion with a pleasant, bitter-sweet aftertaste. Very fragrant with aromas of toasted grain, fennel and passionfruit.
You can find this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I could be wrong, but I cannot recall ever trying a tea from Vietnam. And I must say that I have really been missing out, because this tea is delightful.
It has an amazing contrast of flavors. I can taste a fruity sweetness as well as a toasted sweetness to this tea, which is contrasted by a savory bitterness that hits at mid-sip, as well as a sour note that arrives just shortly after the bitter taste. The fruity tones are in the foreground of the sip, while a sharp, licorice-like taste in the background. 
And the contrasts are not restricted to the flavor alone, but also to the texture and aroma. The tea has a silky smooth mouthfeel that then becomes somewhat dry from the astringency. The aroma possesses sweet fruit and nut notes with a contrasting brisk undertone of vegetation.
The more I sip on this tea, the more I like it. This one is a hidden gem in The Tao of Tea’s collection!
Organic Topaz Pu-er from The Tao of Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Pu-erh
Where to Buy: The Tao of Tea
Product Description:
Native Name: Shu Bing
Origin: Central Yunnan Province, China
Plucking Season: Fall
Introduction: A cooked style pu-er, made at one of the few certified organic tea gradens in central Yunnan. Can endure many steepings, and does not become astringent. We don’t expect it to gain any flavor change over time.
Taster’s Review:
As I’ve mentioned before (several times), Pu-erh is a little intimidating to me. My first few experiences with Pu-erh were not pleasant ones, and since that time, I’ve been very hesitant to try it again. It wasn’t until about a year and a half ago that I decided to try to expand my horizons and try to develop a taste for Pu-erh. It is, after all, an acquired taste (for some of us at least! I do understand that there are some people that love this stuff right off the bat! For the rest of us though, it takes a little time!)
The dry leaf does not possess much of an aroma, and this was encouraging me, because it is often that strong earthy essence that I find off-putting when it comes to Pu-erh. However, after steeping, I noticed the liquor developed an earthy scent. Fortunately, though, it was not nearly as strong as some Pu-erh teas that I’ve tried, so I remained optimistic. Given the fact that I’ve been very pleased with other teas I’ve tried from The Tao of Tea, I had good reason to remain optimistic!
This is remarkably smooth. It is a bold, full-flavored cup with a pleasant tone of sweetness. In the past, I have often compared the sweetness of cooked Pu-erh to caramel, and while this does possess some of those “caramel” tones to it, I would say that this is not quite as caramel-y as some of the teas I’ve tasted. It is more like molasses, but without that molasses-y bitterness.
The flavor is earthy, but a subdued earthiness with a woody undertone to it. This is a very pleasant Pu-erh. Not one I would consider a favorite but, one that I am happy I had the opportunity to try and one that I wouldn’t turn down if I were offered it again. The Tao of Tea does it again!
Jade Cloud from The Tao of Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green
Where To Buy: The Tao of Tea
Product Description:
Introduction: Jade Cloud, also known as Wulu, is grown at a high elevation of 1200 meters in the cloud and mist covered mountains of Zhejiang province. The cool mist is ideal for the tea plants to maintain a deep green color and develop a full rounded flavor. Made in early Spring, when the leaves are tender.
Flavor Profile: Sweet aroma similar to magnolia flowers and cucumber. Buttery, smooth, vegetal flavor.
Ingredients: 100% Organic Green Tea Leaves.
Taster’s Review:
This is an excellent green tea – perfect for those who adore green tea!
The fragrance is light and sweet with hints of vegetable and flower. The provided description (above) suggests a magnolia flower scent, and I would agree. It smells lovely as it beckons this taster to take a sip!
The flavor is crisp and vegetative. The vegetative quality falls somewhere between grassy and vegetable, like steamed spinach with a soft background note of freshly cut grass. There are also some hints of flower in the flavor – mere whispers of floral flavor – but they add such a lovely dimension of flavor to the cup. 
At the start, I did not detect much of a buttery essence to this tea. It certainly has the rich smoothness and mouthfeel of a buttery tea, but, not the creamy butter flavor. However, as I continue to sip, I notice that the buttery notes develop. It tastes indulgent and delicious. It evokes images of licking my fingers after a drop of melted butter slides off my morning toast … I know I shouldn’t, I know it isn’t good for me, but I also know it tastes too good to resist it! Fortunately, this buttery essence comes from 100% organic green tea … so I know it’s good for me!
Another amazing tea from the Tao of Tea!
Golden Tips Assam from Tao of Tea
Tea Type: Black Tea
Where To Buy: Tao of Tea
Product Description:
Native Name: Sunehri Assam Jaat
Origin: Upper Assam, Northeast IndiaPlucking Season: Mid Summer
Introduction: The Golden Tips Assam is made from a distinct Camellia Assamica plant varietal growing only at a handful of estates. The leaves are withered, bruised with a rolling machine, oxidized and then over roasted. In making the Golden tips, the oxidization is slightly longer than in the case of making darker Assams. The golden tips are precious for the tea gardens as they fetch a higher premium in the market.
Flavor Profile: Smooth textured, amber red liquor with apple and pear flavors. The high volume of essential oils in the Golden Tips Assam is evident immediately after the tea is served, as a thin layer of oil quickly coats the surface of the tea giving it a self-creaming appearance. These are beneficial oils that protect the body from carcinogens and give tea its anti-aging properties.
Tasters Review:
Golden Tips Assam is another GOODY from Tao of Tea! It’s slightly roasted and slightly chewy but not like you would expect. More importantly it’s very (and unexpectedly) creamy!
The description says hints of apple and peach flavor…at first I could relate to the peach hints but not really the apple…I thought it was more of a date type hint. Regardless I really enjoyed this cuppa and would suggest to anyone who loves black teas!
