Arbor Teas

My sister got a lot of this for me for my birthday in February hoping that it would end my search for the perfect blackberry tea. The tea is good, but the rooibos definitely overpowers the blackberry. I didn’t like this tea at first, but it has grown on me. It tastes much better sweetened with honey and I have to be careful not to steep it for too long or else it just tastes too muddy. If steeped for just a couple of minutes, it tastes rich and smooth with just a light, fruity undertone. I’ll often drink it with breakfast or a meal, but not on its own as the main attraction.

This tea appears to be a very high quality Gyokuro. Color is deep green, leaves are mostly full, flattened needles, there is some breakage, but that is no doubt due to the extremely fragile almost crystalline nature of the gyokuro needles, and not an actual knock on the quality of the tea itself. The color of the brew is spot on classic gyokuro, just a beautiful light green, almost highlighter green, its quite amazing.

Flavors on this are as follows:

Uni (sea urchin)
Rocky seaweed
Edamame/Snow peas
Sweet
Grain

Thick mouth feel with lingering subtle sweetness.

I found this tea to be quite enjoyable. It does tend to have a shellfish (or as many other describe, seaweed) flavor profile that is very prevalent in the first brew, but mellows out later. Personally I like it quite a bit and tend to handle these types of flavors like a boss, but I could see how it might not suite some folks. The likening to the taste of uni is quite remarkable, owing no doubt to the high theanine content – a mark of a high quality and properly grown gyokuro. There is almost no astringency at all, especially brewed at low temperatures.

Brew this one low low temperature, close to body temperature for 90-120 seconds and you will be amazed at how well it turns out. Good for about 3 steeps before it starts to lose the the magic.

Unfortunately, they went and changed the cinnamon formula and added cloves. NO one as far as I can find just does a straight black cinnamon tea…everyone always has to do the same boring and horrible tasting (in my opinion) mix of cloves, cardamon, ginger etc. Hopefully they will change this formula back or at least offer two kinds.

I’m trying to drink this one more often to finish the bag. I went and got 2oz of it originally, when I thought it would be one of my faves. It really isn’t bad, but i’ve been too spoiled with options since I bought this one and it’s hard not to be picky.

I didn’t think much of it before, but this dragonwell has a lot of twigs in the mix, maybe that is what is taking from its potentially more vegetal flavor? It’s very mildly smoky, I think.

Brew notes:
3.5g/12oz water 1.5min@170deg

I tried different brewing parameters this time. Trying to get it just right! I used 3 grams for 16oz of water and steeped for 1.5min at 175. It was a pretty decent cup. I haven’t been careful about introducing the water slowly at the edge before pouring directly on the leaves. I wonder how much difference that even makes. I’ll have to try it next time.

After sampling so many different types of tea and then returning to this, one of my originals, I find that it is not as good as I remember. It has a hint of that dirty/muddy flat taste that I associated with my Sencha for a while (until I figured out how to brew it correctly!). But I prepared this the same as I always have, so I dunno why it seems different now.

Much different that Japan’s staple green tea. Dragonwell is a lot less grassy. It is somewhat nutty and reminds me vaguely of the tea I remember having in Chinese restaurants (though I’ve heard that they usually serve oolongs or jasmine, none that I went to ever served a tea that tasted like oolong or even the least bit floral).

This tea makes me happy. If I ever can’t get this tea anymore, I would be very very sad. It’s one of my comfort teas. I can’t explain exactly why, it just is. I love the way it looks, with the little twigs mixed in and it tastes so yummy. That is all. Now Im going to go enjoy my tea in a comfortable location. Bye now :)

Backlog:
I don’t know what it is, but ever since summer break started for me, I feel like there is less time in the day than before, and I don’t even have homework to do! I can rarely brew tea and actually sit down with it. I am up and down doing house chores or tending the dogs and cats or running errands. I think chores are inventing themselves now that I have time for them.

I brewed a cup of this yummy kukicha, determined to force a proper break on myself. My husband watched Top Gear during his lunch break and I left the television on after he left and I went to the grocery store. When I came back, I brewed this tea and sat down on the couch, planning to change the channel at first. But I was curious about what was already on. It was Dr. Who!

I commented somewhere recently (somewhere on Shmiracles log I think) that I am not a Dr. Who fan as it seems so many steepsterites are. There was some strange show on the TV a few years ago and after watching it for 5 or 10 minutes, I asked my husband what it was and he said that it was Dr. Who. He also said that he wasn’t a big fan of the series (I think he refers to the older/original shows that his mother liked to watch). I don’t know exactly what episode was playing, but I think it might have been part of the 1996 movie. Whatever it was seemed creepy weird in an x-files sort of way (and I am not a fan of that type of sci fi). Since my husband didn’t have a a gloating recommendation for it, I never considered watching any more and wrote it off as an “other people” show.

Thanks to leaving the TV on after my husbands guy-tv lunch break, I discovered that I might actually enjoy Dr. Who. I added the 2005+ series to my Netflix cue and had time to watch half of the first episode before my break had to be cut short for more chores. Stupid chores! and stupid OCD that wont let me leave them be!

But lovely tea. I will always remember Kukicha now as my Dr. Who tea (^^) and now I wonder if I should watch some of the older shows too…

Backlog:

Had this tea yesterday. Not much to say, it’s still a favorite. I did brew it cooler this time, though. 165deg seemed to give it a richer flavor than 175deg.

One of my 3 most favorite teas. It’s not grassy like Sencha or gyokuru and not too fruity or citrusy like some other green teas. It has a buttery mild vegetal flavor that blends well with a variety of tea snacks or even a meal. A lot of teas I prefer to drink solo because other foods distract from the flavor. Not so with the Kukicha.

Steep Information:
Amount: 2 tsp
Water: 500ml at 195°F
Tool: Breville One-Touch Tea Maker BTM800XL
Steep Time: a little over 2 minutes
Served: Hot
Tasting Notes:
Dry Leaf Smell: vegetal
Steeped Tea Smell: lightly vegetal, sweet
Flavor: vegetal
Body: Light
Aftertaste: sweet
Liquor: translucent green-yellow
smooth but not silky. Good, but not exceptional.

Resteep:
500ml at 195°F for 3 minutes

still smooth and delicious

Rating: 3/4 leaves

Blog: http://amazonv.blogspot.com/2013/03/arbor-teas-company-loose-leaf-oolong.html

Steep Information:
Amount: 2 tsp
Water: 500ml at 212°F
Tool: Breville One-Touch Tea Maker BTM800XL
Steep Time: 1 minute
Served: Hot
Tasting Notes:
Dry Leaf Smell: earthy
Steeped Tea Smell: fall leaves, dirt
Flavor: earthy yet smooth
Body: Medium
Aftertaste: sweet
Liquor: translucent dark red-brown
Resteep:
500ml at 212°F for 1 minute 30 seconds
Exactly the same as the first steep

Resteep:
500ml at 212°F for 2 minutes
Exactly the same as the first steep

This tea could have kept going, but the work day was over

Rating: 3/4 leaves

Blog: http://amazonv.blogspot.com/2013/03/arbor-teas-loose-leaf-pu-erh-tea.html

After Steepster’s twitter posted a story about the sweetened spearmint tea that is a staple of meetings all over Morocco I just had to get my hands on a good Moroccan mint tea to try out.

I knew what I really wanted to do was make some iced sweet-tea with this, but the night I got home to this delivery I just couldn’t wait that long for the tea to cool and made myself a warm unsweetened cup to start. As soon as I opened the bag I knew I was in for a treat – the sweet smell of spearmint filled the air. The tea even looks beautiful with those perfect balls of gunpowder green tea swimming in a sea of dried spearmint.

I don’t actually like the smell of steeping spearmint all that much, but the balance of the spearmint and green tea brewing in this cup are very pleasant. The gunpowder green brings the spearmint smell back down to earth. The taste is much the same. The spearmint is the real star of this tea — it stands at the forefront of the flavor and draws you in. However, it’s impeccably balanced with the green. There’s just enough green tea to sit at the end of every sip and delicately mellow that spearmint flavor. What a calming warm brew.

But now for what I really came for — Moroccan Mint sweet tea. This does not disappoint. With some time to cool and a dash of sugar this calming warm brew turns into an incredibly refreshing sweet tea. It’s still a cold, rainy 45 degrees here in Seattle, but I can’t help but reach for a cold glass of this tea. By my third pitcher I decided to make it double-strong so I’d only have to brew half as often. I’m so glad I ordered the 10oz bag, because when those warm days come I will be flying through this tea so fast.

I’ve cupped this atleast 6 more times since my first tasting note on it and I’ve noticed a few things about it. The main thing of note is that to my tongue it is best drank at warm or lesser temperatures. I made the mistake of drinking it when it was still quite hot and the taste was really flat. None of the sweetness and smooth finish I noticed in my original tasting, just smokey and astringent. I swore I had brewed it wrong, but I tasted it again when it had cooled and the taste was what I remembered. I now never drink it before I’ve let it cool 15 minutes.

The second thing is that this tea stands up great to multiple steepings. I’ve only done a second so far, but the tea was just as bold (and I had brewed it for the same 4 minutes I normally do) so I’m sure it could at least stand up to three infusions.

I tried this tea with a hesitant curiosity, as I’ve not ever been a huge fan of the Assam teas I’ve tried, which this claims to be competing with. Much to my surprise this tea is a delight and has instantly become a favorite of mine.

As soon as I opened the tin I fell in love with the smell. I completely agree with a reviewer on their website who mentioned it smelling like mint chip ice cream. It starts out with a fresh leaf smell, but as you continue inhaling it turns into a chocolate mint aroma. The wet leaves however lose most of this sweet scent and mostly just smell like a fresh pile of autumn leaves.

The taste is delightfully complex, and progresses for me much like the dry smell. When it hits my tongue it’s smokey, earthy, malty. Very similar to what I’ve come to expect from Assam teas. But as it lingers on my tongue the second wave hits me, a sudden sweetness, reminiscent of sugar cane and molasses. The finish is even sweeter, with subtle notes of vanilla and butterscotch.

This is a great black tea in my eyes. Brisk and bold enough to be a great morning cup, but smooth and refreshing enough to serve you well throughout the day (and even iced on a warm summer afternoon!)

been drinking this Irish breakfast, aside from a Twinings bag I’ve tried, it still tastes fantastic. It tastes more earthy now, bold, the aroma is rooty almost like a dried mushroom. It never crossed my mind to blend it with some assam like the chap Scott B. But I might give it a try although it might doesn’t need it & there’s so many teas to try, so little time.

Malty, a bit of woody & earthy. Really nice with or without milk & honey. Good morning tea.

Here for another tasting note. Made this tea with milk this time, making a version of a “tea Frappé”. This tastes okay. I’m not too keen on the milk, maybe I put too much…not sure because I’ve never put milk in my tea. It still tastes okay because the peppermint really comes through the milk flavor, but the milk is still a little strong for me. Maybe next time I’ll put less milk in (if I ever make this again). The tea by itself is still amazing! My boyfriend and I shared an entire teapot of this stuff last night, with just a little honey for sweetness. This is one of the few teas I can stand to drink unsweetened. Iced is really good as well. :D

This tea is great! I read a couple of reviews on this tea before I purchased it, and knew I would love it since I love minty teas. A lot of other reviews I read talked about adding a black vanilla tea to make it taste like candy canes. I could see that as a great combination for this tea. It is so nice and minty without being too minty. Exactly what I thought it would taste like. I mixed mine with a tbls of rock sugar and just doing that gave it the “candy cane taste” in my opinion. I will be restocking on this tea for sure! I can safely say it is my favorite tea at this point!!! If you love mint teas you will love this tea!!!

The first time I steeped this tea I made the mistake of treating it like a green tea. It is not. It is infact a pu-erh and must be steeped at boiling to really open it’s flavor profile. First lightly sweet wheat flavor giving way to sweet and green apples and finishing off with an ever so light earthy musty note. This tea is fairly simple and yet carries an experience of sophistication that I haven’t ever noted while tasting another tea. What does sophistication taste like you might ask? Order the sample and tell me if I’m wrong. This simple little tuo cha is delicious and a treat in every sip. Steep multiple times to ride the entire flavor train, but it looses me after the fourth.

This might be the most mild flavored black tea I’ve had. No overwhelming notes of anything. No real hints that stand out. This tea is very delicate with a touch of astringency and medium mount feel. All in all it’s a decent black tea that lends its self well to blending. I’m not much of a flavored tea guy, but I appreciate the medicinal benifiets of plants and have grown fond of the flavor of a few. One that comes to mind is the ginseng vitality offer from Teavana, over priced high pressure money machine that it is actually has a decen ginseng blend and it goes great with this unremarkable tea for your first thing in the morning pick me up. Not bad

Backlog:

I started my day with this, but because it is Monday and my Mondays are weird, I found myself on the go before I could sit down and write about it.

A very pleasant vanilla black tea. After reading my SororiTea Sister’s (TeaEqualsBliss) tasting note on this tea, I find that we are on different sides of the spectrum with this tea. Interestingly enough, though, we rated the tea the same. We both like it, but I think we both were experiencing different things with this tea.

I find this to be really less sweet than some vanilla teas I’ve had. In fact, I think that this would be a really good vanilla tea for someone who might typically find vanilla teas to be on the cloying side, because while this is rich and creamy but it isn’t overly so. It is sweet, but not quite as sweet as some other vanilla teas might be. In fact, the tea is more of the focus here, with the vanilla playing the accent flavor role as it should be. A really good vanilla, but not the vanilla for someone who wants the vanilla flavor to be in their face. This is not as sweet as most vanilla teas out there.

As for me, I like it a lot!

Ok I know I’ve logged this before. How is it that I can’t find my review? Sad, I was hoping to refresh my thoughts, build on my previous notes. Hmph.
Anyhow, this is a great tea, thanks so much to Amy Oh for the sample!!
It’s like drinking cinnamon hearts. Very tasty.
In my mind, I feel as if I should be drawing comparisons between this and the DT version. Here goes! :)
This one is smoother, and truer to the candy heart, with a Ceylon astringency to follow. There is also a pleasing cinnamon/refreshing aftertaste. The DT version, as far as I can remember, is a bit rougher, earthier, and has more depth.
If I had to choose between the two, I suspect the Arbor version would win though I’d have to do a side by side comparison to be sure. Then again, the DT version has Pu-erh in it, which makes it healthier, technically. Wait a sec, I just double checked the website and it now has artificial flavouring!? Uncool!! now, does this mean it always had fake chemicals in it, and they’ve now updated the ingredients, or has the formula been revamped? Bah. I think I have some of this lying around somewhere, but it’s really old.
Either way, with my milk and sugar, in true dessert tea form, I am really enjoying this cuppa. Thanks again Amy!!