The Tao of Tea

A nice oolong. Rather impossible to over brew, no astringency. Doesn’t over power you like a lot of oolongs… it is clean and light and has a hint of citrus balanced with roasted earthyness.

I’m so bummed about this one. The dry leaves have a sharp chemical smell, and the brewed tea just tastes off to me.

When brewed for 30 seconds, the aroma smells like bandaids. Then a little floral, like jasmine. Then minty bandaids. When I taste it after 30 seconds: bandaids

30 more: floral bandaids
3 min: bandaids and pine

I SO wanted to love this. The lotus is the most beautiful flower and I spend my summers at the nearby park whose lake grows American Lotus flowers for as far as the eye can see. They are a creamy yellow and contrast beautifully with the purple loosestrife growing in the lake.

But this tea… a bandaid-like flavor is well-known to home beer brewers, because it indicates that your brew is “off”. Some wild yeast or bacteria has infected it. I don’t know what it indicates in tea, except that there’s something wrong with the tea, or with my taste buds!

I tried this again with one long steep, and this is how every sip goes: chemically start, unidentified floral in the middle, with a bandaid finish.

This flavored tea has a nice aroma, but I’m missing the mango when I taste it.

The tea was brewed for 5 minutes. It really just tastes like a plain black tea. It’s not bad, but if I wanted a plain black tea, that’s what I would have purchased.

This is a lovely jasmine tea. I just brewed this side by side with jasmine pearls from another company, and these definitely win.

The aroma is strong and lovely. The tea was steeped for 3 minutes and the flavor is strong, without being overpowering. This would be a great choice for anyone who loves jasmine green teas.

I did notice that this particular tea has many more broken pieces than some of the other pearl teas I had tried. But it still tastes better!

I got this from Another TTB. It’s a decent Earl Grey with nothing to draw it back, but also nothing to make it stand out as special. It delivers the bergamot and smells decent.

I have read a lot of comments about gunpowder green tea today and it definately has a love it hate it reputation.
I happen to be of the love it persuasion.
Properly prepared this tea is sweet, a little fruity, a little flowery and slighly astringent. Very easy to drink. As the tea cools it exhibits a little more fresh grassiness and a lightly malty after taste. This would be quite good iced.
Many of the cooments I read today note a smokiness in gunpowder tea. I found little when prepared at 170° f but much more when prepared at 180°f. At the higher temp the tea is also more sour and looses some of its charm.

Gunpowder isnt a “fine tea”. But its imminently drinkable, comforting and tasty. Its a good loose leaf staple at a very reasonable price.

I prepared this tea a little differently than the label. I used 1 teaspoon to about 3 oz of water at 170 in a gaiwan. I let it steep for about 1 minute. My first 3 infusions were 1 minute steeps. #4 1.5 minutes #5 about 2.

Package instructions state to brew 1 teaspoon in 8 oz of 180° water for 2-3 minutes- good for 2 or 3 steeps. I tried brewing this way once and found the tea to be as above, a little too astringent, a little too " smokey" and over all rather flat tasting and far too strong, leaning towards bitter.

I gave these dry leaves a rinse with room temperature water because they are a hearty blossom with lots of little parts, nooks, and crannies. They remind me of popcorn with a tougher outer husk and then a puffy whitish flower inside. They still have the inner stamens or middles of the flowers intact which tells me how hearty the tea flower and tea plant really is!!! There are also the green base of the stem below the blossom still attached to some which is fun. This dry leaf smells very herbal. I love that smell, like a cool local health food shop with all the loose herbs that you can choose from. It really smells like dried basil and subtle amounts of mint.
The liquor is a golden clear color and smells like mixed herbs as well. It really tastes like chamomile tea but a little more creamy than chamomile. There is a note of corn on the cob in there as well.
I am not putting “flowers” in the flavors below because I don’t think dried flowers taste floral. They taste like mixed herbs to me. Floral is a scent and flavor of the living flower and the essences that it gives off ,,to me. There is no floral taste or scent which is good to me.
I like this herbal as a novelty and I wonder if it has any special healing properties? I like it. I am getting an even more creamy note as the liquor cools down. Very fun and delicious!!!
Adding to my cupboard as one to keep ;)

Little tiny, cut and curled twisted black leaves with scents of bourbon and orange.
The brewed leaves reveal that they have been very precisely chopped small and have a fall reddish brown green color to them.
The liquor is red and smells very sweet and malty yumm. Malt is one scent but there are also hints of orange and bourbon as well.
The flavor is smooth, sweet potato, roasted potato skins, malt, bit of bourbon and orange. The flavors get better and better as the tea cools a bit. There is an ever so tiny tiny bit of astringency to the back of the throat so to wash this away, I will steep for 2 or 2 1/2 minutes next time because I don’t drink tea with milk or additives. It is hardly astringent at three minutes though, this is a very smooth and delicious red tea.
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5/16/14
Had a cup this morning and it was sweet and luscious,,,wasn’t catching any astringency this time as I read my notes from last time. Maybe it has mellowed out in the bag now that I have opened it. This is an all-around good, subtly sweet black tea :)
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7/8/14
Didn’t add the origin when I first started Steepster so this one is from
Cangyuan, Yunnan, China and it is Organic — The appearance of the dry leaf and wet leaf look like an Indian tea. The leaves are chopped looking and have the multi hues of browns and greens.
The scent is bourbon and light orange and the liquor looks the color of light bourbon. This is a unique Yunnan tea and doesn’t have the typical malty notes that Yunnan teas usually have. I looked up where Cangyuan is in China and it is very close to the border of Burma and this is probably why. I like that this tea has different qualities and influences. It really has essences and notes of Bourbon. Yum Yum lol. I really am enjoying this tea now that I have tried lots of Yunnan teas and am able to compare it to those from other areas.
Tao of Tea’s website includes that Tippy South Cloud is a varietal of plant and that 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.
Tippy South Cloud is special during late summer months. Since it is a heavily oxidized (darker) tea, it maintains its flavor well over the months.
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7/10/14
Having a bit of this Western style this morning. So rich and almost tangy today. Put 2 heaping teaspoons into my teapot to brew 2 cups. 190F for 3 minutes. A bourbon flavor with a malty scent. It does have touches of an Assam quality to it as well with a tiny tiny hint of a bitter note with bittersweet chocolate quality to it. This tea is very intriguing in its flavor and where it comes from. Plus it’s organic! Love it!

The most beautiful silver needle-looking, very long, slender, perfectly uniform sea-foam green colored leaves I have ever seen!!! Scents of spice and a bit of fresh cranberry, lima bean.
The leaves were so pretty I didn’t want to pour water onto them but I placed them into my glass teapot so I could watch them. They danced downward as they brewed. Very pretty.
The flavors are very subtle with this white. I left the leaves in for 4 minutes and the liquor didn’t gain too much color and it has scents and flavors of butter bean. It has the subtlety of a white but a few notes of a light green tea. The fruit I am catching is quince.
Pretty tea.
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6/19/14
Brewed a bit of this Western style today. The dry leaves smell like spices. I am tasting the quince again today and this tea has mellowed out a bit with less butter bean and sweeter notes. Very good. Gets sweeter as it cools.
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7/26/14
Having a cup this afternoon, Western style. Very nice white. The leaves are super huge and fuzzy silver needles. Love it!
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8/7/14
Gaiwan style this morning!! Very subtle and lovely tea. Pretty leaves!
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8/23/14
Western style this morning,,,used lots of leaf,,,170F for 4 minutes. Has a creamier mouthfeel today and is really mellowing out. Will have to get more of this sometime bc I am almost out.

Dry leaf is very different from any green I have had. It smells spicy like a spice shop. Very subtle anise, dried basil, and spring grass scents.
The liquor has the color of white tea. You would not know this was a green tea unless you were an expert.
I love this green tea because I love white tea!!!!!!!!!!!! It is very much like a white tea with notes of cream, subtle notes of anise, tart apple.
If you don’t like vegetal or grassy notes in green tea, this is the one for you.
I like the appearance of the wet leaf too. They are free with lots of two leaves and bud size. A bit wild looking which is fun because I had a proper uniform and “all the same size” tea this morning lol.
It is very cleansing as well and I am having this after a lunch of vegetables and quinoa so this is delicious. I think it would pair heavenly with an anise flavored biscotti and I wish I had one. The anise is extremely subtle which is what is beautiful about this tea.
Very lovely tea!!!!!

Second Steeping brought out a bit of mint flavor!! This is a very interesting tea that makes me love large leaf Chinese green tea!!!

ICED I poured the rest of this lovely on ice because I live in the desert and the afternoons are getting warm now. This makes a great iced tea as well!! Yummm and refreshing!!
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5/16/14
Had a bit more of this today and it is mild and lovely. It has no vegetal notes, no grassy notes, it really doesn’t taste green. It is just a nice, sweet, delicious tea. A good one for people who don’t like green tea to try,,, because I think the people who don’t like green tea have tried ones with grassy, seaweed, or vegetal notes and they weren’t ready for those notes in tea :)
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8/25/14
More today yumm

The leaf is gorgeous. All uniform mostly golden and some black threads. Very fresh. Scents of orange, spices, golden raisin.
The wet leaves all turn chocolate brown and smell fresh, not briny. Very nice leaves.
The liquor is deep brown and smells creamy and sweet like honey.
The flavor is creamy, rich, not too sweet, no bitter and no astringency. There is a sweet note when you breathe out of dried apricot and a bit of date.
This is a beautiful tea!!
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8/4/14
Had some of this Gong Fu style this afternoon. This tea is not too sweet. I caught a smoky note today.

1.7 g in 10 oz of water

I give this an 8/10 on the boldness scale. This tea could easily handle a touch of milk and sugar but is sweet enough to drink on it’s ow n. A little woody, a little bit of fruit, and overall very pleasant.

Huh. Apparently this is my 100th tasting note. Took me long enough.

4.27g in 4.5oz of water.

Sweet and mellow with loam and malt notes. This is exactly what I adore about Yunnan teas. I always feel like I should be sitting in a summer forest when I’m drinking this.

Backlog:

A really enjoyable Oolong. Fragrant and flavorful.

The early infusions were soft and honeyed with notes of sweet fruit (reminiscent of a plum.) Woodsy tones and a rustic, earthy note.

The later infusions offered stronger honey tones, and the sweet fruit notes emerged, and by the sixth infusion, I started to notice the flavors soften and meld.

A really nice cup, here’s my full-length review: http://sororiteasisters.com/2014/01/24/royal-phoenix-oolong-tea-tao-tea/

I have the Mate Mint by Tao of Tea and after trying the Chai, I haven’t gone back. I like the spice in this, it’s well-rounded and works on multiple brewings (as mate must). The first brew I usually only do for 30 seconds or so, and then drink as quickly as possible through the bombilla. Then I’ll do a 1-minute, and then on the third addition of water, I can usually leave it for a few minutes. The spice flavours aren’t as prevalent through the third steep, but they’re still quite pleasant. Overall, probably my favourite mate.

I like this tea. I liked it the first time I tried it, and I like every cup I drink of it. I’ve only had it black, and I can’t imagine ever adding sugar or milk/cream to it. The ginger is light and lovely. I don’t get pear out of this at all. But it’s a nice tea. I drink it a couple times a month. It’s usually not my go-to (as I prefer tisanes) but it’s nice every now and then when I need a caffeine boost.

I’ll be honest, this is the only matcha I’ve ever tried, but I do enjoy it. I finally got a bamboo whisk and it helps tremendously. Apparently the David’s Tea matcha is really good, but the price was right on this one. I like it halfway through the morning. I find I have to drink this one fairly quickly to ensure that the powder doesn’t settle. I like the flavour, very grassy and rich. I’m not sure that I would branch out into other matchas, as I like to stick to caffeine-free teas. I can’t compare it to any other matcha, but I do like it.

One of the indulgences that got me through my undergraduate work. I’m not the biggest hibiscus fan, and mentioning a tea that has a “floral” taste usually sends me scurrying in the other direction. Curiously, this blend appeals to me anyway. The flavor is cool and soothing, likely due to the heavy dose of mint it contains. Beware overbrewing, as that brings the tartness of the infusion out to the point where I wince a little with every sip I take. If you’re looking for a summer brew, this also happens to be great on ice.

I was completely out of a classic Earl Grey, and we know we cannot have that! My husband was doing an Amazon order and asked me if I wanted to throw something in the cart. After a little hasty searching I chose this. I was a little nervous, despite liking another tea from this company, because I didn’t do my usual hemming, hawing, and fretting over what tea to get!

I shouldn’t have worried — this is lovely! A good, medium bergamot and I really like the tea base! It’s slightly smoky — very very very light — I would say verging on smoky. Really nice compliment to the bergamot, especially for winter.

I’m drinking a second steep right now, and it’s delicious — less bergamot-y but still a bit smoky and of a very enjoyable strength!

This is my last new non-decaf. tea to try. Kind of sad. I think I will let myself order some new teas when I get done with my first 8 week class so that I can enjoy them on spring break. Only 8 weeks till new teas, hooray!

This one surprised me with how light and sweet it is. I notice apricot in the flavor, but the aftertaste is a sweet grape that lingers. This would be a nice cup to have on a hot summer afternoon, since it’s almost refreshing in its fruitiness. It’s certainly a nice tea to have on this cold and dreary morning. The upstairs of our house is always much warmer than the middle floor where the kitchen and living room is. I literally gasped when I walked downstairs today because it is freezing on our middle floor! Today is a day when the fireplace needs to be on all day long. :) Thank you, KiwiDelight for this wonderful sample!

-Dry blend has small clusters of green and brown rolled tea leaves and small white and yellow petals.
-Dry leaves smell lightly of fresh flowers. Tea liquor aroma is of sweet fruits.
-Tea liquor is a clear medium yellow color.
-Light fruity apricot flavor and finish. Sweet grapey floral aftertaste that lingers.
-Best with sweetener.
-Very good tea. Light sweet floral and fruit flavors with a soft hint of grapes.

While not a favorite, this is a nice dark oolong. Definitely some fruity flavors coming through, primarily nectarine and plantain. It’s not as sweet as peaches, and is definitely on the greener side of the fruits I tasted. Definitely a roasty element, that doesn’t taste like smoke, but more like crunchy fall leaves. It’s a very flavorful and warming cup.

Thanks Shelley_Lorraine.

I got this at HomeGoods, thinking that I’d give it a shot. I do love most chai at any rate. I was not expecting it to be this good of tea. I love it as a latte with some honey. It smells amazing and no one flavor is really overpowering.

At a dollar and a half per ounce for this heavenly brew, there is nothing to complain about. I’ve had Tao of tea before and never been disappointed. This oolong is floral, buttery and full. I can’t even think of how to best describe it yet; I’ll have to update this post once an impression sinks in. Its flavor lasts multiple infusions and is best drunk in a gaiwan. You could have this thing for dessert, no kidding!

Backlog:

A really nice Oolong. I like the charcoal-y taste to it. A nice, roasted taste with notes of mineral and hints of wood. One of the more masculine Oolong teas that I’ve encountered. It’s earthy, sweet, with notes of peach and very, very faint notes of flower.

I enjoyed it.