Author: Michelle

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Masters Teas’s Tai Ping Hou Kui

Tai Ping Hou Kui by Masters Teas
Green Tea / Straight
$19.00USD for 1.5oz

Masters Teas has provided me with Tai Ping Hou Kui for the purposes of writing an honest review.

First Impressions

I was really excited when Masters Teas reached out to me and asked if I wanted to try some of their teas. Masters Teas is a collection of teas from Adagio Teas, all single origin, specialty teas. Tai Ping Hou Kui is the first of my reviews from them. Tai Ping Hou Kui came in a sealed, printed and resealable bag. The leaves are very long, bright green, and thinly pressed. If you look, you can see the impression left on the leaves that looks like fabric – likely left behind from when the leaves were pressed in the processing method.

This beautiful green tea is from Anhui, China – specifically from the farmer Liang Yu Ming and was grown/harvested at 350m above sea level in April 2019. I found it really neat to be able to get so much information about this specific tea that I’m able to steep and drink. It’s rare to get that level of information about teas, I find – unless you happen to be buying a single origin tea. The dry leaf has a very light aroma to it, I would liken to it an almost floral aroma – but it’s quite light in the dry leaf.

Preparation

Masters Teas recommends steeping Tai Ping Hou Kui in 170°F (77°C) water for 2 to 3 minutes. My initial steep was for 2 minutes with 175°F (79°C) water that I had allowed to cool for about 5 minutes prior to using it.

First Taste

Tai Ping Hou Kui steeps to a light green colour after my initial steep of the leaves. I found that the aroma to be very light and floral, it’s pleasant and inviting. The flavour has a light mix of fruity and floral sweetness. I find the fruity elements remind me a bit of apricots and plums, while I’m not sure which type of flowers the floral notes remind me of. For the amount of time I had steeped the tea for, I found that it was very smooth with zero bitterness or astringency. There are some grassy notes in the tea, I found it to be nice and pleasant when I drank it because it balanced well against the floral and fruity elements.

A Second Cup?

Masters Teas suggests that Tai Ping Hou Kui is good for up to seven infusions. I opted to attempt seven resteeps (eight steeps total with the same leaves). I steeped at the same temperature of water, while adding an additional 30 seconds for each subsequent resteep. I found that the tea got a bit deeper in colour, ultimately being a golden yellow colour by about the fourth or fifth resteep. The flavour of the tea remained fairly consistent throughout and was similarly balanced as the initial steep in terms of flavours that I found in it.

My Overall Impression

I loved Masters Teas’s Tai Ping Hou Kui. I just felt like it was a fun process to be part of when preparing this tea. From admiring the beautiful dry leaves to the act of steeping the same huge leaves again and again. The brightness in the dry leaf resulted in some beautiful spent leaves by the time that I was done. I enjoyed how well this tea steeped repeatedly, some of the tea that I had left from the eighth steep wound up being taken to work and I had coworkers who said that it smelled wonderful – even after the eighth steep of the same leaves. I would definitely reserve this tea for those days when you have time to dedicate to doing a few resteeps so you do get the most bang for your buck when it comes to this green tea.

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Udyan Tea’s Lemongrass Tranquility Green Tea

Lemongrass Tranquility Green Tea by Udyan Tea
Green Tea / Flavoured
₹480 for 100g

Udyan Tea has provided me with Lemongrass Tranquility Green Tea for the purposes of writing an honest review.

First Impressions

Lemongrass Tranquility Green Tea came in a sealed matte black resealable pouch. The labelling for the packaging is minimal, telling me the name of the product and the weight, with very little else. I had to go onto the Udyan Tea website for additional information about this green tea blend – which luckily did have more information about this tea! The aroma of Lemongrass Tranquility Green Tea is primarily lemongrass with a slight minty aroma to it. I don’t really smell the green tea base, which is unfortunate since I can definitely see it.

It won’t be a surprise that this tea consists of: green tea, lemongrass, and spearmint leaves. Not surprisingly, there is mint leaves in the blend. I find both lemongrass and mint to be very strong aromatic herbs so it’s no wonder that one of them is able to outshine the other. All three ingredients are visible, but the aroma of the lemongrass definitely stronger than the rest.

Preparation

Udyan Tea recommends steeping Lemongrass Tranquility Green Tea in 75-80°C (167-176°F) water for 2 to 3 minutes. My initial steep of Lemongrass Tranquility Green Tea was in 79°C (175°F) water for 2 minutes.

First Taste

Lemongrass Tranquility Green Tea steeps to a bright golden orange colour. I found that the steeped tea had a very strong lemongrass aroma, and I didn’t really smell much of the green tea base or spearmint leaves. When I tasted it, I found that there was primarily a lemongrass flavour. This green tea blend is smooth, and has a slightly minty flavour that is more pronounced at the end and in the aftertaste from the tea. I found there was touch of astringency at the end of each sip as well, but it wasn’t too harsh or off-putting.

A Second Cup?

I resteeped Lemongrass Tranquility Green Tea for an additional 2 steeps, where I added an extra 30 seconds for each subsequent steep of the leaves. I found that the lemongrass flavour got progressively weaker while the mint and the green tea base actually got a chance to make themselves known. The mint flavour got a bit stronger with each steep while the green tea base – which I found to remind me a bit of dark leafy green vegetables – was noticeable in each of the resteeps while it was virtually unknown in the initial steep of the same leaves.

My Overall Impression

I liked Udyan Tea’s Lemongrass Tranquility Green Tea. I found that it had a lovely flavour, although I wish that the mint and the green tea base were both more present in the initial steep. It would have been nice to have the experience of all the ingredients equally in the initial steep. However, I did enjoy the fact that both the spearmint and green tea were present in the subsequent resteeps. It made for a tasty cup of tea and I enjoyed this tea hot.

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Naked Teas Galore’s Organic Mao-feng

Organic Mao-feng by Naked Teas Galore
Green Tea / Straight
$7.70 for 50g

First Impressions

Organic Mao-feng comes in a sealed matte black pouch that is resealable (so great for proper tea storage!). It honestly feels like there’s a lot more than 50g in the pouch because of the fact that this is just such an airy tea and takes up so much space – which isn’t a bad thing because then I know that the leaves aren’t being crushed in a tiny space.

The leaves of this Chinese green tea are wiry – mostly brown with some hints of a dark olive green. The aroma of the dry leaf is primarily dry apricots and some grassy notes. It’s quite appealing and doesn’t smell too vegetal, which is a nice quality of this green tea. The tea is from the Zhejiang Province of China.

Preparation

Naked Teas Galore recommends steeping Organic Mao-feng in 70-80°C (158-176°F) water for 1 to 3 minutes. I used my Breville IQ Kettle to heat the water to 79°C (175°F) water and then allowed it to cool for a few minutes prior to steeping the tea leaves for 2 minutes.

First Taste

Organic Mao-feng steeps to a bright yellow, it’s really sunshine-y and inviting – which I like! There’s light sweetness to the tea, which reminds of apricots again. It’s not overwhelmingly fruity, which is nice considering I’m drinking a straight tea. For the amount of time that I steeped it for, I found that the tea was smooth with no bitterness or astringency.

A Second Cup?

I resteeped Organic Mao-feng a total of five times, opting to add an additional 30 seconds for each subsequent steep. I found that the tea steeped a little bit darker each time, and tasted consistently the same as my initial steep of Organic Mao-feng, but did get weaker in flavour after the second resteep.

My Overall Impression

I loved Naked Teas Galore’s Organic Mao-feng. I really appreciated the aroma of the dry leaf and the flavour of the tea. I found it to be pleasant, with a nice amount of sweetness to compliment the natural flavours that remind me of apricots. I think this would be a nice tea option for either cold steeping or for an iced green tea to have over the summer because it does have those light floral and fruity flavors in it.

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