Category: Review

Posted on

Teakan’s Keemun

Keemun by Teakan
Black Tea / Straight
$30.00 for 65g

Keemun is part of Teakan’s Volume 5 Exploration Kit, a collection of five single origin teas. Keemun makes up 15g of the 65g kit.

First Impressions

Always willing to try a tea from Teakan, this is Keemun and is one of the five single original teas from their Volume 5 Exploration Kit – who would have thought the duo behind Teakan would be on their fifth curated collection already? As always, Keemun comes in a sealed, resealable pouch with a minimalistic label in black and white.

Keemun has wiry short dark leaves, with a few light honey coloured tips throughout. Keemun comes from Huangshan, Anhui, China, and was harvested in spring of 2021. Literally translating to “yellow mountain”, Huangshan is a mountain range in China that is a designated World Heritage Site and a major tourist location due to the beautiful mountain ranges with over 50km of footpaths (that’s 31 miles!). The aroma of Keemun is lightly floral.

Preparation

Teakan recommends steeping Keemun in 90°C (194°F) water for western style steeping, with an initial steep of 2 to 3 minutes or 95°C (203°F) water for gongfu style steeping with an initial steep of 20 seconds. I opted to steep Keemun in the western style with an initial steep of 2 minutes.

First Taste

Keemun steeps to a deep orange, with an aroma to it that reminds me of floral sweetness. The flavour of Keemun is malty, almost yeasty, and has a dry mouthfeel to it. There’s no astringency, no bitterness, based on the 2 minute initial steep that I did. I found the flavour to be pleasant – with the floral notes adding a nice level of sweetness to it.

A Second Cup?

Resteeping Keemun was fun! I did five resteeps of the same leaves (six steeps total), and added an additional 30 seconds for each subsequent steep. I found that the flavour stayed pretty similar to the initial steep, and the floral notes held up well with all the subsequent steeps – along with the malty flavours. I would recommend resteep Keemun if you have the time to do so.

My Overall Impression

I loved Teakan’s Keemun. The way this black tea steeps works for a smooth cup of tea, and resteeping it makes for a good value when you get good cups of tea after the first one. Keemun has a great flavour profile, and the floral notes just make for a nice cup of tea! It’s got some nuances to it that I enjoy – especially the malty finish.

Curious about the cup rating system? Click here to learn more.

Posted on

Thay Tea’s Honey Bee

Honey Bee by Thay Tea
Black Tea / Flavoured

I received Thay Tea’s Honey Bee as a birthday gift in 2021, so I did not attempt to find the pricing on the Thay Tea website (but it’s linked above).

First Impressions

Honey Bee came to me as a birthday gift – and I’m always happy to receive tea, especially when it’s from a company that is new to me. Thay Tea is based in Ucluelet, British Columbia, Canada and has a focus on organic looseleaf blends. The tea comes in a white sealed, resealable pouch with a white label across the front. It’s not cluttered, and has all the information that I’m looking for when it comes to trying a tea for the first time.

Honey Bee is a black tea blend that consists of: black tea, flower pollen mixture (safflower, marigold, and rose), natural flavour, and marigold flowers. You can see the tiny little balls of pollen in the blend, which is always fun. If you’re a sufferer of seasonal allergies, you’ll know that (local to you) bee pollen is commonly used for helping to decrease the symptoms of seasonal allergies – anything to help me sneeze less is greatly appreciated, especially with all that’s been going on the last two years. The aroma of Honey Bee is sweetly floral, with an almost malty fragrance to the black tea base. It’s nicely inviting with the honeyed notes.

Preparation

Thay Tea recommends steeping Honey Bee in 95-100°C (203-212°F) water for 3 to 4 minutes. I opted to do an initial steep of Honey Bee with 100°C (212°F) water for 3 minutes.

First Taste

Honey Bee steeps to a medium orange, with just little flecks that managed to escape my stainless steel infuser basket. The aroma of Honey Bee is floral, there’s a certain amount of honey sweetness, and then there’s the malty notes from the black tea base. The flavour reflects the aroma of the tea very well – with the floral and honey flavours, with the malty flavours of the black tea that are also just a smidge astringent. I found that the honey notes add a nice amount of sweetness to the blend, but it isn’t cloyingly sweet. It has a nice balance with the floral notes.

A Second Cup?

I attempted to resteep Honey Bee, but found that the honey notes were missing in the second steep – most likely because the pollen had suspended itself into the tea during the initial steep. If you’re a fan of the honey flavours in Honey Bee, I would recommend Honey Bee for just the initial steep.

My Overall Impression

I loved Thay Tea’s Honey Bee. There’s something playfully fun about Honey Bee. The use of pollen to add that floral flavour and honey sweetness makes for a nice blend. The black tea base adds a much needed malty flavour that make Honey Bee into a not-just-sweet tea, which makes it potentially pair well with a savoury treat. I would hazard a guess that it would take some cream well to add an extra level of decadence to Honey Bee – and if you need to add some sweetener, I would highly recommend honey over anything else.

Curious about the cup rating system? Click here to learn more.

Posted on

Dessert by Deb’s Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie by Dessert by Deb
Herbal Infusion / Flavoured
$6.50 for 25g

First Impressions

Arriving in my bimonthly subscription box from Dessert by Deb, Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie came in a matte gold pouch with a polka dot label. The pouch is sealed (and resealable), and Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie is part of Dessert by Deb’s Little Country Kitchen Collection. It’s an herbal tisane with a name that invokes a certain idea of aroma and taste.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie consists of: honeybush, cacao nibs, Canadian maple, cinnamon, and dark chocolate. The aroma is strongly cinnamon and chocolate, and it reminds me a lot of a cookie. I don’t get oatmeal vibes, but the chocolate really makes itself noticeable.

Preparation

Dessert by Deb recommends steeping Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie in 212°F (100°C) water for 6 to 7 minutes. I opted to do an initial steep of 7 minutes.

First Taste

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie steeps to an orange-brown, with a slight oil slick across the top – which I would attribute to the cacao nibs and dark chocolate, which naturally contains oils. The aroma is chocolatey, with hints of vanilla and floral notes. I find it has some nice cinnamon notes to it, that reminds me of baked goods.

A Second Cup?

I attempted to resteep Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie, but found the flavour didn’t compare to the initial steep. So I would recommend steeping Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie just the one time.

My Overall Impression

I liked Dessert by Deb’s Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie. I found the flavour to be nice with the chocolate chips, and the cinnamon. I would think the cookie flavour would come across better if there was also vanilla in the mix, just to oomph up the flavour. I would like it with some sweets, and cookies. The sweetness in this blend is just the right balanced with the rest of the flavour profile.

Curious about the cup rating system? Click here to learn more.