Category: Review

Posted on

TeaHaus’s China Milky Jade

China Milky Jade by TeaHaus
Oolong Tea / Flavoured
$14.60USD for 50g

20170425-teahauschinamilkyjade2

TeaHaus has provided me with China Milky Jade for the purposes of providing an honest review. I received this product at no charge to me and received no other compensation.

First Impressions

China Milky Jade is TeaHaus’s milk oolong. Described as “premium oolong classic”, milk oolong is produced by infusing it the tea leaves with milk flavor (and, from the description on the sample label, done via a steam bath). China Milky Jade has a very nice aroma to it – very milky, creamy, almost a hint of butter. But mostly it’s the milk and cream qualities that shine through in this tea when I opened up the bag. There’s a soft floral scent to the tea as well, but the hints of flowers take a backseat to the milk aroma in this oolong.

China Milky Jade is an oolong tea with milk flavouring infused to it via the process of tea production.

20170425-teahauschinamilkyjade1

Preparation

TeaHaus recommends steeping China Milky Jade in 90°C (194°F) water for 2 minutes. My initial steep of China Milky Jade was in 90°C water for 2 minutes.

First Taste

China Milky Jade steeps to a pale yellow for the initial steep. The aroma of milk is very fragrant in this tea. This milk oolong is very smooth with no bitterness or astringency to note. I quite enjoyed the milk flavour of this oolong – it’s got a lovely smooth texture, and has a buttery taste from the cream/milk flavours. There are some mild floral notes to this tea, but I find that the dairy is more prominent in comparison. The floral flavours of this oolong add just a hint of sweetness, but it’s not the most obvious flavour of this tea.

20170425-teahauschinamilkyjade3

A Second Cup?

I love resteeping oolong because they generally do very well. China Milky Jade did not disappoint. On subsequent resteeps, I add an additional 30 seconds per steep and the tea comes out a brighter, more vibrant shade of yellow. In total, I resteeped China Milky Jade a total of nine times (ten steeps overall). I found as I got further in, the dairy notes begin to fade and the light floral sweetness comes out more and more. I would say this oolong did get to be a bit watered down by the seventh resteep (eighth overall steep), but it’s still got a hint of flavour.

20170425-teahauschinamilkyjade4

My Overall Impression

rating4

I loved TeaHaus’s China Milky Jade. I was very impressed with how well China Milky Jade resteeped. It’s a delicious oolong with great dairy flavouring to it. I found that the subtle switch in the flavour profile to be delicious as it began to be less dairy and more floral. The leaves opened up tremendously and it was a great tea to enjoy. This is definitely a tea that deserves the time to be steeped again and again. I feel this tea would go well with both sweets and savoury dishes because of the milky and floral flavours.

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

Posted on

Yunomi’s Nanadan Asamushi Okumidori Sencha

Nanadan Asamushi Okumidori Sencha by Yunomi
Green Tea / Straight
$25.00USD for 50g

20170421-yunomiasamushiokumidorisencha

Yunomi has provided me with Nanadan Asamushi Okumidori Sencha for the purposes of providing an honest review. I received this product at no charge to me and received no other compensation.

First Impressions

By now, I’m sure you know I’m a sucker for good packaging. Yunomi doesn’t disappoint. Nanadan Asamushi Okumidori Sencha came to me in a sealed white foil bag that is resealable to keep the tea fresh. The label on the front is quite informative, with information regarding how much tea to use, water temperature, what to do if steeping for multiple people, ingredients, where the tea was grown (and when!), and storage information.

20170421-yunomiasamushiokumidorisencha1

When I opened the packet, I was immediately drawn into the tea because of the strong vegetal smell. It reminded me a bit of grass, as well as having salty aroma to remind me also of seaweed. The leaves are a bright and dark green and very flat. Nanadan Asamushi Okumidori Sencha consists of certified organic green tea that was harvested in April 2016 in Kirishima, Kagoshima. Storage instructions for this sencha is to have it in airtight storage, in a cool, dry area away from sunlight.

20170421-yunomiasamushiokumidorisencha2

Preparation

Yunomi recommends the first steep in 50°C (122°F) water for 2-3 minutes. For subsequent steeps, the recommendation is to use 70-80°C (158-176°F) water for 30-60 seconds. My initial steep of Nanadan Asamushi Okumidori Sencha was for 2 minutes in 50°C water.

First Taste

Nanadan Asamushi Okumidori Sencha steeps to a very pale light greeny yellow, as to be expected with a green tea. When steeped for the two minutes, I found the sencha to be very smooth – there’s no bitterness or astringency. Green tea is so easily burnt when steeped in water that is too hot or for too long, I’m glad that Yunomi’s steeping instructions were right on the button for a good cup of tea. There’s a good balance of natural sweetness and saltiness in this tea, a nice mixture that results in a good cup of tea. Nanadan Asamushi Okumidori Sencha has a lovely buttery quality to the flavour of this tea, which balances out the sweet and salty well and holds its own in this tea. I generally find sencha to have a natural saltiness to the tea, but a good one is never off-putting.

20170421-yunomiasamushiokumidorisencha3

A Second Cup?

Yunomi suggests that this tea can be resteeped up to three times, which meant that I had to push it for a fourth. I followed their steeping instructions with the resteep temperatures and times (I used the ‘green tea’ feature on my Breville IQ Kettle, which is 175°F). The flavour of this tea remains consistently the same in terms of taste and intensity for the first three resteeps, the fourth resteep (first one beyond the recommended number of steeps) was a bit lacking in flavour. Nanadan Asamushi Okumidori Sencha resteeps well and holds up to the recommended number of steeps by Yunomi.

20170421-yunomiasamushiokumidorisencha4

My Overall Impression

rating4

I loved Yunomi’s Nanadan Asamushi Okumidori Sencha. It’s a quality sencha and resteeps amazingly well. I found that the flavours are good in this traditional Japanese green tea, and the sweet-salty flavour balances out well with the buttery quality of the overall flavour profile. Because of the salty nature of this tea, its quite savoury and I think it would pair well with a meal over dessert.

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

Posted on

Grand Tea’s Organic GABA Black Tea

Organic GABA Black Tea by Grand Tea
Black Tea / Straight
$42.50HKD for 25g

20170418-grandteaorganicgabablack4

Grand Tea has provided me with Organic GABA Black Tea for the purposes of providing an honest review. I received this product at no charge to me and received no other compensation.

First Impressions

20170418-grandteaorganicgabablack1

I have never had GABA tea before. For those not in the know, GABA is short for gamma-Aminobutyric acid (γ-Aminobutyric acid), which is a neutrotransmitter. GABA teas were developed in the 1990s in Japan, where a new type of tea was developed with GABA in the tea leaves and then a method of fermenting tea leaves was developed in an oxygen-free environment to keep the GABA in the tea leaves. I don’t know all the details about this (I did read a little bit about it on the Organic GABA Black Tea page and on Wikipedia).

When I opened up the sample of Organic GABA Black Tea, the first thing I noticed is that there was a lot of tea in there. The tea leaves are huge and wiry with light twists. There are some deep plum notes that I smelled at first, with some subtle notes of grass and hay. Organic GABA Black Tea is a straight black tea.

20170418-grandteaorganicgabablack2

Preparation

Grand Tea did not have any preparation recommends for Organic GABA Black Tea. I steeped mine in 100°C (212°F) water for an initial steep of 4 minutes.

First Taste

Organic GABA Black Tea steeps to a beautiful golden orange colour. There are some berry notes when I smelled the tea as I waiting for it to cool. There’s also a bit of a grassy fragrance to this tea. On first sip, I could taste the grassy notes, a fruity taste that reminded me of currants, and light floral sweetness. The tea itself is very smooth, there’s a pleasant mouth coating feel to this tea. I find it to be very ‘light’ feeling for a black tea (especially compared to all those breakfast teas I’ve reviewed lately). It’s quite refreshing to sip. The floral sweet notes are just enough, I don’t think a sweetener is needed. It’s bitter-free and that’s always nice in a black tea.

20170418-grandteaorganicgabablack3

A Second Cup?

I found the second steep of Organic GABA Black Tea to be a bit crisper in flavour. It has a bit more of a bite at the end of each sip. There are heavier grassy flavours, a little less floral, and just the hint of plums. The third steep had the least amount of flavour overall, the grassy notes are low and the tea has a bit of a malty note to it. I found the third steep to be the least enjoyable, and would say that Organic GABA Black Tea is excellent for up to two steeps.

20170418-grandteaorganicgabablack5

My Overall Impression

3cups-2

I liked Grand Tea’s Organic GABA Black Tea. I love trying new things, and I’m not sure if I felt calmer after drinking Organic GABA Black Tea or not because the act of drinking tea generally just makes me calmer and happier. I found the flavours to be an interesting mix and was tasty for the first two steeps. The leaves are amazing, I was so impressed with how much they opened up. I was a bit disappointed that it didn’t hold up for a third steep, but the first two steeps were delicious and so varied for being from the same tea, it was fun to taste the differences between steeps.

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