Category: Review

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Tea Ave’s Magnolia Oolong

Magnolia Oolong by Tea Ave
Oolong Tea / Flavoured
$12.50 for 25g

I received this sample of Tea Ave’s Magnolia Oolong for free, a review of the tea was not requested by the company.

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First Impressions

This little sample of Magnolia Oolong came in tea sachet form, which still has the level of detail that I’ve come to know and love from Tea Ave’s packaging. The origin of this tea is from Alishan Mountain Region, Nantou, Taiwan. The base of this tea is Alishan Jin Xuan Oolong, and it is scented with magnolia flowers. Now, I am not a botanist so I cannot 100% state that this oolong smells like magnolia flowers, but there is a beautiful floral aroma from the tea itself. The floral aroma smells sweet and goes well with the oolong without overwhelming it with the floral fragrance, which I appreciate.

Like other Tea Ave teas that I’ve tried so far, the packaging includes details on brewing in a gaiwan, with a tea bag, tea pot, and cold brew. Because my sample came in a tea bag, that’s the option I went with for brewing methods.

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Preparation

Tea Ave recommends steeping with boiling water (100C) for 1 minute and to resteep up to 3 times (so 4 steeps total). I steeped the first cup for 1 minute.

First Taste

Magnolia Oolong has a very soft floral scent to it, it steeps to a pale golden yellow. On first sip, I’m surprised by the lightness in the tea. The floral taste to it isn’t overwhelming, and there’s just a touch of sweetness that reminds me a lot of honey. It’s a very smooth tea that has a buttery quality over my tongue – the sweetness of it just coats my month and it is such a pleasant cup of tea. No hint of bitterness at all, the recommended steeping time is on point for this tea and it is delicious.

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A Second Cup?

Despite being a scented oolong, I really wanted to resteep Magnolia Oolong to see how well it would do – especially since Tea Ave even said it could be resteeped up to 3 times, so don’t mind if I do. The first resteep, I steeped it for about 90 seconds total. It had a much richer floral taste to it, there was a more pronounced buttery quality to the tea that makes it much more decadent. The colour of Magnolia Oolong is also a deeper golden yellow, the floral aroma is divine. I quite enjoyed my second cup! For resteep #2 (120 seconds) and resteep #3 (150 seconds), the buttery quality remains true with the honey sweetness and floral tones that are much more brighter than a simple jasmine.

My Overall Impression

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I loved Tea Ave’s Magnolia Oolong. I found the floral tones of the magnolia scent to be more pronounced with each resteeping, which was a delight in itself. I loved the fact that it does so well with being resteeped with even better quality in each sip than the steep before it. Tea Ave was quite good with it’s recommended steeping time and also with the number of resteeps that the tea holds up for. The buttery floral taste to this tea makes it worth resteeping again and again, I would definitely recommend that you give this oolong a try if you can – the honey sweetness that exists without adding any sugar makes this tea so delightful for those who likes sweet things like I do.

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DavidsTea’s The Earl’s Garden

The Earl’s Garden by DavidsTea
Black Tea / Flavoured
$7.98 for 50g

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First Impressions

I love a good Earl Grey, I cannot lie. I received this bag of The Earl’s Garden as part of a Christmas present and I’ve been happily sipping it ever since (spoiler alert: I will probably get more). What I love about the classic Earl Grey is the good black tea base with the fresh citrus scent of the bergamot. The Earl’s Garden does not disappoint with the strong citrus aroma that is laced with strawberries.

The Earl’s Garden consists of: organic black tea, marigold petals, strawberry, cornflower petals, natural strawberry & bergamot flavouring. I like that I can see and/or smell all of the ingredients. The strong bergamot and strawberry aromas are almost intoxicating because they’re that strong, it really does make me more eager for a cup!

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Preparation

DavidsTea recommends steeping The Earl’s Garden in 96°C (204°F) water for 4-7 minutes. I steeped my pot of The Earl’s Garden for about 5 minutes.

First Taste

The Earl’s Garden steeps to a clear reddish brown that has a very subtle strawberry aroma to it. The fragrance of strawberries overpowers the bergamot, which is a bit surprising considerin the fact that bergamot is often the starring ingredient in an Earl Grey. First sips of a cup of this tea does not disappoint though. The citrus taste of the bergamot mingles very well with the subdued strawberry taste in the steeped tea. There’s just a touch of sweetness to the tea that makes the berry flavour come out even more. The black tea base is fairly similar to the other Earl Grey-inspired teas I’ve had from DavidsTea – no bitterness for the amount of time I steeped it for, and it tastes like a strong black tea base. What really sets this tea apart is the strawberry and bergamot combination. Just a mild sweetness that would be good for anyone wanting a little treat. I did add a bit of sweetener (white sugar, for those curious) to my tea and it does brighten up the flavour a lot by bringing out more of the strawberry taste.

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A Second Cup?

I tried resteeping The Earl’s Garden and it sadly didn’t work out. The tea was weak and the magical strawberry and bergamot combination was sorely lacking. This tea is a one time trip to The Earl’s Garden and doesn’t hold up for one more steep.

My Overall Impression

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I loved DavidsTea’s The Earl’s Garden. I’m a sucker for Earl Grey in general, and the strawberry addition just works for this tea. The mild sweetness of the strawberry in the steeped tea really makes the tea stand out from other Earl Grey-inspired teas. I do think I will continue to add a sweetener to this tea though, as that does make the flavours pop out more for me. It is a nice change from the classic Earl Grey, which I still love, and it can definitely be doctored up with sugar and cream.

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Tea Ave’s Osmanthus Oolong

Osmanthus Oolong by Tea Ave
Oolong Tea / Flavoured
$14.99 for 25g

I received this sample of Tea Ave’s Osmanthus Oolong for free, a review of the tea was not requested by the company.

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First Impressions

Osmanthus Oolong is described as having a “base of creamy Alishan Jin Xuan oolong, this tea is scented with the fragrant osmanthus flower”. I’m not entirely sure what osmanthus flowers smell like as I’m just not familiar with the flower, but Osmanthus Oolong has a very light scent to it. It’s light with a fruity and floral smell – it smells like apricots and peaches, with a sweet floral scent that I just can’t place (I am assuming that it’s the osmanthus).

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The dry leaf is beautiful, and there’s small orange floral pieces mixed in with the oolong. Like the other labels that the other Tea Ave samples I have reviewed have had, the one for Osmanthus Oolong is also quite detailed. The origin of this tea is Alishan Mountain Region, Nantou, Taiwan with a base of Alishan Jin Xuan oolong. It also has various brewing directions (gaiwan, tea bag, tea pot, and cold brew). There was enough tea in the sample bag for my small pot.

Preparation

Tea Ave recommends steeping in 100°C (212°F) water for 2 minutes. This tea resteeps up to 4 times with an additional 30 seconds to 1 minute for each subsequent resteeping. I steeped my pot of tea for 2 minutes.

First Taste

In a word, yum. Osmanthus Oolong steeps to this beautiful clear golden yellow. It has a bright and fresh aroma to it – very similar to the dry leaf with the apricots and peaches, with floral undertones. There’s a creamy sweetness to the oolong that works well with the apricot and peach taste. I think that Osmanthus Oolong is tasty in that it coats the mouth well, there is no bitterness or astringency and I quite like it. I sipped this pot of tea over the course of an hour, just refilling my cup over and over again and it put a smile on my face every time because I really enjoy the creamy mouthfeel with the bright fruity taste.

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A Second Cup?

Osmanthus Oolong does not disappoint in its ability to resteep! The label on the sample baggie said that it can be resteeped up to four additional times – I did just that! For those that haven’t resteeped teas before, here’s what I did: initial steep – 2 minutes; 1st resteep – 2.5 minutes; 2nd resteep – 3 minutes; 3rd resteep – 3.5 minutes; 4th resteep – 4 minutes. I found that the additional thirty seconds with each steep was just enough to develop the flavours. The first and second resteeps were actually more bright in terms of the sweet apricot and peaches flavour that was present in the tea. It does really well with being resteeped.

My Overall Impression

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I loved Tea Ave’s Osmanthus Oolong. The fruity smell and taste of apricot and peaches is divine, it really adds a little something to the oolong that makes it enjoyable. I think it’d be a great tea with pastries, it definitely is a tea that you should have when you have the time to have a nice long tea experience. It resteeps very well, so don’t let the cost scare you off from trying the Osmanthus Oolong! Being able to resteep it four times makes the value of the tea worth the cost. It tasty with it’s fruity flavours that don’t overwhelm the palate, and it makes for a great tea to enjoy again and again throughout the day.

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