Category: Review

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Dessert by Deb’s Hojicha Chocolate Cream Pie

Hojicha Chocolate Cream Pie by Dessert by Deb
Green Tea / Flavoured
$6.00 for 25g

First Impressions

Hojicha Chocolate Cream Pie came to me as part of my Dessert by Deb subscription box. It came in a purple-pink metallic pouch that’s clear on one side with information about ingredients and suggestions to drink as a latte (don’t mind if I do…). When I first saw it, I didn’t see the words ‘hojicha’ and I thought it was a rooibos blend at first. But you know what they say about first impressions and judging a book by it’s cover…

Hojicha Chocolate Cream Pie consists of organic: roasted green tea, cacao nibs, coconut, and cocoa powder. The aroma of the dry leaf to me is strictly chocolate and coconut. It smells like candy and I’m pretty excited about that. I think that the coconut got pretty covered in the cocoa powder, because I don’t see it present at all.

Preparation

While there were no steeping instructions on the sample packaging, I was able to find steeping instructions on the Dessert by Deb website.

Dessert by Deb recommends steeping Hojicha Chocolate Cream Pie in 205°F (96°C) water for 5 to 6 minutes.

First Taste

Steeping Hojicha Chocolate Cream Pie was… interesting. There’s an obvious oil slick across the top – thanks in part to the cacao nibs and coconut. The oils themselves are not harmful, if not a bit aesthetically unpleasing. Hojicha Chocolate Cream Pie steeps to a deep brown, it’s a bit murky, which I attribute to the cocoa powder and cocoa nibs. The aroma is strongly chocolatey with hints of coconut. I don’t smell the hojicha too much, as I think the cocoa just has a stronger aroma. The flavour is interesting – there’s some roasted notes, chocolate, and hints of coconut in the background. I’m not fond of it on its own.

As Dessert by Deb did recommend having Hojicha Chocolate Cream Pie as a latte, I opted to do that because that’s how it’s intended to be consumed. I heated up, and frothed soy milk and turned my cup of Hojicha Chocolate Cream Pie into a tea latte. It certainly adds a nice level of creaminess to it, the addition of soy milk turns it into a liquid dessert. The level of chocolate flavour comes out really well and is more like a milk chocolate flavour as a tea latte. The roasted notes from the hojicha do come through nicely, and adds a nutty flavour to it.

A Second Cup?

I resteeped Hojicha Chocolate Cream Pie once, adding an additional 30 seconds for the resteep. I found that the flavour wasn’t quite up to snuff in comparison to the initial steep, especially on the chocolate front. Although, check out the coconut that’s visible after the initial steep and the cocoa powder is washed off of it!

My Overall Impression

I loved Dessert by Deb’s Hojicha Chocolate Cream Pie as a tea latte. I unfortunately didn’t enjoy it straight, but it was great as a tea latte and definitely made for a nice chocolate treat with the roasted notes from the hojicha. It had a nice flavour, and I do like a nice dessert tea from time to time.

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Teakan’s Sheng (raw) Pu’er

Sheng (raw) Pu’er by Teakan
Pu’erh Tea / Straight
$30.00 for 66g

Sheng (raw) Pu’er is part of Teakan’s Volume 3 Exploration Kit, a collection of five single origin teas. Sheng (raw) Pu’er makes up 16g of the 66g kit.

First Impressions

Sheng (raw) Pu’er comes in a sealed, resealable kraft paper pouch. There is that familiar labelling from Teakan, and I’m sad that this is the last of the teas from Volume 3 for me to review. I saved the pu’erh for last because I find pu’erh teas to be the most intimidating. I know a lot of people either really love or really dislike pu’erh and I’m one of those people who sort of falls in the middle. I love some pu’erh, and think others are kind of awful and lead to a terrible taste in my mouth.

Sheng Pu’er comes in a flat square puck. The colouring of the leaves is quite pretty  – there’s a huge variation in colour from pale cream to greens and browns. It’s honestly really quite nice to look at. Sheng Pu’er is from Yongde, Yunnan, China and was harvested in spring 2020 – so it hasn’t had a very long time to age. The tea itself has a very strong aroma to it – it reminds me a lot of dark green leafy vegetables (think gailan, broccoli, brussel sprouts).

Preparation

Teakan recommends using 2.5g for western style steeping, using 90°C (194°F) water for 3 minutes or 4g for gongfu style steeping, using 90°C (194°F) water for a rinse, followed by a 10-15 second steep.

If you don’t have a scale, it’s pretty easy. As each puck is 8g, you’ll either use approximately ¼ for western style steeping or ½ for gongfu style steeping. I opted to do western style steeping and did an initial steep for 3 minutes.

First Taste

Sheng Pu’er initially steeps to a nice yellow colour. It has a strong aroma that is earthy, floral, and still reminding me of dark green leafy vegetables. The flavour is surprisingly floral, with an earthy/mushroom-y flavour to it. There is an interesting mouthfeel to it, it’s full-bodied, with an almost drying texture in my mouth. The tea itself has a bit of an astringency that lasts from mid sip to the aftertaste. The mild umami notes from the mushroom notes really give it a savoury kick.

A Second Cup?

I resteeped Sheng Pu’er five times, adding an additional 30 seconds for each subsequent steep. The colouring of the tea itself got darker, becoming a deep, almost brownish orange. The flavour of Sheng Pu’er gets more earthy and vegetal, and less floral. That astringency I found in the initial steep continues throughout and doesn’t put me off (surprisingly).

My Overall Impression

I liked Teakan’s Sheng Pu’er. I’m not a huge pu’erh tea drinker – and this is something that I completely own up to. That said, I did enjoy drinking Sheng Pu’er and the ability to resteep it and taste it as it subtly shifts in flavour was a real treat. I don’t think it’s one that I’ll have stocked in the tea stash, if only because pu’erh isn’t something that I routinely reach for (maybe that’ll change one day, and then I’ll be kicking myself for not having more of it).

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Masters Teas’ Tai Lake Pi Luo Chun

Tai Lake Pi Luo Chun by Masters Teas
Green Tea / Straight
$29.00USD for 1.5oz

Masters Teas has provided me with Tai Lake Pi Luo Chun for the purposes of writing an honest review.

First Impressions

Tai Lake Pi Luo Chun comes in a sealed, resealable pouch from Masters Teas. I’m always a fan of trying out single origin teas because it’s just such a treat to experience the subtle flavours that come from a single origin tea – something that you just don’t get when it comes to having a blended tea. For instance, an Earl Grey created by a large tea company blends black teas from different sources to create a consistent flavour – but with a single origin tea, from a specific harvest, allows you to experience the flavours created from a very specific area, at a specific time. Year to year comparisons allow you to taste the difference from soil nutrients, amount of rainfall, and the distance from sea level.

Tai Lake Pi Luo Chun is a beautiful twisted green tea leaf. It has a sweet aroma that is fruity and floral to me. There’s a lot of yellow ‘fluff’ to it. This was recently discussed by Nicole of Tea For Me Please on her Instagram – that fluff is trichomes! The natural little hairs that exist on the tea leaves to help protect them from UV damage via the sun, and is generally a sign of a higher quality tea. Tai Lake Pi Luo Chun comes from Anhui, China and was harvested April 2021.

Preparation

While there were no steeping instructions on the sample packaging, I was easily able to find that information from the product page on the Masters Teas website.

Masters Teas recommends steeping Tai Lake Pi Luo Chun in 170°F (77°C) water for 3 minutes. I followed the steeping instructions and did an initial steep for 3 minutes.

First Taste

Tai Lake Pi Luo Chun steeps to a lovely pale yellow colour. The aroma is floral and sweet, it has something about that makes me think of summer. The flavour of this tea is lightly fruity – reminding me of Bartlett pears, with some sweet floral flavours that linger on the tongue throughout each sip. I found that the tea itself has a bit of a thickened mouthfeel to it, that left me wanting more. There’s no astringency, but just something about it that was almost drying.

A Second Cup?

I resteeped Tai Lake Pi Luo Chun a total of six times, adding an additional 30 seconds for each subsequent steep. I found the tea to get more floral and less fruity with each steep, while the sweetness got richer. The colouring became more golden as I went. Also, just check out those amazing leaves – the leaves are a bright and vibrant green.

My Overall Impression

I loved Masters Teas’ Tai Lake Pi Luo Chun. This was a lovely treat to experience, getting to try such a recently harvested single origin green tea. The flavour of the tea is fruity and floral, and I enjoyed each sip as I went through all of the resteeps of the same leaves. I would highly recommend resteeping the leaves if you have the time, and also enjoying it cooled or iced for a bit of summer refreshment.

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