Category: Review

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DavidsTea’s Cinnamon Oolong

Cinnamon Oolong by DavidsTea
Oolong Tea / Flavoured
$14.98 for 50g

DavidsTea sent me Cinnamon Oolong as part of a complementary Garden to Cup subscription package, a review was not requested.

First Impressions

Cinnamon Oolong came in a light blue pouch, both sealed and resealable. The white text is easy to read, and it surprisingly smooth texture to the pouch material that is different from the regular silver ones.

Cinnamon Oolong is described as an “oolong tea scented with cinnamon”.

Cinnamon Oolong consists of tightly bunched up leaves, all with a mix of light green to dark green. The leaves are lightly cinnamon scented, and there’s the grassy notes in the background. It’s a pretty tea to look at with the light warmness of cinnamon.

Preparation

DavidsTea recommends steeping Cinnamon Oolong in 90°C (195°F) water for 4 to 5 minutes. I opted to do an initial steep of Cinnamon Oolong for 4 minutes.

First Taste

Cinnamon Oolong steeps to a bright golden yellow. It has the warming qualities of cinnamon int he aroma, which overwhelms the other aromas. The flavour is primarily the oolong – grassy, creamy, with the warming qualities of cinnamon that lightly mingles in the background. It’s smooth, zero bitterness or astringency.

A Second Cup?

I resteeped Cinnamon Oolong four times (five steeps with the same leaves), adding an additional 30 seconds for each subsequent steep.

The flavour remained fairly consistent with each steep, with the cinnamon waning after the second resteep. There’s a creaminess to the oolong that comes through as the cinnamon goes away.

My Overall Impression

I liked DavidsTea’s Cinnamon Oolong. I thought that the cinnamon was a nice complement to the oolong, but found myself enjoying the flavour of the oolong as the cinnamon. The natural oolong flavour comes through after a few steeps, and I’m finding that I wish that the natural flavour was more prominent at the beginning of the steeping session with this tea. The cinnamon does add something nice to Cinnamon Oolong though, so I find it pleasant to sip.

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Greenmax’s Matcha Milk

Matcha Milk by Greenmax
Green Tea (Matcha) / Flavoured
$7.99 for 320g (16 sachets)

First Impressions

It’s a Monday, and this is a matcha. Seemed like a fitting option! Matcha Milk was an addition to my shopping cart during a weekly grocery trip – the bright green was certainly an eye catcher.

The bag has 16 sachets (20g each), each containing the Matcha Milk powder. The aroma is surprisingly fragrant compared to what I was expecting – there’s sweetness, creaminess, and a grassy note that has light vegetal notes. Matcha Milk consists of: sugar, creamer, matcha powder, and milk powder.

Preparation

Greenmax recommends preparing Matcha Milk with 150ml of boiling (100°C/212°F) water, and to add ice cubes for an iced drinks. I opted to use a lower water temperature (79°C/175°F), and prepared it as a hot drink.

First Taste

Matcha Milk prepares to a milky pear green. The aroma is grassy, vegetal with hints of cream. The flavour is sweet, grassy, slight astringency, and a creaminess from the milk powder that lends to the credibility as being a matcha ‘milk’ – thinking of this as a matcha latte option.

A Second Cup?

As it is a drink mix, there are no second steeps with Matcha Milk.

My Overall Impression

I loved Greenmax’s Matcha Milk. There’s something pleasant about Matcha Milk in that it does taste like matcha and isn’t overly sweet – it makes it an attractive option as a matcha latte on-the-go. The price also makes it a great option (50¢ per serving!), although I do wish that there was less packaging involved – a tin of just the powder would be great for making it better for the environment.

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Nestle’s Milk Tea KitKat

Milk Tea KitKat by Nestle
$5.99 for 128g (11 bars)

First Impressions

A little trip down the snacks aisle at my favourite Asian grocery store led me to spot these mini tea-themed chocolate bars. A bag of chocolate featuring a tea pot and a cup of tea and inviting me a tea party? Why not! Milk tea-flavoured chocolate sounds like my cup of tea (pun very much intended).

Each chocolate bar has a fun wrapping – there’s six designs in total. I personally like the one wishing me a nice break and telling me that it’s tea time. These bars consist of: sugar, palm oil, whole milk powder, cocoa butter, wheat flour, black tea powder, yeast, cocoa powder, cocoa mass, soy lecithin, caramel, artificial flavour, sodium bicarbonate, and yeast extract.

First Taste

These mini chocolate bars are cute and small – perfect snack size and a nice little treat for a long day at work. The flavour does remind me very strongly of milk tea – it has that black tea mixed with dairy flavour. I do think they’re a bit on the sweet side, but sugar is literally the first ingredient. There’s that familiar wafer layer from the milk chocolate variety, but the tea flavouring is nice, and makes it taste different from the usual chocolate bar.

My Overall Impression

I liked Nestle’s Milk Tea KitKat. I found the flavour to be very reminiscent of milk tea, and the size is great for a snack (perfect as a little pick-me-up during a long twelve-hour shift!). I did find them quite sweet though, so if you’re not of a cloyingly sugary sweet treat this one might not be the one for you. I’ll definitely be enjoying them and finishing off the bag.

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