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DavidsTea’s Mao Jian Jade

Mao Jian Jade by DavidsTea
Green Tea / Straight
$9.98 for 50g

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First Impressions

I am a sucker for straight teas, so I couldn’t resist when DavidsTea released this as one of their new straight teas. Mao Jian Jade is a pan-fried green tea, and Mao Jian is a well-known Chinese tea. The overall fragrance of this tea reminds me of seaweed, there’s almost this light saltiness to the scent of this tea, mixed in some salad greens. I love the look of it, the leaves themselves almost look like they’ve been twisted and left to dry. Mao Jian Jade is a pan-fried green tea from the Fujian province.

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Preparation

DavidsTea recommends steeping Mao Jian Jade in hot water for 2-3 minutes. Their website describes “hot water” as being 75-80°C (167-176°F). I used my Breville IQ Kettle‘s green tea setting which is 175°F, and steeped this tea for just under 2 minutes.

First Taste

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Mao Jian Jade steeps to a very pale yellow. There’s a light salty, vegetal scent to the tea when I inhale it. On first taste, I’m surprised by the light sweetness in the tea which pairs very well with the salty vegetal flavours that remind me a lot still of salad greens. There’s just this freshness to the tea that’s delicious. It’s a very delicate tea, for sure and I find that there’s zero bitterness. Green teas are often fickle when it comes to being steeped. If the water is too hot or if the tea is steeped for too long, it can become unpalatable. If you’re having trouble with this one, I would recommend using cooler water with shorter steeping times. The result of a well steeped green tea is second to none.

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A Second Cup?

Mao Jian Jade does very well for subsequent steeps. I got seven resteeps in before it became too watery. The second steep was the strongest, I found, with it being much deeper in colour. This tea does well without added sweetener, and I would not add a creamer or milk to it at all.

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My Overall Impression

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I loved DavidsTea’s Mao Jian Jade. I’m a huge fan of any tea that resteeps well and holds its own, which Mao Jian Jade definitely rises to the occasion. I found that the tea was very tasty, it’s light and has a beautiful flavour to it. The complexity of the sweet with the salty really adds to the experience of drinking this. As a straight tea, especially one that tastes good, it’s moderately priced and isn’t going to break the bank. I would strongly recommend resteeping this one throughout the day to get the most out of it.

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For Tea’s Sake’s Skinny Sip

Skinny Sip by For Tea’s Sake
Oolong & Green Tea / Straight
$9.99 for 30g

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First Impressions

I picked up this tin of tea while I was on a ferry returning home after a wine tour with some girlfriends on Vancouver Island. There was a bunch of the For Tea’s Sake’s teas on clearance and I picked this one out because it was the only one that was not a rooibos or an herbal infusion. I do like oolongs and I do like green teas, so I figured I would give it a try. I didn’t pick it up because it was a “skinny” tea. There’s a lot of teas and companies out there that make bold claims that drinking tea will make you skinnier, or feel more full. I don’t care about all of that, I just like to try new-to-me teas. The label on the tin states “Gain better health by drinking lots of water but kick it up a notch with the benefits of green and oolong tea. Enjoy a cup before exercise and in the afternoon to stave off cravings and rev up your body’s metabolism.”

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For Tea’s Sake happens to be a Canadian company, based out of Ontario, and I’m all for supporting Canadian tea companies. Skinny Sip comes in a small tin, it feels quite air-tight. The tea itself is loose and comes in a silver foil bag inside of the tin. This silver foil bag is not resealable, which I am okay with since the tin feels sufficient for keeping air out. The dry leaves seem quite compacted when I took a spoonful out. There’s this earthy quality to the dry leaves, along with a buttery smell.

Preparation

For Tea’s Sake recommends steeping Skinny Sip in 90°C (194°F) water for 3 to 5 minutes. I opted to steep mine closer to 3 minutes because there is the green tea in this and I didn’t want to over steep it and wind up with a bitter cup of tea.

First Taste

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Skinny Sip steeps to a nice golden yellow. It smells buttery and has a light earthiness to it that reminds me of the way that dirt smells following rain. Skinny Sip meets my expectations in that it does taste creamy with a beautiful buttery quality to it. That earthiness in the flavour is hard to pick out as it gets overpowered by the butter taste though, which is alright by me because I do like creamy teas. For Tea’s Sake mentions on the tin that “milk and sugar are not recommended”, which is a fair recommendation given that it is an oolong and they’re trying to market a tea that promotes a healthier lifestyle. Not sure how much I believe that the tea will help in gaining a more fit body or help with weight loss though.

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A Second Cup?

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Skinny Sip resteeps beautifully, which I was expecting given that it is an oolong tea. It resteeps to a much deeper golden yellow colour. The tea itself gains a stronger creamy butter quality to it, the earthiness is only present in fragrance on a second steep. I was able to resteep Skinny Sip a total of three times before it started to become weaker in taste and scent.

My Overall Impression

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I liked For Tea’s Sake’s Skinny Sip. I will always greatly enjoy a tea that can be resteeped well, which Skinny Sip definitely fits the bill. The primary reason why I take Skinny Sip three cups out of four, instead of the full four cups, is because of the fact that it is boasting health benefits. While I think tea is always a better alternative to sugar-laden drinks, I’m not one to recommend a product for health benefits without knowing a bit more behind the science of it. One reason why this tea may be good prior to exercise or to help keep you full is because you are taking in more water when you drink this – water is fantastic and necessary when you exercise. Despite the health benefits mentioned on the product, I do think it’s a delicious tea. I don’t think it’s going to make me shed the pounds, but I do think it’s tasty and would recommend it if you’re looking for a Canadian based-tea company which puts out a good oolong and green tea blend.

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DavidsTea’s Royal White Peony

Royal White Peony by DavidsTea
White Tea / Straight
$14.98 for 50g

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First Impressions

White Peony is a tea that I’m fairly familiar with – it is a tea that is often available with at the dim sum restaurants that I go with my family. It’s also called Bai Mudan (literally translates to white peony), for those who want to read more about it. DavidsTea’s Royal White Peony is one of their newer straight teas – it’s a nice touch after them releasing many teas with additional flavourings/ingredients. DavidsTea describes Royal White Peony as a “delicate white tea” that has “fresh notes of garden-picked snow peas”.

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The dry leaf of Royal White Peony takes up quite a bit of space, it’s a light and airy tea that takes up a lot of space. The tea has a light floral scent, with visible feathery down on the leaves. I’m not getting any of the snow peas mentioned in the description of the tea, but I’m intrigued by it because I’m familiar with bai mudan. Royal White Peony is made of organic white tea from Fujian province.

Preparation

DavidsTea recommends steeping Royal White Peony in hot water for 4 to 7 minutes. Hot water is mentioned on their website as being 75-80°C (167-176°F). I used the green tea setting on my Breville IQ Kettle (175°F) and steeped the first pot for 2 minutes. White teas are steeped for 2 to 5 minutes, I find the recommended steeping times of 4 to 7 minutes to be much too long.

First Taste

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Royal White Peony steeps to a pale yellow and has a very delicate floral scent. There’s quite a beautiful taste to this tea, there’s a natural sweetness with floral notes. With the steeping time of two minutes, there is zero bitterness to the tea, a creamy texture to the tea, but also no taste or scent of the mentioned snow peas. It’s a very pleasant tea, I find that it’s easy to drink and I could easily drink this all day.

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A Second Cup?

I resteeped Royal White Peony a total of three times. I added an extra minute or so with each subsequent steep – the second steep was the deepest golden yellow colour. The flavouring of the second steep was the best as it had a deeper floral taste, although I am still missing out on the snow peas. I find that the third and fourth steepings were good but not as rich as the second steep.

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My Overall Impression

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I loved DavidsTea’s Royal White Peony. While this isn’t an inexpensive tea, I do think that Royal White Peony does a great job of being economical. You get quite a bit of tea going by the weight, and the tea itself is delicious. I love that Royal White Peony resteeps well, and that you don’t need to use a lot for a pot of tea. I always enjoy teas that can be resteeped well, and it tastes fantastic – huge bonus! It’s a nice every day tea, and the delicate floral taste to the tea would make an excellent tea to have with an afternoon tea or other sweets.

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