Tag: Green Tea

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Teakan’s Rizhao Green

Rizhao Green by Teakan
Green Tea / Straight
$30.00 for 60g

Rizhao Green is part of Teakan’s Volume 4 Exploration Kit, a collection of five single origin teas. Rizhao Green makes up 15g of the 60g kit.

First Impressions

Packaged in a sealed, resealable pouch, Rizhao Green came as part of the Volume 4 Exploration Kit from Teakan. Another green tea, this one comes from Rizhao, Shandong, China. As with the other teas, Rizhao Green is in a kraft paper pouch with a white label with black print. This particular green tea is harvested in spring 2021.

The leaves appear to be short, wiry, with a varying green colour from spring green to a deep, dark forest green. The aroma is grassy, vegetal, and sweet. Rizhao Green is really quite pretty though – as you can see for yourself:

Preparation

Teakan recommends steeping Rizhao Green in 80°C (176°F) water for 2 minutes (western style) or 15-20 seconds (gongfu style). I opted to do an initial steep of 2 minutes.

First Taste

Rizhao Green steeps to a light yellow colour – it’s cheerful and inviting. The aroma is grassy, lightly vegetal, with a hint of something sweet. The flavour of this green tea is crisp – vegetal, sweet, grassy, with hints of a roasted nuttiness that lingers at the back of the tongue. As a full disclaimer, the first time I tried this tea, I accidentally set my timer for 3 minutes instead of 2 minutes and was met with a cup of very bitter tea… I would highly recommend not going over 2 minutes for the initial steep. Save your taste buds.

A Second Cup?

I resteeped Rizhao Green a total of seven times (eight steeps total), and used the same water temperature but adding an additional 30 seconds for each subsequent steep – and found that the flavour stayed pretty consistent throughout. It got a bit more nutty and less sweet as I went, but overall stayed very similar to the initial steep. Plus, check out the leaves! They’re definitely not short or small, and have a beautiful spring green colour.

My Overall Impression

I loved Teakan’s Rizhao Green. This Chinese green tea was a treat for the senses throughout the process of steeping it. The look of the dry leaf, and the taste of the steeped tea – just a nice cup of tea. And it doesn’t hurt that it resteeps very well (something that I will recommend!). I would just recommend minding your steeping times and temperature, as this would be one of those green teas that I would consider to be sensitive.

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Dessert by Deb’s Banana Breakfast Muffins

Banana Breakfast Muffins by Dessert by Deb
Type of tea / Straight/Flavoured
$16.00 for 75g

Banana Breakfast Muffins came as part of my bimonthly Subscription Box from Dessert by deb, and is a Tea Society Subscriber exclusive blend.

First Impressions

Banana Breakfast Muffins came to me in a sealed, resealable pouch as part of Subscription Box from Dessert by Deb. I should give a bit of a disclaimer to begin this review by saying that while I enjoy bananas as the fruit (fresh), I’m not a big fan of artificial banana flavouring or banana chips with that concentrated banana flavour or aroma. Banana Breakfast Muffins is part of the Sweet Winter Brunch Collection.

This green tea blend has a strong banana aroma with cinnamon lingering in the background – it reminds me a lot of a loaf of banana bread (just needs some chocolate chips). Banana Breakfast Muffins consists of: green tea, bananas, cinnamon, and calendula petals.

Preparation

Dessert by Deb recommends steeping Banana Breakfast Muffins in 200°F (93°C) water for 4 to 5 minutes. I opted to do an initial steep for 4 minutes.

First Taste

Banana Breakfast Muffins steeps to a remarkably bright yellow colour – reminds me of liquid sunshine. It has a very strong banana aroma, and the cinnamon really tickles the nose when I go to take a sniff of the tea. On first sip, I primarily taste a blend of cinnamon and banana. The taste of the banana is prominent, and the cinnamon hangs out on the tongue. The green tea flavour is more in the background, and there’s a subtle umami note to it that makes this green tea blend almost savoury in nature.

A Second Cup?

I resteeped Banana Breakfast Muffins once, but found that the flavour of banana and cinnamon doesn’t come through nearly as much as with the initial steep.

My Overall Impression

I thought that Dessert by Deb’s Banana Breakfast Muffins was just okay. While the banana and cinnamon really shines through, and reminds me a lot of banana bread – I’m just not a fan of the banana flavouring in my cup of tea.  It does well to mimic the idea of banana bread, which is a favourite for a lot of people. I think for those who enjoy banana chips and banana bread, you’d enjoy this blend.

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Masters Teas’ Shi Feng Long Jing

Shi Feng Long Jing by Masters Teas
Green Tea / Straight
$29.00USD for 1.5oz

Masters Teas has provided me with  Shi Feng Long Jing for the purposes of writing an honest review.

First Impressions

Getting my hands on a newly harvested tea is a real treat. It came from Masters Teas in a sealed, resealable pouch. The packaging describes it as an early spring harvest from very young leaves – I have reviewed from the Shi Feng Long Jing from 2020 so getting to try the 2021 harvest is a nice treat.

The leaves themselves are incredibly uniform – long flat green leaves with a bright spring green. The aroma is brightly floral, sweet, and lightly vegetal that reminds me of spring grass. I love how evenly shaped the leaves are, it has just a beauty to it. This Shi Feng Long Jing is from Zhejiang, China and was harvested in April 2021.

Preparation

Masters Teas recommends steeping Shi Feng Long Jing in 170°F (77°C) water for 2 to 3 minutes. I opted to follow the steeping instructions and do an initial steep of 2 minutes.

First Taste

Shi Feng Long Jing steeps to a lovely yellow colour, the aroma has a nice brightness to it – I find notes of floral, grassy notes, and vegetal aromas when I lifted up the cup to inhale the aroma of this dragon well. The flavour is lightly sweet, with hints of grass, vegetal notes of dark leafy green vegetables. I found that Shi Feng Long Jing has a smoothness to it, a light thickened mouthfeel, and a nutty finish at the tail end of each sip.

A Second Cup?

I resteeped Shi Feng Long Jing six times (seven steeps total), by adding an additional 30 seconds for each subsequent steep. The colouring of Shi Feng Long Jing became a deeper yellow, with a stronger aroma and flavour that became less sweet and more nutty. It felt like it was maturing with each steep, and I found it to be quite tasty and enjoyable. The mouthfeel of Shi Feng Long Jing became just a touch astringent and I found myself wanting more.

My Overall Impression

I loved Masters Teas’ Shi Feng Long Jing. This was a lovely green tea to experience from dry leaf, through the steeping process, to the drinking and resteeping process. I found the flavour was tasty and the leaves steeped well. I enjoyed the sweetness that naturally occurs in the initial steep, and the changes in the flavour with each subsequent steep made for a pleasant experience with the little nuances in the flavour. This is definitely one to resteep as much as possible, and possible cold steep the leaves to coax more flavours out of the leaves.

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