SLIMFUL CHOCOLATE DECADENCE OOLONG TEA-Teavana

Description

Drawing inspiration from a decadent warm Hawaiian chocolate cake, this oolong blend is a luxurious mix of robust cacao, creamy toasted coconut, and ginger spice that satisfies even the strongest sweet tooth. Pink rose petals add romantic icing to this guilt-free treat enticing you to reach for seconds. Have your tea and eat it too! CONTAINS NUTS

Dark chocolate with sweet toasted coconut

Another one that I grabbed on my recent venture. There is a slight coffee aroma with this one. Coconut is very apparent when you smell the dry leaf. Not so much the ginger, and I have not noticed rose in here. When it all comes together in the cup…it does taste a bit like chocolate cake…Hawaiian? I don’t know. I’ve never had Hawaiian chocolate cake. I like the cocoa flavor that comes through. Looking at the wet leaves in my strainer it looks like a combo of green and more oxidized oolong tea leaves. The tea base came through on this one and reminded me of the Shui-Hsien that I have tried overall a decent cup.

Origin: Anxi, Fujian, China

Ingredients: Jade colored leaves (hand made into small, rolled up)

Harvest time: Hand-picked in May, 2011

Taste: Delightfully fresh floral taste and aroma

Brew: 3-4 teaspoons for 8oz of water. Brew at 212 ºF (100 ºC) for 1 to 3 minutes (exact time depends on your taste – a longer time will give the tea a stronger taste and color)

Health Benefits: Tie Guan Yin tea is the premium form of Chinese Oolong teas. Being lightly fermented, these teas are high amino acids, vitamins, polyphenols and antioxidants. These combine into a tea that reduces cholesterol and helps reduce hardening of the arteries, and so can help reduce risks of heart attacks. The antioxidants it contains can also help guard against some forms of cancer, and also help fight the affects of aging and bacterial infections.

Another offering that I received from Teavivre. I have tried a few Ti Kuan Yin Oolongs and they all seem have different characters. Some more green. Others more oxidized. Some having a nutty or honey characteristic. There is a beauty in watching the Iron Goddess unfurl to present her glorious nectar. I do like how this is packaged, I can make a pot with one package. Opening up the dry leaves….whoa! Very floral. Very green. Smells like packaged summer. I know this is not a jasmine scented or flavored Oolong but it smells very similar. The leaves produce a pale yellow liquor. The smell and flavor remind me of that first part of June when you can really start to smell the Jasmine. Another great offering from Teavivre.

Imperial Pu-Erh

Went out to celebrate a friends birthday at Wasabi. Sushi, Hibachi, and Sake! Yes life is good, but holy cow! Too much food and lot’s of Sake from our chef. So the wife and I get home feeling really full. So what do I turn to? No not plop plop fizz fizz but the good Dr’s Imperial Pu-Erh. Reminds me of a classic from a gentleman like Billy D Williams!

Does it everytime! :)

Acai Matetini Mate Tea-Teavana

Picked this up over the weekend. Yeah I got roped in by the new blends at Teavana. A very fruity aroma emanates from this one. The initial taste reminds me of Dr. Tea’s Obama’s Oolong. Further tasting it reminds me of the Passion Tea Lemonade from Starbucks. So it’s a very familiar taste, but with add in the fact that it’s a Mate and all is right with the world. You really can’t taste the green mate. Which if you were new to mate would probably be a good thing because I would say that un-roasted mate is definitely an acquired taste. I definitely like this one!

Toasted Nut Brulee-Teavana

Grabbed a cup of this while at the mall. My wife was getting her eyebrows done….so I treated myself to tea. A good call I think. This one is pretty good. The cinnamon just about knocks you over. I could also pick up the apple and caramel. However there was just a funky aftertaste that I had with this one. I think it was pretty good and think my mom would love this one for Christmas or her birthday. I think they should rename it cinnamon bun instead of toasted nut brulee.

2011 Menghai Dayi 7542-China Cha Dao

I’m really trying to like this one but so far is not happening. There’s is a touch of Oolong and darjeeling in it, but I’m thinking green pu-erh is not for me. It was bitter to me…lacked the smoothness that I like from black pu-erh. By the end of the of the cup I felt like scratching my tongue like Tom Hanks in Big. I am normally not one to rate a tea low but this one just isn’t doing it for me.

Ripened Rose Pu-erh Mini Tuocha

Another offering from Teavivre that I have been excited to try. Tuocha happens to be one of my favorite forms of the glorious tea that is Pu-Erh. I can’t tell you how many times when everything seems to be cramming down on me that I make a cup of Pu-Erh and I don’t know why but Pu-Erh seems to have that Je ne sais quoi that relaxes me and brings me back an even keel. For some it’s a drink of an alcoholic nature however it’s Pu-Erh for me. Now I have tried the rose tuocha from Tao of Tea before and enjoyed it. Again I love the packaging from this company and love how for the shelf life this one says ongoing. First steep the tuocha crumbled almost instantly after a minute. A nice dark liquor was produced. I have noticed with rose teas that the first cup has a bit of bite to it. I don’t know if this is a characteristic of the rose or not. It doesn’t deter from the quality of the tea just a tad bitter. Second Steep lovely and smooth. Third: lighter and tastes more like mushroom water. All said I think this is another fine offering from teavivre. I am enjoying what they have to offer.

Yun Nan Dian Hong Black Tea – Golden Tip

So I am reviewing this one after my second tasting because sometimes with my palette I have to try it a second time before accurately reviewing a tea. First of all I have to say that I am very impressed with the ATD of this company. In the broadcast industry we call that attention to detail. Never on tea packaging have I seen the origin, factory it was produced in, date it was produced and shelf life. Now about the tea. So as I have matured in my coffee tasting and can pinpoint beans from different regions…so it goes with teas. There is a certain taste quality that you get from Yunnan blacks….slightly smokey…a little peppery…hint of leather…maybe even pumpkin. None the less this is a quality tea and I am quite glad to try it. Teavivre