The Tao of Tea

On Monday this was great because it didn’t push me too hard into my morning. Today this was perfect because it was calm and relaxing which is what I needed. I love teas that always seem to be whatever I need them to be.

Uggh. It is Monday. I wanted a tea that would ease me into my day instead of forcing me to accept the fact it is the start of another week. This tea has the name ‘Light Black’ and I had never tried it so I thought this would be a good time to do so.

It has a soft nutty aroma with a little bit of sweetness coming from underneath. The taste is much the same. It does have a drying effect on the back of the tongue but it isn’t unpleasant at all. I quite like this and think it would be good for anyone who might be scared to try a full blown black tea. This does taste like tea, but it is soft, nutty, and sweet which makes it really approachable. Quite happy I chose this to start my day!

As this is just at it’s end of infusion…the scent reminds me of a walk thru a lumber store…very fresh woodsy smelling. The color is a reddish orange. It tastes like it smells with a little sweetness added in. You really can’t smell the spearmint or even taste it during the sip. It’s more of an afterthought-aftertaste effort. It’s ok actually. Not the best but certainly drinkable.

Smells like a pale/mild earl grey
Surprisingly refreshing and mellow.
Not to shabby.

Man, I can’t get enough of this tea. It’s got all the flavor of Rooibos, but none of the back-of-the-throat medicine flavor. Very smooth but still very flavorful.

I like to drink the less caffeinated teas in the evening to minimize sleep interference. I selected this one from the cupboard. It’s a light “fluffy” tea (as I refer to them since they are feather light for their volume.) The leaf has a fine fuzzy feel to it and olive green in color. The curl of the leaf tips is lengthwise from the out edges (right and left) inwards resulting in a folded look. It’s a beautiful shape. The brew comes out a pale yellow. I didn’t add any sweetener so as to not drown out the already subtle taste. The flavor is smooth and slightly nutty, sweet and very pleasant. There is no vegetal or “grassy” flavoring to this tea. It’s just a really great tea to mellow out on.

This tea is dried organic lemongrass, pure and simple, which I suppose to some people would mean that it isn’t really tea. Whether it counts as tea or not, it’s excellent. The lemongrass has a strong, bright flavor, and the aroma is wonderful. Since it’s herbal, it also works well as a nighttime tea. Definitely one of my favorite herbal teas.

Hmmm

A really great, every day tea. One of my favorites.

I haven’t had a lot of darjeelings before. I think that I recall maybe having tried a couple, but for whatever reason I never revisited them and I can’t really remember what I thought.

I figured now was a good time to start trying them again because I got a couple from Auggy, so I brewed this one up today.

I think I like it? Unfortunately, I was trying to read a textbook at the same time, so my attention was a little divided. It definitely wasn’t unpleasant, but being at a disadvantage both because I couldn’t fully concentrate it and I don’t have a lot to compare it with, I can’t say anything definitively.

What I can say is that it was…I don’t know if light is the right word. It wasn’t light like a white tea, or even some greens. Maybe soft is more accurate. Yeah, that sounds right. I tasted a sweetness that wasn’t grassy, and it wasn’t sugary either… It almost tasted like the sweet taste I associate with green beans or peas, but…I don’t know, with more of a floral touch? I also, at times, got a woody taste and there was a bitterness to it when it began to cool. I steeped it a couple of times, and it didn’t change much from one to the next. I probably could have gone for more but then my stomach started telling me it was time to eat so when I got back I decided to move on to something more familiar since I was having difficulty focusing.

This probably isn’t helping you very much; I’m losing my trail of thought, too. But I wanted to get this down so that I would remember it when I inevitably try darjeeling again. It wasn’t unpleasant, but I definitely need to be drinking it when I can pay attention. If I remember what I’ve read about these correctly, they’re supposed to be relatively complex.

This is my first experience with Jasmine and I have been experimenting with greens. I am pleasantly surprised by the nice flavor of Jasmine. Very enjoyable experience. Steeped x3 with good results.

Quite nice. Pretty basic green tea taste

Very pretty color. Strong floral flavor-cannot pick up the ginger. Good x 3 steeps. Each sip becomes more enjoyable.

I’m not a huge fan of white teas but I have found some that are very good. This tea I got from one of my favorite tea shops, the Tao of Tea. It’s an organic white tea from southern India, in the mountainous Nilgiri region. The leaves a long and hard, reminding in looks to some pine needles at first. The liquor steeps up a pale golden yellow color. I find the flavor very subtle and uninspiring for me. It’s ok… but I prefer a little more flavor.

A very nice, almost-white light tea, with good honey and melon. A little mineral/chemical character comes a little forward for me.