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Thank you to Zen Tea for the nice sized sample!

I’m no oolong expert, but this oolong is very nice. I haven’t had too many other coconut flavored oolongs, but this does compare to Mandarin Silk from Persimmon Tree Tea.

This flavor is smooth, very rich, and definitely coconut-y, but not overly so. This is a great oolong for people, like me, who might be a little underwhelmed with oolongs and want a little kick. It’s still a delicious treat even without any sweetener in it!

Thanks to Nature’s Tea Leaf for a sample of this tea.

I don’t drink white tea all that often because it’s so expensive. However, when I got this tea as a sample I was excited to try it because as common as silver needle is – I barely ever have it.

I made sure to use plenty of leaf when infusing. The first time that I steeped this, it was supposed to be for 4-5 minutes but I got distracted and it was probably closer to 7. I was worried the tea would be bitter, but thankfully it wasn’t. It was smooth as ever. I guess white tea is more forgiving than green tea.

This tea is soft and creamy, but definitely not too light, like some other white teas might be. I’m getting a nice buttery taste as well. There’s lots of flavor in this, as long as your are sure to use enough leaf.

Thanks to Nature’s Tea Leaf for a generous sample.

I’m not that experienced with black teas beyond the basic Assam and Darjeeling, but I was excited to try this and expand my horizons. I didn’t steep this for too long for fear the bitterness would ruin my enjoyment. There is also a smokey undertone, but it’s definitely different than a Lapsang, where it’s not overwhelming.

This tea has some complexity to it. As others have mentioned, I am getting the cocoa and malty notes. It’s definitely a hearty and enjoyable tea on it’s ownn

Because it’s so strong and hearty, I decided to throw some soy milk in there to see how the taste changes. The milk definitely smooths out the harsher tones and it becomes more of a silky treat. It almost now tastes like a mild coffee to me.

Both ways are enjoyable in their own way. I look forward to exploring teas like this more.

Thanks to Nature’s Tea Leaf for a generous sample of this tea.

This oolong, like the dragon pearls before, is so much fun to watch steep and unfurl. You really have to brew these teas in a clear vessel, otherwise you’ll be missing a good tea show.

This is a very nice and solid tasting oolong. Very robust and not bitter at all. This is a good pure oolong without flavoring. Nice and smooth with some buttery notes and a natural hint of sweetness.

Thanks to Meowkattack for a sample of this.

When I first saw this tea I didn’t know what the heck to expect. Typically “caramel” stuff is reserved for black teas only. I wasn’t sure how this would work with a green tea base, but I have to say it’s not bad at all.

I agree with others that it works as a nice desert green tea, even though they typically aren’t thought of that way. Caramel lovers will not be disappointed..

Whispering Pines recently had a BOGO ounce of tea sale, and I ordered a few teas, and this one I had to try. I actually got one ounce of the light level smoke and one ounce of the medium-light smoke.

This review is for the light smoke. Check future tasting notes for a review of the medium-light level.

I normally do not like smokey teas. It’s not that I hate them, they are just VERY smokey to me and it’s hard to taste anything. So why this tea? Well it really jumped out at me for two reasons:
1) You could choose the level of smoke you want. Since I’m sensitive to smoke, I knew I had to go with the light.
2) Unlike hojicha, which is heavily roasted, this tea was still green, so it was hopefully something that wouldn’t be too intense.

And the verdict? Not bad. Even with the light there’s still a definite smokiness there, but I bet someone used to drinking smokey teas will think it’s too light. There’s no bitterness here and I can definitely still taste the green tea. The smokiness is not overpowering. Not a bad tea, and I’m definitely glad I went with the light version. I’ll have to see how the medium-light stacks up.

By the way – don’t google “smoked green tea” if you’re looking for varieties of green teas smoked over a fire. You’ll instead get a bunch of articles about smoking green tea a la marijuana ;)

Edit: The one bummer about this tea? It doesn’t seem to hold up to resteepings. The second steeping had a bit of smell of smoke, but I didn’t taste it like I did in the first. It was just generic green tea.

I was really excited to try this tea. I am a soda lover, and cola matcha is probably one of my all-time flavored matchas. This one had a few reviews, so I decided to take a chance on it. The package had a very interesting ginger-y smell. I put a 1/2 teaspoon of matcha into my water bottle, as usual, and stirred it up and drank it cold.

I’ve made this a couple times and I’m not as impressed as I was hoping I would be. Part of the problem is that I’m not really getting the ginger ale flavor. It’s more ginger flavored than ale flavored. It doesn’t quite have the “flat gingerale taste” that I was hoping for like cola matcha does. I read another review that said this tasted like Vernon’s but I’m not getting that at all. It’s not a bad tasting matcha, necessarily, but it’s not as true to the flavor as I was really gunning for.

It’s worth mentioning that I did get this flavored robust, as I usually do. I’m wondering if maybe I should have scaled back the flavoring a little and the ginger wouldn’t be so prominent? I don’t know. The flavor isn’t my favorite, as someone who likes ginger-ale, and LOVED the cola matcha, it’s a little disappointing. If you’re like me and loved the cola matcha, and are looking for a similar soda-flavored matcha, this is not it, unfortunately.

Thank you to Nature’s Tea Leaf for the generous sample.

Like other reviewers, I just assumed this had jasmine in it, but when I looked closer I saw that it didn’t. Very neat.

Tea pearls are always so much fun to watch and these were no exception. Even for the 1 minute steeping I did, they unfurled ever so slightly and so beautifully. Very entertaining. 

The initial taste was very light. The package said 1 teaspoon, which I did, but I looked online and it says 2 teaspoons, which makes more sense. So, for my second infusion I brewed 4 oz instead of 8.

The tea has a nice smooth taste and it’s not too vegetal like some other greens. Maybe I’m crazy but I do detect hints of jasmine. This tea does get some astrigency if steeped for too long.

Overall a smooth green tea, especially for those that are turned off by more grassy greens.