Oasis

wow! welcome to nyc’s horrible transit line. woke up with 3 snoozes, the subway didn’t stop at my normal stop so i had to grab a cab so i wouldn’t be late to work. i know this is supposed to be a “tea note” but of course i am ranting because who wants a thursday morning like that ! geez. so to calm myself down i listened to some good old david bowie and am making myself a cup o tea.

hmmm maybe this wasn’t the best choice to brighten my day. i thought the floral would do a nice pick me up but i wasn’t too stunned with the flavor. it wasn’t really green and it wasn’t really floral. it was hardly and oasis… meh i guess i will have to revert to my favorite genmaicha later.

The worst part in the morning is having to decide which tea to drink. I remembered I got The Tea Forte Collection of Teas for Christmas. I am very OCD so when I opened the container the flavors were all missing 2 except this one so I HAD to take it. I like this tea with a little honey but can’t drink it plain. It’s not strong enough even though I steeped it for 2 1/2 mins. Overall I’m not completely disappointed but I just remember it tasting A WHOLE LOT better a few months ago. Oh well, tea and Milano’s for breakfast while I wait for the craft store to open to pick up a few things for my first swap. And a mystery one at that! Wish me luck!

http://m.flickr.com/lightbox?id=8748122370

Got 2 of these to sample… one word: meh

This doesn’t taste as nice as its name… the only adjective I can use to describe it is: weird. Will try to steep in boiling water next time to see if it helps…

A mingling of two scents greeted me when I opened the Oasis canister: clean and grassy green tea, and… lemon? Yes, lemon flavoring may be listed as the final ingredient, but it permeates more than the floral notes do. I wouldn’t describe it as overpowering, but for someone who’s not a huge lemon fan it wasn’t a welcome surprise. The leaves of Oasis are appealing to look at, though. The blend is like a miniature flower garden, a bed of dark green with lots of yellow (marigold) and bits of blue (cornflower) and rose.

When brewed as instructed and without sweetener, Oasis produces a beautiful golden-yellow brew with a hint of green. The green tea, floral, and citrus scents balanced out, giving the drink an earthy yet sweet aroma. It’s such a harmony that any worries I’d had about a lemon-dominated tea dissipated with the steam – and so I took my first sip.

Balance continues to be the key as you taste Oasis. The green tea undertones allow the other flavors, particularly rose and lemon, to poke through, so you get a little bit of everything that Tea Forté promises. Altogether the tea is light, mellow, and smooth, with a subtle sweetness and a tangy, slightly acidic finish. It reminds me of summertime, of sitting on the back porch just after the grass has been cut and relishing the bright colors of blooming flowers. Not tropical by any means, but it still offered the “oasis” state of mind I was seeking, only in a different way.

Oasis is a delicate tea, so be careful when brewing. It can grow bitter if the water’s too hot or if you let it steep too long. Keep it to the recommended 2- to 3-minute timeframe to get the flowery, soothing cup that Tea Forté intended.

Read the full review here: http://bibliophilesreverie.com/2014/06/18/tea-forte-oasis-green-tea/

I have used the pyramid infuser and only steeped it for a little less than 2 minutes, I think it was enough as the color is not pale and the taste is not weak, but I need to concentrate on my sip completely if I want to find out the ingredients mentioned on the packaging, a part from citrus.

Drinking this now. Only steeped for 2 minutes and it’s quite strong, but the overall flavor isn’t bad. Will try to re-steep and see if it improves. The 2nd steep (for only 1 minute) was more palatable.

At Coupa Cafe last night.