Review: California Tea House’s White Monkey Paw Green Tea

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My humans continue their brief time out from the Chilled Tea Extravaganza to review another tea from California Tea House.

The Subject: White Monkey Paw Green Tea from California Tea House.


Rating:

Water temperature: Just under boiling, per their Website

Steeping time: 2 minutes or less, per their Website

Tea type: Green
Scents, flavorings, etc.: N/A
Aroma, dry: Fresh, planty, grassy
Aroma in the cup, plain: Planty, fresh
Taste, plain: Mild, not bitter, slightly grassy
Aroma in the cup, enhanced: N/A
Taste, enhanced: N/A

2nd Infusion: About the same (could easily have done a 3rd infusion)

Chilled: N/A

Comments:
This tea has a confusing name. It’s “White Monkey Paw” on their site, labeled “Monkey Paw” on the bag, and is a green tea. The name “White Monkey Paw” makes it sound like this is a white tea. However, one look at the tea leaves and one sip of the tea liquid told me it was a green tea.

We prepared the sampling a little differently than their Website recommends. We heated the water to just below boiling but used only approximately 2 spoonfuls of dry tea in 2 cupfuls of water (about half the amount of tea they recommend). So, our infusion was a bit lighter than you would get using their method. We suggest you try different combinations to get the infusion strength that’s right for you. In fact, do 3 or more infusions from the same batch of tea leaves. That will really give you a lot of bang for your tea buck and make the $11 price a bit more palatable (well worth it in my estimation).

This is definitely another “sipper tea” — you need to take your time enjoying it to make sure you don’t miss any of the flavor.

I have to reiterate a couple of things stated on the Silver Needle review:

We would like to see this and other tea companies put their steeping recommendations on the package like TeaGeschwendner, or on a card like Chicago Tea Garden that comes with the teas. It’s a bit tricky to rush to the PC, go to a Website, find the tea, and read through the information there before being able to prepare the tea. Sometimes I really really really need a cuppa tea, like, RIGHT AWAY.

While hubby and I don’t fall for the organic mumbo-jumbo nor assume that something labeled “organic” is going to be better quality (often, it’s just more expensive), we aren’t going to deduct a half teapot. The tea is THAT good!

Disclaimer: This tea was provided by the company named. However, the rating of the tea and any opinions concerning it are always strictly objective.