Little Yellow Teapot Tea Reviews

Tea Adventure: “Jasmine Ancient Beauty” from Persimmon Tree Tea

2012-01-27T09:30:00.000-05:00

Here is the latest “Tea Gang” adventure with:

“Jasmine Ancient Beauty” from Persimmon Tree Tea.[More company info]This is a Flavored Tea [About straight teas vs flavored teas.]

Yes, another flavored tea. Jasmines, though, are a really special category and have been around a long, long time. Most we’ve tried in this household have been green teas, but this is an oolong. I supervised the steeping while my cohort Little One Cupper steeped the tea.

Prepare your noses, humans, for a floral burst when you pop the lid off the tea tin. But it won’t overwhelm you. The processors of this tea have managed to tone down the jasmine aroma enough so that it is very evident but doesn’t knock you over. It might be the tea used here, a lovely oolong of indeterminate origin. Oolongs are teas that are not fully oxidized (the process that turns the leaves from green to black) and range from lightly oxidized to heavily oxidized. This one is about in the middle:

The vendor recommends water heated to 195 F and a 3-5 minute steeping. Little One Cupper stayed with 3 minutes per steep. This being an oolong, multiple steeps were very doable. The liquid was a lovely honey color but also had a honey-like quality under that jasmine floral top coat. It was smooth tasting, too, and one of the more enjoyable jasmines my humans have tried (some have been too strongly floral). It really is a bit sad, though, to watch my humans quibbling over who will get the last cupful. Sigh!

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

© 2012 A.C. Cargill photos and text – All rights reserved. No copying, posting on other sites, or other uses allowed without written permission of the copyright holder.

Tea Adventure: Royal Yunnan from Tea Licious

2012-01-25T09:26:00.001-05:00

Here is the latest “Tea Gang” adventure with:

Royal Yunnan from Tea Licious[More company info]This is a Straight Tea [About straight teas vs flavored teas.]

This time it’s a classic tea from the Yunnan Province of China. A black tea, something that is relatively new from that region. This little teapot insisted on doing the steeping honors, since I am the founder and head of this gang of teapots, cups, etc. (all dedicated to tea adventures).

This traditional black tea is picked in early Spring when tea plants are budding with the new year's growth. These buds when oxidized turn gold instead of black, and the tea has a rich flavor that is good both black or with a little milk (and some sweetener if you wish. This one from Tea Licious lives up to that reputation. The dry leaves emitted an aroma that reminded my humans of the rich fruitiness of dates and yet had a floral quality.

I steeped twice in boiling water for 4 minutes. The first one had a slightly astringent yet smoky/caramelly flavor that tickled my spout and made my humans “Ooh!” and “Aah!” A bit of milk and sweetener took away that hint of astringency and smoothed the flavor but did not smother it. My humans thought the flavor had a bit of Earl Greyness to it in a floral way. The second steeping was lighter but still flavorful. A third steeping is a definite possibility, making this tea a real bargain!

When posing for the photo above, I didn’t realize that Little Red Teapot was lurking behind my cozy. He had wanted to steep this tea and was probably waiting his chance to usurp me in the role of steeper. I’m going to have to give him a good talking to.

Meanwhile, try some of this wonderful tea. I’m thinking the folks in the Salt Lake City, Utah, area lost something special when the Tea Licious store closed, but you humans everywhere can still enjoy these teas by ordering from her online.

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

© 2012 A.C. Cargill photos and text – All rights reserved. No copying, posting on other sites, or other uses allowed without written permission of the copyright holder.

Tea Adventure: “Corazon de Melon” from Teajay

2012-01-23T08:00:00.000-05:00

Here is the latest “Tea Gang” adventure with:

Corazon de Melon from Teajay[More company info]This is a Flavored Tea [About straight teas vs flavored teas.]

This little teapot freely acknowledges the popularity of flavored teas. This popularity leads to the rise of various tea vendors adding tons of “stuff” to their teas, instead of letting those teas speak for themselves. A lot of tea drinkers seem to be totally deaf to the language of teas anyway, and so when the teas speak, they are not heard or are not understood.

Teajay is trying to give teas a musical voice while at the same time drowning them out by adding a mélange of flavorings. This little teapot got some samples, opened the package, and immediately smelled this one (sadly, the little bags were not sealed and so were not airtight). I must confess that the aroma of the melon was quite enticing and so encouraged my humans to try the tea right away. Did the tea get to sing? Read on to find out.

This tea is Chinese oolong with honey melon, guava pieces, barberries, tea flowers and sunflowers (per the vendor’s web site). Quite a combo, and the flavorings are presented in big chunks, not dabbled on as oils. (Presenting flavorings in this chunky form has come to be fairly iffy: better for multiple infusions, yet hard to get an even distribution per pot or cupful, and some larger elements such as whole peppercorns not imparting the extent of flavor they would if ground up.) The melon aroma dominates and is quite appealing. Time to steep and see how this mixture does in the teacup.

We followed the vendor’s label and heated water to 90 C and then steeping for 1 minute for the first infusion and 1½ minutes for the second infusion. The steeping was done by Tea Gang member Little One Cup while I supervised. The results were pretty much as expected.

The melon speaks loud and clear and totally drowns out the milky oolong as well as the other ingredients. No guava flavor. Not sure what barberries should taste like. Sunflower petals were just there but added no flavor element. The oolong was one of the greener kind (that is, more lightly oxidized) and consisted of fairly large leaf pieces but emitted a flavor like a piano without strings.

My guess is that on its own this oolong would have been quite nice. My humans stopped at two infusions, even though the leaves could have born another round. The fruit flavoring was too overpowering in the cup, as much so as it was enticing in the dry mix.

As always, I and my humans recognize that for those of you who enjoy fruity teas, you will find this a pleasant cupful. Also, we appreciate that company founder Selen Mostyn is trying to do something different, as are a number of smaller tea vendors out there working busily to create their own line of signature flavored teas. Our best wishes to them all.

Meanwhile, we have more samples from Teajay to try, and they are a bit tamer in their flavorings, so we have high hopes.

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

© 2011 A.C. Cargill photos and text – All rights reserved. No copying, posting on other sites, or other uses allowed without written permission of the copyright holder.

Tea Adventure: Gen Maicha from Tea Licious

2012-01-18T08:59:00.000-05:00

Here is the latest “Tea Gang” adventure with:

Gen Maicha from Tea Licious[More company info]This is a Flavored Tea [About straight teas vs flavored teas.]

Time for this little teapot and his humans to take a bow – a Japanese bow of greeting – for this time our tea adventure is a real Japanese treat. I was going to ask Tea Gang member Little Japanese teapot to steep this, but I took one whiff of the dry tea in the pouch, with its richly roasty/grassy aroma, and claimed the honor for myself! (It’s good to be gang leader.)

Starting with bancha (an inexpensive, low quality green tea drunk everyday in Japan), Tea Licious then added the traditional roasted rice. One difference here from other versions we’ve tried is that it has a lot more popped rice kernels.

Water heated to 185° F will steep this tea without cooking it (something that can make the tea taste too spinachy). The steeping time recommended is 4 to 6 minutes. We did only 4 minutes for the first steep and 4½ minutes for the second steep. Both seemed more than ample, and you might want to cut back to 3 and 3½ minutes for the first and second steeps respectively. A third steep is iffy. My humans didn’t want to.

The liquid was a lovely golden color with a wonderful grassy/toasty aroma and flavor, fairly typical for this tea style. The second steep had less of the grassy teaness, which was a bit disappointing and the reason my humans did not want me to do a third steeping. They were quite pleased anyway. Another very suitable version of this popular style of Japanese green tea.

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

© 2012 A.C. Cargill photos and text – All rights reserved. No copying, posting on other sites, or other uses allowed without written permission of the copyright holder.

Tea Adventure: “The Monk” (Black Tea) from Tea and Jazz House

2012-01-17T08:27:00.000-05:00

Here is the latest “Tea Gang” adventure with:

“The Armstrong” (Black Tea) from The Tea and Jazz House [More company info]This is a Flavored Tea [About straight teas vs flavored teas.]

No Gregorian chants, tea lovers. The Monk being honored here with this tea is jazz great Thelonius Monk, known for his unorthodox style of playing. In recognition of this totally individual and unique approach to jazz, the Tea Gang and I acquiesced to Libre Tea Steeping Mug to do the job here. He’s a pretty no-muss, no-fuss tea steeper, so things were simple. And his clear glass and poly body allowed my humans some visual entertainment during the steeping.

Here he is at the start of the steep:

And here is the resulting liquid, served up in a very special and jazzy teacup:

Enough showing off there, Steeping Mug. Time to give readers some info on the tea itself.

This is a black tea with lots (and I mean LOTS) of other stuff added in. The vendor’s web site lists the additions as: cranberry, orange peel, apple, papaya, pineapple, apricot, almond, rose hips, cinnamon, rose petals, cornflowers, and flavoring. As you can see, the tea takes a real backseat here, with the majority of the content being the fruits and other stuff. The aroma of the dry mix is mostly cinnamony and orangy. The large fruit pieces made getting an even distribution in each spoonful that went into the steeping mug tricky, but with my careful guidance, my humans managed it.

We boiled the water and steeped for 4 minutes. I tooted a merry tune while my humans gazed at the pieces floating up, then settling down as they absorbed more water and got heavier. That Steeping Mug puts on quite a show! And the strainer made pouring the tea out into that jazzy teacup a snap. As for the liquid, it was dominated by the cinnamon and orange peel with only a touch of the other fruits coming through and virtually no tea flavor. Not necessarily a bad thing for you cinnamon lovers out there. Try it with a bit of milk and sweetener. My humans said it was very dessert-like with the fruit flavors coming through more.

Check Mary’s site frequently for new flavors and site features. While there, take a few minutes to listen to her music. Tea and jazz. A flavorful combination.

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

© 2011 A.C. Cargill photos and text – All rights reserved. No copying, posting on other sites, or other uses allowed without written permission of the copyright holder.

This Little Teapot Ties One On!

2012-01-16T09:42:00.001-05:00

Some of you may already know that this little teapot and his gang are on Twitter. Toot! One of the humans I converse with there is @Casualsnobbing, a guy from Germany (or thereabouts) who has a thing for neckties and other casually snobby attire. You can see some of his photos on his blog: http://casualsnobbing.blogspot.com/

One day, I got inspired by his blog to see how I might look wearing one of my humans’ ties. As it turns out, he only has one — his Scottish clan plaid tie. Fortunately, the colors in it coordinated well with my yellowness.

The Tea Gang gathered round while I tied on the tie. (Actually, not having thumbs… fingers… hands… arms, my ‘he’ human tied it.) I pranced around a bit while my fellow teapots “Oohed” and “Aahed.”

Then, I posed for my solo shot. The tie was a bit long for me (sort of like a little kid dressing up in his or her parents’ clothing) but otherwise was quite suitable.

I’ll be getting back to tea steeping, but first have to ask if I looked casually snobby enough. Leave me a comment with your vote “Yes” or “No.”

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

© 2012 A.C. Cargill photos and text – All rights reserved. No copying, posting on other sites, or other uses allowed without written permission of the copyright holder.

Tea Adventure: Tropical Tangerine White Tea from The Boston Tea Company

2012-01-12T09:00:00.000-05:00

Here is the latest “Tea Gang” adventure with:

Citron Green Tea from The Boston Tea Company
[More info on the company] This is a Flavored Tea [About straight teas vs flavored teas.]

The Boston Tea Company is one of this little teapot’s faves, not just because of the teas, but because of the camaraderie. They are always so nice to me and my humans on Twitter and Facebook, even when we may not totally like the tea we’re reporting on. (Several other vendors are like that, too, and we here, both teapots and humans, greatly appreciate them as well.)

The label says this is a tea from the Fujian Province of China. Most likely it is Pai Mu Tan (Bai Mu Dan, White Peony). We saw a chunk or two of what we assumed to be dried tangerine. The aroma of the dry tea was fruity/floral/nutty. We had high hopes for a tasty treat.

Tea Gang member Blue Flower Teapot, a fine bone china beauty, was selected to do the steeping honors. There was something about the name “Tropical Tangerine” that seemed to lend itself to such delicacy and refinement. She steeped the tea for one minute in water that wasn’t quite boiled, per the vendor’s instructions.

Time to try the tea.

The liquid was a lovely golden color with an aroma that was a balance of floral, fruit, and tea nuttiness. Unfortunately, the flavor was heavily dominated by the floral, with little or no tangerine, which disappointed us teapots and our humans as well. We’ve had this sample awhile, so the blenders at The Boston Tea Company may have revised the mixture. No matter, though. It does go to show, as we’ve said before, that the aroma of the dry tea (the flavored kind, that is) is not always what you get taste wise when it’s steeped. Keep it in mind when shopping at one of those teashops full of those wonderfully smelling flavored teas.

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

© 2012 A.C. Cargill photos and text – All rights reserved. No copying, posting on other sites, or other uses allowed without written permission of the copyright holder.

Tea Adventure: Arya Ruby 2nd Flush 2011 from Thunderbolt Tea

2012-01-10T09:46:00.000-05:00

Here is the latest “Tea Gang” adventure with:

Arya Ruby 2nd Flush 2011 from Thunderbolt Tea[More company info]This is a Straight Tea [About straight teas vs flavored teas.]

Another wonderful tea adventures with tea from Arya gardens sent to my humans by our buddy Benoy at Thunderbolt Tea. This tea was harvested after the 2nd period of growth for the season.

The sample, like all he sends, was vacuum packed and heat-sealed. The tea inside is what’s important. No steeping instructions come with these teas, so this intrepid little teapot and his buddies go by past experience. This Little Yellow Teapot did the steeping honors with his best buddy Libre Tea Steeping Mug serving as overseer (wearing the all important sash) and served up in one of the delicate bone china teacups and saucers that my humans own as part of their small but very treasured collection. (These teacups tend to really compete to be chosen for this honor, and this teacup felt especially honored here.)

Once again, a nice whiff of the dry tea leaves told us this was a premium Darjeeling tea and that Benoy had sent another winner. The aroma was fruity and yet nutty, and the broken leaf pieces were a mix of dark brown, tan, and green. We steeped 3 times in water heated to 190° F — the 1st for 3 minutes, the 2nd for 3½ minutes, and the 3rd for 4 minutes. The liquid was a golden-reddish color with a richly fruity aroma. The flavor was mild with a tangy fruity finish that was stronger in the 2nd infusion. The 3rd infusion was weaker overall but did not lose that Muscatel character.

Once again and as always, a nice tea from Benoy, our tea guy in Darjeeling. Toot!

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

© 2012 A.C. Cargill photos and text – All rights reserved. No copying, posting on other sites, or other uses allowed without written permission of the copyright holder.

Tea Adventure: Kenilworth Estate Ceylon Black Tea from Tea Licious

2012-01-06T09:28:00.000-05:00

Here is the latest “Tea Gang” adventure with:

Kenilworth Estate Ceylon Black Tea from Tea Licious [More company info]This is a Straight Tea [About straight teas vs flavored teas.]

Tea growing in Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon) saved their economy from ruin when a blight hit their coffee growers hard, wiping most of it out. The Kenilworth Estate is one of the main tea gardens in the Kandy region of the island nation. It was named after the famous castle in England, established at the turn of the last century, and located at an elevation of 3,500 feet. Tender leaves are plucked after the first monsoon and processed in cooler weather to give the tea its characteristic creamy character with hints of cocoa, spice, tobacco and fruity undertones. (See Main Ceylon Tea Growing Regions for more info.)

My humans find a lot of Ceylon teas have a raisiny aroma to the dry leaves, and it carries through to the liquid. This one had only the faintest raisiny quality in the dry leaves. Time to see if the steeped liquid will have it.

The vendor specifies boiling water and steeping for 4-6 minutes, so my humans heated the water and spooned the dry tea into me. Then I steeped, steeped, steeped but only for 4 minutes. Shorter steep times help avoid bitterness and astringency. With this tea, I’m thinking, though, that 3 minutes would have been better. The results were overall satisfying, with a rich, raisiny aroma and a beautiful ruby brown color, but it was marred with a slight astringency. My humans added some milk and sweetener, which covered that astringency and heightened the raisiny quality.

I did a smaller second steep, but it was too weak and not up to my standards or those of my humans. No problem, though, since that first steep is so satisfying!

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

© 2012 A.C. Cargill photos and text – All rights reserved. No copying, posting on other sites, or other uses allowed without written permission of the copyright holder.

Tea Adventure: “Peach Apple Crisp” from Persimmon Tree Tea

2012-01-04T09:37:00.000-05:00

Here is the latest “Tea Gang” adventure with:

“Peach Apple Crisp” from Persimmon Tree Tea. [More company info]This is a Flavored Tea [About straight teas vs flavored teas.]

My humans had pretty much decided to forego trying any more flavored teas, but some they’ve tried recently have been very worthwhile. This, happily, is another one. And you peach-flavored-tea-lovers out there will be quite satisfied with this one. The surprise here, though, was the floral notes from what look like dried rose petals.

The can label says there is peach and apple in with the unspecified black tea, so I and my humans were a bit surprised to see those dried rose petals. Of course, there were plenty of dried peach and apple bits, too. The aroma was fruity but also there was a slight “peppery” hint, which my humans suspected were from the rose petals.

Time for this little teapot to steep up some and see how the flavor and aroma of the liquid compares with the aroma of the dried tea. They don’t always match, one of the downsides of flavored teas. True to my principles, I followed the vendor’s instructions and directed my humans to heat the water to 195° F. I steeped for 3 minutes and then poured out for their sipping pleasure.

Well, time to celebrate. This tea delivered on that fruity promise without the rose floral overwhelming everything. There was a slight pepper/anise/burnt leaves quality under that fruity surface, possibly from the type of tea used. Too bad the vendor doesn’t specify. The tea is part of the taste experience, after all.

A bit of milk and sweetener heightened that fruity quality, making this another great dessert tea, that is, a tea to have instead of dessert! My humans really liked that.

I tried a second steeping, using only half as much water this time and steeping for 4 minutes, but even my skills as a teapot could not get a decent cuppa here. The flavor was weak, with the peppery character even stronger and the fruity flavors present but wimpy. Stick with one good infusion and don’t worry about trying to stretch this tea out by attempting a second infusion.

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

© 2012 A.C. Cargill photos and text – All rights reserved. No copying, posting on other sites, or other uses allowed without written permission of the copyright holder.

A Tea Surprise at the Local Store

2012-01-02T10:15:00.003-05:00

The “Tea Gang” is always on the hunt for new teas with which to have adventures. In addition to the wonderful samples we get from various companies, my humans often bring home something special they have found at one of the many local stores.

This time, it’s Dilmah brand, a single origin Ceylon black tea. It’s only in bagged form, but we are adept at cutting open bags and steeping loose. The package says they work hard to assure freshness, but it takes time for any tea to get from plucking to steeping. We’ll be reporting back to you later about how this tea tastes when my humans get a chance to try it.

A bit about the company:

According to the end panel on the box, Dilmah is the only global brand name owned by tea growers. They claim that big companies have taken over most tea production and reduced quality. My humans aren’t too sure this is true, but certainly India is dominated by one large company that controls most gardens. There still remain independent gardens, though, and vendors who deal with them privately to bring their fine teas to market. So, take what the box label and their web site say with a grain of salt, as the saying goes. They seem to want you to buy from them as some protest against large, efficient, and successful companies.

The company was founded in 1988, according to the cute little brochure in the box, and named after the two sons (Dilhan and Malik) of the founder Merrill J. Fernando, who proudly puts his name and his email address (merrill@dilmahtea.com) on that brochure. Gotta give ’em credit for being upfront about who they are, unlike some tea companies! They tend to fuss too much about bigger competitors, though.

Their web site: http://www.dilmahtea.com/

Disclaimer: This tea was purchased by my humans. Regardless, any opinions concerning this tea and the company are always strictly objective.

© 2011 A.C. Cargill photos and text – All rights reserved. No copying, posting on other sites, or other uses allowed without written permission of the copyright holder.

Tea Adventure: Castleton Moonlight 2nd Flush 2011 from Thunderbolt Tea

2011-12-29T09:56:00.000-05:00

Here is the latest “Tea Gang” adventure with:

Castleton Moonlight 2nd Flush 2011 from Thunderbolt Tea [More company info]This is a Straight Tea [About straight teas vs flavored teas.]

Another wonderful tea adventures with teas sent to my humans by our buddy Benoy at Thunderbolt Tea. This is a tea harvested after the second period of growth for the season.

The sample, like all he sends, was vacuum packed and heat-sealed. The tea inside is what’s important. No steeping instructions come with these teas, so this intrepid little teapot and his buddies go by past experience. This Little Yellow Teapot did the steeping honors and served up in a delicate bone china teacup and saucer that’s part of my humans’ small but very treasured collection. (These teacups tend to really compete to be chosen for this honor.)

Once again, a nice whiff of the dry tea leaves told us this was a premium Darjeeling tea and that Benoy had sent another winner. The aroma was fruity with a slight hay-like quality, and the broken leaf pieces were a mix of dark brown, tan, and green. We steeped twice in water heated to 190° F for 3 minutes each. The liquid was a golden color with a very fruity flavor and aroma. This wasn’t so much the typical Muscatel character but more of a apricotty and naturally sweet flavor. Hubby human said he detected a hint of lilac-like floral in the aftertaste. There was no bitterness or astringency. A second steep was overall lighter, with the flavor being still fruity but too weak.

A nice tea from Benoy, our tea guy in Darjeeling. Toot!

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

© 2011 A.C. Cargill photos and text – All rights reserved. No copying, posting on other sites, or other uses allowed without written permission of the copyright holder.

Review ― British Earl Grey White Tea from The English Tea Store

2011-12-27T09:30:00.000-05:00

The Little Yellow Teapot is now posting his tea adventures with this vendor’s tea exclusively on their blog. The Tea Gang hopes you’ll take a moment to read the article on The English Tea Store Blog.

Tea Adventure: Tie Guan Yin “Iron Goddess” from Teavivre

2011-12-26T10:49:00.000-05:00

Here is the latest “Tea Gang” adventure with:

Tie Guan Yin “Iron Goddess” from Teavivre [More company info]This is a Straight Tea [About straight teas vs flavored teas.]

Be cautious when ordering from this company, since there is no information available about who the people behind the company are other than some vague statements on their web site.

Teavivre has been busy sending out samples around the U.S., selecting people off of Twitter and Facebook. This little teapot received several recently and was hard pressed to select which one to begin with, since they were all teas that had a reputation for quality. I finally decided on a version of Tie Guan Yin (also called Ti Kwan Yin and “Iron Goddess”), a tea my humans enjoy quite a bit. Time to see how this one stacks up to the others we’ve tried.

True to my principles, the tea was steeped according to the vendor’s instructions: boiling water and steep for 1 to 3 minutes. My buddy little white teacup with the infuser basket that fits perfectly in it did the honors and was able to get three tasty steepings of 1 minute each. There could easily have been a fourth or fifth. (Libre Tea Mug wanted to do this, and this type of tea would have done well in him, but the tea came in little vacuum-sealed subpacks inside the large silver pouch and did not contain enough in that subpack for steeping in the large mug. So, he helped me supervise.)

The taste results: As Tie Guan Yin teas go, this was probably one of the lesser ones, in part because it had been oxidized very little and so had a greenish planty flavor that was also a bit grassy. The taste was not smooth as we were used to but was also not bitter. We ended up with quite a lot of tea leaf bits in the cup and had to strain it again. I’m thinking that my humans should have given this tea a quick rinse before steeping.

The tea leaves after 3 steepings:

A note about the package: the labeling is pretty thorough, including such as place of origin, factory, production date, shelf life, and a brew guide.

Oxidation ranking:

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

© 2011 A.C. Cargill photos and text – All rights reserved. No copying, posting on other sites, or other uses allowed without written permission of the copyright holder.

Tea Adventure: “The Armstrong” (Black Tea) from Tea and Jazz House

2011-12-23T09:39:00.000-05:00

Here is the latest “Tea Gang” adventure with:

“The Armstrong” (Black Tea) from The Tea and Jazz House [More info]This is a Flavored Tea [About straight teas vs flavored teas.]

Rose flavored tea lovers rejoice. This tea is dominated by a rose fragrance and flavor, both in dry form and in the cup. Also in the mix with those rose petals was an unspecified black tea that this little teapot suspects is Ceylon, plus whole pistachios, whole cloves, safflower petals, ginger pieces, and flavorings. The mix had a wonderful aroma, mainly rose, but a bit of pistachio and the other flavorings.

I did the steeping honors here. There were no steeping instructions on the pouch nor on the company web site, so we just did what we do for most black teas: boiling water and steep for 3-5 minutes.

Like with many flavored teas, the aroma of the dry mix does not match the taste in the cup. For one thing, whole pistachios and whole cloves don’t release their flavors as well as those that are ground up do. My humans were tempted to grind this whole mix up before steeping, but wanted to do a true taste test. As a result, the aroma and flavor were dominated by the rose petals. As I said before, though, this is great for those who love rose flavored teas. My humans wanted to taste the pistachio, ginger, and cloves more, and they were disappointed at not being able to taste the underlying tea flavor.

Named after the one and only jazz great Louis Armstrong (loved him in “Hello Dolly”!) and, like him, a treat for the senses. It seems to be a fairly good flavor for this time of year, too, so we served it up in a nice holiday mug and surrounded it with poinsettias.

Check Mary’s site frequently for new flavors and site features. While there, take a few minutes to listen to her music. Tea and jazz. A flavorful combination.

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

© 2011 A.C. Cargill photos and text – All rights reserved. No copying, posting on other sites, or other uses allowed without written permission of the copyright holder.

Review ― Golden Heaven Yunnan from The English Tea Store

2011-12-22T09:30:00.000-05:00

My buddy Libre Tea Steeping Mug did the supervisory honors and thus got to wear our special sash (actually, a tea-dyed headband from CrafTEA Designs).

© 2011 A.C. Cargill photos and text

Tea Adventure: Citron Green Tea from The Boston Tea Company

2011-12-21T10:50:00.000-05:00

Here is the latest “Tea Gang” adventure with:

Citron Green Tea from The Boston Tea Company [More info]This is a Flavored Tea [About straight teas vs flavored teas.]

We were all abuzz about trying this tea, and selecting which member of the Tea Gang would get to steep it was an act that required all my little teapot brain’s capacity to decide. The little red and white teapot won out with his cheerful seasonal design on his exterior. Libre Tea Mug was standing close by, though, since he would have been my second choice for steeping this tea.

The label says this is a premium green tea, but doesn’t specify which. Based on the appearance and size of the leaf pieces, this little teapot is thinking it’s Dragonwell. Whatever the case, the aroma was like dry grass or hay but light and with the added fragrance of the dried lemon and lime. That little red and white teapot did three steepings (what a trooper!), using water heated to just below boiling.

The first steeping was for only 2 minutes and resulted in a yellowish liquid that had a wonderful citrusy aroma, a smooth feel in the mouth, and a flavor that was a balance of green tea and subtle citrus that gave a tangy aftertaste. The second steeping was for 3 minutes, still had some green tea flavor (grass/hay) with plenty of citrus presence in both the flavor and taste. The third steeping was for 4 minutes, with the green tea flavor definitely fading but the citrus still evident, and overall still smooth and refreshing.

One key to this and in fact many teas is to let them cool just a bit before tasting so that the flavors will be fuller and you won’t scald your tongue. Don’t let them cool too much, though, or they could grow bitter or the taste might flatten.

The Boston Tea Company gains another round of kudos from me (“Toot!”), from that red and white teapot, and from my humans. Their flavored teas are making us warm up to the whole idea of flavored teas. Next time, we promised Libre Tea Mug he could steep this tea — I could swear I saw him grin with delight at that.

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

© 2011 A.C. Cargill photos and text – All rights reserved. No copying, posting on other sites, or other uses allowed without written permission of the copyright holder.

Little Yellow Teapot Gets a Greeting Card!

2011-12-20T10:37:00.002-05:00

This little teapot has gotten to know some of you humans through such sites as Twitter and Facebook. One of those humans is @GinghamgrlVA, a very nice person who is the creator of my constant companion and shelter from the slings and arrows of kitchen life: the Little Yellow Teapot Tea Cozy.

The other day a greeting card arrived. It declared “Happy Holidays” and was addressed to me and my ‘she’ human (who often assists me in typing out my tweets). The sender was this same nimble fingered seamstress, GinghamgrlVA! My first greeting card! I’m sharing it with the entire “Tea Gang”.

Review ― Pomegranate Rosehip Black Tea from The English Tea Store

2011-12-20T09:30:00.000-05:00

Some Yixing Teapot Buddies

2011-12-19T10:43:00.000-05:00

The “Tea Gang” and yours truly have 3 new buddies. They are less capacious than I am and are pretty special, being made of clay from the Yixing Province of China. The vendor was Draphix Corp., one of those little “shops” on Amazon.com. (See the article my humans posted about them plus more teapot designs they have.) Buying something like this online can be iffy, with fakes being offered or arriving badly damaged and unusable. My humans took a chance, and it paid off. The teapots are genuine and in great shape.

The leftmost teapot (“Dragon”) is already best buddies with me (I suspect that my father, also a Yixing teapot, was of this design, since I have a lot of spirit inspired by dragons). The pot is a dark purple-ish brown. The lid handle is a subtle cool shade of green (usually achieved by mixing different varieties of the clay) and is fitted so that it turns and also raises up slightly.

On one side are Chinese characters…

…and on the other side are flowers.

“Dragon” has his own little “home” — a lovely brocade covered box lined inside with a bright orange satin, and with a hinged lid.

The rightmost teapot (“Simplicity”) is a reddish shade of the clay, while the teapot second on the right (“Cicada”) is a warm blue, usually the result of mixing different varieties of the clay.

“Cicada” came with his own storage box, covered on the outside with a lovely brocade and lined inside with a bright orange satin, and with a hinged lid.

As you can see in this close-up, the handle and spout are shaped like bamboo, with a bamboo shoot wrapping around the teapot’s body. The handle on the lid is in the shape of a cicada, an insect that lies dormant for 7 years and then emerges to mate, reproduce, and die, with the offspring then burrowing into trees and soil to sleep another 7 years.

“Simplicity” is, well, simple. I’m thinking that this little beauty will be a more useful member of the Tea Gang, while “Cicada” is more of a decorative member.

The simple design of this teapot is good for gongfu style steeping, where the water is allowed to overflow the teapot. Over time, this teapot should take on a darker hue, depending on what kind of tea my humans use it for.

All are unsealed and unglazed, the way these teapots are. So, they will need to be merely rinsed out, with no soap used. Another important item about this type of teapot is that it is good to use each one to steep only one particular type of tea, since they are porous and will absorb some of the tea, giving future steepings a richer flavor. We’ll have to give careful consideration to which tea we should designate to each teapot. One good option is Dian Hong (Yunnan red or Yunnan black). Others are oolongs and green teas.

Look for these teapots in upcoming reviews.

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

© 2011 A.C. Cargill photos and text – All rights reserved. No copying, posting on other sites, or other uses allowed without written permission of the copyright holder.

Review ― Chocolate Mint Tea from The English Tea Store

2011-12-16T09:30:00.000-05:00

Tea Adventure: Hazelnut Flavored Black Tea from Tea Licious

2011-12-15T08:58:00.000-05:00

Here is the latest “Tea Gang” adventure with:

Hazelnut Flavored Black Tea from Tea Licious [More company info]This is a Flavored Tea [About straight teas vs flavored teas.]

The third in a trio of seasonal favorites from this wonderful tea company in Utah. (The first was “Noel” and the second was “Pumpkin Spice.”) This little teapot invited Tea Gang member Libre Tea Mug (LTM) to do the steeping honors, since this is a tea you will definitely want to take along to fortify you during your gift shopping forays.

My ‘he’ human likes hazelnut flavored coffee, and my ‘she’ human who cannot drink coffee has always been a bit envious, wanting that marvelous hazelnut flavor in a form she could enjoy. Of course, she goes for the jar of Nutella now and again to get a hazelnut fix. But it’s just not the same. Then, along comes this hazelnut flavored black tea. She is intrigued. The dry tea has a most heavenly (her exact word) aroma, both nutty and sweetish. A good start.

We boiled water (while my ‘she’ human drooled in anticipation) and added some dry tea with real hazelnut pieces to LTM. The water was poured in, and the tea steeped for 3 minutes. We wanted to use a shorter steeping time, since LTM is well-insulated and a very efficient steeper. This paid off, as my humans inhaled the nutty aroma and sipped the tea straight. No bitterness. No astringency. The only drawback for many tea folks might be how the hazelnut dominates, but my ‘he’ human said he could definitely tell this is tea, not coffee, so you will most likely be satisfied.

My humans tend to like to try teas like this with milk and sweetener, so they did. Another tea that can serve very well as a low-cal dessert, especially good at this time of year.

Imagine the gifts you would receive if you were to set a cup of this tea out with the cookies for Santa!

One caution: forget doing a second steep. We tried it and found the flavor and aroma to be too weak, lacking that wonderful hazelnut character.

Oh, my humans just said to tell you the tea is awful, don’t order it… uh oh, I think they want it all to themselves! How piggish!

By the way, just wanted to let you know that the samples I received from Tea Licious were mostly premium unflavored teas. We rushed these three flavored teas into review so you could consider them for your holiday sipping! Watch for the reviews of those other teas in the New Year.

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

© 2011 A.C. Cargill photos and text – All rights reserved. No copying, posting on other sites, or other uses allowed without written permission of the copyright holder.

Tea Adventure: Strawberry Fields Black Tea from The Boston Tea Company

2011-12-14T10:14:00.001-05:00

Here is the latest “Tea Gang” adventure with:

Strawberry Fields Black Tea from The Boston Tea Company [More info]This is a Flavored Tea [About straight teas vs flavored teas.]

Before I came into their lives, my humans used to go out and purchase these large sized mugs. Many of them are so capacious that one potful of tea steeped in me will fill them. The mug shown here has a Christmas design on it, so we wanted to use it. She’s a real cutey!

The name of this tea can get you to humming that Beatles song “Strawberry Fields Forever.” By the time the tasting session was done, the song was stuck in my little teapot brain as well. Argh!

This is a nice black tea from Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon) that has been infused with strawberry essence with some dried chunks of strawberry thrown in for good measure. One whiff when you open the pouch can transport you to strawberry heaven. I steeped the tea in boiling water for 3 minutes on the first round and 3½ minutes on the second round.

As you can see, this tea steeps up to a dark liquid. What you can’t see is the fresh and fragrant strawberry aroma. The flavor of those strawberries is milder, though, with the tea flavor very evident. Adding in some milk and sweetener enhances the strawberry flavor but also smoothes and enriches the flavor. The second steeping was a bit weaker in taste but is otherwise very nice with a typical Ceylon flavor.

The Boston Tea Company gains another round of kudos from me (“Toot!”), from that cutey tea mug, and from my humans. Their flavored teas are making us warm up to the whole idea of flavored teas.

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

© 2011 A.C. Cargill photos and text – All rights reserved. No copying, posting on other sites, or other uses allowed without written permission of the copyright holder.

A New Buddy for Little Yellow Teapot

2011-12-13T09:46:00.000-05:00

The “Tea Gang” and yours truly have a new buddy. He’s part of a tea-for-one set and is decorated for the holiday season in red and white; he also comes with his own little “house” (actually, his storage box).

There is a very good reason that I am called “Little” Yellow Teapot. I’m little. Duh! But I’m not tiny. I hold a full 2 cups (16 ounces) of liquid. The new gang member holds less than that — around 10 ounces, about the same as the littlest white teapot in our gang. We all three decided it was time for us all to step out on the town and see if we could steep up a good time together.

You might not think that teapots could get rowdy, but we do. By the time we got back home, our lids were askew! And we’re all sworn to secrecy about what went on out there!

Now that he’s been properly initiated into the gang, that little red and white teapot will be joining us in our tea adventures. Look for him in upcoming posts.

Tea Adventure: Pumpkin Spice Flavored Black Tea from Tea Licious

2011-12-12T10:37:00.000-05:00

Here is the latest “Tea Gang” adventure with:

“Noel” Christmas Flavored Black Tea from Tea Licious [More company info]This is a Flavored Tea [About straight teas vs flavored teas.]

Another flavored tea that’s especially popular this time of year. The name is a bit of a fooler, though, since there is no pumpkin in this tea, nor does the tea smell or taste pumpkiny. It does, however, taste rather lively and seasonal.

Carol at Tea Licious started with a nice black tea and added some dried fruit and flowers to it along with vanilla and cinnamon. Those added flavorings tend to overwhelm the tea aroma. Let’s see how the flavor works.

Yours truly did the steeping, using boiling water, for 3 minutes. The tea liquid had a lovely reddish color and a cinnamony aroma. Straight, the taste was a big tangy. With some milk and sweetener added, the flavor was more smooth with a cinnamony “bite.” Neither was produced a pumpkiny flavor, though, and the tea flavor was missing. As I’ve stated in other reviews, people who buy a tea with a flavoring like this are usually focused on the flavoring, not on the tea. To that end, you will find this selection quite satisfying and a tea that can fill in for those calorie-laden desserts so prevalent among you humans this time of year.

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

© 2011 A.C. Cargill photos and text – All rights reserved. No copying, posting on other sites, or other uses allowed without written permission of the copyright holder.

Tea Adventure: “Masala Chai” from Persimmon Tree Tea

2011-12-09T10:05:00.001-05:00

Here is the latest “Tea Gang” adventure with:

“Masala Chai” from Persimmon Tree Tea. [More info]This is a Flavored Tea [About straight teas vs flavored teas.]

“Masala what?” Masala chai. In other words, spiced tea. Traditionally, spiced tea is made from a cheaper grade Assam tea and has milk and sugar (or some other sweetener). The usual spices are things like cardamom, cinnamon, black pepper, cloves, ginger, etc. This mix has all but the black pepper, and is very balanced, without one of those flavorings dominating. They are all strong enough, though, that the tea aroma is not detected. No worries, since that is sort of the goal here.

Yours truly, that is, me the Little Yellow Teapot did the steeping honors, with that little milk pitcher standing by to smooth the spiced tea. We popped open the tin and my humans took a big whiff. Ah! Wonderful, fresh, spicy, and best of all not overly cinnamony (my big beef with many such teas).

We did three steepings: 3 minutes, 3½ minutes, and 4 minutes. The first two were the best, with the third one (where we used half as much water) was too light, which we figured it would have been but wanted to give it a try. Straight, these steepings had too strong of a taste of cloves and cinnamon which a little sweetener helped. With milk, the tea was heavenly, with just the right amount of each flavoring in perfect balance and overall a smooth taste.

This is very much what you would expect from a masala chai and make a perfect holiday tea. It’s one of those teas that can be a good dessert tea, taking the place of those calorie-laden pies, cakes, and other goodies, while satisfying your sweet tooth.

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

© 2011 A.C. Cargill photos and text – All rights reserved. No copying, posting on other sites, or other uses allowed without written permission of the copyright holder.

Review ― Mim Estate Darjeeling from The English Tea Store

2011-12-08T09:30:00.000-05:00

Tea Adventure: Singbulli Clonal Classic Super Fine 2nd Flush 2011 from Thunderbolt Tea

2011-12-06T09:36:00.001-05:00

Here is the latest “Tea Gang” adventure with:

Singbulli Clonal Classic Super Fine 2nd Flush 2011 from Thunderbolt Tea [More company info]This is a Straight Tea [About straight teas vs flavored teas.]

The tea adventures never end with teas sent to my humans by our buddy Benoy at Thunderbolt Tea. This is another tea harvested after the second period of growth for the season.

The sample, like all he sends, was vacuum packed and heat-sealed. Sometimes the writing on them is hard to read, as you can see here:

No matter. The tea inside is what’s important. No steeping instructions come with these teas, so this intrepid little teapot and his buddies go by past experience.

This Little Yellow Teapot did the steeping honors and served up in a delicate bone china teacup and saucer that’s part of my humans’ small but very treasured collection.

Once again, a nice whiff of the dry tea leaves told us this was a premium Darjeeling tea and that Benoy had sent another winner. The aroma was fruity, and the broken leaf pieces were a mix of dark brown, tan, and green. We steeped twice in water heated to 190° F for 3 minutes each. The liquid was a light orangey brown color with a pronounced Muscatel flavor and aroma. There were tangy afternotes, but no bitterness or astringency. A second steep was overall a bit lighter, but the flavor character was still there and very pleasant with no bitterness or mouth puckering aftertaste.

You could very likely get a couple more very tasty infusions out of the leaves, giving you a lot of value for the money. Another fabulous find from Benoy, our tea guy in Darjeeling. Toot!

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

© 2011 A.C. Cargill photos and text – All rights reserved. No copying, posting on other sites, or other uses allowed without written permission of the copyright holder.

Tea Adventure: “Noel” Christmas Flavored Black Tea from Tea Licious

2011-12-05T09:53:00.001-05:00

Here is the latest “Tea Gang” adventure with:

“Noel” Christmas Flavored Black Tea from Tea Licious [More company info]This is a Straight Tea Flavored Tea [About straight teas vs flavored teas.]

Happy Holidays and jingle those bells! And while you’re doing that, sip on a cuppa seasonally flavored tea. Sure, this little teapot and his humans aren’t too keen on flavored teas, since most of the time the flavorings drown out the taste of the tea. There are exceptions to everything, though.

The dry tea mix had lots of real dried fruit pieces and almond slivers. The aroma was fruity but not tea-like. I steeped this tea in boiling water for 3 minutes, and served it up in a snow-white teacup for my humans to try. They reported that the reddish brown liquid had a cinnamony-fruity aroma and not much tea aroma. The flavor was dominated by the cinnamon, giving this tea a slightly bitter edge. It’s very seasonal, though, with a bit of sweetener heightening the orange flavoring. A touch of milk is possible, too, as my humans discovered, and added a dessert-like quality. A cup or two will keep you away from those high-calorie sweets so prevalent this time of year. One important note here is that a second steep is not recommended. It’s too weak and the orange dominates, making this taste more like hot Tang. Stick with the first steep and savor every drop. Keep plenty on hand for the holiday festivities so you have great flavor in your teacup!

A peek inside the tea pouch:

Bravo to Tea Licious for the great steeping instructions on the label (my humans forgot to take a photo, but this little teapot never lies).

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

© 2011 A.C. Cargill photos and text – All rights reserved. No copying, posting on other sites, or other uses allowed without written permission of the copyright holder.

Review ― Assam TGFOP from The English Tea Store

2011-12-02T09:30:00.000-05:00

Tea Adventure: Jasmine Tea from The Boston Tea Company

2011-12-01T09:32:00.001-05:00

Here is the latest “Tea Gang” adventure with:

Jasmine Tea from The Boston Tea Company [More info]This is a Flavored Tea [About straight teas vs flavored teas.]

My humans’ experience with jasmine teas in the past has been ― uh, well, ― to say the least, uneven. Florals in teas often tend to be overwhelming, especially to those humans with sensitive sniffers. We proceeded anyway, fearing the worst.

Jasmine tea supposedly came about because tea plants were growing in fields that also had jasmine growing in them. From that accidental beginning, tea growers began purposely processing the teas to get that unique and highly prized floral character. Jasmine teas are usually created by layering the tea leaves between jasmine petals. This tea is considered a scented tea, but since the floral is not just in the aroma but is also in the flavor, I am sticking to calling this a flavored tea. As you can see in this photo, the vendor didn’t skimp on the jasmine.

Different teas, usually green or white, are used to make jasmine teas. According to the vendor’s label, the tea used here is Chun Mee green tea (from the Anhui province of China), a very acceptable green tea with a pleasing planty flavor.

A great thing about samples I’ve received from Boston Tea Co. is the labeling front and back.

Front label:

Back label:

The jasmine aroma was a lot milder than anticipated, thank goodness. My humans didn’t have to go running away and opening all the windows. In fact, the floral was mild enough that the pleasant planty fragrance was clearly evident. At this point, several of my fellow Tea Gang members crowded around, eager to try their hand at steeping this tea, but, as their wise, yellow leader, I claimed that honor.

I steeped up those tea leaves and jasmine buds twice, the first for 2 minutes in water heated to just below boiling, and the second for 2½ minutes. Both had a delicate jasmine aroma (it made me a happy teapot) in that yellowy green liquid and a mild flavor of both green tea plantiness and jasmine floral both coming through. The flavors tended to get a bit stronger as the tea cooled.

Maybe next time, I’ll let one of the others do the steeping, but for now…

Tea Adventure: “The Gillespie” (Black Tea) from Tea and Jazz House

2011-11-30T10:38:00.001-05:00

Here is the latest “Tea Gang” adventure with:

“The Gillespie” (Black Tea) from The Tea and Jazz House [More info]This is a Flavored Tea [About straight teas vs flavored teas.]

Every time my humans check out the Tea and Jazz House web site, it seems that improvements have been made. One is the addition of links to information about the jazz artists for which the teas have been named. This time is jazz legend John Birks “Dizzy” Gillespie, the father of Be-bop, a style of jazz. A true prodigy, he began playing piano at the age of four. Let’s see if this tea, with it’s combination of oil of bergamot, vanilla, and almond slivers added to black tea, is a prodigy among flavored teas.

The Tea Gang members gathered round to take a good look at the tea in dry form in the plastic pouch (it smells as good as it looks, a balance of oil of bergamot, vanilla, and almond):

I did the steeping honors here. Libre Tea Steeping Mug claimed he was on hand to supervise but really he was waiting his chance to steep some himself, claiming this tea is a perfect one for him. I suspect he’s right!

Boiling water is best. But keep the steeping time to no more than 3 minutes. You will get full flavor but nothing unpleasant. The first steep was reddish brown in color with an aroma where vanilla and almonds dominated and a flavor that was a mix of all the ingredients. A true sample of where the dry tea aroma doesn’t necessarily match the flavor and aroma of the steeped liquid. (Remember this the next time you’re in one of those tea shops and admiring the scent. Ask them to steep up a bit for you to taste.) My humans thought it could use just a touch of sweetener, though.

A second steep is not recommended here. It’s too light and weak in flavor, with a bitterness from the oil of bergamot. No worries, though, since the price is reasonable.

The flavor of this tea got me in a festive spirit, so I called on my buddy, Holly Mug, to serve up the tea. One problem, though, she’s almost as big as me and holds about as much. That red tray helped set the mood. This is a true holiday tea and can easily satisfy your craving for something special during all those parties and thus keep you from over indulging.

You never know what new flavors and site features you’ll find on Mary’s site. While there, take a few minutes to listen to her music. Tea and jazz. A flavorful combination.

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

© 2011 A.C. Cargill photos and text – All rights reserved. No copying, posting on other sites, or other uses allowed without written permission of the copyright holder.

Tea Adventure: Apricot Green Tea from The Boston Tea Company

2011-11-28T11:24:00.001-05:00

Here is the latest “Tea Gang” adventure with:

Apricot Green Tea from The Boston Tea Company [More info]This is a Flavored Tea [About straight teas vs flavored teas.]

No, you’re not seeing double. Yes, this tea was reviewed here as a chilled tea.

Time to see how this tea tastes hot.

Before we begin, this little teapot must say that The Boston Tea Company is changing my humans’ minds about flavored teas. This and other flavored teas we have tried from them are not some garbage tea with a bunch of stuff added to them to fool customers into buying them. They start with good tea and add quality ingredients. The tea flavor comes through that way, plus you can get more than one steep with each having good flavor. (No, I’m not saying that is what some of the other vendors we have reviewed have done. But based on the flavor of those teas, it seems so.)

My Tea Gang buddy Little One-Cupper did the steeping here. The dry tea/apricot/sunflower mix was composed of large tea leaf pieces and real pieces of apricot as well as sunflower petals. No skimping here. We heated the water to about 190 F and steeped the first round for 2 minutes. The liquid was a pleasant light yellowish green and had a wonderful apricotty aroma. The flavor was a wonderful combo of green tea and apricot with no bitterness nor a weird aftertaste that some flavored teas have.

I encouraged Little One-Cupper to do another steep (for 2½ minutes) from those same leaves and fruit pieces. He was a bit reluctant, but I as supervisor teapot persuaded him. The second round was as aromatic and flavorful as the first (this little yellow teapot always knows!). I’m even thinking a third round would have been possible.

Our buddies at Boston Tea Company are showing themselves not only to be knowledgeable about tea but to put quality and thought into their blended teas and flavored teas. Neither I nor my humans get any kind of remuneration whatsoever for saying this, but we can strongly recommend this company as one to have on your list of reliable tea sources. Toot!

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

© 2011 A.C. Cargill photos and text – All rights reserved. No copying, posting on other sites, or other uses allowed without written permission of the copyright holder.

Review ― Formosa Oolong from The English Tea Store

2011-11-22T09:46:00.001-05:00

See the rest of the article for how it turned out!

Tea Adventure: Giddapahar Musk 2nd Flush 2011 from Thunderbolt Tea

2011-11-21T10:53:00.001-05:00

Here is the latest “Tea Gang” adventure with:

Giddapahar Musk 2nd Flush 2011 from Thunderbolt Tea [More company info]This is a Straight Tea [About straight teas vs flavored teas.]

Another delightful adventure with a sample sent to my humans by our buddy Benoy at Thunderbolt Tea. These are teas harvested after the second period of growth after waking from their Winter dormancy. The samples he sends are always well-packed in vacuum packed and heat-sealed foil. They use various colors, this one being pink, and sometimes the writing on them is hard to read. No matter. It’s the tea inside that’s important. No steeping instructions come with these teas, our one disappointment, but we just go by past experience.

This Little Yellow Teapot did the steeping honors and served up in a delicate glass teacup and saucer my humans brought home from their trip to a teashop last year. The photo above shows the tea color a bit darker than it was, though.

One whiff of the dry tea leaves says this is premium Darjeeling tea and that Benoy has done his sourcing job well. The aroma was grassy and fruity, and the broken leaf pieces were a mix of dark brown, tan, and green. We steeped twice in water heated to 190° F for 3 minutes each. The liquid was a peachy pink color with a strong fruity character in the aroma. That wonderful characteristic Muscatel flavor was clearly evident in both steepings and became slightly stronger as the liquid cooled.

You could very likely get a couple more very tasty infusions out of the leaves, giving you a lot of value for the money. Another winner from Benoy. Toot!

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

© 2011 A.C. Cargill photos and text – All rights reserved. No copying, posting on other sites, or other uses allowed without written permission of the copyright holder.

Review ― Yorkshire Harrogate from The English Tea Store

2011-11-18T09:10:00.001-05:00

Tea Adventure: Darjeeling from Home Discount Store

2011-11-17T08:36:00.001-05:00

Here is the latest “Tea Gang” adventure with:

Darjeeling from Home Discount Store. [More info]This is a Straight Tea [About straight teas vs flavored teas.]

I, your lovable and humble Little Yellow Teapot, did the steeping honors here and recruited one of those high-class bone china teacups and saucers to serve it up to my humans. She was only too happy to oblige.

Having enjoyed Darjeeling teas sourced from particular gardens and flushes, my humans are becoming quite spoiled in respect to this type of tea. They also tried a Darjeeling from another vendor not too long ago and were disappointed, despite that tea having a fairly high reputation. So it was with some trepidation we embarked on a try out of this final sample from Home Discount Store (funny name for a tea vendor, but then they carry more than just great teas at very affordable prices).

This vendor put great steeping guides on the sample packs he sent us. So appreciated.

The wonderful dry tea leaves in the airtight pouch had a sweetish aroma that wasn’t as Muscatel-ish as expected. Ok, not jumping to any conclusions here, though. Time to heat the water. My humans followed the vendor’s instructions to heat it to boiling. They then poured the water in me and I whistled while I steeped. We chose to do a 5-minute steep just to see how it would go. The results were quite satisfying. The tea liquid was a wonderful reddish-brown and had a malty/fruity aroma. The Muscatel character comes through loud and clear in the cup with no bitterness and a slightly fruity aftertaste.

We ventured a second steeping but with very dissatisfying results. The aroma and flavor were barely there. Just goes to show that you can get either a strong first steep and stop there or you’ll need to shorten the steep time to 3 minutes or so and then get two nice steeps. The choice, as always dear humans, is yours.

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

© 2011 A.C. Cargill photos and text – All rights reserved. No copying, posting on other sites, or other uses allowed without written permission of the copyright holder.

Tea Adventure: Saffron Chai from Jaipur Avenue

2011-11-16T08:42:00.001-05:00

Here is the latest “Tea Gang” adventure with:

Saffron Chai from Jaipur Avenue [More company info]This is a Flavored Tea [About straight teas vs flavored teas.]

This is the last review out of five samples my humans received from Jaipur Avenue. Instant teas are usually not something I or my humans care for, but we have overall been pleasantly surprised by these instant chais. Our issue with this one was not its form but the saffron.

Just as with the first four tryouts, my buddy Glass Teamug did the honors here so you could see every drop while I posed nearby in my snazzy supervisory sash. That foil like pouch the tea mix comes in tears open easily and makes it perfect for taking along any place you’re going. It’s also simple to prepare. Just empty the contents into your mug, boil about 8 ounces of water, add 2 ounces to the powder and stir vigorously to get the powder dissolved, then add the remaining 6 ounces and do a final stir.

As I said earlier, the saffron is a bit of an issue here. My humans love basmati rice with saffron, and that spice goes well in a number of dishes and is highly prized by chefs. However, there is something not quite right about it in this tea, and there is a bit of an unpleasant aftertaste (just slight, thankfully). Overall, it’s not quite what we expect from spiced tea but still has some appeal and is quite drinkable, especially if you are looking for an alternative to sugary cocoa or caffeine-laden coffees.

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

© 2011 A.C. Cargill photos and text – All rights reserved. No copying, posting on other sites, or other uses allowed without written permission of the copyright holder.

Tea Adventure: Cranberry Lemon Black Tea from The Boston Tea Company

2011-11-14T09:24:00.001-05:00

Here is the latest “Tea Gang” adventure with:

Cranberry Lemon Black Tea from The Boston Tea Company [More info]This is a Flavored Tea [About straight teas vs flavored teas.]

No, you’re not seeing double. Yes, this tea was reviewed here as a chilled tea.

Time to see how this tea tastes hot.

First, check out the vendor’s label. So appreciated! Some vendors just put a label with the tea name on the package and leave it up to you to check their website for the rest of the story. This isn’t a bad idea and certainly saves them a bit of money, but that little bit of extra effort is a nice touch here.

Second, usually the vendor sends samples to us in loose form (especially since my humans gripe about bagged teas), but this one arrived in sachets. Ever being the sort of humans who make lemonade out of lemons, they decided to look at this packaging to see how it can be a benefit to folks like you. Other vendors have similar packaging, too. Let’s face it, a lot of you out there need and prefer the convenience of bagged tea. This little teapot understands. You certainly get that here. Each sachet comes in its own plastic package, so you can carry them in your pocket, purse, briefcase or backpack. And each steeps up a hot, tasty cup of tea. My humans took a different route here, though, than you might. They cut open the sachet and dumped the loose leaves along with the fruit pieces into the cup-sized infuser.

Here are the dry tea leaves (a nice broken leave black tea) with fruit pieces waiting patiently in the infuser for the water to boil:

We steeped a full 5 minutes, but per the vendor’s label, you could steep for 3 minutes, which might then leave enough flavor in this mix for a second steeping.

Just as with the chilled version, the taste when hot was light on the cranberry and a bit heavy on the lemon. There was no bitterness, though, and my humans drank it straight with no puckering. You might want a bit of sweetener, in which case a nice tupelo honey would be a great option.

Our buddies at Boston Tea Company are showing themselves not only to be knowledgeable about tea but to put quality and thought into their blended teas and flavored teas. Neither I nor my humans get any kind of remuneration whatsoever for saying this, but we can strongly recommend this company as one to have on your list of reliable tea sources. Toot!

Tea Adventure: Orient Express Pack Tea #3 (Gyokuro Yamashiro) from Davids Tea

2011-11-10T08:54:00.000-05:00

Here is the latest “Tea Gang” adventure with:

Gyokuro Yamashiro (part of the Orient Express Tea Pack) from Davids Tea [More company info]This is a Straight Tea [About straight teas vs flavored teas.]

This is the third in a trio of teas in their cute little box and named Orient Express that we received a little while ago. We started with the one on the left (Korean Sejak), moved on to the one in the middle (Dragonwell), and are rounding things up with the one on the right (Gyokuro Yamashiro).

Just as with the first two, that faithful Little White Teacup did the steeping honors, aided by the infuser basket so the leaves had plenty of room to spread out and infuse, yet lifted out clean. The little tin had a tight seal that kept the leaves inside as fresh as when they were packed inside it. Their aroma and appearance were pure Gyokuro (a high-grade Japanese green tea), with a dark green color, thin needly shape, and fresh, slightly grassy aroma.

The vendor information about the tea under the box lid was in French and English, with the important info being understandable in any language: heat water to 74 C and steep for 1 minute. Don’t overheat the water or steep longer than the recommended time, or your tea will be too strong. (You can click on the image below to see a larger, more readable version.)

Little White Teacup did three steepings, and was careful not to overdo. The tea was smooth feeling, and the seafoody aroma in the cup did not come through on the palate fortunately but was a little planty instead.

The highest priced of the trio, so you might want to try this tea as part of the Davids Tea Orient Express 3-pack before buying a larger quantity. Being such a highly prized tea, imitations abound, so be sure to buy from reputable dealers like this one. My humans wanted to let you know that this sample pack would be a great gift for any tea lover on your list this Christmas and is sized perfectly to fit into those stockings hanging in front of the fireplace. Hint! Hint!

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

© 2011 A.C. Cargill photos and text – All rights reserved. No copying, posting on other sites, or other uses allowed without written permission of the copyright holder.

Tea Adventure: Orient Express Pack Tea #2 (Dragonwell) from Davids Tea

2011-11-09T10:31:00.000-05:00

Here is the latest “Tea Gang” adventure with:

Dragonwell (part of the Orient Express Tea Pack) from Davids Tea [More company info]This is a Straight Tea [About straight teas vs flavored teas.]

This is the second in a trio of teas in their cute little box and named Orient Express that we received a little while ago. We started with the one on the left (Korean Sejak). Time for the next adventure with the one in the middle (Dragonwell). (We’ll finish up with the one on the right - Gyokuro Yamashiro.)

Just as with the Korean Sejak, that faithful Little White Teacup did the steeping honors, with the infuser basket giving the leaves plenty of room to spread out and infuse, yet lifting out clean. The little tin had a tight seal that kept the leaves inside as fresh as when they were packed inside it. Their aroma and appearance were typical Dragonwell (also called “Longjing” and “Lung Ching”), that is, broad flat leaf pieces in a lighter green/brown color with a haylike aroma (more toward the fresh cut side but a bit dried).

The vendor information about the tea under the box lid was in French on one side and English on the other, but the important info is understandable in any language: heat water to 82 C and steep for 3 to 4 minutes.

Little White Teacup did three steepings: 3 minutes, 3.5 minutes, and 4 minutes. Each steeping was green tea heaven, starting out dark yellow, a bit cloudy, smooth feeling, and having a flavor like cooked greens (but not spinachy) and with a rich, mild aroma that some say is like boiled seafood. The subsequent steeps were each lighter in flavor and aroma yet still flavorful.

This Chinese green tea used to be reserved for the Emperor and High Officials. Now, you can buy Davids Tea’s version for a very reasonable price, or get this 3-pack as a great way to try it out.

A word of caution: Dragonwell is so popular that fake versions have appeared on the market. They are teas that are grown in locations other than the Dragonwell area of Zhejiang Province of China but that have been processed to be similar in appearance. The true taste is unmistakable, though. Deal with reputable vendors like this one to be sure you are getting true Dragonwell tea.

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

© 2011 A.C. Cargill photos and text – All rights reserved. No copying, posting on other sites, or other uses allowed without written permission of the copyright holder.

Tea Adventure: Orient Express Pack Tea #1 (Korean Sejak) from Davids Tea

2011-11-08T08:59:00.000-05:00

Here is the latest “Tea Gang” adventure with:

Korean Sejak (part of the Orient Express Tea Pack) from Davids Tea [More company info]

This is a Straight Tea [About straight teas vs flavored teas.]

The Tea Gang welcomed this trio of teas in their cute little box and named Orient Express a little while ago. Now, it’s time for those teas in those tiny tins to come out and play. We started with the one on the left (Korean Sejak). The next adventure will be of the one in the middle (Dragonwell). Then, we’ll finish up with the one on the right (Gyokuro Yamashiro).

Once again, that faithful Little White Teacup did the steeping honors, since the infuser basket fits into him perfectly. The leaves get plenty of room to spread out and infuse, yet when the basket is lifted out, the leaves come with it. The little tin was a bit tricky to get open. My humans had a struggle unscrewing the lid. Small price to pay for a tight seal that kept the leaves inside as fresh as when they were packed into that tin. Their aroma was like new grass clippings.

The vendor put information about each tea under the box lid, in French on one side and English on the other. Since the company is headquartered in Quebec Province of Canada where French is the official language, this isn’t surprising. The important info is understandable in any language: heat water to 74 C and steep for 2 to 3 minutes.

Little White Teacup did three steepings: 2 minutes, 2.5 minutes, and 3 minutes. The first had a delicate aroma and flavor, not grassy, and the liquid was a yellowy green. The second was a bit more planty but not grassy and the liquid was a bit more yellowish. The third was lighter in aroma and flavor than the first two.

Korean teas are getting more attention among tea lovers these days. Davids Tea’s version is reasonably priced, and having it as part of this three-pack is a great way to try it out.

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

© 2011 A.C. Cargill photos and text – All rights reserved. No copying, posting on other sites, or other uses allowed without written permission of the copyright holder.

Tea Adventure: Risheehat Vintage Spring (CH) First Flush 2011 from Thunderbolt Tea

2011-11-07T09:26:00.000-05:00

Here is the latest “Tea Gang” adventure with:

Risheehat Vintage Spring (CH) First Flush 2011 from Thunderbolt Tea [More company info]This is a Straight Tea [About straight teas vs flavored teas.]

Our buddy Benoy at Thunderbolt Tea sent us some Spring and Summer (First and Second) Flush teas for 2011. These are teas harvested after the first period of growth and second period of growth respectively after they woke from their Winter dormancy. Benoy scouts through the hills and mountains in the Darjeeling area of northern India on his motorbike, going from tea garden to tea garden in a quest for the best teas to bring to his customers. He even gets his young and very cute (for a human) daughter into the taste testing. Toot!

This Little Yellow Teapot did the steeping honors, with my buddy Libre Tea Mug standing by for moral support. (He wanted to wear my supervisory sash, plus this would be a great tea to steep in him.)

The flowers on this teacup aren’t marigolds, a traditional flower used to celebrate the holiday of Diwali in India, but they’re close in appearance, so we thought this would be a fitting vessel in which to serve this wonderful tea:

One whiff of the dry tea leaves says this is premium Darjeeling tea and that Benoy has done his sourcing job well. The aroma was grassy and fruity, and the leaf color was a fresh green. We steeped 3 times in water heated to 180° F for 3 minutes each. That wonderful characteristic Muscatel quality was clearly evident in all three, but the flavor hits the tongue first as planty, with the fruitiness hitting the sides of the mouth a few seconds later. The fruit quality became more prominent with each subsequent steeping. The last one was fairly light in flavor, but you could chance a 4th steeping, especially if you shorten the steeping time of the first 3 infusions to 2½ minutes.

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

© 2011 A.C. Cargill photos and text – All rights reserved. No copying, posting on other sites, or other uses allowed without written permission of the copyright holder.

Tea Adventure: Longjing from Home Discount Store

2011-11-04T10:22:00.000-04:00

Here is the latest “Tea Gang” adventure with:

Longjing from Home Discount Store. [More info]This is a Straight Tea [About straight teas vs flavored teas.]

Longjing (also called Lung Ching and Dragonwell) is one of the better classes of green teas. It is in such demand, though, that copycat versions are showing up. These are teas grown other than in the Zhengjiang Province of China but processed in a similar manner. (Longjing tea is named after a small town near Hangzhou City in Zhengjiang Province, China. The name “longjing” translates as “dragonwell” in English.) This tea is the real deal, though, according to the vendor, who has shown to be quite trustworthy on these matters.

I, your lovable and humble Little Yellow Teapot, am a 2-cupper and thought this tea would be steeped to best advantage in a smaller quantity using the Chinese method the vendor detailed on the package label shown here:

The dry tea had a typical appearance for this style of green tea, with long flat leaf pieces in a medium green to brown color. The aroma was planty (not spinachy) with a roasty richness. My buddy One-Cupper did 3 steepings at 30 seconds each. The yellow green liquid of each was delicately scented in a planty/roasty manner. The first steep had a stronger flavor while being smooth, planty, roasty and with a hint of smokiness. The 2nd and 3rd steeps were each a bit lighter overall than the previous ones. In our considered opinion, a couple more steeps using this Chinese method would definitely be possible.

Red being the color of good luck in China, we thought it very fitting to include a red flower in our arrangement for the photo.

Tea Adventure: Kabuse Sencha (a 2nd try) from Obubu Tea

2011-11-03T10:33:00.000-04:00

Here is the latest “Tea Gang” adventure with:

Kabuse Sencha from Obubu Tea [More company info]This is a Straight Tea

This is our second try of this tea. The first time was April 2010. Either my humans’ tastebuds have matured or this sample is better than the first one. Both are possible. Unlike some of the green teas available in grocery stores, Obubu brings you fresh from the harvest tea, so there will be variance from harvest to harvest and year to year.

Little One-Cupper did the steeping with me in careful attendance to make sure the high standards of the Tea Gang to treat each sample with due respect. We started by boiling one cup of water, pouring some in Little One-Cupper until his sides felt warm and then pouring it back into the little kettle. Next, the tea leaves went in the warmed pot and sat for one minute. We then added the slightly cooled water to the leaves in the teapot and steeped for 1 minute (the vendor recommends longer, but we wanted it to be steeped lighter).

The tea liquid was a bright green with a light planty/sweet flavor and hints of seafood but not quite. There was a slightly bitter aftertaste, even though we only steeped for one minute.

Little One-Cupper did two more steepings of the leaves, each for 30 seconds. The 2nd one was about the same as the 1st. The 3rd was lighter in color and aroma, with a sweetness to the flavor that his the sides of the mouth and tongue of my humans briefly when first sipping. Both were mild overall. We think we achieved a more authentic experience this time trying this tea. Such experiences can take you on a cultural journey if you let them.

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

© 2011 A.C. Cargill photos and text – All rights reserved. No copying, posting on other sites, or other uses allowed without written permission of the copyright holder.

Tea Adventure: Earl Grey Cream Metropolitan Blend from The English Tea Store

2011-11-02T11:09:00.000-04:00

Here is the latest “Tea Gang” adventure with:

Earl Grey Cream Metropolitan Blend from The English Tea StoreThis is a Flavored Tea [About straight teas vs flavored teas.]

Another variation on the Earl Grey theme. The vendor site says this is Ceylon black tea with oil of bergamot and natural flavorings (unspecified). Vendors want to keep their mixes proprietary, but it’s always tricky to try a tea that is so vague like this due to the possibility of allergic reactions (from my humans, not me!). My humans decided to proceed anyway. The dry mix showed some blue flower petals in it (either sunflower or cornflower) as shown in the photo below, and the aroma hinted of vanilla as one of the possible flavorings.

Yours truly did the steeping honors. Being a black tea, it steeped up fine in boiling water for 3 minutes, producing a ruby colored liquid with a vanilla-ish aroma. The flavor was smooth with no bitterness or edge, but the Earl Grey flavor characteristic was very subdued.

My humans decided to try a little with milk and sweetener just for the heck of it and found the flavor to be quite satisfying and almost eggnog-ish in an Earl Grey sort of way, with the flower petals adding in their own distinctive aroma and taste.

The second steeping was for 4 minutes and had a lighter color, taste, and smell, with the flowers dominating. Overall, intriguing and appealing to those who aren’t totally wedded to the one and only original recipe for Earl Grey.

Tea Adventure: Peach Passion Oolong from The Boston Tea Company

2011-11-01T11:02:00.000-04:00

Here is the latest “Tea Gang” adventure with:

Peach Passion Oolong from The Boston Tea Company [More info]This is a Flavored Tea [About straight teas vs flavored teas.]

No, you’re not seeing double. Yes, this tea was reviewed here as a chilled tea.

Time to see how this tea tastes hot.

First, this little teapot needs to point out that the tea may have been reformulated since we received this sample a few months ago. We commented in the review of this tea chilled that the sunflower taste dominated while the peach taste was too light. The vendor acknowledged that feedback and passed along to the team that does the mixing. Be that as it may, here is our experience with this tea served hot. The dry mix had a mild peachy fragrance, but the aroma of the tea leaves could still be perceived.

My buddy and fellow Tea Gang founding member Libre Tea Steeping Mug did the honors this time, and two steepings were done, giving your extra value for your tea dollars. While flavored oolongs are not a big thrill for us, this one was better than most we’ve tried. In general, though, flavored teas from this vendor have not disappointed. They use real ingredients, not flavoring oils, and don’t skimp. The flavors are usually balanced, and the slight imbalance in this one is less evident in the hot version than it was in the chilled version.

The vendor says to use water brought just to the boiling point, so we did. The first steep was for 3 minutes, and the second steep was for 4 minutes. I’m pretty proud of my steeping buddy and couldn’t resist a “beefcake” shot of him with sunshine showing through, creating a beautiful golden color. Hey, tea can be a very visual experience, especially in clear teawares like this.

My humans sipped. We watched. It was a tense moment. Then, a split decision. The hubby human liked the mildness of the peach and thought the tea flavor still came through. The wifey human thought the sunflower flavor was too strong and that a bit of sweetener was needed; she added some and sipped the tea again. This time the peach flavor was coming through just fine. The second steep they both agreed was much lighter on the peach flavor but was still flavorful and did not need any sweetener.

Overall, a fairly satisfying experience for a flavored tea.

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

© 2011 A.C. Cargill photos and text – All rights reserved. No copying, posting on other sites, or other uses allowed without written permission of the copyright holder.

Tea Adventure: Cardamom Chai from Jaipur Avenue

2011-10-28T09:35:00.000-04:00

Here is the latest “Tea Gang” adventure with:

Cardamom Chai from Jaipur Avenue [More company info]This is a Flavored Tea [About straight teas vs flavored teas.]

This is the fourth review out of five samples my humans received from Jaipur Avenue. As we said in the first review, the vendor calls this “Chai Tea” but we are calling it just “Chai” since that word means “tea.”

On with the review.

This little teapot doesn’t do instants since there is no steeping involved. Once again, my buddy Glass Teamug did the honors here so you could see every drop. I posed nearby in my snazzy supervisory sash. That foil like pouch the tea mix comes in tears open easily and makes it perfect for taking along any place you’re going. Empty the contents into your mug. Be sure to take a whiff. It has a nice cardamom-ish aroma that to my humans, who are cardamom lovers, is heavenly. Cardamom is often in authentic Indian chais, but this has a dash extra while not being overwhelming. This spice is also used in quite a few Indian desserts, giving this tea a very dessert-like quality.

Add boiling water (the directions on the back of the pouch say to use hot water), starting with a couple of ounces onto the dry mix, stirring well, and then adding the rest of the water (for a total of 8 ounces). Stirring is a key step with instant anythings, so my humans used a fork.

The chai had a nice cardamomy flavor. Both of my humans liked this tea very much and split it evenly between them (no hogging by the wifey this time). No particulate matter at the bottom at the cup, showing that everything in the mix was probably ground up pretty tiny and that my humans did a good job of stirring.

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

© 2011 A.C. Cargill photos and text – All rights reserved. No copying, posting on other sites, or other uses allowed without written permission of the copyright holder.

Tea Adventure: Sencha of the Spring Sun from Obubu Tea

2011-10-27T09:46:00.000-04:00

Here is the latest “Tea Gang” adventure with:

Sencha of the Spring Sun from Obubu Tea [More company info]This is a Straight Tea

It’s official ― little yellow teapot’s humans are starting to really like Japanese green teas in general and Obubu Tea specifically. Once again, Tea Gang member Little One-Cupper did the steeping honors while yours truly supervised.

Steeping a tea like this is always a bit different, but we made it even more different by doing it our way (but still close to what the vendor recommends). For a country that sees tea as something to drink when you don’t feel well or that calls spiced teas “chai teas” and herbals tisanes “herbal teas,” knowing what to do with a tea that is from a country very culturally different from ours is a bit tricky. My humans and I are adapting, though.

The dry tea leaves were a wonderful fresh green with an aroma like cooked spinach (the lightly braised kind, not that slimy stuff in a can).

We started by boiling one cup of water, pouring some in Little One-Cupper until his sides felt warm and then pouring it back into the kettle. We put the tea leaves in the warmed pot and let them sit for one minute. We then added the slightly cooled water to the leaves in the teapot and steeped for 1½ minutes. (I will get a little ahead of things by saying that you should consider cutting the recommended time back to only 1 minute ― the tea leaves steep up fairly fast.)

The resulting tea liquid was light yellowy green in color and had a strong aroma ― spinachy with something else that my humans think is a nutty/woodsy character. The flavor was a bit overly strong, easily corrected by a shorter steeping time.

Little One-Cupper did two more steepings of the leaves, each for 30 seconds. The results were quite satisfying with a lighter version of the flavor of the first steeping. Both were mild and smooth. We’re thinking that two more steepings (for a total of 5) would be possible.

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

© 2011 A.C. Cargill photos and text – All rights reserved. No copying, posting on other sites, or other uses allowed without written permission of the copyright holder.

Tea Adventure: English Evening from The English Tea Store

2011-10-25T09:47:00.000-04:00

Here is the latest “Tea Gang” adventure with:

English Evening from The English Tea StoreThis is a Straight Tea [About straight teas vs flavored teas]

The name of this tea inspired this little teapot to indulge in a romantic evening with one of those saucy teacups. She looks so ladylike, sitting on her matching saucer. I steeped the tea, lit a candle, and poured out a cuppa. She giggled!

The vendor’s site doesn’t specify the teas in this blend, just that some are black teas and some are green teas. They say the tea has a Muscatel flavor, which means that some of the tea is Darjeeling, since that characteristic is unique to teas from that region. The aroma of the dry leaves has that fruity character along with a malty/jammy quality. It would be nice if vendors were more specific on the origins of their tea leaves. I’m thinking Ceylon as one of them.

I only did one steeping here in boiling water for 3 minutes. My humans inhaled the aroma and found it a wonderful mix of both the Darjeeling and other black teas. They let the reddish-brown liquid cool slightly, and then each took a few sips. Then, their expressions changed from ones of pleasure to ones that weren’t so happy (I can always tell).

The flavors of Muscatel and the other tea(s) clashed, with the Muscatel dominating. My humans tried it with a little milk and sweetener and found that the discordant flavors in the tea were rendered more harmonious. For those of you inclined to add these items to your tea, my humans and I can certainly recommend it here.

As for this being an evening tea, that is for you to decide. The flavor is strong enough for morning. At least that saucy teacup thinks so. It certainly perked her up for the rest of the night. Toot!

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

© 2011 A.C. Cargill photos and text – All rights reserved. No copying, posting on other sites, or other uses allowed without written permission of the copyright holder.

Tea Adventure: “The Horne” (White Tea) from Tea and Jazz House

2011-10-24T09:59:00.000-04:00

Here is the latest “Tea Gang” adventure with:

“The Horne” (White Tea) from The Tea and Jazz House [More info]This is a Flavored Tea [About straight teas vs flavored teas.]

Yours truly — me, that lovable Little Yellow Teapot — did the steeping honors here for another flavored tea from this jazzy tea vendor. Mary Cali, owner of Tea and Jazz House, comes up with interesting combos and names them after equally interesting Jazz artists, pairing the style of the artist with the style of the flavored tea. Lena Horne was not only a most beautiful woman but had a distinctive and beautiful singing voice. Let’s see if this tea measures up to that standard.

The Tea Gang members, me included, insisted on taking a good look at the tea in dry form. Here it is in the plastic pouch:

At first glance, this looks more like a tisane than a flavored tea. But look closer and you will see the tea leaves among all those flower petals, fruit pieces, etc. (according to Mary’s website, it contains orange peel, cinnamon, rose petals, apple, almond, papaya, cornflower, calendula, safflower, and natural flavorings). Normally, this is where I or my humans would start griping about why anyone would bother having tea as part of the mix, there being so much non-tea stuff in it. Read on, and you will see why we didn’t do that here.

The aromas of the dry mix were fruity/floral, with my humans finding a date or blackcurrant aroma dominating. Like with many flavored teas, how it smells dry (which is what a lot of buyers use to make their selection) can differ greatly from how the tea smells and tastes once steeped. So, beware, and when possible ask the tea store personnel to steep up a small sample for you. Most will be happy to oblige.

Time to steep. This is a white tea so cooler water (about 190° F) was called for here and a steeping time of 3 minutes.

To the surprise of this little teapot and his humans, this tea has, not a strongly floral character, but a fruity (apple?) and cinnamony character ― great for the cooler weather many of us in the southern parts of the U.S. are finally having. The liquid even has an applejuice-like coloring and quality, something I can’t imagine it having without the white tea leaves being part of the mix here. A second steep was done, just in case, and again a surprise ― it was comparable to the first in all aspects. Neither steep had any bitterness or edge. Both were smooth. Again, I am of the humble opinion that it has to do with the tea leaves tempering the other ingredients, especially the flower petals which can often contribute some edginess to the taste.

Hubby human thinks this is a good tea to steep a cup of and enjoy as part of a quiet tea moment, sipping and savoring.

Mary is expanding her selection and invites you to check out her new flavors!

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

© 2011 A.C. Cargill photos and text – All rights reserved. No copying, posting on other sites, or other uses allowed without written permission of the copyright holder.

Tea Adventure: Ginger Chai from Jaipur Avenue

2011-10-21T10:11:00.001-04:00

Here is the latest “Tea Gang” adventure with:

Ginger Chai from Jaipur Avenue [More company info]This is a Flavored Tea [About straight teas vs flavored teas.]

This is the third review out of five of samples my humans received from Jaipur Avenue. As we said in the first review, the vendor calls this “Chai Tea” but we are calling it just “Chai” since that word means “tea.”

On with the review.

This little teapot doesn’t do instants since there is no steeping involved. My buddy Glass Teamug did the honors here so you could see every drop, just as you did with the previous reviews. I posed once again for a photo op in my snazzy supervisory sash. That foil like pouch the tea mix comes in tears open easily and makes it perfect for taking along any place you’re going. Empty the contents into your mug. Be sure to take a whiff. It has a nice ginger-ish aroma that to ginger lovers like my humans is heavenly. Ginger is often in authentic Indian chais, but this has a dash extra while not being overwhelming.

Add boiling water (the directions on the back of the pouch say to use hot water), starting with a couple of ounces onto the dry mix, stirring well, and then adding the rest of the water (for a total of 8 ounces). Stirring is a key step with instant anythings, so my humans used a fork.

The chai had a nice gingery flavor. The hubby human liked it but thought the ginger flavor was a bit too much for him. The wifey human loved it, though, and found the flavor smooth but not biting or bitter. She slipped off alone to a corner and finished off the rest by herself. How piggy! No particulate matter at the bottom at the cup, showing that everything in the mix was probably ground up pretty tiny and that my humans did a good job of stirring.

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

© 2011 A.C. Cargill photos and text – All rights reserved. No copying, posting on other sites, or other uses allowed without written permission of the copyright holder.

Tea Adventure: “Compassion” from Persimmon Tree Tea

2011-10-20T10:28:00.000-04:00

Here is the latest “Tea Gang” adventure with:

“Compassion” from Persimmon Tree Tea. [More info]
This is a Straight Tea [About straight teas vs flavored teas.]

This is one of those teas that the vendor has given a name easy for customers to remember: “Compassion.” It’s Tie Guan Yin Oolong, also called Iron Goddess of Mercy. Oolong is semi-oxidized, some more than others, which can make quite a difference in the taste. This oolong is from Anxi, China, according to the vendor’s site.

As you can see, this little teapot oversaw the steeping but let the actual work be done by this little white teacup with an infuser basket that fits it snuggly. The vendor’s steeping instructions on the back of the can recommend 195° F, but when all was said and done, my humans and I were thinking 180° F would be better. Still, the steeping went well, three in all, steeped for 3 minutes each.

The tea certainly was sourced well by the folks at Persimmon Tree Tea and lives up to its reputation. The first infusion has a dark yellowish color and light aroma. The flavor was smooth, not bitter, and nutty/planty. Subsequent infusions were each a bit degraded from that auspicious beginning, but still very satisfying. The best thing is that even as it cooled the tea did not get bitter.

Definitely a sipper tea. Take a sip, savor it, and the swallow. Repeat as many times as necessary to achieve a state of peace after a tough day.

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

© 2011 A.C. Cargill photos and text – All rights reserved. No copying, posting on other sites, or other uses allowed without written permission of the copyright holder.

Tea Adventure: Auntie’s Pumpkin Pie from Element Tea

2011-10-19T10:52:00.001-04:00

[Note: The vendor did not anticipate strong demand for this tea during the Fall holiday season and has said they are sold out. My apologies to you readers.]

Here is the latest “Tea Gang” adventure with:

Auntie’s Pumpkin Pie from Element Tea. [More info]

This is a Flavored Tea About straight teas vs flavored teas.

It’s been months and months since my humans received this sample from the folks at Element Tea in Denver, Colorado. Our apologies for taking so long to get around to trying it, but it was well worth the wait. Fall is here, which means the season for enjoying anything pumpkin flavored is also here. You can put this tea on your list.

I, your genteel host and adorable Little Yellow Teapot, did the steeping honors, following the little instruction card that came with the samples.

First, I need to point out that this is tea flavored with “real” stuff, not just some flavoring oil. There are real bits of pumpkin and caramel, and whole cloves. The Tea Gang’s approach in the past with flavored teas like this was to steep lightly the first time so we could get a tolerable second steeping. I decided to go all out for one really tasty steep. The gambit paid off. Boiling water and a full 5-minute steep resulted in a liquid that had a wonderful pumpkin pie character to it with only a hint of edginess. My humans also found that the caramel really kept the cinnamon from being overwhelming. Even so, there was a tint of the same flavor you get from those red hot candies.

My humans also chose to try some with a little milk and sweetener in it. (I know what you’re thinking: “Those two will put milk in just about any tea.” Not quite, but pretty close! Since the tea used is a non-specified Chinese black tea, they thought it appropriate to try a bit with milk.) The milk and sweetener (they always use aspartame) tempered that “red hot candy” flavor and made the tea taste even more like pie.

This brings me to the issue of why one should even bother with a flavored tea. Normally, the little teapot sees no reason for drinking teas that have had all of this stuff added to it. Just throw some of the stuff in hot water and steep it that way. Why waste the tea? However, in this case, the taste of the tea does make a difference, plus for those of you who are dieting or need a gluten-free way to get the taste of pumpkin pie this tea is a great way to fill both requirements!

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

© 2011 A.C. Cargill photos and text – All rights reserved. No copying, posting on other sites, or other uses allowed without written permission of the copyright holder.

Tea Adventure: Sencha of the Wind from Obubu Tea

2011-10-17T10:22:00.000-04:00

Here is the latest “Tea Gang” adventure with:

Sencha of the Wind from Obubu Tea [More company info]
This is a Straight Tea

This little yellow teapot is beginning to suspect that my humans are starting to really like Japanese green teas in general and Obubu Tea specifically. I drafted Little One-Cupper to do the steeping honors this time. (The Libre Tea mug is actually a bit too large for the amount of tea leaves in the sample.)

We didn’t quite follow the vendor’s instructions to the letter. We started by boiling one cup of water, pouring some in Little One-Cupper until his sides felt warm and then pouring it back into the little kettle. We put the tea leaves in the warmed pot and let them sit for one minute. We then added the slightly cooled water to the leaves in the teapot and steeped for 1½ minutes.

The result was a richly flavored light green liquid that was spinachy but smooth and not at all bitter. My humans sipped from our little sipping cups and seemed quite satisfied. (I can always tell – they get these kind of loopy expressions on their faces.)

Little One-Cupper did three more steepings of the leaves, each for 30 seconds. My humans thought the 2nd steeping had a twinge of bitterness but was otherwise very nice, retaining that spinachy quality to the aroma and taste. The 3rd and 4th, they claimed, were about the same flavor as the 2nd but without a trace of bitterness. Overall quite satisfying.

They enjoyed the remaining tea with their lunch and declared that the spinachy quality went very well with the beef stroganoff over white rice and steamed green beans.

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

© 2011 A.C. Cargill photos and text – All rights reserved. No copying, posting on other sites, or other uses allowed without written permission of the copyright holder.

Tea Adventure: Berry Medley from The Boston Tea Company

2011-10-12T09:59:00.000-04:00

Here is the latest “Tea Gang” adventure with:

Berry Medley from The Boston Tea Company [More info]

This is a Flavored Tea [About straight teas vs flavored teas.]

No, you’re not seeing double. Yes, this tea was reviewed here as a chilled tea.

Time to see how this tea tastes hot.

This is a fruity combination consisting of black tea from China and flavored with raspberry, cranberry, rosehips, safflowers, and pomegranate. No fannings or dust here but large tea leaf pieces and good-sized bits of fruit! No flavoring oil, that means the possibility of a second steep. The aroma was strongly cranberry, with little tea aroma being detected. It makes me wonder why people go for flavored teas instead of just the flavorings. Seems like a waste of tea.

Yours truly did the steeping. My new buddy “Bruno” supervised (note that the supervisory sash is a bit small on him since he’s a bit on the husky side). He was actually hoping that this tea would prove to be hearty enough for him to serve up next time around. We shall see.

The first steeping was for 3 minutes using boiling water. The aroma was more balanced, not just cranberry, but my humans reported that the flavor was rather weak, with more floral coming through like it had in the chilled version. (We’ve had this sample awhile, and the tea vendor may have changed the mix a bit.) My humans think of this as a “sipper” tea.

I did a second steeping, this time for 4 minutes, and produced a tea that was lighter all around and generally not up to my humans’ nor my standards. Hm… time to start over with a fresh batch of tea leaf mix. This time I steeped for 5 minutes. My humans were more satisfied with this round but still found it a bit light tasting, with the cranberry aroma of the dry tea failing to bring forth a good cranberry flavor in the cup. This is often an issue with those lovely smelling flavored teas you can’t resist in the teashops. They have one aroma when dry and quite another when steeped, and a flavor that is different from either. How can you tell in the store what you will end up with at home?

Once the official portion of the tea tasting was over, there was some tea left. One of my humans added a bit of milk and a touch of sweetener and declared: “Mmmm… not bad!”

My recommendations: Steep at least 5 minutes for a cup of tea with good flavor, try it with some milk and sweetener if you are so inclined, and don’t try for a second infusion from the tea mix.

By the way, “Bruno” has decided that this tea isn’t quite manly enough for him to serve up.

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

© 2011 A.C. Cargill photos and text – All rights reserved. No copying, posting on other sites, or other uses allowed without written permission of the copyright holder.

Tea Adventure: Vanilla Chai from Jaipur Avenue

2011-10-10T10:20:00.000-04:00

Here is the latest “Tea Gang” adventure with:

Vanilla Chai from Jaipur Avenue [More company info]

This is a Flavored Tea [About straight teas vs flavored teas.]

This is the second review out of five of samples my humans received three months ago from Jaipur. So sorry to take so long. The Tea Gang has been busy.

As we said in the first review, the vendor calls this “Chai Tea” but we are calling it just “Chai” since that word means “tea.”

On with the review.

This little teapot doesn’t do instants, so our glass teamug buddy filled in again so you could see every drop, just as you did with the previous review. (Gives me a chance once again to pose for a photo op in my snazzy supervisory sash.) That foil like pouch the tea mix comes in makes it perfect for taking along to the office, school, or any place you’re headed. Tear open the pouch easily at the top left corner. Empty the contents into the glass. Be sure to take a whiff. It has a nice vanilla-ish aroma but not heavily so.

We followed the directions on the back of the pouch that say to use hot water (we used boiling water) and start with a couple of ounces onto the dry mix, stirring well, and then add the rest of the water (6 ounces for a total of 8 ounces). I once again advised my humans to use a fork to stir. (If you’re fixing this mix somewhere other than at home, use a plastic fork or stir super well with whatever stirring stick is available.) Stirring is a key step with instant anythings.

The tea had about the same caramelly color as the original masala chai we tried previously but with a great vanilla-ish aroma and taste. One sip made my humans very happy, declaring that this is a good dessert-type chai.

No particulate matter at the bottom at the cup this time. That means everything in the mix was probably ground up pretty tiny.

The preference seems to be for the original masala chai, since it is more spicy.

[Psst! Here’s the secret from the previous review. They had some Original Masala Chai left in the cup when we did this review, so after this tasting was done, they combined this chai with that one. Quite tasty! You might want to get several of Jaipur’s flavors of chai mix and do your own blending!]

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

© 2011 A.C. Cargill photos and text – All rights reserved. No copying, posting on other sites, or other uses allowed without written permission of the copyright holder.

Tea Adventure: Original Masala Chai from Jaipur Avenue

2011-10-05T10:49:00.001-04:00

Here is the latest “Tea Gang” adventure with:

Original Masala Chai from Jaipur Avenue [More company info]
This is a Flavored Tea [About straight teas vs flavored teas.]

Before we get started, a few words from my humans:

Hi folks, well, you may know by now that we’re pretty adamant about proper terminology (and not just where tea is concerned). However, when a woman from India introduces her tea product to the U.S. and calls it “Chai Tea,” it’s a sign that the battle is lost. She has given in to American vernacular which is based on lack of knowledge of tea in general. Sigh! Still, for this review, we are sticking with calling this simply “chai.”

Back to the review.

This little teapot doesn’t do instants, so one of our many teamug buddies filled in. We chose a glass one so you could see every drop. (Don’t I look snazzy in my supervisory sash?) The next thing to note is the great foil-like pouch the tea mix comes in, great for taking along to the office, school, or wherever you are headed. The pouch tears open easily at the top left corner. Empty the contents into the glass. Be sure to take a whiff. It has a nice cardamom-ish aroma but is not heavily so. Other spice aromas come through, too.

Directions on the back of the pouch say to use hot water (we used boiling water) and start with a couple of ounces onto the dry mix, stirring well. Then, add the rest of the water (6 ounces for a total of 8 ounces). My humans used a fork (at my recommendation, of course) to stir. If you’re fixing this mix at the office, use a plastic fork or stir super well with whatever stirring stick is available. As with any instant, stirring is a key step. (That’s why I don’t let my humans fix instants in me ― those stirring sticks tickle.)

Here is how the tea looked when the stirring was done. It’s a nice caramelly color with that cardamom-ish aroma still present. One sip and my humans started grinning like they’d won the Lottery only better (no taxes to pay)! They said that the flavor was balanced, with no single spice stealing the show.

A mix like this tends to hold some particulate matter that is heavier than the water molecules. There are, therefore, bound to be some at the bottom at the cup, just as there is with powdered cocoa, unless you swish or stir the contents. We purposely let it set to see how much would be in the bottom of the cup. Not much, as you can see (yes, it’s now in a white mug ― we needed the glass mug for something else).

Overall, some of the best instant chai my humans have had the good fortune to taste. It’s as balanced as the chai we tried recently from another vendor, but in instant form, you can take it with you easily.

[Pssst! I overheard my humans say they have a secret to reveal in the next review!]

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

© 2011 A.C. Cargill photos and text – All rights reserved. No copying, posting on other sites, or other uses allowed without written permission of the copyright holder.

Tea Adventure: Golden Pu-erh from The English Tea Store

2011-10-03T11:08:00.000-04:00

Here is the latest “Tea Gang” adventure with:

Golden Pu-erh Tea from The English Tea Store
This is a Straight Tea [About straight teas vs flavored teas]

Pu-erh is one of those teas that can take multiple infusions and is often infused in smaller amounts. So, my buddy Little One-Cupper did the steeping honors. Never fear, though, I was there to assure that all went well.

For many of you buying pu-erh loose in a pouch or tin may not seem kosher. Considering that “Tea Guy” Chris Giddings recently enjoyed a pu-erh that was in a string-and-tag teabag and seemed pretty happy with it, the era of buying big cakes may be fading, especially as pu-erh gets more known and liked among tea drinkers – both veterans and newbies alike.

Take a moment to smell the tea leaves, which are large pieces and have an aroma that earthy yet sweet, not the damp half-composted leaves on the forest floor aroma of some other pu-erhs we have tried (not a bad aroma – just pointing out that this one is different).

On with the steeping.

Little One-Cupper is pretty dedicated to tea. He did four infusions in boiling water for these times:

first for 2 minutes
second for 2-1/2 minutes
third for 3 minutes
fourth for 3-1/2 minutes

Some people do a quick rinse of the leaves (about 30 seconds) and then dump out the liquid, but Little One-Cupper chose not to. This meant that the first steep was more of a preparatory steep, but our humans still found it drinkable. The liquid color was a dark reddish brown with an aroma that was earthy yet caramelly and a taste that was smooth and earthy with no bitterness. The second steep was the best, with a richness that the first one didn’t have yet still smooth and free of bitterness. The third and fourth steeps were both lighter overall, with the third having a gritty quality to the flavor (though not to the mouth feel) and the fourth being pretty faint in both color and flavor, as you can see here:

The price on the vendor’s site as of the writing of this review was 4 ounces for $11.69 – less than $3 per ounce. We used about 1/4th of one ounce for this test and ending up with 4 cups. That’s about 75 cents total or 18.75 cents per cupful. Even if you decide to stop at two infusions, like my humans suggest, you’re talking 37 cents per cupful. Lots cheaper than a cuppa “stuff” called “tea” from the restaurant, where my humans end up paying about $1.89 for tepid water and a teabag full of dust.

My humans ended the tasting by enjoying a cuppa with some fortune cookies. A nice pairing.

Tea Adventure: Giddapahar China Delight Autumn Flush 2010 from Thunderbolt Tea

2011-09-30T11:40:00.001-04:00

Here is the latest “Tea Gang” adventure with:

Giddapahar China Delight (2010 Autumn Flush) from Thunderbolt Tea [More company info]
This is a Straight Tea [About straight teas vs flavored teas.]

Yes, we’ve finally tasted the ultimate sample from 2010 autumn harvest, this one from Giddapahar Tea Garden sent to us by our good buddy Benoy of Thunderbolt Tea. (Later, we’ll be sampling a 2011 tea from this same tea garden.)

Doing the steeping honors this time is yours truly with my buddy Libre Tea Mug doing the supervising (I let him use my official sash to keep him happy). A tea like this is a great tea to steep in that mug, but I just couldn’t resist doing the honors. Benoy is such a great tea guy, and I am quite frankly a bit envious. He gets to zip around on his motorcycle, visiting these tea gardens in the foothills of the Himalayas in the Darjeeling region of northern India. His samples really give this little teapot something to look forward to.

Being another Autumn Flush, the anticipation here is for a fairly strong flavor. No disappointment here. The tea leaves look fully oxidized, so we used boiling water and steeped for 3 minutes for the first infusion, 4 minutes for the second infusion. The first infusion was nutty yet sweet in aroma with a flavor that had a fruity bite but no bitterness or astringency. Happy human faces all around here. The second infusion was lighter in color, aroma, and flavor, and even got a bit bitter, something a touch of your fave sweetener could fix.

Just for grins, I steeped a fresh round for my humans, this time (5 minutes for both the first and second infusions). The first infusion was fabulous, stronger in flavor and aroma, with the sweetish nuttiness combining with fruitiness, and able to take some milk plus a bit of sweetener. For those of you who like your tea this way, your humble host teapot recommends this longer steeping time. The second infusion was too light. You could drink it straight with no problem, but not with milk. It’s a trade off: one stronger infusion or two lighter infusions, just as we’ve mentioned with other teas.

Once the official tasting was done, it was party time. That Libre Tea Mug can sure dance! You should see him do the Charleston. I’m not bad either, though, especially when fueled up with some of this tasty Darjeeling tea!

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

© 2011 A.C. Cargill photos and text – All rights reserved. No copying, posting on other sites, or other uses allowed without written permission of the copyright holder.

Tea Adventure: Tropical Mango from The Boston Tea Company

2011-09-28T10:26:00.000-04:00

Here is the latest “Tea Gang” adventure with:

Tropical Mango from The Boston Tea Company [More info]

This is a Flavored Tea [About straight teas vs flavored teas.]

No, you’re not seeing double. Yes, this black tea was reviewed here as a chilled tea.

Time to see how this tea tastes hot.

This is a fruity tea, based on black Ceylon tea from Sri Lanka and flavored with sunflower petals and large chunks of dried ripe mango. Just take a look at this sight that greeted me and my humans when we first opened the plastic pouch:

No fannings or dust here but large leaf pieces, and just look at the size of those bits of fruit! No flavoring oil, that means the possibility of a tasty second steep. The aroma was strongly mango, with little tea aroma being detected. Hm… hope that doesn’t mean the tea flavor won’t come through in the cup. Oh, well, on to the steeping.

I, your lovable steeping little teapot, oversaw the entire steeping operation, which was ably handled by Tea Gang member “Belle of the Ball.” The water was heated to a boil, as the vendor recommends. The first steeping was held to 3 minutes (the vendor recommends 3 to 5 minutes), and we’re glad we did. The liquid was a dark reddish brown, with an aroma that was lightly mango-ish and yet with a caramelly/nutty character. The moment of truth, of course, is when my humans take a sip.

My humans report that the flavor was a great balance of fruit and tea, with no bitterness or astringency, even as it cooled. Then, they tried a little with milk and sweetener and were even more pleased, with the flavor being smoothed and the mango coming out more in conjunction with the sweetener.

“Belle” did a second steeping, this time for 4 minutes, and produced a tea that was slightly lighter in color, aroma, and flavor, with less mango taste. Still quite nice in the cup.

This seems to be a tea that can be equally satisfying when served hot or cold. Bravo! “Belle” did a great job, with my supervisory help of course, and I thank her.

Davids Tea ― Rolling with the Tea Gang!

2011-09-26T11:15:00.000-04:00

Davids Tea was so excited about the “Tea Gang,” featuring yours truly, that they asked if they could “roll” with us. Sure! We welcome tea vendors to be part of the fun here.

Shown here are three little sample size tins of three green teas that Davids Tea calls their “Orient Express”: Gyokuro Yumashiro, Dragonwell, and Korean Sejak. Tea Gang members shown here are me (your fave little yellow teapot), that little white one-cupper, the Libre Tea steeping mug, the white 4-cupper, and in the back is the newest member “Bruno” from Louisville Stoneware. We’re all ready to roll with reviewing these three teas and lots of others.

Davids Tea’s “Orient Express” Green Tea samples, in their cutey tins, come out of their box to roll with us!

See more info on the company on Tea Time.

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

© 2011 A.C. Cargill photos and text – All rights reserved. No copying, posting on other sites, or other uses allowed without written permission of the copyright holder.

Tea Adventure: English Breakfast Blend from Home Discount Store

2011-09-22T08:55:00.002-04:00

Here is the latest “Tea Gang” adventure with:

English Breakfast Blend from Home Discount Store. [More info]

This is a Straight Tea [About straight teas vs flavored teas.]

Once again, your lovable and humble yellow teapot is conducting a steeping of another tea and letting you know how it went. The first thing to note here is that Home Discount Store has amazing prices. This tea is about half the price of another English Breakfast Blend tried recently: 8 ounces for $10.66 (versus $9.95 for 4 ounces of the other one).

The leaf pieces are a bit smaller, have an earthy aroma, and steeped up faster and stronger than that other tea. This little teapot is thinking that Assam tea is the basis for this blend and did my best to get it just right for my humans. I steeped the first infusion for only 3 minutes, but on hindsight think it should have gone for 5 minutes as the vendor recommends. At 3 minutes, the steep was dark reddish brown with a malty aroma and a strong and bitter taste but too weak for milk. A bit of sweetener was good in it, though.

The 2nd steep was done for 4 minutes and was weaker. I recommend that you stick with one good strong 5-minute steep if you are the type of human who likes milk in your tea. At the price Home Discount Store charges, you can certainly afford to get just one good steep instead of two mediocre steeps. If you like your tea a bit lighter, try a short 30-second steep that you then toss out and follow up with a couple of 2-minute steeps.

Once the official tasting portion of this adventure was over, my “he” human made pancakes and bacon for he and my “she” human to enjoy. They report that the tea goes well with both!

Tea Adventure: English Breakfast Blend from Persimmon Tree Tea

2011-09-20T09:43:00.002-04:00

Here is the latest “Tea Gang” adventure with:

English Breakfast Blend from Persimmon Tree Tea. [More info]

This is a Straight Tea [About straight teas vs flavored teas.]

Your fave little teapot here again, this time with one of the many subtly different English Breakfast Blend teas out there. The folks at Persimmon Tree Tea don’t specify which teas are in this blend, but they certainly did a nice job of selecting the teas to put together. The pieces of tea leaves were fairly large and dark brown, with an aroma that seemed a combination of cocoa with a malty sweetness. It made this little teapot’s lid spin with delight. My humans seemed to like it, too. I had to toot at them to get the water heating.

My stalwart buddy, Tea Cozy, was on hand as usual to assist in this tea adventure. He kept me warm during the steeping.

Since this is a black tea, we heated the water to boiling. The tea tin label recommends 3 to 5 minutes steeping time. We steeped for 3 minutes on the first infusion and were glad we did. The tea steeped up to a beautiful reddish color with an aroma that was slightly smoky and yet malty. There was a slight astringency and edginess to the taste, but it got more smoky as the liquid cooled. A bit of milk and sweetener was very fitting here.

I insisted on doing a second steeping of this tea just to see how it would do. This time, it went for 4 minutes. The liquid was lighter in color, aroma, and taste, and not suited to milk and sweetener. That leads me to conclude that you can satisfy your desire for a lighter tea or for a stronger tea depending on the length of time steeped, true of many teas but not always of breakfast blends, which seem intended to be fairly strongly flavored and able to take milk and sweetener.

The tea is a bit higher priced than other breakfast blends ($9.95 for 4 ounces). I’m not sure if it’s because of the teas used (sometimes Keemuns are in these blends and account for the higher price) or because it’s organic. Sadly, organics raise prices two ways: production costs are higher and harvest amounts are smaller.

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

© 2011 A.C. Cargill photos and text – All rights reserved. No copying, posting on other sites, or other uses allowed without written permission of the copyright holder.

Tea Adventure: Castleton China Autumn Delight from Thunderbolt Tea

2011-09-19T10:02:00.000-04:00

Here is the latest “Tea Gang” adventure with:

Castleton China Autumn Delight (2010 Autumn Flush) from Thunderbolt Tea [More company info]
This is a Straight Tea [About straight teas vs flavored teas.]

Yes, we’re finally getting to the penultimate sample from 2010 harvest at Castleton sent by our good buddy Benoy of Thunderbolt Tea. (Later, we’ll be sampling a 2011 tea from this same tea garden.)

Doing the steeping honors this time is our lovely floral & butterfly decorated teapot “madam” with her matching teacup (the cup is shy but now and then gets coaxed to pose for us). Like me, this teapot is a 2-cupper, which is just right for trying the tea.

Darjeelings are in a class of their own, with this one being no exception. Usually, when you buy Darjeeling tea from most tea vendors, you are getting a blend from several tea gardens in the Darjeeling area of India and from several flushes (periods of growth). With Thunderbolt Tea and some other tea vendors, you can get a particular tea garden, year, and flush. The downside, of course, is that if you fall in love with that tea, you may not be able to get its equivalent next year since growing conditions won’t be quite the same. Don’t let that stop you, though. These teas are definitely worth trying! And you can count on Benoy to scout out the best of the bunch.

Autumn flushes are the last harvest before the tea plants go dormant in Darjeeling. At their high elevation, Winter comes fast.

So how was this tea? In a word: superb!

From the first whiff when that well-sealed package was opened, the whole Tea Gang knew this was gonna be good. The nutty/fruity around of those large leaf pieces told of the joys to come. The water was boiled and the tea leaves steeped for 3 minutes. When poured into the cup, the liquid had a dark amber color and nutty flavor with a strong fruit finish. My humans were quite pleased!
The second steep was lighter in color, aroma, and taste. That little teapot steeped it in boiling water for 3-1/2 minutes this time. The tea seems still pleasing, but if you want more even infusions, try doing the first one for only 2 minutes instead of 3.

One of my humans tried some of the first infusion with a bit of milk and sweetener (she puts milk in a lot of teas) and swears it was great. I’ll take her word for it!

Even though this exact tea may not be in stock (check the Thunderbolt Tea site to see), keep Castleton in mind for the 2011 Autumn Flush which will be available soon. Well worth it — TOOT!

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

© 2011 A.C. Cargill photos and text – All rights reserved. No copying, posting on other sites, or other uses allowed without written permission of the copyright holder.

Tea Adventure: “The Vaughan” (Masala Chai) from Tea and Jazz House

2011-09-15T08:21:00.000-04:00

Here is the latest “Tea Gang” adventure with:

“The Vaughan” (Masala Chai) from The Tea and Jazz House [More info]

This is a Flavored Tea [About straight teas vs flavored teas.]

Yours truly — me, that lovable Little Yellow Teapot — did the steeping honors here for another flavored tea. In the U.S., you humans like to call any tea or herbal that has various spices added to it by the name “chai.” Mary Cali, owner of Tea and Jazz House, gets the name right here, though. First, she names each tea after jazz greats, but the subname here is “masala chai.” Bingo! “Masala” means “spices” and “chai” means “tea.”

The first thing that the Tea Gang members, me included, like to do when sampling a new tea is take a good look at it in dry form. Check this out:

Look at the wonderful tea leaf pieces and all those lovely spices (according to Mary’s website, it contains ginger root, cinnamon, cardamom, and natural flavoring). My humans took turns sniffing and getting these goofy smiles on their faces. They loved it!

Time to steep. This is a black tea so boiling water was called for here and a steeping time of 5 minutes. I only steeped once. Too often these flavored teas pale after that first steep, so why bother? The liquid was cloudy amber colored with a strong spice aroma.

Time for the tasting. To help out, twin teacups (and their saucers) volunteered their services. My humans tried some as is and some with milk and sweetener (which is typically added to spiced tea like this). One sip and those goofy smiles returned to their faces. (I’m going to have to sneak a photo of them doing that sometime!) In both versions, they declared a splendid balance of spice and tea flavors, a perfect Autumn tea for sure!

The Tea and Jazz House names their tea blends after jazz greats and assures that the tea has a flavor and character suited to each musician chosen for the honorific. In this case, it’s Sarah Vaughan, known for having “one of the most wondrous voices of the 20th century” with a vocal range from female baritone to mezzo-soprano, something boasted by few singers (Julie Andrews is one).

Mary launched her tea store online recently and has a limited selection at this time. This is certainly one for you spiced chai lovers to try. Stop by her site and let her know you saw our adventure with her lovely tea!

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

© 2011 A.C. Cargill photos and text – All rights reserved. No copying, posting on other sites, or other uses allowed without written permission of the copyright holder.

A New “Tea Gang” Member from Louisville Stoneware

2011-09-08T14:53:00.000-04:00

The “Tea Gang” has a new member: “Bruno” from Louisville Stoneware!

Bruno is not your dainty bone china or glass teapot. He’s a sturdy stoneware Brooke pattern 6-cupper who arrived in an even sturdier cardboard box with lots of sturdy packing material around it. The folks at Louisville Stoneware apparently put the same quality and attention into shipping as well as the making of their stonewares, assuring they survive the slings and arrows of harried and hurried delivery personnel.

As the leader of the “Tea Gang,” I officially greeted Bruno and once he had been freed from all that packing material. (My humans had to handle the whole unpacking procedure with great care.) You’ll note that Bruno has a yellow lid. He also has some yellow on his handle and the rim of the spout, so he is color coordinated with me.

The other teapots and the Libre Tea steeping mug crowded around. What happened next is what usually happens when a bunch of teawares are gathered into one place: party time!

Before we knew it, a conga line had formed. Bruno, being the largest, was in the lead. We all lined up behind him in order of our size, with one exception: I’m the same capacity as Little Cast Iron Teapot, but I let him go ahead of me in line.

At some point, I guess, we’ll have to get back to the business of trying new teas. But for now … ♪ ♫ gonna dance the conga ♪ ♫ cha cha cha cha cha cha ♪ ♫ !!

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

© 2011 A.C. Cargill photos and text – All rights reserved.
No copying, posting on other sites, or other uses allowed without written permission of the copyright holder.

Tea Adventure: Peach Dream from The Boston Tea Company

2011-09-07T10:45:00.000-04:00

Here is the latest “Tea Gang” adventure with:

Peach Dream from The Boston Tea Company [More info]

This is a Flavored Tea [About straight teas vs flavored teas]

No, you’re not seeing double. Yes, this white tea was reviewed here as a chilled tea.

Time to see how this tea tastes hot.

I, your lovable steeping little teapot, oversaw the entire steeping operation, which was ably handled by Tea Gang member Butterfly Steeping Mug. The vendor says to heat the water to just below boiling. This seems a bit hot for a white tea, but we tried it that way anyway.

The dry tea was composed of big leaf pieces of white tea from the Fujian Province of China with peaches and sunflowers added in. The tea was short steeped on the first round, going only one minute (the vendor recommends 1-3 minutes). That gave a light infusion that was pale peachy in color and flavor. My humans let it cool a bit before taking a taste. They seemed pleased with it and said it had a nice peachy flavor with the sunflowers “tinting” it a bit but not overwhelming it. We did a second steeping that my humans thought was almost as flavorful as the first.

This seems to be a tea that can be equally satisfying when served hot or cold. Bravo!

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

No copying, posting on other sites, or other uses allowed without written permission of the copyright holder.

Tea Adventure: Sylvakandy Estate Orange Pekoe from The English Tea Store

2011-09-01T09:44:00.001-04:00

Here is the latest “Tea Gang” adventure with:

Sylvakandy Estate Orange Pekoe Ceylon Tea from The English Tea StoreThis is a Straight Tea [About straight teas vs flavored teas]
I, your humble and lovable Little Yellow Teapot, did the honors for a Ceylon black tea from the Sylvakandy Estate and for sale from those wonderful folks at The English Tea Store. This tea is grown at about 3,000 feet above sea level, which makes its flavor quite marvelous. I steeped it carefully for 5 minutes in water heated to boiling. As you can see, my buddy Libre Tea Steeping Mug took my place as supervisor (and insisted on wearing the official sash), so you can be sure all was done correctly.

The dry tea leaves had a wonderful raisiny aroma, like some other Ceylons we have tried. The pieces were large sized, not fannings or dust, and were dark brown or black in color. The liquid was a beautiful ruby brown with a raisiny/malty aroma, the kind that a lot of humans have come to associate with tea (small wonder, since Ceylon black teas are used in many blends). My humans let the liquid cool a bit before trying it and said there was a very slight bitterness but that the flavor was overall rich, raisiny, and malty. They are thinking that a shorter steep time (maybe 4 minutes) would take away that bitterness. Next, they tried the tea with a little milk and sweetener and, judging by the “Ahs” and big smiles on their faces, I’m thinking they liked it. In fact, they said that the taste was smooth and malty (not quite the Assam malty, more sweet).

I did a second steeping of the leaves just to see if more could be gotten out of them — more that was worth drinking, that is. Again, the results were pleasing. The color, flavor, and aroma were lighter (if the first steep had been for only 5 minutes, this one would have been stronger). If you like your tea straight without milk and sweetener, this is great to drink that way. My humans combined this steep with what was left of the first one and had a wonderful, balanced cup of tea. Overall, they seemed please, and keeping my humans happy is my main goal in steeping tea.

Time to introduce you to this sweetheart of a teacup.

She’s not officially part of the Tea Gang. We’re all steepers, and she is too much of a lady to allow tea to be steeped in her (don’t even say the word “teabag” within her earshot or she’ll faint). She is gracious enough, though, to pose for photos, especially when there is such a tasty tea to fill her.

What's All This “Orange Pekoe” Stuff Mean?

Disclaimer: This tea was provided by the company named. However, any opinions concerning this tea and the company are always strictly objective. © 2011 A.C. Cargill photos and text – All rights reserved. No copying, posting on other sites, or other uses allowed without written permission of the copyright holder.

Tea Adventure: China Sencha from Element Tea

2011-08-30T09:09:00.001-04:00

Here is the latest “Tea Gang” adventure with:

China Sencha from Element Tea. [More info]This is a Straight Tea [About straight teas vs flavored teas]

This is a green tea processed in the style of senchas but from China instead of Japan. The tea adventure we just had before this was a Japanese Sencha. So, how did this one do compared with that one?

First, I have to introduce the member of our Tea Gang who did the steeping honors: Little Japanese Teapot. He’s a cast-iron tough guy that holds in the heat, so you can actually steep your teas for a shorter time than usual (the vendor recommends 3 minutes, but we did 2-1/2 minutes). Be sure, also, to keep the water temperature no higher than the recommended 160˚ F.

The fortune in the fortune cookie said, “You will drink some tasty tea.” How true!

That being said, on to the tea adventure results. The dry leaves had a wonderful green hay aroma and typical long, flat, dark green appearance. Little Japanese Teapot steeped those leaves up to a perfect light yellow-green liquid with a vegetal aroma and a light flavor and smooth feel. A second infusion was about the same but a little lighter in flavor. As for how this compared with the Japanese Sencha, my humans think they are very similar but that the Japanese version was a bit more what they were expecting from this type of tea. A bit of bias showing? Hm…

This tea could be infused more, but we all decided it was party time and got out the fortune cookies and some Lindt dark chocolate with sea salt. Both were yummy accompaniments with this tea.

Once we all recover, we’ll get on with the next tea adventure. Toot!

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

© 2011 A.C. Cargill photos and text – All rights reserved.
No copying, posting on other sites, or other uses allowed without written permission of the copyright holder.

Thunderbolt Tea Samples Arrived!

2011-08-26T11:35:00.000-04:00

The package came a long way, and the folks at the Post Office had it out and waiting for my ‘she’ human when they saw her walk in. They know the routine by now! The teas were so well pack that this little teapot expects no loss of freshness.

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

Tea Adventure: Sencha of the Earth from Obubu Tea

2011-08-18T08:35:00.001-04:00

Hi, I’m Little Yellow Teapot. I’ve been helping my humans steep tea for their reviews for awhile now but the time has come to step out in front and start writing about my tea adventures along with my newly formed “Tea Gang” (don’t worry, we’re friendly).

Here is our adventure with:

Sencha of the Earth from Obubu [More company info]
This is a Straight Tea

This tea was steeped by my buddy, the LibreTea steeping glass (large size). He holds almost a full 2 cups of liquid, just like me. The idea here was to see if this Japanese green tea could be steeped by this method and still have a great flavor character typical of these teas. The company sent steeping instructions along for the more traditional method, so you might prefer to follow them. But those of you who have more of a sense of tea adventure, read on.

Here we are, ready to begin. I am overseeing the operation (wearing my official steeping overseer sash from CrafTEA Designs). LibreTea steeping glass is impatient to begin.

The tea came is a clear package, so my humans stored it away from light to preserve the delicate tea leaf pieces inside. The instructions were in Japanese but the company sent separate instructions in English so we didn’t need an interpreter!

The steeping begins. We heated the water to 160˚ F and steeped for one minute. Some of the tea leaves floated up to the top as they soaked up water.

At the end of the steep, the leaves were plumped up and the liquid was a pale green.

Here are the leaves before and after:

We served the tea to our humans in sipping cups:

The aroma and flavor were light and slightly spinachy. We did a 2nd steeping using water heated to 190˚ F, and our humans reported that the flavor and aroma were a bit stronger but still very nice. They had some with their breakfast (oats with blueberries, vanilla yogurt, and fresh nectarines) and said it was totally yummy.

That’s it for now. Thanks for reading. Another tea adventure will be coming up soon!

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

The “Tea Gang” Rides Again

2011-08-16T09:15:00.001-04:00

© 2011 A.C. Cargill photos and text – All rights reserved.
No copying, posting on other sites, or other uses allowed without written permission of the copyright holder.

Hi, I’m Little Yellow Teapot. I’ve been helping my humans steep tea for their reviews for awhile now, but the time has come for me to step out in front and start writing about my tea adventures along with my newly formed “Tea Gang” (don’t worry, we’re friendly).

We steep tea. Some of us are teapots. Some of us are those special steeping mugs. And others of us are steeping cups with their own custom fit infuser baskets. New members will be joining us in the months and years ahead, from yixing teapots to kyusu and gaiwan steeping cups and other items that strike us as fun teawares to join our party. Some of our non-teaware buddies might be joining us here and there, too.

We’ll be trying new teas, steeping familiar teas in new ways, and generally having a fun time. Hope you’ll join us!

NOTE: We will no longer be issuing ratings for the teas, since we think that personal taste varies so much that ratings are useless to you. Read about our adventure trying the tea and then decide if the tea is worth you trying it.

The gang members as of now:

Yours truly, of course, with my trusty tea cozy at my side, ready to keep me covered!

My best buddy, that wonderful glass and poly steeping glass from Libre Tea (he can travel places where this little teapot dares not go).

My humans owned this little “tough guy” cast iron teapot long before I came along. We’ve shared steeping duties on occasion, but he lets me be the star of the show.

Sheiks have their harems, this little teapot has his bevy – heh heh, just kidding. These “she” pots can steep tea with the best of ’em! From left to right: 4-cupper, 1-cupper, and “Blue Betty” the best 6-cupper around.

This cutey teapot is a 2-cupper like me and has a matching teacup (which is too shy to be part of our “gang”).

With her steeping basket and lid, this cup is a true steeping trooper and perfect for oolongs and other multi-steeping teas.

My humans are happily married, and this beauty of a teapot came into their home as a birthday present from him to her. The teapot is bone china from England and is as lovely to be around as she is to look at. Sadly, she is engaged to Cast Iron Teapot above, so I don’t stand a chance with her and have to be content with flirting online with various “she” pots.

There you have it, folks, seven dedicated steepers that will be bringing you the stories of their tea adventures. Enjoy!

Little Yellow Teapot Plays “Angry Birds”

2011-08-02T09:00:00.002-04:00

© 2011 A.C. Cargill photos and text – All rights reserved.
No copying, posting on other sites, or other uses allowed without written permission of the copyright holder.

Toot toot! “Angry Birds” is not only a popular game app on The Nook and other devices, but now “Angry Birds” is available as a physical game, complete with snorty little pigs (you have to make your own sound effects here), building pieces, rubbery birds, and a great launcher! So, when I, Little Yellow Teapot, heard that my humans would be a way for a few days, I insisted they buy me the game to play in their absence with my friends Bob the White Bunny and Clive the Yellow Bunny. We are having a practice game here to get the hang of this “Angry Birds®” business. I’m winning, of course!

Review: The Boston Tea Company’s Cranberry Lemon Black Tea Chilled

2011-07-28T10:54:00.000-04:00

The Subject:	Cranberry Lemon
Company:	The Boston Tea Company [More info]

Tea type:	Black
Additions:	Cranberry, lemon
Aroma in glass —	Cranberry, lemon
Taste in glass —	Lemon sherbet with some tartness
Needs sweetener?	Yes – a touch
Color in glass —	Amber

Comments:
We’ll be trying this tea hot later on but just couldn’t resist steeping up a glassful to try chilled.

With a name like cranberry lemon, expectations are set high. This was more of a lemon sherbet flavoring, though. The cranberry was almost non-existent. If you like lemon sherbet and like to taste it in your tea, this is a good option. Hubby and I both felt that some sweetener would definitely help here. There is also a slightly chalky texture, and hubby got a blueberry flavor impression, again meaning that the name does not match the taste. We would definitely recommend going a bit heavier on the cranberry if that name is to relate to what greets your tongue.

General Info About Chilled/Iced Tea:
Despite what others say, clarity in iced or chilled tea is not a trait to use when judging your tea quality. What matters is the taste and, to a lesser extent depending on the sensitivity of your “sniffer,” the aroma.

When chilling a tea for the first time, I always try it unsweetened. If you want sweetener in the tea, add it while the tea is hot after steeping.

I don’t add ice to tea, since that would require the tea to be steeped stronger than usual to balance out the dilution when the ice melts. I let the hot tea sit on the counter and come to about room temperature, then put it in the refrigerator for a few hours or even overnight.

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

Review: The Boston Tea Company’s Peach Passion Oolong Tea Chilled

2011-07-27T10:35:00.000-04:00

The Subject:	Peach Passion Oolong
Company:	The Boston Tea Company [More info]

Tea type:	Oolong
Additions:	Peach, sunflowers
Aroma in glass —	Peachy
Taste in glass —	Sunflower flavor dominates
Needs sweetener?	Yes – a touch
Color in glass —	Amber

Comments:
We’ll be trying this tea hot later on but just couldn’t resist steeping up a glassful to try chilled.

Once again, though, the name and the tea do not match. Some tea aficionados think that blind tastes tests should be normal. This tea is an example of why that would be a great idea. Without knowing that the tea is called “Peach Passion” and contains peach and sunflowers, you may actually like this tea. The name, however, sets up an expectation of peach flavor, but the tea doesn’t deliver. Instead, the taste is dominated by the sunflowers. There is a slight, sweet aftertaste, but the tea still needs a touch of sweetener, as far as hubby and I are concerned.

General Info About Chilled/Iced Tea:
Despite what others say, clarity in iced or chilled tea is not a trait to use when judging your tea quality. What matters is the taste and, to a lesser extent depending on the sensitivity of your “sniffer,” the aroma.

When chilling a tea for the first time, I always try it unsweetened. If you want sweetener in the tea, add it while the tea is hot after steeping.

I don’t add ice to tea, since that would require the tea to be steeped stronger than usual to balance out the dilution when the ice melts. I let the hot tea sit on the counter and come to about room temperature, then put it in the refrigerator for a few hours or even overnight.

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

Review: Canton Tea Company’s Ye Sheng Wild White Tea

2011-07-26T09:01:00.000-04:00

The Subject:	Ye Sheng Wild White
Company:	Canton Tea Company. [More info]

Straight Tea Rating:
About the rating designation.

Water temperature:	176° F (80° C)
Steeping time:	2-3 mins. (we recommend 2, 2½, & 3 mins.)
Tea type:	White
Dry leaves:	Full and broken, silvery, green, brown; planty aroma

1st Infusion:
Steeping times —	2 mins.
Aroma, plain —	Sweet, slightly nutty
Taste, plain —	Smooth feel, lightly planty/nutty
Color, plain —	Pale yellow-green

2nd Infusion:
Steeping times —	2½ mins.
Aroma, plain —	Lighter version of #1
Taste, plain —	Not as smooth, still mild and light
Color, plain —	A bit darker yellow-green

3rd Infusion:
Steeping times —	3 mins.
Aroma, plain —	Lighter than #2
Taste, plain —	Same as #3
Color, plain —	Same as #2

Comments:
The pouch used for this tea was made of foil and was heat sealed. Gotta love it! Those tea leaves journeyed all the way from Twickenham, UK, to my P.O. box here in the Southeast U.S., so using a package that blocks light, air, and moisture shows true care on the part of the vendor. Plus, the sample has been patiently waiting its turn to be reviewed, yet when opened, the leaves still had a wonderful, fresh aroma. And the label is clearly marked with steeping recommendation for time and water temperature, although they differ slightly from the vendor’s site (this has been the case with some other vendors, too, so I use what is on the package).

Look at those wonderful tender leaf pieces, many which are whole and the two-leaf-and-a-bud combo, both before and after steeping:

Be sure not to skimp on the amount of leaves used in each infusion. The vendor recommends two teaspoons per cup of water, which is what we used. The tea has such a light flavor that if you use a lesser amount, you will not get the taste this tea is known for (smooth feel, nutty/planty flavor).

For us, this is a tea to sip during a quiet contemplative moment. The fact that it’s also flexible, where you can adjust the strength to suit the depth of your contemplatory mood, is a point in its favor.

Be sure to read the story of this very special and excellent tea on the vendor’s site.

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

Review: The English Tea Store’s Kambaa Estate Kenyan Tea

2011-07-25T10:12:00.000-04:00

The Subject:	Kambaa Estate Kenyan
Company:	The English Tea Store

Straight Tea Rating:
About the rating designation.

Water temperature:	212° F
Steeping time:	3-5 mins.
Tea type:	Black
Dry leaves:	CTC pieces

1st Infusion:
Steeping time —	5 mins.
Aroma, plain —	Rich, malty
Taste, plain —	Strong, malty, not bitter
Color, plain —	Reddish brown
Taste, enhanced —	Malty, caramelly

Comments:
Tea as a cash crop was introduced to Africa in the 19th century. This tea is from Kenya, which is the 4th largest producer in the world today. The tea leaves were processed using the CTC (“crush, tear, curl”) method, meaning also that they steep up fast. Be aware of this so you can decide how strong you want your “cuppa” to be.

Hubby and I tend to like teas like this a bit stronger and with some milk and sweetener, so we steeped for five minutes. The vendor site says the liquid is bright golden, but ours came out reddish brown and with a wonderful fragrance. Even straight, the tea was not bitter. There was a slight edge, but only slight. It was easily smoothed by the milk.

For those of you who prefer your tea without milk, steep a shorter time (2-3 minutes). You might even get a second steeping from the same batch of tea grounds. This is also a great tea to use for a masala chai (spiced tea).

Whatever your preference, enjoy a robust-tasting cuppa either by itself as a special “me time” treat or with your fave cake, pie, or cookie!

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

Review: Element Tea’s Pomegranate Green Tea Chilled

2011-07-21T13:37:00.001-04:00

The Subject:	Pomegranate Green
Company:	Element Tea

Tea type:	Green
Additions:	Rosehips, Raspberries, Natural Flavors
Aroma in glass —	Fruity
Taste in glass —	Light, fruity, not tea-ish
Needs sweetener?	Maybe
Color in glass —	Amber

Comments:

We tried this tea hot and also wanted to try it chilled. Definitely not a disappointment. Hubby found the cold version quite refreshing as is but thought a bit of sweetener wouldn’t hurt. I liked it straight, but there is a bit of an aftertaste that is not pleasant while certainly not being a turn off. The flavor is not overly fruity and also not overly “green” tasting (planty, vegetal, whatever term you choose).

Worth a try, especially if you like a fruit-flavored tea without being overwhelmed by the fruitiness.

General Info About Chilled/Iced Tea:
Despite what others say, clarity in iced or chilled tea is not a trait to use when judging your tea quality. What matters is the taste and, to a lesser extent depending on the sensitivity of your “sniffer,” the aroma.

When chilling a tea for the first time, I always try it unsweetened. If you want sweetener in the tea, add it while the tea is hot after steeping.

I don’t add ice to tea, since that would require the tea to be steeped stronger than usual to balance out the dilution when the ice melts. I let the hot tea sit on the counter and come to about room temperature, then put it in the refrigerator for a few hours or even overnight.

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

Review: Element Tea’s Pomegranate Green Tea

2011-07-20T09:00:00.004-04:00

The Subject:	Pomegranate Green
Company:	Element Tea. [More info]

Flavored Tea Rating:

About the rating designation.

Flavorings work with tea?	Yes
Tea can be tasted?	No
Flavor blend balanced?	No

Water temperature:	160° F
Steeping time:	3 mins.
Tea type:	Green
Additions:	Rosehips, Raspberries, Natural Flavors
Dry leaves:	Broken pieces, dark green, plus chunks of rosehips. Fresh aroma, mainly of raspberry and rosehips.

1st Infusion:
Steeping time —	3 mins.
Aroma, plain —	Fruity, floral
Taste, plain —	Mainly fruity/floral, not much tea flavor
Color, plain —	Rosy

2nd Infusion:
Steeping time —	3 mins.
Aroma, plain —	Lighter
Taste, plain —	Lighter
Color, plain —	Same

Comments:
Not sure why this tea is called pomegranate green since it has rosehips and raspberries in it. Strange. Hubby and I tried this tea hot first, then chilled some overnight to see how it would be (we’ll post the results here later). While hubby loves it, I’m still undecided. It has a floral quality that doesn’t quite agree with me. The flavor is mild, though, and the overall taste of the tea is smooth. You can drink this tea straight and feel quite satisfied. The tea taste, however, is totally overwhelmed by the raspberry and rosehips.

We opened the foil-lined pack and saw a lovely sight: tea leaf pieces of the typical size, shape, and color for this tea type. Not a bunch of tea dust!

For you floral and raspberry lovers out there, give this tea a try. For those of you who want the subtlety of green teas, you'd do better to stick with the straight ones, not this.

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

Review: The Tea and Jazz House’s “The Carter” Tea

2011-07-19T09:00:00.003-04:00

The Subject:	The Carter
Company:	The Tea and Jazz House [More info]

Flavored Tea Rating:

About the rating designation.

Flavorings work with tea?	Yes
Tea can be tasted?	A little
Flavor blend balanced?	Not quite

Water temperature:	190° F
Steeping time:	3-5 mins.
Tea type:	Per vendor, her supplier says it is Pu-erh
Additions:	Orange peel
Dry leaves:	Large broken pieces, dark color, real orange rind pieces, strong orange aroma

1st Infusion:
Steeping time —	3 mins.
Aroma, plain —	Tangerine, slightly smoky
Taste, plain —	Smooth, not bitter, orange/smoky, tangy
Color, plain —	Dark amber

2nd Infusion:
Steeping time —	3½ mins.
Aroma, plain —	Tangerine
Taste, plain —	Mostly orange taste
Color, plain —	Amber

Comments:
If you love tangerines, rejoice, for this tea has a strong tangerine flavor and aroma. If you prefer more “tea taste” in your tea, you might find the tangerine overwhelming.

One look at the dry tea leaves shows how much they’ve been oxidized, to the point of being a black tea. The vendor’s site says this is a pu-erh tea, yet the subname on the tea pack says it’s an orange oolong and it’s under “Oolong” on the site, so it’s a bit puzzling to me. [UPDATE: The vendor has confirmed with her supplier that this is a black pu-erh.] There are also real pieces of orange rind, which accounts for the strong orange aroma and taste, along with a slight tanginess.

Because of the orange rind in this tea, we avoided trying it with milk, since citrus and milk are “mortal enemies” (well, not exactly, but they’re definitely not best buddies). Hubby found that a bit of sweetener was helpful. I, however, liked it straight and find it to be better than another orange tea I like (Mighty Leaf’s Orange Dulce).

We also tried this tea chilled overnight in the refrigerator. The result showed that you should definitely sweeten it after steeping and while it is still hot (or use a sweetener that you can add to the cold tea). Our version also had a bit of chalkiness, making it seem more like the powdered orange drink Tang® than tea.

The Tea and Jazz House names their tea blends after jazz greats and assure that the tea has a flavor and character suited to each musician chosen for the honorific. In this case, it’s Betty Carter, known for her scat singing and original vocal style. Sadly, she only reached age 69, but was active in jazz up to the end.

Mary Cali, the owner, launched her tea store online recently and has a limited selection at this time. This is certainly one for you orange lovers to try.

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