English Breakfast at the MFA

Jason and I enjoyed a nice lunch at the Museum of Fine Arts this afternoon. I was impressed to find several offerings of Harney & Sons teas at the Galleria, a Parisian style sidewalk–think indoor sidewalk–cafe. Had I not decided to look at the dessert menu, I never would have known that they had a selection of tea, but luckily I brought my appetite with me to the museum.

For the final course, I decided on a Vanilla Bean cheesecake with berry marmalade, which I thought would pair well with the black tea blend English Breakfast. This blend was an organic tea made of Chinese keemun tea leaves.

According to The Harney & Sons Guide to Tea, the body of an English Breakfast is full and the flavors vary with the blend, but in general a good one has “hints of orange, clove, smoke, and a little honey.”

I had my tea with milk and sugar, and it was delightful. This is my first foray into the world of Harney & Sons, and I most certainly will be back for another visit.

If you are new to the world of tea, an English Breakfast tea is a great place to start.

Wuyi Oolong

After dinner tea:

Wuyi Oolong from Mighty Leaf

As my regular readers might recall, I reviewed a wuyi oolong not too long ago–one from Rishi Tea. Oolongs are very complex and varied in flavor, and, for that, I truly appreciate this category of the camellia sinensis plant.

Oolongs are between a black and green tea in oxidation: somewhere between 10 to 75 percent.

According to Mighty Leaf’s web site, this “Wuyi Oolong made in China’s Northern Fujian Wuyi mountains is well known for its smooth and rich body and taste. Long, beautiful twisted leaves impart a roasty aroma and produce a sweet, nuanced cup.”

Nuanced is the perfect word to describe this tea. You definitely get the roasted, smoky flavor found in most oolongs, but there are hints of the sweet “caramelization” of this tea that might be even more rewarding had I added sweetner.

This tea holds up well to multiple steepings, and gets better with every sip. You don’t want this cuppa to end.

Silver Needles

Post-lunch tea:

Silver Needles (a white tea) from Narien Teas

Back on March 23 of last year, I reviewed my first white tea. I was not too fond of the unadulterated white tea at that point in my limited tea drinking experience. All that has changed.

Today I am drinking a white tea from Fujian province called Yin Zhen, often known as Silver Needles. This tea, according to the book Harney & Son’s Guide to Tea, is “widely considered the best white tea in the world.”

The tea is very subtle in flavor, with a hint of floral high notes such as jasmine. According to the book previously quoted, “Yin Zhen can sometimes begin tasting only of water. But it quickly blooms in the mouth to show a light sugar sweetness, dulled with gentle vegetal flavors of steamed bok choy. Some versions also have faint ‘heat’ notes, like toasted white bread.”

I feel my tea drinking has come full circle. I am now able to appreciate a fine quality white tea that before left me screaming, “What, this tastes of boiled water!”

Check out Narien Teas next time you are in need of quality tea.

Organic Sencha

Tonight’s before bed teatime gave me the opportunity to taste an Organic Sencha from Rishi Tea.

To me, this Japanese green tea reminds me of a fine beer. It has a full-bodied flavor like that of the aforementioned beverage and tastes of the land. I kept the temperature at 180 degrees, which according to my tea thermometer is the maximum for a green tea, and steeped for four minutes. I used one and one half teaspoons of the tea leaves for a bolder flavor, as suggested by the packaging. Another recommendation stated that the tea held up to multiple steepings. I will have to try it the next time I brew this sencha.

This green tea is very high quality. Sencha is a personal favorite of mine. While many say that the green tea genmaicha is a comfort tea for them, I would argue that sencha is a soothing companion to the ailing stomach or for those with the winter blues.

Orange Blossom White Tea

After lunch tea:

Orange Blossom White Tea from The Republic of Tea

Another trip to the cafe in my building brought a new tea experience. I had my eye on this Orange Blossom white tea for some time, and I finally decided to try it today insofar as I was out of options that piqued my interest.

This white tea comes from Fujian Province, China. I learned–after making it–that this should only be steeped for 30 to 60 seconds. I think my brew had steeped for at least four minutes, but the flavor did not suffer in my opinion.

I was a little concerned, prior to imbibing, that this tea would have a very strong orange flavor: one that I would not appreciate. On the contrary, however, the profile of this tea was subtle, and left merely a hint of citrus.

British Breakfast

Late morning tea:

British Breakfast black tea by The Republic of Tea

This morning when asked how I liked my coffee, I replied, “I do not drink coffee.” I think most people are nonplussed by this response, but the person asking, a fellow tea drinker, retorted, “How about tea?” My unusual request was for black tea with milk and sugar.

The cafe in my office building sells a limited selection of teas from The Republic of Tea. I did not know what to expect upon my co-worker’s return from this coffee-tea run, but was pleasantly surprised.

The British Breakfast according to RoT’s web site is a robust blend of quality black leaves–a savory mixture of China, India, Ceylon and Kenya leaves.

I am embracing the British way of drinking tea: with milk and sugar. While I would not think of adding dairy or sweetener to an unblended green, oolong, or white tea, I find it adds to the drinking experience with black tea.

I would have preferred to have been able to distinguish between the origin of leaves used in this tea, but I think higher quality of teas will have to be consumed for a better evaluation.

Chocolate Mint Truffle

I am drinking a cup of Mighty Leaf’s Chocolate Mint Truffle for the second time tonight. My first cup was ruined, in my opinion, by adding honey. This rooibos’ flavor already has a hint of honey without adding any to it.

Upon second tasting, I can clearly state the complicated, yet well-blended flavors of mint and chocolate. The cocoa nibs are not overpowering, while the mint leaves a very refreshing, yet subtle taste to the tongue. The rooibos complements these ingredients well: I think more so than the green tea I tried from Adagio that used similar ingredients.

This herbal tea makes for a nice nightcap.

If you have tried this “tea” with milk, please let me know your thoughts.

Organic Wuyi Oolong

Evening tea: rishi tea’s organic wuyi oolong tea

According to the packaging, there are “sweet notes of raisins, honeysuckle, and roasted sugar.”

I tried this without any sweetener, but found the tea to be too mild. I had used two tablespoons despite being directed to only use one, but I still did not find the flavor to be very strong. I am used to very bold oolong teas, so this came as some surprise to me.

I added my beloved wildflower honey from the Essex County Beekeepers Association, and had a completely different drinking experience. I thought at first that the taste of honey would not complement an oolong, but I can attest quite on the contrary.

Organic Green Dragon

I was given the great honor of reviewing two new teas from Mighty Leaf Tea that were introduced this month. Mighty Leaf just released three new teas in their popular biodegradable silken tea pouches: Chocolate Mint Truffle, Organic Detox Infusion, and Organic Green Dragon.

This evening I am enjoying a cup of their Organic Green Dragon. This green tea according to the package is “delicately pan fried, these smooth highest-grade China Longjing green tea leaves brew a nutty and buttery cup.” It is made from organic Dragonwell, and reminds me of a few oolongs I have tried in its complexity of flavor. I can think of one Ti Kuan Yin I have tried that compares to this tea in chestnut flavor. It is hard to tell this tea came from a tea bag insofar as its quality is that of loose leaf tea.

The only word of warning to you fellow tea drinkers is when brewing green tea make sure you are steeping your tea in 140 degree Fahreinheit to 185 degree Fahrenheit water. Don’t mess around with this delicate tea. With that said, Mighty Leaf proves that it gives you consistent tea each time you brew a cup with its convenient pouches.

Vanilla Almond Black Tea

Today I felt parched and went downstairs to get a drink in my office building’s cafe. The cafe offers teas from The Republic of Tea. While I was reluctant to try these teas insofar as most tea snobs–not that I am one–wouldn’t try this brand, I relented and gave it a shot. I am so glad I did.

There were a few to choose from, but the one that really stood out for me was a flavored black tea, Vanilla Almond. The black tea does not come from any particular estate, and is flavored with Madagascar vanilla beans and almonds from unknown origins. This combination is well paired, and is a nice treat. I must admit my sweet tooth enjoys dessert-like teas, and this was no exception. By the end of the day, I had had two 16 oz. cups of it. I will be substituting my morning chai for this tea. For one reason, it is about three dollars cheaper, and for another, it has fewer calories since it is sans milk. (The Republic of Tea says that this tea can be made into a tea latte by adding milk, but I don’t think it needs it.)