Simple Loose Leaf

Sipdown!

I overleafed this slightly to get rid of the remainder that I had, and it didn’t affect the taste negatively. This time I’m having it hot, without sweetener, and it seems to me that the jasmine flavour is much more apparent now – the plummy, rosy flavour of the tea doesn’t come to the fore as much.

This is not a big deal, though. I’ve found it hard to engage with white teas, so I’m just happy to have another sipdown under my belt.

Backlog from a few nights ago.

I love the smell of this tea when it’s dry, but when it’s brewed it doesn’t do much for me. There’s the rosy sweetness of the plum and the jasmine is very well balanced, but I just find that I’m not a white tea person. I’m trying to reduce my stock of white tea, but it’s going slowly. Ah well.

My latest entry in the Sunday Tea and Books series is up!

I ended up making this iced by taking about 3-4 tsp of leaf and steeping it in 1 cup of hot water with a bit of sweetener for 4 minutes, then pouring the resulting tea over ice to make iced tea. It’s ludicrously hot and humid out, and iced tea seemed like the only reasonable option today.

The dry leaf smelled fruity and sweet, and this translates over into the brewed tea. It says online that this tea is a mix of white and green, and contains jasmine in addition to plum flavouring. The jasmine does a good job of merging with the other flavours here instead of being the star of the show.

However, I’m not getting plum when I smell and drink this tea. There’s a sense of juiciness and flowers that comes across when I drink it, along with some of the deeper bitterness of the tea (I’ve resigned myself to the fact that I’m not a white tea person). Oddly enough, when it all comes together, I get notes of mint and of roses, with the roses being stronger.

This is a very feminine tea, I think. And when I think of roses, I think of one character in particular. I’ll give you a hint – this tea seems perfect for someone from A Game of Thrones.

Have a guess as to which character it could be? Well, my blog post reveals all: http://christinavasilevski.com/2014/06/sunday-tea-books-plum-blossom-white/

I was concerned that this tea would be a bit strong for my tastes but I was very wrong. This herbal blend is sweet, tangy, and spicy all at the same time. It keeps you on your toes and is extremely refreshing. It’s a wonderful pick for an iced tea. The rooibos remains mellow in the background, allowing the various spices and additional flavors to shine through. I brewed mine a bit strong and thought it really helped bring out the full-bodied flavor in this tea. It’s well balanced and smooth, reminding you why Simple Loose Leaf is a tea vendor you can trust.

I drank this iced, it was pretty good. I’m not a huge fan of tart, citrus flavors which this features quite strongly. The rooibos base was full-bodied and well balanced. If you like the base natural flavor of rooibos, this is a great tea for you. The fruit flavoring does not at all overpower the rooibos flavor.

This is so different than the Planter’s Pride Darjeeling I had the other day…maybe that one was a first flush? There was no info on the package :-(. Anyway, this tea has a much heavier and more savory taste to it. It’s got a nutty quality to it with some citrus highlights at the end. Bonus though, it’s not astringent at all. I am really enjoying darjeelings lately and this is no exception. I expected it to be a bit lighter, but maybe it’s a good transition tea to sip on while I wait for my jambalaya to finish simmering. There’s no light flavors in jambalaya, y’all! Thank you for including this in our swap, Cheri, and also Happy Birthday!!

Also, I went rogue with my preparation and declined to follow the instructions to use boiling water thanks to the fine tea education I’m getting from all you lovely Steepster-ites :-)

This month the green tea offered for the Selection Club was Sleeping Dragon from Adagio. While I’ve said before that I’m not a huge fan of the decision to add Adagio teas to their lineup, I do tend to prefer their unflavored teas to many of their other offerings. This particular tea didn’t wow me, I find it to be a pretty middle of the road green tea. It’s nothing exceptional, but certainly not something I would turn down if it were offered to me. The flavor is vegetal with a hint of smoke and a slight astringency. It left me with somewhat of a dry mouth, which is something I tend to avoid with my summer tea selections. I find that if I cold steep this tea overnight, rather than brewing it using traditional methods, it cuts down on the amount of astringency making for a much more appealing iced tea. If you aren’t a fan of astringency in your green teas, this may not be for you.

You can read the rest of the review on my blog:
http://www.notstarvingyet.com/index/2014/6/24/tuesday-tea-june-selection-club-simple-loose-leaf.html

Catnip isn’t an ingredient I often see included in herbal teas, but it is an excellent sleep aid and can even help with migraines or other headaches. When combined with lemon balm and chamomile, both known for their abilities to act as a natural sleep aid and stress reducer, you’ve got the potential for the perfect bedtime tea. The flavor is relatively mild, with subtle lemon undertones from the lemon grass. The combination of catnip and peppermint have a cooling effect, which is perfect for a summertime blend. While I didn’t drop right off to sleep last night after enjoying a cup of this tea, it was a nice relaxing way to end my day.

You can read the rest of the review on my blog:
http://www.notstarvingyet.com/index/2014/6/24/tuesday-tea-june-selection-club-simple-loose-leaf.html

Sipdown!

I didn’t realize how little of this tea I had left, so it’s nice to realize there’s an easy sipdown within reach.

This time the tea was slightly underleafed because I had only 2.5 tsp when I really needed 3 for the size of my teapot. Ah well. I steeped it the full 5 minutes to compensate.

I’ve heard a lot about how Darjeeling teas, especially 2nd flush ones, are supposed to have this grape/muscatel note. If that’s the case, I’m definitely not sensing that here. Instead, I’m getting a really bready, savoury, sharp note that reminds me of dill, of all things. My first tasting note for this tea mentions an “alkaline” taste like saltine crackers, and that overall impression still holds true.

Ah well. One tea down, a bajillion left. :-)

The instructions on the package said to steep it in boiling water for 3-5 minutes. However, other members of Steepster have commented that Darjeeling teas taste better when steeped at lower temperatures. Instead, I steeped the tea using 185°F (85°C) water, while keeping the other parameters the same – 1 tsp per cup, for 3 minutes.

The dry leaf of this tea is small, twisted, and black. Anyone who wants to understand how diverse tea can be should have a tea like last week’s Yunnan Breakfast Black side by side with this one. That tea was smoky and leathery, and in contrast the Second Flush Darjeeling smells sharp, fruity, and peppery.

When brewed up, the sharpness and fruitiness were still present. A lot of people in the past have commented on the “muscatel” note of Darjeeling teas, and if this tea is typical, I think I understand what people mean. There’s definitely a smell reminiscent of raisins or grapes – somewhere in between the two, really. But the taste isn’t quite as fruity. Instead, there’s more pepper to it, and it’s also somewhat bready and savoury.

But gasp! Incredibly, I can’t think of a fictional character to compare this tea to. Why? Well, my blog post will reveal all: http://christinavasilevski.com/2014/06/sunday-tea-books-second-flush-darjeeling-simple-loose-leaf/

Whenever I visit my family abroad, we go to their local outdoor pool. We spend the morning there, swimming and enjoying the sun before it gets too hot. My uncle always brings tasty food from home. I love it. There are two things that always remind me of those times: garlic toast prepared a certain way, and the smell of freshly cut grass. So it makes sense that I associate grassy teas with good memories and warm weather. Today was definitely warm. Sencha time!

This particular sencha is one of the better ones I’ve had. It is just wonderfully light and grassy. I enjoyed it as my morning travel mug tea today. Mmm.

I woke up to a sunny and temperate day that just cried out for a springlike tea. I chose this one based on the light, grassy smell of the dry leaf and the fact that I lurve sencha. I made it in my travel mug, so I can’t speak to brew scent or color. The taste was fab though. Reminiscent of freshly cut grass. Perfectly springlike. I look forward to trying this gong fu style.

Tea #4 from Another Traveling Tea Box?!?!?!

I like this one. I’ve tried another White Peach tea before, and I happen to actually like white peaches. Nice and light and delicate…I bet it would make an awesome iced tea.

I was beyond excited when I got my box of Simple Loose Leaf to try for $1! They were beyond generous in how much tea they sent; I honestly couldn’t believe my eyes at first. All three bags were bulging and hardly fit in my 100g containers when emptied into them.

Craving a nice oolong for weeks, the Formosa Oolong was my obvious first choice. I was a bit disappointed upon scooping out the tea to look at it. The leaves were very broken, dry, and brittle, with some dust reminiscent of Lipton. However, for a dollar, I wasn’t going to complain, especially without giving it a shot.

I’m rarely a fan of short steepings, so I decided to try this one at 3 minutes or so. I hadn’t unpacked my little yixing pot from college yet, so a roomy paper filter sufficed. A few minutes later, I sat down with my first steamy, piping hot cup of oolong in a long time…and my stomach sank a little on the first sip.

Note, I’m used to high-quality, full leaf oolongs with a great complexity of flavor. I shouldn’t have expected that out of this tea, even just by its appearance. I realized that I’d probably left the filter in the cup for a little too long, as it had become obnoxiously bitter and astringent like Lipton, the type that leaves the back of your throat dry. I gave up halfway through that cup.

Since then, I became more sensitive to this tea’s steeping needs, and have had much more luck with it. Right now, it’s my go-to nighttime tea, but that may be moreso so that I can finish it up. When steeped correctly, you definitely get some good grapeseed and tobacco flavors with a hint of dry woodiness that a more amateur palate would probably enjoy. This would be a great gateway darker oolong for those that want to give it a shot without “wasting” more complex ones on them.

Overall, price aside, I wouldn’t reorder this one at full price, or really any price above $1. I was happy with the Simple Loose Leaf experience, and had other good teas in the box, but this one definitely fell short.