Classic Savory Tea Haul

Its been awhile since I did a tea post. That's because I've been occupying my tea hobby reading my Meditation with Tea book which I just finished today (Huzzah)! I've learned quite a bit as to what each tea was specifically created for, which in turn has gotten me to appreciate certain teas that I never would have before. Now that I know what notes of flavor I'm looking for, I can can venture into more traditional teas and taste the entire bouquet and appreciate it. I've started to venture into two types of teas which I wasn't really into for years until I read this book: Oolongs and Blooming Teas.

I started getting into Oolong because I learned that Oolong has such a wide variety of ways that they are prepared. Oolong is a tea that is not completely oxidized to a Black form, but what I didn't know was that percent can range from 2% to 80% depending on the desired flavor. This gives you hundreds of options with flavors, notes, and texture. I don't think that a tea lover could get tired of Oolong for this simple fact alone.

As for the Blooming variety, I used to think that it was all for show. But after reading the book I now understand that most blooming teas were created for social occasions. Because they are tied together they take longer to bloom, making them a slow steeping tea easy to wait for the water to cool over a conversation. Taking this concept I realize that I can get a good pot of tea that doesn't get bitter when I'm working, or into a good read. As the weather is cooler I thought that blooming teas would be perfect those long cozy reads and painting sessions on the couch.

All these teas are from Bird Pick:

 
Super Grade Oolong: This tea is actually the tea of the month and when we had a sample of it Eugene fell in love with it. It carries a very traditional floral bite to it thats a desired characteristic of Oolong, but it had hints of a citrus zest as the finishing note. When I brewed it it came out a very golden color brew, so I assume that it has been half way oxidized. The leaves are also fairly tough, giving for a strong but fresh brew.


Osmanthus Milky Oolong: Confession; I'm on my second bag of this stuff. Lately this has been my go to tea. It's a traditional flavor with a modern twist. Milky Oolong is a fairly new type of tea on the market in the way that it's grown and harvested. No one is sure exactly how they do it, but the Oolong is a very green Oolong with a sweet milky after taste. The Oolong alone is phenomenal, giving way to very complex intense flavor, but the delicate bits of Osmanthus flower give it a sweet finish. I love this tea! I love how you just get hit with sensory overload the minute you open the packet and smell it while the water boils. Please get some if you can, you won't be disappointed!

Royal Red Peony Organic: One of the teas recommended in the book, I gave it a shot from the description of it being a good tea for entertaining. It was recommended as a perfect tea to take out on walks as it takes time to steep. I am so happy that I gave it a chance, as it is growing to become a new daily favorite of mine. Since it's a blooming tea there is no fuss with strainers and it comes out perfect every time. Another thing I love about this tea is that there is no such thing as over or under steeping it. So far my favorite steep of it is less than a minute freshly poured. It keeps its sweet dewy, light woody taste through the entire pot. People say you shouldn't brew more than one pot, but so far I've gone as far as two pots out of this one blossom.

Sprinkled Stars Blooming Green: I have yet to try this Blossoming Tea, but I got it because it's made of fragrant Jasmine Green leaves and shoots out bits of Osmanthus giving it its name. I also thought that the Easter Lily is a wonderful pairing between the two.

If any of these sound interesting to you please check them out on the web as they have been a great part of my tea exploration.

Cheers!




P.S. I wanted to do a shout out to Rachele from Nearsighted Owl for having me as a sponsor and featuring me and other talented bloggers in a post. Please check her blog of cats, fatshion, and everyday brilliance.

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Herbal Haze Tea Haul

Bird Pick was having a sale the other day where all of the Herbal Teas were 20% off. As of the recent wacky weather changes I've been having trouble sleeping so I milled through the shop on what I could find. I was able to get two Herbals and a Tisane, Tisane's are a rarity for me, but this one was very unique that I couldn't resist.

At Bird Pick they do a great job of offering you samples of any tea you can imagine, they're also very knowledgeable on the benefits of each tea. Nothing like a little tea geek chat to get my spirits moving. What drew me to them this time around was the Chamomile Tea. Love had some the last time we were there and I was smitten by the taste that it had. So without further adieu, here's what I got:

Chamomile Flowers: I'm not sure if these are German or Roman, but these blossoms have a distinct thick honey taste to them. I often shy from Chamomile because after sometime they have a characteristic to have a hay like taste, which is rarely masked. So far these flowers have been a little wonder for me. I drink some every night I feel the fidgets and they seem to be giving me good solid hours of sleep.  I must warm people that the first time I drank it at home it made my throat swell which is a similar reaction I had to Chrysanthemum blossoms. Seems like if you have a weed allergy you should be careful with weed like flowery teas. I was able to cure it by using a tea sock which took out any fine bits left.

Tranquli Tea: This blend is famous at Bird's Pick. Some people take shots of this tea in concentration in replacement of certain medications and swear by it. It's a refreshing simple blend of mint, lavender, and chamomile. What makes it amazing is the sheer freshness of the ingredients which gives it a robust flavor. They sell these in bag for as well and I encourage anyone thats looking for a relaxing tea in the evenings to visit their website to get some.

Pineapple Dreams:  I'm not a Tisane person. I really don't enjoy the bitterness thats so characteristic of them and when I do it's loaded with honey. This is why I was so surprised that I was drawn to Pineapple Dreams. Most of a teas taste comes from it's scent, and this tea has the sweet scent of Pineapple balanced with sharp berries. Unlike most tropical tea this was not a super mixed fruity scent but a sweet simple scent of the fruit itself. When trying it, the bitterness was still there, but the difference was the sweet finish which was nice. Usually a tisane will sweep a throat with a dry feeling, this didn't at all. The layers of flavor are what sold me over this tea. Not an everyday tea but a good one to have in the collection.

I encourage anyone to check out the Bird's Pick website when they can. There's a little something for everyone.

www.birdpick.com

-Stef

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Monday Mini Tea Haul

I've been feeling under the weather since IndieCade. In fact when I came home Sunday I crashed on the couch late afternoon with a splitting headache. I should know better than to trust the weather reports with news of cooler weather... I woke up this morning sore from the dehydration and walking.

One thing thats almost a sure fire pick me on bummer days like this is tea. This tea junkie was dreaming all weekend of a fresh brewed green, something that was so characteristic of its season and rich in natural complexity. One place takes care of this sort of craving: Birds Pick.

Love was so gracious to get me a cup of one of my favorite green's (Silky Green) and after we had a cup and chatted outside he felt it was best to bring some home to help get well soon. I never get too much tea in one sitting as I like to keep my stash fresh so rarely I will get over 4oz.

Here's what I got:

Premium Silky Green Tea (big bag): I can never resist this tea. It's a green that taste similar to a Milky Oolong except it still has a strong leafy balance to it. It's smell can almost be explained as and buttery; like fresh baked bread. The best way to describe the taste is a velvety green texture with creamy notes. If you're a fan of Irish Breakfast, this tea is definitely right up your alley.

Premium Lychee Black Tea: This tea is a favorite of mine when I want a tea thats a bit sweet without the fuss of adding sugar. If I remember correctly, the base is a Ceylon tea which adds a nice cool base for it. The tea is infused with pure lychee's to add a sweet delicate finish. The smell of the tea is so heavenly, like walking into an Asian-market on a day when they bring the lychees out for the season. It's so deep and almost heady when you smell it. When you drink the tea you notice a light lychee taste at first but the palette gets stronger with lychee in the finish. I love it because it tastes NOTHING like canned lychees. Can lychees taste like syrup, this tea has the true light, almost floral taste.

Supreme Fresh Fragrance Oolong: I've actually never tried this tea before, or at least directly. The sales girl mentioned that this was the tea that they used in their infused drinks. I've tried their fresh lychee oolong ice tea with pureed lychees and it was such a heavenly balance. I got this tea mainly for it's smell, it had a very fresh light classic oolong scent. The leaves were more on the green side so I knew that it would come out as a lighter/ younger oolong. The beads of tea were also very loosely rolled with short stems so I'm expecting a very round hearty leaf.

I'll be sure to let you know how the last one tastes. Now for some reading and catching up on well deserved relaxation.

-Stef

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