Visit with Peter Hewitt of Tea Forte

Last week I had the good fortune to meet with Peter Hewitt, founder of Tea Forte. (As I said in a previous post, the "Forte" has an accent over the "e," but I have omitted it here as it doesn't broadcast well in the RSS feeds.) Today I will present you with a summary of our conversation.

Located in a warehouse building on a dead end road in West Concord, MA, Tea Forte is likely invisible to most people passing by. I had spent many days in that area before I noticed the distinctive "Tea Forte" sign hanging on 23 Bradford Street. As I had become an admirer of their products, I made a note to try to arrange a future visit. When I requested a tour, I never anticipated having the opportunity to meet with Mr. Hewitt himself.

Peter Hewitt is a long time lover of tea who enjoyed tea time with his family as he grew up in Lincoln, MA. He went on to study at Rhode Island School of Design and became a product designer, creating vases, clocks and other pieces for MOMA, perfume bottles for cosmetics companies, and products for Crate & Barrel. He spent 11 or 12 years in New York and made a number of trips to Asia for work. It was on these trips that his passion for tea intensified. After years of the traditional grocery store brand teas, he became enamored with the special teas he was experiencing in Asia.

Mr. Hewitt began noticing that he had never seen anything but flat paper tea bags. He was convinced there had to be a better model. He couldn't find anything at the patent office since the Lipton patent in 1912. He knew that in Japan they were using silken material for the traditional flat format teabags. Factory produced teabags were everywhere and he decided it was time to integrate his design experience into making a better teabag. Thus evolved the pyramid shaped, handmade, silken teabags with the wire "stem" adorned with a paper leaf that have made Tea Forte famous.

In 2003, after a year and a half of design and experimentation, Mr. Hewitt launched Tea Forte in West Concord with a colleague. His aim was to create a tea product that touched all the senses. It would have excellent flavor and aroma, but also be packaged in a way that was pleasing visually. He began with four products - Ginger (ginger, ginseng, and pepper), Flora (hibiscus, cinnamon, and licorice root), Forte (Ceylon and jasmine), and Oasis (green tea, citrus, and flowers). He wanted to create the company with unique products that weren't the standard tea flavors. They were to have "unusual profiles, flavor forward." They started by selling at trade shows, in New York and at Fancy Foods in San Francisco.

He found the trade shows exciting because a small company like theirs with very little budget could be on equal footing with big companies. Tea Forte's product was so unique, with its attractive style, that there were lines around the table to buy. From restaurants to store owners, the product was drawing an audience. As the demand for the product began to grow with hotels, there was an increase in requests for the more traditional blends - Earl Grey, Breakfast blends, etc. The W Hotel, for example, has an exclusive contract with Tea Forte. Tea Forte now has more than 40 blends.

Tea Forte's Silken-Tea-Infusers were handmade from the beginning. The company has a factory about 5 hours outside Shanghai that makes the bags to this day.

Tea Forte has seen steady growth over its past 6 years and significant international growth of late. They are in 30 countries currently. Their product line has become increasingly diverse.

In the early days, there were the pyramid infusers and the square holders (as seen in the photo above.) About a year and a half ago they introduced loose leaf canisters. They wanted to provide customers a way to enjoy their favorite blends in a way that didn't seem "too pretty to use." (Don't we all have those relatives who store their nicest looking gifts, rather than using them?) They now have iced tea pyramids with a stunning "Tea-Over-Ice" pitcher (which I recently purchased for a friend at Crate & Barrel) and a new line of Cocktail Infusers (which I have reviewed previously.)

The greatest expansion seems to be in the accessories department. There is a cafe cup (shown above) - a lidded cup that has a hole in the lid for the trademark teabag "leaf." There are various forms of glass and china cups and wooden trays. The teapots are particularly beautiful - from teardrop shaped china to modern glass to cast iron. There are some new loose leaf accessories that are scheduled for future release. I'll be sure to announce them here.

There are about 30 employees now in West Concord and I asked Mr. Hewitt about future growth. I received one of my favorite answers to an interview question to date. "Who said we're going to grow?" He finally broke a smile and explained, "We don't feel a need to take over the world." They will be focusing on more every day usable items in the future with less packaging. There will be more of a focus on the tea itself, while still offering great presentation. They are trying to continue to be innovative with new products, to be aware of the companies out there that are creating knock-offs, and to grow through smaller companies and gourmet stores versus big box stores.
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I want to give an enormous thank you to Mr. Hewitt and the staff at Tea Forte for the interview. I am also most appreciative for the "goodie bag" of tea and teaware. Thanks for a great afternoon.

Organic Silver Needle from Aura Teas

A new white tea today - Organic Silver Needle from Aura Teas

First, an announcement. In the next couple of days I'll be putting up a pretty special post. On Tuesday I had the opportunity to visit with Peter Hewitt, the Founder and CEO of Tea Forte. (Actually, it's Tea Forté, but I'm going to forgo the accent mark since it wreaks havoc with some of the feed software...) We talked a bit about the company's history, his background, and their products. So, stay tuned.

Second, I am aware that I have fallen a bit behind in updating the drop down lists on the blog home page. By the end of today I expect to have them all up to date so you can easily locate reviews by particular companies.

Finally, I just wanted to say thank you. Thank you to all of my readers for your interest and support. Tea Pages has become an extremely part of my life and has opened up doors to new opportunities. You all have kept me motivated and inspired me to work harder each day. Please continue to communicate with me about what you'd like to see in our pages. The goal of this blog was to help make tea more accessible and less intimidating. It was to encourage you all to try new things and to learn more about tea's culture and history. It was to give me the space to study tea in a new way and to share information with people who have a similar interest. Thank you for being part of this experience and I look forward to continuing for a long time to come.

Now, back to the tea review.
Organic Silver Needle - Aura Teas
This is an absolutely gorgeous tea. The leaf is full and simply stunning with downy fur. It is a tea that you can't keep your hands off. The scent was light, fresh, and lemony.

The liquor brewed to a lovely pale gold with a scent of plums and peaches.

The flavor was very, very subtle. It was lighter than I had anticipated, but then a long, long sweet aftertaste emerged. Heaven. This tea simply felt calming. Because the taste slowly emerges and develops, it forces you to slow down and be attentive. You must live in the moment with this tea and you'll be glad you did.

Tea: Organic Silver Needle
Company: Aura Teas
Type: White Tea
Brewing: 2 tsps per 8 ounces at 160 degrees
Comment: Give yourself a quiet moment to enjoy this lovely tea.

Top 10

Blogs.com posted a list of the Top 10 Tea Blogs, as selected by "Tea Guy Speaks" blogger William I. Lengemann III.

I'm thrilled to announced that Tea Pages was listed! HOORAY!

We're definitely in good company, listed with some of my favorite blogs, including Authoritea, Gongfu Girl, Teaviews, and Voice of Tea. You can view the full list here.

3 Greens from Mighty Leaf

My sample box is overflowing. Yikes! A good problem to have, for sure, but it also means I need to get some tastings done. I'm launching my next round of reviews with three green teas from Mighty Leaf.

Before I get to that, a few notes -

* This is just a brief mention, but I'll talk a lot more about it soon. There is a NEW tea organization that you should all look into. The International Tea Sippers Society was launched in April. This group is intended to bring together tea lovers and vendors, provide information about upcoming tea events, and share news and tips about tea. Members receive discounts from tea vendors and a tea journal. You can visit their website for more info.

* I have updated the blog list. Click the link at the top of the blog home page to see my complete list of blogs. They are separated by Vendor/Non-Vendor. I have only included blogs that have been updated in the last year. Let me know if you find any broken links or know of a blog that isn't listed.

* Yesterday I brewed some iced tea from Tavalon's Kama Chai Sutra. WOW! Amazing! I definitely recommend. It was great plain and then I did a round with a bit of vanilla syrup and milk. What a fabulous chai latte.

* Last night we had some impromptu visitors and spent a great night sitting on the screen porch in the hot summer-like weather. I used some of Tea Forte's Lemongrass Mint Cocktail Infusers to make Lemongrass Mint Gin and Tonics. What a cooling, relaxing drink. I think these will have to be in stock around here for the summer.

Back to today's teas:
Mighty Leaf Organic Emerald Pearls
This tea hails from the Yellow Mountains of China's Anhui Province.
Dry Leaf: This dry leaf puzzled me as I generally expect tightly rolled tea when I see "pearls" in the name, as with "jasmine pearls." I'd be curious to know where this particular tea got its name. The dry leaf was actually long and straight, like a sencha.
Dry Leaf Scent: The scent was fresh and floral with slight notes of hay and apricot.
Liquor: This tea brewed to a pale yellow, peach color with a scent reminiscent of fresh hay and grass.
Taste: The flavor of this tea was very subtle, slightly grassy and vegetal with background notes of honey.
Other reviews: You can also find reviews of this tea at Lainie Sips and Walker Tea Review. (I also want to mention that Walker Tea Review is an outstanding resource. Fantastic and comprehensive video reviews. I'm completely enamored with the way he even shows the dry leaf on a grid so you can really assess size. Definitely check it out.


Mighty Leaf Organic Lu An Gua Pian
This tea, also known as "Little Melon Seed" also hails from China's Anhui Province.
Dry Leaf: This dry leaf was dark green and flat with a slight twist. Some of the leave had some curl to them, but they were primarily straight. (The color of the leaf on the Mighty Leaf website is very different from what I viewed in person.)
Dry Leaf Scent: The scent was again sweet like hay, but a bit more robust than the Emerald Pearls.
Liquor: This tea brewed to a color that reminded me of a lighter olive oil - that rich yellow with a touch of green. (No, not the truly beautiful extra virgin that is a deep green...Mmmm....) The scent was sweet and reminiscent of cut grass.
Taste: There was again a sweetness to this tea with a much stronger vegetal quality than the Emerald Pearls. It was a nice tea and quite flavorful.
Other reviews: You can also find reviews of this tea at Me and my Tea and Walker Tea Review.

Mighty Leaf Organic Yellow Flower
This tea is also from China's Anhui Province and is sometimes called "Yellow Bud."
Dry Leaf: This dry leaf was mostly thin and wiry. It was mossy in color. (Mighty Leaf website shows this tea with a much more yellow hue than the sample I received.)
Dry Leaf Scent: The scent was similar to the Lu An but a bit sweeter and more floral.
Liquor: This tea brewed to a pale green tea. The scent reminded me a bit of seaweed.
Taste: This tea was interesting combination of floral notes and marine qualities.
Other reviews: You can also find reviews of this tea at Me and my Tea and 39 Steeps.

I can't say that any of the three amazed me with its greatness, but none disappointed either. They are pleasant greens. Thank you to Mighty Leaf for these samples.

If you choose to try any of these teas, consider using this link to support Tea Pages' work:

T.E.A. Run for Charity

At Friday's Culinary Tea event, I had the opportunity to meet TJ, the proprietor of TJ's Tea. This company specializes in black tea imported directly from Sri Lanka.

What I found very exciting about TJ's Tea was the charity work they are undertaking on behalf of Sri Lankan children.

On June 6, 2009 TJ's is sponsoring The T.E.A. (Teaching English Abroad) Tree Run and Barbecue at Macdowell Lake in Peterborough, NH. This family event will include a 5K road race, followed by a BBQ luncheon, kayaking/canoeing, volleyball, and games.

The event will raise funds to create English programs in village schools in Sri Lanka. TJ's charity intends to assist in the buying of books and supplies and hiring new teachers.

The fee is $20 per family (max of 1 runner. Additional runners cost an additional $20.)

To register, please visit TJ's Tea's Charity Page. If you can't attend, you can still make a donation through TJ's site.

Report from the 2009 Culinary Tea Competition

I feel that I owe a tremendous thank you to Cynthia Gold, the Tea Sommelier at Boston Park Plaza Hotel & Towers, for inviting me to a very special event. On Friday, the Cambridge School of Culinary Arts played host to the 2009 New England Culinary Tea Competition.

This fabulous event was co-sponsored by The Boston Park Plaza Hotel & Towers, Cambridge School of Culinary Arts, the Tea Board of India, Upton Tea Imports and ‘Tea, A Magazine." More than 100 culinary arts students entered the competition and on Friday, the 16 finalists competed. There were four categories: Savory Item, Dessert or Baked Good, Tea Cocktails, and Best Tea Cuisine Recipe Using Indian Tea. The winners in each division will have their recipe published in "Tea, A Magazine" and in Cynthia Gold and Lise Stern's upcoming book ‘Culinary Tea’, will have their recipe served at The Boston Park Plaza Hotel & Towers, and will recieve a two night stay at The Boston Park Plaza Hotel & Towers and a cash prize.

I was able to watch the students prepare and present their dishes and witnessed the final awards ceremony. Happily, I also had the chance to taste a number of the dishes and drinks. Have I mentioned how much I love this job?

There were seven finalists in the Savory Item category. (bold=winner)
* Sharon Artsi from Cambridge School of Culinary Arts presented Seared Salmon in Darjeeling-Coconut Sauce
* Cory Cotter from Beacon Hill Community College presented Tea Infused Pork Chop with Wilted Swiss Chard
* Deana Novembrino from Cambridge School of Culinary Arts presented Indian Tea/Spices Marinated Lamb Chopes with Assam Reduction
* Jon Riley of Johnson & Wales created a Lapsang Souchong Braised Shortribs.
* Philip Scopa from Cambridge School of Culinary Arts presented Londoner Black Tea Pork
* Annamarie Tush of Johnson & Wales presented Creamy P'uerh Tea Pasta Sauce with Baked Chicken with P'uerh Grape Reduction
* Jacob White of Boston University created Black Tea Smoked Chicken with Shrimp and Udon Noodle Stir-Fry. (Best Use of Tea)

There were five Tea Cocktails competitors:
* Sharon Artsi of Cambridge School of Culinary Arts offered a Vanilla Green-Tea-ni
* Ruth Feldman of New England Culinary Institute prepared an Upcountry Comrade
* Dot Jacobson of Cambridge School of Culinary Arts created the Tropical Chai Breeze
* Jennifer Knight of Cambridge School of Culinary Arts prepared a Chai Teani
* Casey Wright of Johnson & Wales made an Elder Earl (vodka, lemon, Earl Grey, and St. Germain - elder flower liqueur.)

There were also five Desserts competitors:
* Rosalind Chan of Bunker Hill Community College created Meringue with Green Tea Custard Sauce and Apricot Puree
* Yun-Jeong Hwang of Newbury College presented Green Tea Tiramisu with Lemon Ginger Gelee
* Maggie Lamont of Cambridge School of Culinary Arts made Chai Ice Cream with Gaufrette and Hibiscus Almond Brittle
* Christie Morrison of Cambridge School of Culinary Arts developed an Earl Grey Cream Tea Cake
* Tracy Sisco of Cambridge School of Culinary Arts prepared Black Tea Cupcakes with Lemon Buttercream

I am disappointed that I didn't try the Savory Item winner or the Best Use of Tea winner. I did get to try some amazing things though. Among the Desserts, the Green Tea Tiramisu and the Earl Grey Cream Tea Cake won my heart. (I actually think the Earl Grey cake may have been my favorite. Spectacular.) In the Cocktails category, I was blown away by the Vanilla Green-Tea-ni. I thought the Tropical Chai Breeze was outstanding in its own right.

This was a fascinating event and I thought the best way to present the story was actually with photos. You will find a full album of photographs by following this link to Flickr. Photos are there with more detail on the recipes, judges, and competitors. I'm including a couple of photos below to convince you to look at the full album. Enjoy!
"TEA A Magazine" will also be doing an extensive write up in an upcoming edition.

I hope this event continues to grow and develop in the future.

Two Greens - Green Roasted Mint and Dragonwell

First of all, I think I may have neglected to wish readers a happy Mother's Day! So, happy belated Mother's Day to all the moms, aunts, grandmothers, out there...I spent my day at the Arnold Arboretum again for their annual Lilac Sunday event. I've included a photo so you can see some of the beauty. It was a spectacular day. The lilacs had suffered a bit from all the rain - some were beginning to rust and others hadn't yet opened, but it was beautiful nonetheless.

Something else to check out: The Los Angeles Times had several articles on green tea this week. (Thanks to Tea Guy Speaks for alerting us to that.) The topics were green tea in South Korea, finding Boseong tea in LA, brewing green tea, pairing matcha and chocolate, and recipes for green tea ice cream and for green tea and black sesame cheesecake. Happy reading...and cooking.

I am going to be attending an exciting event this afternoon that I'm anxious to share with you. Today is the New England Culinary Tea Competition where students from a number of culinary arts programs will be presenting their desserts, savories, and tea cocktails for judging. This event is being sponsored by a number of partners, including "Tea, A Magazine," the Boston Park Plaza Hotel (and its Tea Sommelier Cynthia Gold), and Upton Tea. I will have a full report for you over the weekend.

In the meantime, two greens today for review.

Andrews & Dunham's Damn Fine Teas Dragonwell
The first is Andrews & Dunham's Dragonwell. This is the third of their First Series teas. I reviewed the other teas here and here.)

The dry leaf was long, flat, and impossibly smooth, kind of like pine needles. The scent was fresh, leaf, and green. I also picked up notes of lime. I was surprised and kept checking, but it was definitely there.

The liquor brewed to a peachy yellow and the aroma was floral, fresh, and reminiscent of sweet hay.

The flavor was surprising - very different from what I've come to expect from Dragonwell. It was almost nutty, like roasted chestnuts. I also picked up notes of apricot. I found this to be an unusual, but truly enjoyable, Dragonwell. (I brewed 2 tsp. at 190 degrees for 2 1/2 minutes. In increased the leaf from my usual because it is such a large leaf. This is the kind of tea that you are probably better off using weight rather than spoon measures.)

The Tea Spot's Green Roasted Mint

This dry leaf was very woodsy looking to me - brown flat leaf pieces, stems, bright green mint mixed in. The base of this tea is Hojicha. Hojicha is made from bancha leaves and stalks that have been roasted. Bancha is plucked after sencha so the leaves are lower down on the plant, and thus, a bit larger than leaves for sencha. Pieces of the stalk are often harvested along with the leaves.

The scent was primarily of mint with a slightly smoky bottom note. (I hadn't read about this tea before reviewing it. I usually try to do my tasting notes first, so I didn't know it was hojicha at first. I was kind of proud that I recognized the smokiness right away! My palate is definitely improving.)

The liquor was an orange brown. The brewed scent had lost the strong bite of mint, but the mint aroma was still apparent in the blend.

The taste of this tea was like mint tea, but without the harshness. I would have guessed it was spearmint but it's actually peppermint. (Strike one for that improved palate of mine.) This tea had that cool, fresh aftertaste you get when chewing mint gum. An enjoyable tea, but I think it would be fantastic iced. (1 1/2 tsp at 190 degrees for 3 minutes)

Kaji Aso Studio, Boston

Two weeks ago I had the opportunity to attend a Japanese Tea Ceremony at the "House of the Flower Wind" within Kaji Aso Studio. This experience is certainly one not to be missed.

Tea ceremonies at the studio are conducted by Kate Finnegan, who studied under the studio's founder Kaji Aso from 1980 until his passing in 2006. Ms. Finnegan (the studio's director and also a professor at Tufts University and at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts) is assisted by apprentice, Jane Kim. The ceremonies take place each Sunday from 4 - 6 p.m. by reservation only. (Reservations are required 48 hours in advance - $30/pp. Private ceremonies and large group tea ceremonies for groups of 20+ can also be arranged on Friday evenings, Saturday afternoons, or Saturday evenings.)

The studio is located in a brownstone building in downtown Boston, a building I had certainly passed before without taking particular notice. Entering the building you can see that it was clearly a residence that has been re-purposed with little architectural change. The front room has been painted white and is adorned with various artworks created by Mr. Aso. The back room is also very plain with a piano in place for use during their special events.

To access the House of Flower Wind you are led downstairs, through the ceramics studio. Again, nothing is particularly fancy here. This is definitely a working art space. I did like having the chance to see some of the ceramics pieces as we passed through into the Japanese garden.

The garden is small and simple, but a lovely oasis in the midst of the city. There are flowering trees and a small fish pond. (The day we visited there had been a plumbing problem and the fish were being kept in 5 gallon buckets...) There are some lovely stone pieces and small fountains interspersed throughout the garden. You are then led back into a second door in the brownstone to an area where you can remove your shoes and prepare for the ceremony.

The teahouse is constructed within a room of the brownstone. Guests are invited in through the low door to take their places, kneeling, facing the tea master and the apprentice. They should be certain to remove rings so they do not scratch the special tea bowls. Visitors are given brief instructions of what to expect and how to participate appropriately.

The tea master and apprentice made the experience extremely comfortable. Yes, there are many steps to remember, but there is no need to worry about being perfect. Ms. Finnegan and Ms. Kim give gentle instruction and are willing to answer questions. While the tea taking process is done in silence, after each serving there is time for conversation. We learned a bit about tea ceremony and its tradition, the tea, and the teaware. We had the opportunity to explore all of the teaware used - which ranged from pieces newly created in the studio to pieces acquired on trips to pieces that were hundreds of years old. (I was very glad I wasn't told that I was holding a 600 year old cup until after the fact.)

There were two servings of tea. The first was a light matcha with a light sweet. The second was a stronger matcha with a heavier pastry. (The wafer-textured pastry was filled with adzuki beans or yuzu and had just arrived from Japan the day before.) The mood was so calm and serene that it was very easy to embrace the mood of the moment and experience each minute fully.

I will certainly return to Kaji Aso and hope that you take the time to visit on your own.

Three More Chais

Three new chais! Woohoo! Actually, believe it or not, I have 5 more chais waiting for me. Adagio just released a new line of chais and sent me the whole collection. So there will be more to come (ANOTHER day...I'm chai'd out!)

I brewed these teas all black so I could try them straight up, with sweetener, and then with milk and sweetener. HOWEVER, I would recommend that you follow the more traditional route with your chais. Heat a combination of milk and water and steep at a simmer for about 5 minutes. Strain and add a touch of sweetener at the end. I think the flavor is far superior in most cases.

Kama Chai Sutra - Tavalon Tea
The first of our three was the Kama Chai Sutra from Tavalon Tea. The base is a very dark Indian black tea (Assam, perhaps?) There are small spice pieces mixed in. It smelled sweet and like cinnamon and vanilla. I kept thinking of spice cake with frosting. That just made me hungry.

The scent of the brewed tea was peppery with a lingering vanilla scent and some clove. (I was actually quite proud when I checked the ingredients and saw vanilla listed. My senses are getting better!)

The flavor of this chai was very different than others I'd tried. The vanilla was topmost but there were strong spice notes beneath. Really lovely and strikingly creamy. When I tried it with a touch of sweetener (simple syrup) the vanilla came through even more and it became a smoother tea. Sweetened with milk was absolutely fantastic. There was a nice round flavor with a bit of a bite at the end. Long lingering taste of spice. Superb.

Masala Chai - Adagio
This dry leaf was straighter than the rolled form of Tavalon's base. I was surprised to see that they used a Ceylon for a tea that is traditionally Indian. I know, though, that many blends favor Ceylon because the tea flavor does not compete strongly with the scents and flavors. There were very large spice pieces in this, including big whole cloves.

The tea brewed to an orange-y brown, much like that of Tavalon's. The scent was of cinnamon and clove. Pretty spicy. The taste was much more gentle than I'd anticipated from the aroma. The spice was evident, however, with a peppery aftertaste. This tea was exactly what I would expect from a good chai. There was nothing surprising in this one, but also nothing to disappoint. Sweetened, the spices were pointed up a bit. Sweetened with milk was very satisfying. Again, this is the classic masala blend that I've come to love. You can't go wrong with this option.

Assam Chai - Teajo Teas
The dry leaf was dark chocolate brown with very long, thin leaves. It is an Assam base (TGFOP, single estate) with cinnamon and ginger and additional flavorings. I spotted cloves and black peppercorns as well as cardamom pods and pieces of cinnamon stick.

The scent was very bold. I kept picking up something that reminded me of spearmint. (Was it ginger with something else?) Clove came through as well. The liquor was a reddish brown.

The tea flavor dominated in this with ginger in the background. The taste was quite different from other chais I have tried. It was flavorful, but much less spicy than the others. Sweetened, there was a bit more oomph. The cinnamon flavor was more pronounced. Sweetened with milk wasn't as good for me. It seemed slightly bland. The cinnamon still came through slightly.


Teas: Kama Chai Sutra (Tavalon), Masala Chai (Adagio), Assam Chai
Company: Tavalon Tea, Adagio Tea, Teajo Teas
Type: Chai
Brewing: 1 tsp leaf per 8 ounces water at 212 degrees for 5 minutes
(Tavalon's website recommends using 2 tsps of leaf in a pan with 3 oz milk and 5 oz water. Boil for 5 min, strain, and sweeten with cane sugar. This is a good technique for most chais. I usually bring to a boil, though, and simmer for the stated time.)
Notes: These are all quite good, each with their own merits.
* Tavalon wins for creative naming and for an unusual twist. I liked it in all forms, but I think it was best with milk and sweetened slightly.
* Adagio's was very comforting and safe - reminded me of a favorite old sweater - you know what to expect and you love it. Not flashy, but sometimes you don't want to be flashy. Again, it worked in all forms, but I'd recommend with milk and sweetened slightly.
* Teajo Teas is the chai for people who don't like it too spicy. I liked it best with no milk, but slightly sweetened.

Formosa Wuye Honey Black Tea - Aura Teas

A reader recently asked me about my trip to the Japanese Tea Ceremony at Kaji Aso Studio. Yes, I will definitely be posting a piece about it. Look for that this weekend.

This first review is for Aura Teas' Formosa Natural Wuye Honey Black Tea. Fionna at Aura Teas just sent me a whole slew of new thing to try so you'll be seeing more from them soon. (I have had really great success with Aura so far.) You should definitely check out their website too. They provide incredibly detailed info about their teas. This tea doesn't just state that it came from Taiwan. It lists that it came from Rueisuei area, Hualien region (on the eastern side of Taiwan), Taiwan. This tea is organically grown and in 2007 it was named one of the "Top 10 Formosa Teas."

The dry leaf is long and dark with a C shape and a gentle twist to the leaf. It is dark brown, nearly black, with some golden flecks. The scent was of dry autumn leaves and camping. Sweet and fresh with some earthiness.

The tea brewed to a golden amber color. The scent of the liquor reminded me of when you put honey in hot water when you need to fight a sore throat. The flavor of this tea was truly striking, almost unbelievable. The honey notes were absolutely unmistakable. WOW! I have definitely never had anything like it. I have been thinking about this tea for days now.

Tea: Formosa Wuye Honey Black Tea
Company: Aura Teas
Type: Black Tea
Brewing: 1 tbs leaf per 8 ounces water at 212 degrees for 5 minutes
Notes: This is a very unique tea that should definitely be tried.

Vintage Oolong - The Tea Spot

Tea for two and two for tea...

Actually, this is just tea number two for today. This particular sample has been calling my name so I knew I would have to review it today. (I actually sampled it a bit earlier in the week so I had a pretty good sense of what I'd find.)

Today's tea is the Vintage Oolong from The Tea Spot. This is one of the oolongs that tends to the greener side of the spectrum and it hails from Taiwan. The leaves were relatively tightly rolled and were an attractive olive green with gold tinges. This dry leaf smelled more like lilacs than any other oolong I've tried to date. That is a trait that is certain to sway me as I have a total lilac obsession. (You'll find a post hinting at that here.)

I was a bit hesitant in brewing this one. The instructions online suggested a 1 - 3 minute brew time. I feared oversteeping so I went with the 1 minute time. The tea brewed to a lovely light amber. The flavor was flowery and light with a slightly fruity quality.

I brewed this tea for five infusions, going up to 1 min., 45 sec. The flavor was nice throughout, although I think I should have lengthened my brew times for a bit more flavor. I think I was understeeping. This was a gentle, mellow tea with a good round mouthfeel. Very nice.

I'll definitely keep playing with brewing parameters. I'm enjoying experimenting with this tea.

Tea: Vintage Oolong
Source: The Tea Spot
Type: Oolong (light)
Brewing details: 2 tsp in 10 ounces of water at 195 degrees for increasing amounts, starting with 1 minute
Comment: This is a nice example of a light oolong. I'm not raving, but I was also quite content.

Cocoa Chai - Mighty Leaf

You can tell that I have spent my whole life in New England. I always have this impulse to start my posts with a weather report. Consider it a bit of local charm.

This has been a nutty weather week. We've had days in the 90s and sunny and in the 50s and rainy. It's making the kids a bit wound - one day they're outside and running around, the next their melting in the sun, the next they are asking for warmer coats. I love spring.

I've gotten a bit behind in my sampling of late so I have some catching up to do over the next few weeks. Expect a few additional reviews of Mighty Leaf products, as well as some for Tea Spot, Adagio, and Aura Teas. In the next week or two I'll also have reviews of a few teas I picked up at the NY Coffee & Tea Festival and a report on attending my first Japanese tea ceremony.

Today's tea is a sample I received from Mighty Leaf called Cocoa Chai. This herbal infusion includes rooibos, red peppercorns, cinnamon, ginger, cardamon, and shredded coconut. The colors in this dry leaf are eye popping - red and chocolate brown. Really spectacular.

The dry leaf scent was very spicy - cinnamon and pepper. It reminded me of these Mexican sugar cookies I sometimes make but with more bite.

The the tea brewed to a medium brown liquor and the coconut emerged in the scent along with the spicy notes. The first sip was very bold - ginger was dominant. The pepper and the aggressive ginger qualities were really striking...and lovely. The cocoa flavor came to the surface slowly and subtly in the aftertaste. I kept thinking of really good mole. No, this doesn't taste like mole, but it's the idea of cocoa and cinnamon and pepper.

They offered another variation to this tea where you add agave (simple syrup would work also) and rice milk and serve over ice. It was a nice alternative, but I think I liked it better straight up. I felt like the milk and sugar dampened the force of this tea. It was still a nice treat.

Tea: Cocoa Chai
Source: Mighty Leaf
Type: Herbal infusion - rooibos
Brewing details: 1 tbs in 12 ounces of water at 195 degrees for 5 minutes
Comment: This infusion is utterly fantastic. This is one that would be a great dessert substitute. My sweet tooth was satisfied....or, as we say in this house, my dessert shelf felt full.