Five Mountains

Enjoying a cuppa courtesy of derk, bag-in. It’s been a while since I had straight up, unflavored rooibos. This iteration from Five Mountains is nice and rich, and I’ll concur: almonds and cedar wood.

The canister mentions this is a ‘long cut’ organic rooibos. It’s the best rooibos tea I’ve had. Steeps dark with a rIch, sweet aroma that moves to a full flavor in the mouth. Smooth notes of cedar wood, pipe tobacco, almond and honeyed currant. It doesn’t taste medicinal or boozy like so many others, nor is it too drying – just a bit. If I had realized this was $11 for 15 sachets, I probably wouldn’t have bought it; I thought it was a full canister of loose leaf. Rooibos doesn’t capture me enough to bother paying 75c per cup. Recommended if you’re okay with the price.

Got this at Contraband coffee shop, nice loose rolled leaves in a large infuser.

Tasted pretty subtle and bland, with a nice fragrance. Am beginning to realise that all Jasmine greens are pretty bland so I might give up on them unless I find something really great.

I had this again tonight at French Blue. Unfortunately, the only other teas they had were chamomile, green jasmine, and bergamot black, and I wasn’t in the mood for anything herbal or flavored. This was still good, but I was hoping to try something new!

I had this with dessert tonight at French Blue in St. Helena. I asked our server about the tea selection, and was surprised when the tea he described only as “black” turned out to be a Puerh. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a Puerh tea on a restaurant menu before, but then again I don’t eat at fine restaurants often. Being vegan, there’s usually almost nothing I can order off the menu, and what the chef comes up with for me is usually something unexciting like sautéed vegetables. (I must mention, though, that tonight the chef at French Blue made me a delicious entree!)

This tea was very good. It wasn’t anything too spectacular or interesting, but it was solidly good and didn’t have any obvious flaws, and ripe Puerh can often be too “pond-y”. It was pretty rich and sweet and had caramel and cake-like notes. These were nicely balanced with the earthy qualities. I will definitely try another variety from this company next time I eat at French Blue, which will be a week from today!

(I guessed at the water temperature and the steep time.)

Not as vegetal as Japanese greens. Pleasant.

Thank you TeaEqualsBliss for the sample. This has been on the top of my list since the sample package arrived. So I gave it a go needing a little pick me up. This tastes very earthy and smooth. I think I’m even picking up on something a little sweet perhaps a hint of chocolate? I’m truly enjoying this cup as I relax on the couch and enjoy a bit of Downton Abbey. I think this one will need to go on the shopping list. It is truly an exceptional pu’erh.

Thanks to LIBERTEAS for this one!

My TO_BE_SAMPLED Pile is really stacking up! I’m going to try and do something about that today! LOL :)

I’m a fan of most things Sun Ripened. I don’t know why…but I am!

Sips of this reminds me of steamed veggies. Then others are smooth and sweet. Another sip hints at sweet wood. While another sip has a faint spice of some sort.

I like how this seems to jump around. Makes for an interesting cuppa. It’s a tea that makes ya think! I like that!

I received this tea as part of my Foodzie tasting box in January, and I was just a little disappointed that it was Pu-erh. However, this is quite good. Very smooth and sweet. Deliciously sweet with notes of caramel and hints of spice. There is a touch of salt in the background – not brine-y, exactly, but just a hint of salt that seems to work well with the flavors of the cup.

I really like this Pu-erh.

This is a reasonably nice white tea. Smooth and just a little bit astringent. As it cools, I’m definitely tasting more hay and a slight fruitiness in the background. I’m not sure if I’d repurchase, but it was fun to try this cup.

I ended up not finishing the cup. As it cooled the dark roasted taste became overwhelming and unpleasant. I drastically am changing my rating.

This is another with a nice strong scent. Not hugely strong, but enough to smell from a couple feet away. It’s woodsy and tan in smell. Up-close a grainy sweetness comes out, a darker of grass or maybe even asparagus, and some lighter smell I can’t place. It’s an inviting smell.

Sipped really hot this is a STRONG flavored tea. Asparagus is definitely there, so is a dark roasted quality that overwhelms the finish. I like it so far.

Cooled to a more drinkable temp, this is still a very robust tea. The dark roasted quality is still very there and is the main taste. The bitter and green asparagus is there underneath it and is pleasant. I think I even get the slightest bit of a floral note in the middle of a sip. The finish is all dark roasted in the upper back of the throat and lower back of the tongue.

I like this but doubt I’d buy. I certainly recommend it if you light strong and roasted teas.

This is a very interesting tea with many layers. The dry leaf smells like seaweed! Brewed, it still has that seaweed scent, but mixed with roasted grains, sesame and buckwheat. The taste is a kind of dark grass or faint seaweed paired with that roasted flavor. The end of the sip is mostly an astringent note that somehow turns into a wood flavor, similar to rooibos, but much more robust. I love rooibos and its woody flavor, but when it’s paired with a roasted note, I’m not really a fan. This cup is drinkable, but a bit too dark and roasty for me.

If you’re a fan of green/roasted oolongs, I’d be happy to trade the rest of the tea!