Genuine Tea

I’ve been seeing a lot more sparkling lemon and ginger flavoured drinks lately. Not tea specifically, but just in general. I’m not sure how I feel about lemon and ginger as a cold beverage in general, let alone as a carbonated one…

In this case I found the earthiness of the ginger and the overall taste of green tea to be too strong for my liking, and the lemon was a little less sweet and bright than expected. I could definitely still taste that it was a quality drink, and I thought that there were a lot of strong points like the clarity of each flavour and the sweetness level. This ultimately comes down to the fact it’s just flavours that aren’t my personal preference over there being anything wrong with the drink itself. Would absolutely recommend it to other who don’t have the same flavour aversions I do.

This was very good! Elderberry can be tricky to work with since it often comes out rather “stinky” tasting or medicinal, but this was such an awesome mix of tart, tangy hibiscus and dark juicy berries. Really refreshing with a crispness to the finish and just the right sweetness to offset the acidity while not being sugary.

I’ve always liked tea with apple, and the addition of tart cranberries makes this even better.

I’m not a big fan of cinnamon with chocolate, but this is delicious, as long as I don’t let it steep too long.

Very nice. The ginger isn’t overpowering at all.

A lovely variation of Earl Grey! A bit sweet to have all the time, but a welcome change.

This is wonderful! Not too sweet, fruity, or flowery, just a pleasing flavour. I can see myself buying it again.

Tasted exactly the way I expected. Nice and chocolatey without being overpowering.

The flavours are more pronounced than I prefer, not so much that they’re overpowering, but I’m very aware of what I’m drinking.

I only ordered 25g to make sure I liked it. I should have ordered 250g! Next time for sure.

As soon as I saw the name of this tea, I just had to try it, and I’m so glad I did. It’s delicious, not too sweet, not too anything. I think I could drink quite a bit before I’d grow tired of it.

Delicious! Very similar to other brands (which is good, because I’ve been disappointed on occasion when one brand didn’t taste the way I expected it to).

The first tea from Genuine Tea that I’ve tried, and so far I’m impressed. The flavours are nicely blended.

I feel like elderberry has this sliding scale that ranges from thick, jammy, sweet and a bit tart to tasting like straight up feet. So I’m always a bit scared to try a new elderberry blend. For the most part I enjoyed this one. It’s pretty hibiscus dominant (would be good iced) which can be a bit much if that’s not what you’re in the mood for, but the elderberry was pleasant and direct and I liked how round the cup felt on my palate despite having a lot of upfront acidity.

Sipping on some Milk Oolong and appreciating the newly flowered tulips in the park nearest my house; it’s really getting to be full on outdoor tea season again and I am SUPER excited about it!! This oolong is also a warm and cozy hug in a cup; super buttery and silky with fresh, clean floral undertones that remind me of curling up in a big, fluffy blanket fresh out of the dryer!! Great for a grey, drizzly afternoon – but hey, at least more rain means happier flowers for future sessions!!

Tea Photo: https://www.instagram.com/p/CsUZkhwuWiu/

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-LQxFvJtAY

Is there anything better than watching the sun rise while drinking a good cup of tea? I mean, probably – but sipping on this fresh and buttery cup of tea yesterday morning felt pretty damn perfect in the moment! Delicately floral and richly creamy with notes of fresh churned butter and coconut that practically melted in my mouth with each sip. Yet another great grab from Toronto Tea Festival this past weekend!

Tea Photo: https://www.instagram.com/p/CoLOTLIOZ-o/

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMkETUcDdmg

This is the second tea I bought from Genuine Tea. I’ve never had an oolong that tastes quite like this one, but I can’t speak from much experience as this is the first time I’m trying Da Hong Pao. Can someone please chime in and let me know if this is a typical flavour profile for this style of oolong?

I’m actually half-way through this session while I’m writing this, so I’ll have to come back to update it at the end of the day with final thoughts. I’m using a 140ml teapot with 90°C water and 6.5 grams of tea, although I wish I had added maybe a gram more in hindsight.

Initially I was disappointed with the aroma and flavour, the first pot reminded me immensely of Houjicha which I already have a large supply of. There was a strong charred wood scent mixed with some vague fruitiness, but it seems that the flavour changes quite a bit as the leaves open up. The next few pots were far superior, the char turned into more of a wet asphalt note (like the way roads smell during summer rain), and the woodiness became sweeter, almost like how Palo Santo smells. Surprisingly the mouth feel is super mellow, literally no bitterness at all and minimal astringency. There is supposedly a honey/peach note to this tea that I just don’t taste at all, perhaps slightly as an aftertaste that lingers on the tongue (although I am a bit congested today). Will have to give it another go some other day. Update: I found the wet leaves in the pot smelled much stronger of peaches, but it’s more of an aroma than flavour

Interestingly I did find a very calming energy wash over me throughout this session which was nicely in balance with the higher caffeine content.

I do like this Da Hong Pao, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to buy it again, especially when I already have other teas in a similar flavour range. A quick google search tells me how that this is a very popular oolong, so for all I know this isn’t the really good stuff.

Yesterday I went to a massive biannual craft/artisan show downtown called the One of a Kind Show. Usually I find the few vendors selling tea there focus on blends and herbal teas because that’s what typically sells, but I managed to find a new player who had the good stuff and I shopped quite a bit with them! Many more reviews to come over the next week.

This particular company is relatively new, only in business for the last four years, but after speaking at length with the owners it seems they really know what they’re doing. Most importantly, the tea is good. I’ve always struggled with finding reputable local companies that sell tea as I don’t think ordering online from around the world is very sustainable as an individual consumer; I’m always thrilled to find feel good about my purchases.

This Imperial Golden Monkey that I was sold is just so nice. I was told the farmer whom they source this from experiments with cross-breeding typical Assam black tea and typical Fujian tea to create something unique. The leaves are very thin and long, and are blueish-brown with streaks of gold weaving throughout the bag. Pretty to look at!

In a 180ml gaiwan with 90°C water I started a typical gong-fu session. The wash was so aromatic and clean that I did end up drinking it, unlike some other black teas I come across. The first flavour notes that I recognised were of burnt caramel and cacao nibs. Very rich and almost bitter in the same way a very dark chocolate tastes. After a few more cups the caramel transformed into more of a classic malt taste, but interestingly some background fruitiness arises, perhaps rhubarb or green apples? I didn’t notice much sweetness though which was refreshing, I think most black tea I’ve had lately become sickening after a few cups, but it’s likely I’ve just been ordering the wrong stuff for my taste. The mouth-feel is great, medium thickness, low astringency, minor salivation, and no lingering bitterness! Only the good flavours stick around on my tongue.

Ultimately I don’t think I have anything bad to say about this tea. It’s well-balanced, obviously grown well, and it doesn’t make me terribly jittery from caffeine after a whole session. Excellent for a daily black tea, and something I think I will continue reaching for regularly.

Fairly robust, butt-kicking everyday wake-up staple in my house. This is the first tea I drink most days. I only recently kicked coffee in the mornings & needed a tea that could get me up and moving. I am not a morning person in the very least, but this nice, workhorse Assam does the trick. Pretty full flavour, a bit astringent, & somewhat tannin-y but with a hint of sweetness and spice to balance it out. Benefits from addition of a small quantity of milk and maybe a light sweetener, but smooth enough that it in no way requires it. (Note: this is, as of the writing of this note, available on Genuine Tea’s site.)

First tea I ever got from Genuine Tea, at the Tea Festival 2 years ago. sadly this one is long gone now, it seems, but it was a good one! I know they claimed it had a cocoa note, but — and maybe this is just my unrefined tea palette — I never picked up in that. It was more of a light honey flavour with faintly spicy-earthy undertone. This one tops my list of teas I wish could come back, though. I quite enjoyed it.

Now that I’ve steeped this at a lower temperature—as it should have been in the first place if I hadn’t been steeping in the semidark, shhhh—-I am really enjoying this. The flavours are initially bright and fresh. As the tea cools a bit, the grape comes forward and malt too. Cinnamon missing, and I am just fine with that. Delicious.

So I picked up my sample black tea packet to review for the Toronto Tea Festival 2018. I noted that two of the teas in the packet will be heavy on bergamot as if to purposely torment our Sil. Hopefully, the others will make up for it.

The dry leaf is a bit on the green side. After steeping, the first few sips were a bit on the green side too, with a richer muscatel coming through as the tea begins to cool. Still, the sip is a bit drying in the mouth.

I too am missing the promised malt and cinnamon. Nope, not there.

I’ll be steeping subsequent cups at a lower temperature and will withhold rating till then. I am hoping that the drying aspect disappears altogether with the cooler steep. Let’s see.