Tropical Tea Company

I think this is a tea that I probably shouldn’t like, but I do. I can’t help it. It reminds me of the Hawaiian Tropics suntan lotion in a dark brown bottle that I used to love when I was in high school. That stuff was so awesome smelling. This tea makes me want to get some.

Coconut is the main flavor here but there’s also a pina colada-y taste and a darker taste (which I’m guessing is the actual tea). It feels a little oily but not in a that-pizza-needs-to-be-blotted-off-nasty way but more of a spaghetti-sauces-made-with-oil-are-always-tastier kind of way.

So yeah, that sounds delightfully appetizing, right? Oil and suntan lotion. See what I mean when I say I don’t think I should like this? Because honestly, I don’t think it is a good tea, but the experience of drinking it, for me, is good. It reminds me of summers spent poolside, which, considering I have been accused by multiple people of being solar powered, is something that always make me happy. So for me this tea is like a summer vacation in a cup.

I received a small sample of this tea in a little plastic baggy and could smell the coconut through the bag. The smell is amazing!

Unfortunately, I only had enough for one cup. The tea is more fragrant than flavorful and all I really smell once it’s brewed is coconut. It’s not bad but it’s lacking and tastes very one-sided. Will try hotter water next time.

Revisited this tea after becoming familiar with white tea, and now I find it stunningly delicious — my favorite of TTC’s blends. Often I put a dab of light agave nectar in it, which brings the coco-fruit to the fore. Without sweetening, I enjoy more of the complexity of the white tea. At least one good resteep, too.

[see my later entries on this tea. Lack of experience affected this one] Hot water 3 min in glass gaiwan. Somewhat vegetal, with no bitterness or astringency (actually kinda flat) and the aroma is mostly coconut. Medium yellow-green liquor, slightly hazy, with medium body. I’d have liked a bit more pineapple or even citrus for some oomph. All-in-all a mellow cup, mostly as described, to which I added nothing. Dont know yet if i like it.

Again. This tea was too flowery for my taste just like the Pomegranate Hibiscus from Tropical Tea Co.

So I decided to end the night with something a little different. I took out my bag of pomegranate hibiscus green from my order from Tropical Tea Co. way back when. And decided to make myself a glass of iced tea. (I hardly ever drink tea iced.)

I do love that Tropical Tea Co. makes donations to Water is Life, so I ordered a few teas (mostly flavored ones) from them but found their taste to be too flowery for my taste. The other problem is that they packaged them in plastic ziploc bags so the scent seeps through. I know I should put them in better bags or tins, but I don’t have any extra tins at the moment.

Now that I’ve had a bit more experience with oolong teas, I realize that this one might be classified as a pouchong — that is, on the greenest end of the oolong spectrum. A short pre-rinse remedied the first-steep astringency experienced earlier. A closer look at the wet leaves revealed blossoms of a blue color interspersed therein. Since the dry tea is mostly pelleted, the flowers are not evident there. I enjoyed the several steeps, perhaps a little more than before; a better understanding seemed to improve the experience. Since the Steepster overlords refuse (so far) to give us numbers on the ratings slider, I’m not sure if the rating will be come out higher than before, as intended, or lower. They also ignored my question about how the “average” rating for a tea is computed. I have filed a complaint feedback on my ratings discontent. Anyone want to chime in, go comment on it!
P.S. Oh dear, I’m more forgetful than ever! Looking at my previous notes, I see that I did the rinse and discovered the blue flowers on the first go-round. What a gag it is, getting old! :)

merely boils water // yet fancies herself a chef: // oolong tea steepster

This 3rd steep, 4 min, has released a pleasant vegetal sweetness which now rivals the nutty flavor — Blue Spring, indeed! I do like it. Still, I pine. It seems the lovely floral notes of the Ali Shan (to which I now compare all light oolong) have spoiled me. I yearn for Summer & honeysuckle.

2nd steep, 2 min, same as 1st, but more body & color in the liquor, less astringency, more mature flavor. Nutty with a little bit of sweetness emerging. Almost all leaves are now fully unfurled.

Excitement! A new oolong to taste. 3 gm tea, 2 min initial steep, 12 oz water 90 C. Dry leaf is dark green, tight half-snail, blue cornflower accents, nose green and spicy. Gave leaf a quick hot rinse before steep. After steep, leaf is not fully unfurled. Liquor greenish-yellow, pale and clear. Aroma like summer on the riverbank. Flavor starts lightly astringent, goes on to spicy, with palate-cleansing finish. Thumbs reserved ’til 2nd resteep.

180 F, 3 min, Yes, a luscious fruity flowery scent, sort of berry & rose, while the taste is more of a nutty-green tea and tart fruit. It’s a nicely rolled tea, as well, as you can see in the photo. More complex taste than I expected from green-based tea. And FYI, all the tea I’ve received from these folks has been in foil zip-lock bags, the industry standard.

Hooray! I didn’t over-steep it! My philosophy was to steep until I “got all the good out of it.” But if it’s undrinkable, or I have to add milk and sugar to everything, the tea journey becomes ridiculous. So I got a timer and summoned the ol’ self-discipline. And I like this tea without anything added. 2 min 45 sec, just like the man said. I’m so proud of myself ….. =)

Resteep of the lemon verbena leaves, this time for 4 min with a pinch of mint added. Good color and flavor. Delicious — and my tummy is grateful. Looks like there’s even life in these leaves for a 3rd steep!

The dry tea is light green whole leaves and as I crush it into the pot, the lemony fragrance is very notable. I add boiling water, and in 3 min I have a strong enough tisane, a clear yellowish green liquid. The flavor is vegetal, lemony and minty all at once. I got this for blending, but it is a quite fine drink on its own. I added a bit of sugar, which worked nicely.

This set of leaves got a 2nd dousing today, and it’s not bad. Lacks the depth of aroma and flavor of the initial steep, but that’s what I’d expect from a mostly-black tea. Okay, I saved a few centavos — now on to something more tasty.

The dry tea is visually lovely, with blue cornflower accents and aromas of black tea, bergamot, and jasmine. Boil water, 5 min steep, and strong but not bitter, the green tea being in the minority. I was a little afraid this would taste like too much of a mishmash, with all that’s in the blend, or that it would taste like nothing particular. I was wrong. Various elements come out at different moments — quite an enjoyable experience! I had mine with milk and one lump, just as I imagined the Queen and her guests doing.

No kidding — To me, the nuances of coffee in this rooibos-based tisane are more pronounced with milk and sugar than without. Very interesting. And besides, it tastes wonderful, helps with allergy problems, and won’t keep me up.

In the dry tea, I see caramel bits and yellow petals, and the aroma is wonderful, like sweet, milky mocha latte. Boiling water, 5 min, gives a clear, rosy rooibos-red liquor. I added sweetener, but no milk. The flavor seems to differ from coffee mostly in a kind of tanginess, probably from the rooibos, and I’d bet that milk (next time) would mask that. A delicious drink!

First opening the bag, I got a sour smell and thought the tea (or coconut — there are visible shreds) had been poorly stored. Left the bag open overnight, and today I am only getting aromas of coconut and tea, though there’s still a bit of smokiness. 5 min steep yielded a clear, dark amber liquid, some astringency, not bitter. Tasty coconut tea!

Reviewed on nerditea.com – check it out!