mokutou select Send Message

I received a 25g bag of David’s coconut oolong in my Spring Collection sampler that I bought myself as a birthday gift. I opened all of the samplers to get a whiff, but this one I had to try immediately. The smell was intoxicating, with a heavy, almost floral coconut aroma, with hints of oolong right behind it. I set about brewing a heaping teaspoon of it in my new Perfect Tea mug, and brewed up the first steep.

I took a sip, and literally moaned out loud. This tea is absolutely amazing. It’s creamy, floral, even vegetal, all at once. These notes roll over the senses, first being the taste and smell of sweetened coconut, melting into creamy goodness. A pleasant floral note emerges, briefly. As the coconut washes away, the oolong comes out. All in all, this tea is incredibly well rounded, and is my new favorite. I’m not normally an oolong kind of girl, but this takes a high seat in my tea cupboard, and will absolutely be reordered when this sample is finished.

This was apart of a green tea blending starter kit I got from Adagio. I’ve never had a green tea quite like this hojicha. When I opened it up, it had a roasted smell that reminded me of genmaicha. I brewed a pot of this, using water that had been left to cool for a moment or two after boiling. The liquor is a light golden brown. I picked the cup up after letting it come down to drinking temperature to get a smell of it. The “roasted” smell remains, though it’s far from unpleasant.

The taste is the same as the smell. It’s a very nutty, earthy taste, that ends on a slightly tart note. I think this makes for excellent cold weather tea, with its deeper flavor. I’m actually surprised this is a green tea.

I snagged a couple teaspoons of this from a friend who had a major Teavana haul, and I was pretty excited because the stuff smells so good! It smells pretty minty with a distinct green tea hint that I was itching to try out.

After popping it into my teapot and setting it to steep for a minute or two, I poured it out and took a sip. I was…disappointed. The taste was pretty flat. I threw the strainer basket back in, while the water was still piping hot, and let it steep for another couple minutes. I poured another cup and was met with the same result. Bland, flat green tea, with a minty scent but no minty taste.

Thinking maybe it hadn’t steeped long enough, I boiled up more water for a second steep after finishing what I had already brewed. I let it steep for longer, only to be met with the same results, if not worse. This time, just uninspired green tea, with no mint to be found anywhere. I’m glad I only had a sample instead of a whole bag.

This hits the spot when its freezing cold outside and I want a woodsy, malty black tea to warm the bones. Its very complex at different temperatures. Right after steeping, it’s very earthy, almost smokey, with a malty finish. After cooling, some sweeter notes came out and they lingered on the tongue before fading to a wine-like taste. Definitely a favorite for breakfast!

I also had to extol the shape. These leaves are wrapped into little spirals and snails, making it very easy to spoon out with a baking teaspoon, unlike leafier teas that can be a pain in the butt to measure.