Ocean Of Tea, Chamomile

Ocean Of Tea Description:
Hailing from the beautiful country of Egypt, chamomile tea is derived from the tiniest and prettiest chamomile flower. Delicate in nature, bright with yellow color and innocent as can be, these chamomile flowers make for a calming cup of tea. These blossoms are harvested and dried to make this delicious tea that comes to you complete with whole dried chamomile flowers. Golden in color and light in taste, this is a gentle tea for those looking for a caffeine free treat. Slightly sweet with apple undertones and floral scents, this could be the tea for someone looking for a light tea with a hint of honey. Forget the store-bought, pre-sealed packets that cannot possibly deliver the depth of flavor that this chamomile tea can. Try it for the first time, and it will be the only chamomile tea you will be hooked on. This is a caffeine free tea.

Sample provided by Ocean Of Tea

My Review:
I am having a very hectic month. There is so much to do and I feel like none of it is getting accomplished. The last couple days I have made it a priority to finish a few things before starting something new. One of those priorities was to get this chamomile tea reviewed. I have been sitting on it for a few weeks, waiting for a calm moment. It's not happening, so I am making one right in the middle of the day. Crazy, I know.

I really do like the simplicity of Ocean of Teas sample labels. It tells you what you need to know without a lot of stuff getting in the way. I opened the resealable pouch and could immediately catch the slightly tart and sweet scent of chamomile. It is almost apple with hints of honey. The flowers seem smaller than I remember but it has been a while since I last relaxed with a cup.

I used a Finum basket, though a pot, or my press, would work equally well. Water heated to 210 F was added to the cup and I steeped for 5 minutes. Now that I am taking my own pictures of the dry leaf, I need to figure out a lightbox, or at least an attractive spot, to capture the cup pictures. I am setting the plate full of leaf on my laptop and snapping the pics. Pretty sure that is not the best idea for a full cup. Anyway, this brews a beautiful golden cup that lightens the spirit by putting thoughts of sunshine in my head.

I'm not sure why I don't drink chamomile more often. This is very tasty. It is sort of like apples along with flowery notes and a touch of spice. I am also getting a slight saltiness and minute traces of mineral. I used filtered water but it is possible the last notes are from our water. It is a very nice cup of warm relaxing chamomile.

For fun, about halfway through the cup I added a small splash of sugar free vanilla syrup to the cup. I buy it at Walmart on the coffee and tea aisle. The result was interesting. On the rare occasion that I drink chamomile I usually use a vanilla bean chamomile. I realize this syrup probably contains no real vanilla bean. I preferred this herbal without the syrup. If you have actual vanilla bean pods, go ahead and experiment, otherwise I think you will find this much more pleasing without additions.

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Ocean Of Tea, Ti Kuan Yin

Ocean Of Tea Description:
Ti Kuan Yin is the most famous Chinese Oolong tea with a great orchid aroma and finish. This tea is nice, light and has a hint of dried apricot. 

Our tea is hand-harvested from the Wu-Yi tea bush and made by using traditional crafting techniques developed in China’s Fujian province. The leaves are tightly rolled and you can get 3-4 good infusions out of the same leaves. Affordably priced, this is a great tea to drink with company.

Sample provided by Ocean of Tea.

My Review:
This is my second Ocean of Tea offering. The first being Earl Grey Premium. I learned from that one to trust the recommended steeping instructions that are clearly listed on the simple, yet well laid out, label. I also found the quality of the tea to be very good, so I am a little more relaxed with this one.

I opened the sample and removed 2 tsp of leaf per instructions. This looks like Man Tea because it looks like camo. There is hunter green, olive green, lighter green, and some tan leaf in the tightly rolled mix. Yep, I could get lost in this.

The leaf went in the press and to it was added filtered water heated to 195 F. The steep time was three minutes. This produces a lot of leaf. A tea ball is definitely not recommended by me. It expands way too much and needs to be free. The liquor is honey golden in color and the wet leaf scent is medium roasted with orchid notes.

The sip is much like the aroma except the roast and the orchid floral notes are very balanced. Another thing I notice is this has a strong honey like sweetness. I do not detect any bite or bitterness, then again I don't expect any. It is somewhat drying. The company description mentions dried apricot. Many of the reviews by fellow bloggers mention it as well. Having never tasted a dried apricot, I don't make the connection. I'll take their word for it. Others also mentioned nutty. On that I will agree, though here I don't make a connection to a particular type of nut.

For my personal tastes, I prefer a greener less roasted tieguanyin but if you are a moderate roasted oolong person, I can find nothing off putting or out of place with this cup. Ocean of Teas' Ti Kuan Yin seems to me to be a solid oolong at a fair price.

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Ocean Of Tea, Earl Grey Premium

Ocean Of Tea Description:
Perhaps the most famous blend of black tea in the western world, Earl Grey Tea remains a cherished favorite. This is our favorite of the Earl Greys. Made from the finest black tea blended with just the right amount of oil of bergamot, this show-stopper will renew your love of Earl Grey and have you craving a second cup. 

Wonderfully smooth, slightly tangy and extremely well balanced. The aroma is amazing and you will love the smell of a freshly opened bag!

Sample provided by Ocean of Tea.

My Review:
This is a new tea provider to me. When I opened the envelope the samples arrived in, I could smell faint traces of glorious bergamot. I didn't have time to sit and enjoy a cup just then and had to put the samples on the shelf. This one sat there taunting me until now.

The love the simplicity of the sample label: Company name, tea name, brief description, and three graphics giving brewing instructions. The printing is large enough for older blurry eyes to read it easily first thing in the morning. The sample pouch is flat black and resealable.

Opening the bag and removing a spoon of leaf, the BOP appears much darker than the picture suggests. The aroma is fresh clean citrus. It is very lemony. Times a wasting, let's brew some tea.

I used my press as normal, and filtered boiling water. The steep was 3 minutes. Ocean of Tea says 4 but I always err on the side of caution with my first tasting of a black tea base. The liquor is standard orangey/red and the wet leaf is cinnamon colored and highly fragrant. I could sniff bergamot all day.

OK, this could have withstood a 4 minute steep. I would probably use 3 again anyway. Based on the dry and wet leaf aroma, I was prepared for a blast of citrus. That is not what is in the cup. This is smooth and balanced. There is a moment with each sip when the astringency tickles the sides of the tongue. This gives way to a velvety mid sip with a touch of dryness. Late sip the lemony bergamot flavor moves in without totally dominating, causing the mouth to water. The aftertaste has traces similar to cinnamon notes.

The base tea is ever present but hard to single out. It is not abrasive and rough like many of my Ceylon based Earl Grey's. Neither is it flat and two dimensional like Twinings. I like Twinings but do find it lacks presence. This Earl Grey Premium from Ocean of Tea has depth with no rough edges from the base.

This is a smooth well balanced Earl Grey. There is enough bite to be pleasing. The bergamot is wonderfully lemony without being overwhelming, or worse, wimpy. I believe an Earl Grey junkie, such as myself, would find this to be a very satisfying cup to start the day. I love the smell of bergamot in the morning.

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