Good Earth, Mango Me Crazy

Good Earth Description:
It’s the little things in life that make us smile. Like the crazy, happy feeling you get with a first peek of sun or toes in the sand. Or in this case, some Mango Me Crazy™ tea. Blended with a bold variety of breezy fruit flavors, this white tea will have you feeling like summer is just around the corner whenever you enjoy it.

Ingredients:
White tea, rosehip, sweet blackberry leaf, natural mango and mangosteen flavor with other natural flavors, mangosteen peel, chamomile, hibiscus, citric acid, steviol glycosides (stevia), natural flavor.

Sample provided by Good Earth

My Review:
I'm feeling a little less than 100% today. We used a couple plug in air fresheners in the house. I learned I can't be around them as it flared up a pretty severe respiratory attack. Beyond the air fresheners, this is not a good time of year for those of us with breathing issues. First its colder out so outside air is not a big part of the day. Then every store you go in seems to have candles burning or heavily scented wreathes and potpourri. At least there is tea to give some comfort.

Today, I wanted something easy and light to remind me of warm summer air. This bagged offering from Good Earth is a white tea flavored with tropical fruit. I have never actually experienced ocean breezes but today I am imagining that I am on the beach typing this review.

Each bag contains 2 g of leaf. They come sealed in individual foil envelops to increase freshness. The packaging is bright and cheery. I only have one envelop and it does not have brewing instructions, although from previous experience with Good Earth, I know it is on the box.

Since I do not have printed instructions, I planned to default to my old tea bag ways of boiling water and a 4 minute steep. Except as the water heated, I just couldn't do it. I stopped the water at around 195 F. I just can't boil white tea unless I know it is recommended.  

The scent as I open the envelop is really nice. I have never been to the tropics and I have never smelled a real mango. The aroma here I find closely resembles a fresh peach but more prickly and just a touch tart.

When I look at the ingredients, it has me scratching my head. Rosehips? Hibiscus? Chamomile? You know what though? It actually works here. What I am tasting is the mango flavor shining through. The other ingredients seem to be added to fill out the experience. They add fullness and a touch of tart, without drawing attention to themselves. The addition of stevia is almost welcome, except it does add that odd stevia bitterness in the aftertaste. On the other hand, I am not sure if the fullness of the tart fruit bite would present without it, and certainly it would not be as sweet as fruit. It definitely does not need any additional sweetening.

This was a pleasant change of pace. I would like to try it again sometime but iced and under a tree on the beach.

You may find Good Earth Mango Me Crazy at your local Walmart or Kroger stores. It is also available online through Amazon, or order direct from Good Earth.

Kent & Sussex Tea & Coffee Company, Orange Cookies

Kent & Sussex Tea & Coffee Company Description:
Orange Cookies Flavoured Black Tea! A super new spicy loose leaf Tea. Combining pieces of Sweet Cinnamon Spicy Cardamoms Cloves and Fruity Pepper with lovely chunks of Sweet Apple pieces. A wonderful concoction with the scent of juicy Spanish Oranges.

Ingredients:
Black Tea, Apple pieces, Cinnamon bits, Coriander, Flavouring, Cardamom pods, Orange slices, Pink Pepper and Cloves.

Sample provided by Kent & Sussex Tea & Coffee

My Review:
The Kent and Sussex Tea & Coffee Company is new to me, though it was established in 1982. It is the trading name for three companies. The one that will be of interest to most of you here is Tea And Coffee Dot Com Limited, as that is the online shop where some 700 different teas and coffee can be found.

Today I am reviewing Orange Cookies Tea. It is a black tea. First lets discuss the packaging. The box arrived from England in perfect condition. Inside was a large amount of packing peanuts to protect the two 50g sample packs. The pouch shown here is bright and cheery despite my lighting. I do find two flaws with the bag.

First, there are no steeping parameters. Unless it is a real finicky tea requiring special handling (which this is not) then this is not that big of a deal. I will note that the brewing instructions are listed along with the description on the website.

The second requires a little more effort. The bag is not resealable. 50g is a lot of tea and it will last me quite a while. I cut the top off, folded the bag down and paper clipped it. Not the best, but I don't have an empty tin to dedicate to this one.

Moving right along, after cutting the top, I gave it the sniff test. The scent is soooo calming. It is definitely orange - not the candy fake kind - along with some subtle warming spices. Honestly, even if I end up hating this (not likely) the leaf would make an awesome room freshener.

Looking at a scoop of leaf, I notice a lot of small black tea pieces, an orange piece, a cardamom pod, pieces of apple, pink peppercorns, and coriander seed. I have to look harder to see the cinnamon. Maybe I could see the cloves if I knew what I was looking for. I can definitely smell it lightly.

I opted to use the French press to brew my English tea, that probably started in India (the plants of which can be traced back to China), and I'm steeping it in America. I feel so International.

I used boiling water and a 4 minute steep.

The brew pours a typical orange red color. It still smells incredibly delicious.

The taste is lighter, gentler, than I expected. Based solely on the ingredients, I expected a chai assault of spices. Nope. Just like the aroma, this is mainly a pleasant orange tasting tea with the spices filling out the flavor rather than trying to steal the stage.

The flavor kind of goes orange, cinnamon and clove, cardamom, then drifts into the slightest heat from the pink peppercorn. So subtle but a nice touch. It has a sweet lingering aftertaste.

After initially tasting this with no additions I did add sweetener. I don't think it necessarily needed it, I just wanted it that way. It takes sweetening in stride. To me, it makes all the delicious flavors pop a little more.

I don't think I have ever had an orange cookie, so I can't make that cookie connection, however, this is such a pleasant cup. I can see myself curling up on the couch this winter with a blanket, a book, and a cup of this one.

You can find Kent & Sussex Tea & Coffee Company Orange Cookies here.

Wooree Tea, Imperial Blend

Wooree Tea Description:
Wooree Tea's Imperial Blend Green Tea comes from the Hadong region of south west South Korea. Hadong is recognised as the best tea growing region of South Korea. The entire production is done by hand with meticulous care, demanding a sensitive touch and correct timing. Freshly harvested young shoots are gently fired in great iron cauldrons heated by wood-fuelled fires, adding to each vintage’s unique hue, fragrance and flavor.

Sample provided by Wooree Tea

My Review:
Wooree Tea is a recent start up. There is not a lot of personal information on their About Us page. It does state that 10% of sales goes to to help South Korean orphans. The website address and the postal mark are New Zealand based.

At the time of this writing Imperial Blend is the only tea Wooree has listed. There are some teaware items and a link to donate to Korean orphans.

I used the product packaging picture from Wooree's site as my sample came in a bubble wrapped ziplock baggy. The leaf picture is mine. I actually had to post edit the picture to lighten it up as it is a very deep green. The individual leaves are lightly twisted and small in appearance. I didn't notice much aroma coming off the dry leaf.

Brewing instructions were included on an accompanying letter. Preheat cup and pot. Use 1/2 to 1 tsp per person. Add water slowly and cover for 3 minutes. A water temperature of 80 (176 F) was recommended.

I used 2 tsp because I'm making a 12 oz mug of tea. The tea was steeped in my clear glass teapot.

The pot picture is a pretty good indicator that a little hot water made for some major changes. The leaf has turned my pot into a flooded forest. There is a lot of leaf here.

The leaf is the smaller Chinese type as opposed to the much larger Assam leaf. I don't think I've mentioned yet that this is a green tea. One sniff of the spinach aroma coming out of the pot makes that pretty obvious. I might have gone Ooooh out loud, but there are no witnesses.

The color in the pot has a definite green tint. Once poured it looks more like liquid sunshine with just a touch of haziness. That may be my fault as it was closer to 4 minutes on the steep, once I found my strainer, and I did use double the leaf. Notice how clear the tea appears in the pot picture.

OK, so I have a nice looking dry leaf, that becomes a forest of full leaves when steeped, and has a neat aroma. How does it taste?

As good as I imagined.

There is very little of what I would consider to be bitterness. There is a light bite that I find very welcome. The taste is sweet. Vegetative with out being particularly grassy. It is very similar to a Chinese green. The big difference is the additional note that to me tastes like hazelnut. I am also getting something like a citrus tartness (without the citrus taste) very late in the sip. Finishes with a pleasant, sweet, and slightly drying aftertaste.

I have time for a second mug and possibly just as, or more, importantly, I want one. This is an easy sipper. I only steeped for about 1 1/2 minutes on mug two. It is about the same color.

The taste is lighter than the first, of course the steep time is less than half. That said it is very similar to the first and still full of flavor. What I called citrus tartness in the first may be closer to camphor but again without a taste associated with it, just a feeling. Has more of a seaweed taste than vegetative and there is a touch of mineral. Hmmm, the two cups sound very different but in reality they are closer than the description.

As I mentioned this is an easy sipper. I feel certain I could get a third mug, and though I may want it, I am out time for today. If you love green tea and want something a little different this is a good one.

You can find Wooree Tea Imperial Blend here.

Good Earth, Wild Chaild

Good Earth Description:
It doesn’t matter if it’s Monday morning or Thursday night, it’s okay to bring out the Wild Chaild™. With tantalizing chai spices and smooth caramel flavor, this curiously exotic tea gives you the sweet you need with just the right amount of spice to make whatever you’re doing more interesting.

Ingredients:
Black tea, cinnamon, cardamom, natural caramel flavor with other natural flavors, natural banana flavor with other natural flavors, natural flavor, ginger root, Chinese star anise, nutmeg, chicory root, cloves, black pepper, steviol glycosides (stevia).

Sample provided by Good Earth

My Review:
I recently scanned many of my chai reviews. They are often very similar. I start out by saying I never crave chai, and generally I go on to report that I did in fact enjoy the cup. I do wish I could put my finger on why I react to chai this way. I have no horrible experience or memory associated with chai. I love all the ingredients. Hmmm. I may never know.

This is a tea bag version. Each bag contains a healthy 2.3g of leaf. Yeah! This is enough to make a hearty cup of tea. Each bag comes in its own protective envelop. Yeah! Nothing worse than stale tea before you are halfway through the box.

Wild Chaild? Why is this called Wild Chaild? Opening the envelop, I am hit with a heavy dose of cardamom and other similar spices. Yeah, this could be a wild ride, let's see.

I heated the water to 200F. Rarely do I ever use full on boiling water anymore. For my tastes just off boil generally makes a pleasantly smooth black tea.

The string is plenty long, however, even a long string won't keep the tag out of the cup if you pour too quickly and don't pay attention. Fortunately, I had a spoon nearby and I had the good sense to use it rather than my fingers.

The steep was 4 minutes. As you can see, the cup is a deep orange/reddish brown. It smells pleasantly of cinnamon, clove, and cardamon.

Tasting, I first notice the sweetness. This does have stevia added. That said it isn't over sweet, especially for chai. Compared to the dry scent, the cup aroma and taste are more subdued and balanced. There is a hint of flavor that takes the normal chai profile right off the beaten path. What is it? According to the ingredient list, this has natural banana flavor. Now, it isn't a banana tea. It is just a hint, but it is a cool twist. So you start out cardamon and clove, then turn momentarily toward banana without really getting there, before straightening back into a warm cinnamon, pepper, and ginger finish. I do catch brief hints of banana in the aftertaste. As the cup cooled way down, I could catch notes of star anise that are not present when the cup is hot.

I did not add milk as chai is usually steeped with milk. Maybe I will try it that way later. Even without it it this is pretty tasty. If I were to change anything, I would leave out the stevia. Most of us have our own preferences on whether and what type of sweetener to use. Second, its chai, so I don't really expect to taste the black tea, but that may well be why chai and I aren't as attracted to each other as I might like. See, I want to taste the black tea. I know totally unrealistic.

As a chai tea this is a nice twist. The cup was empty before I was ready.

You can find Good Earth at your local Walmart and Kroger stores, or online at Amazon. You can also order direct from Good Earth.

Gold World Century LTD, Mountain Top Green Tea

Mountain Top Green Tea Description:
Our tea comes from the serene mountain of Southern China’s Guangdong Province.

Sample provided by Mountain Top Green Tea

My Review:
A little background, as this will be kind of a different experience for me. Recently, I was contacted by Nathan Burchfield, founder of Gold World Century LTD in Hong Kong, and asked if I would like to review their high mountain green tea. Of course I said yes. Nathan has begun to market his own brand of tea. This particular tea he discovered early in his 6 years living in China. As of this writing the tea is not readily available. The plan is to begin selling it from the company Facebook page. If the tea is still not listed for sale on the page when you visit, message them and see when it might be available for you might try it.

Upon receipt of my sample, I opened the envelop and pulled out a really pretty hand painted cloth tie bag. Inside the bag was a resealable pouch containing what seems to be at least an ounce of leaf.

My first exposure to the tea is the sniff test. Here I get oats, malt, and hay. It is fresh and pleasing to the senses. I removed a scoop for the visual inspection. I am seeing a very dark leaf. I would have guessed this to be a black (red) tea by looking. It is brown with hints of green. The leaf is loose twists.

I used my imagination to come up with the brewing parameters. I used about 3g of leaf in my clear glass pot and water heated to 185F. The steep time was 2 minutes. The liquor is a deep amber color as prepared in my style. A gaiwan would undoubtedly produce something entirely different.

The aroma from the leaf after pouring caused me to pause and notice. It had a sweet aroma with more than a hint of spiciness. It reminded me of cardamom, or something along that line. Very unexpected. In addition there is a kind of earthiness that suggested puerh. It has been a while since I have caught this many nuances in the steeped leaf, which is now forest green and lush.

Ok, so I finally get to start tasting! First thing I notice is a complete lack of bitterness. Also, the bite is so slight as to almost not exist. There is a slight feeling of drying on the cheeks but I kind of like that. I am trying to come up with words... I've used mineral and mountain streams in a few reviews lately. I hate to do so again, but seriously, here it fits the clean taste. At the same time this is quite different than most any green that comes immediately to mind. There is some sense of a vegetative taste. That only kind of captures this tea. You recall how I compared the aroma to suggesting a kind of earthiness as in puerh? That is the feeling I am also getting with the taste. It is similar to a sheng (or raw) puerh without any of the harsh bitterness.

I can see why Nathan quickly became enamored by this tea upon discovering it. While not so different as to be unapproachable or weird, it is somehow different from the standard fare one normally experiences in Chinese green tea - and I happen to love Chinese green tea. The only other review I have seen of this tea is on T Ching. There it is compared as a bridge between oolong and green, allowing fans of one or the other to comfortably crossover (my paraphrase). I saw this tea as a bridge between green and sheng. To me, this differing view shows just how interesting this tea actually is, as it refuses to be defined. If you get the chance to try this tea - do it.

Teabook Subscription Service

Teabook Description:
Teabook answers the call for pure unadulterated loose leaf tea. Offering a monthly membership of seasonal loose leaf teas. Teabook is for tea drinkers and tea lovers keeping pace with modern life. Our wish is that tea drinkers enjoy and experience the clarity and wellness benefits that come with steeping pure loose leaf tea - conveniently and affordably.  It's great tea. Made easy.

Sample provided by Teabook

My Review:
Today's review will be a little more picture intensive than normal.

For an explanation of just what Teabook is, allow me to quote from their FAQ: Teabook is a loose leaf tea monthly subscription service. For $24.99 a month, Teabook sends you a delicious collection of the season's best loose leaf teas.

Now, what I think makes Teabook different from other subscriptions is not what Teabook lists in the FAQ linked above. For me, the huge difference is all the teas are packed in individual serving size envelopes. Rest assured there are no paper tea bags inside. This is loose leaf tea. I love this idea. It takes what is so convenient about a tea bag and turns it on its head.

You wake up all fuzzy headed. You're running late. You NEED tea. Grab a packet, pour the contents into the tumbler, add hot water, and go. Arrive at work, and more hot water, and continue to enjoy.

Each month's Teabook box contains 9 packets each of two select teas. My November box contains a Dragonwell green tea and a Dian Hong red (black) tea. Next month will be something different - maybe an oolong or white tea. In addition each month, the box contains a single packet from the special collection. This month the special collection tea was Honey Sweet Green / Xiang Ming. So each month you will receive 19 packets of tea. That is roughly $1.32 per packet. You should be able to steep the same leaf all day, making this a pretty good deal for the subscription member. (Click the pics below to enlarge)

A couple paragraphs back I mentioned a tumbler - your first box includes a double walled glass tumbler!

Twisting off the lid reveals is a metal filter screen. This can be removed for easy cleaning. To use, simply unscrew the filter section and add the leaves directly from the packet. Add hot water - the tumbler holds about 10oz - and let steep.

The leaves remain in the tumbler while drinking. This has become known as 'grandpa style' brewing. It is common practice in many parts of the world, especially by daily tea drinkers in China. This is a convenient way of having tea all day long. When the tea level drops, just add more hot water. Keep doing this until the leaves have given their all. This works best according to A Tea Addict's Journal, if the water level does not drop below halfway - and this link actually suggests 2/3.

Today I am having the Dragonwell green tea. The leaf smells fresh and grassy. I added water heated to 175F. I gave it a couple minutes. The longjing aroma through the strainer was pretty awesome. I actually was concerned I would loose the aroma. Instead the top seems to concentrate it. Tasting, I burnt my tongue. Double walled glass holds the heat. Safety tip - leave the lid off until it cools to a drinking safe level. Due to the double walled construction the outer glass remains relatively cool.

You might think leaving the leaf in the tumbler would produce a bitter drink. Apparently, that is the beauty of the individual serving packets. The flavor was bold without being bitter. I was very pleased with the result.

If leaving the leaf in the tea while you drink does not appeal to you, pour the tea into a mug, of course it defeats the convenience factor. You are also free to not use the tumble to steep in, but it is just so darned cute I can't help myself.

You can cancel at anytime. More details are available at Teabook

Good Earth, Pomegranate Burst

Good Earth Description:
Sure we all have responsibilities, but that doesn’t mean we have to settle into a routine. Break things up with the tingling intensity of Pomegranate Burst™. Blended with the goodness of green tea and the unexpected tart flavors of pomegranate and cherry, one sip will be enough to shake up an ordinary day.

Ingredients:
Green tea, hibiscus, elderberries, licorice root, natural pomegranate flavor with other natural flavors, raspberries, sweet blackberry leaf, natural cherry flavor with other natural flavors, citric acid, natural flavor, pomegranate flakes (pomegranate, corn starch, maltodextrin, lecithin), steviol glycosides (stevia).

Sample provided by Good Earth

My Review:
Lately I have been scurrying around like the proverbial headless chicken. Wow. I just need to slow down, catch my breath, and have some tea.

Today, I am once again having a simple quick and convenient cup from a tea bag. I love pomegranate tea, so I have high expectations with this one.

The box contains 18 individually wrapped tea bags. Each contains a little over 2g. I always try to point out the weight as many companies skimp on the leaf, making a good cup difficult if not impossible.

Opening the envelope I catch the first notes of pomegranate and I like what I am smelling. Then I catch cherry notes and it drifts off to somewhere between Kool-Aid and medicinal. I heated the water to 200F and steeped for 4 minutes.  As it steeped the red flowed from the bag. Back during Halloween this would have made for some great, and obligatory, vampire and blood comments.

Tasting... Hmmm... I don't dislike it. It is more of a I wish it were different kind of thing. Personal preference here, and I usually try to keep personal taste out of it, I wish this did not contain hibiscus. There I said it. I find its tartness and very presence unnecessary. I get they are trying to give the illusion the tartness is from the cherry but, well, just no.

I also wish it did not contain stevia. Stevia is bitter. If you like it fine. In some blends I like it, here it is too much. Too much sweet and bitter aftertaste. I prefer to add my own sweetener (Splenda for me) when I think it will improve the taste. Adding my sweetener now makes this way too sweet.

The negatives aside, the pomegranate and cherry actually mix well together. So the core taste is pleasant but I feel Good Earth is going to find a very limited group who will appreciate this cup. That is kind of a shame as they have good ideas here, they just need to learn to edit.  

Check for Good Earth tea in your local Walmart or Kroger store. You can also order direct from Good Earth.