Light, sweet, delicious, relaxing, and affordable are the things that come to mind when I think of Pai Mu Tan. Pai Mu Tan is a white tea from China. The tea leaves are plucked from a tea bush called Narcissus or Chaicha. Narcissus and Chaicha are cultivated plants named under the International Code of Nomenclature for Cultivated Plants. The particular Pai Mu Tan I’m drinking today is certified as organic.

The USDA National Organic Program (NOP) defines organic as follows:

Organic food is produced by farmers who emphasize the use of renewable resources and the conservation of soil and water to enhance environmental quality for future generations. Organic meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy products come from animals that are given no antibiotics or growth hormones. Organic food is produced without using most conventional pesticides; fertilizers made with synthetic ingredients or sewage sludge; bioengineering; or ionizing radiation. Before a product can be labeled “organic,” a Government-approved certifier inspects the farm where the food is grown to make sure the farmer is following all the rules necessary to meet USDA organic standards. Companies that handle or process organic food before it gets to your local supermarket or restaurant must be certified, too.

With all the background of this tea out of the way, it’s time to take a sip. As I mentioned at the beginning of the blog this is an excellent white tea due to its value. The tea has a subtle white tea flavor with a light sweetness throughout. For those new to white tea, just imagine the smell of a freshly cut hay field. That aroma and freshness is similar to the scent and flavor of white tea. White tea is very fresh. After it’s picked it is sun-dried with little to no additional processing. I highly recommend this white tea if you are looking for a new tea experience. Pai Mu Tan will give you a good idea of what white tea is all about. If you like it, you can try other white teas or simply stick with what you know. Pai Mu Tan steeped best by using 180 degree water for 3 minutes.

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I’ve been doing a lot of reading regarding Vietnam’s commitment to tea production. I’ve shared stories with you regarding Vietnam’s Tea Culture Festival set to take place in Da Lat City, Lam Dong Province on December 21st to 24th. Their efforts to market their tea as high-quality are starting to payoff. So, it was only fitting to try a tea from Vietnam. I chose a black tea – Orange Pekoe. As many of you know Orange Pekoe has nothing to do with the Orange fruit. However, it’s a classification of tea that is composed of new flush tea leaves.

The Socialist Republic of Vietnam is a nation in Southeast Asia. To most Americans Vietnam is known primarily for the Vietnam War when the Americans were involved in combat from 1965-1974. Millions of lives were lost in the war, including an estimated 58,000 Americans that sacrificed all for their country. This blog is dedicated to tea, however, the historic war is too important to America and the world not to mention in this blog.

The majority of the tea plantations can be found in the northern regions of Vietnam. Vietnam continues to put more resources into improving their tea quality and production by investing in modern equipment and other technologies to improve their processing lines. My expectations of the tea I ordered from Upton were not too high. However, after brewing the tea and taking a sip, I was impressed. In fact, the Orange Pekoe was excellent. It was literally the best black tea I’ve tried in a couple of months. It’s very similar to a Yunnan, but it has an added sweetness to it. There was no need for me to add anything to this tea. It made the perfect cup! There’s nothing out of the ordinary about this tea. It’s simply good. After 4 minutes of brewing at 212 degrees, a delicious cup of Orange Pekoe is ready to be enjoyed. Now, you can give it a try to see if it’s good enough for you.

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What country comes to mind when you think of green tea? Did you say, “Kenya?” Probably not, but the fact that it was available at Upton Tea Imports made me want to try it. First off, Kenya has been in the tea business for the last 80 years. They are the 4th largest tea producer and 2nd leading tea exporter in the world. They are known for their fine black teas. I thought, why not try a rare green tea from Kenya? Kenya is an eastern country in Africa bordering the Indian Ocean. The equator pretty much runs through the middle of Kenya. Kenya’s tea growing regions are found in the Great Rift Valley. High altitudes, sunny weather, excellent soil, and substantial rainfall, are attributes of the Great Rift Valley that create the environment for great tea growth.

The Kenya Tea Development Agency Ltd (KTDA) is a leading management service in the tea sector, which provides its service for nearly all faucets of tea production and marketing in Kenya and beyond. Upton Tea Imports contributes the availability of this tea to the KTDA.

Now, I was pretty excited to get this tea. I’ve been drinking a lot of flavored teas, and I was looking forward to getting back to the basics. At first glance, the dried leaves look nearly black. It’s unlike any other green tea I’ve tried. I put the leaves in my pot and poured the water on top. Oddly, the leaves do nut unfurl. The leaves literally sink to the bottom, and do not move throughout the steeping process. This tea does have a nice aroma. It has a traditional green tea smell with a slight fruity hint to it. The tea was zesty with a smooth aftertaste. I’m not going to say this was the best green tea I have ever tasted, however, it was different. I recommend green tea drinkers give this a shot. I will be getting more. I want to try it when I have a higher-grade green tea on hand to compare it to.

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Well, I went a long time without getting sick. Unfortunately, my streak is over. I have a sinus infection, ear infection, and a nasty cough. I have several teas I want to blog about, but I can’t taste them at the moment due to my illness. I’ve been drinking a lot of tea, and I expect to feel better pretty soon. Tea tasting will commence once I can actually taste and smell what I eat and drink.

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Check this out; researchers in Taiwan developed a tea over 37 years ago. The tea is now ready for market, and the governmental Tea Research and Extension Station is accepting non-scientific names via email for their creation. According to the article I read, only a couple of submissions have been filed. I submitted my name suggestion this evening. Want to send a submission? See the article:
Taiwan brews over name for new tea

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I’ll admit it right now; it’s difficult for me to take the time to drink anything without caffeine. That said, this review is for the people out there looking for a healthy and tasty alternative to coffee or tea. Rooibos is an herbal bush that grows in the Cederberg region of the Western Cape province in South Africa. It’s sometimes referred to as “Red Bush Tea.” Rooibos has been an “alternative” beverage for years, but it is slowly making its presence known as a standalone beverage.

I thought I would start my Rooibos experience with a vanilla flavored variety. One of the first characteristics you’ll notice is the finely cut leaves. The leaves are reddish in color. Hence the nickname “Red Bush Tea.” The fact that the leaves are so finely cut makes it important that your strainer is equipped to handle the tiny pieces. In the tin, the vanilla scent was very pleasing. Rooibos is best steeped when using cooler water (180 degrees) for approximately 7 minutes. Again, you’ll find the tea to be somewhat messy when compared to traditional loose leave tea (which this is not). The liquor from Rooibos is a beautiful amber color. Now for the taste test…the vanilla aroma was still very pronounced and the taste was equally matched to the scent. It was delicious. I see absolutely no reason to add anything to this flavored blend. Rooibos has a very smooth texture to the beverage. It literally adds texture to the water, which adds to the experience. All in all, I highly recommend Rooibos as a caffeine free alternative to tea.

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Many Americans are familiar with Oolong tea. Not the gourmet loose teas that many of us have grown to appreciate, but the “Oolong” that is given to customers with their meals at a Chinese restaurant. Your favorite Chinese food is often served with a fortune cookie and tea bag. Since the Oolong tea served in traditional US Chinese restaurants might be the only tea known to a lot of people, I thought I would blog about the tea.

The bagged tea I’m trying today comes from the Kari Out Co. The Kari Out Co was founded in 1964. They specialized in condiments and expanded into several roles of food service including the Kari Out Co. branded Oolong I’m writing about today. The tea bags came when a group of coworkers and me ordered Chinese food from a local restaurant.

The tea inside of the bag was very dark. The bag did not contain near the amount of dust as many well-known name brands I’ve tried. Once the tea was brewed, I took my first taste. I quickly had to take a second taste because of the shock I had during the first taste. This tea tasted almost exactly like Hojicha. It didn’t taste anything like the Oolong varieties I’ve tried in the past. Hojicha is a mesquite flavored tea that is basically derived from charcoaled Bancha leaves. The subtle flavors and floral hints that make Oolong special to me were not present in this brew. The good news, I like Hojicha.

See my previous blogs on Oolong and Hojicha. I will not say anything bad about this tea because too many people including myself enjoy this tea and other “Oolong” teas as we enjoy our favorite Chinese take-out.

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One of my favorite ice creams of all-time is mint chocolate chip from Baskin-Robbins. For that reason, I thought I’d go out on a limb and try a green tea with a similar flavor. Now, my expectations for a green tea to have a mint and chocolate flavor were not too high. The cocomint tea was purchased from Adagio. The tea leaves were identical to Adagio’s citron green, which is another favorite of mine. This particular green tea comes from China.
The important things you need to know about this tea: First off, don’t even try it if you don’t like chocolate and mint flavoring. If you do, you’ll love this tea. I have to say, as it was steeping it smelled delicious. I was thinking surely this would taste awful. However, from my first sip, I was in love with this tea. It’s one of those teas that just brighten your day. It has an upbeat flavor. If you were new to green tea, this would be an excellent introduction. I would recommend picking a non-flavored green tea to help you appreciate the taste of a higher-grade green tea. In the end, this tea blew me away with its powerfully fresh mint and chocolate flavor. It easily exceeded my expectations. The flavoring is clearly the focal point. The green tea flavor is very light. Give it a try. It’s definitely a healthier alternative to a scoop of ice cream.

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