But it is the wonderful oolong flavor captured in a powdered form that amazes me. The instructions said that it could be added to cold water or to hot. I opted for hot water on my taste test. It had the very distinctive oolong flavor, delightfully on the green side. And since I’m not inclined to sweeten or flavor my oolong tea, I was very pleased that there were still some subtle nuances released from the powder. It dissolved more thoroughly than matcha with no clumps. And the amount in each packet was generous enough that I was happy with brewing a hearty mug rather than a teacup.

I tested the convenience of traveling with the powdered tea. Knowing that I wouldn’t be able to pack brewing equipment and probably wouldn’t have it available at my destination, I put the powdered teas to the test. The Rishi Oolong was far and away my favorite. It is the kind of tea product I would like to keep tucked away in my glove compartment for unexpected tea emergencies.

It comes packaged in a box with 12 packets for $9.00. And the Rishi website provides additional preparation and nutritional information.

I brewed it with slightly cooler water than I would for a black because it was my first taste of this tea. The color and flavor seemed to come up very quickly. And the floral fragrance continued to characterize the experience. But the actual taste of the liquor was pleasantly citrus. There was no dark heaviness. It was crisp, clean and clear. I haven’t tried it iced yet but feel like it would be very refreshing.

Sorting through the wet leaf revealed quite a few whole leaves along with the bits of stem and some good sized broken leaf. There were very few fine particles and no dust. I did note some very green leaf bits and realize that this added quite a bit to the overall refreshing experience of the tea.

A search of the website was a bit disappointing in that this tea was not listed among their loose leaf teas and didn’t come up under a search. So, what I’m hoping is that I’ve just had the privilege of a preview of coming attractions.

So, when I try a new Keemun …œ like Drink The Leaf’s offering …œ Heemun Hao Ya A #407 from the Anhwei province of China, there is a high bar. This one measures up rather well. It begins with a rich, malty aroma and a very nice cut of the dry leaf. There’s a lot of promise even before brewing the cup. Brewing it with boiling water, the liquor infuses to a lovely reddish brown very quickly and does not become bitter, even with left a bit longer on the leaf. The natural sweetness makes it a very pleasant cup without milk or sugar but certainly invites your favorite additive. (My husband enjoyed his cup with a splash of brandy.) The flavor stays with you with a very clean after-taste.

The second infusion however, was very light. The color and flavor were still present and it was very much worth brewing. In fact, someone who doesn’t want the spoon standing tall in every cup might prefer this phase of the leaf. As an example, I would probably serve the second steeping with milk and honey to a child, knowing that the intense Keemun flavor and some to the caffeine are reduced. Or, I might save this second steeping for dessert after dinner when I don’t want the intensity of the first brew.

But I’m also quick to say that it’s not fair to compare. Each flavoring combination has uniquely delicious qualities. But what sets the Stash tea apart is the quality of the green tea leaf. And they keep the percentage of flavoring oil low enough that the tea taste comes through.

I haven’t seen the Stash loose-leaf teas on many grocery store shelves yet. But it can be purchased from the website or catalog at $9.95/100 grams. There is also an option to purchase it in a gift tin for a bit more $$. The catalog is available via the web or phone but browsing their online tea site is great fun.

This is especially true of Rishi’s Matcha. It is one of the most pleasing and satisfying Matchas I’ve tasted. The taste would be more comparable to the lightness of flower petals rather than green leaves, suggesting that the portion of the plant they’ve chosen is exclusively new-opened shoots that have not been exposed to the sun.

If I were to make a comparison to a lower quality Matcha, it tastes more like spinach and the powdery texture doesn’t dissolve as easily. That is not true of Rishi’s product.

One thing I especially like about it is the packaging; individual packets good for a 16 oz. water bottle if you want to make it cold or enough for a large mug of hot tea. It does seem to dissolve well in cold water with a bit of shaking but I prefer it warm (not boiling).

It is sold in boxes of 10 packets for $20. But the convenience of keeping each serving fresh and available for travel is what I most appreciate. I can keep packets with me and have a great tea and feel like I’m drinking the healthiest possible beverage. So, at $2 per packet, it is a very good value.

When you put it into a cold water bottle, you do need to keep shaking it to draw the settled powder from the bottom. And even hot, there will be settling on the bottom of the mug. What I like to do in both cases is to extend the tea by adding more water and shaking or stirring again.

Rish provides some interesting historical highlights at their website but I strongly encourage you to read the section about the founding of the company by Joshua Kaiser and Benjamin Harrison. I think that one aspect of buying new tea products is to know the company and their commitment to quality.

This is a seriously strong spiced tea, a nice black tea with ginger, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg and cardamom. As the name implies, there seems to be twice as much flavor. But, checking the ingredients, this powerful burst of flavor has been achieved by doubling the cinnamon, nutmeg and cardamom dry powders with essential flavorings.

I happened to enjoy this without additives. But for the fun of it I brewed a glass and then enjoyed it as an iced tea. Even before adding some milk and honey, the tea stayed clear when chilled.

The more traditional way to prepare chai would be to simmer the dry ingredients in the milk …œ or milk, water and sugar combination.

I think this tea is a wonderful afternoon pick-me-ups. It’s that jolt of herbal ingredients that is very invigorating and refreshing. But it can also be very satisfying when your taste buds are craving something sweet. You might be able to avoid the cookies by slowly sipping a hot mug of chai. If you’re not trying to shed a few pounds, the cookies are an excellent food pairing.

Stash teas are available in many grocery stores but you can also order online. http://www.stashtea.com/. Their website is one of my favorite tea information sites. They are generous with tea-related history, health facts, videos, tea quotes and a more.

The Double Spice Chai may not be on your grocery shelf. You can also order their catalog. In addition to the large selection of teas that you will not see on grocery store shelves, they have wonderful gift items. I’m not an employee, but I am a fan. I drool over their catalogs like I do over seed catalogs.

It is also an economical tea. The Choice Organic Tea website offers Jade Green in a box of 15 teabags for $8.49 …œ or about $0.57 per teabag before shipping.

My caution about bagged tea and blended teas is that there is not the same level of quality assurance that there is with whole leaf. There is still a margin of sacrifice for the convenience of the bag. There are certainly times when I appreciate this and seek out the tea packagers who provide the highest quality tea in the most convenient form.

What I have found to be true is that when a company packages organic, fair trade tea it will say 100% organic, fair trade if that is true. They are legally allowed to blend teas and include non-organic and non-fair trade but still use the icons. I suspect that this is the case for Choice and their Jade Green.

But it’s still a nice cup of tea. And I think they’ve done a lot to give consumers the value and convenience they want in one product.

TeaGeshwendner has named this tea for the village in China where it was grown. Lung Ching is the name of a village in a famous tea growing area. Lung Ching means Dragon Well so we see teas grown in this area as Dragon Well Teas. These teas are some of the most famous and most highly valued teas in China (historically) and now around the world. There are many Dragon Well Teas packaged imported and packaged by tea companies with great variation in the flavor and quality.

This tea, #520, is exceptional. The dry leaf is beautiful and lusciously fragrant. Opening the package and deeply inhaling the aroma can be a very heady experience. If it were cologne I would wear it. Can anyone make a candle that smells this good? Better yet is the transformation of this olfactory pleasure to the steeping gaiwan or teapot.

My best advice for enjoying teas like this is to not let distractions rob you of some of the pleasures of preparing fine teas. TeaGeschwendner’s Lung Ching is one of those teas that reward our patience and attention to detail.

It offers the fresh sweetness quality green, a clean taste more to the floral side rather than vegetal with some nutty overtones. The ‘greeness’ is very soft and mellow. The infused tea is a clear, golden yellow color.

There are pieces of broken leaf, a large percentage of whole leaf but no fine dust particles. One of the reasons I like to brew teas like this in a single-serving gaiwan is for the convenience of being able to let a few leaves slip into the teacup. These leaves are just as soft and sweet as the liquor and delightful to eat. Two infusions are excellent and the second infusion benefits from additional time. I brewed the leaves for a third time to make sure every bit of flavor was extracted. It was a bit thin but flavorful.

In the 2008 competition at World Tea Expo this tea ranked in the top five and is well priced at just under $15 for 100 grams.

TeaGschewendner recommends brewing 3 grams per cup at 158 degrees for 2 minutes.
This makes the cost of each cup (with 2-3 possible infusions) approximately $.45. A great value in these times.

Did I guess correctly? No, there were no chocolate ingredients. But I had to refer to the website to identify the ingredients. A blend of oolong teas, pistachio nuts, candied violets, apple bits and almonds.

Teavana recommends a teaspoon of tea per 8 oz. of water brewed at 195 degrees (just before the kettle whistles) for 3 minutes. The aroma was still enticing and the color a dark caramel. It had a medium body. This isn’t a strong tea. I don’t think that over-brewing it would make it too bitter to enjoy. And it is very smooth with a delicate sweetness. Even sweet tea lovers could be satisfied with this sans additional sugar. And I think that children would enjoy this tea, even with a bit of milk. They would certainly love seeing the pieces of candied violets.

I would probably choose this tea to serve with a dessert …œ an afternoon tea or after dinner.

What I didn’t like about this tea was the thinness of the flavor and the cloudiness of the liquor. It didn’t stand up as well as I hoped to multiple infusions. On my second infusion, the predominant taste seemed to be the almond.

Teavana does have a fun website with a lot of information and a fun game on their Tea Wall of Spin The Can. It was also impressive to learn that they now have more than 80 locations in the US and some in Mexico.

From the moment I opened the package, I thought it had the musky fragrance of a puerh rather than the sweet flavor of oolong. But having been aged for 10 years, that did not surprise. From the appearance of the dry leaf to the aroma and appearance in the cup, I would still think of this tea a puerh. It infuses quickly to a very dark brown, looking more like a cup of coffee.

Based on the aroma and the color, I expected a matching flavor. In that I was disappointed. This was my surprise. I’ve never tasted a tea with so much promise and so little delivery. So, on my next infusion, I used fully boiling water and steeped it for more than 5 minutes. There was still a lot of color and aroma, but very little in the cup.

The wet leaf was still tightly crumpled. It never seemed to soften and release as it infused. It remained tight resistant to being opened and is very dark …œ almost black. The leaf does not have the characteristic look that I’ve seen in oolongs but it doesn’t have the depth of flavor that I want in a puerh.