Hawthorn Tea and What the Hell Did I Buy!?

A week or so ago, I ordered an "oolong sampler" from Red Leaf Tea since it had a lot of oolongs and other teas that I wanted to try and was $14.99 for 12 teas.  Well, I received the teas and fun fact, the vast majory of them do not have any English on them.  Thankfully, Red Leaf Tea has a nice guide on their website as to what everything is, but I still wish I would have gotten something with labels on it or at least a list.

Hawthorn Fruits are little crabapple looking fruits that are used in many cultures except the United States.  I've unknowingly had them before as this candy called Haw Flakes, which is a bit like a fruit leather and tastes like a cross between strawberries and prunes.  Apparently, traditional Chinese Medicine uses it as a digestive aid.

Outsides:  When you open up the packet, it looks like a bunch of cut-open berries (which is exactly what they are).  I added the entire packet to 8 ounces of boiling water but I have no idea is that's what I'm supposed to do.  The liquid has a slight pink tint to it and smells like prunes.

Insides:  Honestly, this just tastes like sour water with very little other flavors or scents going on with it.  I tried ripping up the fruit a bit more to see if it does anything, but one thing I will tell you is that the fruit pretty much just tastes like a sour prune.  After forgetting about it overnight, I will say that it does taste a bit more fruity but it's mostly just sour water.

Tilt:  I don't know how much this is if you find it although I have seen haw candies at our big Asian store and they're pretty cheap.  Obviously, I don't care for this but I'm sure the fresh fruit would be nice to use in a preserve or pie for a bit of a sour kick to balance out something sweet like strawberries or maybe some apples.  It does taste a bit better cold.

Overall:  I'm not a fan.

My Rating:  Pass.

Red Leaf Tea sells an obscene amount of flavored Matchas and other teas.

Choicest Tea Rose Black Tea

It's no secret that I'm a big fan of the three dollar tins of tea from the Asian market and I usually pick up one when I'm grocery shopping.  One of my favorites is Lotus Foods Co. in the Strip District of Pittsburgh because of its huge selection and inexpensive prices, which goes for tea as well.  Although I've heard mixed reviews about this brand (I mean, it's cheap so it's not guaranteed to be good), I've heard good things about the Rose Black and the Tieguanyin (which was out -_-).  I also picked up a Jasmine Tea which I've heard good reviews about.

Outsides:  Much like the other Choicests, the Rose Black is double sealed with metal and also has a bit of paper protecting the tea when you first open it.  There are a few rose petals scattered in the tea, but it's more uncommon than I would have hoped.  I brewed a teaspoon and a half in 8 oz of 95 degree water for 3 minutes.  The color is actually quite light for a black tea and it has a smells similar to a Keemun in that it has a note of prune to it.

Insides:  So, I'm pretty sure this is a Keemun because of the sweeter taste and the notes of dried plums and apricots.  The tea itself actually has no bitterness but the compromise is a lighter body, so don't be afraid to steep a little longer.  If you're expecting the tea to be very floral, you'll be sorely disappointed.  There is practically no taste of rose and at most, a slight fruity taste.  Still, it's a nice breakfast tea if you want something less robust and I actually think it would make a nice iced tea since it has a bit of natural sweetness.

Tilt:  The tin itself is pretty nice for a tea that cost three dollars and I'm always a fan of these scenic portraits on these tins.  I actually got this because I thought it might be a good tea for cold-brewing and honestly, it's not bad.  I'd like it to be a bit more robust, but I guess i could either blend it with something or hot brew it and then chill it.  For three bucks, I'll work with it.

Overall:  My biggest disappointment is that this tea isn't robust enough for me, but it's still not bad for what it is, plus I'm not upset at having to add more tea leaves because of the amount you get for the price.  It's not perfect, but don't be afraid of picking it up.

My Rating:  Try it!

I'm pretty sure I never had a website for Choicest Teas, but it can be found in pretty much any Asian market.

Temple of Heaven Special Gunpowder Green Tea

I think the company for this is Shanghai Tiantian, International Trading Co. LTD.

So, I moved.  I'm now able to wake up at 7 and enjoy a cup of tea and a proper breakfast before going to school and let me tell you, it's awesome.  What's more awesome is that I finally have a teapot as opposed to constantly making tea in the Keurig.  However, I don't want to use up all of my good tea if I just want to make something to chug while doing work so that's where this tea comes in.  I got it at the Asian market for $2.75 for 8 oz(?) and was just hoping that it was drinkable.

Outsides:  The tin is actually really nicely sealed:  There's an outer lid, an inner lid and paper surrounding the tea leaves.  The tea itself is shaped like little pellets and smells a little smokey, which is what gunpowder is supposed to smell like.  I get about 4-5 cups from this teapot but like my tea strong so I put about 6-8 teaspoons worth in either my basket or giant ball infuser and let steep for about 3 minutes.  The tea gets a bit darker as it cools down, but it goes from golden to a light orange-brown and smells like your typical Chinese green tea.

Insides:  For the price I paid, I think this is actually pretty good.  The smokey flavor is a bit of an aftertaste and is nothing like a Lapsang Souchong.  I've made about 3 pots of this already and it's not very astringent, even when oversteeped for like...5 minutes.  The tea itself is sweet with a bit of an earthy flavor, but is not too complex other than the smokey aftertaste.  And honestly, it serves my purpose.

Overall:  I like it.  I was scared at first of this but if you need some cheap tea to chug while doing work, this'll do.

My Rating:  Try it!

This was the only tea I found from this brand and I didn't find a website.

TasTEA Time! Oishi Green Tea with Honey and Lemon

It's summer, meaning it's hot and I want to buy iced tea more than usual.  Today, I bought three different iced teas (Lipton Pomegranate Blueberry, Sweet Leaf Diet Original and this) and really, the only reason I bought this one was because I was curious.  I stopped by the Oriental Market today because I needed to get some fresh produce and it was by my work (and cheap with produce) and of course, the first two stops I make are in the tea isle and the drink isle.  Nothing looked too interesting in the teas but I really like these bottled green teas.  I haven't tried Oishi before but hopefully this one's good.

Outsides:  This tea is in a plastic bottle and is a lovely gold color.  It smells warm and citrusy.

Insides:  The first taste that hits your buds are the honey and the lemon, making this taste a bit like a Ricola, but not in a bad way.  It's a little strange because the honey makes this smell very sweet but it's only about as sweet as the Pure Leaf.  Maybe it's because of the lemon, which is also strong and bright.  It goes down very smooth and the tea is a better quality than what the price suggests.

Overall:  I really like this.  I saw other flavors of Oishi and this tea really makes me want to try the others.  If you like sweet green tea that still has a flavor past sugar, give this one a try.

My Rating:  Buy it!  Well, I can't find a real website, but um...here's this Youtube video.

TasTEA Time! Choicest Golden Dragon China Green Tea

See that title.  I have no idea if that's right.  I do know that Golden Dragon Choicest Tea is distributed by Blooming Imports in Brooklyn, NY.  Normally, these things have a description of the region or type of process they used to make the tea.  Nothing.  However, this seems to be pretty common in the Oriental Markets around here and I do kinda want to review it.

Outsides:  I really like the metal tin this came in.  It's just an 8 oz metal tin with two sets of lids, but I think the design is really nice.  What's interesting is that the green tea leaves are rolled into little buds.  The tea is slightly lighter in color than some of the other ones I reviewed but smells like a slightly earthy green tea.

Insides:  I'm not going to say that this is the best green tea ever but I will say that this is slightly better than a lot of the brand-name teas.  It's a little bland to me but probably had the same amount of flavor as the Lipton, is slightly sweet with a hint of earthiness and warmth.  It also has no weird aftertaste, putting it above about half of the drug-store brands I've tried.

Overall:  This is working tea.  This is for when you just need a pot of something to drink while doing a paper and don't really care if it's the best thing ever.  I'd say at least try it out for the price and if you just want something to drink that isn't water.  It's not super exciting, but it gets the job done.

My Rating:  Try it!  I'd love to give you a site but there really isn't one.

TasTEA Time! Hsin Tung Vita-lite Green Tea Powder (or Komatcha)

If you have any familiarity with asian culture, you'll notice that green tea flavored things and even green tea are really...GREEN.  Like, a really beautiful, slightly yellow lime green.  This is because they often use Matcha, a green tea powder made by the milling of shade-grown green tea.  Unlike normal tea that you steep, you stick a spoonful in, add some warm water and have tea!  It also can be used to make things like green tea ice cream, cookies, buns, dango, cheesecake and other sweet and savory dishes, giving it a refreshing flavor.

This was found during one of my various Oriental Market Adventures but unlike my normal adventures which cause me to have sporadic purchases, I actually wanted matcha.  I really wanted to get it at a legitimate tea shop, but have to admit that this was a great bargain.  I got a 300 g container (about 10-12 oz) for 11 bucks, which probably isn't the highest quality matcha but I'll take that over 20 dollars for 4 oz.  Matcha is also extremely healthy since it's the whole tea leaf as opposed to just the nutrients steeped out.  Wikipedia says that it could have up to 137 times the amount of antioxidants than normal green tea.  This company likes to brag about how it has folic acid, betacaratine, fiber, vitamin b, c and e as well as all the other tea stuff.  It also has a lot of L-theanine which helps boost your metabolism and mental health state.

Outsides:  The box it's in is a nice thick cardboard encasing a nice thick foil bag.  I feel like I need to do something with said foil bag because it's just so...useless.  It's not going to keep my tea fresh and it's a pain to get the tea out.  Note:  Please read the brewing instructions before making your tea!  The tea itself is dark green and not opaque at all (in fact, it's very murky).  It smells nice and fresh.

Inside:  Without sugar, the tea is slightly sweet with this plant-like flavor.  With a bit of sugar added though, it gets a little bitter.  It's kind of this nice, refreshing plant-like flavor that can be drunk by itself, but seems to really shine when you add dairy to it.  I mean, I'm all for plain green tea but when you combine the refreshingness of the green tea with some creaminess of milk, it makes the perfect combo.

Coincidently, I am now addicted to Matcha Lattes (Strong-brewed matcha with half-and-half and sugar).  I think they're healthier than coffee and actually give you a nice energy boost, plus I just can't help but feel happy after drinking one.

I feel like it's important to note that Matcha can be a bit of an acquired taste.  I remember trying green tea ice cream and thinking it tasted like grass (which might also be due to low-grade komatcha), but then re-trying matcha in wafer form (matcha cream with wafers covered in white chocolate) and it being my favorite one.  I had it again with bubble tea and thought it was one of the best summer treats.  But it does taste kinda planty so non-adventurous people should be weary.  Maybe try a green tea bun first or some good-quality matcha sweet.

Overall: I think this is some great value and I've been drinking it like crazy.  Yeah, go on and buy it.  It's healthy, delicious and works great on giving you energy.  If you like matcha, you'll find a use for this.

My Rating:  Buy it!  So, it's not on the actual website but here's what it looks like.  Hsin Tung Yang is the company name.

Some random tea sampler I got from the oriental market

I love the oriental market!  Much like Big Lots, I go in with a set budget and list of things I need to buy, see something I "need" and still only be slightly above budget.  In this particular trip, I wanted to get veggies to make my boyfriend some Japanese curry (they often have slightly sub-par veggies for 30 cents a pound.  I mean, we're cooking them anyway).  But I always look at other sections while I'm in there and it isn't a trip to the oriental market unless I look at some tea!

A thing about the tea in oriental markets is that it's usually cheap and of fairly decent quality.  I've bought 8 oz of rolled green tea buds in a metal tin for about 3 bucks and it having a higher quality taste than the cheap tea bags you buy at your grocery store for three times the price.  I really was looking for some matcha, but I have been eyeing these tins for a while since they're just so cute, so I got them as a birthday present at $6.99 (slightly pricier than most for the amount, but whatever).  And then I discovered that there were six different kinds!  Oh, the excitement!

This set contains 20g each of:  Green tea with Jasmine, Pu-Erh, Lung Chin (which I found out is Dragonwell thanks to /r/tea), Lychee black tea, Oolong, and Tikuantin.

Pu-Erh:  Oh god, the fishy-ness.  Ok, I know this is a sign of a low-grade Pu-erh and really I should expect this.  But yeah, this tea tastes like fish.  Not salty like fish, but fish.  I'm a little curious if I can get some kelp and miso paste, mix this all up together and make a pretty good miso soup.  For that reason alone, I'm ok keeping this in the tin, but really it's a PASS.


Lung Chin:  I think this was the most disappointing for me.  It really just tastes like dirt and bitterness, which maybe the bitterness is due to me brewing it wrong but that still doesn't excuse the dirt.  I would say something like "Oh, just use it if you need cheap green tea for something" but you know what?  I can get eight ounces of cheap green tea from the oriental market for 3 bucks that tastes like cheap green tea and not dirt.  As hard as it may be to believe, especially after I said I drank a tea that tastes like fish, this is one of the worst teas I have ever drank.  I just threw it all away and put some blueberry red in the tin.  My rating is something along the lines of KILL IT WITH FIRE or BURN IT or whatever I had as the rating.

Jasmine Tea:  Thankfully, this one isn't so bad.  It's not great either, but probably good to drink before a date so your sweat smells like flowers.  I tend to like my jasmine tea with more of a hint of jasmine and a nice pleasant green tea, but I can drink this and really, that's what matters with this tin.  Pass if you don't like jasmine, Try it if you do.


Tikuanyin:   This tea is OK as well.  OK in the way that it's really quite inoffensive and tastes like nothing despite me thinking I added enough.  It's the second time I've made this and both times, it tasted like bland and cheap green tea, kinda with this kelp-y flavor.  Honestly, I can see myself just boiling a pot and drinking it out of thirst.  Pass or Try it.


Lychee Black:  I often complain about teas not having enough fruit flavor but don't usually complain about them not having enough tea flavor.  There is a fruit flavor here, a little more than a subtle hint but far from strong.  But there isn't really a tea flavor.  If anything, this tea tastes a bit like soapy water with a lychee scent, but that's only a bit and I can drink it.  Pass or Try it.


Oolong:  I applaud this tea for having a flavor.  Compared to the Touch Organic Oolong Tea (which I haven't posted yet), it's not as robust a flavor, but compared to the rest of these, it's probably the best.  It's a little...smokey and has a woody taste to it, stronger than a green but not as strong as a black.  Plus oolong is supposed to be the most effective tea in terms of weight loss so yeah, it's not bad.  Try it!


Overall:  I bought this tea for the tins and if anyone would ask me about them, I'd tell them to buy it for the tins with the tea as a pretty crappy bonus.  The oolong and jasmine are easily the best as they are the only two that have a decent flavor.  I could probably mix the lychee and tiku....whatever with complementing teas just go get rid of them and the Pu-erh and Lung Chin (dragonwell), you might just want to throw away.

My Rating:  Try it, by which I mean buy it once for the tins and if you're tolerant of tea and want to try something new.  Don't buy it if you think you have enough tines.  Considering that the box didn't even have a company, no web site this week.