Icha Tea

Gongfu!

This was one of my favourite teas from the Toronto Tea Festival’s pu’erh tasting box at the start of the year, so it’s nice to revisit it again and have a similarly positive session with it. The ripe pu’erh that’s been stuffed into the hollowed out tangerine peel is very rich and smooth, with a thick and velvety mouthfeel and dark, sweeter notes of carob, medjool dates, cocoa husk, and Fig Newton cookies that perfectly compliments the clean, earthy profile and mellow citrusy notes. Perhaps most importantly, at least for today’s session, is that it finishes with a cooling sensation in the back of the throat that gives a momentary respite from an otherwise very, very hot and humid afternoon!

Tea Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/DNLvGzQpHHi/?img_index=1

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=apm0sEcIRK8&ab_channel=ApolloJ-Topic

Gongfu!

This was such a smooth, full-bodied black tea with an exceptionally distinct sweet wintergreen note so characteristic of this Taiwanese varietal of black tea, aka Sun Moon Lake or “Ruby 18.” I especially liked the light cooling sensation on the tip of my tongue following the sweetness of each swallow. Aside from that standout tasting note, this session also had a warm, cozier leaning spice and starching quality like candied sweet potatoes and cinnamon sugar, with gentle elements of nutmeg or allspice. Maybe a little bit of red fruit to the body, which added a bit of jammy depth and fullness to each infusion. It steeped for a considerably long time, with the consistency and strength of each infusion really creating a strong first impression before eventually tapering off.

Tea Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/DKnPCuxy3lr/?img_index=1

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-kp016_ig8&ab_channel=mehro

Cold Brew!

Can’t get enough of osmanthus lately. This cold brew was so insanely refreshing with an ultra smooth, round feeling liquor with dark, heavy feeling notes of peach and other stonefruit alongside the expected florals of the osmanthus. Maybe a touch woody? But lightly so. More emphasis on those fruitier elements.

Gongfu!

This fragrant, full-bodied black tea is an explosion of sweet, juicy fruity and floral flavours. The osmanthus contributes such a fresh ripened apricot or peach-like flavour with undertones of persimmon and golden honey. The finish is slightly nut, but still retains much of the sweetness present throughout the rest of the sip. It makes me think a little bit of almond extract or amaretto. Overall a wonderfully summery feeling and well balanced tea!!

Tea Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/DJhAoSbtg31/?img_index=1

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSswmFErgxc&ab_channel=daisyveacock-Topic

Day 2 of the Tea Thoughts spring countdown box. When I first saw this, I was worried it would be a pu’erh. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it’s a compressed white tea! I brewed this up gong fu style, getting about 5 total steeps out of it before I had to stop because of the time. I’ve been sitting here with a flavor wheel trying to find the right words to describe the flavor, but none of them fit. There’s definitely a delicate orange note that comes through clearly and makes it through multiple steeps. The base tea has that savory, full mouthfeel, almost brothy quality that some white teas have. Not salty brothy like a gyokuro, but brothy nonetheless. The orange gives it a nice lightness, cutting through the heaviness that this might otherwise have. If anyone knows what words I’m looking for here, let me know!

Gongfu!

It’s so warm, smooth and buttery with one of those soothing flavours that you can just melt right into. As the tea session unfolds, it gets progressively more floral with undertones of coconut butter and spring lilacs. I’ve been all over the place with my tea sessions lately, but this was something that just felt safe and grounding that I knew I could brew up and not be disappointed by!!

Tea Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/DMOUlipSMbs/?img_index=1

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-5YyKspncQ&ab_channel=JacoJaco

(Highly underrated song/band IMO)

Gongfu!

Enjoying a session of this milk oolong while stuck inside on this cold, rainy afternoon. At least I have a good book, though!! I have to admit that at first I wasn’t going to read Sunrise On The Reaping, but Bookstagram and BookTok eventually wore me down and convinced me otherwise. The last time I read a Hunger Games book was in high school, so there’s some serious nostalgia going on here alongside this very, very emotional Rollercoaster of a read-through. No spoilers, please, as I’ve only JUST finished part one!

This milk oolong has turned out to be an unexpectedly great pairing, too. It’s so incredibly smooth, silky, and comforting – and comfort has turned out to be key because this first part of the book was BRUTAL, and I hear it only continues to get more intense from here. Very floral, with notes of coconut milk, fresh churned butter, and brioche bread, plus a medium-bodied liquor that feels right at home within the fictional world of Panem and District 12 in particular.

Also, I’m not going to lie that my jaw dropped at how perfect this tea selection was when a particular chapter in part one came up with Snow and a pitcher of milk…

Tea Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/DH1pmUdSf-0/?img_index=1

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1kWf7V4ULDU&ab_channel=DeathbyDenim-Topic

Gongfu!

This is one of the teas that I picked up from Toronto Tea Festival this past weekend, and I’m so glad I did because it’s one of the better milk oolongs that I’ve tried in quite a while. Very soft, silky mouthfeel with rich but not heavy or too aggressive notes of fresh cream, butter, coconut oil, and a really fragrant bouquet of florals like orchid, lily, and lilac. It brewed for quite some time before finally tapping out, with a very consistent profile across infusions. Definitely a warm and cozy way to start the day!

Tea Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/DFwAAIiyi_G/?img_index=1

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2MNfKh9EXlQ&ab_channel=PeterMcPoland

Incredible. Got this at last year’s Toronto Tea Festival and after tasting it at the booth, I just had to purchase it. Can’t believe it’s been a whole year and am bummed that I’m not able to go this year. As for the tea, it’s smooth, sumptuously creamy, and definitely one of the best milky oolongs I’ve ever had. This is going on my regular rotation!