Portal Tea (formerly Tea Chai Té)

I saved this tisane for a time like this – trying to avoid getting sick like the rest of my house seems to be! This is a very soothing blend. Much tastier than I thought it would be. The cardamom and cloves come through very nicely, the rooibos are not a strong component but do lend a little bit of woody/nutty taste to the cup. The licorice is also quite strong. This tastes a bit more like a spice melangé than a medicinal/functional tea to me, and that’s a good thing! It does have a medicinal quality to it that sort of sits in the background, but it isn’t an unpleasant taste. Not a bad way to take my medicine!

Their menu said it was actually a 5-year-aged pu-erh, but no matter. I had a li’l tea date this evening, and decided to give this a go. I’ve had sheng tuo cha elsewhere and ended up liking it quite a bit. This one wasn’t quite as excellent as the others I’ve tried – lacking some of the wine-y/grape-y note – but it more than made up for that with an earthy/floral presence. I would gladly select it again.

This is my second time having this. And it was just as excellent the second time around as the first. Granted, they probably over-steeped it a little bit, but that’s the great thing about a damn good black – it takes a punishment with poise.

This was my tea of choice for a clandestine meet-up with a fellow tea blogger – An International Tea Moment. You can read about that here: http://lazyliteratus.teatra.de/2012/10/10/meeting-a-tea-moment/

Er…if you wish.

A couple of friends and I had just finished a happy hour run, but we still had time to kill. A tea place lay across the street. So, naturally, that was my suggestion. They went for the bubble tea (blegh), whereas I went with this. If I were to never drink another type of black tea again except one, this would be that one. And others like it. Dunno what it is about Yunnan Golds, but they take the creamy cake. My only regret is that I didn’t have the forethought to pick up an ounce to bring home.

Thanks LiberTEAs for this one.

This not only smells but tasted a little like buttermilk. I’m not really sure how I feel about that to be honest. This one somewhat surprised me…not a good surprise or a bad surprise…just a surprise. I wasn’t expecting buttermilk. As it cools there is more of a vegetal and floral taste to it. The aftertaste is of powerful flowers.

My rating may change but for now this is one of the most ‘odd’ tasting oolongs I have had…thus far. Don’t take ‘odd’ as a bad thing…it’s just different…

Oh how I LOVE this…I can’t believe I am parting with the lil bit I have left…

I found found that I really LOVE not only Pouchongs but Coconut Pouchongs! They just seemed to be made for each other!

This smells like coconut and popcorn. NOM NOM.

It’s incredibly smooth and the pouchong is a great quality pouchong! It makes my mouth water as I sip it. It’s crisp and clean and velvety smooth. LOVE THIS!

Had a cuppa earlier it was good…see previous notes…

Yerba Mate…most of which I find very average in every way taste-wise…this one is exceptional! This is nicely done!!! I really think it’s because the spices are NOT overdone and the orange is a bit more noticeable than the spices and I think it’s great! Yeah. This is a goodie! Thanks LiberTEAs!!!!!

Got this one from LiberTEAs! YAY! It’s like Christmas all over again! Thanks so much!

I can primarily taste the chai-like flavors…mostly cardamom and then the licorice is fairly strong, too! The Rooibos flavors take a back seat.

I’m enjoying this one more than I thought I would. This is decent.

Backlog: I finished off the last that I had of this delicious coconut tea. So smooth and delicious.

Enjoying a cup of this as I cook dinner. So good… even better than I remember, so I am going to increase the rating a bit.

I’m off to begin my review!

Yum! This is absolutely perfect with my Dim Sum!

Light and deliciously coconut-y!

Will write more about this later for SororiTea Sisters blog, but right now, I’m enjoying lunch! cheers!

Finishing off the last that I have of this chai blend – it will be missed! I am going to have to make it a point to visit the Tea Chai Té tea shop someday soon!

I divided the brewed tea into two cups, and the first I simply sweetened with a little honey, and the second, I added a little bit of warmed milk. I like this both ways. Without the milk, the star anise becomes a little muted, but with the milk, it becomes really decadent!

Yummy chai!

OK… I was so excited to receive this tea… not because of the tea, per se, but because of the location of the tea room! It is in Portland on 23rd Ave! YAY! My two favorite areas of Portland are 23rd Ave and Alberta Street. These two streets have a charm all their own… they haven’t been Wal-Mart-ed or Target-ed. They have a very cool vibe about them.

But lately what has made Alberta Street stand out for me is that they have Townshend’s Tea Shop… but now, I’ve learned of Tea Chai Te on 23rd Ave! So… now, when I go to Portland… which street to choose??? Sure… Alberta has Collage (my favorite art supply store), but, 23rd has Paper Source (an awesome paper store). Plus, 23rd St. has Moonstruck Chocolate (OMG)… but then, Alberta has the Radio Room and an awesome vegan bakery.

But… for now, I will get back to this tea.

This is a really delicious chai blend – Spicy deliciousness, but with a nice sweetness from the citrus and the star anise. I like the little bit of licorice-like taste in the finish. This is so warm and comforting on a cold day like this. Vigorous and wonderful!

The aroma of this oolong is absolutely heavenly – obviously coconut in its dry form, but delicate when steeped. It leaves a little bit of an oily taste in the mouth from the nectar after the first steeping, but not in subsequent steeps. While the bouquet is pleasing and the golden color pretty, I’m actually a little disappointed in the flavor, having been perhaps spoiled by a slightly sweeter coconut oolong from Townshend’s Tea. Still, as a lightly flavored coconut tea, it’s something I can drink a lot of without getting overwhelmed by the tropical aspect. I’ve heard it makes an amazing kombucha, so I’m looking forward to trying their brew sometime.

Holy crap this is tasty. I’ve never had a Pu-Erh before but I wholeheartedly approve of this one. Granted, this may be mostly because of the ginger.

Having only steeped it for the recommended time of 2.5 minutes, there is absolutely no bitterness. The aroma is lovely, with the ginger slightly tickling my nose. Strong (but not overpowering) ginger highlights this delicious tea.