Seven Teahouse

Aaaaah! As expected, this is packed with that sweet, sweet Japanese style honeydew/green melon flavour. I gleefully slurped this back. One of my favourite blends from Lupicia is their Melon Oolong and this is a damn good replacement for it since it’s not very accessible to me anymore!

So I guess I was maybe in a subconsciously strawberry centered mood this week because I only just noticed while writing tasting notes that I made myself four different strawberry blends over the course of two days. All very different styles of strawberry, though. This one was very soft and mild with a lot of floral undertones to the otherwise gentle berry flavour. As much of a “pink strawberry” feeling strawberry flavour as you can probably get without the presence of cream or vanilla.

A perfectly serviceable cup of tea! I’m getting really used to the base oolong that’s used across all of Seven Teahouse’s flavoured oolongs and it honestly compliments all of these flavours really well. The strawberry was sweet yet floral – no complaints to be had. I think I just wasn’t quite in the mood for an oolong on the day I drank this. Definitely a me thing, not a tea thing.

Very fresh, juicy and floral lychee flavour! Like many of these Seven Teahouse blends, the oolong base is smooth and floral and just does a bang on job of showcasing this pure play fruit note. Yum!

Drank this one yesterday while working from home. I ended up getting called into a meeting that lasted longer than expected, and I totally forgot the tea was steeping so this cuppa got a very, very generous two hour steep. By the time I got to it I was worried it would be a cup of foul bitterness, but it was actually still drinkable. I mean, yeah, it was bitter. However, not nearly as much as I’d have expected a greener oolong like this to get. The floral, juicy lychee notes still came through too!

(Also, it was obviously totally cold.)

…So, that’s promising! Can’t wait to try this again when it’s actually well steeped.

As I just said in another tasting note I’ve been really craving blueberry teas this week.

This one is… fine? I mean, there’s absolutely zero things wrong with it. As far as mono flavoured black tea blends go it delivers on a blueberry flavour that’s both a little sweet and jammy and a little bit more floral and delicate. A good middle ground. The base has full body while having a good neutral taste – perfect for blending over. It’s just lacking that last almost ethereal “extra little thing” to push it over the edge.

…and I do love a standard blueberry black. I just have many of them already in my cupboard, so this tea is competing with more tried and true blends that I have better access to that fill the same niche.

This was a fine tasting cup, but the strawberry flavouring was very intense in both a floral and creamy sort of way. It felt a bit like the blend didn’t know what kind of strawberry tea it wanted to be and I think I’d have appreciated the simplicity of it more if it was all in with floral or all in with decadent or, even, tart and juicy strawberry. Didn’t love the mix as much…

This tea gave me such instant feelings of deja vu while I was drinking it and I never did quite figure out what specifically it was making me think of. I think it’s a cross of, like, another tea I’ve had and a “real life” strawberry candy or something. It was mostly black tea forward, but with a light strawberry note that had a mix of floral undertones and an almost “gummy candy” like bright sweetness. I enjoyed it quite a bit, though it’s certainly simplistic.

For pretty much as long as I’ve been a tea drinker I’ve been saying that jasmine teas always taste like grapes to me, so when I saw that Seven Teahouse had a grape jasmine blend I kind of lost my fucking mind. I just needed to taste it.

Here’s the thing. The grape oolong from Seven Teahouse is far superior to this. It’s better balanced, and the mix of naturally floral oolong with their particular grape flavouring is more complimentary. However, on a deeply personal level, this was more satisfying. It tastes exactly like the grape note I always pick out of jasmine teas but amplified ten fold.

I’m not huge on jasmine teas in the first place (especially on green tea bases), and I thought that overall this was a bit too intensely flavoured but it did blow my mind a little bit to see that rather obscure tasting note/flavour comparison that I’ve been trying to explain to other tea drinkers really get highlighted in such a direct way. Like, I kind of want to take the rest of the teabags of it and bring it to the office to make all my coworkers drink just so I can be like “This! This is what I taste every time!”

It gets an automatic yes for “would you recommend this tea” for that alone.

Today was very busy for me so I didn’t get a ton of tea drinking done, and I found that the teas I was most reaching for were in sachet just because of the convenience. I’ve taken a handful of the teas from this company to work in anticipation for that situation just because they’re so high quality for sachet teas, so I was thrilled to be able to quickly brew this one up!

It’s actually the first straight tea I’ve tried from Seven Teahouse and, well, colour me impressed. Even as dry leaf it was highly aromatic and fresh, with really appetizing plum and honey aromas. Steeped it is a fairly fruity leaning black tea with that same type of plum or stonefruit note, but complimented by notes that are more decadent or grain-like: buckwheat honey, raisin bread, malt, cocoa. Full bodied with a nice balance between a thick, velvety mouthfeel and a hint of astringency at the top of the sip.

Yum!

Sipdown (2672)!

Beautifully smooth white peach flavour that really compliments the floral leaning and fresh greener oolong base that Seven Teahouse uses across all of their oolongs. It was such a reliable cup, and that familiarity almost added to a sense of coziness that I wouldn’t typically associate with peach teas.

I’m kind of torn on whether I’d buy it again because I think peach oolongs aren’t really all that hard to find and I even have a few in my stash already, but to find a peach oolong so simple and well executed that really showcases the oolong itself is a little more uncommon. There are definitely stronger oolongs from Seven Teahouse that standout just a smidge more than this one, though.

Not a bad tea by any stretch, but I think drinking this immediately after coming off a mug of Seven Teahouse’s Osmanthus Black (which really surprised and impressed me) was a bit of a mistake because it was hard not to directly compare the two. The oolong base was pretty great as it usually is – very floral leaning and fresh. The peach was also quite floral and very much that Asian type of “white peach” sort of style that rides a pleasant line between those perfumey undertones and a more candy-like peach juice profile. It just felt a little too simple and blunt compared to how wonderfully nuanced and also peachy the osmanthus tea tasted.

I wanna be clear that I don’t think the quality here was bad and I’m sure many others would very much enjoy this oolong. However, for me personally, I think this was my first real “miss” from Seven Teahouse. Mostly just because the type of peach flavouring wasn’t something I found appealing. Like all the other fruit oolongs, it’s a very Asian style of peach which in this case means it was pretty floral.

That floral white peach usually agrees with me much better than this and it might have were it just the peach I were picking up on. However, something here also read as vaguely creamy to me in a way that made me think of drinkable yogurt. I have BAD memories associated with drinkable yogurt and the fact it tasted like that and was ALSO very floral just didn’t sit super right…

Still sipping my way through these teas!

Wow does this tea ever taste like gardenia! I mean, I was very hopeful that it would. Especially after my first couple of very impressive teas that I had tried. However, actually experiencing it is a whole different thing. I really love when teas (oolongs in particular) have notes of gardenia, so to have one that’s kind of just exclusively dedicated to that taste makes me exceptionally happy.

I might be dreaming but I’d love to see what Seven Teahouse could do if they applied the same concept to, say, a peony or geranium oolong.

Steeped this up earlier in the week and enjoyed it just as much as I did the first time around. Definitely the consistency between these tea sachets is a huge win – I love that they’re just ultimately very solid, reliable mono flavoured tea blends. This one is sweet but also fresh, and buttery with a lightness to it. So smooth! Just a hint of floral undertones. Yummy!

My least favourite tea from Seven Teahouse so far, but not because it wasn’t good. It was actually very good. Really fresh and creamy coconut combined with that super silky, smooth floral green oolong base that I’ve just been loving in these teas. I think the only reason I didn’t enjoy it as much was because it felt the most familiar or like something I already own/can buy elsewhere. Very similar, actually, to the Coconut Oolong DT used to carry (maybe slightly more buttery) or the one I really love from Tao Tea…

Still a solid, solid blend though!

Cold Brew!

Started the morning of WTE day two with an incredibly refreshing cold brew of Grape Oolong. It was such a pleasure to put some faces to this company after being such a fan of their teas this past year! This was a deep, sweet grape flavour with that kind of “purepl-y” undertone and a nice floral finish. Really flavourful and rich but not sugary.

Of course, I won’t be leaving for home without a modest tea haul of some of the teas I had the pleasure to sample!! So nice to meet so many different people from all different parts of this incredible industry!

Tea Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/C4wdwFkpN8m/?img_index=1

I brought a travel gaiwan set and this one teacup with me for use in the hotel, and I was pleasantly surprised to see just how much this teacup complimented the red and black hotel room decor of where we were staying.

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DzPQTXutNeU

This might be my favourite of the Seven Teahouse blends I’ve tried so far, though I have many more to go and they’ve all been excellent quality so I will not be surprised if this one gets dethroned.

The grape flavour was actually pretty shockingly complex. On one hand it had that sort of deep purple, sweet grape flavour that I loosely associate with candy and drinks from the early 2000s (but not so artificial or sweet), and one one hand it was a little more floral and muscatel with some elements of very ripe greener grapes. Quite a fun blend! The floral is definitely supported by the oolong base – which looks like it might be the same across all the flavoured oolongs. If that’s the case I’ll be happy – I really enjoy it.

A trend I’m noticing is that all of the flavourings they’re using are more of that “Japanese Style” interpretation of fruit – not super North American in style. I really dig that. It gives me heavy Lupicia vibes, which is excellent because this company seems way more accessible and easy to order from than Lupicia is.

Enjoyed this sweet and tropical tea while enjoying the fragrant flowers and cool, crisp air on this drizzly and overcast day!! It’s no secret that I have a huge soft spot for pineapple teas, but this is one of my favourites. The pineapple note is as rich and golden tasting as the colour of the tea liquor, and with the gentle nutty undertones of the oolong base it rides an enjoyable line between being tasting fresh and juicy and having an almost caramelized or grilled note. There’s something just unbeatable able a simple, well executed flavour perfectly balanced on a stellar tea base!!

Tea Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/C6uFOKkOLVM/?img_index=1

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAM6FqW0Ojk

So I recently placed an order with this company – I’ve been seeing them a lot on IG lately and I’ll be honest that the gorgeous marketing kind of got to me a little bit. It wasn’t exclusively the marketing – I mean the teas themselves also looked good. I liked the simplicity of the blends, that they were tea base forward, and in particular some of the oolong flavours they were offering really stood out to me. I tried to order as many of the flavours they carry as possible (they have build your own samplers) and I’d say I got about 90% of their selection – so I’ll definitely get a pretty good read.

This order just came in, so I’m only just starting to taste through them but so far I have been very impressed. The oolong base seems pretty high quality, and was very smooth, fresh and floral. The pineapple was sweet but not in a candy sort of way. More the way that really good, ripe pineapple actually tastes – minus any acidity. For a moment, it made me think of Butiki’s Flowery Pineapple Oolong (though this isn’t quite as floral) and that was a wild moment of nostalgia.

Yeah… Big fan of this very simple, well executed pineapple oolong.

I think I understeeped this tea because, though it was smooth with a medium bodied earthiness, I didn’t get a ton of overall flavour and the red date notes in particular were really lacking from how I remember my last cup tasting. No off notes or anything, but it just came off as a little bit flat overall.

I got some tea mail yesterday with a recent order from Seven Teahouse so I’m diving straight into tasting through all of these new teas! I’m starting with the Red Date Ripe Pu’erh as it’s the one I’ve been most curious about, and of course I’ve paired it with the most decadent and delicious dark chocolate lava mooncake. The shou pu’erh is so smooth with the perfect balance of sweet and clean earthy flavours mixed with notes of the more mild and caramel-like jujube – aka Red Dates. It’s really delicious and works wonderfully alongside this mooncake as a sweet little afternoon pick me up!!

Tea Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/CwN0wxDuafB/?img_index=1

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XqmFvMGea14

Backlog:

Of course I loved all the fruity ones.

Lychee Oolong-Obviously a favorite. Almost candylike, has some notes you get in a milk oolong at the base, though it’s clearly tie guanyin. Rebrewed it four times western at increments of 2 minutes and more. I kept coming back to it.

Lychee Black-just as good, if not better and more fruity. There’s a little bit of a cocoa malt note in first steep, but later steeps make it punchier like a natural coolaide.

Peach Oolong-exactly as expected and satisfying. It also had more of a milky texture and aroma surprisingly, edging more towards thick and creamy white peach. I really liked it.

I’d definitely get another box of the Lychee Teas and the Jasmine Black if it weren’t expensive. Definitely a step up above your usual teabag overall.

Saw this on instagram from Ana Likes tea, and I had to check them out. They were very generous and included three teas I was checking out that I did not get in my main cart or with this package, so I will start with those. I probably should make a page for each, but I’m limited on time and will still highly recommend them anyway.

Starting out with, I tried the Orchid Oolong, a Dong Ding style tea on the medium to dark end of the spectrum. It was very fruity and immensely woodsy, but had a lot more complexity than a usual dong ding teabag. I brewed it about three times, and the first and second steeps had strong flavors reminding me of hazelnut. I usually have to be in the mood for this style of tea, but I came back to it frequently for the one bag I had.

Next, I tried the Golden Peony Black tea. It was very smooth and floral, and way above the usual tea you get in a sachet. Honeysuckle, butter, malt, wood, cocoa, and maybe osmanthus or chrysantemum in the taste. Insanely nuanced. I would not buy a lot of it, but I enjoyed the four steeps I had of it.

Grape Jasmine-insanely good green tea. A little bit artificial, but in Lupicia leagues of flavoring. There were a lot of similiarties to Queen’s Muscat overall. Easy tea for me to enjoy, and the green tea leaves were very tippy with trichomes. It was a little bit astringent, so lighter brews of 2 minutes or less was favorable.

Now for the teas actually in the sample:

I tried the Red Date Pu-Erh first, and was put off a little bit. Mushroomy, brothy, a little bit of nuttiness and some sweetness, but it was too earthy for me. Some almond milk cream brought out the sweeter and nuttier tones over the earthier ones. Not as much of a fan of it.

Osmanthus Oolong-great Tie Guan Yin base, and easy drinker. First brews were refreshing and more distinct. If overbrewed, it could be astringent easy, but it’s mostly peacy, osmanthus and orchid heavy with a watercress profile. It was weak after steep three though.

Last tea I tried was the Summer Jasmine Black. It was an easy favorite, and insanely fruity. I got ton of notes of lychee, red fruit, jasmine, tropical elements, and a sweet light fruit malt like a fruit rollup. The base black tea kinda looked like a first flush tea, or a greener end black. It was darker than the green base, but the leave and trichome patterns were the same. This tea was perfect for me straight. If it weren’t so expensive, I’d easily get a box of this one.

Overall, impressive teabags and quality service. I’m holding off on the others because lychee is a favorite flavor that I want to savor.