The Simple Leaf

Time for some Oolong!

I almost (almost!) wish that I had postponed brewing this tea, because, shortly after I had, there was a knock on the door from FedEx delivering my order from Old Wilmington. Woo hoo – I like it when I receive two tea orders in one day! (The other one was from 52Teas)

But, I’m only “almost” wishing I had postponed this brewing, because, well, it’s hard to be disappointed in having a cup of this fantastic Oolong tea.

The honey notes are really profound in this cup. You really don’t need to add anything extra to the cup to get all this sweetness… it just naturally tastes like honey! In fact, this reminds me a lot of back when I was much younger. When I used to get sick, before I really got “into” tea the way I am now, and if I happened to be out of tea, I would heat up some water, squeeze a little lemon and add a generous dollop of honey… and drink hot, honeyed lemon water to soothe my sore throat. That is what this tastes like, sans the lemon.

Yummy Yummy Oolong! Many more infusions to enjoy!

Time for some Oolong!

Honey notes, floral notes, a very pleasant, smooth, even flavor that glides over the palate. I love it!

Time for my daily Oolong! No… I don’t have Oolong every SINGLE day, but I do try to. It is my favorite tea, after all!

This is the first time I’m tasting this Oolong from The Simple Leaf, but I was so incredibly impressed with “Dawn” that I have high expectations. Also, it is an Oolong from Nepal, and I have had a couple of Oolongs from Nepal and have loved them. So… yeah… I expect big taste from this cup of Oolong.

And it delivers! Not my favorite Oolong, but it is really good. Distinct notes of honey in the aroma and the taste. Pleasant mouthfeel – not as thick and buttery as a greener Oolong would be, but, very smooth and silky. It also possesses a woodsy character and a fruit-like quality to it. It is quite a bit lighter in flavor than other Oolongs, so I think the next time I brew this tea I’ll steep a little longer.

I’ve not had this tea in awhile, since it’s not for sale anymore, and I am not very good about coming to terms with that fact. Still. After all this time.

My husband requested something “different” for our afternoon tea and since I had been thinking about this one a lot lately I thought it was time to have some. I have perhaps an ounce left? Whimper.

It’s just as wonderful as I remember it. I still can’t get over how much chocolate and caramel flavor is in this single estate, pure tea. As we drank our cups, I and my husband kept repeating, “I can’t believe how good this is.” like a broken record.

It’s really a tragedy that the Simple Leaf is no longer in business. Has anyone heard anything?

Thought I might as well have a Simple Leaf weekend :) This tea is on severe ration – I probably have 10 pots left – forever! The thought makes me so sad, because gosh, what a tea! Roasty, chocolatey, chicory, caramel, earthy, DELICIOUS! Just simply exquisite. So unique. So good.

I’m done my paper! 14 intense pages. I am very happy and relieved. I wanted to drink some tea in celebration, and I chose Dawn. All I had to do was smell it as it was steeping, and I knew I made the right choice. I am almost embarrassed to say that I audibly moaned when that earthy chocolatey aroma hit. Ohhh, this one is so special.

No matter how many times I drink it, I can’t get over the flavor. Tangy malty chocolatey earthy chicory planty. This tea hits me in a primal place. I just want to say Mrrrrrrrrrrrrrrooooooowwwwwww like a very happy cat and leave it at that!

This tea is just a miracle! A delicious, mindblowing miracle! Now that I had the Wuyi oolong yesterday, I detect some of the same roasty flavors in this one too! I wonder if the tea growing region in Arunachal Pradesh India is similar to the Wuyi region in China (the Dawn description does talk about mists!). This one is chocolatier and darker, but that deep chicory roasted nut like flavor is present in both.

I haven’t had this one in awhile, and I was a little hesitant to drink it again because I had so very flipped over it when I first tasted it. I don’t have to worry – I’m sitting here in wide eyed wonder once again. Gaaah! This tea is great.

I’m going to go boil some more water for a second cup :)

I was really excited to make this today at home so I could have a cup with my husband. I knew he would love this one. I wish you could have seen his face when he tasted it! He thought it was a revelation. I showed him the story of the way the tea was produced on thesimpleleaf.com and we marveled over this natural wonder!!!!

So good. So unique. He compared it to a chai/not chai. I explained my coffee/chicory/chocolate/caramel/ not coffee/chicory/chocolate/caramel theory and he thought I nailed it :) He just yelled from the other room “I think this is my favorite tea!!!”

I’m telling you – a revelation! <3

This tea courtesy of Doulton!

I am very excited because I’ve been wanting to try this tea ever since I read about it. The leaves are absolutely GORGEOUS! Long, dark and handsome! It’s so hard to believe they are not blended with chocolate!!

This tea is ridiculous, and I mean that in the most highly complimentary way possible! It’s deliciously tea-ish and a chocolatey roasty flavor. Not hot chocolate, not coffee, not chicory although all these things come to mind. It’s something all it’s own and simply sublime!!! I want to wander the streets and go up to random strangers and say “Taste this tea! It is simply pure camellia sinensis, but have you EVER tasted anything like it!?!?!?!?”

!!!!

Now that it is cooling a bit I am tasting a caramel note joining in with the tea/chocolate/coffee/chicory. Wow. This is one of the highlights of my tea tasting experiences thus far!!!! THANK YOU DOULTON!!!!!

EDIT: Great resteep! 6 minutes, more roasty chicory chocolate. Lighter but so delicious. Better than many teas first steep! but steep #1 is the best one.

I felt like something chocolatey tonight, so I chose this. Mmm….cocoa and roasted peanuts in a cup! This has a dry, bake-y, nutty flavor that I find very delicious. It tastes like those Mexican Ibarra Cocoa tablets except without the sugar. There’s this heavy sprinkling of roasted peanut shells-taste in the mix too.

Super comforting and super yummy!

Okay..second steeping..

Aroma is of roasted nuts, caramel and…cocoa powder. First sip is definitely like roasted nuts—like the inside of a peanut shell, sort of dry and toasty like that—but not salty. Subsequent sips as the tea cools…tastes more peanut buttery to me. Maybe like brazil nuts. Chocolate lingers on the aftertaste.

I know this is not a flavored tea. While I enjoy flavored teas, they only aspire to be this— compared to Dawn, they are shadows…just brash imitators. Dawn shines with quiet confidence.

Guys, this is the real deal. A must try. Don’t miss it!

Just a quick blurb before dinner:

Oh my god, this is cocoa tea!! Everything about this tea is cocoa-ish—from the dry leaves, to the brewed aroma, to the taste! It’s like bittersweet, malty cocoa. Gosh, how many times can I say “cocoa” in this note? But that’s the best thing I can compare this to. It’s smooth, slightly smoky cocoa. Please get this if cocoa (or chocolate) is your love!

This was my “christening” tea for my Breville. It tastes fantastic, as I expected it would. Rich, chocolate-y and so good. My Dawn is all gone now. I am so sad that The Simple Leaf is gone too. But, I am glad that I saved this little bit for the first brewing in my Breville because it made the occasion all the more special. Here is a link to my full-length review of this tea:
http://www.teareviewblog.com/?p=12247

I love – love – love this tea.

Smooth, rich, malty, bake-y taste with chocolate. YUM…

It is always a pleasure to start the day with this tea in my favorite mug. It is so good. (so good in fact, I’m increasing my rating for it a little bit)

The roasted cocoa flavor is so delightful.

Starting the day with these lovely leaves.

This tea still amazes me. It is so good. Smooth, delicious, and yet robust enough to get me going. It is the best unflavored black tea I’ve ever encountered.

Yum!

I haven’t had this tea in a while, because, well, I hid it from myself so I wouldn’t be tempted. This is quite possibly the best black tea (at least, unflavored/non-chai/non-earl grey black tea) that I’ve ever tasted. It’s simply awesome.

Roast-y, toasty flavor, with a pleasant earthy quality to it. A savory cocoa note that I’ve not found in any other tea the way it is in this one. This tea stands alone! Amazing, delicious! Delightful!

Here is the review that I wrote for it on The Tea Review Blog:

http://www.teareviewblog.com/?p=12247

Now that I feel human again (thanks Allergi-TEA), I can move on to some Simple Leaf. I just love this tea! I just got it yesterday – but – it is HEAVENLY.

Nutty notes, cocoa, roasty/smoky notes… simply divine. I’m off to write a review of it for the Tea Review Blog!

My order from The Simple Leaf arrived today and I’m so excited to try this tea! I’ve been reading some really fantastic reviews about this tea on Steepster, so my expectations are high.

The aroma is amazing. I can smell the hint of cocoa, and there is a deep earthy undertone to it as well… almost smoky, but not quite. I think I’d describe it as a roasted characteristic – kind of like roasted cacao beans.

The flavor is remarkable. Very smooth. Honey-like sweetness with an appealing cocoa note. Lovely, complex, and absolutely delightfully delicious.

I thank each and every one who had reviewed this tea previously – it was your reviews that inspired me to try it, and I’m so very glad that I have.

Another tea that you can drink on a daily basis. The flavor is light, but refreshing. There are some honey notes and these are nicely enhanced by the addition of a little sweetener. Another winner and one I will probably rebuy when the tea cupboard starts to get a little bare.

Yum!! I had this tea hot with vanilla soy ceamer for breakfast. It has a nice sweet flavor that asserts itself well with the creamer. BUT—I liked it even better iced! You can get a lot of infusions out of this tea, I made the third one iced and it was quite good. It has a cooling kind of aftertaste that suites iced tea well.

Definitely a keeper!

This some how came in with my order from the Simple leaf ? I don’t know if I ordered on accident or if they sent me a whole pouch as a sample I haven’t went back to check my C.C. bill yet. (Please don’t tell :) anyway it is just as the other reviews have so correctly stated a smoky flavored green tea. I don’t love it I don’t hate it but I for sure would not order it!

BTW the leaves are dark green and quite lovely.

23 days ago I wrote a rather luke-warm review of this tea. I got it out today to send a sample to Lena and decided to give it a try. It’s not been the most successful tea day for me for various reasons and I thought that an uncomplicated, unblended straight-up tea would be a good cure-all for whatever it is that ails me (Who saw “Office Space?” “Sounds like someone has a case of the Mondays?” Well, that’s me. I recommend this movie highly. Put aside any reservations you might have about Jennifer Aniston and see this now! “Office Space,” however, did get me into some flabberghasting moments with my students. I told them I wanted them to add “pieces of flair” to their writing. A student’s idea of a piece of written flair is to say that something is “very unique”.

I apologize for the bad digression. In any event, I’ve finished my mug of Black Frost and my opinion is revised considerably. Since I first tasted this tea, I’ve been exposed to too many blends; to quite a few bad teas, and to too many meek and shy little teas.

Black Frost is a bold single note Nilgari. It brews up into a good strong cup that does not play around. It does have some taste overtones—slightly vegetal for a black and a bit sweet but not in a bad way. I don’t think it has the taste complexity of Dawn, also by “The Simple Leaf” but it’s a good no-nonsense tea. I think such teas should win higher accolades. It has made me perk up from my cast of the “Mondays” (not to mention that the clock is right at 3 PM).
Nice to get some real caffeine here, too.