The Simple Leaf
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I did a shorter brew time on my last bit of this tea to see how it goes. I think I prefer it this way – the flavors are the same but the overall taste and feel is much smoother. Tastes very cocoa-y but with almost a faint hint of smoke. S’nice.
Preparation
I’ve been wanting to try this tea for ages because of the Steepsterite raving. Thanks to Doulton, I finally get my chance!
Visually, the leaves are so long and twisty – they remind me of when worked at a tobacco company and one day opened up the break room freezer only to find 8 gallon-sized plastic bags stuffed with dried tobacco leaves. Those leaves smelled nice but these smell better – cocoa-y, but unlike some cocoa-smelling teas there’s no dryness to it, making it smell richer. But once the tea was in my cup? Oh, that’s lovely. Chocolaty and insanely sweet – like honey or syrup or sugar – and then a little touch of something that makes me think of maybe honeysuckle but that I wouldn’t go so far as to say is floral. So not really sure what that bit is about but it all combines to make something lovely.
With as light and sweet and fluffy as the tea smells, it is surprisingly solid tasting. It’s very smooth with only the barest hint of astringency/dryness at the end. It tastes a lot like a good Tanyang Gongfu actually, but instead of the sweetness being figgy (well, figgy to me… I think technically it supposed to be plum), this one is more of a lighter-than-clover-honey taste. There are strong cocoa notes, especially as it cools and particularly in the aftertaste. There’s also a hint of something that is sharper, something that I can really only identify when I slurp and then it reminds me of burnt sugar or a marshmallow that got a little singed while being roasted over a campfire.
I can see why it has such a fan base – it has really full and yummy flavor that is quite enjoyable. But as good as this is, I think I prefer TeaSpring’s Tan Yang Te Ji (which is no longer on their site – what’s up with that?)
3g/8oz
Preparation
I knew it had to be similar! It’s a sad sad thing that Te Ji leaf grade isn’t available anymore. Sold out I expect. The other leaf grade is so expensive it’s not even funny. I’ll probably still by some, but still!
Yeah, I was going to compare the prices between the two but couldn’t find the Te Ji – oh the horror! But if the other one is a higher quality leaf, I can only imagine how tasty it would be. The Tan Yang Te Ji is just so good I think it would be hard to beat!
I paid around $10 for the Te Ji, so it’s a good deal more expensive. I really want it. I think I have enough customer points to buy myself a discount coupon, in which case I feel I can defend paying $17 for 50 grams. And if I’m spending anyway, I can get one of their pretty pretty gaiwans too, and see if I can push the whole thing over $70 for free shipping. (Argh no! No shopping, self! Not yet! Not now!)
Hahah! That free shipping price point is so dangerous! (Which I’m sure is why they have it!)
YES. Singed marshmallow! That…is the vaguely-hash-y note.
I realize that makes almost no sense, but I knew immediately when I read it that you were talking about the same thing. That’s a great way to describe it.
Yay! I felt kind of nutty writing that down and almost went with burnt sugar but there was a slight smoky and a higher sweetness than just plain sugar so that’s what I ended up with. Yay for not being crazy! :)
The Simple Leaf is two for two with me.
This is a complex tea…and so probably destined to become one of my favorites. I chose this for this evening because of the leaves, which are quite lovely in their variegated appearance.
Tankha, it must be said, is remarkably similar to Samovar’s Royal Garland while hot. It’s not nearly as rich, and it’s a lighter cup of tea by all accounts, but there are striking similarities…the fruity, shining darjeeling flavor with a lingering, nectary, honeysuckle element. It lacks the thicker taste of dense fruit…and yet I hesitate to call it ‘floral’, though I suppose there’s something to that toward the last of the sip, and definitely some of that in the nose. I’m…actually having trouble pinning down flavors with any adequacy. I would not mistake this tea for Royal Garland…and yet, comparing the two is the closest I can get.
The second steep brews to a slightly darker shade, and produces a softer flavor…with, interestingly, a distinct aroma of lemons, without the sharpness you would expect.
Yum…yum…yum.
Preparation
I’ve been wanting to place another TSL order lately… this might push me over the edge. I didn’t like Darjeelings so much a few years ago, but I think I need to give one a second try.
If it helps, it says this is an oolong. ;) Just grown in Darjeeling, and it certainly comes across in the flavor you get!
I need to purchase all of simple leaf’s teas! Argh… I need to clear out my tea cupboard first. Why does it always seem to be endless!
Not sure on my steep time here. Less than five minutes, but more than three. I’ve already written tasting notes for this tea, so I don’t think I need to revisit them, but it’s worth noting that I’m digging this one at 190…discovered by accident this morning through a zojirushi oversight. The slightly more bitter astringency is nowhere to be found, and the cocoa notes are much stronger.
Preparation
I am seriously drowning in tea now. My orders from 52teas and The Simple Leaf both came in today, and now I’m starting to think that investing in a better tea storage solution is completely critical. This wouldn’t be such a disaster if I were capable of ordering just one or two samples, but I’m really not. My counter is a minefield of new tea.
Soooo, anyway!
What can I say about this tea that other people haven’t already said?
Opening the bag, you’re hit with the scent of cocoa powder — the light, fluffy, dusty kind. To me, the aroma was a lot like chocolate milk. Everyone to remark on the leaves themselves is utterly in earnest — they are incredible. Thick, woody, substantial, smooth. They are tea leaves that you could kill a man with. They have heft.
They are also very difficult to estimate by eye, reinforcing for me that a scale is something I’m overdue to invest in.
Steeped, while still very hot the aroma slips occasionally toward something distinctly honey. Honey and cocoa are definitely there…and so is a woody depth that reminds me not just a little bit of Golden Moon’s Imperial Formosa Oolong. You never lose sight of the fact that this is tea, either; what I think of as the quintessential tea flavor is there, but darker, shadowed.
The other note I can identify is one I’ve gone back and forth about adding here for reasons that will become obvious, but it’s just so prevalent that I can’t really see any way to get around it:
Cannabis.
Not fresh. More like…hash. Why yes, I did spend a few years in my youth doing things you’re not technically allowed by our country to do!
Seriously, though, it’s there. In small quantities, and more like the memory of something than the fact of it, but recurrent enough that this note would be incomplete without its mention.
For all that the list of flavors is dark…the tea itself is surprisingly not so, with a very low and subtle sweetness on the tail end that uplifts the oolong-like fullness in the mouth.
A delicious tea, and completey worthy of whatever ranting and raving people have been doing.
PS: Good for a second steep.
Preparation
chocolate pot?!?!?! Normally the weirder the tea, the more I want to try it, but that scares me… Every year I go to reality haunted house and one of the rooms smells EXACTLY like pot smoke (I’ve been told)… I’m also allergic to cigarett/cigar smoke (not campfire oddly enough)… But maybe between the chocolate and the pot this would help my chronic pain. Samovar’s Ryokucha has been discribed as crack, so this doesn’t surprise me lol.
Great review. I agree with you about the aroma. Right now my tea is stored in a system of cardboard boxes: there’s a rooibos box that I glare at; a green tea box, and a black box and then an herbal tisanes box. But I’m going to start sub-dividing: I need a box for smoky blacks and for floral blacks and for fruity blacks.
Haha, Cofftea. It really doesn’t scream ‘cannabis’, in case you’re worried. You would never smell it and immediately think that; there would never be any risk of mistaking one for the other. Think of it as being more like…the various floral or fruit notes you can pull out of an oolong, for instance. It’s not the fruit or flower, but it shares similarities that trigger parallels for you, even when very subtle.
Doulton: But where do you keep your boxes? That is the question! My cabinet…is too small! I should probably invest in some sort of counter-top chest…hmm.
Killer review. You definitely make me want to try…for reminiscent flavours and all…
I’m following at least 2 other steepsters who logged this so far this morning…just because…
I still really like this Oolong! Sure, it’s a mild one, but it’s soothing!
Very much like Honey today…reminds me of the Mead Winery I went to in Finger Lakes region last fall! BUT better.
I have this but haven’t tried it yet. And now it keeps popping up everywhere! Steepster is telling me to try this tea RIGHT NOW! (Which I can’t so boo but maybe tonight!)
This sounds really soothing for when you have a cold :)
This is by FAR my most favorite tea out of so many tried… it is beautiful anytime for any occasion for any reason – I have honestly never had a tea that is so complex in it’s simplicity and so full of subtlety when you look for it, but still a straight up good tea when you just want a sip of something hot and tea-like. If you buy no other tea this month, you should REALLY buy this tea!
MandyB is soooo good to me! Thanks for this one, too, girlie!
This is a neat cup! It’s roasty, toasty, buttery, slippery, Sweet like honey, nutty, it’s just NEAT. I am not sure how I get all of these individual components to this Oolong in my sip but I am glad I do.
I say Ooooo…
YOU say LONG…
Ooooo…
Long :)
Woot! Woot! I GOTTA Ooooo…LONG!
Thanks chick-a-dee!
lol, starting a girl band are we?
Girl Bands ROCK! :P
BTW…this is really good ICED, too!
Love that song. Except I do like my herbals. ;)
Herbal…no thanks…lol…well, most herbals NO THANKS…Foxtrot, I will make an exception and minty-ones…
I can’t say “yes, please to the Earl Grey part” but love the oo you say long part!
Needed something to wake up today. I like this tea a lot, but there is something that smells like manure in the background. That’ll would probably keep me from ordering more. What is that smell?
Preparation
Heh, no wonder you don’t like pu-erhs.
Exactly! ha ha. I think it’s why I like the Mountain Malt more – it has less of that flavor.
I still need to try the genmaicha you sent. I’m waiting till I’ve had some consistent sleep to mitigate the migraine risk of the green tea. I’m looking forward to that one.
Manure? I did not detect that at all in this tea. I thought it was chocolate-y…
Manure?? I did detect something hay-like in Shanti (the tea, not me) but Dawn was like 100% chocolate/caramel to me.
Do you detect dirt or earth in it?
Not really, but now you’ve got me curious…I haven’t had Dawn in a while, so I’ll have to try it again and see if I can pick up on that. Or, maybe the batches are different (so perhaps the season you received yours it had more earthy notes). Aww…I hope the manure/earth/dirt flavor isn’t too off putting! :)
[P.S. I just re-read my first comment, and realized that it came off as super snide, which is NOT what I intended at all…sorry! I just meant “yuck, manure!”, not that you’re making this up or anything!]
I find that almost all non-Assam teas that are oxidized to either oolong or black stages have a certain “dustiness” to them. I think the astringency in Assam hides it, they probably have it too, though. I think that much oxidation just makes the bio-mass less like a leaf and more like loam. So dirt or earth I’d understand, but manure?
The unpleasant but obvious question, of course, is what kind of manure? Horses? Cows? Pigs? Sheep? Goats? They all smell radically different. Heck, even pasture raised vs. feed yard kept smell different.
@Shanti – I didn’t take it as mean or snide. No worries.
@Jim – Next time it’s warm out, I’ll walk by the horse pasture and then the cow pasture and let you know. I’m thinking horses; in a pasture.
No wait, maybe it’s cows. :) Yeah, cows.
Was I the one who sent you this tea? I thought it had rather chestnut-y overtones.
Oh, good. :) I was afraid it came off as “omg you think it smells like manure? you’re wrong and I’m right” when I just meant “omg manure? Ick!” Sigh, it’s easy for tone to be misconstrued over the internet, so I just wanted to make it clearer :)
@Doulton – Nope I ordered this one. Unfortunately, I ordered the mid-size bag (not the sample). But, I think my husband likes it more than me.
When steeped, I think this smells like dusty peanut shells dipped in cocoa powder. And sometimes I do get that “loamy” note.
I made this iced because I’d accidentally bought way more than I meant to and the description says it’s good iced. I figured I’d give it a try. It’s just ok for me iced. I haven’t quite decided if I like iced or not but I am leaning towards not. It doesn’t have a ton of flavor iced and then it ends with that peaty/earthy taste at the end of the sip. And it seems to have become fairly astringent when cold brewed.
It’s possible that I didn’t use enough tea leaves (I went by a blog post made by SimpleTeas on iced tea ratio). I made 2 quarts and used almost 1/2 cup tea leaves. Next time, trial iced tea should be made in smaller quantities. Cold brewed for 24 hours.
I’m not changing my rating because it is excellent hot!
Preparation
No amount of coffee was doing the job this morning so I decided I would get a cup of tea with caffeine in it. I went back to the Dawn. It is so smooth and chocolaty. Perfect mid-morning cup.
Added a smidge of sugar and a tiny amount of soy creamer.
Preparation
I added a touch of soy creamer to this and it really brought out the chocolaty tones. Nom!
Preparation
Mmm. Woody, Chocolately, Malty, full-bodied and yet light at the same time. Really good tea. I smell something in this tea that is like earth (I keep calling that peat-like) but I’m not sure of the word for it. There is absolutely no bitterness after brewing 5 minutes and very low astringency.
The unbrewed leaves are beautiful almost black with tinges of green. Big full slightly furled leaves.
Brews up to a pale golden color. I added a little sugar. No cream needed.
And I have to give The Simple Leaf huge kudos for getting my order here so quickly. I don’t know how they did that. Ordered Saturday and it’s here today (on Monday) and I live across the country. Also, for anyone contemplating sample size vs full bag, I ordered one of each (a sample of the Mountain Malt) and the sample size is pretty large and will last me a long time. I think I just needed sample sizes of both.
Preparation
When I say Oooo…
You say LONG…
Ooooo…
LONG…
Sorry…I’m currently obsessed with this song/video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eELH0ivexKA
Anyhow…another MandyB Tea! YAY!
This is mellow in scent and taste but pleasant and yummy. I’m thinking this would also be good cold/iced!
Preparation
After all the black teas I’ve been drinking, I felt like I needed to “lighten up” with a green.
Brews up a deep chartreuse. Scent is savory and a bit peppery with hints of sweet flowers—like wilted swiss chard and honeysuckle. The taste is surprisingly smooth and buttery (mmm…butter) —reminds me very much of the gyokuro I sampled from the Jade Teapot.
Overall, this seems like an exceptional green tea—all the best qualities of a green tea are expressed (well, at least the qualities that I like :) ).
Nice!
Steep Information:
Amount: 1 tsp
Additives: none
Water: 6 oz filtered, boiling, 190°
Tool: Mesh basket strainer in cup
Steep Time: a little over 5 minutes
Served: Hot
Tasting Notes:
Dry Leaf Smell: not much
Steeped Tea Smell: vegetal
Flavor: buttery smooth, vegetal, then black tea, complex, a little sweet
Body: Full
Aftertaste: black tea, slightly astringent, perhaps a touch bitter
Liquor: Dark translucent brown
A generous gift from SoccerMom, since I was drooling over everyone’s posts.
The dry leaves are amazing, they are long thin rolls and just neat to look at.
The smell surprised me, I don’t associate vegetal with black tea.
Sadly I am not getting the chocolate, caramel or honey others were picking up.
I must echo takgoti that it is a rich tea, yet leaves you lightly. Some teas feel as though you have drank a thick shake, and although delicious fill you up. The flavors and scent are rich with Dawn, but leave you with room for more of the re-steeps.
This is not a flavored black, yet it is rich and complex and very enjoyable! quite a contrast to this morning’s PG tips.
Although I can’t jump on the ‘favorite tea’ bandwagon, I am extremely grateful to SoccerMom for letting me try some. I am enjoying my tea and it’s re-steeps and I think if I ever place an order from the simple leaf Dawn will be included. Right now I am not going to rush and place an order just for Dawn.
Post-Steep Additives: none
Resteep: 5 min, much the same as the first, very impressive re-steep really. One leaf fully unfurled, hopefully you can see it in the picture.
MilitiaJim took a sip and made an awful face and declared it tasted like mud.
I decided everyone else found chocolate, and I was defective and had a glass with some chocolate cake. Still no chocolate found.
images: http://amazonv.blogspot.com/2010/04/simple-leaf-loose-leaf-black-tea-dawn.html
Preparation
steep 3, 5 min, touch of german rock sugar, still a strong cup of tea…and maybe a bit of caramel brought out by the sugar?
Try a drop of milk too – that might help w the chocolate :)
JacquelineM for the WIN! +pinch of sugar + splash of lactose-free milk = caramel chocolate on steep…i lost count, 5? at 9 minutes yummy, still not so yummy it needs it’s own order, but would be a “i am placing an order here, i must get dawn too!”
Glad you like it! I am going to have to try the german rock sugar and milk (even though I don’t normally do this with any tea).
I have found blacks sometimes need sugar and milk to be their best (and they always try to be their best, dollhouse anyone?) then again i have quite the sweet tooth
The few times I’ve added milk to tea I didn’t like it because it seemed watery. Now having said that I had a BF once who drank one teabag of lipton in a cup of milk and added sugar and I found that to be lovely with toast for breakfast. I don’t do that anymore because well I don’t know why I don’t do that hmmm I guess when we called it quits so did me and his tea habits. ;)
I like it better with a dash of milk and also a couple of sugar crystals. I think they certainly bring out the range of possible flavors. I like Dawn a lot, but I would not drink it first thing in the morning. The Simple Leaf calls it a “mild” tea on their packaging.
Doulton, Agreed Dawn is not really strong enough for my morning cup. I like something stronger to get me up and going.
Quite simply excellent. I don’t know how many orthodox teas I actually manage to drink, but this shows its pure pedigree. As Ricky wrote, it is a “complicated” tea in the best sense—each sniff, each sip, offers up a brave new world of taste sensations.
I would call it highly refined, elegant, and pure. It is smooth and sweet. I thought I detected a bit of chestnut, although others have not mentioned that. I think that this will be another tea that must always be here and will always be reordered.
Preparation
Funny, I was just contemplating ordering this one.
Chestnut, hmmmm, I can definitely see that.
Kristin – Do it!
Doulton – Yes, I try to always have this in stock in my cupboard! It’s my absolute favorite!
Ha! I just did. And I also grabbed a sample of the Mountain Malt.
Seriously, the mailman cannot get his narrow backside here soon enough with this tea. >.<
My bowl of Matcha disappeared fast!
I haven’t had any Oolong tea lately, and I’ve missed it. And this is an excellent Oolong!
Very nice, natural honey-like essence to it that presents itself in the aroma as well as the flavor. Happily, I can taste the floral notes of this tea – One of the things that had kept me from drinking too many of my favorite teas now while I’m sick is the fact that I was worried that in their impaired state my taste buds would not pick up on the more delicate features of those teas. Not so with this particular cup. A lovely floral flavor that melds so well with the natural sweetness. Slightly woodsy. Even a hint of buttery flavor.
YUM!
It is so comforting and delicious. Just what I needed this afternoon.
My review of this tea for the Tea Review Blog recently published, wanna check it out? Here it is:
Preparation
That’s the one thing I don’t like about koicha or usucha- not much liquid so it disappears fast:(
The second infusion of this tea is even better than the first. Sweeter, smoother, and the mouthfeel is even more pleasant – slightly thicker and richer in buttery flavor.
I managed four very flavorful infusions from this tea… I probably could have managed a fifth but I think that I’m ready to move on to something different.
So far, all of the oolongs I have sampled have been VERY SUBTLE. Is this the case w/this one as well? Or is the flavor bolder than typical?
OH! So YOU started the Honeybee trend! :P
@Lori: Oolong, typically, is not going to be as bold as a black tea, but, it is a bit less subtle than a green tea. This one isn’t “bold” but the honey flavor is not what I would call subtle either.
@TeaEqualsBliss – I guess so! LOL
Well Auggy, I love, love this tea…..