I recently received a selection of teas from Mud and Leaves, along with one of their absolutely gorgeous gaiwans, and I couldn’t have been more chuffed. Patrick, the shop owner, is one of the loveliest people ever, and it was so easy to communicate with him online. He listened to me and helped me figure out what I wanted, and I truly appreciate his patience.

Along with five oolongs, I also received a black tea, which I want to talk about first simply because it was one of the best black teas I’ve ever had. It is called the HongYu Ruby 18 Black Tea, and one of my favourite things about it is that the leaves are insanely long, and in the exact same condition that they would have been picked in. Finally, a company that doesn’t seem to confuse loose leaf with CTC!

Once brewed, the tea became a dark golden colours with a malty and sweet flavour, and even after brewing it for a little longer than I was meant to, it still didn’t taste astringent. The taste was very smooth and easy, and the leaves opened up to these beautiful large black ovals. The smell was very delicate, and yet the flavour was full-bodied and almost quite rich.

The black tea came in a beautiful shiny red packaging, with the oolongs coming in smaller, golden-coloured suction-packed materials. The HongYu had a thin mouth feel, very smooth and light, and was a great way to open up the palette to the oolongs.

Brewing this tea incorporated the first ever time that I had used a gaiwan, and after struggling a little for the first few seconds, my fingers quickly found their place and figured out where exactly they should be placed. I gave the tea leaves a quick rinse to open up the leaves and as such, the flavour, and then used water that was around 90C.

I managed to get six relatively strong brews out of just one pot of tea, which is easily one of the largest re-brewing quotas I’ve ever had. It was pretty impressive that the tea was still flavoursome and rich by the end, although I wouldn’t have wanted to push it to a seventh brewing (plus, that was a lot of tea to consume!).

I rarely find that tea companies tell you the exact levels of oxidation and roasting that a particular tea has undergone, quite possibly because most of them blend their teas together. And so, it was lovely and refreshing to discover that this tea has an oxidation rate of 85% and a roasting rate of 0%, leading to its deep, malty flavour. I’m a strong believer in the idea that the more information you give a consumer, the better the product is – and in this case, I couldn’t be more right.

The tea itself was grown in the Sun Moon Lake area in Taiwan, and the ‘Ruby 18’ variety of camelia sinensis, officially known as ‘Tai Tea #18’, was developed in Taiwan during the 1980s. It is actually a hybrid of the Wild Formosa tea tree (native to Taiwan) and the Burmese Assamica tea tree, which is pretty crazy, and really cool! This unique type of tea was then processed as HongYu Black Tea, and is absolutely delicious!

ShanLinXi High Mountain Oolong, Winter 2019

Origin – Grown in ShanLinXi at 1300m

Oxidation – 20%

Roasting – 0%

Preparation method – 5g of tea in 150ml of hot water, brewed at 95C, with one quick hot rinse of the tea before brewing. Steeped in hot water initially for about 50s.

Appearance – Medium dark green rolled balls, becomes almost a neon green-yellow liquid.

Smell – A little like genmaicha, almost nutty.

Taste – Very fresh, warming. Full-bodied and rich. Flavours get more complex with more brewings – this one I did five of. Slight nutty and almost earthy flavour.

Mouthfeel – Had a relatively thick mouth feel, feeling like a high density tea. It had an almost ‘mineral’ mouthfeel.

Overall thought – There are several benefits of drinking a high mountain oolong tea, with the first being that it produces a moderating effect by settling the spirit and calming the mind. Especially when drank in a ceremonial way with the gaiwan, sniffer cup, and several of my small drinking cups and teapots, the oolong was a centring device to which I could use to gain an almost meditative state. With a delicious and relaxing taste, the whole experience came together to create a warm and calming environment.

HeHuanShan High Mountain Oolong Tea, Winter 2019

Origin – Grown in HeHuanShan at 1800m

Oxidation – 20%

Roasting – 0%

Preparation method – 5g of tea in 150ml of hot water, brewed at 95C. Steeped in hot water initially for about 55s.

Appearance – Tightly rolled dark and light green balls, liquid becomes a pale jade when brewed.

Smell – Quite fragrant, almost toasted scent (despite obviously undergoing zero roasting).

Taste – Slightly more subtle than the previous tea, with undertones of sweetness and earthiness. Almost dark toffee, with a very subtle nuttiness.

Overall thought – I feel as though this oolong would go really well with a warm meal, with the warmth of the beverage balancing out the warmth and sweetness of the tea. Another benefit of oolong teas is that they can help to break down fat molecules into smaller elements to aid in better digestion, and drunk with heavier fatty meals, the tea can actually help to detoxify and neutralise acidity in the stomach. Could you imagine a better pairing?

Golden Concubine Oolong, Spring 2020

Origin – Grown in Lugu at 1200m

Oxidation – 30%

Roasting – 25%

Preparation method – 5g of tea in 150ml of hot water, brewed at 95C, with one quick hot rinse of the tea before brewing. Steeped in hot water initially for about 45s.

Appearance – Smaller and tighter rolls than the previous teas, with a slightly bronze look. Becomes a dark gold when brewed.

Smell – Quite fruity, almost floral.

Taste – Almost sweet, fruit, honey.

Aftertaste – Sweet and delicate, very pleasant.

Overall thought – One of the coolest things about this tea is that it’s a bug-bitten tea, from the insect called the tea jassid. These bites result in the plant producing a honey-like taste, making the tea even more pleasant. It is because of this that this tea is grown without any pesticides to encourage the bug bites, and is hand-picked in the summer after the jassids have had their fill.

Lishan High Mountain Oolong, Winter 2019

Origin – Grown in Lishan at 2200m

Oxidation – 20%

Roasting – 0%

Preparation method – 5g of tea in 150ml of hot water, brewed at 95C. Steeped in hot water initially for about 55s.

Appearance – Small dark green balls become a neon yellow colour when brewed.

Smell – Quite dark and almost nutty.

Taste – A rich and full-bodied flavour with a smooth texture. Subtle honey notes which seem to become more poignant around the third brewing. Oak-y.

Aftertaste – Quite rich, dark. Very pleasant.

Overall thought – Considering the fact that Lishan High Moutain Oolong is one of the highest quality oolongs in the game, it’s not hard to understand why people love this tea so much. Whilst I could imagine this oolong as a great day-drink to have with meals and snacks, I personally think that it would be best enjoyed on its own, with no side flavours to distract the main tastes of the tea.

Alishan High Mountain Jade Oolong Tea, Winter 2019

Origin – Grown in Alishan at 1000m

Oxidation – 20%

Roasting – 0%

Preparation method – 5g of tea in 150ml of hot water, brewed at 95C, with one quick hot rinse of the tea before brewing. Steeped in hot water initially for about 55s.

Appearance – Small green leaves of a paler tone than some of the others, the balls were quite small.

Smell – Fresher than the last tea, sweet. Almost like garden flowers.

Taste – Quite light, delicate, sweet.

Aftertaste – Soft, pleasant.

Overall thought – This tea was grown at the lowest altitude, and yet is probably my favourite out of them all. When I first held a tasting of all of these oolongs, the girls that attended it all had their own favourites, for different reasons. But half of all of the drinkers said that this tea was their favourite – and its not hard to see why. With quite a delicate and sweet flavour, it would be great to drink at all hours, with zero downfalls. Relatively low in caffeine, it is a stimulant that is completely safe, helping to enhance brain function, alertness, and focus. What more could you want?

Gaiwan

Having watched endless videos of tea masters effortlessly brewing gorgeous teas within a gaiwan, and spending tea ceremonies in awe as the experts delicately and flawlessly poured tens of tiny cups with their own gaiwans, I have had this deep feeling of longing to own one myself.

Finally, after months of searching online, I came across the perfect gaiwan for me. A delicate, beautiful porcelain piece from Mud and Leaves, it was entirely handmade using traditional porcelain and glaze recipes in Jingdezhe, rendering it much thinner and finer than factory pressed teaware.

I received the gaiwan and lid, a delicate saucer, and a gold-rimmed sniffing cup, all of which come together to form one of the most beautiful tea sets I have ever received.

One of my favourite things about the gaiwan is that when the oolong first goes into it, it makes a gorgeous twinkling sound. The colours of the teas as they brew can be clearly seen against the smooth white porcelain, and each tiny detail of leaf and colour can be inspected.

The gaiwan has the studio signature at the bottom of it in a matching golden sheen to the sniffing cup, which has a gorgeous gold rim. I will be honest and say that I only realised it was a sniffing cup about three brews in – before that, I had been pouring the tea directly into it to have a sip – but as I did not own a sniffing cup until then, I was pretty ecstatic to try it out for the first time. It was great for understanding the more complex notes within a tea, and also means that I now have a complete teaware set for future ceremonies.

When the hot water and subsequent tea is poured into the gaiwan and sniffing cup, the porcelain is so thin that you can actually see the liquid through it! It is pretty cool to see, and all comes together to create an all-round tea experience. I can only imagine the sheer amount of hard work that has gone into creating such a flawless porcelain set.

Packaging

With such a beautiful and delicate gaiwan set, it’s no wonder that the packaging was also gorgeous! I received the set in a beautiful pale jade padded box, wrapped with a thick paper, ensuring that it wouldn’t get damaged along the way.

It came with a cute little letter in a tiny envelope with a thanks from the company, which was a lovely touch. All of the little details came together to create a teaware set that had been borne from an incredible amount of hard work, passion, and knowledge – and to be completely frank, Mud and Leaves is easily one of my favourite tea businesses out there.

They also sell so many other beautiful items on their website, such as Shan kiln ruyao, Yixing teapots, Nixing clay pots, Dehua porcelain, and other accessories and tools, and they are all of an incredibly high quality. Quite honestly, I want everything!

The website also has detailed brewing guides and backgrounds for all of the teas that they offer, and the backstories behind some of the teas are incredible! Being able to understand exactly where a tea comes from really makes the whole experience that much more special, and understanding a little more about the history of each tea means that you can visualise exactly which conditions your tea would have grown up in, and how they would have been processed.

I think it’s pretty obvious by now that I am in love with Mud and Leaves tea and teaware – but to understand fully, why not check them out yourself?

And so, please let me know in the comments below if you have ever tried a Taiwanese Mountain Oolong before, or are planning on adding a gorgeous crane tea cup to your collection!

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THE RECIPE

I know how infuriating it is when you want to read a recipe but the author decides to spend forty-five pages talking about their deep-rooted trauma, their aversion to birthdays, and their regret at buying a great dane over a husky. But this time, I think we’ll just jump straight in. Let’s break some conventions.

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THE PERFECT MASALA CHAI

Typically, this is made on an open top stove. You need to grab your enamel pot and fill it with almond milk and one tablespoon of Chaiwala Chai, heating it on low until it begins to bubble ever so slightly.

For an extra creamy drink, you should bring it to the boil TWICE.

Strain the masala chai into a mug and add some ‘chai sprinkles’, a mix of Canadian crystallised maple syrup, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, clove, and nutmeg.

Give it a stir, add honey to taste, and bam. Delicious and easy chai.

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It is absolutely ones of my favourite drinks ever, and I LOVE making it. It feels almost meditative to go through the routine of heating the milk, adding the ingredients, sweetening it. I like to drink it with savoury things such as dumplings, and have been experimenting with adding the spices to baked goods. I recently made some unconventional Welsh cakes with it, and boy, were they delicious!

I have learnt a lot about tea over these past few months, and it’s been one helluva journey. I have been reading journals on tea, watching documentaries on tea, attending virtual talks on tea. It’s pretty much the main thing that’s been going through my head during this quarantine, and learning has been keeping me busy. One thing that’s stuck with me throughout all of this, though, is the mystery surrounding masala chai.

THE HISTORY OF CHAI

The earliest records of masala chai date back 5,000 years ago, to South East Asia. Masala chai originated in the courts of King Harshavardhana to be developed as an ayurvedic drink. The king would drink the chai in order to be able to stay awake through long court days, and the chai was eventually used as a welcome drink to guests. Back in the day, it was served both hot and cold, and was used as a remedy to treat ailments.

Traditionally, the drink was served in small clay pots called ‘kullhads’ by the chaiwallas, but nowadays is enjoyed across the globe in pretty much anything. The chaiwallas would serve the masala chai at busy places such as train stations, where they would make large batches of the chai and sell them to travellers and passing customers. Over time, these little chai stalls became a meeting place for people to socialise and discuss the daily dramas. 

Prior to 1835, the drink was served with just sugar, but the British introduced black tea leaves to the drink. During the beginning of the 20th century, milk was also introduced to chai, as travellers and traders across India began to add the spices to milk in order to enhance the flavours. Tea vendors would use milk to bring out the flavour in the tea leaves and spices, and would be able to create a stronger flavour at a much lower price.

I think you can see why I fell in love with the history of this drink. Not only do its origins span thousands of years, but it is also suggested to be high in health benefits, such as being able to aid in digestion, being rich in antioxidants, and boosting the immune system – perfect for someone like yours truly, who suffers from Crohn’s Disease.

Masala Chai translates to ‘spiced tea,’ which used to sound a little like an oxymoron to me before, because how – and why – would tea be spicy? But after trying my first ever cafe masala chai, I loved how the sweet flavours, spicy hints, and exotic allure of it all came together, and wanted to try to make it for myself, easily, at home. That’s where Chaiwala Chai comes in.

CUPPA CHAI

If you want to make it a little easier, you might consider buying a pre-made chai blend from one of my favourite companies, Cuppa Chai <3

From the moment I opened the bag, the aroma of Cuppa Chai’s handcrafted blend was intoxicating. The bold fragrance of cardamom, cinnamon, and cloves was perfectly balanced by the earthy undertones of high-quality tea leaves. When brewed, the flavuors came alive—sweet and spicy, with a rich warmth that felt like a cozy embrace in a cup.

What truly sets Cuppa Chai apart is their attention to detail and their ability to capture the authentic essence of traditional chai while making it approachable for modern tastes. Their blend showcases the perfect harmony of spices—nothing overpowering, just a seamless dance of flavours that lingers on the palate. It’s the kind of chai you sip slowly to savour every note, from the subtle kick of ginger to the soft, aromatic sweetness of fennel.

Cuppa Chai’s commitment to quality is evident in every sip. They source their tea leaves and spices ethically, working directly with small farms to ensure fair trade practices and fresh, vibrant ingredients. This care for both the product and the planet makes their chai all the more special.

If you’re looking for a chai blend that truly celebrates the magic of its ingredients and the traditions behind it, I can’t recommend Cuppa Chai enough. One cup is all it takes to transport you to the bustling chai stalls of India, with a touch of modern flair that makes it uniquely theirs.

MY CHAI MUG

 

BUT BEFORE YOU DO – WHY NOT SHARE THE LOVE AND PIN THIS POST?

I’ve released online courses about tea, I’ve travelled to the best tea rooms I can find, I’ve attended tea ceremonies run by both novices and international masters…. Needless to say, I think I now know a thing or two about the beverage.

“Get to the point!” I hear you yell.

Well basically, three years ago I started up my very own tea business, and I feel as though it is finally time to brag about it.

But I have to be honest: I also want to talk about the tea industry. Because as it happens, it can actually be a pretty awful place.

Why did you start up your tea business?

After years of studying the beverage and working for many other tea companies, I decided that it was finally time to put my knowledge to the use and start up my own.

A lot of companies I worked with still sourced their tea from dodgy places, used artificial ingredients, and didn’t value the farmers behind each brew. Honestly, this broke my heart a little: I wanted to love everything about tea, but could no longer support companies with questionable ethics.

So, I entered my local university competition…

And lost.

However, one of the judges saw potential in the business (and me! 🥺) and offered an office to work in. From there, she introduced me to the local Aberystwyth business community, and I was able to secure a branding grant and a small initial product purchasing grant.

From there, I started a baby business of loose leaf tea, working from a beautiful office in my home country to bring my people the best quality tea from the most incredible farmers across the world.

Very recently, I entered another competition…

And this time, I won!

After months of work and preparation, a (terrifying) sales pitch in front of some of the best business people in the UK, and endless rounds of samples, I secured another grant to produce a range of three iced teas.

Ojalá, this year they will be released!

What’s so bad about the tea industry?

And now we get onto the difficult part of the industry.

To begin with, women are generally handed a pretty disappointing deal when they work as tea pickers on tea fields. With almost all of the estate managers being men, this creates a pretty unhealthy power dynamic – especially when the managers withhold wages and take advantage of their positions.

Whilst this role is incredibly important and takes a lot of knowledge and skill, I wanted to support women in managerial roles. As such, I work directly with small family- and women-owned farms, where they are completely in control of their own crop.

In fact, to raise awareness of the profile of the farmers, I actually have a whole page dedicated just to them titled Meet the Farmers. I love our farmers a lot, they’re some of my best friends.

Is tea from tea farms sustainable?

This brings me onto the second point.

I love the idea of tea being used to support sustainable agriculture, but unfortunately, these two concepts rarely go hand in hand. As such, Eisa Tea Co. only sources tea from small tea farms where sustainable practices are at the forefront.

For example, the trees are fed with nourishing mountain water, all biodiversity on the tea farms are naturally pesticide- and chemical-free, and the land is never overworked. And frankly, it tastes so bloody good.

See? This is what happens when you support family farmers who know and love what they do.

Plus, after doing a whole bunch of research on the journey of an average tea leaf, I was pretty shaken to discover that most teas are picked at origin, sent overseas to a factory to be processed, sent to yet another country to be blended, sent to the auctions, sent here, sent there…

Honestly, it’s ridiculous. The carbon footprint of a single leaf of tea is insanely high for no good reason, so why not bring it down?

the unfair pay on tea farms

Plus, other companies which purchase from middle-men, wholesalers, and brokers takes away the profits from the real heroes (the tea farmers themselves), who I – surprisingly controversially – believe deserve a decent wage.

Most tea farmers are considered “unskilled workers” regardless of the sheer amount of time, effort, and talent that goes into picking a single pound of tea, and as such, they are paid horribly.

But not with me, tío! Instead, when I pay for my tea I ensure that ALL of the wages go directly back to the farmer, rather than any middle-men – and that includes my spice farmers, too.

the world’s first welsh cake tea

And finally, as you may have gathered from my recent post about becoming the first person to walk the river Danube, I’m pretty obsessed with hitting those World Firsts.

As such, it probably makes sense that Eisa Tea Co. created the world’s first Welsh Cake flavoured tea, along with the UK’s first vegan sticky chai. Honestly, they’re also the ones that I’m most proud of.

what teas do you Sell?

Usually, when I write about a tea company, I also write reviews on each tea. Frankly, it feels super weird to do it on my own blog… so I’ll just do a neat lil’ round-up.

Welsh Cake Tea: By far my most popular brew sold in Wales, with clear reason. It incorporates everyone’s two favourites things in the world: Welsh Cakes and black tea. It’s cinnamon-y, sweet, and a little spicy, and frankly, is absolutely divine. You’re going to love it.

Broken Silver Pu’erh: When I was planning which teas we would sell, the first one that I chose was this wonderful Broken Silver shou pu’erh. Infused with Nuo Mi Xiang leaves (the traditional South East Asian herb), it’s sweet, malty, and tastes almost exactly like Digestive biscuits. It also looks like the ancient silver coins from Chinese Dynasties, which I think is pretty cool.

Sticky Masala Chai: A blend created by yours truly, this wonderful chai is sweet, creamy, and, of course, spicy, and then bound together with honey. The honey enhances the flavour, adds a natural sweetness, and makes it a UK First. All in all, it’s pretty sick.

Vegan Sticky Masala Chai: Like the above, but with some added ✨veganism✨

Genmaicha Popcorn Tea: I first fell in love with this tea for its history, and then fell in love with its flavour. The story of Genmaicha dates back to 1900s Kyoto where a Japanese tea farmer came up with the wonderful idea of mixing green tea and rice – and now, Genmaicha is known for its nutty, sweet, and roasted flavours.

Ceremonial Grade Gokou Matcha: This is probably the most incredible matcha in the world, and quite frankly, I am shooketh to be the one selling it. It tastes a little like cocoa with underlying green umami hints, and is so smooth and creamy that I haven’t sampled another matcha since.

Classic Assam Black: This is honestly the best black tea that I’ve ever had, with a malty sweetness that makes my mouth water. Not to trump my own horn, but I’m drinking it right now whilst watching the last episode of season two of La Reina Del Sur (Pote will forever be my favourite character, RIP).

✨transparency✨

Obviously, if you have any questions about the tea business, my farmers, or my tea education blog, let me know in the comments below! I am READY to share the goss* about how beautiful the tea leaves are.

* I was going to say “spill the tea” but I stopped myself

Considering I’m certified by the International Tea Academy, you’d think I’d already had this sort of training. (Spoiler: I did not.)

The Course

Taste Tea Like a Professional is hands down the most immersive tea course I have ever taken. Not only did it offer over 150 minutes of on-demand videos, but it also came with 20+ downloadable PDFs, quizzes and assignments to test yourself on all the knowledge you’ve gained, AND the option to add a tea sampler and tea journal.

Plus, it came with a pretty sick temporary tattoo.

In total, there are nine chapters in the course. The first gives a general course overview and introduces the student to the five main tea categories. Chapter 2, 3, and 4 go into detail about how to taste and evaluate teas, followed by chapters 5-9 which focus on specific tea categories and how exactly this knowledge can be incorporated.

At the end of the course, I was left with a much richer understanding of the world of tea and how exactly to use my senses to learn both from and about it. I have gotten better at determining whether a tea is good quality or whether I am being mugged, and now, I have an even better appreciation for the terroir, cultivar, and processes behind each and every tea leaf. Plus, I now know more tea descriptive words – and most importantly, how to pronounce them!

One of the things that I found most helpful (along with the clear and detailed visuals) was having things at the end of each lesson to save and print off. It truly is a wonderful way to utterly engross a tea connoisseur – both old and new – in the world of tea.

Mona is a wonderful teacher, and her sheer level of passion, dedication, and skill is evident in the way she runs the classes.

The course costs $149 USD, and there is the option to purchase the Starter Tea Sampler & Tea Tasting Journal. For the whole bundle, it only costs $185 – and believe me, that’s a steal!

The Teas

I will be completely honest and say that the beautiful A4 tea journal was one of my favourite things about the course. I’ve never taken a tea course where I was taught how to write a flavour profile in detail, with a lovely little notebook that spells it all out, step-by-step. Had I ever drawn a tea leaf before this course? No. Is it something I wish I was shown how to do earlier on? Yes yes yes.

Here are my notes on the Teawala tea sample, straight from my new tea journal:

Hong Yu Ruby Red

White Peony

Tea type: White

Origin: Zhenghe, Fujian, China

Harvest: March 2021 (very fresh!)

Brew method: 1g, 150ml, 85°C, 20 sec

Dry leaf: The most beautiful white tea I’ve ever seen! Green-white, thick and curled leaves with tiny hairs. The aroma is floral, sweet, light, honey, melon.

Wet leaf: Very green, plump, soft leaves. 2 or 3 have small dark spots. The aroma is asparagus, sweet hay, herbaceous.

Liquid colour: Very pale and clear, light coming through clearly and showcasing the soft golden hues of the drink.

Flavour: So delicate! Fresh, damp grass, summer breeze, green bean, spinach, nectar.

Mouthfeel: Thick mouthfeel that is silky and clean.

Aftertaste: Sweet, soft.

Additional notes: There are several things that I learnt on this course that were honestly quite shocking! One of the most memorable was when Mona turned to the camera and went, ‘I like to eat the leaves to unravel their deeper flavours – it’s a little like eating kale crisps.’ Let me tell you that my mouth DROPPED – I had never come across the idea of eating dry tea leaves before!

Before I knew it, I popped a handful of White Peony leaves into my mouth… and it was delicious! There was a little astringency at the end, but not a lot – and meanwhile, all of the other flavours were intensified. Consider me converted to the ways of tea leaf eating!

Milk Oolong

Tea type: Oolong

Origin: Shanlinxi, Taiwan

Harvest: November 2020

Brew method: 1.30g, 150ml, 95°C, 1 min

Dry leaf: Consistent sizing. Light and dark green balls which are big, round, and thick, typically with a stem poking out (Mona taught me that this is good – means it is hand-rolled!). Slight gold colouring at the end of the stem. Aroma is sweet malt, deep grass, nutty, popcorn, buttery, toffee, almond.

Wet leaf: Gradually unfurls into these big, beautiful leaves. How do they even fit in such small balls?! The aroma is very nutty with toasted rice and almost burnt caramel.

Liquid colour: A very pale green.

Flavour: Sweet, butter, slightly nutty, roasted pine nuts. The taste is less strong than the smell, quite delicate.

Mouthfeel: Full mouthfeel, buttery, velvety, clean.

Aftertaste: Slight algae aftertaste, vegetal, green, sweet.

Additional notes: Would easily drink this wonderful milk oolong everyday – although honestly, I drank a little too much after a full morning of tea tasting and ended up with a slight tea head high!

Ceylon Highlands

Tea type: Black

Origin: Amba Estate, Uva, Sri Lanka

Harvest: May 2020

Brew method: 1g, 150ml, 95°C, 3 min

Dry leaf: Cut black with bursts of red, quite fragile leaves that snap easily. The aroma is of toasted chestnut, malt, sweet wet earth, coffee cherry, and chocolate.

Wet leaf: All the leaves are a beautiful red colour, sizing looks relatively consistent, soft leather texture. Aroma is warm, bonfire chocolate, rich, dark toffee.

Liquid colour: A clear reddish-orange.

Flavour: Robust, bold, dark chocolate, malt, sweet wet earth.

Mouthfeel: Medium mouthfeel, clean, rounded, smooth.

Aftertaste: Chocolate.

Additional notes: The nicest Ceylon tea I’ve ever had!

Lemongrass

Tea type: Tisane

Origin: Amba Estate, Uva, Sri Lanka

Harvest: December 2020

Brew method: 1g, 150ml, 95°C, 4 min

Dry leaf: Consistent shapes and sizing, rich grass colour, soft and thin. The aroma is vegetal, like wet grass and sweet soy sauce.

Wet leaf: Appearance is the same as dry leaf, only softer. Aroma is citrus, cut grass, lollipop sherbet, spearmint.

Liquid colour: A clear and vibrant pale yellow-green.

Flavour: Delicious sweet citrus, lemon sherbet, cut grass.

Mouthfeel: Surprisingly full. Bright, clean, crisp.

Aftertaste: Herby, soft lemon, sweet clean hay.

Additional notes: I read a book earlier this year about a girl that opens up a lemon farm – and honestly, this tea smells exactly how I imagined the sweet, citrusy air on the farm! Talk about delicious.

High Mountain

Tea type: Oolong

Origin: Alishan, Taiwan

Harvest: November 2020

Brew method: 1g, 150ml, 100°C, 2 min

Dry leaf: Some of the balls are quite large whereas others are smaller – not as consistent as the previous oolong. Stems are on the outside, the leaves are beautifully rolled and a dark green colour with paler stems. Aroma is nutty, sweet, caramel, chestnut, toffee popcorn, buttery.

Wet leaf: Unfurls into big, beautiful leaves. Can see all the veins in the leaves when the light hits just right. Where the leaves have just unfurled, the texture is slightly rougher. Aroma is vegetal, like clean, sweet hay, dark grass, and toasted rice.

Liquid colour: Very pale yellow.

Flavour: Taste is less intense than the smell. Vegetal, wet grass, chestnut at back of throat. Clean roasted notes. Nutty!

Mouthfeel: Medium mouthfeel, clean, smooth, silky.

Aftertaste: Dark vegetal, wet grass.

Additional notes: A beautiful oolong which only comes second to my new favourite… Teawala Milk Oolong!

Introducing… Kevin!

To keep me company during this online tea course, I had my little red Dharma tea pet. Lovingly named Kevin, this traditional ceramic tea pet quickly became the star of all my tea ceremonies, and now, I cannot imagine sipping on some Milk Oolong or Hong Yu without him by my side.

Whenever I start and finish my tea ceremony, I make sure to offer some to Kevin. Once I have poured the liquid over his head, he lets me know how much he loves it by blowing bubbles out of his mouth. Honestly, this little feature has given me hours of entertainment!

Kevin was handmade, and as such, little personal features are clear. On one side of his head I can even make out a fingerprint! He is such a cutie, and honestly, I cannot express how awesome this little guy is. Man, I love tea pets.

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And so, have you ever wanted to learn how to taste tea like a professional? Let me know in the comments below!

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Rather conveniently, I recently received a subscription box from Bruu Tea which was filled to the brim with goodies. It featured little themed surprises, beautifully illustrated cards with gilded clips, and information on their ‘plantation of the month’ – something I had never seen before in a tea subscription box. All in all, it is one of the most intricately curated tea boxes I’ve tried… and was perfect for a cheeky tea and chocolate pairing.

Each box is packed with passion, knowledge, and skill – and honestly, the more I learn about BRUU, the more I fall in love with the company. Their origin story comes from the fact that Scott, the BRUU founder, began to feel peeved off when his in-laws kept offering hot drinks after hot drinks, but he never really wanted any. Eventually though, he started to accept the occasional brew – and whilst a niggling love for tea was ready to burst out, he felt as though their teabags simply weren’t cutting it.

Scott realised that consumers deserved more than the fannings and dust offered in these paltry teabags, and his eyes were opened when he visited a local loose leaf tea shop and saw the endless array of options. With a focus on a subscription service, he wanted to bring fresh teas from around the world to thousands of (at last) happy tea-lovers. With pure, unique, delicious-tasting teas that are unavailable anywhere else, he struck gold.

The concept of the subscription box is pretty cool: Each tea has been specifically handpicked for the person receiving the box, meaning that as their subscription goes on, the boxes become gradually more tailored to what they do and do not like. Not only is it one of the best tea boxes out there, but it is also (surprisingly) one of the cheapest. Each box is only £10 – plus, it comes with free delivery!

BRUU offers eight different types of tea – green, black, white, fruit, herbal, oolong, chai, and rooibos – and with names like ‘Famous Dragon’ and ‘Pedro Bop’, I CANNOT wait to try some more!

As a special little treat, each BRUU box comes with a bonus tea and a secret gift – with mine turning out to be a TRIBE chocolate bar. After some research, I found out that TRIBE was inspired by a 1,000 mile run to fight human trafficking, with their mission being to lead a revolution in performance nutrition by trusting nature. They create mouthwatering, natural, unrefined chocolate completely free from chemicals and preservatives, and boy, did it do this tasting justice!

And so, for this tea and chocolate tasting, I used said TRIBE bar along with a fresh-from-the-oven brownie that my flatmate had made, and brewed the tea in a lightly Pu’erh-seasoned Yixing teapot – and the whole thing came together nicely.

mayfair black

Origin: A blend of Assam and Kenyan black tea produced at over 6500ft above sea level

Ingredients: Blend of flowery broken orange pekoe (FBOP) and broken pekoe #1 (BP1), CTC and orthodox. Safflower petals

Preparation method: 1tsp of leaves per cup, water brewed at 100°C, steeped for 3 minutes

Appearance: Small, balled over black leaves interspersed with beautiful orange and yellow Safflower petals. Looks a little like cookie crumbs. The leaves turn a reddish hue when the water is added and the liquid is a gorgeous sunset-red colour.

Smell: Smells quite malty and rich, almost exactly like it tastes but more subtle

Taste: Malty, earthy, very deep and full-bodied

Aftertaste: Very mellow astringency

Mouthfeel: Quite thin, which surprised me. Very soft mouthfeel.

Overall thoughts: I used the chocolate to enhance the flavours of the tea, and it worked very well. The chocolate doesn’t compete strongly against the tea and instead helps to bring out the more subtle notes.

The tea and chocolate work very well together, as the sweetness of the chocolate adds an extra dimension to the tea that wasn’t present before. One does not overpower the other, they’re both there to bring out the respective sweet and deep flavours of the other.

I drank the tea without milk, as I wanted to really get a grip on the flavour of just the tea. The milk could have improved the tea if I were drinking it by itself, but with the chocolate I think that this extra ingredient would have been overwhelming.

Cheeky digestive

Origin: The pineapples are from Costa Rica, the apples are from Spain, and the pistachios are from Iran. Quite the travelling blend.

Ingredients: Pineapple cubes, apple pieces, apple cubes, sweet blackberry leaves, pistachios, white chocolate chips, marshmallows, natural vanilla flavouring.

Preparation method: 1tsp of leaves per cup, water brewed at 100°C, steeped for about 8 minutes

Appearance: All of the ingredients are visible, coming together to create a creamy-green mix. When hot water is added it turns a very pale gold.

Smell: Very sweet, absolutely divine concoction of sweetness and richness.

Taste: Fruity, nutty, very pleasant. Very soft. It tastes almost exactly like a Digestive biscuit, which is crazy because all of the ingredients are healthy fruit.

Aftertaste:  A little like those white chocolate mice.

Mouthfeel: Relatively thick.

Overall thoughts: I used chocolate to complement the flavour of the tea. The soft flavours of the tea worked well with the slight bitterness of the chocolate, with the choc bringing out the sweetness of the tea. The tea itself is gorgeous, and whilst it might be a little too sweet for drinking all throughout the day, it makes a perfect afternoon treat.

Initially, I brewed this tea for about 10 minutes, but found that a slight bitterness had somehow snuck its way in. After a couple more trials with different brewing times, I found that eight minutes is perfect.

spring beginning

Origin: Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. The ash from Kagoshima’s volcanoes has coated the land, helping to produce a soil which is exceptionally rich in minerals

Ingredients: Chinese Sencha green tea, white tea, Pai Mu Tan, mango flakes, pineapple flakes, orange slices, marigold blossoms and freeze-dried strawberry slices

Preparation method: 1tsp of leaves per cup, water brewed at 80°C, steeped for about 1.5 minutes

Appearance: Pale green and yellow dry mix, the liquid becomes a yellow-gold colour.

Smell: Sweet, fresh, quite citrusy

Taste: Fruity, floral, sweet, fresh. I found that the sweetness made my cheeks tingle!

Aftertaste: Light and pleasant

Mouthfeel: Very soft and delicate

Overall thoughts: I used the chocolate to contrast the flavours in this tea, which smelt quite citrusy but didn’t taste too strong. During my tea and chocolate tasting ceremony, one of the guests said that she believed the tea was contrasted too heavily against the chocolate, with the choc overpowering the delicate taste of the tea. Everyone else disagreed, believing that the differences balanced one another out – but this is something that I would like to experiment with further.

Together, the chocolate and tea blend together, creating a very Terry’s Chocolate Orange taste which is absolutely delicious. The floral tea goes well with the bitterness of the chocolate – a sweet choc would be too much.

Mystery tea – Surianalle

I didn’t use the tea in the tasting but wanted to mention it anyway as it was delicious. The BRUU tea box also came with this mystery tea from the town of Munnar in Devikulam, where the estate is actually a former resort for the British Raj Elite.

Surrounded by rolling hills and tea plantations which were established in the late 19th century, the average garden elevation is 5,000ft above sea level – the high elevation creating a magical blend of bright and brisk tea with a soothing aroma and a refreshing taste.

The Surianalle tea (whose name translates to ‘land without the sun’) is strong bodied with a lively briskness which verges on being umami, that earthy, meaty taste that you sometimes get with a good, savoury tea. All in all, it’s pretty delicious.

How do I create my own tea and chocolate pairing?

You want to create your own tasting ceremony? Easy. All you need are:

• A selection of gorgeous teas (from BRUU!)
• A selection of chocolate that is either different or all the same so you can see how the same flavours interact with different teas
• A notebook to work out which teas are going to contrast, enhance, and complement
• A teapot, some hot water, and a whole bunch of enthusiasm!

It’s up to you how you conduct the pairing and how to host each tasting, but at the end of the day, there really aren’t that many rules. The whole idea is that you enjoy yourself and stay open to a range of delicious taste possibilities!

And so, have you guys ever had a tea and chocolate tasting, or want to give it a go? Let me know in the comments below!

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For this tea and chocolate pairing, I used loose leaf tea from my favourite tea brand in the whole world ever, Trident, and chocolate from my favourite vegan chocolate brand ever, Doisy and Dam.

Trident: A book, tea, and coffee shop in Boulder, Colorado that has been in the tea business for an incredible nearly four decades. It actually happens to be the oldest standing cafe in Boulder! What I love about them is that they have the most unique, beautiful teas from small importers and farmers, where they are able to directly support farmers by paying them a sustainable and fair price for their teas. I also happen to have their stickers plastered all over my rollerskating helmet.

Doisy and Dam: They are especially unique as not only do they have delicious chocolate that is free from additives, E-Numbers, and palm oil, but they also have a massive focus on ethics. They strongly believe in fair pay, direct sourcing, and a transparent supply chain, something that is oftentimes under-appreciated. Their packaging is so colourful and preppy and cute, and the chocolate so delicious, that I couldn’t imagine a better chocolate brand to help spice up a classic tea tasting.

It’s easy to run your own tea and chocolate pairing! You are first going to want to choose teas and chocolates that balance each other in the following ways:

Enhance: The flavours of the tea and chocolate will complement each other, and will have similar characteristics. For example, a fruity chocolate and a rooibos tea.

Complement: The tea and the chocolate may not have the same characteristics, but they still go well together. For example, a nutty chocolate and a masala chai.

Contrast: The tea and chocolate will have completely different characteristics, such as a spicy turmeric tea and a bitter black chocolate. You want them to be able to accentuate the different flavours in both, so that both are distinguishable.

The purpose is to bring out the best flavours in both, and see how they interact together.

You will also be using two of your senses for this: the sense of smell and taste. Smell can be SUCH an underestimated sense during tasting sessions, but it’s going to be super important for this.

To begin with, heat a cup with water, swill it around, and then pour the water out. Add in dry tea leaves, swill them around again, and take a big sniff of the tea. You will be able to get a much clearer idea of the tea’s characteristics this way rather than if you were to just smell the dry leaves. Following that, grab your chocolate and give that a big sniff too – see how the scents interact.

Then, you’ll want to take a sip of the tea to warm the tongue and pick out the beverage’s characteristics. Then, take a small bite of the chocolate, rolling it around the mouth and comparing it. You will then want to take a sip of the tea and a bite of the chocolate and hold both in your mouth, seeing how they work together.

Fu Shon Shan

Type: Oolong

Harvest: Spring and Fall ’20

Origin: Taichung, Taiwan

Appearance: Dark green, almost blue leaves that are tightly curled. Opens up into large leaves, with the liquid being a pale green colour.

Smell: Sweet, malty, pea.

Taste: Nutty, sweet, fresh, very similar to genmaicha. Buttery.

Aftertaste: Soft, subtle, malty.

Nuttercups Chocolate

After trying the nutty and fresh Fu Shon Shan, I decided that the perfect complementary pairing would be Doisy and Dam’s Nuttercups. These are delicious little chocolate cups with a creamy hazelnut filling that perfectly balanced the nuttiness of the tea. The chocolate was sweet and slightly salty – absolutely delicious – and complemented the nutty and malty undertones of the tea. They are both quite buttery in taste, creating a full, rich flavour.

Autumn Yiwu Anicent Tree

Harvest: Fall ’19

Origin: Yiwu, Yunnan, China

Type: Sheng Pu’erh

Appearance: Flat dry blackish green leaves, green and light brown full leaves as it brews out. Golden yellow liquid. Also had half a cake unbroken in the bag which was awesome!

Taste: Mellow, almost floral mixed with classic earthiness of pu’erh. Surprisingly sharp aftertaste, pleasant. Brewed too long is astringent and almost sour.

Smell: Rich, earthy, almost floral.

Additional notes: This is hands down the finest pu’erh I have ever had, it was absolutely delicious. It’s not as robust or heavy as normal pu’erhs which I loved – it could easily be drunk all through the day. The quality of the tea is evident as you can see all of the individual, full leaves – I don’t know if I’d only been drinking bad pu’erh before this, but they have all been small, cut up leaves, that create an almost overwhelming flavour. This, by contrast, was incredible.

Goji and Orange Dark Chocolate

The zestiness of this made my cheeks tingle! It was such a delicious chocolate and the perfect pairing for a rich and earthy tea, contrasting one another brilliantly.

The sweetness of the chocolate worked so well with the mellowness of the tea, with both flavours enhanced during the process. The rich and earthy taste of the pu’erh balanced the tanginess of the chocolate perfectly.

Golden Eyebrows

Type: Black

Harvest: 04/01/20

Origin: Huang Gan Mt, Fujian

Appearance: Such cool tea! The leaves look exactly like small, thin, golden eyebrows, it’s so intriguing. The liquid becomes a copper colour.

Smell: Like a sweet, nutty, almost popcorn smell, like floral and malt have intertwined into a warm sweetness.

Taste: Malty sweetness, aftertaste is exactly like a Malteser.

D&D’s Drops

These little buggers had me snacking on them without even noticing – each time we took a break in the tasting, I would accidentally eat a handful or two, so that by the time this pairing came along, there were hardly any left. They’re fiendishly good, and worked perfectly to complement the tea.

Whilst Golden Eyebrows and the Doisy and Dam Drops have two very different flavour profiles, they came together really nicely. The nutty, popcorn taste of the tea blended with the sweetness of the chocolate drops to create something that tasted pretty much like caramelised popcorn – a win-win, in my opinion!

Buddha’s Hand

Type: Oolong

Harvest: 04/28/19

Origin: Wuyishan, Fujian China

Appearance: Dry dark leaves, curled and straight. Surprisingly pale gold liquid.

Smell: So delicious! Toasted, coffee, chocolate, rich.

Taste: Mushroom, dark, deep, richer with longer brewing. Toasted. Unami, so much unami!

Additional notes: It might sound strange, but my favourite thing about this tea – or at least one of them – is that you really need to pay attention to each brewing of this tea, otherwise it over-steeps or under-steeps and ruins the whole thing. It’s ideal for ceremonies and tea meditation due to the mindfulness involved, and as it happens, it’s also perfect for tea and chocolate pairings!

Chocolate Maca, Vanilla, and Cacao Chocolate

Wow. Just… wow. Who knew chocolate could taste like this? An absolutely gorgeous bar made up from the finest ingredients blended to perfection, I knew that I had to find a tea that would be worthy of it. And it so happens, Buddha’s Hand was exactly that.

I decided to pair a tea and chocolate that would contrast each other in a way that perfectly balanced one another, and this pairing is possibly the best example of that. The rich and earthy taste of the tea balanced the lightness of the vanilla in the chocolate, enhancing the cocoa flavours to perfection. The tea was full of unami, and as such, it had to be paired carefully as to not override the taste – and the soft sweetness of the chocolate worked perfectly with it, two distinct flavours blending seamlessly as one.

As the tea gets stronger, it becomes nuttier, which worked really well with the maca in the chocolate!

Fujian Green

Type: Green

Harvest: Spring ’20

Origin: Fujian China

Appearance: So beautiful! Very thin green leaves, some with fuzz, curled into circles. Becomes a pale yellow liquid when brewed.

Smell: Sweet, spinach, biscuit base

Taste: Tastes completely different to smell, with a deep nuttiness almost like oolong. On the second brewing, the leaves were a more delicate nutty taste.

Maple, Toasted Rice, and Pink Salt

The tea and chocolate pairing ended on a high with this maple, toasted rice, and sea salt bar from Doisy and Dam, which was so delicious that instead of initially trying small pieces, I demolished the whole bar in one go. The sweetness of the maple and the saltiness of the, well, salt, along with the toasted rice created the most beautiful chocolate bar ever.

And of course, every great chocolate bar deserves a great tea! I decided to pair it with this Fujian Green due to the fact that they both have sweetness, they both have a nutty taste, and they both have genmaicha qualities. They both have quite delicate undertones, meaning that when paired together, neither are competing to overpower the other. It works together beautifully to create a flavour profile that showcases the best of both worlds.

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And so, have you guys ever tried pairing tea and chocolate? If not, will you be starting off with these two beauties of a brand? Let me know in the comments below!

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Usually with a tea and chocolate pairing session, you would take a sip of tea to warm the tongue before moving onto chocolate – but I find that Montezuma’s was such a high percentage of cocoa that it was actually better to start with the chocolate.  This softens the rich cocoa and enhances all of the flavours.

Tease Tea has a big focus on empowering women, and they create blends to support lifestyle goals. The tea company was started by Sheena Brady who started blending teas out of her tiny condo in Toronto whilst also balancing a full-time job. The business is all about all-natural, ethically sourced teas that are wheat, GMO, and dairy-free. They work with local tea packers who source from the best and most sustainable tea gardens around the world – and you can really taste it in their brews!

Golden Slumbers

Type: Rooibos tisane

Ingredients: Rooibos, cacao, calendula pearls

Brewing: 1tsp, 3-5 mins

Appearance: Bright rooibos with pale yellow calendula flowers, becomes a brown-red liquid

Smell: sweet, Turkish Delight

Taste: Sweet with chocolate undertone, full-bodies with fruity sweetness

Paired with Montezuma’s Like No Udder Orange

Montezuma’s vegan chocolate orange bar is absolutely DIVINE and was the perfect match for this brew. The chocolate is sweet but not overtly so, with a delicious tangy orange lingering taste. This mixed with the rooibos tisane created a delicious balanced brew, enhancing the fruitier flavours along with the chocolate undertone.

The pairing started off strongly with these two, as the rich flavours of both mixed with the fruity flavours, combing a taste that enhanced both beautifully.

Turmeric Tonic

Type: Herbal tisane

Ingredients: ginger, turmeric root, carrot, beetroot, calendula, pineapple pieces

Brewing: 1tsp 3-5 mins

Appearance: So pretty! When dry, its all of the ingredients, coming together in an orange, pink, purple, and red rainbow. The liquid is a very pretty beetroot red.

Smell: Divine! So sweet and fruity. Wet small is purple ice lolly.

Taste: Very sweet, exactly like smell, ice lolly, subtle spice. I ate one of the fruit pieces, and it was like jellied? Lovely.

Paired with Montezuma’s Absolute Black Orange & Cacao Nibs

100% cocoa is a STRONG taste, but when it’s done well, it turns out absolutely incredible – such as the case of Montezuma’s orange and cacao nib chocolate. It’s rich, it’s earthy, it’s dark, and it’s lightened nicely with the burst of orange.

Pairing this chocolate with the turmeric tonic creates a profile that is heavily contrasted, and yet in a way that brings out the best in both. The bitter richness of the chocolate counter-balanced the sweet spiciness of the pineapple, ginger, and carrot of the tea, and the tea brings out the dramatic darkness of the chocolate. It’s brilliant.

Shake it Off

Ingredients: Green tea, ginger, lemongrass

Brewing: 1tsp 2-3 mins

Appearance: Broken dark leaves with dried ginger bites, foggy yellow liquid

Smell: Hay, fresh, lawn cuttings

Taste: Quite subtle, dark hay, wet wood, oak, slightly bitter at the end but that was probably my fault

Aftertaste: Dried dark herbs

Paired with Montezuma’s Absolute Black Almond

This is another chocolate that just HITS you with the 100%, and yet it’s crafted so well that it tastes balanced and rich. The almond is subtle, and yet nutty enough to work well with this green tea.

The slight spice in the tea brings out the earthiness of the dark chocolate, and the choc brings out the sweetness of the green tea. They work together perfectly to complement one another, neither overpowering the other.

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Pu’erh is said to have first begun as a form of currency to buy Tibetan horses from monks around 1,400 years ago. The leaves were compressed into cakes in order to ease transport, resulting in a slow form of fermentation along the way. The taste of the leaves would develop a richness which had previously not really existed in the tea world.

Nowadays, pu’erh is harvested from tea gardens primarily located in Yunnan, where the leaves are then left to wither, softening them. Then, they are pan-fried to stop the oxidation process, rolled to remove further moisture, and dried in the sun. Following this, the raw tea may be compressed into cakes and left to age for between three and 30 years, resulting in ‘sheng’ pu’erh.

Alternatively, large Assamica leaves would be controlled in a closed, hot, and moist space to accelerate the fermentation process. This is then referred to as ‘shou’ pu’erh.

I tried both of these pu’erh types in a recent TeaPro box, where I was able to study the different terroirs and flavour profiles a little closer.

Golden Buds Ripe Pu’erh Brick

Origin: Bulang Mountain

Harvest: 2013

Brew method: 5g, 150ml, 100°C, 3 min

Dry leaf: Dark, short, thick golden strands tightly pressed in the form of a brick. Aroma is rich, deep, hints of sweetness.

Wet leaf: Dark and short but leaves have expanded. Aroma is ocean air and seaweed.

Liquid colour: Dark red-brown.

Flavour: Red grape and alfalfa, slightly mineral. Becomes deeper and richer on the second brewing.

Mouthfeel: Heavy and drying.

Aftertaste: Dark red grape.

Ripe Mini Tuo Cha

Origin: Yunnan Province

Harvest: 2012

Brew method: 1pc, 150ml, 100°C, 3 min

Dry leaf: Small tight balls, short thick black leaves with small flower pieces. Aroma is subtle but dark.

Wet leaf: Expanded tea leaves with rosed leaves which has become more prominent. Aroma is musty and reminiscent of oak, bark, and damp earth.

Liquid colour: Dark gold with red tints.

Flavour: Cedar, dark moss. Vegetal undertones.

Mouthfeel: Initial rich, almost astringent mouthfeel which softens into something more velvety.

Aftertaste: Dark oak.

Additional notes: The above information is for the tuo cha with rose flowers, but it also came with two others. I also tried the nuo mi xiang which had a similar flavour profile except with sweeter, maltier notes, and am yet to try the chrysanthemum.

Snow Kissed Raw Puerh Braids

Origin: Jade Dragon Snow Mountain

Harvest: 2015

Brew method: 1pc, 150ml, 100°C, 3 min

Dry leaf: Dry, dark brown tight braid with thin golden strands. Aroma is cocoa and caramel.

Wet leaf: Dark green with yellow strands, braid softens and eventually opens into strips. Aroma is caramel, pine, and chocolate.

Liquid colour: Pale gold.

Flavour: Chocolate, umami, fig, apricot. Tastes a little like a Digestive biscuit.

Mouthfeel: Medium mouthfeel that is creamy, smooth, and rich.

Aftertaste: Delicate with a malty, lingering sweetness.

Additional notes: This one was my absolute favourite – the chocolate notes really won me over. Not to be dramatic but I could absolutely drink this every single day.

1999 Golden Nuggets Supreme Ripe Puerh

Origin: Yunnan Province

Harvest: 1999

Brew method: 1pc, 150ml, 100°C, 3 min

Dry leaf: Dark and tight, leaves are relatively short and thin. Aroma is marine.

Wet leaf: Changes very little from dry state. Marina aroma becomes more intense, with other hints of peas, ocean air, and damp earth. Second brew leaves loosen and open.

Liquid colour: Pale gold with red tints.

Flavour: Caramel, wet wood, walnut. Marine aroma doesn’t seem to infiltrate taste.

Mouthfeel: Medium mouthfeel with an underlying richness.

Aftertaste: Slight malty aftertaste.

TeaPro

I have written about teapro before after trying their Tea Magic May box, and have since tried both their yerba mate and now their pu’erh boxes. To be completely frank, I absolutely adore this company.

I had previously spoken to Tatjana, the co-owner of the company, who’d told me that ‘at teapro, our goal is to turn our subscribers into teapros. Every month they become experts in a particular type of tea. June is all about White Tea, July we focus on Fruit Tea, August we drink South American Yerba Mate, etc. In your box you’ll also find a sticker album and a sticker – once you’ve completed all the 12 months, you will be a teapro in every single type of tea!’

Their website is also a haven for tea-lovers, with a ‘universitea’ section filled with fun tea-related recipes, guides to brewing, and information on different tea types. It’s great for both beginners and tea-enthusiasts that want to brush up on their knowledge.

I am chuffed to bits to have tried their pu’erh box, and hope that you have all learnt a little more along the way about this incredible type of tea.

Village Girl Raw Pu’er

I also want to include a pu’er from Volition, one of the best tea companies that I have ever come across. I adore their packaging, and the tea is on another level. The completely transparency when it comes to the farmers is admirable.

Origin: Yunnan Province

Harvest: 2021

Brew method: 1pc, 150ml, 100°C, 3 min

Dry leaf: Long, thin, and black. Aroma is slightly nutty.

Wet leaf: Leaves begin to pale slightly, nutty aroma intensifies slightly, although other notes of cacao, pine wood, and damp earth come out. Second brew leaves open fully.

Liquid colour: Dark red with golden undertones.

Flavour: Caramel, wet wood, cacao, dark chocolate.

Mouthfeel: Medium mouthfeel with an underlying richness.

Aftertaste: Slight malty aftertaste.

That’s where Elements for Life comes in.

I recently tried their funky raw chocolate making kit and it was so much fun! It comes with everything you need – raw cacao powder, raw cacao butter, natural sweetener made from fruit, and a cute heart-shaped mould set. It came with super easy to follow instructions and some ideas for chocolate variations that you can try – plus, it also happens to be vegan and diabetic friendly!

The Base Recipe

• 50g raw cacao powder
• Two tablespoons of natural sweetener
• 60g raw cacao butter

To begin with, melt the cacao butter in a bowl over a steaming pan. Add in the cacao powder and stir until smooth, and then add sweetener to taste. Then, distribute the mixture into the moulds and leave to set in the fridge. Leave for an hour or two, and then you can start snacking!

Variations

Since receiving the kit, I have tried out my own chocolatier variations – my favourites of which have been a simple dark chocolate, a milk chocolate matcha (made with oat milk) with a creamy centre (accidental), and an orange dark chocolate (using orange zest). I have loved them all to bits, and not a single one of them lasted more than a few hours in my household.

To create your own matcha chocolate, simply dust the chocolates with matcha powder once they’ve come out of the fridge, or fold the matcha powder into the cacao powder during the making stage. Easy peasy!

Tea and Chocolate

As y’all know, I am a MASSIVE fan of pairing tea and chocolate – and as such, it would be a shame to not mention the tea I’ve been pairing with this choc, a lovely green tea and mint.

One of the delicious brews from the Rare Tea Co, it has already almost completely disappeared from the tin as I’ve had about sixteen cups of it a day. It’s super flavoursome and reminds me exactly of the teas I drank every day in Morocco, and the minty sweetness of the tea balances the slight bitterness of the dark chocolate, enhancing one another perfectly.

The tea leaves alone are beautiful – all scallop-edged mint leaves and full dark green tea leaves – with a fresh, full, and sweet flavour. I don’t mean to be dramatic but it’s the best mint tea that I’ve ever had – but then again, I expected nothing less from its tea master founder, Henrietta Lovell!

The reason that the tea tastes so good is quite possibly down to its processing methods. It is grown in a unique nutrient-rich terroir and picked by the skilled hands of the workers who they trade directly with, ensuring fair and equal pay and long-term, healthy relationships. The teas are grown without pesticides or herbicides, contain no bags, bleaches, glues, or micro-plastics, and all in all, are a perfect combination with this delicious chocolate!

All in all, I am super pleased with how the chocolates turned out! The raw chocolate making kit by Elements for Life is so easy to use, and it renders the most delicious chocolates – my chocolatier dreams have come true!

Let me know in the comments below how your matcha chocolate turns out, and of variations you’ll be trying out!

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Masala chai dates back 5,000 years ago, to South East Asia. It originated in the courts of King Harshavardhana, who would drink the chai in order to be able to stay awake through long court days. Since then, black tea has been added to the sugar and spice mix, and milk has also since been added to enhance the flavours.

The basic spice base for chai can also be found in many other cultures around the world, with cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, star anise, and pepper being used in food and drinks pretty much everywhere. Even in India, chai is never one solid recipe, with Kashmir serving green tea instead of black tea, Bhopal adding salt to the blend, and Western India leaving cloves and black peppercorns out.

There are many health benefits associated with masala chai, such as boosting the immune system, aiding in digestion, and being rich in antioxidants – which is just about perfect for my fellow Chronies. There’s nothing quite like a drink that both tastes delicious and does good within the body.

If you would like to learn more about the culture surrounding masala chai – and the tea culture of over 30 different countries – then you should check out my new tea course! Within it, I talk about some of the coolest tea cultures across the world; in mountain villages, in bustling cities, in deserts, and even in space! I think it’s pretty cool, and even though I’m probably biased, it’s definitely the best tea course in the game 😉

time to tea

Hibiscus, liquorice root, mint, tulsi, ginger, nettle, black pepper, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves.

Sunita sent me one of the best chais I have ever tasted, made up of delicious black tea and high quality spices from the Kerala region. Energising and with health properties, it is the perfect brew for a cold British day.

I also tried the rose green tea which was delicate and refreshing, and which had been made by sun-drying roses for the Darjeeling green tea. Along with this, I tried their Emotional Detox tea, made from fresh hibiscus, mint, liquorice, and basil. Free from all artificial flavouring, it can help with settling painful or passionate emotions. Pretty useful during the end of a dark year, honestly.

Cuppa Chai

Assam tea, green cardamom, black cardamom, cloves, ginger, fennel seeds, cinnamon, black pepper.

Cuppa Chai is actually one of the first new chais that I tried this winter, and let me tell you, I fell head over heels with it immediately. It came with a lovely little thank you note and I really like their cute little logo!

The tea itself was quite clove-y – but I’m certainly not complaining! As it happens, the cloves really draw the flavours together in a balanced and pleasant way, perfecting the brew. I drank it with honey and it was such a full taste, with a very warming base.

One of my favourite things about Cuppa Chai is that the brand stays true to its roots. The website states: ‘All too often, when we hear the term “Chai” being said, displeasing images of a powdery, overly sweetened, dissolvable drink mix come to mind.  ​These “Chai Lattes” (which are neither chai, nor a latte), are so far from the beautifully rich, real chai experience, that we want everyone to know about it.’ And I couldn’t agree any more!

I am not a fan of coffee shop chais, and yet, it seems to be my only option when out and about. But oh my, compare those sweet, thin chais to this delicious and full Indian chai and you’ll notice the difference immediately. Pop it in a takeaway cup and enjoy it wherever you go!

Over the past year I have spent a lot of time studying the benefits and downfalls of CTC (Cut-Tear-Curl) tea. When this tea is made, the leaves are macerated by a machine in order to generate a larger surface area and as such, flavour. But these CTC teas can often be blended with other lower quality teas and chemicals, creating a rather nasty brew. Cuppa Chai, to contrast, is one of the first dry chai blends I’ve tried where they incorporate whole leaves into the brew. By using two high grade Assam tea varieties, one longer leaf and one shorter leaf, they are able to bring a whole lot of flavour and depth whilst skipping out on the dusty texture of cheaper, low quality teas.

The owner, Premdeep, is super lovely and easy to contact with any questions, and he runs a sick Instagram filled with cool photographs of the tea and great ways to drink it.

The tea crew

Black tea, ginger, coriander, cardamon, cinnamon, cloves, black pepper.

I found this tea to be quite malty, almost as though I’d dropped a whole bunch of Maltesers into the mix – which is a pretty delicious flavour!

It came with a high-quality thank you card, which a cute personal touch that removes the barrier between seller and consumer, and makes you feel as though you’re really part of it.  Supporting small and independent businesses like this really changes a tea from something you drink to something you feel, and everyone loves that!

is one of the best things about it. You can get their tinned teas ribbon wrapped with wooden ghost tags which is really cool!

They sell loads of really cool teas with local references surrounding Littleborough in the north of England. An example of this is their limited edition Pendle Witches Brew, a Halloween twisted spice blend set around the Trial of the Pendle Witches. Within this famous witch trial,  12 accused witches who lived in the area surrounding Pendle Hill in Lancashire were charged with the murders of ten people by the use of witchcraft – a spooky brew, for sure.

They also sell a lovely gingerbread tea that I tried and that is perfect for curling up with, giving off a delicious taste of Christmas. It comes in golden-tined packaging, which is a nice festive touch. Their packaging is pretty cool – for holiday seasons such as Halloween, they ribbon-tie their tinned teas with adorable wooden ghost tags!

Another thing that I really like about The Tea Crew is that along with being of the highest quality tea, their teas are also ethically sourced, and they use eco-friendly products for all of their packaging. Along with this, they also offer free samples with every order, and the tea is dairy free, gluten free, and suitable for vegetarians and vegans. What’s not to love?!

Roqberry

Indian Assam black tea, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, cloves, fennel.

Where do I begin?! Firstly, the tea comes in the coolest packaging – a little red and yellow cardboard box which is very well designed, and it has pyramid bags made from a silky, biodegradable material. You have a clear view of all of the going-ons within the tea bag, and its pretty fun to be able to pick out individual ingredients.

The box has clear ingredients stating the type of tea, the spices, and the percentages of each ingredient which is helpful, and it comes with easy-to-follow instructions so that there is no reason you could get lost along the way.

The box also renders up some very pleasant imagery – ‘We bring you authentic masala flavour from our tea-tasting tour of Delhi. Inspired by Chaiwallahs (tea sellers), one sip and you’re at the local spice bazaar’. It tastes a little like slightly spiced Builders Breakfast (making it ideal for beginners), which I guess it pretty much is. It’s no wonder that the chai has been awarded a Gold Star in the Great Taste Awards 2018 for ‘delivering fantastic flavour’.

Their origin story is pretty cool. ‘After falling for Asia’s spellbinding tea rituals, our travel-obsessed founder Kim decided to bring the feeling home. Her mission: to infuse that sense of moment, connection, and intensity into the humble brew we all think we know. So our collection of lifting, soothing and tempting blends was born – ready to carry you anywhere, through rich flavour, evocative aroma and just a little flight of fancy.’

Everything is blended locally in the UK, and the brand itself has won more than 20 Great Taste Awards – the most respected accreditation for artisan and speciality food producers. Their name was also inspired by the hard-working tea plant, which has the misfortune to often taste better the more it struggles.

They are sustainable, with a determination to reduce damaging waste wherever they can. They do this with their non-toxic plant-based teabags, which are packaged from FSC certified wood pulp, and the carton itself is made from FSC certified paper from well-managed forests, so they’re totally recyclable. Even their shipping boxes and tissue paper are FSC certified, acid free and printed with soy ink. It’s pretty impressive, actually.

They have so many other cool flavours as well, such as raspberry fondant, sushi + spice, and peppermint cream which all sound delicious.

Chai Wallah Margate Tea

Indian Assam black tea, ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, chilli.

I was super intrigued by this tea, especially as I saw it had chilli in it and I’d never had chilli in a chai before. It came with a super cute thank you card and a handwritten note, which I really appreciated! The packaging was nice and they have a really cool stamp.

The tea itself smelt pretty good and had a higher black tea ratio than some of these other teas. The brand was founded on a love of chai and India, and they drew their design influences from the crates and tea chests used to transport tea throughout the ages, ‘celebrating the extensive diversity of the history of tea drinking, whilst the contents are uniquely modern. Everything is lovingly hand made ensuring each pouch or box is unique.’

Again, this is another brand that’s big on being in touch with their audiences, as they are always there to lend a helping hand to guide you through their blends and help you find something you love.

H.R. Higgins (coffee-man) Ltd

Smooth black tea mixed with ginger, citrus peels, all spice, whole cardamom, cloves, star anise, nutmeg.

The first thing that I absolutely fell in love with the H.R. Higgins chai masala was the beautiful display tin that it came with, both securing freshness and showing off a gorgeous design – complete with the very impressive royal appointment logo.

Whilst looking at the tea itself, I noticed that it is made up of a high density of leaves punctuated by beautiful warm colours and punchy red berries. This is probably my favourite out of all of the teas, and even without honey it was still lovely and sweet.

It’s very smooth and warming, with fiery undertones and that very nice sweetness to accompany it. Inspired by the traditional Indian chaiwallahs, they have created a unique blend perfect for satisfying drinkers looking for a little more adventure in their lives.

H.R. Higgins is a London brand which was established in 1942. Nowadays, H.R. Higgins is run by the grandson of founder Harold R. Higgins. ‘It supplies the best available coffees and teas to discerning connoisseurs in all parts of the United Kingdom and all over the world.’

I have never visited the Duke Street store myself but would love to – you can learn about the distinctive quality of speciality teas from the best growers in the world, enjoy freshly prepared tea and coffee on the lower ground floor of the shop, and truly take in an authentic London life.

The morals of the business are perfect too, as they source their tea through established relationships with individual farms, cooperatives and trusted partners. The believe that the most important part of the entire tea process is that the coffee farmers, their families and their communities all benefit from our relationships. As such, they work with tea estates which care for the local environment, work hard to combat climate change and support the workers and their families.

They have so many cool tea and coffee accessories on their website, and they have a chai paired orange and clove velvet truffle from a collaboration with The Highland Chocolateir, looking like the most divine thing I have ever seen. They also have very cool hand-painted caddies, and for 196 GBP you can buy ‘year of tea’ which is a lovely little twelve-month journey through ‘some of H.R. Higgins most exquisite teas chosen especially for you by David Higgins.’

YOGI TEA

I had never tried Yogi Tea before this, but I had come across the brand in health and wholefoods stores every now and then, itching to try it. And then, in November, a giant shipment of 14 boxes of Yogi Tea came through my door, and I simply couldn’t hold back any longer.

Yogi Tea is an independent company that uses organic, ethical, and sustainable ingredients and practices. As their website states, ‘For many of our customers, tea is one of the most beautiful things in the world. For us, the main thing is that it stays that way. Every day we make sure that our products are made with the utmost care and in harmony with nature. We are convinced that you can even taste it.’

They specialise in Ayurvedic tea recipes with roots in the 3,000 year old Indian philosophy (the core of which recommends awareness and balance in every action), and believe that tea can help to improve that balance in life we are all so lacking. The teas are more than just tea, though, it’s a whole experience!

Yogi Tea is 100% certified organic, using ZERO flavour enhancers, artificial additives, artificial flavourings, chemical fertilisers and GMOs in their teas. They are committed and self-aware, ensuring that that their outer packaging is recyclable and free of chlorine and mineral oil, using FSC-certified paper. Even in shipping and production, they make sure that they leave as little mark on the environment as possible. This is done by using  100% C02-neutral shipping of their raw ingredients, using zero fossil fuels for the heating system and getting their electricity from renewable energies, using biofuel, and ensuring that transport from the production site to the warehouse where possible is by rail.

The packaging and branding is the best I have ever seen, and the theme of wellness and ancient philosophy is wound in very well. With yogic wisdom on each tea tag, and a yoga exercise on each pack, you can’t help but feel inspired as you sip your cup of delightfully perfected tea, and the quotes on the box and information about tea origins and even the fact that the barcode is shaped to be a person meditating, bringing it all together perfectly.

The tea bag itself is completely biodegradable and free of plastic and genetically modified materials, and I’m still kinda shook that such a little teabag can pack so much flavour.

Along with all of this good stuff, Yogi Tea also supports numerous sustainable projects across the globe, and is committed to ensuring full traceability in their supply chains and third party certification. They support projects such as the Kumari Project (building safe and joyful childhoods for orphans in Nepal), the Nevandra Association (providing children in Hyderabad with hope for the future by facilitating self-help initiatives focused on love, shelter, health and education), Naturefund (which concentrates on buying forests and replanting them to protect habitat for the great variety of species), and Doctors without Borders, along with many others.

Their website is pretty cool, featuring a blog where they share recipes, self-care ideas, inspirations, and yoga suggestions and tips. Along with this, they have an ingredients page, which offers interesting facts and insights into the ingredients they use – for example, did you know that alfalfa is the Arabian word for ‘the father of all food’? Or that in earlier times, anise was sacrificed to the Gods?

They also have loads of helpful yoga videos on their site, with poses designed to help support your immune system, poses for renewal, poses for balance and to strengthen the body.

Three of my favourite chais from Yogi Tea, are the Himalaya Tea, the Green Chai, and the Turmeric Chai. The Himalaya tea was a perfect mix of sweet and spice and was absolutely delicious, whilst having warming properties that were both perfect for waking up in the mornings and curling over an open fire in the evenings. It had the traditional chai ingredients such as ginger, fennel, cinnamon, anise, and coriander, but was somehow sweet despite not having the mounds of sugar added to it. The subtle message of this tea is ‘balance and broad vision.’

And then, the Green Chai is very fresh, made from spices and mint, with a very cool undertone to it. The yoga pose on the back of the box recommends the Breath of Fire, where you consciously pull in the navel while exhaling through the nose, with inhaling happening automatically as you relax the stomach. The subtle message of this tea is ‘Bringing back the enchantment.’

Finally, there’s the best turmeric chai I have ever had. Softer and less overbearing than most turmeric teas, this one has a hint of cinnamon, liquorice, and cocoa, along with stronger elements of ginger, black pepper, fennel, cloves, cardamom, and of course, turmeric. I especially liked the packaging of this tea, as it had a beautifully illustrated golden mug on the front of the box, and to the side of the box, it reads, ‘There is strength in repose.’

And so, have any of y’all tried these chais before, or now want to after reading about how absolutely divine they all are? Let me know in the comments below!

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