I reviewed another 3:15 PM Milk Tea a while back. The Roasted Milk Tea I tried was pretty good. I think the relative quality of the 3:15PM products is fairly high.

The tea material is packed in a nicely printed, vacuum sealed individually wrapped package. The white powder from the ‘milk’ in the milk tea can clearly be seen in the encompassed bag and along the insides of the wrapped foil package. Once brewed, the liquor turns a milky off-white, trending toward tan or khaki.

The dry aroma is clearly filled with bergamot, but lighter than initially expected. Honestly a nice surprise. Careful not to breathe in too deep, you’ll end up with milk powder in your nose! The brewed aroma is light and sweet, clearly full of bergamot.

The liquor is full, smooth and sweet with a slight citrusy sour twinge in the finish. Just as with most things Earl Grey, there’s not a whole lot of nuance here to speak of. It’s earl grayish and it’s milk tea, and they seem fairly well blended.

Earl Grey Milk Tea from 3:15 PM

This tea lacks astringency and power brought on in most earl grey blends. There’s nothing particularly strong here except the skill with which the blend was produced. It’s well balanced and easy to drink.

Fans of  anything bergamot will enjoy this tea. Fans of other milk teas are also likely to enjoy this blend. If you’re avoiding lactose or sugar products, avoid this tea as it contains copies amounts of both..

I was a bit disappointed this year at the 2011 World Tea Expo, because I didn’t get to hang out with my friends from Puripan Tea Garden. They’re always light, lively and fun, so they’re a frequent stop during my time at the expo. Not so this year. But I do have some of their teas to review! And we’ll start with this Mugwort herbal tea (tisane.)

The loose leaves are a mix of light green and white. They’re very puffy and tend to clump together. These aren’t tea leaves mind you, but the leaves of Artemisia vulgaris, a common plant with many uses and many names. The liquor brews a nice light but bright green.

The aroma from the dried leaves is very leafy (no irony intended.) There’s no hints of fruitiness or sweetened edges, mugwort is what it is. The brewed aroma is light in the nose and doesn’t effuse very well, constraining itself mostly the the pot or cup in which is was brewed.

In the mouth the feel is light and smooth at first. Over the course of a sip some astringency sets in with a light drying of the cheeks and area under the tongue. Oddly the tongue itself and the roof of the mouth didn’t seem to be as effected.

Mugwort Tea from Puripan Tea Garden

This tea is not particularly strong, but it does offer some astringency. The longer you brew it, the stronger the flavor profile and astringency will be. Brewed longer than recommended and the mugwort offers some bitterness. Brewed less than recommended it offers a more creamy palate texture.

Fans of  rooibos (red tea), tippy teas and fresh Darjeelings may enjoy this herbal/tisane brew.

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On a personal note, I find this mugwort tea to be very relaxing and do like to enjoy it a couple times a week.

Regardless, Korea produces some mighty fine teas of both “pure” and herbal beverages. This persimmon leaf tea titled “Reminiscence” from Hancha Tea / TeaClassics is a nice rounded smooth tea.

This particular tisane is made from Persimmon leaves. Persimmons, for the uninitiated are delicious fruits grown around the world. I won’t teach you about them though you lazy bums! Go read Wikipedia!

The  dried leaves in this tisane are jagged and torn. The leaves actually look similar to those of a yerba mate or a guayusa.

The aroma is light and sweet with hints of apple, and peach. These notes continue once brewed.

The flavor is light, with a thin caramel gold liquor that plays on the tongue. Smooth fruit flavors seem to embrace the palate quickly.

While not astringent, there is a notable drying of the palate. Because it’s smooth to drink and flavorful without astringency, I don’t recommend sweeteners.

This Organic and Fair Trade blend is made of a light Ceylon (Sri Lankan) green tea, Egyptian mint leaves and stevia leaves (for a natural sweetness). Since the tea is in teabags I can’t see the leaves.

The liquor brews a nice light amber-gold and provides a nice minty aroma which helps to clear the senses.

The brew is minty itself, though not as brisk as most mint teas, which I assume is from the stevia leaves.

I would recommend this blend to fans of mint teas, lighter green teas and those who commonly add some form of sweetener to their brews.

If you’re relatively against using bagged teas, definitely forego this tea as the flavor is likely to be stronger from a loose tea version.

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I was lucky enough to score some samples while at this year’s World Tea Expo. This one came directly from the Jun Chiyabari tea garden in Nepal whom I’ve had the great pleasure of meeting and conversing with the past two years!

This oolong is reminiscent of both Taiwanese oolongs and Himalayan Tips teas. It’s light, aromatic and pleasant like a Himalayan tea, but smooth with lightly changing flavors over multiple steepings.

I noted apricot and stone fruit flavors and aromas and notes of woody or fired flavors and aromas as well.

The dried leaves are pleasant to smell and remind me of Himalayan Tips while their tightly curled (but not balled) leaves are white, brown and black.

The liquor brews a nice pretty amber and contains only the slightest astringency while drying only the tip of the tongue.

I really enjoyed this tea and would recommend it to everyone, but most especially to fans of other Nepalese teas such as Himalayan Tips.

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