Good Morning Tea Lovers! I have yet another review for you. This is a review for the second tea out of the four that Tea Leaf Global sent me. I was quite excited to try this tea, as it is a roasted black tea. Roasted black teas are one of my absolute favorite teas. They also have generously provided a code for all of my readers, “TEAANDME10” for 10% off (scroll to pricing section for a small disclaimer). Today, I am analyzing Kaalo Chiya. Here are my thoughts:
I brewed this tea Western Style in my glass pitcher, letting the leaves steep freely, without an infuser. I then scooped them out once the timer dinged and ended up brewing this tea three times. I was planning on seeing how many steepings I could get out of these leaves but after 3 pitchers of tea, I was a bit full of liquid and had somewhere to go. So, unfortunately, 3 steepings are all I got out of them.
1st Steep: I started with brewing this tea at near-boiling for 3 minutes, which is my standard brewing time for just about all teas. The aroma of this tea was amazing, just extremely aromatic and made my mouth instantly water. It had the normal roasted aroma with just a reminder of a “walk in the woods”. This tea has a pretty delicate balance of tannins and woodsy notes. There was also a sweetness hidden in each sip. It felt extremely warming and toasty, leaving me in a good mood to continue my day. And the next steep.
2nd Steep: This tea was brewed for a second time with boiling water for 3 minutes. The second steep was more open feeling and adapted into a more floral brew. As it aerated through my mouth, I felt the floral, woodsy notes on the top of my mouth. One thing I slightly noticed on both steepings was how refreshing this tea is. Especially on this second steeping. The largest difference was the way this steeping lingered on the palate after each sip. I did not notice that on the first steeping.
3rd Steep: The third steep was brewed with boiling water for four minutes. This tea was the most “black tea” like, which may or may not make sense because it is, in fact, black tea. But it definitely did not have that woodsy, roasted aroma anymore, instead, it had a more tannin-like aroma. The flavor was more tannin-like, but still quite smooth. It left an almost juicy feeling in my mouth. By this time, the leaves were fully expanded (and beautiful, although my family makes fun of me when I describe leaves like that).
Ingredients: Organic Roasted Black Loose Leaf Tea
Production Date: March 2019 (first flush)
Altitude: 5100 ft
Origin: Matribhumi Tea Estate, Nepal
The price of this tea is 10 grams for $2.00, 40 grams for $8, and 150 grams for $18. I think this is fair considering the quality of tea and the unique compostable packaging. I love when companies give you the ability to try out teas before buying large quantities, so that also is great to me. Also, another good place to mention that using the code “TEAANDME10” will get you 10% off, so it makes it even more affordable and fairly priced. (A small disclaimer that I will be making a small commission on any purchases made with this code, so any support is appreciated.)
I had stated this is the first review of this company’s tea, but I want to repeat it. The packaging is another factor that makes this brand and tea unique. All packaging elements are biodegradable and compostable. Their packages, labels, printed-ink, and adhesive all are made of compostable materials, which are completely plastic-free, toxic-free, and carbon-free. Label stickers are made from either corn or sugarcane wastes. They really strive to bring quality tea that not only makes the consumer feel good but also helps the environment.
Thank you for your support; I just feel quite blessed to be able to continuously provide all of you with new content and reviews. Let me know if you are liking this review style or have any recommendations. Happy Brewing!
-Danielle