A few weeks ago, I tried a flight of white teas from Teabox. Since I’ve only ever had a few white teas, I was surprised at how different each one was! This week is green teas from the same brand. I grouped these three together based on the palate profile provided by the company which noted that these teas all had a vegetable or green taste.
Selim Hill Classic Summer Green Tea
Description: “An organic green tea that delivers a luscious mouthfeel and soft green flavors.”
Review: The description of this tea was pretty on point. The dry leaves had a slightly sweet faint aroma, and it was almost grape-like when wet. The liquor was a pale yellow and tasted mildly of hay more so than ‘vegetable.’
While I inherently don’t have an issue with this tea, I found it a bit too mild in taste. I could see this tea maybe being nice served chilled or for someone who enjoys a light tea (2/5 rating).
- Type: Green tea
- Origin: India
- Caffeine: Medium
- Ingredients: Darjeeling green tea
- Other: Organic
- Company: Teabox
Barnesbeg Summer Green Tea
Description: “A simple and smooth tea which promises to breathe new life in you.”
Review: With a description like that, I had high hopes. The dry leaves reminded me a bit of a forest and smelled very grassy and moss-like. It did smell different when wet and was more vegetable.
This tea was similar to Selim Hill Classic Summer Green Tea in both colour and taste. This tea, however, was sweeter and more vegetal. As well, it left the mouth feeling a bit dry. Like Selim Hill Classic Summer Green Tea, this tea was very mild in taste. I think someone who wants a very light taste may enjoy this (2/5 rating).
- Type: Green tea
- Origin: India
- Caffeine: Low
- Ingredients: Green tea
- Other: Organic
- Company: Teabox
Wah Classic Spring Green Tea
Description: “A high-fired green tea with a surprisingly mellow taste.”
Review: Just based on smelling the dry leaves, I could tell that this tea was very different than the first two teas. It had a mildly burnt aroma and was much darker in colour. After steeping, it’s aroma became something akin to charcoal and fire.
The liquor was a bright yellow and carried the strong charcoal taste. However, while it tasted burnt, it wasn’t unpleasant. I was surprised at how different this green tea tasted compared to the other ones I’ve had!
While I am not a fan of burnt tastes, objectively, I can imagine other people liking it, especially people who like their food a bit burnt. The tasting plate also mentioned ‘tobacco’. I’ve never tried it before, so I can’t comment on that aspect (3/5 rating).
- Type: Green tea
- Origin: India
- Caffeine: Low
- Ingredients: Kangra green tea
- Company: Teabox
Final Thoughts
I didn’t mind any of these teas, but I admit that I’m not sure if I would reach for them. The first two were a bit mild for me, and while I’m personally not a fan of the more charcoal taste the last one had, I think it has a unique taste and I can see people enjoying it if they like a very strong burnt taste.
Also, as a last note, these teas do not perform well when oversteeped. I accidentally let the teas oversteep by 30 seconds to a minute and by the time I got to them, they were very bitter and left the mouth fairly dry.
Next month, I will be trying more Teabox, so look out for that!
