High Noon Tea reached out at the start of the year and offered some of their teas for me to try. They had a large selection, so I asked them to recommend what they thought would be best. I find that this a great way to try out what a company has to offer because I noticed that in the past, I would stick to a small selection of familiar teas. It is always fun to try out a tea that is a little bit out of my comfort zone!
When I got the teas, I was a bit confused with the wording of the label. For example: “Pour in boiling water and steep at 75 Celsius…”I assumed that I was supposed to boil the water, then wait for it to cool to the recommended temperatures.
I will be trying a green, oolong, and herbal tea! Let’s go!
Malawi Lilongwa Pearls
Description: “Offering lush grassy-earth tones, highlighted by floral notes and finishing with a clean, round sweetness.”
Review: I loved how unique these looked! They were so pretty and tightly wound. I can see why they are called ‘pearls.’ They didn’t have much of an aroma when dry, but they smelled grassy after steeping. I let them steep for 5 minutes, but they still weren’t completely unfurled after that.
The dark yellow liquor had a very faint grassy aroma. In the first sip, I didn’t taste much. However, I found that in the subsequent sips, the taste became slightly more apparent. It was mildly grassy with hints of floral. I found that the liquor had a thick mouthfeel and that there was no astringency.
The flavour a bit too mild for me. The label did say ‘to taste’, so I could try this tea again and let it steep for longer until the leaves completely unfurl which may bring out more flavours (2/5 rating).
- Type: Green tea
- Origin: Malawi
- Caffeine: Unknown
- Ingredients: Green tea
- Company: High Noon Tea Co.
Guan Yin Blue Oolong
Description: “Ti Kuan Yin Special Grade semi-fermented Oolong from the Fujian Province of China is hand selected and blended with royal purple, High Mallow petals to leave you with a pale, slightly amber tea full of orchid-like aroma and muscatel notes.”
Review: I found it so pretty that I had a full mallow flower in the blend. As expected, there was a very strong floral aroma from the dry blend. The leaves were tightly twisted. After steeping, the leaves completely unfurled, and the aroma became more of a classic grassy Ti Kuan Yin.
The dark yellow liquor tasted grassy, and the flavour lingered. I didn’t get much of a floral taste from the mallow flowers. I did find some there was some astringency. The blend was mild, so if you are looking for a lightly grassy oolong, this might be one to consider (3/5 rating).
- Type: Oolong tea
- Origin: China
- Caffeine: Unknown
- Ingredients: Oolong tea, mallow petals
- Company: High Noon Tea Co.
Caramel Apple Herbal Blend
Description: “This delicious blend of caramel, apple and orange is combined with other natural flavours to deliver a tart and almost candy-like finish in a bright pink brew.”
Review: When I got the tea samples, I could smell this blend as soon as I opened the envelope. It was extremely strong. I ended up putting it in a double zip lock bag because I was worried that my other teas would absorb the aroma. The blend had a sweet floral aroma that was fruity. I actually found it very comforting.
The wet blend smelled more berry-like, which was similar to the liquor which smelled like candy and berries. The liquor was a dark cranberry red colour. It tasted very sweet and like berries with a hint of floral. It reminded me of a fruit punch and the flavour lingered in the mouth.
I found it a bit tart for my liking and I should have steeped for less time. For how sweet the blend was, it was nice that there weren’t any added sugars. I think it would be nice iced (2/5 rating).
- Type: Herbal tea
- Origin: Malawi
- Caffeine: Caffeine-free
- Ingredients: Apple, rosehip, hibiscus petals, orange pieces, cornflower petals
- Company: High Noon Tea Co.
Final Thoughts
When I try teas, I tend to follow the recommendations from the company. Therefore, I found that some of these teas were either a bit too tart or mild for my liking. That being said, there was a note that you should steep these ‘to taste.’
While not all of these blends were my cup of tea, I did enjoy another tea I tried from High Noon Tea Co., the Almond Toffee Pu-erh! It had a strong lovely cocoa taste. Tell me if you would like to see a review of that too!
1 comment
[…] the long handmade shape of the pears. I had tried something like this before in the past from High Noon Tea Co., but it was a green tea compared to a […]