I came across Genuine Tea when I was looking for Canadian brands to try. I admired that the teas were ethically sourced, organic, and sustainable. I was very lucky that David, one of the co-owners, sent me some samples of their teas to try, and I really enjoyed them!
So, I was happy to meet David and Sarah (the other co-owner) at the Toronto Tea Festival in 2017! I ended up picking up three of their teas: a green, oolong, and a black tea.
With that said, let’s go!
Organic Dragonwell
Description: “The Tea Master uses a large wok to pan-fire the leaves and with his fingers, he flattens the leaves against the side of the wok. This process creates a flat, blade-like appearance in the leaf and a complex nutty, toasted flavour profile.”
Review: I am always a fan of how each tea leaf is so perfectly flattened when it comes to dragonwell. The leaves were delicate and had an emerald and light green colour, with a toasted grassy, earthy, and mossy aroma. Both the infused leaves and the liquor had a nice grassy and roasted aroma. The liquor was a pale yellow.
It’s not surprising, based on the liquor, that there was a lovely grassy toasted flavour as well with a lingering roasted aftertaste. Additionally, there was no astringency and a very subtle sweetness. This was a nice classic example of a dragonwell (3.5/5 rating).
- Type: Green tea
- Origin: Zhejiang, China
- Caffeine: Low caffeine
- Ingredients: Green tea
- Other: Toronto Tea Festival 2016 Best Green Tea
- Company: Genuine Tea
Ginseng Oolong
Description: ” It exudes sweet and creamy notes that complement the oolong’s natural floral taste.”
Review: I have had ginseng oolongs in the past, and each one tasted slightly different, so I wasn’t sure what to expect with this one. Since it is a mixture of ginseng and oolong, to me, they almost ended up looking like little green moss covered pebbles. It had a nice floral and sweet aroma, almost like grapes, which was very different than the other ones I’ve had in the past.
After steeping, the nuggets slightly unfurled and were slightly crumbly. I tried to pull one apart and the liquor hadn’t completely reached the centre yet. There was, however, still a nice ginseng aroma. The liquor was a dark yellow and it had a more grassy aroma with some sweet ginseng.
Taste-wise, it had a very nice clean classic grassy oolong taste. I was surprised at how mild the ginseng was. There was also a sweet lingering taste. I drank it with my mother, and she mentioned that it would be a nice tea to drink while chatting with friends, and that if paired with food, some of the subtly would be lost, which I agree with (3/5 rating).
- Type: Oolong tea
- Origin: Fujian, China
- Caffeine: Medium caffeine
- Ingredients: Ginseng, oolong tea
- Company: Genuine Tea
Imperial Golden Monkey
Description: ” The bud produces a very sweet flavour profile and the leaf adds a malty, cocoa taste with almost no astringency.”
Review: I make it no secret that I enjoy golden monkey. I love the malty notes and how smooth it is. When I saw this, I was happy to pick it up. The dark leaves were slightly twisted, with golden tips. There was a great aroma to it as well, one that I expect from this. It was a sweet, malty, and cocoa aroma. The infused leaves became a unified reddish brown and smelled of grains and cocoa. The liquor was dark reddish brown with a warm malty aroma.
While other golden monkey teas taste malty, this one tasted more like grains, with a hint of sweetness. There were also mild toasted notes. I found that it tasted like a baked cookie (without sugar). The liquor did make the mouth water. I enjoyed how this one tasted (4/5 rating).
- Type: Black tea
- Origin: Fujian, China
- Caffeine: High caffeine
- Ingredients: Black tea
- Company: Genuine Tea
Final Thoughts
Like the teas I had before from Genuine Tea, I enjoyed these ones as well! I am not surprised that I enjoyed the Golden Monkey the most, but the other teas were lovely as well. I am excited to try more teas from them!
What is the most important thing for you when you buy tea?
3 comments
[…] I did enjoy that this one had a nice gradual shift in flavours. I am more familiar with Golden Monkey, which has a more of malty flavour, so I was glad to be able to taste in this as well (3.5/5 […]
[…] tips. It a strong charcoal smell and some underlying sweetness. Visually, it reminded me of a Golden Monkey, which I’ve enjoyed in the past due to its malty […]
[…] when I think Chinese black teas, I tend to think of Jin Hou or Jin Jun Mei which have sweeter, honey malty, and bread like flavours. So, when this tea looked […]