Tao of Tea Tea Flowers

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Feb 12th, '13, 17:50
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Tao of Tea Tea Flowers

by MountainEd » Feb 12th, '13, 17:50

Hi, just wondering if anyone has tried these. If so, can you tell us how they taste? And was it an enjoyable experience? Thanks.

Ed

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Feb 12th, '13, 18:22
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Re: Tao of Tea Tea Flowers

by Chip » Feb 12th, '13, 18:22

Do you have a link?

If this is regarding the actual tea plant flowers, I have had a very good example and a just OK version. But not from Tao of Tea ...

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Feb 12th, '13, 18:28
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Re: Tao of Tea Tea Flowers

by Chip » Feb 12th, '13, 18:28

I am guessing this is what you are referring to? http://www.taooftea.com/detail.php?pid=2306&catid=21

Of all places, a number of years ago I had really awesome ones from Upton. I sense they were picked off the plant while still vital versus picked up off the ground as the flowers were quite intact. Really good! Gentle sweet with hints of caramel. I would get them again.

The OK one was from Rishi, maybe 4ish years ago. They were just OK, they were falling apart and crumbling ... seemed like they were dried up on the plant or had falled off. The flavor paled by comparison ... just nothing notable.

[EDIT] Hmmm, these are out of stock ... maybe you are referring to something else?

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Feb 12th, '13, 18:30
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Re: Tao of Tea Tea Flowers

by MountainEd » Feb 12th, '13, 18:30

Yes, they are Camellia sinensis flowers from old growth tea trees in Southern Yunan according to the Tao of Tea site. What did the versions you tried taste like Chip?

Oops, well I'll still post this but it looks like we were typing at the same time. Perhaps someone who has tried this brand will chime in. Thanks Chip.

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Feb 12th, '13, 18:42
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Re: Tao of Tea Tea Flowers

by Chip » Feb 12th, '13, 18:42

I cannot remember the origin of the Upton version, but the Rishi one was from Yunnan, supposedly from Pu-erh trees.

As I mentioned, the Upton was gentle, sweet, with hints of caramel.

Rishi lacked a real discernable profile. They tasted ... faded.

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Feb 12th, '13, 19:02
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Re: Tao of Tea Tea Flowers

by Chip » Feb 12th, '13, 19:02

http://www.uptontea.com/shopcart/item.a ... ew&begin=0

Omg, I forgot how long Upton's links were ... I am going for it! Sounds similar to what I purchased from them years ago.

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Re: Tao of Tea Tea Flowers

by Chip » Feb 12th, '13, 19:12

Omg, they have not seriously upgraded their site since around 2000. But at least they have paypal!

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Re: Tao of Tea Tea Flowers

by MountainEd » Feb 12th, '13, 21:32

I've not tried Upton products but I know they have a good reputation. My guess is that the Tao of Tea version would be pretty comparable to the Rishi one. I have bought both of their brands of teas and they are usually similar quality. Not always, Rishi has an excellent Dragonwell but I found Tao of Tea's pretty bland. But I used to prefer ToT's oolon's to Rishi's.

Being a tightwad at heart, I'm tempted to pick some of the Camellia sansanqua flowers that are in bloom now and see what sort of a tisane they would brew up. Free tea!

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Feb 15th, '13, 12:52
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Re: Tao of Tea Tea Flowers

by Chip » Feb 15th, '13, 12:52

As much as I may criticize Upton for various shortcomings, the ordering and shipping processes worked very well. I received the tea today (along with a replentishing of their sample tins. I once had well over 100 of these but am down to a little over a handful, so I bought a case of 24. They are nice, cheap, and do the job. Also nice for sharing teas when bags will not do. But I digress ...

The Camellia sinensis flowers ("Nepal Tea Flowers") from Nepal seem just like the ones I was pleased with years ago from Upton (I hope so as I purchased 3 bags of them since they were inexpensive). The flowers are pretty much intact and not crumbling. The dry flowers in the bag are quite aromatic, but not flowery like one might expect. The dry aroma is somewhat honey citrus-like.

Hope to try these shortly ...

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Feb 15th, '13, 12:58
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Re: Tao of Tea Tea Flowers

by Chip » Feb 15th, '13, 12:58

I do not recall using anything close to their brewing suggestion for this tea which is 1+ teaspoon, 8 minutes with boiling water.

I think I used a lot of flowers ... over 1 TBS, maybe 2 TBS and brewed cooler/shorter ... The "tea" is quite fluffy, so definitely more than a teaspoon.

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Feb 15th, '13, 13:09
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Re: Tao of Tea Tea Flowers

by GreenwoodStudio » Feb 15th, '13, 13:09

These sound fun. I might have to give them a try.

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Re: Tao of Tea Tea Flowers

by Chip » Feb 15th, '13, 14:20

GreenwoodStudio wrote:These sound fun. I might have to give them a try.
... yes, a fun diversion. Certainly not a "serious tea" but yet they are Camellia sinensis, so even a "serious tea drinker" can appreciate them.

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Feb 15th, '13, 21:59
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Re: Tao of Tea Tea Flowers

by GreenwoodStudio » Feb 15th, '13, 21:59

Chip wrote:Certainly not a "serious tea" but yet they are Camellia sinensis, so even a "serious tea drinker" can appreciate them.
Good, because I'm supery-dupery serious :lol: :wink:

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Feb 15th, '13, 22:35
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Re: Tao of Tea Tea Flowers

by Chip » Feb 15th, '13, 22:35

GreenwoodStudio wrote:
Chip wrote:Certainly not a "serious tea" but yet they are Camellia sinensis, so even a "serious tea drinker" can appreciate them.
Good, because I'm supery-dupery serious :lol: :wink:
I am the mostest serious, Mr. Greenwood Potter! :mrgreen: :twisted: :lol:

This is really nice, I hestate to say much more for fear they will become pop and always be sold out.

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Feb 16th, '13, 14:07
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Re: Tao of Tea Tea Flowers

by MountainEd » Feb 16th, '13, 14:07

No one seems to have bought the Tao of Tea version, but at least there were no bad reviews so I went ahead and bought some to try. In case anyone wonders, TOT's website is out of stock so I got mine through Amazon. Perhaps on Monday I'll set up an account with Upton and buy a small amount from them for a comparison. I don't want to order a lot as I get a little crazy at times. I also have an order from Floating Leaves and Verdant on the way.

Nice to see Shawn chime in. I'm sipping some Teavivre black tea as I'm typing which was brewed in a nice little futanashi I got from Shawn last June.

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