Today’s Munchy Monday is focusing on one of my favourite things, tea!! It’s all about oolong tea at Tea Ave, a Vancouver based company who sees tea as an adventure. It’s amazing to think that leaves grown in mountains in the middle of nowhere ends up in our drink and it tastes freakin‘ delicious. Tea Ave only focuses on oolong teas that are hand selected from farms in Taiwan. I didn’t even know there were so many oolong teas until I sampled some recently. (And there will be a giveaway too ba-la-la!)
I have six out of the 12 teas on Tea Ave to talk about; but I’ve only sampled 2 since I’m saving the rest of the teas to drink later as I didn’t want to down a bunch of flavours and not enjoy them slowly. Oolong tea comes in little, dried green balls and when they are in water, the balls open up into leaves.
Alishan Jin Xuan Oolong || $12.50 for 25g
This was the first tea I sampled. Alishan Jin Xuan Oolong is known as a milk oolong; it has a creamy texture and a mix of floral and fruity aroma. The leaves are grown on the Alishan mountainside and the leaves are naturally flavoured. When I brewed this, there was a pleasant, smoky aroma (even though the roasting level is 1) and it was smooth to drink.
Tie Kwan Yin Oolong || $14.99 for 25g
I really enjoy drinking Tie Kwan Yin tea with dim sum at Chinese restaurants, and though I haven’t sample this I’m positive I’ll enjoy it (it smells so good!) Tea Ave’s Tie Kwan Yin is grown in the Muzha district of Taiwan and there is a balance of bitterness as well as fruity notes and sweetness in the tea.
Ginger Lily Oolong || $13.75 for 25g
The Ginger Lily Oolong tea is prepared by having the tea absorb the flower fragrance when it is being baked. This is an ancient method and it produces a tea with natural scents without adding chemicals. The ginger lily is from Taiwan and blended with the Alishan Jin Xuan oolong to create an earthy tea with a ginger notes.
Magnolia Oolong || $12.50 for 25g
This is the other tea I have sampled; I felt it was less strong than the Alishan tea but I love the floral taste to it. The Magnolia Oolong also uses the same ancient method as the Ginger Lily oolong tea.
Cape Jasmine Oolong || $12.50 for 25g
I’m excited to save this one because jasmine teas are one of my favourites and on the website it is described to have “a subtle fragrance of the fog and snow-covered mountains that it was grown on.” It is baked as the same method as the Magnolia Oolong and the Ginger Lily Oolong.
Wenshan Baochung Oolong || $13.74 for 25g
The Wenshan Baochung Oolong tea is considered as one of the “most fragrant oolong teas in the world.” It is grown in the Wenshan region of Taiwan and it retains its distintive quality due to the “year-long mild climate and fog-filled air.” I am also pretty stoked to sample this later (maybe for a intense blogging day or something) as it has floral flavours. Also, this tea are twisted into long strands, rather than it being a ball of dried leaf.
Overall, if you’re a tea lover or a tea guru, this is not to be missed! Tea Ave tea is a bit on the fancier side, but they are for sure a great company for the house dinner parties, for a slow work day, or a gift for parents (my mom and dad goes through tea leaves like no tomorrow.) I am sorely tempted to purchase the other 6 flavours online. As I am currently making an effort to drink more water (I’m drawing empty circles on paper and filling them when I drink a cup,) having tea makes the drinking more fun and easier. Plus, you can never have too much tea, IMHO.
Canadians- you can enter to win a set of your own Tea Ave samples! The winner will win all the samples shown above; 3 of the bags are loose leaf and 3 of the bags are individual tea sachets! Contest will run from July 27th to August 11th midnight. [This contest is limited to Canadians only, sorry, as I am sending this out myself!]
Disclaimer: Press Sample provided, all opinions are my own.
