Diggity Tea: Harney & Sons’ Bangkok

Maker: Harney & Sons
Type: flavored green tea
Brew: 1 tsp / cup, 3 min at 170ºF

Bangkok is another great, unique blend from Harney & Sons, as just about all their “famous city” teas tend to do. While there are various coconut teas out there, Bangkok adds an extra ingredient: ginger. This elevates the tea from just another coconut tea to the very soul of an authentic Thai curry. But tea-like: the big-leafed tea is particularly excellent and sweet. While I generally will not drink most green teas—genmaicha being a particular exception—I will drink this one.

Rating: 5/5 stars—a green tea I actually love, and who can resist curry?

Diggity Tea: Mighty Leaf’s Kyoto Rice

Maker: Mighty Leaf [product link]
Type: green tea (genmaicha)
Brew: 1 rounded tsp / 12 oz, 3 min at 180°F

Genmaicha is also known as “popcorn tea”, as the brown rice grains that pepper these types of blends will often pop while the tea brews. All good genmaichas have strong undercurrents of well-cooked brown rice, giving them a unique taste among teas. Of course, if you don’t like brown rice, genmaicha will definitely not be your cup of tea.

To this end, Kyoto Rice is quite a fine genmaicha, and already arrives with some of its rice pre-popped, which may contribute to its very full brown rice taste, which also sweetens the green tea. This genmaicha is approachable for those who aren’t the fondest of green tea in general. An aside: I find that Mighty Leaf’s higher-rated green teas (like Green Tea Tropical, which uses a medley of tropical fruit) are approachable in this manner.

As an accompaniment to Asian lunches at the office, this tea is unbeatable for me. It’s not flexible enough for me to always desire it, but it’s still quite good.

Rating: 3/5—a good, sweet genmaicha.

Daily Tea for 2010 September 26

I decided to get back into the habit, seeing as the weather is (somewhat) appropriate for tea these days in the Pacific Northwest.

Dragon Well

One of many Dragon Well green tea blends, and only slightly smoky. I’m not actually one for most green teas or most smoky teas, but I’m okay with this one—but it’s not a favorite of mine.

Peach Blossom

This, on the other hand, I love. It’s one of the only white teas I do love, and mostly because for once the earthiness of a white tea is the perfect base for the lightness of the peach. Also, it isn’t as loaded with caffeine as the black peach teas I do drink.

Chocolate Mint Truffle

Rooibos is a pleasant night-time treat. I find I prefer this tea hot, but as a cold iced tea, chocolate mint works quite well. (Stick to brewing it for 7 minutes if you prefer the chocolate notes to those of the rooibos.)