What a fun day I had taste testing all the tea’s Kristy sent me. All the teas are from The Octavia Tea Company. They have the most beautiful packaging. Reckon I would buy their tea for the packaging alone. 🙂
First up was Kristy’s favourite, The Lemon Green Organic Green Tea.
Cleanse the body and relieve stress with this soothing blend of antioxidant-rich green tea and therapeutic herbs. Gentle notes of lemon-lime accented with a kiss of honey-like sweetness give this tea an exquisite, graceful flavor to be savored sip after sip.
There is the most wonderful aroma when you open the packaging. The leaves are light and crisp. The aroma is of fresh lemons with a hint of lime. Once the tea had infused I felt the the aroma lessoned. The tea has a lovely light fresh flavour and the water gets a pretty soft lime hue.
Next up was the Wild Blueberry Organic White Tea.
Capture the deep, luscious flavor of juicy blueberries in a cup of tea. This enchanting infusion is made from an exquisite white tea blended with organic blueberries and a touch of sweet-tart hibiscus. Known for its detoxifying, stress-relieving properties, white tea has a delicate, nectar-like flavor contains powerful antioxidants and anti-aging properties.
I was hit with the most magnificent intoxicating scent when I opened this tea, the smell filled the room – heavenly! I loved how the water slowly tinted a beautiful rosé and the scent after steeping was as strong as when I opened the packaging. The flavour is absolutely wonderful as the berry nose came through 100% in flavour. So far, I think this is my favourite.
Then there was the Dragon Well Green Tea.
Dragonwell is the most famous Chinese tea, with broad, flat leaves shaped like the blade of a sword. This voluptuous tea envelops the palate with a lovely orchid-like fragrance, a delicious, roasted chestnut-like flavor and an earthy, lingering finish. Often called the national drink of China, Dragon Well is frequently given to visiting heads of state. This tea is rich in antioxidants and promotes mental alertness.
I am sure the Chinese will be insulted with my opinion of their most famous tea but in my unprofessional opinion, it smells like samp and beans, something only South African’s will understand. The savoury aroma follows through to the taste. I must say the water turned a lovely light bright green.
Next in line was the Rose Oolong Tea.
Inspired by the alluring ambiance of a rose garden after a spring rain, Rose Oolong is a smooth, soothing tea rich in antioxidants and anti-aging properties. The fragrance of crushed rose petals harmonizes with an exquisite oolong tea base, evoking a sense of calm and tranquility. Often a favorite category among tea connoisseurs, oolong tea is known for its detoxifying and metabolism boosting properties.
I love anything rose so knew I would enjoy this tea. The aroma was wonderfully strong on opening the sachet, it reminded me of a rose scented body mist I used years ago. I loved how the rose petals floated to the top of the water which had the softest yellow glow. The tea tasted exactly like rose flavoured Turkish Delight. Fabulous! This tea is on an even par with the Wild Blueberry as being my favourite.
Then it was onto the White Chai Tea.
Nourish your spirit! Swirls of sweet cinnamon, sultry spice and playful pink peppercorns dance with white tea’s delicate, honey-like nectar. This whimsical concoction is inspired by the healing herbs used in ancient Ayurvedic medicine and blended with an antioxidant-rich white tea base, giving it a warm, soothing character. A transcendent experience.
I was excited to taste this tea after reading all the ingredients – lemongrass, cinnamon, ginger, pineapple cubes, pink peppercorns, coconut flakes, clove and cardamom. The smell of fireballs, a sweet we used to eat as kids came to mind and the smelt exactly like they tasted. I know, that sounds odd and this tea tastes exactly the same too. It leaves a slight tingly peppery feel in your mouth. This is a perfect winter tea.
Last was the Jasmine Pearl Organic Green Tea.
One of the world’s finest delicacies and most prized teas, Jasmine Pearl is lavishly infused with the intoxicating fragrance of jasmine and hand-rolled into pearls that bloom in your cup. After harvesting, the tea leaves are layered with jasmine flowers, which bloom in the cool night air. Although the jasmine flowers are removed from the final product, the sweet, soothing scent remains—captured by the leaves themselves. Jasmine tea is said to ease anxiety and promote well-being.
I grew up drinking jasmine tea after a Chinese meal so knew immediately I would like this tea. I love the hand rolled pearls which gently opened in the heat of the water. This tea has a strong full jasmine flavour and I found myself consistently smelling the tea as is brewed.
Kristy, thank you so much for sending me on a wonderful tea journey in my own home.
I loved how these leaves opened gently when I poured the water over them. The aroma reminded me of jasmine but softer and slightly sweeter and had a lovely light refreshing taste.
This was quite similar in smell and taste to the first tea although I would have to say had a very slight bitter taste at first.
Then it was onto the Milk Oolong Tea (Taiwan Jin Xuan)
This tea has a slight grassy nose with a flavour which I would kin to black tea – I did not really pick up a milk aroma. Might have to try this one again.
The leaves of this tea were very different to the others and was the only one which had a slight brown tinge to it once brewed. It is regarded as the king of Oolong among all the Chinese Oolong Teas and one of the China’s Top Ten Teas.
I am not sure my palette is sophisticated enough for these teas but I thoroughly enjoyed doing my own little tea ritual all the same.
The Complete Book 
