Fujian : Jasmine Tea
Found in local Asian market, these 20 teabags only cost me about €2. It has a sweet smell. It does taste a bit earthy but is a good bit sweeter than green tea. You can feel the tea particles on your tongue, and the after taste does linger for awhile but is not particularly bad.
Not bad at all. Suits me while I work and does make a good replacement for my usual morning green tea.
Two gold leafs.
Mr.Roche.
Solaris : Organic Rooibos Chocolate Chai
Running late for work I do something I do not normally do, I go into Insomnia. I picked up the tea bag, usually I do not like chai tea but I love rooibos and I am curious about chocolate tea. The barista woman annoyed me, she had difficulty understanding that I was taking the teabag to work. €2.90 for the teabag! Ridiculous price!
Strong aroma, like flames lapping up your nostrils. A sensuous spicy taste and burns all the way down. Very strong cinnamon after taste. You can feel the spices starting to work in your stomach. This is very pleasant to drink. Starting to feel like it is unblocking my nose. Feels like there is a party in my mouth and everyone is invited, as long as they take their shoes off.
This is a great tea, went beyond my expectations. Far too expensive from Insomnia. Works well as a winter morning tea, and a celebration tea. I would consider receiving a box of these teabags as a good Christmas present.
5 gold leafs.
Mr.Roche.
Po Nee tea
I was in the Oriental Emporium again, it has a whole range of cheap Asian teas. I saw this box which had a picture of a tea set on it, it was clearly labelled “Tea Set”, and instructions on how to pour tea on the side. Deductive reasoning suggested that it was a tea set, however it proved logic’s weakness. Logical deduction only works if the premises are correct. The manger of the shop warned me it was actually a box of high strength tea, and should only be consumed by experts. Challenge excepted.
The nickname for this tea is “Brick”. Probably because it has the aroma of a brick. It is the most earthy tasting tea in I have ever had. It actually tastes like mud. This is by far the worst tasting tea I have ever had. However, po nee tea seems to have the ability to trick the senses. I actually enjoyed drinking the tea. It leaves you feeling very alert. After drinking this tea it compelled me to do my household chores.
It seems that po nee is rather good for your metabolism. Reports suggest that it is also the best tea to drink when you are hungover from drinking. The drink is popular in Tibet as it does give you tremendous energy.
Since I did not have a scale to measure 6 grams of tea, I used 3 teaspoons. This is actually too much, 1 tea spoon should do.
Regardless of its horrible taste, it is enjoyable to drink. So I have to rank this highly as it inspired me to get some work done. Would recommend for someone that needs motivation to do something.
I actually think this tea steals your soul.
5 gold leafs.
Mr.Roche.
The Clarence, Wellington Quay, Dublin
I actually thought they had a tea room, the Tea Room is actually a restaurant. I instead drank in the Octagon bar. Overall a nice building. The reception staff are friendly, but the bar staff were a bit grumpy.
White tea with cranberry comes with a single tin pot. Better than no pot but still I like my authentic tea pots. Came in a teabag. Has a strong aroma, like ice cream. Strong sweet taste, like cranberry cheese cake. Does tingle the tongue slightly. Taste does not linger long, but does leave you with a refreshing feeling. One word, “yummers”.
Their rooibos tea is good, but I have better at home. Now it is the only place in town that does rooibos tea. Weak aroma, sweet tasting and does not linger very long. It is a good example of rooibos tea if you were going to introduce it to a newbie. I did feel very sleepy after I drank it.
I personally did not enjoy sitting there, and they only had a small collection of teas; but their white tea with cranberry was fantastic and is now my favourite cup of tea in Dublin.
5 gold leafs.
Mr. Roche.
Sea Dyke Brand : Green Tea
Teabag.
Caffeinated.
Region: China.
Aroma: None.
Flavour: Mild, Earthy.
Brew: Green.
This rather bland green has no distinct smell or aroma. I have a cup right here in front of me as I write this article and I can’t even place a description. On the other hand it does taste nice with a mild earthy flavour. You can actually feel the tea particles on your tongue while you drink. The tastes lingers for some time after you finish. I find it not very hydrating.
This is most suitable for your first tea in the morning to provide a quick pick me up. I myself do not naturally go for green tea but I am fairly happy to drink this all day long. Still there are plenty of other green teas on the market that deserve your attention.
2 gold leafs.
Mr.Roche.
Porterhouse, Nassau Street, Dublin
Porterhouse is more of a nightclub than a bar. It is packed with people and the music is awful. It would be acceptable to drink tea there if one could find a place to sit. This time around we booked a few tables in advanced. I ordered tea. They have a huge list of beers but yet they would not give me a list of tea. I was asked what tea would I want without being shown their selection. I asked for rooibos but they did not know what that was. So I panicked and ordered blackberry tea on the basis that it would match my purple skinny jeans.
They gave me the tea in a cup opposed to a pot. Big disappointment. The tea was ok but not great. The tea was more acceptable for a quick drink as opposed to a long relaxing sip with chums. Cost €2.60. I did not want to continuously walk up and down for more tea so I finished after one cup.
Porterhouse is not an acceptable tea drinking establishment.
0 gold leafs.
Mr.Roche.
Fujian : Black Tea
Teabag
Caffeinated
Region: China.
Aroma: Fresh.
Flavour: Mild, Sweet.
Brew: Black/Brown.
A packet of 20 was found for €0.90 in a nearby Asian market. This a cheap Chinese brand but the taste does grow on you after a few cups. It has a strong rich aroma and a strong taste to match. Taste does not linger very long. Personally I find this very refreshing and hydrating. Suitable for people who want to get off drinking coffee every morning or normal western tea.
It is 100% pure black tea with no additives, which means that is good for your heart and cholesterol. Caffeine content is unknown, but is possibly very high. I would dub this as a very good first cup of tea of the morning to have work.
Rating: 2 gold leafs.
Mr.Roche.
Lord Nelson Green Tea
Teabag
Caffeinated
Region: Indonesia, China, India.
Aroma: Earthy, Grassy, Fresh
Flavour: Mild, Sweet.
Brew: Green/Brown
The first time I drank Green tea I hated it. It tasted like I was drinking a cup of watered down mud. This was my first foray into the wonderful world of tea, prior to this I had only ventured as far as black tea. After choking down my first cup I continued on and over time gradually grew to love it. I now cant imagine a day going by that doesn’t in some way involve a cup of freshly brewed green loveliness.
Lord Nelson Green tea is one of the cheaper greens on the market and provides a good starting off point for anyone that’s curious. Nice and balanced it gives off an earthy/grassy aroma. It brews to a light green and is consistently delicious. It is a very mild tea, even when given ample time to brew (3 minutes being recommended). If you enjoy your tea strong I suggest you look elsewhere.
One or two cups will usually brighten up a bad day and offer a slight increase to energy and concentration levels. All in all Lord Nelson Green tea is an enjoyable middle of the road tea with a crisp clean taste.
Rating: 3 gold leafs.
Mr.Potter.
