The story behind 3Leaf Tea is one I can relate to, namely, because it’s the same story that got me into tea in the first place. When I was in college, a friend dragged me to a tea shop. I had already made up my mind about tea–it was bitter and otherwise tasteless, and I’d rather stick with pop, thank you very much. But after that visit, I was sold, and from that tea I became a loose tea convert. This same thing happened to 3Leaf’s owner, Luciana.
So it was my pleasure to give some of their teas a try. Having someone with a similar background as mine selecting teas convinced me.
Golden Eyebrow
The Golden Eyebrow was one I knew little about, so I decided to give it a go first. I’ve only had one or two other similar teas, and I was curious. This Golden Eyebrow wasn’t particularly strong with the standard one teaspoon per cup, but it did have a pleasant sweetness and maltiness I wasn’t expecting. This tea gave me a pleasant tea-drunkenness I also was not expecting, especially from a tea with so light a flavor profile. Overall, this tea was very drinkable, although I definitely recommend throwing in another teaspoon (or so) of leaves.
Milk Oolong
I’ve had milk oolongs before, and this was one I’ve been burned by before (fortunately, not literally). Sometimes milky oolongs can be too milky for their own good, and can have almost a mayonnaisey aftertaste. I am happy to say I did not have that problem with this one. It definitely had a very defined creamy flavor to it, but it didn’t have the ugly aftertaste some teas of this kind tend to have. It was incredibly smooth, and it’s one I can see myself enjoying very often, perhaps with a dessert.
Milk oolong tends to be a polarizing tea in my opinion, as the creamy flavor can turn a lot of people off. I’ve had some downright repulsive milk oolongs before. But everyone I offered this tea to found it not only intriguing but very drinkable.
Wild Pu Erh Buds
I’m not an expert on pu erh teas by any stretch of the imagination. When I read the label, I assumed this tea would just be some bits of ripe pu erh broken off a larger cake. I imagine many regular pu erh drinkers are having a right good laugh about now. The white buds that were inside the package caught me off guard, as it looked as if these had come straight off the bush without any processing at all!
In fact, these buds brew up very similar to a white tea. The liquor was so pale I almost thought I didn’t steep it long enough. I’m glad I poured it before I decided to let it steep longer, though–this tea is as light and sweet as anything you could hope for. It has lightly sweet vanilla notes that were very calming, and I highly recommend this tea, even if you’ve decided you don’t much care for pu erhs. Give this one a try and you’ll swear you’re drinking a lovely white tea.
If you’re a tea newbie who’s looking to get into some tasty teas that are just a little out of the ordinary, give 3 Leaf Teas a try. And if you happen to be in or around Auburn, New York, check out their shop!
I too am not a pu erh person so I hadn’t heard of such buds either. It’s interesting to me that they can actually be considered pu erh. I’ll have to do some investigating myself to understand more about this. I know that pu erh’s have an ability to aide digestion, which makes it great to keep some in the pantry. It would be nice if this variation had similar properties as I really enjoy white tea.