Hello all, apologies for the massive delay. Hopefully the reviews will be more regular from now on.
Something a little unusual today. Colombia tea. I admit before I acquired this I had no idea Colombia even made tea. I always imagined it as a coffee drinking company.
Bitaco Tippy Black
My hopes weren’t high. I am very picky regarding black tea. There are only a few that I like and most of them are Indian. I didn’t expect to like this but…I do. Yay! I don’t forsee this coming into my regular rotation of go to teas but I do think I’d buy it again occasionally.
The leaves are small and very dark reminding me of coffee grounds.
The liquor produced is also dark (I can barely see my fish friends in my tea cup).
Brewing parameters: 90 degrees Celsius (194 degrees Fahrenheit) for 2-3 minutes
My brewing parameters: 90 degrees Celsius (194 degrees Fahrenheit) for 3 minutes
Taste: The scent is rather malty as is the initial taste, there is a strong fruity aftertaste slightly reminiscent of Darjeeling but not delicate or pronounced.
Subsequent infusions: The second infusion is more malty. The third infusion doesn’t hold up much as it is a lot weaker and most of the flavour profile is gone, this is common with black teas though as I find they don’t last as well as greens or whites against multiple infusions.
Bitcao wiry green
I had higher hopes for the greens as I rarely find green teas I dislike. I did like this one but it didn’t wow me. It was OK. But just OK. I’ll probably finish what I have but I don’t forsee getting any more in the future.
The leaves are dark and wiry in appearance.
The liquor is a greeny yellow colour.
Brewing parameters: 80 degrees Celsius (176 degrees Fahrenheit) for 2-3 minutes
My brewing parameters: 80 degrees Celsius (176 degrees Fahrenheit) for 2 minutes
Taste: Herbaceous, rather like Mao feng.
Subsequent infusions: The second infusion is rather like the first. The third is quite a bit weaker though still pleasant to drink.
Conclusion.
It was interesting to try some teas from a country often not associated with tea.
While the teas were both pleasant neither wowed me. I probably won’t buy the green one again as to me it tastes like mao feng without being quite as good as mao feng.
I did enjoy the Colombian black tea though. Its different to others I have tried. A lightly different malty/fruitiness balance to other black teas I have tried it was pretty good. I’d doesn’t hold its own against Darjeeling or Ceylon blacks though which I still prefer but its probably worth a try just for the interest factor of trying tea from somewhere more unusual.
