Reviews of Teas & Herbal Teas from Octavia Tea
Page 1 2 of 2 pages with 40 results
Irish Breakfast from Octavia Tea
Style: Irish Breakfast – Region: ?????78 / 100 Aroma: 7/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 2/5
Jun. 3rd, 2017
An okay Irish Breakfast but overpriced, on the weak side, and I think not quite at the level of Octavia's other teas. Served in Velvet Sky Cafe in Jenkintown, I love this place and miss it so much!
The leaf is not super aromatic, but the brewed cup smells pleasant and strong. Richly malty aroma, with some earthy n...
Cafe Spice Chai from Octavia Tea
Style: Chai / Spiced Tea – Region: Blend60 / 100 Aroma: 6/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 2/5
Mar. 6th, 2015
A smooth, mild chai that was pleasant to drink but disappointing in its lack of strength and cinnamon-heavy spice blend. Sampled at Velvet Sky bakery.
This tea was surprisingly weak and unsatisfying, even when brewed using more leaf than I normally use. I'm also not crazy about the combination of spices. Cinnamon ...
Wild Raspberry from Octavia Tea
Style: Fruit Black Tea – Region: Blend40 / 100 Aroma: 4/10 Flavor: 2/5 Value: 2/5
Jan. 14th, 2015
I tend not to like these sorts of fruit-flavored blends, and this was no exception. Sampled at Velvet Sky in Jenkintown.
The dry leaf has a cloying raspberry aroma.
Upon brewing, produces a bright red cup that seems to smell more like raspberry jam (and a bit like strawberry) than anything else. Flavor is quite...
Vintage Pu-erh from Octavia Tea
Style: Ripened (Shou) Pu-erh – Region: Yunnan, China50 / 100 Aroma: 4/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 2/5
Jan. 13th, 2015
Not my cup of tea, and among the more disappointing teas from Octavia, although I think it's a good example of this style, it's a type of tea that I don't tend to like very much. Another sample served in Velvet Sky bakery in Jenkintown.
This is one of those classic "damp basement" Pu-erhs. Smells like wet moss or ...
Ginseng Spice from Octavia Tea
Style: Herbal Tea – Region: China73 / 100 Aroma: 7/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 4/5
Jan. 7th, 2015
A rich, earthy, naturally sweet herbal tea that can be steeped many times. Sampled at Velvet Sky Bakery.
Brews a light golden-yellow cup, with a little dust sinking to the bottom of the cup.
The aroma is complex, rich, and warming. I can notice the ginseng, which has a strong, fresh, earthy taste, and which act...
White Peony from Octavia Tea
Style: White Peony Tea – Region: Fujian, China90 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 5/5
Jan. 6th, 2015
Excellent! Another sample served at Velvet Sky Bakery.
The leaf was rather broken, but this may have been due to being packed in the small sample container: this is a very fragile, large-leafed tea.
Brews up a clear, light-colored cup that is on the delicate side for a white peony. Aroma is floral, with notes o...
Sencha Kagoshima from Octavia Tea
Style: Sencha – Region: Kagoshima, Japan73 / 100 Aroma: 7/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 4/5
Dec. 21st, 2014
This sencha has large pieces of intact leaf, and looks and smells like a very typical sencha.
Brews up a yellow-green cup, so vibrant in color that it looks almost like it is glowing.
The aroma is spinachy and seaweedy, and the flavor is strongly umami, slightly sweet, and slightly bitter. There's a hint of corn...
Hojicha Dark Roast from Octavia Tea
Style: Hojicha – Region: Japan60 / 100 Aroma: 6/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 2/5
Dec. 19th, 2014
An unusually smooth hojicha, not the strongest aroma, I thought on the weak side.
The dry leaf (which is a mix of stem and leaf) looks fairly roasted, but the aroma only has a light amount of roast. Instead, there are some interesting fruity notes, as well as some of the vegetal and grain-like qualities I associate...
Golden Monkey from Octavia Tea
Style: Yunnan Gold – Region: Yunnan, China63 / 100 Aroma: 6/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 2/5
Dec. 19th, 2014
A pleasant, drinkable tea, but on the boring side. I usually associate the name "Golden Monkey" with golden, all-tip black teas from Fujian province, not Yunnan. This tea is from Yunnan.
Dry leaf is very pleasantly aromatic, suggesting dried fruit, and a slight hint of malt.
Brews up a beautiful, light brown cu...
Brandy Oolong from Octavia Tea
Style: Oolong Tea – Region: Fujian, China97 / 100 Aroma: 10/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 5/5
Dec. 19th, 2014
Wow. This tea is pretty exceptional...buttery smooth, but incredibly rich. The dominant notes are of dried fruit, like fig, date, or raisin. It does have a brandy-like quality. It lives up to the claim of "tremendously complex flavors" although I think it's the aroma that is most complex.
Flavor is bold, slightl...
Nilgiri SFTGFOP from Octavia Tea
Style: Black Tea – Region: Nilgiri, India90 / 100 Aroma: 9/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 5/5
Dec. 19th, 2014
An excellent, light-bodied black tea that was new and different for me. Prior to trying this tea, I had tried a handful of Nilgiri teas, but none had wowed me; most tasted a lot like generic black teas. This tea definitely stood out.
Brews up a light-colored cup, with a clear color, a lot like a second-flush Darje...
Himalayan-Imperial Black from Octavia Tea
Style: Black Tea – Region: Nepal87 / 100 Aroma: 9/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 4/5
Dec. 16th, 2014
A mellow, mild, yet fascinatingly novel tea.
This tea tastes a lot more like an oolong than a black tea. The leaf is huge, unusual for teas grown in the Himalayan region. I found it very complex and very enjoyable, but I could see it disappointing if I were expecting a black tea. Most lighter black teas from Nepa...
Strawberry White Tea from Octavia Tea
Style: Fruit White Tea – Region: Blend63 / 100 Aroma: 6/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 3/5
Nov. 25th, 2014
A very good example of a type of flavored tea that I tend not to like. Sampled at Velvet Sky Bakery in Jenkintown.
The dry leaf of this tea was pretty finely broken, not like pictured in the beautiful picture.
This tea has an intense strawberry aroma, which I find cloying. It is, however, very natural, smelling...
Jasmine Green from Octavia Tea
Style: Jasmine Tea – Region: ?????93 / 100 Aroma: 9/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 5/5
Nov. 22nd, 2014
Another sample from Velvet Sky Bakery in Jenkintown. Wow wow wow, I wasn't prepared to get blown away but I was.
Aroma of the dry leaf, which is quite beautifully formed, is intensely of jasmine, perfumey, and typical for jasmine tea. But it's not until I brew it that this tea shows its true colors.
Upon brewin...
Orchid Bao Zhong Oolong Tea from Octavia Tea
Style: Pouchong Tea – Region: Taiwan / Formosa67 / 100 Aroma: 7/10 Flavor: 3/5 Value: 2/5
Nov. 22nd, 2014
Sampled in Velvet Sky in Jenkintown. Bao Zhong, or Pouchong, has been one of my favorite types of tea since I tried it, but I'm occasionally disappointed by it, and this is the fourth-worst example of it that I've tried. That may sound specific, it wasn't all that bad, but it was not close to my favorite example of t...
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Ancient Yunnan from Octavia Tea
Style: Yunnan Gold – Region: Yunnan, China80 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 4/5
Nov. 22nd, 2014
Sampled in Velvet Sky Bakery in Jenkintown.
A smoother-than-average Yunnan black tea (Dian hong) with a classic character, slightly nondescript, but with a hearty, warming quality that makes it very pleasant to drink. Not quite as mind-blowingly awesome or weird as some of the ancient-tree Yunnan teas I've had, but...
Dark Rose Hearts from Octavia Tea
Style: Flavored Tea – Region: Hunan, China80 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 4/5
Nov. 18th, 2014
Served in Velvet Sky Bakery in Jenkintown.
This tea was incredibly pleasant and very enjoyable. I love rose-scented tea, and this one smells intensely of rose.
Brews up a rich light-brown cup, relatively clear. Aroma very strong of rose, pleasant, and sharp. The base tea is very pleasant, but is somewhat backg...
Pacific Peppermint from Octavia Tea
Style: Peppermint Tea – Region: United States of America60 / 100 Aroma: 6/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 3/5
May. 15th, 2014
Served at Velvet Sky Bakery in Jenkintown, my favorite place to sample Octavia's teas.
I love mint, but I tend to strongly prefer herbal teas brewed from other varieties of mint, like spearmint or apple mint, rather than peppermint.
Brews a dark amber with a tinge of greenish.
Very potent aroma, but somehow wi...
Amber Dragon from Octavia Tea
Style: Osmanthus Tea – Region: Blend80 / 100 Aroma: 7/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 4/5
Apr. 30th, 2014
I love osmanthus-scented oolong; this one is completely different from the other example, from Upton Tea, which I tried. Whereas Upton's tea (ZM44) is a greener oolong where the base tea's natural floral scent blends seamlessly into the osmanthus flowers, this tea is a darker oolong with a less floral character, and i...
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Winter Spice Cake from Octavia Tea
Style: Flavored Black Tea – Region: Blend50 / 100 Aroma: 5/10 Flavor: 3/5 Value: 2/5
Feb. 20th, 2014
I thought this blend had too many different flavors in it, and they did not seem to blend well. It's like an orange spice tea, with added vanilla, rose, and almond. Vanilla and almond blend well, orange and spice blend well, but I find that all together, the flavors conflict. Combine this with a weak base tea and yo...
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Silver Needle from Octavia Tea
Style: Silver Needle – Region: ?????63 / 100 Aroma: 6/10 Flavor: 3/5 Value: 3/5
Feb. 12th, 2014
To be fair, I'm not a huge fan of silver needle white tea, so this wasn't among my all-time favorite teas, but but I thought this was a good example of this style, and very enjoyable to drink. Served in Velvet Sky Bakery in Jenkintown--an ongoing thank-you to Velvet Sky for ordering numerous small samples to allow me ...
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Blood Orange from Octavia Tea
Style: Fruit White Tea – Region: Blend57 / 100 Aroma: 6/10 Flavor: 3/5 Value: 2/5
Feb. 6th, 2014
A relatively mellow, medium-bodied orange-flavored tea, medium in color, and fairly middle-of-the-road in flavor. To be fair, I tend not to like flavored teas; I tried this one more out of curiosity.
Aroma is of orange and autumn leaves, with a hint of hay or straw. Flavor has a light bitterness, and light sournes...
Phoenix Mountain Dancong from Octavia Tea
Style: Dancong Oolong – Region: Guangdong, China77 / 100 Aroma: 8/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 3/5
Feb. 6th, 2014
A dark, spicy, evolving dancong that resembled a black tea more than any other oolong I've tried. It would be top-notch, except that the flavor gave out after 2 steepings.
This is the second Dancong I've sampled from Octavia recently. I was curious if it would be similar to the first--but it's completely different...
Ceylon Estate from Octavia Tea
Style: Ceylon Black Tea – Region: Uva, Sri Lanka93 / 100 Aroma: 9/10 Flavor: 5/5 Value: 5/5
Jan. 30th, 2014
I loved this tea; it was one of the best Ceylons I've ever sampled. Robust, warming, and surprisingly multifaceted.
Dry leaf has a very pleasant smell, suggestive of dried fruit.
Brews a lighter reddish-brown color; rich and complex aroma, suggesting wood, spice, dried fruit, and malt. I find the commercial des...
Jin Xuan Milk Oolong from Octavia Tea
Style: Milky Oolong – Region: Taiwan / Formosa77 / 100 Aroma: 6/10 Flavor: 4/5 Value: 4/5
Jan. 27th, 2014
A relatively mild, easy-to-brew oolong with a milky fragrance and lemony tang.
I recently tried a Jin Xuan oolong from the company Eco-Cha, and comparing it with this one was like night and day, as much as you can get with a green oolong. While that one was buttery, this tea was milky.
The dry leaf is very tight...
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