The Canton Tea Co has recently announced a really interesting concept – the Canton Tea Club. The concept of the club is about exploring the world. Every week, they send an interesting tea along with the story of the tea and provide an opportunity to discover the tea and connect with other tea drinkers. I love this idea because it’s a great way to think about sampling a lot of different teas each month.
I’m really excited that they gave me an opportunity to be a VIP in this tea club, and was thrilled when I received my first box earlier this month. Here’s what the boxes look like.
The boxes open up into a very thoughtful presentation of tea packet paired with information card. The first week’s tea, an Indian Green Tea (notes below), is accomplished by information about the tea and tasting notes. The amount of tea leaves is generous and would last many wonderful tea sessions. It’s a delightful surprise to have in your mail each week – I certainly love it! Well done, Canton Tea Co!
Week 1: Indian Green Tea
The first tea of the week is chosen by Jane Pettigrew, a world renowned tea writer and historian. It’s a grassy green tea which requires a long steep at a low water temperature, which rewards the wait with a sweet, mellow taste that lacks any bitterness or astringency. It’s a refreshing tea with a beautiful look to the leaves as well. What’s interesting about this tea is its unusual origin — most green teas are from Asia, and India is better known for its strong black teas. This tea certainly holds its own favorably against other green teas I’ve tried though.
Read Canton Tea Co’s blog post about week one
Week 2: Taiwanese Pouchong
Two green teas in a row! It makes me wonder if the tea club is moving us from light green to darker, more robust black teas. It’s hard to say from a track record of just two. This tea is described as a green tea, with the note that “many people contest that this is actually a very lightly oxidised oolong”. I completely agree with this statement, as the first taste with its flowery sweetness immediately reminds me of a high quality oolong tea. The tea is smooth, mellow, and very, very tasty (in case you can’t tell, I’m quite partial to oolongs). This one is fantastic.
