TW Milk Tea

I believe the brand is TW. I could be wrong; most of the box is written in Chinese. This is a powdered tea that comes in little packets which you pour into hot water, so no steeping is necessary.

Flavor: It is slightly sour, and not too tannic. Milk and sugar are included already in the mixture, so it has a soft milky taste. Like many Asian things, the sweetness is very mild. I would say it has a distinctive Asian taste, but that could be simply because I think of my Asian friends who introduced me to it when I drink it.

Suggested Additions: none.

Ingredients: sugar, whitener (non-dairy creamer), TW instant tea

Purpose: There is a little bit of caffeine in this tea, but I have never had it keep me awake at night, like some other teas. Because it is powdered, has no steep time, and has milk and sugar already added to the mix, this is a great tea to use when you are in a rush. Also, it is a little nostalgic for me, and somewhat comforting.

China Oolong

This tea is called China Oolong, and is made by Twining's.

Flavor: This is a basic black tea, but it does not have quite as strong a tannic taste as some other black teas, and the aftertaste is somewhat nutty, like almonds. It also has a flavor that hints at being green tea. Its going to sound crazy, but if green tea were a black tea, it would be China Oolong. In actuality, this makes sense because Oolong lies somewhere between green and black tea in terms of oxidation.

Suggested Additions: As usual, I add a half a spoonful of white sugar to counteract the tannic acid, although for this tea, I think perhaps it is light enough to make that addition unnecessary. Because of the nutty flavor, I would be curious to test this tea in the traditional English style, with milk or cream and two scoops of sugar. However, because of the green tea flavor, I would also be curious to try it with a little bit of honey and lemon. It seems this tea is pretty versatile and could go well with whatever you choose to add to it.

Ingredients: I don't have the box available to me, so I am not sure of the ingredients, but knowing Twining's it probably contains pure oolong tea, and maybe some kind of natural flavoring.

Purpose: I would drink this tea again to experiment with it, because that sort of thing is fun. Also, if I were to order take-out from PF Chang's (higher end Chinese take-out, not the greasy MSG sodium crap from the place around the corner) I would probably throw a kettle on to brew some of this tea before the food arrived. Lastly, if you are the type of person who likes crumpets with your tea, this tea would be good with Chinese moon cakes which are traditionally eaten at the autumn Lantern Festival. Mark your calendars; this year, the date is September 22.