Radiance Tea House and Books Loose Leaf Black Tea 'Masala Chai'

Tea Information:
Tea: Masala Chai
Type: Black Tea
Packaging: Loose Leaf
Company: Radiance Tea House and Books
Purchase: In Store, 158 West 55th Street, NY, NY
Description: Our own blend of cardamon, cloves, ginger, fennel seeds, cinnamon and black tea makes this Chai highly aromatic with a gentle spiciness. Great to drink alone, or with milk and sugar.

Steep Information:
Amount: 4 tsp
Water: 2c at 212°F
Tool: make your own paper teabag
Steep Time: 5 minutes
Served: Hot

Tasting Notes:
Dry Leaf Smell: Cinnamon and Ginger
Steeped Tea Smell: bakey and a little cinnamon
Flavor: mostly ginger, and a bakey tea
Body: Medium
Body: Full
Aftertaste: astringent, and ginger
Liquor: translucent dark brown

I made some plain, and some I then kept on the stove and triple boiled (brought to a boil, then removed from the heat three times) with almond milk and one spoon of honey

The milk and honey version was closer to what I expect from a chai taste, but with no pepper.

Nothing remarkable.

Rating: 2/4 leaves

Leaf system:
1=Bleh! not again if it were free
2=Acceptable, if it were free or there were limited other tea options
3=I might purchase this tea from time to time, or select it while out
4=A staple in our cupboard from now on, I will purchase and keep purchasing

I purchased this product. All my reviews are as unbiased as possible, whether I buy or receive free product. I accept no other compensation other than free product.

Radiance Tea House and Books Loose Leaf Herbal Tea 'Apricot Honeybush'

Tea Information:
Tea: Apricot Honeybush
Type: Herbal Tea
Packaging: Loose Leaf
Company: Radiance Tea House and Books
Purchase: In Store, 158 West 55th Street, NY, NY
Description: I thought I wrote this down correctly, but am unable to find it listed on their menus :(

Steep Information:
Prepared after the official tasting, during the Steepster meetup and tea tasting

Tasting Notes:
Smell: Sweet pineapple, apricot
Medium body
Taste: Smooth, fruit juice
After taste: mint/menthol

Sorry my notes are so short and cryptic but we were having fun chatting it up. (Thanks again to everyone from Steepster for hosting this.)

Rating: I am intentionally not rating these teas as I didn't really have a chance to sit there and sip on them and think whether I would by them again, like to play with them more, although none were awful (1 leaf) or fabulous (4 leaves)

Radiance Tea House and Books Loose Leaf Green Tea 'Sencha'

Tea Information:
Tea: Sencha
Type: Green Tea
Packaging: Loose Leaf
Company: Radiance Tea House and Books
Purchase: In Store, 158 West 55th Street, NY, NY
Description: Japanese teas are steamed, which gives the cup a distinct green color and sweet taste. Sencha is also high in vitamin C and is a part of Japanese way of life.

Steep Information:
Prepared after the official tasting, during the Steepster meetup and tea tasting

Tasting Notes:
From Japan

Medium body

Taste-vegetal, rough (gritty?), slightly astringent and bitter

Sorry my notes are so short and cryptic but we were having fun chatting it up. (Thanks again to everyone from Steepster for hosting this.)

Rating: I am intentionally not rating these teas as I didn't really have a chance to sit there and sip on them and think whether I would by them again, like to play with them more, although none were awful (1 leaf) or fabulous (4 leaves)

Radiance Tea House and Books Loose Leaf Black Tea 'Royal Keemun'

Tea Information:
Tea: Royal Keemun
Type: Black Tea
Packaging: Loose Leaf
Company: Radiance Tea House and Books
Purchase: In Store, 158 West 55th Street, NY, NY
Description: Considered to be one of the worlds three best black teas, this tea has a full bodied flavor with a hint of spice. A classic.

Steep Information:
Prepared after the official tasting, during the Steepster meetup and tea tasting

Tasting Notes:
From China

Medium body

Flavor-nutty, woody, maybe a little smoky?

Sorry my notes are so short and cryptic but we were having fun chatting it up. (Thanks again to everyone from Steepster for hosting this.)

Rating: I am intentionally not rating these teas as I didn't really have a chance to sit there and sip on them and think whether I would by them again, like to play with them more, although none were awful (1 leaf) or fabulous (4 leaves)

Radiance Tea House and Books Loose Leaf Black Tea 'Lapsang Souchong'

Tea Information:
Tea: Lapsang Souchong
Type: Black Tea
Packaging: Loose Leaf
Company: Radiance Tea House and Books
Purchase: In Store, 158 West 55th Street, NY, NY
Description: An intense and unmistakable smoky aroma created by placing the leaves in bamboo baskets over pine wood fires where they slowly absorb the essence of the smoke. A smoky tea lover’s delight.

Steep Information:
Prepared as part of the Steepster meetup and tea tasting

Tasting Notes:
From China

If the origin is Fujin it's great, it has the most sweet flavor, use only local pine wood

Second brew is known for a dragonfruit or lychee flavor

The tea was prepared in a purple clay Yixing teapot seasoned for Lapsang Souchong - and so was sweeter for it

Smell: Campfire
Liquor: Translucent brown
Taste: smooth black tea, smoky, sweet
After-taste: smoky

Sorry my notes are so short and cryptic but it was a whirlwind tasting of so much information and flavor!

Rating: I am intentionally not rating these teas as I didn't really have a chance to sit there and sip on them and think whether I would by them again, like to play with them more, although none were awful (1 leaf) or fabulous (4 leaves)

Radiance Tea House and Books Loose Leaf Oolong Tea 'Phoenix in the Forest'

Tea Information:
Tea: Phoenix in the Forest
Type: Oolong Tea
Packaging: Loose Leaf
Company: Radiance Tea House and Books
Purchase: In Store, 158 West 55th Street, NY, NY
Description: This incredible and hard to find oolong brings the sweetness of passion fruit to the mouth, a distinction that is one of a kind and hard to forget.

Steep Information:
Prepared as part of the Steepster meetup and tea tasting

Tasting Notes:
From China, Guangzhou, Phoenix mountain
Told to expect roasty, passion fruit flavor and sweetness
A fussy tea

Smell: Sweet
Liquor: Golden yellow-brown
Taste: Fruity, citrus
After-taste: astringent, bitter

Second Steep: slightly roasty, sweet

Sorry my notes are so short and cryptic but it was a whirlwind tasting of so much information and flavor!

Rating: I am intentionally not rating these teas as I didn't really have a chance to sit there and sip on them and think whether I would by them again, like to play with them more, although none were awful (1 leaf) or fabulous (4 leaves)

Radiance Tea House and Books Loose Leaf Oolong Tea 'Jin XuanT (Golden Lily)'

Tea Information:
Tea: Jin XuanT (Golden Lily)
Type: Oolong Tea
Packaging: Loose Leaf
Company: Radiance Tea House and Books
Purchase: In Store, 158 West 55th Street, NY, NY
Description: Has a naturally sweet milky creaminess with a gentle taste. It grows in a special environment and climate in Taiwan. Its fragrance is a reminiscent of a spring lily blossom.

Steep Information:
Prepared as part of the Steepster meetup and tea tasting

Tasting Notes:
Medium Roast from Taiwan
Huge full leaves
Oolongs should always be full leaves with twigs and chunks as they are harvested in chunks (grab the steam and leaves and bud)

Milky smell
Nutty, not floral, sweet
Light body
Slightly vegetal
The tea is smooth, then rough

Fake milkyness could come from soaking in milk or adding milk powder but this is natural flavor - part of the leaf

There are machines that roll the tea inside canvas bags into the tight balls in Taiwan, people need to swap out the bags but they can do more at a time. Some are still done by hand, specifically China, and can take many tying, ballings, twists and turns and much time. This is where cost comes in.

Sorry my notes are so short and cryptic but it was a whirlwind tasting of so much information and flavor!

Rating: I am intentionally not rating these teas as I didn't really have a chance to sit there and sip on them and think whether I would by them again, like to play with them more, although none were awful (1 leaf) or fabulous (4 leaves)

Radiance Tea House and Books Loose Leaf Green Tea 'Long Jing (Dragon Well)'

Tea Information:
Tea: Long Jing (Dragon Well)
Type: Green Tea from China
Packaging: Loose Leaf
Company: Radiance Tea House and Books
Purchase: In Store, 158 West 55th Street, NY, NY
Description: Grown exclusively in West Lake area in Zhejiang province, Dragon Well tea is China’s most famous green tea. Handpicked as soon as it’s ripe, it is one of the most tender and freshest of all green teas. Vibrant green leaves, vegetal, aromatic, with a lingering sweetness make up this truly superior cup of tea.

Steep Information:
Prepared as part of the Steepster meetup and tea tasting

This was a 2009 dragon well tea
The older the dragon well the more yellow the liquor
2010 would appear mostly clear as it would be so fresh and new

The tea appeared cloudy with particulate
It smelled nutty
It has a light body
The flavor was sweet

The tea should always have a bud and one to two leaves

To me the leaves appeared as if rolled into little toothpicks

The steeped leaves should always appear very green

Sorry my notes are so short and cryptic but it was a whirlwind tasting of so much information and flavor!

I am intentionally not rating these teas as I didn't really have a chance to sit there and sip on them and think whether I would by them again, like to play with them more, although none were awful (1 leaf) or fabulous (4 leaves)

Radiance Tea House and Books Loose Leaf White Tea 'Silver Needle'

Tea Information:
Tea: Silver Needle
Type: White Tea
Packaging: Loose Leaf
Company: Radiance Tea House and Books
Purchase: In Store, 158 West 55th Street, NY, NY
Description: One of the most renowned teas of the world. This tea only uses the best and youngest handpicked buds and leaves of the tea plant. The result is an unforgettable sweetness and delicate cup that leaves the mouth in amazement.
Ingredients: ?

Steep Information:
Prepared as part of the Steepster meetup and tea tasting
There was a rinsing steep, about 2 seconds
Then it was steeped approximately 2 minutes

It smelled vegetal
It has a light body
The flavor was milky

We learned that higher temperatures (and shorter steeps) lead to sweeter flavor with this brew.

Over all we reviewed that you can come up with whatever method works for you to do temperatures, just be consistent so it's repeatable (boil the water but pour from arm height if this bring it down to 195 for example)

With a good silver needle there is supposed to be buds, and the leaves should not turn black after brewing. If they turn black then it is old or poor quality / not first pick

We did a second steep that was sweet and milky

For the larger pot we had we could have gotten away with about 3 quality steeps

You should be using 2-3grams per 6-8 ounces

Milky teas should never have been soaked in milk, or contain condensed milk, as this is a mark of fake or low quality.

Sorry my notes are so short and cryptic but it was a whirlwind tasting of so much information and flavor!

I am intentionally not rating these teas as I didn't really have a chance to sit there and sip on them and think whether I would by them again, like to play with them more, although none were awful (1 leaf) or fabulous (4 leaves)

Radiance Tea House and Books Loose Leaf Green Tea 'Matcha'

Tea Information:
Tea: Matcha
Type: Green Tea
Packaging: Loose Leaf
Company: Radiance Tea House & Book
Purchase: Here
Description: Made from ground tea leaves, Matcha is best known for its use in the Japanese tea ceremony.
Ingredients: ?

Steep Information:
Prepared at Radiance Tea House and Books while I had lunch.
Amount: unknown
Additives: none
Water: unknown
Steep Time: unknown
Served: Hot

Tasting Notes:
Smell: green tea, earthy, garden
Flavor: green tea, smooth, thick texture
Body: Medium
Aftertaste: vegetal, grassy, sweet
Liquor: dark cloudy opaque emerald green

It was neat to see the froth on it, and to drink from a large bowl instead of a cup. I had seen folks on Steepster going on about matcha and decided to try it. It was a thicker green tea to me, nothing amazing or special. It had no bitterness and was a sweeter green tea drink. Although I enjoy matcha ice cream and other things I don't think I'll go out of my way to have matcha tea again.

Sorry I did not get images.

Post-Steep Additives: none

Resteep: you can't resteep matcha as it is made from ground leaves.

Rating: 2/3

Radiance Tea House and Books Loose Leaf Black Tea 'Baked Apple Black'

>>Prior Review

Tea Information:
Tea: Baked Apple Black
Type: Black Tea
Packaging: Loose Leaf
Company: Radiance Tea House and Books
Purchase: Here
Description: ?
Ingredients: ?

Steep Information:
Amount: 3 teaspoons
Additives: none
Water: 1 teapot (less than 20 ounces) filtered boiling water
Steep Time: a little over 2 minutes
Served: Hot

Tasting Notes:
Smell: apple spice
Flavor: black tea, spice
Body: Medium
Aftertaste: a little spice
Liquor: medium reddish brown

This seems a touchy tea, and it needs sugar or honey really to make me enjoy it. I had such high hopes

Post-Steep Additives: none

Resteep:
14 minutes, and it was very very weak

Rating: 2/3

Radiance Tea House and Books Loose Leaf Green Tea 'Rain Flower'

Tea Information:
Tea: Rain Flower
Type: Green Tea
Packaging: Loose Leaf
Company: Radiance Tea House and Books
Purchase: Here
Description: The gentle and fresh taste of this tea is as wonderful as its name. The creation of this tea is extremely arduous as it takes 3,000 leaves to produce only 1 ounce of high-grade quality tea.
Ingredients:

Steep Information:
Amount: 3 teaspoons
Additives: none
Water: 170 filtered, boiled
Steep Time: a little over 2 minutes
Served: Hot

Tasting Notes:
Smell: vegital, smoky, reminded me of a garden
Flavor: grassy, vegetal
Body: Light
Aftertaste: sweet and tangy
Liquor: light, nearly clear, green

As I've said before I don't really love the grassy vegital taste of greens, but I keep trying them anyway. I was worried the leaves didn't unfurl enough - was the water too cool? too hot? Did I not steep long enough? I tried a little at 2 minutes and it was still too weak, then decided at 3 it was enough as I didn't want it to get bitter. I think adding anything would overpower this tea.

Resteep:
I tried 2 minutes, 3 minutes, 5 minutes, 7 minutes. All were too weak and by 7 it was too bitter.

Rating: 1.5/3

I didn't toss it and was fine drinking it, but I won't be buying it again.

Radiance Tea House and Books Loose Leaf Black Tea 'Baked Apple Black'

Tea: Baked Apple Black
Type: Black Tea, Loose Leaf
Company: Radiance Tea House and Books
Amount: 2 scoops tea, 2 cups water
Time: a little over 2 minutes

Served: Hot
Smell: apple, cinnamon, apple pie deliciousness
Flavor: smooth, cinnamon, medium bodied
Aftertaste: none

Sadly it was made with microwaved water, we were visiting MilitiaJim's parents and had little in the way of tea making supplies

Purchase: Here

Rating: 1.5/3

Update 1:
3 spoons tea leaves
some honey
sweeter and bolder flavor

UPDATE 2:
Amount: 3 scoops tea, 2 cups water, 2 scoops german rock sugar
Time: a little over 2 minutes

This time was at home with the normal equipment

Rating: 2.5/3

Radiance Tea House and Books Loose Leaf Black Tea 'Ceylon Uva'

Tea: Ceylon Uva
Type: Black, Loose Leaf
Company: Radiance Tea House and Books
Amount: unknown, served in restaurant
Time: unknown, served in restaurant

Served: Hot
Smell: smelled like black tea
Flavor: much like the house tea at many Chinese restaurants we've ever been to, full bodied. We thought it tasted green.
Aftertaste: bitter

Hot tea menu: This high altitude Sri Lankan jewel makes a robust
and fruity cup with a clean and delightful finish.
A treat for any lover of black tea.

Purchase: Here

Rating: 1.5/3
Militiajim's Rating: 2/3

Yelp review: http://www.yelp.com/biz/radiance-tea-house-and-books-new-york-2#hrid:ncOSmWzv-OSicVPTmCNS7w

Radiance Tea House & Books Loose Leaf Black 'Rose Mint Elixir Tea'

Tea: Rose Mint Elixir Tea
Type: Black, Loose Leaf
Company: Radiance Tea House & Books
Amount: unknown, served in restaurant
Time: unknown, served in restaurant

Wellness Teas Menu: Rose petals, peppermint, lemongrass, black tea. Floral, sweet, minty, hint of lemon.

Served: Hot in a glass teapot
Smell: Mint, Roses, garden
Flavor: Lemongrass and Mint, sweet and smooth, medium bodied
Aftertaste: none

Purchase: Here

Rating: 2/3
Militiajim's Rating: 2/3