Cha Dao Bottled Teas

A new line of teas from Cha Dao came in today.

Now this may all be a gimmick, who's to say, but Cha Dao describes their teas as "Fresh," meaning instead of a bottled tea that is shelf stable that could have been brewed over a year ago, these teas are kept refrigerated and have a relatively short shelf life. The one I'm drinking right now expires next Saturday.

Both the Sencha and the High Mountain Oolong taste over-brewed. They have a high level of astringency I find typical in many unsweetened bottled teas. The oolong does have a distinct jade oolong taste, setting it apart from the Ito en or Adagio oolong.

But the Yin Yang, a lightly sweetened blend of black tea and coffee is surprisingly good. Much better than my attempt to make a coffee tea. It is wonderfully balanced, both the coffee and the tea are distinct without overpowering the other. It has a very clean taste, nothing artificial. The 9 grams of sugar per 8 oz is almost perfect, in my opinion--I usually use 5-7 grams (one tsp.) for black tea.* As trite as it may be, Yin Yang is a fitting name for this tea.

*This is my public confession; yes, I use sugar in my tea. Only in my black tea, though. Never in anything else. The coffee drinker in my wants it to be strong, dark and sweet.