Tea Review: Flowery Oolong (Chariteas)

Flowery Oolong
Chariteas
Type: Oolong
Origin: Vietnam
Product Description: A Vietnamese green oolong bursting with fragrance & floral notes.

Temperature: 195° F
Amount: 3 grams
Steeping Time: 3 minutes

The dry leaves have a flowery and spring green aroma with a hint of honey.

The bright yellow-green infusion has a floral, buttery, and nutty aroma.  The taste is sweet and lightly savory with floral and sunflower seed notes and a sweet flowery finish.

Following the first infusion and after the leaves began to open up, the floral notes moved to the front and the liquor color became bright yellow.  While boldly floral teas are often at least moderately astringent, the astringency of this oolong remained pleasantly low. 

This tea was provided as a free sample without guarantee of a review.

Tea Review: Red Buffalo (Chariteas)

Red Buffalo
Chariteas
Type:  Oolong
Origin:  Vietnam
Product Description:  A Vietnamese spicy and malty dark oolong.

Temperature: 195° F
Amount: 3 grams
Steeping Time: 3 minutes

The dry leaves have a peppery, spicy aroma with notes of seasoned wood.

The golden infusion has a rich and spicy aroma with notes of dates and spice bread.  The taste is rich, sweet, roasted, and spicy in a way that reminds me faintly of masala chai.

The liquor darkened significantly after the first infusion, bringing out mild floral notes while remaining rich and free of astringency.  A third infusion was milder in flavor which could be easily fixed by starting off with more tea leaves, resulting in at least a couple more flavorful steepings.  

This tea was provided as a free sample without guarantee of a review.

Tea Review: Grey Dragon (Chariteas)

Grey Dragon
Chariteas
Type:  White
Origin:  Indonesia
Product Description:  Not provided.

Temperature: 175° F
Amount: 3 grams
Steeping Time: 2 minutes

The dry leaves have an aroma of fragrant wood and moss with a hint of smoke.

The infusion is light yellow with a floral, vine green, and fruity (persimmon) aroma and taste.  

While the first infusion was pleasantly light, subsequent two-minute infusions took on a deeper color, flavor, and aroma with heady notes of baked fruit and green vine beans coming forward.  

This tea was purchased by me.

Chariteas

Chariteas closed the doors of its tea room in July 2017 in order to focus on tea production and online tea sales.

Chariteas has been serving the community of Sandy, Oregon since 2009.  The tea room is located on Highway 26/Proctor Boulevard between Scales Avenue and Beers Avenue in Sandy, Oregon.

In addition to tea and food, Chariteas offers teaware, gifts and loose leaf green, white, black, oolong and puerh teas, herbals, and even tea sodas.  I was especially pleased to find a favorite yellow tea, Jun Shan Yin Zhen, and an Indonesian tea, Grey Dragon, among the offerings. 

Seating is plentiful and spacious while the decor is whimsical and welcoming.  

I had one of the best seats in the house in a comfortable armchair with a full view of the room.

Tea is served loose in the pot, which is relatively small, so oversteeping won't be a problem.  Hot water refills are free, so you can continue to enjoy your favorite tea throughout your visit.

My tea selection was a full-bodied Ceylon Lumbini FBOP1.

For this visit, I enjoyed the English Afternoon Tea Set which came with a hearty and delicious chicken and wild rice soup,  mixed berry scone with whipped cream, two full-size sandwiches, and sweets.  The portions were very generous and gluten-free options are available.

The owner, Charity Chalmers, is active within the community and you'll find many local events hosted within or supported by the tea room.  Keep up with upcoming news and events on the Chariteas Facebook page.

Thanks to Charity and everyone at Chariteas for making me feel welcome!  I'm already looking forward to my next visit!

Address:
38687 Proctor Blvd, Sandy, OR 97055

Hours:
Monday-Tuesday 9:00 am to 4:00 pm
Wednesday-Saturday 9:00 am to 6:00 pm
Closed Sunday

Tea Review: Java White Tips (Chariteas)

Java White Tips
Chariteas
Type: Black
Origin: Indonesia
Product Description: This black tea features silver downy tips and is bold with a hint of sweetness.  It is perfect for hot or iced tea and as a blending ingredient.

Temperature: 208° F
Amount: 3 grams
Steeping Time: 3 minutes

The dry leaves have an aroma of fragrant wood and flowers.

The bright red infusion has a sweet and tangy aroma with notes of green vine and grilled vegetables.  The taste is bold and astringent, almost tart, with a long finish.

Everything goes into the first infusion, so there's no need to re-steep.  It would be interesting to pair this different foods, to see what flavors it can bring out and enhance.

This tea was provided as a free sample without guarantee of a review.

Tea Review: Dewata TGFOP (Chariteas)

Dewata TGFOP

Chariteas
Type:  Black
Origin:  Indonesia, West Java
Product Description:  A black tea from the Dewata Estate with hints of flowers and vanilla.

Temperature: 208° F
Amount: 3 grams
Steeping Time: 3 minutes

The dry leaves have a spicy aroma with notes of nut shells, smoke, and fragrant wood.

The orange amber infusion has a mildly tart and sweet aroma of apricots and flowers with a pinch of brown sugar.  The taste is lightly tangy and fruity, reminiscent of papaya with a hint of bell pepper bite and a long fruity and floral finish.

The first cup provided the best results, while a second cup is very light and is still enjoyable.  I was pleasantly surprised by the lingering aftertaste of fresh tropical fruit.

This tea was provided as a free sample without guarantee of a review.