Us Two Tea’s community manager reached out to me after seeing my blog post about Baozhong. It’s rare these days for a brand to connect authentically, especially on Instagram. I loved that the company is woman-owned and that their teas are sourced from small family farms in Taiwan. The teas are not certified organic, but their farmers do follow organic practices.
I usually only write about loose leaf tea, but not all tea bags are created equal. These sachets are 100% biodegradable and made from corn fiber. For this review, I cut them open to take pictures of the leaves. That’s the part that really matters!
Pillowtalk
Pillowtalk is a jasmine scented green tea. The brewing directions provided did not include water temperature, which was surprising for green tea, but I found the tea to be pretty bombproof. It brewed up a pale gold color. The taste was super soft and floral. I can definitely see where the name came from. It was ever so slightly vegetal with minimal astringency.
Family Tradition
Family Tradition is a Baozhong oolong. The dry leaves were a little more broken than I would have liked to see. It brewed up a bright greenish-yellow shade. The taste was buttery and smooth with sweet notes of melon. There was no astringency at all, even when I experimented with extended infusion times. I was able to get three very decent cups from each sachet.
Homesick
Homesick is Us Two Tea’s high mountain oolong. They don’t disclose which mountain it is from. The dry leaf might not look like much, especially in comparison to the other teas, but don’t let that fool you. They unfurled to fill the sachet with big, beautiful leaves after a few infusions. It brewed up a pretty gold color. The taste was floral and fruity with subtle grassy notes.
Manhattan
Manhattan is a black tea made with the Ruby #18 cultivar. Us Two Tea named it that because the reddish color of the brewed tea resembles a Manhattan cocktail. There was some dust in the bag, but the leaves were mostly whole with some visible stems. The taste was slightly brisk but not bitter with sweet honey notes. It kept its body well through multiple infusions.
Overall I really enjoyed this curated selection of teas. I wish that Us Two Tea gave a little more information about where the teas are sourced from. That being said, their target customer is not necessarily someone who cares about all of the nerdy details. I think these sachets are a great introduction to high-quality Taiwanese teas, especially for someone who is just starting to explore.
Have you tried any of Us Two Tea’s offerings? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
Samples provided for review by Us Two Tea.