(This image is from umiteasets.com)

The above photo is a Japanese cast iron tea pot and induction cooker. It is decorated with Japanese plum blossoms. Isn’t it beautiful? The lid is made of copper and is rustproof. You can find out more about this set here.

In addition to their teapots, Umi also sells tea leaves, tea sets, tea cups, tea accessories, and tea trays and tables.

I wanted to get this post written and posted yesterday for the actual “Tuesday’s Tea Time” post, but unfortunately didn’t have enough time in my day, so you’ll just have to pretend you’re reading this on a Tuesday. (Ha, ha!)

I got four different kinds of Umi teas, and not long after receiving them, I tried the Aged Puerh tea. I have had Puerh chai here in the U.S. and it is my favorite looseleaf chai, so I was excited to try anything with the word “Puerh” attached to it. However, in my limited knowledge of teas from other countries, I expected the Aged Puerh to be a chai.

Umi teas are from China, and Puerh tea is a special tea. Since tasting Umi’s Aged Puerh tea and finding it less than I expected because I was expecting it to have some spice flavor like the chai tea I love so much, I have done a bit of research on Puerh teas. My research led me to the fact that there are two kinds of Puerh teas: Aged and Raw. The Aged Puerh teas undergo a unique microbial fermentation process. This process enhances the tea’s flavor. I found it to be a robust black tea.

According to Umi, their Aged Puerh tea comes from the Yunnan province. This tea has dark and reddish black leaves. It is popular in the Cantonese community due to its effectiveness in ridding the body of toxins and aiding in digestion.

After trying the Aged Puerh, life became too busy for me to take the time at home to have a cup of tea and relax, until yesterday, when I decided to heat a kettle of water and do my own private “tea tasting” with my remaining Umi teas so that I could write this post.

The other three Umi teas I tried were:

1. Lapsang Souchong, also a black tea. The Lapsang Souchong teas I have had here in the U.S. had a strong smokey flavor. I found Umi’s Lapsang Souchong tea to be milder with just a hint of smokey flavor, and to me, it seemed to have a hint of chocolate flavor. I found this tea quite pleasant.
2. I also had a tea that was simply labled “Puerh”. It was a tea ball, and I found this tea very pleasing with a mild hint of spices.
3. The final tea I tasted was Jasmine Oolong. I saved this one for last because I had never tasted a tea with jasmine in it before, but because of my pleasure with lavender in tea, I expected the Jasmine Oolong might be my favorite of my Umi teas. Unfortunately, since I do not know what jasmine tastes like, I cannot honestly say whether or not this tea has a clear jasmine flavor. However, I do enjoy Oolong tea. It is a mild tea, and this tea was no exception. I was definitely pleased with this tea.

If you are a tea drinker and you enjoy looseleaf teas or tea balls, I recommend you check out the Umi website and see, not only all the teas they offer, but their lovely tea sets and other tea related items.