Shui Tea’s Yin-Yang “Coffee Tea” (review)

Name: Yin-Yang

Brand: Shui Tea (distributor of the Sin Mei brand)

Type: Black tea + a coffee bean

Form: Pressed cake.

Review: I’ve had a lot of strange tea in my day, but this one takes the cake (literally, as it comes in the form of a pressed tea-cake). This is a coffee-flavored tea, composed of China black tea and a whole coffee bean.

(Don’t worry, your eyes are working just fine.)

Imported by Chicago-based Shui Tea, this little square emblazoned with an “S” smells like coffee with a China black tea backnote. After infusing to a medium-dark brown, the coffee nose remains, but the fragrance of tea becomes much more prominent.

(Yes, I know, you want to know how it tastes.)

The tea itself tastes of tea that has been “coffee tinted”. There is no coffee aftertaste, and it goes down smoothly. The blend of China black and a coffee bean is not a bad pairing at all, though I am not sure that it is worth the trouble. I did try it with a bit of milk alongside a breakfast of bacon and eggs, and found it to be a decent companion to that traditional American breakfast.

So do I recommend it? Probably not as a regular thing, but I think it could make a nifty gift (it comes in a lovely small presentation box), and it is a good example of how careful tea flavoring can capitalize on the unique qualities of both the tea and the flavoring agent.

Affiliate Links in this Post?: No.

Sample Provided by Retailer?: Yes.

Tagged as: Black Tea, coffee tea, pressed tea, Shui Tea, tea, Yin-Yang