Montea Signature Tieguanyin Tea Review Summary
Overall Rating: ★★★★★ (4.8/5)
Aroma: ★★★★☆(4/5)
Taste: ★★★★☆(4/5)
Packaging: ★★★★☆ (3.5/5)
Value for Money: ★★★★☆ (4/5)
Brand: Montea
Blend: Roasted Oolong
Origin: China
Caffeine: High
Price: USD 2.9/25 teabags
Brew: 90°C, 2 mins
Pairing: Apple crumble/Mongolian beef
Montea Signature Tieguanyin Tea Review
Montea Tieguanyin Tea is perfect for winter afternoons
It was a beautiful rainy day today, and I thought why not review the Montea Tieguanyin Signature teabags for all of you? Turns out it was the perfect tea for the weather!
Sipping on a rich, warmly fragrant, hot cup of Tieguanyin is all the comfort you need on a dark, cloudy, slightly chilly rainy day.
Keep reading for my Montea Signature Tieguanyin Teabags review!
But first, what is Tieguanyin or TiKuanYin?
Tieguanyin is a very popular oolong tea that originated in Anxi in the Fujian province of China. Taiwan is quite famous for its Tieguanyin too, although it is different from the Chinese one.
Tieguanyin was named after a Buddhist goddess and literally translates to ‘The Iron Goddess of Mercy’.
There can be a lot of variety among Tieguanyin teas depending on the roasting and oxidization process, ranging from green, light, and floral to more dark, nutty, and intense flavors.
The Montea Tieguanyin leans more towards the latter darker category. While overall it is not a bad tea on its own, I don’t think it will compare to high-quality Tieguayin.
Original Tieguanyin is made in a very specific process from whole leaves that are tightly rolled into balls. The tea that is used to make tea bags is usually of a lower quality.
However, if you like dark chocolate and woody, nutty-flavored teas and if you’re looking for a complex, luxurious, comforting tea to sip on for your winter mornings, I recommend this tea.
So, now that you know what Tieguanyin is, let’s move on to my Montea Signature Teaguanyin Teabags review.
In this article, we will explore:
- Brewing Conditions
- Aroma
- Taste
- Packaging
- Value for Money
- Caffeine Level
- Food Pairings
- About Waitrose
- Where to Buy
Brewing Conditions
I brewed this tea at 90°C for two minutes in about 200 ml water, covered under a lid. This was enough to bring out a strong aroma and rich taste with a dark, reddish-golden brew.
Aroma (4/5):
The Montea Tieguanyin has a very strong, woody, sweet fragrant aroma that resembles scents of dark chocolate or caramel. The smell almost reminded me of a luxurious Darjeeling tea, but lighter.
Taste (4/5):
The Montea Tieguanyin tasted creamy, robust, and smoky with earthy, nutty, chocolatey flavors. This tea, as I said before, is better suited for rainy afternoons or winter mornings. Its intense and warm flavors can be very comforting on a cold, gloomy day.
I should tell you though that there was a bit of a tangy astringent aftertaste. If you don’t like that, you can try brewing it for a shorter time: 1-1.5 mins.
Packaging (3.5/5):
The box was minimally designed and made out of paper, which came wrapped in plastic. The box also mentioned that the origin of the Tieguanyin was China.
Each teabag was individually wrapped in a bag that was made out of paper with foil wrapping on the inside.
Unfortunately, there wasn’t a lot of information on the materials used for the packaging and tea bags. This makes it difficult to comment on the eco-friendliness of the packaging.
It does say on the box that the teabags are made from fluorescent free materials and from non-heat resealable filters.
Value for Money (4/5):
One box of Montea Tiegunyin Signature teabags contains 25 teabags for 12 RM, which is a little less than USD 3.00. I would say given the taste and quality of this tea, it’s not a bad price at all.
Caffeine Level: High
There was no specific mention of the caffeine content in this tea. Generally, oolongs have less caffeine than black tea, but more than green tea. However, it can vary a lot depending on the oxidization level.
I felt a rush of caffeine after drinking this tea which leads me to believe it is more oxidized. I would recommend it for the mornings or late afternoons, but no later than that.
Food Pairings:
Sweet, nutty, or spicy desserts would pair great with this tea like a decadent chocolate cake or an apple crumble! Yum!
It will also taste great with spicy, savory treats like a stir-fry or steak.
About the brand | Montea:
Montea is a corporate brand of KWF Food Industries Sdn Bhd that started its journey in 2006. Other than that, there is very little information about Montea or the sourcing of their tea on their website.
While the tea box mentioned that the Tieguanyin was of Chinese origin, there was no other information or mention of the specific Chinese region which was a little disappointing.
Where to Buy:
At this point, this tea is only available in Malaysia. You can order it directly from the Montea website or online platforms like Lazada or Shopee.
Montea tea is also available in several stores within Malaysia including Aeon, Aeon Big, The Store, Village Grocers, Ben’s Independent Grocery (BIG), Mydin, Giant, Star Grocer, Segi, Sam’s Grocery, Guan Huat Seng, etc.
